Chapter Text
The castle buzzed with life, servants rushing too and fro as the morning brought about the necessary preparations for another busy day. The royals had to be woken, morning meals prepped and meetings arranged as the unforgiving sun began its ascent. And yet, among the organized chaos, there was one person a bit more frantic than the others. “Has anyone seen Princess Naila?! Princess Naila! Oh, where have you gone this time?”
Meanwhile, just outside, perched on the castle gates, a young woman sat, legs swinging as she hummed quietly to herself. The business of the castle had yet to reach the outside and she smiled as she caught glimpses of the peasants outside beginning their morning routines. The gentle breeze around her began to warm as the sun peeked over the sandy dunes over the distance and she sighed, knowing her peaceful morning was quickly ending. Another day, another bout of relentless classes aimed at making her the perfect princess when all she really wanted to do was travel the lands. She loved her home, the sands of the desert, her own personal escape when the hard walls of the palace began to drive her insane. However, she wondered what the lands outside of her own looked like. She longed to feel the cold rain of the forests and gentle lap of the sea on her skin. However, that was just a comforting thought, a day dream that was quickly shattered at the sharp call she could hear from the ladder behind her.
“Princess! There you are!!! I’ve been looking all morning! How long have you been out here? You’ll catch a cold! Quickly, come inside! We’ll get you changed into some proper clothes, not these peasants garments you insist on wearing. Quickly, quickly, breakfast is almost ready and the rest of the Royal Family will not tolerate another tardiness on your behalf.” Her own personal servant ushered, practically dragging her off the edge of the gates and back to her room where she was immediately rushed about, changed into more expensive and, in her eyes, restrictive clothes, before bustled off to the dining room.
Walking in with the usual fanfare, Naila sighed, taking her seat as her brother chuckled. “Caught again Nai?” “And what if I was, Caleb?” “I’d say find a better spot to watch the sunrise from then. I think Aliya is starting to catch on.” He chuckled, turning back to his plate as she huffed. “It wouldn’t be so bad if they would just let me do my own thing in the morning. I’ve yet to be late to an etiquette class, despite being the oldest of all of y’all.” She huffed and he chuckled, shaking his head. “Oldest and yet, still the smallest.” “Oh shut up!” She laughed, swatting him lightly on the back of the head. The whole table chuckled at the siblings, shaking their heads. They were the closest in age and, despite the difference in personality, the closest of the siblings in general.
“Sis! Nai! Nainai!” A little voice called and she looked down the table to see one of her sisters smiling at her widely. “When are you gonna bring back those sweets from the stalls? The golden ones?” “Whenever mother and father let me go back into town, Miya. After all, a ‘princess’ shouldn’t be ignoring her duties in the palace.” Naila rolled her eyes but smiled at her parents, softly letting them know she was joking. “Yes yes. We are aware of your little… escapades. Unfortunately, with the preparations for your Evol ceremony, there will be less time to steal away.” Her father huffed, only for her mother to swoop in, a soft hand on his arm as she smiled gently at her children. “However! I see no harm in letting you visit your friends in the market once tomorrows hearings are done. After all, there’s only a few on the agenda and most of them are just small inquiries your father and I have already decided on. Naila and Caleb only need to be there for looks.” She hummed, causing the younger ones to cheer loudly as Naila and Caleb laughed, already looking forward to the next day.