You can see a complete schedule of my planned posts here for easy access.
Every day, I will pick a commenter at random to receive a FREE ebook copy of The Starlight Prince, and its prequel novella, The Adventures of Josain Jovenne.
Additionally, throughout the entire month, I’m running a Rafflecopter giveaway, which you can enter by commenting on my blog any day in the challenge. The prize is a signed paperback copy of The Starlight Prince, plus related ‘swag’ such as postcards, etc.
And now, onto today’s post…C is for (Queen) Celestia, which is an excerpt from twenty-seven of the novel, in which the main character Maddie meets the Queen of Valeth - a planet of witches - whom she'd just learned she's distantly related to.
//
In front of the crystalline palace was a large, open
courtyard, where I could see many people gathered. To my delight, almost all of
them had the same coppery hair as Luna, Phoebe, and I; a mark of the witches
from Valeth.
In the middle of the gathering stood a trio in resplendent
silver and white gowns, all wearing jewel-encrusted diadems. From a distance,
they looked almost indistinguishable from each other, all three women appearing
to be around their mid-twenties. I assumed from the extra grandeur of her
clothing and crown that the woman in the middle was Queen Celestia.
Staring at these women, my grip of Kalas’s feathers grew
slick, and I felt nervousness akin to when we’d arrived on Kralis. Not only
were these women the monarchy and princesses of Valeth, but also my kin, all of
us having descended from Queen Ursula.
As we neared the ground, I couldn’t take my eyes off the
royal trio. Now we were closer, I saw the subtle signs of age on Queen
Celestia’s face, the soft lines around her eyes and mouth, but it was still
hard to believe she was much older than thirty.
Looking at her and her two daughters was like looking at the
family I’d always dreamed of. I could see shades of not only myself but my
mother and grandmother in all of them. Though, Queen Celestia and the
princesses held more love in their gazes than my mother had for me.
Kalas’s taloned feet touched down on the courtyard floor,
and I quickly dismounted, giving his head an affectionate stroke before rushing
forward to greet Queen Celestia.
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should curtsy as I
did to Queen Seraphina, but then Queen Celestia strode forward confidently and
opened her arms to me.
She pulled me into a tight embrace, pressing a kiss to each
of my cheeks as she whispered into my ear, “Welcome home, daughter of Vesper.”
A hundred emotions surged through my body. Relief,
excitement, love. Tears rolled down my cheeks. Queen Celestia gently wiped them
away with her thumbs and then linked her arm through mine.
“Come, let me introduce you to my daughters, Princesses
Aurora and Nima.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I was vaguely aware that Kalas
and Savrion had transformed back into their humanoid forms, and someone had
presented them with simple silver robes to cover themselves.
They stood with the gathered Valethians, and I noticed that
Luna and Phoebe had arrived, although when and where from I wasn’t entirely
sure.
//
Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you again for tomorrow’s post.
Until then,
Take Care & Stay Creative!
T.T.F.N.
I'm intrigued!
ReplyDeleteThanks! :D
ReplyDelete