Chapter 4 - Rumour Control

“Your Highness! How may I serve you today?” The physician and nurse both bowed low.

“I seem to have accidently scratched my arm. If you could attend to it, I would be grateful.” Princess Syra smiled her practiced gentle smile towards the older man with graying brown hair as he hurried towards her.

“Of course, your Highness! Please come this way. Would you like Duchess Ophelia to stay with you?” The physician directed her towards a treatment area.

“I would like her company, she soothes me and is my closest companion.” Princess Syra stated in her practice regal voice causing Lia to stifle a giggle at the sudden switch from their gossiping to a formal tone.

“As you wish, your Highness. Please excuse me for a moment while I gather supplies to treat your arm.” The physician closed the curtain behind him and the two young women looked at each other and began to whisper again.

“So what happened with Icar and Aurelian? Was there a fight?” Lia whispered excitedly, she was always excited about other people’s love lives. 

“No, most of the words exchanged were between me and Aurelian. Very few of them were kind. But Icar slipped me their summoning card. I have no idea if I should use it. I mean, I know I shouldn’t as a princess, but I want to fly again and they offered.” She rushed to finish as the physician returned, purposefully ignoring the looks and faces Ophelia was making behind the man.

The physician wrapped her arm in bandages and disinfected the wounds, but Syra’s clothes were still bloody. As she exited the office and turned to continue talking with Ophelia, she saw another familiar face storming towards her. She took a deep breath and looked into Lia’s hazel eyes and then flicked them towards the figure quickly descending upon them. Lia turned just as Duke Robert stopped in front of them.

“Mother is looking for you.” Duke Robert’s insidious smile made Syra’s heart race and her stomach drop.

“Of course, now that my injury has been attended to, I will gladly go visit Her Majesty. Thank you for informing me, Duke Robert.” Princess Syra’s smile was mismatched with her eyes that glared daggers into her half brother’s. 

Duke Robert did not wait for the Princess to lead, but instead walked ahead of her. Syra and Ophelia looked at each other and rolled their eyes. 

He might be older, but I am higher rank than he is. It’s not worth mentioning and getting into another fight with him.

As they re-entered the ballroom, Robert led them to the dais with the ornate thrones above the crowd. Upon these adorned thrones sat Queen Opal and Crown Princess Pythia. King Consort Bashira was off somewhere else. Princess Syra curtsied before her mother and Duchess Ophelia curtsied slightly lower.

“Rise,” the Queen commanded, “I have been hearing unsightly rumors for the past half hour. They seem to be getting more outrageous as time goes on. Do you know what I heard, Princess Syra?” Syra felt her ears ring and felt like her heartbeat was so loud everyone could hear it.

“No, your Majesty. I do not know what the rumors are as I have been away with Duchess Ophelia for the past half hour.” Syra looked into her mothers eyes, her eyes looked like a raging storm at sea.

“Oh? So you were not having a secret affair out on the balcony with some commoner? And Prince Aurelian did not catch you in the act of such an affair and threaten to end the engagement? Did such commoner then not flee as to avoid the wrath of the dragon prince?” Queen Opal spoke softly enough as to not be heard by any of the ball attendees, but her tone made Princess Syra fight the fear rising inside her.

“That is an exaggeration of the actual events, your Majesty. I simply spoke with a friend on the balcony. Prince Aurelian then came out and began to shout based on his incorrect assumptions as to my relationship and actions with my friend. He specifically blamed my siren nature for his accusations.” Princess Syra tried to keep her voice even as she spoke, but she could feel her face heat. 

Crown Princess Pythia kept glancing over without turning her head, but remained silent. She was often silent in front of their mother. 

She will surely wait to say something when she corners me alone. Why does she care so much about what I do as the youngest princess? I will never inherit this throne. No one would consider it.

“Syra. You are aware of your title, yes? You are aware that your future engagement to Prince Aurelian is important to our queendom, yes? Then why are you acting in a way that could cause any misunderstandings, especially during a visit from the dragon royal family?” The Queen’s eyes stared barely blinking at her youngest daughter; the rage in her voice made Syra start to shake.

“I am aware of my title, your Majesty. I am also aware that I will someday be engaged to Prince Aurelian. I am not trying to ruin or stop my engagement. I ask that you remember that I am your daughter, who is still not of age. At what age was I supposed to no longer speak to friends privately, your Majesty?” Princess Syra desperately held back angry tears and felt Duchess Ophelia squeeze her hand behind her back as her legs shook.

“You impudent child. You question my memory? I am well aware that you are my daughter. My disobedient daughter who is willing to risk our entire Queendom over a friendship. Yes, you truly are a child still.” Her voice got colder as she her gaze mimicked her voice.

Princess Syra stayed silent as memories of her mother’s punishments made her blood run cold. She hoped no one could see how much she was shaking.

“You better hope that King Dracon does not hear these rumors. We need his allyship for reasons you are too immature to understand and you could someday be a queen. Do you not wish to be simply handed a throne? Go and dance with your future fiancé and fix your mistake. After the dragon royal family has left, you will be informed of your punishment.” The Queen turned and refused to look at Syra again. 

“May I change into a clean outfit? My current dress has blood on it and I worry about what others would say to see me in such a state.” The Princess outstretched her dress to show the blood stains and her bandaged arm, the queen glanced out of the corner of her eye before waving her off.

 “Thank you for your kindness, your Majesty.” Syra curtsied and began to descend the steps, Lia followed and they both heard a small snippet as they walked down.

“Your wise Majesty, are you sure she should be allowed back into the ballroom?” Duke Robert protested.

“Sending her away for the night would only fan the flames of the rumors. Which attendees were spreading these rumors you brought me?” Queen Opal’s cold voice sent a shiver down Syra’s spine.

***

Once Princess Syra and Duchess Ophelia were outside the ballroom and headed for the princess’s room, they began to talk once again.

“Wow, those rumors got to her fast. I was hoping that I could have avoided that until after the ball.” Syra sighed, her face still hot and eyes still watery as she hugged herself to try to calm the shaking.

“Yeah, it seems like Robert heard them and ran straight to your mother. He is so much older than you, shouldn’t he have outgrown tattling to your mother?” Lia rolled her eyes as they shut the door and she made her way to the closet.

“I am so tired of the constant rumors. Even if I do nothing, there would be a rumor about me. Did you hear the one about my absence at a ball was because I was secretly exiled?” Syra sighed and began to undress.

“Oh! Or the one about you running away with a clownfish merman to join the underwater circus?” Lia giggled hard as she looked through the gowns.

“I had forgotten about that! That was the one we started as a joke! And your poor brother believed that one for so long, but he never said anything until we were alone! He very quietly asked ‘what happened with the clownfish?’ and I almost died of laughter!” Syra howled in laughter and joined Lia in looking through gowns.

“Don’t forget the time with the two competing rumors after you had been missing in court for a bit, half the court said you were hidden away because you were secretly pregnant and the other half believed you were deathly ill with a rare disease from the recent freshwater visitors.” 

“Wait, is that why some of the court were staring at me? Some looked like they were seeing a ghost!” Syra laughed so hard her stomach hurt, she could only laugh like this with a handful of people.

Pregnant? Is that them assuming I would only have sons or them implying none of my children would be sirens and therefore none would come from an egg? Do kirins lay eggs like sirens? If they are half dragons too… What would happen?

“Yes! I imagine they were quite confused! The rumors are always said quietly since no one wants the dragons to hear about them, but they always seem to spread rumors about you. I wonder why it is always centered around you? I never hear rumors about Pearl or my Mother.”

“Hmm, that is an excellent question. These rumors at least are more entertaining than the rumor about my parents not actually being my mother or father.”

“What? I have never heard this before? Why would anyone question that?” Ophelia nearly dropped the dress she was holding out in shock.

“Oh, it is probably because you are a couple years younger that you don’t remember. When we were little there was a rumor going about my heritage because I don’t look like either of my parents. My mother has hair the color of white sand, my father has hair as black as night, then I have purple hair and Pearl has green hair! My mothers eyes are blue, my fathers are brown and red, Pearl’s eyes are a reddish brown, but mine are hazel.” Syra’s gaze stayed on the floor as she spoke.

“So rumors spread about Pearl and I from a young age about who our parents could possibly be since no one understands that genetics, especially in magical creatures, does whatever it wants.” Syra’s eyes remained downcast as Ophelia helped her dress and listened quietly before suddenly making Syra jump with her outburst.

“That is ridiculous! There are many hair colors in our family! Even my hair has some purple in it, it might be a lighter purple, but no one has ever doubted who my mother is… as far as I know.” Lia paused as she helped fix and straighten the new outfit with long sleeves.

“I have never heard a rumor about that, but your mother made the fact you and your sister are sirens clear. No one has ever doubted that you are hers, especially with how strong your powers are. I feel bad for Eros, he gets a lower title than you simply because he was born a human. I know that is how our society works, but it seems unfair that one of Pythia’s triplets is simply a marquess.” Syra sighed a frustrated sigh as she looked herself over one last time in the mirror.

“I know. While someday Sorel and I will be princesses, he will never be a prince. But in the distant future when that happens, you will be a crown princess or maybe even a queen. So you will still outrank me.” Lia threw in a slight curtsy with her laughter at the end as she smiled easily.

“Lia, our ranks do not matter. They never have, but I will be sad when the day comes that I will barely see you. The Dragon Kingdom is so far away. I am glad that I will not be here for the fight over who will be the next crown princess after Pythia becomes queen. I do not wish to have to take a side between you and Sorel.” Syra hugged Lia before opening the door to return to the ball.

I love them both… I don’t know what will happen if there ends up being a fight for the throne. Would they both hate me for not taking a side?