Chapter 10 - Fire

Syra could hear the shouting better as Hestia peeked her head outside the door. She threw the doors open and turned to the Princess and Duchess.

“We need to go underwater! There is a fire!” Hestia rushed and grabbed their hands as they began to race down the hallway, shouting was heard behind them and they saw others running down the hallway with them.

“A fire? How did a fire start?” Duchess Ophelia shouted over the screams as she tried to look behind her.

“I do not know, your Grace, but I need to get you both to safety.” Hestia’s hands held tight as they began to reach the part of the hallway that lowered into the water. 

Syra looked ahead and watched as others dove into the water. She prepared herself to jump as she looked back and saw the stampede of people behind them. She had no time to slow down or she would be trampled. Syra suddenly stumbled as Lia tripped and fell. Syra grabbed onto Lia and with Hestia they dragged her into the water. 

Once underwater and transformed, they began to swim through to the great hall. Everyone swam with them in varied states of dress given the early hour of the day. The various servants and nobles had transformed and looked like various kinds of sea creatures. 

Once in the great hall, schools began to form as like minded nobles stuck together and began to talk. The servants stayed in the hallways to aid anyone injured. Syra looked around and found Sorel with her face in great distress.

“Sorel! What happened? Are you injured?” Syra and Lia swam to her.

“I… He can’t come underwater. He isn’t like us. Where is he going to go?” Sorel cried out as Lia and Syra held her.

“Eros?! Is he still inside the castle?!” Lia exclaimed looking terrified.

“It will be okay. Eros knows the emergency plans, just like we do. He will be evacuated with all the other non-aquatic nobles.” Syra hugged them both tight.

I am more worried he might try to be a hero. He isn’t someone who would leave anyone behind in a situation like this.

“Stop panicking. Your behavior is unbecoming. You are both future princesses and current duchesses.” A cold voice came from above them.

“Mother, Eros is still up there!” Lia exclaimed as she looked up to face Crown Princess Pythia as she slowly sank to be at their level.

“I am aware. He knows how to get out of the castle. He will be fine. Now you both need to act as your stations require you to. Check with the nobles and see if anyone requires medical attention. You need to behave as leaders in this situation.” Pythia watched as her daughters began to swim towards the schools of nobles and waited before speaking again.

“Syra, you should know how to behave just as much as they do. You should have already handled this yourself as a princess of this Queendom. You were at least raised as a princess.” Crown Princess Pythia swam away to make her own rounds with the nobles as Syra glared after her

Syra saw no point in mingling with nobles since her only political position was as someone to marry off. She left the room and saw servants gathered around one of the side rooms. As Syra approached she heard a pained groaning.

“Please make way.” Syra called and the group parted to show a familiar face.

“Princess Syra! Maybe you can get one of these useless fools to fetch the physician for me a bit faster!” Lady Kacyn held her side and groaned again loudly as her blue hair floated around her.

“Could you all please clear some space? Has someone already gone to fetch the physician?” Syra asked the group of servants who began to swim away.

“Yes, your Highness. She should be back any moment.” A servant answered as she trailed behind the rest.

“I will stay with you, lady Kacyn, until the physician arrives.” Syra swam next to her on the opposite side Kacyn’s hand was holding. 

“Oh thank you! You have always been my kindest friend, ever since we were young!” Lady Kacyn proclaimed and took Syra’s hand as she groaned again.

“Of course I would come be with you. What happened to your side? Were you close to the fire?” Syra looked over at the side Kacyn had been holding and saw no obvious injury, but only got a moment’s glance before Kacyn’s hand covered the area again.

“I was running with everyone else when I was suddenly pushed! Some servant girl pushed me! Me! She shoved me right into the wall, but unfortunately for me, there was a table there. I couldn’t bear to look to see how bad the damage was on my perfect unmarred skin, but the pain is terrible, Syra!” Kacyn moaned again as she leaned back farther into the chair.

“Lady Kacyn, I have been informed you have an injury. Oh! Your highness, I did not see you there. Please pardon me.” The physician bowed and Syra nodded her head and looked back towards Kacyn.

“Please, it hurts so much! I fear I might have broken something or I might have internal bleeding!” Lady Kacyn cried out and held Syra’s hand tightly causing Syra to feel pain from her grip.

As the physician began to inspect the injury, Syra stroked Kacyn’s hair and tried to keep her calm. Kacyn’s grip on Syra’s hand tightened as the physician continued to the point where Syra was struggling to hold back her own cries from the pain. Syra stroked Kacyn’s hair again and held her face so she would look at her and not at the injury.

“Kacyn, it is okay. You are going to be okay. I am here and the physician will see to it that you are well treated.” Syra’s hand stung as Kacyn clenched down again. Syra fought to keep the grimace off her face.

“Her highness is quite right, Lady Kacyn. You do not seem to have any broken bones, but you are starting to develop bruising. I suggest placing ice on your injury for fifteen minutes at a time for a few days to help.” The physician rose and turned to leave.

“What? Just some bruising? With this much pain?! How are you even qualified to practice medicine?!” Kacyn screamed loudly and kicked up her tail.

“Kacyn, I am glad you are not more seriously injured. Bruising can cause quite a bit of pain itself.” Syra placed her hand on Lady Kacyn’s shoulder, making Kaycn turn her ire towards Princess Syra.

“Syra? Are you seriously not going to fire that charlatan?! He is supposed to be the royal physician. I am not making up my pain!” Kacyn’s face was turning red as she kicked her tail up again.

“Kacyn, your pain is real. I am not arguing that. I am simply saying that I am glad that you were not injured worse in the panic.” Syra gently touched Kacyn’s face, but Kacyn smacked her hand away and shoved her back causing Syra to hit the wall.

“Next time you have an injury, I’ll come to your bedside and tell you that your pain isn’t real.” Kacyn got up from her chair and swam quickly away, holding her side.

Syra pushed herself off the wall and rubbed her hand. It was red, but she simply shook it and returned to the great hall. Inside she saw Queen Opal speaking at the front with Crown Princess Pythia, Princess Pearl, and Duchesses Ophelia and Sorel beside her. She simply stayed by the door and looked towards her mother.

“The fire was minor and has been contained. We are still looking into the cause of the fire, but no major injuries have been reported. The fire has damaged part of the foreign guest’s quarters, so some of our guests will have to be moved.”

“I would like to commend my grandchildren, Duchess Ophelia and Duchess Sorel for seeing to the safety of everyone gathered here.” Queen Opal smiled towards her granddaughters and waited for the applause to finish before continuing her speech.

“I would also like to commend their brother, which I will do again when he can hear me, Marquess Eros, for saving a trapped servant from the fire. I would like to ask that everyone remains here until we can assess the damage.” Syra gulped as her mother’s eye turned towards her for a brief moment during the speech. 

“You will each have your names called by my ladies-in-waiting once your quarters have been deemed safe and undamaged and then escorted to them by servants.”

“Once you are in your quarters, please stay there until you are given notice that you are free to go about the castle. If you wish to return to your own homes, please inform Crown Princess Pythia so she can make arrangements for you to be safely escorted out of the castle. Thank you for your patience” Queen Opal looked at Syra in a silent command to follow her, Syra swam quickly to catch up to her mother.

“Syra? Are you injured?” Queen Opal asked as Syra swam a few paces behind her.

“Sorry? Oh um… no?” Syra was surprised by the question and had not prepared a response to it.

“Then why did you come in long after everyone else was already in the great hall?” She turned and entered her private chambers as Syra followed.

“I had gone there first, but then went to go help an injured noble.” Syra was able to give her response she had prepared.

“Which noble?” The Queen sat down in one of the giant clam shell chairs, it was highly embellished and matched her own pearls.

“Lady Kacyn, Mother.” Syra began to sit down across from her.

“Did I give you permission to sit?” Queen Opal’s voice was loud and commanding and Syra straightened up again feeling fear sink into her stomach.

“No, Mother.” Syra said quietly.

“Then you may not sit. I may be your mother, but I am also your sovereign and will be respected as such. You have made many mistakes as of late. You need to show the court that you are no longer a child. You need to show me that you are no longer a child, but a princess of this Queendom.” Queen Opal’s blue eyes were cold as she looked at Syra with a slight frown on her face.

“I am a princess, your Majesty. The youngest princess who is to be married off to the dragon kingdom for, what, gold? What do you get out of selling your youngest child?” Syra matched her mother’s cold gaze as she watched her mother’s face flush with fur and her frown deepen.

“How dare you question your queen?” Her fist slammed down and smashed apart a statue that was on the table next to her, “How dare you look at me like that. I am securing your future, you impudent child. Would you rather stay here until I die and you watch your older sister become queen?” Queen Opal’s face turned into a sneer as she continued.

“Would you rather become a duchess instead of a queen? If you would prefer to stay here and rot in solitude, then be my guest. I will give you until your birthday to decide if you would rather become a queen or a duchess of unimportance.” Queen Opal returned to her cold empty gaze and waved dismissively at Syra, who began to swim towards the door.

“I could always simply leave the Queendom like my eldest sister did. Have you heard from her since she left?” Syra opened the door and as she closed it she heard a scream and the sound of something smashing against the other side.