Ishtar's Diary - Betrothal

A young woman sat in the shade of a small tree. Sunlight sneaking through the leaves and blossoms dappled her pale cheeks with warmth. A burnt out oil lamp sat on the grass beside her. Her eyes were intent on the heavy book in her lap, but that didn’t stop her ears from picking up the sound of footsteps on the green lawn.
“Quetz’, you have all the stealth of a dragon.” She muttered without looking up.
“And the muscles too.” He replied, an egotistical smirk on his lips. “what are you doing awake in the middle of the day?” he crouched down beside her so he could read over her shoulder.
“Studying” she replied, reflexively leaning into his warmth. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”
“S’ lonely without you.” He nuzzled her soft golden hair aside and nibbled her neck. She turned the page, ignoring him. “Can’t be that bad, you have what’s her name, that first year girl.”
“She wasn’t all that talented, now you…” he teased at the point of her ear. “…you taste very good.”
“I,” she emphasized “am trying to concentrate.”
“Tara,” the dark haired man pouted. “That book is old and stuffy.”
“I’m not even going to try and explain the importance of studding history to you.” She scooted away from her betrothed. “Now go away. I’m sure you have better things to do than bother me.”
“Actually, my mother is here, she wanted to talk with both of us.” He slid around in front of her, pinned her to the tree and covered her mouth roughly with his. “But she can wait.” He murmured sinking a fang into the corner of her lip.
“Quetzal’quotal!” she pushed him back abruptly. “I can’t believe you! How long has she been waiting for us? In case you’ve forgotten your mother is the Governor of Atlantis, and my father -the Lord Pharaoh’s Surrogate!” She railed standing and dusting herself off. “Unlike you I actually have responsibilities!” She forced the book into his hands and dashed off in the direction of the Royal Academy Complex. Ishtar suspected the Atlantean leader would want to present herself in the Pharaoh’s formal audience chamber. As much was her right as the Pharaoh’s surrogate in Anu’s absence. Ishtar couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her father. He was a distant figure in the dark recesses of her mind, a shadow that dictated her actions from the stars without any heed for her feelings or goals. Take for example this betrothal to the Atlantean prince Quetzal’quotal, although it was true that the two had been close friends in childhood, Quetz had grown into a spoilt brat who cared more for the pleasures of the flesh than the higher learning and science that her world was built on. And it was her world; Ishtar had a great passion for the kingdom that was to be hers. Watching the mistakes her father made she had vowed to be a better ruler and since then had dedicated her life to constant study and discipline she was now only twenty summers but already had almost completed her degree in magical sciences. Some of her instructors even speculated that when her power matured she might become one of the most powerful adepts in history.
She stopped to tidy her appearance in front of one of the artistically shaped mirrors lining the halls. Her red-gold hair was as unkempt as usual, mostly pulled back into a rough bun and held in place by two long, abalone encrusted black lacquered hair pins. Ishtar frowned and removed the pins in favor of letting her long mane free except for her tiara holding it back from her face. She knew that this would be one of those times where making the most of her size would likely be advantageous. Taking a deep breath she entered the Grand Council Chamber.
The Grand Council Chamber was probably the largest single room in the entire complex. At the far end the Pharaoh’s throne sat, like a great golden beast flanked on one side by the consort’s on the other by the surrogates. Ishtar observed with minor irritation that the Atlantean wasn’t seated in her proper seat but in her father’s thrown. She was all delicate gossamer robes and fine silky strands of silver hair. Ishtar observed that the woman’s skin was far too tanned to for the silver of her hair to be the genuine bleaching effect caused by magical energy killing pigment producing cells. She suspected that the Surrogate had used some cosmetic process to make herself appear to be more powerful.
In the silence Ishtar could almost swear she heard her very footsteps echoing off the cavernous walls. This room could seat thousands when the council was in session. Now it was empty save for the eldest females of two Royal Clans: Ishtar and the Atlantean Governor.
“Where is my son, Ishtar?” the one seated in the wrong thrown asked. She glanced over her shoulder, almost expecting her betrothed to come puffing through the doors.
“I have no idea.” Her hands clasped behind her back she stared up at the woman who had summoned her.
“That simply won’t do, I must speak to both of you. We will wait until he arrives.” The scowl on the woman’s face said more than her words. Ishtar held a smirk behind mask of neutrality as she caught a faint scent of pomegranate spirits on a warm breeze that blew through the door.
“Mother!” Quetzal’quotal screeched to a halt beside his bride-to-be. He was dressed in simple black clothes. His shirt had come untied in his haste and hung open revealing his tightly muscled chest. She sucked in a quick breath. He stepped slightly passed her, in a gesture that would have been protective had it come from anyone else. Ishtar spared him a glance out of the corner of her eye. Could he care about more than himself? She squashed the thought before it could even reach the surface of her mind. Quetz was not going to change, no matter how much his pomegranate-and-maleness scent made her want to touch him.
“I have news for the both of you” she began. Ishtar held her breath begging the goddess that she wasn’t about to hear what she thought she was. “Ishtar, your father and I have spoken at length of the unrest among our people, some it seems, believe that relations between Atlantis and the rest of the kingdom are growing weaker.”
“I’ve heard such rumors, even talk that the Atlantean council is pushing for secession.” Ishtar replied.
“That is why your father and I have decided that you two will be married on the next full moon.”