Dana sat at the tea table with her other ladies in waiting, they sat idly by, chatting about mundane things about the Court that Dana looked at the window across the room. The mountains just so far but also close to reaching haunted her daily, she felt like a fragile little bird trapped in this castle, waiting for a release, screaming out into the void that she hoped anyone could hear her. But no did. They only saw her as a future queen, the Queen of all.

‘Queen of nothing’, Dana thought bitterly as she held her teacup to her awaiting lips. The steam coming from the tea inside made her feel warm just for a moment. As soon as she tasted the honey tea on her tongue, she felt at ease from the slow growing fear that surrounds her daily.

A knock on the door interrupted the ladies idle chatter and whispers. “Come in” Dana said loudly as she placed the dainty teacup on the wooden table. Griselle, her betrothed’s servant popped her head around the door.

“Princess, I have news of your sister.” Griselle said as she entered the room and then did a small bow. The ladies around her stopped their chatter, idly and intently listening to whatever Griselle had to say.

“Your sister is missing.” Griselle said as she started looking around the room, everywhere but at the princess. Dana’s hands underneath the table started to shake a little, she could feel the room start to spin around her as she closed her eyes.

“Princess?” Grisellle asked, unsure of what else there was to say. She was never close with her highness but had to be in her presence due to her profession. Dana counted in her mind to ten, as she slowly breathed in and out, she had to receive this news professionally, after all, she was trained to be demure.

“Thank you for the news. You may leave… All of you.” Dana added the last bit to her sentence as she could feel the pity radiate from each of the noble women around her. She was after all, expected to be the Queen of all and Queen’s never show any weakness, no matter how much she wanted to scream.