The World of Rhune

Bella finally pulled herself out of bed after a little urging from Iliku. She had been told it was almost eleven, way past her time as a princess. She rushed to scrub her face quickly enough to be presentable and slipped into the clingy dress her maid had set aside for her. A small amount of make-up, and she was good for the day. Bella rushed in the small heels she’d chosen to match and really didn’t have the stomach to eat that morning. She ran into no one, though, and spent a couple minutes looking for someone before she saw her father playing with the marble chess set in the library against Franis, his most loyal advisor. “Hello, Bella, missed you at breakfast. I didn’t realize how much that boy Avery could eat. Nearly wiped out the main course, poor cooks. How are you this morning?” he moved his rook and captured a knight with a slight scrape of rock upon rock. “I’m fine, thank you father. Where is everyone?” she sat politely on a loveseat nearest to the table where the advisor smartly took the rook with his pawn. King Marcelo winced, and moved his bishop. “They’re spread here and there. Your mother is finalizing the guest list after all the replies, and Avery I think is at the beach. Gent left this morning to go back to his parents for two days, finish up any business before he left for good. Bella nodded, she knew Gent was leaving; just she didn’t realize it was so soon. “Um, Father? Have you your mask for the Masquerade ball?” Bella asked excitedly, it was almost her favorite part of the whole wedding charade. Her father looked at her with laughter in his eyes. “Yes, Bella. Not that I’m telling you anything about it. Not even your own mother knows. I’ll only reveal myself at the end of the night, or in this case, morning.” Bella smiled, “Just wondering. I already have mine obviously,” She thought of the bright green mask with white crystals and blue feathers woven into the dark green and pale purple. It was really pretty, kind of like the parrots from down south. She liked it mostly because of the colorings and how her dress was a creamy white, but not a dead giveaway. “Bella!” she whipped her head towards where her father recaptivated her thoughts, “Yes?” both men looked upon her smiling. “You blanked out, hon. Why don’t you go find somewhere to relax today? I’m sure the beach is nice enough today, or go take a short trip to the knight’s barracks. It always seems to lighten your mood.” The advisor muffled laughter next to her, but Bella was smiling too. “Okay, Dad. But I’m not going to the barracks.” She stood up, bowed slightly to her father, and swept from the room to the deck that overlooked the sea and where she could feel, smell, see, and hear almost everything. It felt like she was apart of everything. She swept quickly, her heels echoing of the halls slightly, and arrived at the deck. It was about noon, if she could read the sun correctly. Bella walked up the few stairs and sat on a low bench. The wind hit her first, then the saltiness of the sea, and the rolling of the waves as they crashed upon the pale sand. She sucked in a breath and smiled. This was the place that was her second heaven on earth; Gent was her first.