“They were her first children, and they had a purpose. She first asked Earth to create a place where life could grow. Earth created a planet, and Celestia was so proud she named the planet after that child. Now that Earth had been created, Fire decided the planet would need warmth, and so it created the sun. It was a great accomplishment, and Celestia was amazed with her child Fire. With this new planet now warmed by the sun, Air said that it could use its power to allow for breath on Earth. And so it did; and like all the other times, Celestia showered the element with pride.
“Finally, there was just one more element left that needed to give its power to the planet… Water decided to recreate itself on Earth so that life could grow and be sustained.
“With all of the elements’ powers in place upon the planet, Celestia created her second children; us. She told her first children, the elements, that they could stay and live beyond the planet Earth with her as they’d enabled her to create us.
“In the beginning, the elements were happy to stay with Celestia and grant their powers to vessels on our world who were worthy protectors of the human race.
“But unfortunately Celestia’s brother came back to her. He saw what she had done, and he was furious, jealous that she’d created something to take care of and keep her busy while he had to exist on his own. He told her she would pay for what she had done. He told her that it was only ever supposed to be the two of them in the universe.
“So he put a curse on Celestia’s second children, a curse of dark temptation. He stated that anyone who gave in to their dark temptations would be taken to the dark world called Mnyama once their life ended—the place in which he resided. Some were not able to resist these dark temptations and succumbed to evil, killing their brothers and sisters.
“Devastated, Celestia sadly asked her first children to revoke their gifts from the humans so their powers could never be used for evil again. While she wasn’t able to break the curse, she found one way to battle it. She created a spell that made it so after a century spent in the dark world a human soul would be reborn, allowing it to redeem itself and one day return to her in death. This is the way it has been since our world was created and the Dark Lord cast his curse on us.”
I stayed silent for a few moments after Gisela had finished.
She took her last sip of wine and touched my hand. “Such a tragic story… our goddess only wanted to love us and for us to love each other. Her brother took some of our love away. That is why we give thanks to her every spring… for all she has done for us.”
“It is sad indeed. I do love Celestia. I hope she knows that,” I replied with sincerity.
“She does.”
“I grow weary. I think it’s time I retire to my bedchamber,” I yawned. “This has been a most wonderful night. I thank you for it. I shall never forget it and what you have done for me.”
“Milady, I’m glad you enjoyed it. It humbles me to be your servant—and your friend,” she added.
I clasped my hands together and nodded. We left the room to ready me for slumber.
While my family was away I spent much of my time riding my horse, Nova, who my grandmother had given me for my eighth birthday. I taught Gisela how to play chess, and she actually beat me a couple of times. I also continued my lessons in history. I learned that the four kingdoms had once been at war with each other. The rulers fought for power, trying to conquer one another. It wasn’t until King Chauser of Terra had died, making his son Tynin the new king, that it came to an end. The new king saw the damage war was causing all of the kingdoms, and so he came up with a treaty of peace for all of Sarantoa. Each of the four kingdoms agreed to the treaty. They were all tired of the death and despair the war had brought upon their people. Each kingdom would rule itself with its own laws, bringing peace to Sarantoa. King Tynin died of an illness three springs after the treaty was signed, leaving Terra to his cousin, Lelund.
My family returned around two fortnights later. They arrived late at night while I slept. Even though I’d tried to stay awake until their arrival, my eyes had failed me, and I had drifted off into slumber. Sucked deep into my dreams, I didn’t hear the bell that rung to announce them.
“Psst! Zephy… Zephyyy.” I woke suddenly to my cousin’s whisper, her hair tickling my cheek.
“Addy!” I squealed with glee.
“Shh. You’re going to wake the whole palace.”
“Oh.” I lowered my voice to just above a whisper. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“And I’ve missed you.” She rose from her kneeling position beside the bed to lie down beside me. I guessed she’d been back for a while, because she’d already changed into a lavender night-gown.
“How was the celebration? Tell me everything,” I urged her.
“It was most wonderful! The trip there was uneventful, except for when your mother stepped in a puddle and ended up all wet and dirty.”
We both giggled at the image she painted. Neither of us was found of my mother, Mirrabel.
She continued, “We had a large tent with lots of blankets to make us comfortable. I wanted to sleep under the stars, but my mother wouldn’t let me. She said it’s too dangerous and I’d get bitten by bugs, so I slept inside of the tent with everyone else. The guard stayed outside to keep watch. He slept inside the carriage during the day. When we arrived, Terra put on a welcoming party for all of the guests—”
“What’s Terra like?” I interrupted.
“Different,” she answered. “But also wonderful! The kingdom is in the forest. There were tons of big trees and colourful flowers and singing birds. The air felt sticky, though. I didn’t like that… anyways, the celebration was marvelous, and everyone was most kind.”
“Tell me about Noctis De Celestia.”
“I’m getting there.” She narrowed her olive-green eyes at me.
“Sorry, I’m excited to hear everything.”
“Yes, well, the celebration was wonderful. In the grand hall we all met at there were statues that represented each of the elements. Hundreds of candles lit the room, and so many different colours of linens covered the tables. It reminded me of a rainbow. Musicians played magical tunes throughout the night, bards told stories, and a singer with a beautiful voice sang for us! We danced all night. And the food! By Goddess, the food tasted better than any I’ve ever had! There was this drink… Celestia Sanguis, it was like drinking the heavens themselves!” She threw back her head onto the pillow and sighed dramatically with a smile upon her perfect pink lips.
I so badly wanted to tell her I’d tried the sacred drink too, but I did not wish to give my handmaiden’s secret away for fear of getting her in trouble and thus breaking her trust.
I smiled with her. “It sounds wonderful.”
“Oh Zephy, I’m so excited for you to be able to attend next spring! We’re going to have so much fun together!” She rolled over and propped her chin up on her palm, her golden hair falling into her face.
“Me too, Addy. Me too.”
“Tell me, what did you get up to whilst I was away?”
“Nothing as amazing as you,” I admitted, “but I did enjoy my Noctis De Celestia here too.”
“That gladdens me. Did you spend it with Gisela?”
“I did,” I replied, my smile fading. “She took me to the Temple of Celestia and showed me how to give thanks… she also told me the story of Celestia.”
“’Tis a sad one.”
“Indeed.”
“It’s good you experienced it in your own way. It is an important night for us all… no matter how we celebrate it.”
“The most important,” I agreed.
With all of the details of our time away from each other shared, we took to talking of the usual wishes and dreams we had for our own lives and eventually fell asleep.
My cousin stayed beside me that night. It had been many seasons since we’d fallen asleep in the same bedchamber. We’d always been able to sneak into each other’s chambers without the gu
ard posted at Adelaide’s door noticing, thanks to the secret passage lying between them. But, alas, our handmaidens did not like it. Coming in to one of our rooms to find it empty had always been quite a scare. They’d feared one of us had been abducted, or something of the sort, so we were told we must sleep in our own chambers. On this night, though, we had missed each other dearly and simply did not care. If we were to be reprimanded, we would deal with it on the morrow.
Chapter 2
The spring of my first Noctis De Celestia.
Addy and I tried to stay out of the way as much as possible the week before Noctis De Celestia at the end of spring. The whole palace buzzed with preparations for the celebration.
Servants kept busy with cleaning and polishing the entire grand hall and all of the guest chambers, cooks picked fresh vegetables from the garden, men hunted for dinner, and the royal family needed to figure out what to wear for the celebration.
I didn’t need to worry about a new dress as my mother had given me a red gown for my tenth birthday to wear to Noctis. I didn’t think the colour suited me, nor was my body fully grown for the style of it, but I would wear it to avoid her wrath.
“What are you wearing to Noctis?” I questioned Adelaide one afternoon.
“You will have to wait and see,” she answered, peering down at her tea with a distant expression.
“You seem distracted lately.”
She tore her eyes away from her cup. “Oh! No… just thinking.”
“About what?” I urged.
Playing coy, she said, “Hmm?”
“Addy!”
“Oh, nothing—about Noctis.” She waved her hand in dismissal.
“Well, I’m kind of excited for it to be over. I’m tired of feeling like I have to hide in order to be out of the way. Everyone’s so busy with preparations. Maybe it would have been more fun to travel somewhere else for the celebration like you did last Noctis.”
“No, it wouldn’t. I mean it was fun to see a new place, but the travelling itself felt long and boring.”
“Kind of like how it feels here right now?” I raised an eyebrow at her.
She set her tea down, her long single braid swinging to one side. “Come with me. Let’s go exploring. No one will even notice, seeing as how they’re all so busy.”
My face lit up, and I jumped up off of my seat. Finally, I had gotten her attention.
As it turned out, we didn’t find much excitement exploring either. I asked her if she knew about the palace art collection, but she already did. In the end, I suggested we go outside for a walk. We came across my father, Lucien, training new soldiers in archery. As grand master of the royal army, his soldiers saw him more than I or my mother did.
He noticed us right away. “Ladies! …Uh, good day, Princess,” he bowed quickly, catching himself. “You shouldn’t be out here. It’s dangerous. You could be hit with an arrow, and then we’d all be done for.”
“But it’s so boring everywhere else,” I complained childishly. Good thing my mother wasn’t there. My father let such behaviour slide, unlike her who’d reprimand me for such immature behaviour.
“Can’t we learn to shoot an arrow? It would be good if we could protect ourselves, would it not?” Adelaide backed me up.
“No, don’t be silly. You have guards for that. You shouldn’t be in the training grounds. Go to the stables or something. I’m busy.” He made a shooing motion at us.
“Can we at least watch from a distance?” He paused, so I added, “Please, Father,” giving him the saddest face I could muster.
“Oh all right. But from a good distance. Go over there by those trees and watch if you must. And don’t stay too long. If your mother finds out you’re here, she’ll have both of our hides.”
“Yes, Father.”
Addy snickered as we made our way to the trees beginning to bud with green leaves. “Even your father’s scared of your mother.”
“Wouldn’t you be?”
“Yes, I suppose I would,” she answered.
“Look at those men. So intent on doing well for your father,” Addy exclaimed, changing the subject, as we found a patch of grass soaked in sunlight to sit on.
“It looks more fun than what we get to do on an average day. What I wouldn’t give to be someone without royal blood.”
“You say that, but I doubt you’d last a week as a commoner.” She set her olive gaze on me, as if daring me to try it.
“You may be right, but we shall never know.”
Adelaide didn’t say anything for a moment, a thoughtful expression again taking over her features. “Some of those men aren’t much older than us. Perhaps one of them would be our protector.” Her eyes lit up at the notion.
“Oh, by Celestia, is that what you’ve been thinking about all day? Boys?”
“Some of them are nice,” she cooed, fiddling with her skirt.
“Eck! Not true. I’ve yet to meet a boy who’s nice to me. They’re all rude and hateful. And none would want to be my protector. I’m the princess’s ugly cousin.”
She grabbed my arm, hard, and looked me straight in the eye, her pretty face contorting so much it took me aback. “Don’t say that! You are not ugly. And we’re still young. Mother says we will grow into our bodies and become even more beautiful.”
“It’s hard not to believe it when others put worms in your hair and tell you you’re gross and belong in the dirt,” I argued.
She pressed her lips into a thin line. “You never told me they did that.”
“I was embarrassed.”
“You’re not ugly, and you’re letting them win if you believe what they say,” she shot.
“But…”
“Don’t argue with me. I command it, as your princess.”
At that, I rolled my eyes and threw grass at her, which led to me leaping up and running away and her trying to catch me, boys a forgotten subject.
On the day of Noctis De Celestia, Gisela’s gentle shakes woke me. “Milady, ’tis time to get up. We must begin preparations for the night’s celebrations.”
I yawned and stretched as she threw open my heavy burgundy curtains and let the sunlight in.
“All right. May I break my fast first?” I grumbled
“You’ve missed first meal. I’ve brought you some biscuits and tea, but you must make haste.”
I sat up and rubbed my eyes, my hair a tangled mess. “I missed first meal? Why did you let me sleep so long?”
“You needed your beauty rest for tonight. No matter. Here, eat.” She handed me a golden biscuit that was no longer warm but still felt soft and fresh.
After I ate my biscuits and drank my tea, Gisela followed me to the bathing chamber where she scrubbed my skin and combed out my fiery locks. Afterwards, she rubbed fennel and violet scented oils on my arms and legs. Clean and robed, she brought me to my dressing chamber and helped me into the red velvet gown my mother had given me. I admired the pretty style, though it would’ve looked better on a full grown woman; my flat chest didn’t fill it, neither did my narrow hips. To myself, I looked like a boy in a red dress. I wrinkled my nose at my reflection in displeasure.
Gisela put a sheer white sash over my bare shoulders and pulled a chair out for me so she could style my hair. As she twisted and pinned pieces of it up, I asked, “Where did you learn how to do hair so beautifully?”
She took a pin out of her mouth to answer me. “My mother. She was a handmaiden for one of the duchesses in my village near Terra. She knew all the tricks and secrets of beauty.”
She placed the last pin in and handed me my silver-backed mirror to have a look at her work.
In my reflection I saw a young lady with fiery red hair done up in twists with curly pieces framing her face. I almost didn’t recognize myself. If only my dress looked as good as my hair did.
“It’s wonderful! I love it!” I grinned up at her. “I only wish I fit my dress properly, and that it were a different colour. Red clashes with my hair.”
; “I would’ve chosen blue for you, but, alas, it’s not one of Solis’s colours. You must wear a colour of fire… your hair does make up for it, though.” She clicked her tongue.
“Yellow or gold would’ve been better.”
“Mayhap next spring. Now, off with you.” She tapped my back. “Go find your mother and father. It will be time to go to the grand hall soon and begin the celebrations.”
“Will you be there tonight?”
“As much as I wish to be there with you, I must attend the Temple of Celestia tonight to give my thanks. It is my tradition. And handmaidens aren’t invited to the celebration.”
“I understand. Would you say thanks to our goddess for me, seeing as how I can’t join you?”
“Yes, milady, of course. You may also say thanks at the end of your night. You don’t need to be in the Temple to say a prayer to our goddess.”
“I will. Thank you, Gisela.”
I rose and left slowly, trying not to step on the skirt of my dress, as I made my way to my mother’s chamber to meet my parents.
While we waited outside the grand hall for the herald to announce us, I studied my parents in their glamorous attire. My mother wore a red gown like mine, though hers was a garnet shade, while mine more resembled the colour of rubies. Hers accentuated her body with its silky material and v-shaped neck line that showed off her pushed up bosom. Mine lay square across my flat chest. She wore matching garnets in her braided, pinned-up golden hair. She looked stunning. I wondered if mayhap I wasn’t her child at all and she had actually stolen me from my real mother.
My father had done himself up like a proper royal as well for once. I was used to seeing him in his leather training armour. Tonight, he wore a white tunic under a dark red doublet to match my mother’s dress. Shiny black leather boots covered the calves of his brown breeches. He’d even trimmed his rusty beard neatly. I couldn’t recall a time where my father had appeared so cleaned up. Then again, this was my first Noctis De Celestia celebration.
The Elemental Diaries - Complete Series Page 2