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The castle was built on the waterfront, so that it faced the Tyrr Sea and the Tytshia kingdom. That had been her mother's singular request. That as the princess of the tytshia she be granted the ability to see, and swim in their native waters. It allowed both kingdoms to intermingle with one another easily. It was the only part about the castle that Kehaulani enjoyed. Everything else simply reminded her of her mother, until the stinging sensation of loneliness was the only thing keeping her going. She stood on the balcony that overlooked the sea, at least, as far as her prosthetic would allow her to go. Just as her mother had, she had inherited the traits of the Tytshia kingdom. A merkal. In order to function on land, as she typically did, she wore a prosthetic that allowed her to move about. Her mother had as well, though she had continually expressed dislike for it's restrictions. Kehaulani didn't blame her, she herself despised the thing. Kehaulani's father was never around. he was never kind to her, and never really spoke to her. She didn't particularly care anyway, as even when she spoke with him his voice was rigid and sharp. As if he was speaking to an inferior. It infuriated her, and so she avoided interaction. She was bored, and felt restricted. She wasn't allowed to swim, or to leave the castle. The dangers towards her were too great, per her mother's unfortunate death. The more bored she got, the more risks she began to take. Entering doors she was forbade to enter, reading books her father had deemed private material.. trivial things, in honesty. But to be defying her father was a risk in and of itself, and kehaulani lived for the thrill. With a sigh she rolled away from the water front, already bored of the view. As she was with everything in her world. She strolled down the castle corridors, silently observing the staff that bustled about. They served her and her small family every day without any qualms. It was astounding to her, but she had always resolved to the fact that they were beneath her, as this was what her father had explained.
Two nights ago she had snuck into the generals quarters, curiosity over her mother had driven her to new lengths. She had resolved to taking the report two nights before that, having planned out everything perfectly with the times they were to come and go. Now, she was too afraid to read it, and had it hiding inside a pocket within her mattress. Not the safest place for a piece of contraband that would likely get her locked in her room, but curiosity was in her nature. So was defiance. She strolled casually down the corridors, heading in the direction of her room. She wanted to sprint there, but that would come off as suspicious, and servants were quick to gossip. She had discovered this first hand, when gossip from her chambermaids over herself had reached her. She had contacted her father, and her father had killed both of them without even waving a paw. It was, terrifying, but it was a display of power that she would not soon forget. Nor would her fellow servants, as now her chambermaids no longer spoke in her presence, nor met her eye. It was thrilling, but led to a lonely outcome. She didn't have friends, and though she was infuriated that her prior chambermaids would gossip about her, she never would have wished death upon them. As she finally found the courage to enter her room she found it empty. Perfectly empty. With a sigh Kehulani turned and locked the door. Drew the curtains over her windows and resolved to read by the light of the enchanted jar on her desk. It looked like fireflies, and was a trivial nightlight more than anything, but turning on anymore light or reading the contraband outside on her desk would likely get her caught. She reached under the mattress, and un-raveled the tedious piece of parchment. She swallowed, and set her eyes on the first words.
" Queen Anuhea Nuai Palakiko of the Tytshia, killed as a side effect of the bombing upon the eastern seaboard civilians. The queen died upon impact, it is unknown of her suffering, but medics believe she passed peacefully. this is an act of war, and as a result the Drakonis have declared war against Torrance. The drakonis public now has a reason to come to arms in defense of their deceased queen. The Goal has been Achieved.
The Drakonis public will now willingly go to war with Torrance." below the passage were a series of signatures, and chickenscratch of notes from the scene. She ran her eyes over each signature, pausing at one. It wasn't out of place, but more than odd, that the king would have signed off on this. Her father rarely involved himself in such fickle matters. Though she supposed it could be purely because it was her mother, and she his wife. Her breath caught in her throat however, as she flipped to the next page. It was a string of instructions. Orders. Written by her father himself.
"By order of King Mejeir Vaeros Kekoa Ruler of the Drakoni kingdom and Master of the Drakonis, a bomb of the making of the drakonis will be hidden in the public sector 12 of which will be in close proximity to the table the queen Anuhea Nuai Palakiko frequents. This bomb will go off at precisely noon, while she is unawares. This will topple the nearby store, and due to it's destructive nature, topple the building above Queen Anuhea. Killing her upon impact. This is to be followed to the last letter, as it is imperative the queen's demise is carried out. If this fails, a future attempt will be planned accordingly. The public, fail to realize that the citizens of Torrance are far dangerous than we realize. With this attempt, we shall blame it on Torrance. Who recently came here under the assumptions of peace to negotiate trade dealings. This will give the public the push they need, and a war with Torrance will be accepted without judgement or ill-will. For the public will be under the assumption that Torrance has killed their most beloved ruler, and will have a reason to fight beyond simply obeying orders from their master.
This is an official order, and must remain confidential. Such information must not get into the wrong hands.
The punishment of this document's discovery by an individual who should not know such information is Death." the document was signed by her father, and all of the top generals. She felt tears tearing at the corners of her eyes. Her sorrow quickly turned to raw rage, but she could do nothing but scream internally as the last line sunk in. She would be killed if he knew she knew this. Regardless of her status as heir, she was not to know her mother was purposefully killed as a political stunt. If her father would do that to her own mother.. just to start a war.. heavens know he would never be opposed to eliminating her if she made a false move and revealed that she had thieved this information. He would question what else she knew, and it would be easier to eliminate her than to deal with the downfall of what he had done. She sat there in stunned silence. Quickly drawing the document closed and stuffing it in the chamber in her mattress. She sat in shock in the dark, and made no move to unlock the door. If someone uncharacteristically needed her, they would see her distress. She was fine with that. She would simply feign missing her mother.
Kehaulani sat in the darkness. Pondering the information she had just gleaned, and terrified of the information she did not.
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