Beyond the Surface

I, Cera Dorite, have been officially crowned as heir to the throne. Despite being one of five descendants, I was chosen to succeed my parents. I will not allow anyone else to tarnish this opportunity for me and I had one final task to ensure that before I began my royal duties.

When I was younger, one of my mentors taught me to recognize any and every symbol. Whether they were symbols used in writing or to represent groups of people. One day earlier this year I found an old box in the storage tunnels with a necklace inside. The piece of jewelry itself was nothing spectacular, but the symbol on the pendant was rare and dangerous. I brought this straight to my father, thinking it belonged to one of the staff and we were in danger.

I saw the moment of shock light up his features for just a second before he dismissed it as a mistake. He explained that I was confusing this mark for an ancient symbol that was no longer used. I knew my father well enough to spot the lie instantly. For him to lie about something this serious, it meant that he was directly involved. I did find something and it was leading to a terrible truth. I needed to know why the connection was there so I could eliminate it, or my reign would end before it could begin.

Months after confronting my father, I found myself at the Hoat Train Station clutching a scarf to my face. Today’s chilly weather worked in my favor, allowing me to hide my features but not seem out of place in doing so. At dinner a few nights before, I learned the name of the person who was closest to my father. I never knew her real name, but she was someone who played a big role in my upbringing. I didn't want to risk being recognized before I could speak to her.

I learned that Katarina Hoat visited the train yard every day around noon to deliver lunches to her family. I feigned reading a schedule when I spotted the bright red hair bobbing through the crowd from the back room. I moved closer to the door to make sure I got a look at the woman’s face. She looks exactly as I remember I thought when she turned my direction. The rush of recognition made my heart beat faster. This was my opportunity to finally get firsthand intel of

Katarina’s daily habits, bringing me a step closer to meeting with her, and this uncertainty can be over. I intended to follow Katarina once she exited the building, taking note of all her stops on her way home. From there I can facilitate the perfect scenario to speak. Thinking of this plan proved to be a lot easier than executing it. This was the third week in a row that I needed to trail Katarina. I had approaching plans to travel across the country. I was confident that by now I would have what I needed and would be able to move on. The lack of progress was making me desperate to learn anything useful from her schedule that would put us in the same room. I had wanted to find a natural way to run into her so that she would be more forthcoming with my questions, but not so open that she could politely excuse herself and slip away. That left me with limited options, all of which were useless if I didn’t know her pattern. With only a few days left before my trip, I decided to try something new. Despite the sporadic twists and turns through the street, I detected a pattern. She always went East, visited a set list of shops (albeit in different order each day), and managed to make it North by noon. Instead of starting from around the train yard, I perched near the North Road on a small hill to wait. I can do this, I thought as I anxiously glanced around at the faces passing by.

It took an hour of waiting before I spotted her signature hair. I made my way to the street so as soon as she passed me. Normally I would try to keep a good distance between us on the off chance she would look back. I had to take the risk to keep close this time, however. Today had to be the day if I were to have enough time to speak with her. To my dismay there were a lot of people in the market. I nearly ran to keep up, jumping every once in a while to see over the sea of shoulders. A large man cut across the flow of pedestrians causing me to lose sight of her.

Panic gripped my throat. I looked around but could not find a single strand of red among the groups of people. I can’t let this time go to waste, I thought taking in the surrounding buildings instead.

My heart skipped a beat when I spotted my only hope. Aiming for a terrace cafe overlooking the river, I climbed up a set of stairs leading up. From this vantage point I could see the entire square and most of the side streets. As calmly as possible, I chose a table right on the edge, pretending to look over the menu. I scanned the many faces below, taking in every corner. In no time I found that she had taken a side street. It was nearly obscured by a large citrus tree that led down to the water’s edge. There tied to small dock was an ornate boat. I watched as a man dressed in a smart uniform stepped from a shaded bench nearby. They reached the boat at the same time, and he offered his hand to help her inside. Once Katarina was settled, he untied the boat and eased it down the river towards the waterfront manors that lined the shore miles down the water. I never would’ve guessed that this was how I had lost her countless of times before.

“Do you need more time to look over your options or are you ready to order?” a voice said beside me. I nearly jumped out of my skin, causing us both to gasp.

“Goodness!” I clutched my chest.

“I apologize; I did not mean to startle you!” the waitress said.

“No need to apologize, I was lost in thought,” I took a glance at the tea section and ordered a drink to go. I had what I needed to finally get answers.

The next day I arrived by the dock well before Katarina arrived from her errands. I made sure that all but one boat was available for hire so that we were forced to share one. When she arrived, I lingered far off looking as though I was admiring the water before rushing on. She didn't have a chance to offer to wait for the next one before we were off.

Every part of her body language was hostile. There was a stark difference between the person I saw interacting with family at the train station to the person who sat before me. She made quick work of making sure I felt unwelcomed. She spread out her shopping bags along the seats so only the smallest bench was available. Her stare was unblinking and cold. I didn't anticipate hostility right at the start. With only a small space to claim as my own. I felt claustrophobic as the boat rocked against the surf. It made me want to move outside for a breath of air.

I didn't have the luxury of trying again, however. Looking at her, she looked as though she was mesmerizing every part of my face. I knew that I would never get an opportunity to get close to her again. I cleared my throat and attempted to relax my stiff posture.

"You look extremely familiar," I began, giving her a small smile that she did not return. "You look like my father's friend who used to babysit me when I was younger."

"Cut to the chase," she stood up, taking up the small space. "It's no coincidence we're on this boat. I know you don't live near me, so there's no reason for you to be here."

It felt like the available air was taken away by her towering frame.

"I am King Dorite's next heir to the throne. My father had our rival country's rebel's pendent in his possession, and I seek to know why."

I tell her all of the supporting evidence I've tracked down over the months. I link together the times he went on hunting trips and how they aligned with several rebel attacks on the neighboring country's capital. With the seeming rise of internal discourse, our kingdom has thrived while they focused within. I explain how she was always available to either watch us while the queen went off on her own duties, insinuating that Katarina was somehow involved with the rebels too. When I finished, she took a step closer to me making me feel smaller.

“What you truly seek little girl is the ability to control people's perception of you when you're finally queen. What sticks out to me is how you describe it. You never expressed concern or approval of your fathers’ association with the rebels, you didn’t seem to care what the rebels were fighting for nor how that impacted your opinion about his reign. All you focused on was how there was something you didn’t know and it has the potential to make you look bad.”

I sat back, mouth opening and closing like a gasping fish. Not only did she touch on exactly how I felt, but she was making me experience the very thing I fear; uncovering my vulnerability.

“Why would any of what I just said make you believe that?" I asked.

"You spent all this time obsessing over his actions instead of showing the people how you're different with yours." She took a step back when I did not speak and returned to her seat.

I let my gaze wander away from her, stunned into silence. Seeing the situation from her perspective and reflecting the journey that brought me here lifted a weight I didn't know I carried. I always felt like I was preparing for a calamity I could not see. What she did not guess was the reason behind my need to control public perception. I never wanted my people to be disappointed in me the way I was disappointed in my father that day. With one sentence, my entire perception of the strong moral character I viewed him as crumbled. She was right, I didn't care about why he decided to work with them nor what their causes were. It was the fact that I had been creating the image of my father in my mind into what I thought a good king would be, instead of getting to know the person he is and judging him from that. I don't want my subjects to question their faith in me like that.

The rest of the trip to her private dock was uneventful and we soon returned back to town. I had leapt onto this boat feeling as though my entire future could be blown away at any moment. Exiting the boat however, I felt my future firmly grasped in my hands.