A Daughter's Secret

Claimer: I own all of these people, so no stealing them or I will send the chibi's after you!

Chapter 1

Meredith put on the lacy black gloves that matched her dress, relishing the feel of the silken spider lace against her wrists. A human slave slipped black garters up her legs to rest on her shapely thighs. Another place the black goblin leather heels on her feet and helped her to stand up.
She surveyed herself in the mirror. She was slim, pale skinned, eyes three colors of blue and hair a striking ice blond waterfall to her feet. She had no need of any cosmetics to enhance her beauty, the beauty that came naturally. The black dress made little effort to cover her top at all with no sleeves and merely two pieces of black cloth crossing over her breasts to hold them and connecting to the skirt in the back, but blossomed into a nearly sheer ballroom skirt.
" You may go to your quarters. Wait for me. I will ring you when I get back." Meredith said, flicking a gloved hand at them and they left silently, faces down and mouths in a straight line.
All of a sudden her hard faced attitude fell and she fell to her knees, head in her hands. Tears would have fallen, but she hadn't cried in so very long, she almost thought she couldn't remember how to anymore. She'd been born in the Hill, raised within its most beautiful palace with the rest of the other noble elven children. She had many friends, but only few were true to her.
She was always the odd one out. When most of the maidens were taking dance lessons and their fathers choosing husbands for them, she was out hunting and using her magics for more than water weaving and little transformations on flowers and animals. The Elders looked down upon it, but did not stop her. She was always looked down on for two reasons, she used everything about herself differently, and she was a halfling. Her father had been human.
" Meredith, it is time to go!" Vaya called from outside the door.
Vaya never has anything to worry about. She's fully elven, beautiful, and a powerful lady. Why can't I be more like her? Meredith thought as she composed herself and opened the door.
Vaya stood there in silver and red with Roa standing behind her in greens and brown.
" Black? You do not wish to participate in any games tonight?"" Vaya asked crossly.
If you wore a suit or gown of black to one of the Queen's banquets, it meant you had no intention of playing the Queens' games that night. Not many of the gentler fae chose to, but the wild wood elves were always there.
" Not fully black." She hitched up her skirt to reveal the ruby red satin underwear she had donned. " Always dress for the parties, you never know who might be peeking."
Vaya smiled as her surrogate daughter repeated the one rule of any party held.
" True." Vaya smiled as Meredith let her skirt, took Roa's other hand, and took her entourage to the party.

Meredith stopped dancing with Typai and went back to her group of friends.
" You can't do anything without showing off?" Mya pouted, pursing cerulean-painted lips.
Her three friends always wore the same colors to any party. Mya wore the blues, Trini the reds, and Dayl wore greens. Typai, the only male friend they had that had no sexual interest in them, wore yellows. Vaya had often remarked that they all looked like a rainbow, with Meredith the dark cloud behind them.
" So you noticed? I thought you were too busy watching Kosem over there." Meredith waved her hand at the Prince, who was dancing with the red- headed Dayl.
" Dayl's such a flirt it makes me sick to watch her with him." Mya frowned, glaring at her friend.
Meredith feared for Mya. She and the Prince had something going on together, he had granted her the symbol that showed everyone he loved her, the bright red flower blossoming on her left shoulder, a tattoo designed and administered to her by himself. When it came time for Prince Kosem to marry, Mya would be devastated. She expected her to do something harmful to herself.
" Are you not playing tonight?" Trini trilled, coming back from the banquet table, her crimson lips twitching in a smile.
" Why should I? I have no wish to lose what little innocence I have left." Meredith scoffed.
" But human girls your age are already married and has at least one child, expecting another! Besides, Lyra plays and she's a year younger than you." Trini said before being swept away by Typai.
" Lyra is a hussy and only the perverts of the court will touch her." Meredith frowned as she spotted the little elven girl-child with the dark chestnut hair and black eyes flirting with a gentleman.
If you could call what they were doing, with their hands all over each other and Lyra's hands in his pants, then they were flirting. Meredith just hoped that the man knew what he was getting into and kept it just at that. Mya made a face at the two and went to steal Kosem from Dayl's clutches.

Everyone stopped and looked as the bells peal rang out above the music and the Queen walked onto her throne's podium. She wore the exact same dress as Meredith, but for the color. Hers was the same pure white as the snow on the ground outside. It made a striking contrast to her thick black hair and luminous purple eyes. Carmined lips were thin and straight as she scanned the crowd that waited for her to do something.
" Before we start anything tonight, I have an announcement to make." She pouted slightly and walked down two of the steps on her black marble podium. " My son, Prince Kosemanira, has given up his royal title so he can marry his lover!"
People in the crowd gasped, some girls cried, others merely stood there waiting for the Queens' reaction.
" But I allow him this. I have lined up another heir for the throne," She looked out to the crowd and her eyes pierced Meredith straight through. " If she'll have it."
Vaya and Roa suddenly appeared from out of the crowd, grasping Meredith's bare arms and walking her up the podium.
" She even dresses like me!" Queen Mellina cackled, noting the dresses. " Though I have the feeling we are as different as day and night."

" The Queen wishes to make you her heir, do not anger her!" Vaya whispered, clutching her hand tightly.
" My Lady, I will accept your proposal if you answer me one question." Meredith spoke loud and clear as she should have.
" Anything, Princess Meredith." Mellina bowed mockingly to her.
Meredith knew she was trying to test her, see how she was under pressure or anything else other than adoration and love. But she would not bend, much less break. She was made of stronger mettle than that.
" Why do you choose me? Why not some other girl? I have no royal blood flowing in my veins, not that I can see." Meredith's knees were shaking as she stared into Mellina's tri-colored purple eyes.
" Why? Your mother," She looked at Vaya who turned aside her eyes. " Your real mother, was my sister. You are my niece."
Meredith's mind reeled. Vaya was not her mother, she was the niece of the Queen, and was to be the next Queen herself!
Answer. Whispered a voice that pushed the other loud thoughts into submission. Answer and all your dreams will come true. She willed her knees to be strong, her thoughts to quiet, and he head to rise and face her future subjects.
" I will accept my aunt's gracious offer." The crowd quieted and bowed to her, putting themselves on their knees and offering her their throats in the wood elves version of lower rank.
Meredith looked around, and to her amazement, even her foster parents and the Queen were on their knees, throats bared and eyes closed.
" But you are still Queen, and I just your Princess, so rise Aunt, and join me in a dance." Meredith said, grasping her aunts hand and pulled the laughing woman onto the floor as the music struck up again.