The Marked Phoenix: Little Red Bird - Chapter 7

“Happy birthday, your Highness. May your beauty be everlasting and your prosperity unstoppable!” A group of aristocrats crowded Princess Emerine, eager to congratulate her on her big day. She was finally an adult

A smile graced Emerine’s lips, her peculiar lilac eyes glowed with delight. Even with the veil on her face, she was stunning. Nothing could hide her expressive eyes, so clear and sharp, it reflected everything she glanced at.

To celebrate the Crown Princess’s birthday, a magnificent feast was thrown as food lined two sides of the room while instrumentalists from all over the nation came to play their music. The King of the North and the Queen of the South were both present, but Emerine couldn’t even approach them without the people following her everywhere she went. She supposed she would greet them once the crowd settled down. She had never met the King of the North nor the Queen of the South before and was eager to do so. She looked forward to meeting the Queen of the South the most out of everyone else.

Her smile tried to not slip when she couldn’t help but think back to Kalesin. When she finished her interaction with the strange servant, Kalesin was long gone. And every soldier she asked didn’t know where he was. It was strange. Shouldn’t soldiers know the schedules of their Commanders?

“Emerine.” King Augustus’s voice was enough to part the people that shrouded the Crown Princess who was dressed the best out of every woman here— even if Princess Kora tried to outshine her. Many have tried, but none could.

Indignation flashed within Emerine’s crystal eyes, but she said nothing and curtsied. Breaths hitched at the beautiful sight of the Kastrel curtsy. It was like no other, so elegant and graceful. Docile yet regal, stunning yet modest, beautiful yet bold. Many knew, this would be a sight that would forever be imprinted in their eyes. Not because it was a curtsy, but because it was the Kastrel Curtsy, one that was not taught anywhere else in the world except in the West. And the Crown Princess of the West was the perfect embodiment of it.

“My lovely daughter, you’ve grown…” He trailed off, his eyes moistening with each word. His voice trembled as he placed a hand onto her shoulder, squeezing it. “Nothing fills me with more happiness than to see your smile. Happy birthday, sweetheart.” Emerine allowed herself to be pulled into her father’s embrace as her arms hung stiffly by her sides. This morning’s arguments, and the ones prior, flashed through her mind like a movie.

“Thank you… father.” she gently responded without ever returning the hug. And little did she know, it would be the last time she would ever get to hug him again.

“I’ve heard from Miss Lizbet that you’ve mastered the Kastrel Flower dance.” King Augustus released his daughter and directed her attention to the already cleared-out ballroom floor.

Emerine understood what he implied. It was her duty as the Crown Princess to perform the Kastrel Flower dance with her family’s heirloom of ancestral hand-fans. She was already dressed for the part in a flowy, white chiffon gown that hugged her waist but parted in the center, revealing the layer underneath. With each step she took, her dress swayed against the wind. Long bell sleeves hung from each side of her arms, Strings of pearls were wrapped around her waist, tight when motionless, but loose enough that when she twirled, they would create rings of white. A tiara of silver branches circled Emerine’s neatly curled hair. Not a single speck of hair was out of place.

“Father, am I truly to become the Queen?” Emerine quietly asked him, her question taking him by surprise. Her eyes shifted to Kora and her smile became pained. “Little Princess they call her. And Papa she calls you. It’s so nostalgic, isn’t it?”

“Emerine,” he warned. King Augustus disapproved of the idea of rivalry in the family. “What nonsense are you spouting?”

“If a performance is what you wish, a performance is what you shall get.” Emerine ignored his question when an eunuch approached them with a rich mahogany tray. Her eyes landed upon the enormous white-feathered fans. They were breathtakingly beautiful, like the feathered wings of an angel. And without a doubt, when she danced, she would give off the illusion as one.

King Augustus did not know what she meant, but decided he would question her about it tomorrow morning. She needed to face the consequences of her unruly actions, but it did not have to be in this instant.

The aristocrats parted for Emerine when she picked up the fan. It was a simple flick of her wrist, but one that made her look heavenly. The fans were large and nearly half her size, but she held it comfortably. It was as if she was made to hold the heirloom. Stepping towards the center of the ballroom, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

The first chord of violin struck the quiet banquet room, followed by a peaceful press of the piano key. All eyes were centered on Emerine and many were filled with curiosity. She had certainly caught the attention of the King of the North and the Queen of the South, but it would be the last time they caught sight of her with the title, Crown Princess Emerine Elaine Kastrel. Soon, she would be simply Emerine, nothing more, nothing less.

Emerine raised both fans into the air, like a ballerina and when the second chord of the piano played, her hands gently fell, creating the illusion of a goddess in her realm. Slowly and softly, she twirled and twirled, one fan pointed towards the heavens and the other pointed towards the underworld. The slitted folds of her dress flew open, accompanying her motions, revealing the layers of beneath. Her strings of pearls danced with her, spinning so quickly, it gave off the illusion of a halo. She swayed and danced like a graceful butterfly, never once stopping to smell the flowers. Flicking her wrist, the fan turned in tranquil circles, as her lithe body moved towards the west, almost as if she was drawn to it. Dainty, she took steps back, following the tunes of the piano that oddly enough, felt like arrays of falling stars.

Mesmerizing, she danced and danced, until one could not separate the image of her from an angel. Without wasting a single movement, she closed her arms and brought the fan close to her body and then twirled, as the folds of her dress expanded outwards. Like the gentle flutter of a flower petal against the breeze of spring, she moved with beauty and grace before opening her arms yet again. And this time, the fan behaved as wings guiding her towards the heavens.

The people were so captivated by her that no one seemed to realize the distant noises of fighting outside.

Looking back at this moment, Emerine wished she had realized how parallel her actions were to the army of soldiers surrounding the palace. One hand on either side of her, she spread her arms out and glided across the ballroom floor while the soldiers gilded around the protective barriers of the palace grounds. When she raised both fans towards heaven with a straight body perpendicular to the ground, the soldiers raised their sword towards the castle. And when she swirled, the soldiers got into position. And when both hands dropped towards the floor, as a ballerina would fold to become the swan, the flag of war waved in the distance. As Emerine dropped to the ground, her fans slowly waving with her, the soldiers infiltrated the castle and soon, servants on the lowest levels of the ten-floored palace dropped like flies.