Kiara fixed her eyes on the dress she was knitting, everything must be perfect. The edges, the flowers patterns, they must have a beautiful sync. She was going to be attending a royal ball for the first time every had to be perfect. Who knows, she could be made the third queen, and her life will suddenly become a bed of roses.
Kiara was in a world of imagination, she imagined herself dancing under the night sky with the king of Decreash, then he would kiss her and make her the new queen. They they would rule Decreash together and live happily ever after like those princesses in the fairytales, the ones her sister always told her stories about. After hearing that King Haron of Decreash was throwing a ball to invite suitable royal families, to converse and select a new wife, Kiara was on cloud nine.
She so badly wanted to attend the royal ball, never in her life has she ever lifted a broom or even do any chores, but after hearing of the royal ball all of a sudden she wanted to make her own dress! Diana was surprised at the sight she met when she walked into the room with a basket in her hand.
She shook her head slightly and sighed heavily, her sister was probably in one of those her fairytale dreams, that could be the only reason she was smiling like a fool while sewing a dress. Just then Kiara screamed….Ahh! She shrieked as she suddenly jolted back into reality, her thumb had been pierced with the needle she was using to sew her dress and now the little wound was oozing out blood.
"Kiara! Diana quickly dropped the basket she was holding and ran to where her sister was, taking a hold of her hand she gazed at her injury and puffed out a sharp breath. "How many times will I warn you to detest from things you are not capable of doing? Diana said then quickly ran into the kitchen, then came back with some leaves in her hands, she squeezed the leave and a fluid dropped on Kiara's injury, in a split second the injury stopped bleeding.
"I just wanted to make a beautiful dress that I would wear to the ball, is that so bad? Kiara purred as she dragged her hand away from her sisters grip, she gazed at the injury and saw that the bleeding had stopped, she was glad she had a sister that was good at herbal medicine. She didn't utter a word of gratitude after Diana helped her.
"The royal ball is meant for royal families only, Kiara why do you waste your time building castles in the air? Diana said and walked up to the basket she dropped and picked it up. Kiara stared at her sister in disdain, she did quite expect such words from her, after all she wasn't tired of living in misery and abject poverty! The thatched roof which always leeked water when it rain, or the blazing cold they had to endure when the season came, Diana wasn't tired of all this at all!
But she was, Kiara was fed up with this kind of lifestyle, she felt she deserved more, she should be in those fancy kingdom eating and sleeping her time away, not farming or lifting up heavy stuff. She was pretty, she had the curves, all she needed was a prince to take her far away from this filthy place she called home.
"And so what if the royal ball is meant for only royal families? I can sneak in, no one will find out." She said and Diana shook her head from side to side pitifully. "Come on, we have to be on our way to the farm, it would rain soon." Diana said casting a glare at the sky, the weather was getting paler by the minute.
Kiara scrowled when she heard her sister's words. She didn't want to go to the farm and get all those filt and dirt on her precious body. She had spent hours in the bathroom scrubbing her skin after yesterday's journey to the farm. She gazed at the broken mirror in her room, her pretty face reflecting on it. She was born to be royalty she knew it, she cursed her maker for bringing her into this wretched family.
"I am not coming with you today, I will stay back and finish making my dress." She said not casting a glare at Diana. The truth was that she was tired of the embarrassing scene of accompaning Diana to the farm everyday. Her mates were wearing fancy clothes, and were being charmed with sweet words by noble men in the village, why she was snubbed and always came back from the farm looking unkempt and dirty.
The thought of it all sent cold chills running down her spines, her sister was no different. She was always looking unkept, her hair is always having debris of leaves from trees and all her clothes...they weren't clothes they were rags! "What do you mean you are not coming along? Diana shot a brow up, she was running out of time, it was getting late. They needed to get to the farm so that they could return soon.
"Don't ask me silly questions, I said I am not coming and that is final! She lashed as Diana and turned away to continue sewing her dress. Diana knew how stubborn her sister could be, she didn't have an ounce of respect, and would do whatever she pleased. It was no use standing hear and wasting her time trying to convince her, she turned around to leave, but just then something clicked in her head.
"Kiara, I heard that a prince would be passing by on his royal carriage today, don't you want to see….. Diana didn't know when the lie slipped out of her mouth, she knew things like this intrigued Kiara. Before she could finished talking Kiara dashed out of the room like the wind, heading outside. "What are you waiting for, come quickly! She said not looking back.
Diana smiled wearily, and trudged after her, her small lies would be exposed later but for now she couldn't help but stare at her sister in aware. They both got on their wooden cart, as Diana used the reigns on the donkey's neck to control the donkey pushing the cart forward. They couldn't afford a horse, so they had to make do with a donkey, this was another embarrassing sight for Kiara.
"One day I am going to become a queen and you will bow before my feet sister." Kiara said tucking a string of hair behind her ears. Diana ignored her, she felt she was just talking nonsense. "Is that so? Diana hummed her eyes focused on the path in front of her, they were getting nearer to their farm.
"You may think I am speaking gibberish but just wait till I get married to a handsome prince. Then I would put Ria and her friends in their place! She said clenching her fist, her eyes blazing with fury. Ria was a pretty girl in the village who always managed to steal everything from Kiara, they were rivals and hated each other. Ria and her cliques of friend were nothing but bullies, she snatched Kiara's spot as the fairest and prettiest of all in the village and goes around telling villagers that she was nothing but a poor church rat.
Of course Kiara was poor, but rubbing it in her face and going round to announce it was just stupid, and that was exactly what Ria was, she was stupid. There were days when Kiara will run into the house weeping, her eyes red and swollen from too much crying after being embarrassed in front of everyone in the village. She would cry nonstop wishing the ground would just open and swallow her.
"You do know that true love doesn't exist, don't you? Diana said bring the cart to a halt. "Of course not sister, true love does exist, it just doesn't exist for you." Kiara said stepping down from the cart, she walked steadily to a tree and sat under it, she had no plans of helping Diana out in the farm
Diana sighed and made her way inside the farm, she pushed a small wooden door open, the door was there to keep intruders out, not that it helped but it was better than nothing. She glanced at the sight of ripe fruits and smiled, tears almost dropping from her eyes, they won't go to sleep with dinner today after all. She got to work and started harvesting the ripe fruits and vegetables, soon all the basket she had come with were full to the brim with the things she harvested.
She was elated and languishly filled up the cart with the basket of fruits and veggies. It took hours and without any help from Kiara it was more difficult, but she pushed on and toiled under the blazing sun.
Soon she was done, she pushed the last basket of fruits into the cart and sighed heavily, sucking in a heavy breath. She reached out for the bottle of water she had kept in the cart but her hand landed on an empty space. She snapped her head towards the direction her sister was sitted and saw the bottle of water she was searching for beside her, but it was empty!
Diana felt frustrated, she was really thirsty, just then she remembered there was a small stream just a few steps ahead of her father's farm. She immediately made her way there, immediately she left a royal carriage made it's way towards her father's farm. Kiara saw the royal carriage and her eyes glistered with excitement.
"This must be the prince Diana was talking about", she quickly rised to her feet, dusting the invisible dirt on her dress, she straightened up, licked her lips and wore a cocky smile. The royal carriage immediately came to a halt in front of her father's farm and she immediately made her way towards it. She was sure it was a royal carriage because it had the royal symbol of Decreash imprinted on it.
It was a drawing of two swords crossed together forming an X-shape. The carriage opened and three hefty men climbed down from it. They saw Kiara and gazed at her profoundly. "Is this your farm? The guards questioned but Kiara mistook them for princes and showed her courtesy by bowing slightly. "Yes it is my father's farm, she answered changing her accent."
"We would like to use this piece of land for the royal construction site, we would have to make use of your father's farm." The guards said but Kiara was too excited by the fact she was taking to a royal prince that she didn't understand the meaning of their words. "Of course! It is my pleasure to be at your service, do whatever you like." She said and they handed her a paper to sign, she signed it using a feather ink that was given to her by another guard.
Just as she had finished signing it, Diana came along, she had just returned from the stream and was no longer thirsty. When she saw Kiara with some guards from a distance away, she shrieked in fear. "What were royal guards doing in the village? Could it be that a prince really came by? This questions ran through her head as she quickly made her way to where they stood.
She saw the guards holding up a paper in their hand containing Kiara's signature. "Quickly get the implement and bring down this farm." A guards said and Diana became alarmed. "Who gave you the orders to do this? She screamed bodly, and Kiara scrowled inwardly, her sister lacked manners, she thought she was going to chase her prince charming away.
"It was an order from his royal majesty, King Haron Von Fredrick." The guards chorused and got to work, they started breaking down the wooden door leading to the farm. Tears where streaming down Diana's face.
"You can't do this, this is private property, I will sue you." She said threatening them but one of the guards passed her the papers Kiara had just signed. "It is no longer private property it now belongs to us.
Diana skimmed through the papers and her eyes bulged out in shock, she glared at Kiara with anger.
"Kiara what have you done?