The arrival

The sky held a hint of orange hue, the ambiance, breezy, and the ground, warm. It was five sharp in the evening when the private aircraft kissed the runway 

Alighting the jet, the wind blew past Diva's face, sweeping her hair to the side, her eyes fluttered as the dust of the environs came clinging to her eyelids. Halting in her steps, she attempted to clear them off.

Finally free from the upsetting particles that threatened to enter her eyes, she continued walking till she met up with her dad, Dawin, and the men that had arrived on the grounds before her.

Not that 'ladies first' was not in their dictionary but being conscientious and meticulous were her headwords.

On arrival, her hazel eyes spotted the fleet of sedan black cars that had lined up in the parking lot of the airport. Their chauffeurs, all dressed in black suits, stood at the passenger door at the left, next to the driver's own at the side. Was this some kind of cartel where their gear is black? Not forgetting the men that had followed them up from their kingdom and down here.

Her dad had Dawin in a conversation with a group of officers, rightly said to be known from their outfits and IDs. 

Feeling something amiss, she neared one of the sedans and the chauffeur had the door hung open for her whilst she stepped into the car, setting her bag aside.

With all the doors closed, the cooling system seemed to be at a higher degree as the cold air grazed her skin. She hugged herself tightly but as she stayed longer, her body slowly adapted to the temperature. Laying back on the soft leather seat, she closed her eyes, feeling lazy from the journey

With time ticking, her nose caught a whiff of the lavender scent that filled the car. Inhaling deeply, she took in the sweet smell of the flowering plant.

A mix of flowery, a little herbal, and drag of something evergreen. Like a green plant blooming in the Mediterranean breeze, it reminded her of the ones planted in her mother's mini garden back home. Her eyes still closed, she wandered around the smell that had brought a sweet soothing feeling to her mind. Releasing a sort of tranquility and peacefulness in the insides of the automobile.

Slowly she drifted into the land of sleep where she happily ran in a garden filled with lavenders. Dressed in white with her fingers feeling the flowers.

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes to hours and when the sky shifted colors from orange to purple with the stars spread on it like a blanket, her manbun friend entered the car, waking her up in the process.

Her eyes fluttered open and when they caught sight of Dawin, they stayed on him.

'Your cousin, Fred, had sent in a convoy to pick us up and the officers were kind of curious. Had to give details of the men with us, since they are my dad's men'. His eyes took in the curiosity that glimmered in her eyes. 

Without speaking, her eyes turned to face forward as the chauffeur she had met outside had entered the car. 

The car started and she closed her eyes again when it drove off. 

Back on the plane, she had a deep consideration of the reason for the journey. 

Flying for over ten hours not because she was to spend the holiday with her grandmother and return after the summer but to return when she is fit. Fit to take control of her life before proceeding for the throne. 

After her dad had talked with her that night she had tried to persuade him, telling him that she just needed time to let go and move on. He had reasoned with her and gave her three months to do so.

She remembered asking him that night if he was not angry or sad about his wife's death. He replied that he was but didn't have time to mourn. With the kingdom's inhabitants going back to their various businesses after the three weeks of mourning that ended with her mother's burial, he too had to go back to overseeing the affairs of the kingdom. 

She had agreed to the three months, forcing herself to end the mourning quickly while returning to her normal life without pains or regrets. Somehow her dad and grandma forgot about her as she became lively and decided to let go. But even though she had compelled her brain into believing her mother's death was meant to happen, anyway, her mind disregarded it and went back to torturing her with images of her mother in her dying minutes. 

The last few days of the last couple of months had her dancing again in the line of contriteness and then her father and grandmom, having come to visit them, were pushed to take action. And those actions were the reasons why she was now sitting in the car.

The cars turned right into a road that became quieter and quieter with fewer people and when they reached two heavy iron gates they halted. Seconds later, the gates opened letting the cars pass. 

They came driving through a tarred road, round a water fountain, and pulled in front of a mansion. With the engines turned off, everyone came down from the black sedans.