“Nong!” governess Gao’s voice shook Nong’s attention away from the strange feather dancing down the length of her white wall.
Two hand maids trailed the stern faced governess approaching her by the pond. Greying hair was woven into a tight bun behind her slim face. Governess Gao always seemed annoyed and displeased but Nong knew that was just an exterior.
In fact, governess Gao was patient and wise. Nong learned that her mother and the governess were friends. When the news of her parents death was released – governess Gao immediately requested charge of Nong and continued to raise her as her own. Her upbringing was strict but it wasn’t harsh. And pretty soon, Nong grew accustomed to her gilded cage.
And it was especially fine since a certain Crown Prince also lived close by.
“You must be excited? It’s been two years since you’ve seen Prince Edan?” Governess Gao came to stand next to Nong where she had been mindlessly feeding the fish. She was in actuality trying her best to past the time. Today was a special day.
From the corner of her eye she noticed the feather drifting about near the peach tree as if waiting for her.
“Y-yes. I’m glad he’s back safe and sound,” Nong smiled at her governess.
“I know you’ve been lonely without your friend,”
“I have you too, governess!” Nong felt her face heat up.
Her governess laughed. “Now, now. I may not have clairvoyant powers like you but I can at least see that’s a lie!” She motioned for the two hand maids. “Now come along. We must get you ready for the celebration tonight,”
Nong obeyed and quickly followed the women to her room, but not before stealing a glance back at the feather and noticing it had disappeared.
---
The Lotus King’s audience chamber was filled with colorful people chattering away. All dressed in their finest garments each accessorized with statement silver jewelry. The dyes of their robes were a pride of the kingdom symbolizing their vibrant tropical landscape. And the silver a memento. A reminder of where the Lotus Kingdom used reside up in the cold and sullen Northern regions. Where their Crown Prince Edan was returning from.
The huge, arched windows along the sides and back of the room let in the warm air. The indoor pool of pink lotus blossoms sparkled in the sunlight dividing the room between the King’s throne and the crowd with just a single jade bridge connecting the two spaces.
Nong stood to the King’s left dressed in her royal blue Bird Witch regalia. The dress now fitting to her body was still heavy as it draped and cascaded down with an assortment of beads and silver coins. A pink and green sash wrapped tightly around her waist. And a golden mask covered her eyes with a mix of vibrant feathers flaring over her head. They bobbed as she nodded in silence greeting the people that came up to her and the King. They skittered away from her as fast as possible but she couldn’t blame them.
She focused her gaze at the glittering water before her separating her from the rest of the world. As a descendant of the mysterious Bird clan, she was the only one in the kingdom that had magic. She was an outcast.
For the past 8 years, she’d given the King a handful of visions – even the one that sent Prince Edan across the border for two years. She saw that his campaign would be successful and that was enough to the King. But many of her visions came and went as they pleased. Nong still had trouble controlling and deciphering them. She wondered if her mother struggled like she did now.
The doorman tapped his spear loudly commanding silence in the room.
“Announcing Prince Edan! Conqueror of the North!”
The doors creaked open letting in more sunlight. The Prince’s silhouette stood between them and he began to approach the throne. The room erupted with the crowd’s cheers.
“Oh my! How he’s grown!”
“How handsome!”
“Congratulations, Prince Edan!”
Prince Edan reached the bridge. And Nong’s heart stopped.
The Prince smiled as he took his steps – a golden glint in his eyes. Eyes that were supposed to be sky blue. Hair that was supposed to be the color of the sun were now dark like the earth and tied into a long swaying, ponytail. This was not Prince Edan and no one seemed to notice. Not even his own father, as he stood and welcomed him in an embrace.
“My son!” The King smiled warmly. “Welcome home,”
The stranger bowed before the King. He grinned, slyly winking at a stunned Nong. “Indeed, I couldn’t wait to arrive,”
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