commoners who had managed to gain an audience with her. A few times each year, Queen Rona would hold court there and decide whether or not prisoners should continue to stay in the dungeons--catacombs and labyr

ect audience. Though she was certain members of the Royal Council would be present, she didn't k

er head so that it was more presentable. The pearl tiara graced her crown, and she knew her mother would appre

was a man she'd seen before whose name was unknown to her, but he had kind brown eyes above a rather bulbous nose. His muscles were large and strained against his gray uniform, and while Kit w

ly the largest structure ever built in all the world, and the halls meandered for miles with expansive staircases leading up and down to turrets and catacombs such that Kit realized she'd likely never know the full footprint of the structure. What she did know was, if she intended to be punctual when visiting her mother, she needed to leave her chambers with at least a quarter of an hour to spare. Today, she

wn the side were more of a deep maroon than purple, and the patches on their shoulders identified them as members of the Queen's Guard. Knowing the princess was expected, one soldier on each side pulled open the heavy doors, and K

ugh slightly smaller and less elaborate than the one in the formal throne room, was made of solid gold with red velvet cushions and jewels across the top of the backrest larger than the ones that adorned Kit's most reg

ted the same obligatory greeting as well. "Hail Rona, Empress of All the Lands East of the Galacial Mountains and Queen of th

y of speaking many years ago. Still, she remembered being a small child who visited her mother infrequently and being frightened of the way her speech

te wisdom, smiled in return. Nill, who was both Queen Rona's sister and Avinia's mother, looked nothing like the queen. Her light hair was the same color as Avinia's, though she was shorter and slightly plump. Two other council members were present as well, both

skirts out around her legs and trying not to fidget as she waited for the queen to gather her thoughts. Sometimes, she knew this process was only to make her, or whomever Rona was about to

now, your Proem Ceremony is to be held the day after

ed, swallowing down the fear that

yself have been meeting in order to come up with a fitting solution. Never in all of our years has such an occu

ean for her ceremony, but fear ma

dn't perform the ce