The Castle of Alderia faced East; it's tall turrets rose above the surrounding country to the East, and above the ocean to the West. Royalty, by ancient decree, had been giving the tallest turrets as residences. The turrets afforded a lovely view, were impossible to scale, and most important to the designer, they received sunlight before the rest of the city below.
Alderian royalty found it easy to be early risers and Princess Ria of Alderia was no exception. As the sun's rays climbed over the mountains to the East, she had already dressed and was at the balcony. The city was quiet, but it was already showing signs of activity below. She could see the wagons carrying food into the city from the fields nearby. Smoke was rising from the bakeries and blacksmiths. From her perch high above the city, Ria was able to reflect on how the city worked and think about the day ahead.
She had a lot to think about. Today was her eighteenth birthday and that made her eligible for marriage. Nor would it be long before she had to entertain suitors. Indeed, they were already on their way; some were even in the city itself. Alderia shared borders with six other countries, not to mention the wilderness of the mountains in the East. Each of the six were interested in wooing Ria; because Alderia was rich and Ria had no siblings. Indeed, Alderia had prospered and avoided war for so long, because their rivals had high hopes that they could achieve through marriage what they could not through force of arms.
The time was quickly coming where she would have to make a choice and if she chose incorrectly, it could spell disaster for her people. Once Ria had read a cheap novel about a Princess that fell in love with a pauper who had saved her Kingdom. She read it once, then tossed it off the balcony. She had known that her fate would be with one of the other six countries since she was a little girl. No pauper would save her Kingdom, not while Princess Ria had the power to save it herself.
Once again, she turned her attention to the town below. In one of the streets, she spied a mother with her child. The child was looking up at her. Ria smiled and waved; and the child also began waving. The waving must have caught the attention of his mother; because she turned, grabbed his hand, and continued up the road.
Her morning made, Ria returned inside. She walked through the door to the balcony and froze. Someone was in her room. A black shadow was in the center of the room; but even as Ria observed it, streaks of light would arc through the blackness, like lightning during a storm. The shadow was in the shape of a sphere; but floated.
Ria reached into her dress and felt the hilt of her dagger. She didn't know what it would do to a shadow; but it gave her the courage she needed.
"What are you and why are you in my bedroom?" she growled.
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