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A healthy baby girl is born to the royal family of Riven on the night of the hunter’s moon. In the birthing chamber, which was lit only by the flickering light of many candles, the new mother cautiously held her child for the first time. The king, who was known for his weak disposition had fainted even before the first labor pains and would not be seen until late the next day due to his claims of coming down with an mysterious illness. The midwife ordered the queen’s servants to take the soiled sheets for washing and bring the queen a cup of weak tea. Soon, the babe would be taken away to a wet nurse who would become more of a mother to the child then the one who birthed her.
The Midwife was a corpulent dollop of a woman whose eyes resembled dull black buttons. She had plans when she was a younger, and significantly prettier woman to leave the small kingdom of Baireel but they had come to naught. Now the shrew was in charge of birthing children. It was whispered that she had learned ways of killing a child while it was still in the womb, which would explain the truly ghastly number of miscarriages since she had reluctantly taken over from her from her mother. The only reason she was allowed within five feet of the pregnant queen was because the royal midwife had suddenly ‘fallen ill’. The citizens of Baireel seemed to be holding their breath as hey waited with dread for the inevitable news that the new royal had died in childbirth. The streets rang with the strength of their joy when they heard the news of their matriarch’s successful delivery.
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The queen walked arm in arm with her husband through the garden reserved only for herself and her favorite members of the court. It was full of rare flora and exotic creatures who were tamed by the greatest of animal whisperers and were allowed to wander the prettily cobbled paths. The assortment of colors was almost gaudy. Golden ferns grew in small hanging pots and waved to each other in the breeze. The paths were lined with small red flowers whose open faces would follow the motion of any anyone walking by, the luxurious grass was softer than silk and seemed to invite those strolling the garden to rest awhile. Small animals frolicked in the tall grass and follies that dotted the landscape; Songbirds, merry monkeys, and many other odd ephemera. It had been several years since the birth of her child and from what the nanny told her, she was becoming a handful.
“Husband, it has come to our attention that the princess seems to have taken to consorting with common soldiers.” The queen’s face was as expressionless as untouched marble, but her eyes could break the backs of small rodents with barely a glance. With the arm that wasn’t looped through that of her husband’s, she pulled a fan from her sleeve and opened it with an angry snap. The king, who had realized that he didn’t necessarily need to respond when the queen talked, made a noncommittal noise as he leaned down to pet a baby star leopard that was napping near the path. Its fur twinkled dully like a clear night sky, and its’ eyes were a warm shade of gray. It bumped it small iridescent head underneath his palm and purred happily. Oh joy, the queen was in a rotten mood. She had not even deigned to call him Aaron, this only happened when she quite peeved about something or other.
“We cannot let this continue, husband!” She waved her fan viciously. Her face had yet to change from the expressionless mask.. “What if she gets some sort of commoner’s disease? What will we look like to the other countries if we let our daughter get sick with common illnesses?”
Of course, seeing as the queen came from a country in which the nobility claimed to have been blessed with knowledge of all things since birth, she wasn’t aware of the fact that royal and commoners were all the same in the eyes of sickness. The king once attempted to argue this fact, but all he got for his troubles was a swift jab in the eye with her majesty’s ivory fan. His eye twinged as if to remind him that arguing was fruitless. He continued to pet the snow leopard as he thought back on how he had ended up with this beast of a woman.
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Aaron’s family was descended from a line of warrior nobles who had clawed their way of the backs over the fallen and claimed dominion over their warring country. As was the tradition, Aaron was to be dedicated to the life of a scholar and act as advisor to his oldest brother who would soon become king. Unfortunately, his brother’s party was ambushed on the way back from a peaceful visit to one of their allies and the title of heir to the throne was unceremoniously thrust upon him. He had proven to be ill-suited for the job. His health constantly failed him, he lacked the natural gravitas of a leader, and the natural savvy to act as general of the countries’ armies. His advisors realized this and began to search for a bride who could be relied upon to handle both the affairs of her kingdom and theirs. After what seemed an eternity, they were met with a message from the kingdom of Baireel on behalf of the Princess Arithia. Her parents had died due to illness and she needed a husband in order to take the throne. Of course, Aaron couldn’t help but feel a connection to this girl bereft of family; On their first meeting he was enchanted by her docile nature and sweet temperament and they married soon after.
Now that he looked back, he realized that he’d been tricked. It would have been wiser for him to doubt his first impression. The star leopard, which had lain docilely at his feet until his fur was rubbed the wrong way, leapt up with a dissatisfied yowl and bit into his hand. The king whimpered as he snatched his hand back from the animal. Lovely, though the king, I cannot even pet a Snow leopard correctly. King Aaron sighed and stood, once again taking the arm of his wife.
“Have you listened to a single word I’ve said, Aaron? This is a serious matter! What if her virtue was to be compromised?” the queen huffed and dug her fingernails into his arm. It took all of Aaron’s will to keep from crying out.
“Yes, Arithia, I heard every word.”
(The rest can be found at untitled continued!)
But you need some more imagery. Add it into and your work will defiantly flourish.