Ashen Rise

ANDORRA FELT victorious as she sat at the head of the table. Spread out before her in the Royal Chamber sat the members of her Royal Counsel. There were two missing members; Levison had assured her they were on another mission, sorting something out with Anders.

A meeting without the wicked Prince? She wasn't going to complain. But, she also knew what they could have been meeting about, and that gave her a lick of anxiety. She smiled it away though as she looked at the rest of the members.

They were all men. Andorra wasn't sure if that was on purpose, or if it was coincidental, but she was leaning towards the former. She had practiced last night how she would smile. How it would look soft, excited, hopeful. She was a willing participant, a team player.

"Next on the agenda," Levison started, clearing his throat. He shot a look across the table at another member. "The Royal Wedding."

Andorra clapped her hands together in fake glee. "Ooh! My favorite topic!"

The looks from the Royal Counsel members told Andorra that she was doing everything correctly, because the look they shot her was a look of, is she being forreal?

Yes, she thought back to their stares of disbelief and annoyance. I am the most idiotic, human princess you've ever met. Just wait until you hear me prattle on about the wedding cake.

Levison tore his eyes from Andorra. "We need to move quickly. The coronation will be rapidly approaching. As we all know, the Princess's twenty-first birthday is almost here, and she will take the throne shortly after. It is in the best interest of Anlithamy if she is married beforehand."

One council member squinted. "How do you know when her day of birth was? We could be wrong."

Levison waved his hand. "I was her parents' advisor, was I not? You think I did not know of her birth?" There was disgust in his voice, as if he were shocked someone would go against his word. It made Andorra pause in thought for a moment.

The other counsel member shrunk back. "You're right. I had forgotten you were their advisor."

Levison didn't look like he believed the other counsel member. "As I was saying, we need to move fast. I am thinking within the next two weeks. That would give us enough time to prepare the Princess and Prince for the event, find the correct gowns, and wrestle an ordain down here."

No one disagreed. No one even seemed to look at Levison. Andorra took the silence and decided to lift the tension in the only way she knew how. "Wow! That is so fast! Have you given any thoughts though to letting my friends attend? I really would love them here." She clasped her hands together and brought them under her chin, giving Levison an angelic smile. A please please pretty please smile.

"They won't be able to make it, not with the borders shut down. I am sorry, Princess."

Andorra felt her lower lip tremble. Maybe I am cut out to be an actress, she thought. "Okay. I just wish they could be here. They're Anders' friends too. It's such a sad thing, this border." She huffed out a sigh.

No one seemed to even look at her as she said those words. To them, she was the bumbling idiot Princess. Andorra tried to keep the grin in check.

"So, what needs to be done? I will contact the ordain, although Levison, I think the Prophet may be one of the only ordains left."

The temperature in the room dropped immediately. Andorra could nearly feel the frost under her nose. Strange, though - Andorra thought only snow fae could master that skill. "The Prophet will not step foot at this wedding." Levison's words were icy and final.