Aurora looked out at the bustling crowd, praying that she would not fall because of the tall heels her advisors had made her wear. The large heavy clothes and thick make-up made her feel like a clown, but the Council had insisted she needed to look older than her actual age.
They were right; Aurora no longer looked ten-years-old. She looked much closer to eighteen, which was their goal. It had been a tall order, but somehow they had managed it.
Beside her stood a boy, looking equally ridiculous as she. Instead of a long, flowing gown as she had, he was wearing a wide trouser to conceal his own elevated shoes and a purple robe covering his shoulders to make them look broader.
Devrim, that was his name. He was only two years older than Aurora, and now he, too, had the weight of the Empire on his shoulders.
Devrim waved awkwardly to the crowd below. They were high up in the palace on a balcony overlooking the capital city, Valiant. Many wars had been fought over the years, but today was a different kind of battle.
Today was a battle of politics, and both Aurora and Devrim hoped it would not end in bloodshed. The chief of the Council, Cafer, stood on the edge of the balcony with his arms raised to address the crowd.
Silence fell.
Cafer cleared his throat, "Empress Zephyra..."
"Glory to the Empress!" cried the crowd in unison.
Cafer expected their response. He paused before continuing. "Empress Zephyra is dead!"
The crowd exclaimed, murmured, and mumbled, but generally most seemed to have already understood this fact. "It is the Princess Aurora's and the Council's deepest desire to honor her death by observing a week's mourning."
A hush ensued.
A week's mourning was a short time for a ruler to be memorialized. Empress Zephyra had been a firm and mighty ruler, but also cold and distant.
She had conquered the world with her fierce army, and many would not be sad that she was gone. The short duration of mourning would mean that few would have a chance to show open defiance before it was complete.
"After this time of mourning, we shall begin a new era by crowning a new Empress, Empress Aurora!"
"Glory to the Empress!" the crowd shouted again, this time for their new ruler.
Aurora gasped. Their fervor was overwhelming. Devrim grabbed her hand to steady her. His gray eyes were comforting in the midst of the chaos.
Turning his head back to the crowd, Devrim regained his most regal pose.
"Are you ok?" he whispered through the side of his mouth.
Aurora couldn't help but smile. Even though he had been put in an impossible position, Devrim was still thinking of her. He was a good friend. She had chosen well.
"I will be fine. Are you sure you want to do this? If you make your escape now, I will not stop you."
"I am here to serve you, Empress." the boy said, a hint of playfulness in his young voice.
"Please don't call me that...at least not for another week."
The pair were called back to Cafer's speech. He had been going on about the merits of Aurora, most of which were exaggerated for effect, but now his focus had changed.
"Good people, Empress Zephyra was a private person. She did not allow you to experience the joys of her life. Even we, as a Council, were not allowed to attend the marriage ceremony of the future Empress Aurora..."
The crowd was suddenly loud as many questioned how this could be so. Speaking over the multitude, Chief Cafer went on, "Nor could we be present when the future Empress had her first two children only this past week."
Cafer's lies worked; the people erupted in indignation. If they had known she was only a child pretending to be grown, pretending to be married, and pretending to have children…how much more angry would they have been, Aurora wondered.
As it was, the councilmen lining the back of the palace balcony grew uneasy. It was not clear if the crowd was angry at the late Empress or at them.
Aurora grasped at Devrim's hand, her anxiety growing each moment. Finally, when the noise had reached its apex, Cafer held up his hands dramatically.
"You are right to be angry," he comforted them. "But we will make this right. After our mourning, we will hold a celebration and declare a week-long public holiday in honor of the new Empress, her marriage and the heirs to the throne."
Those listening cheered so loud it was deafening. Aurora applauded Cafer's cunning move inwardly. He had let them be angry so that their joy would be that much more pronounced. And a week of no labor was unheard of in Empress Zephyra's reign. Already, Aurora's popularity was growing.
"And now, good people, I will delay you no longer. May I present, future Emperor Consort Devrim, and Aurora, future Empress of the World and all that is within it!"
The children stepped forward, working very hard to appear as the eighteen and twenty-year-olds that the royal records would indicate. They waved to the welcoming crowd, many chanting their names in turn. It felt surreal.
"They love you," Devrim said encouragingly.
"No," Aurora responded, "They love that I am not my mother."
"Do you plan to follow in her footsteps?" Devrim asked over the din of praise.
"Definitely not," the ten-year-old said with conviction.
The boy squeezed her hand. He had not let go through the entire ceremony, though whether it was to comfort her or himself she was not sure. "Good." Devrim said with a grin.
"You aren't waving enough!" Cafer hissed as he leaned over toward them. He had been too far to hear their musings and he had no mind for 'idle prattle' anyway.
"Yes, Chief Cafer," the children dutifully responded, redoubling their waving efforts.
"Much better," Cafer said, satisfied. "And don't forget to smile."
Through his plastered smile, Devrim could not help but add his final thoughts, "Don't be anyone but you. Forge your own path. It's not every day you inherit a planet."
Aurora chuckled, "Inheriting it was easy. Ruling it will be the hard part."
Even as a young child, Aurora had been treated as a nuisance by her mother, Empress Zephyra. In fact, Aurora could only address her mother as "Empress" or "Your Majesty", which only added to the coldness between them. For years the princess spent hours each day trying to find ways to please Zephyra. She was always leaving trinkets for her mother to find. A flower here or her mother's favorite fruit there. Zephyra barely glanced at the tokens, often tossing them to a servant to be thrown away. Still, Aurora persisted. One fateful day when Aurora was seven, she snuck into the Empress's chamber and hid under a table along the wall. She had worked for weeks to make a card for Zephyra's birthday, even writing a poem in honor of the occasion. 'She'll have to love this,' the girl thought optimistically. Aurora crouched low under the table, clutching the paper to her chest. She had escaped her tutors and Nanny to be here, and she refused to be caught be for her mission was complete.
Aurora was generally successful at staying away from her mother. For three years she was more ghost than girl around the palace. She completed her studies for her tutors, but as the Empress did not ask after the princess's studies, the tutors felt no need to push the girl to excel. She hid among the tapestries, under tables, and among the many plants that lined the halls. She was either tolerated or ignored by the court and castle staff whenever she was discovered, but those times were few and far between. Some forgot she existed altogether. Only Aurora's Nanny did a little to help the girl's lonely life. Nanny was always kind, and she told wonderful stories.Occasionally, Aurora's father would visit the princess's suite of rooms, but never very often for fear he would arouse Zephyra's suspicion. The Emperor was terrified that he wife would find out and punish their daughter, so he usually came when the powerful woman was asleep.When
Aurora woke the morning of her tenth birthday with a sense of dread. Nanny hadn't woken her as usual, and her suite of rooms was eerily quiet. Usually in the morning she would hear the sounds of her bath being drawn and her breakfast being delivered, but today there was nothing. 'Something is wrong' the princess thought as she became fully alert. Her ears strained to hear anything, and finally she could barely discern the shuffle of feet outside her room. Nanny opened the door and came over to the bed hurriedly. "Get dressed, child," she said with an urgency that Aurora had never witnessed. The girl obediently stood, rubbing her eyes. Together they dressed Aurora in a blue gown with a white sash—the royal colors. "Is something wrong?" The princess seldom dressed properly in pretty dresses. She loved the look and feel of the gorgeous gowns, but they restricted her movement. Usually the girl opted for a loose shirt and trousers, which was far more common for boys
"It was a piece of chocolate cake." Zephyra's words echoed through the room. "I was poisoned by a piece of cake? But I haven't eaten any cake." Elias asserted. He intentionally did not look at Aurora, knowing the look of horror that must be on her face. The Empress brushed his comment aside, "Everyone knows you occasionally fancy a late night snack. I refuse to let you lie to me about such things." "Very well," Elias agreed easily, "I have a sweet tooth. That's not a valid reason to poison a man." "You ate two pieces of cake, husband?" There was a threat in Zephyra's question, but Elias seemed not to hear it. Instead he laughed, "You caught me, my dear. Perhaps it isn't poison after all; I simply overindulged in cake. It was delicious!" "And deadly," the Empress added flatly. She let the matter drop. Clearing his throat, the
The funeral for Elias was held three days after his death. The morning was rainy, matching the gloom that the princess felt. Watching her father be entombed in the Valley of Kings, Aurora felt hot tears mix with cold rain on her cheeks. She was the only mourner. The Empress had forbidden anyone from attending the burial, but the dark-haired girl ignored the decree. Zephyra had managed to keep her daughter from the ceremony, saying that it was not an appropriate place for children. Hiding in the wings as the final eulogy was spoken, the princess had followed the pall bearers through the city and to the sacred cemetery. The pall bearers did not want to disregard the Empress's orders, but in the end they could not bear to keep a child from saying goodbye to her father. As the rain ran down Aurora's cheeks and mixed with her tears, she felt utterly alone. What would become of her now? Her mother already hated her, and now there was no one to speak on the girl's be
Again screaming could be heard from inside the Empress's chambers. This time, it was different. The Empress was in labor. Nine months and two days after her husband's passing, the Empress woke with a start. She called her maid and spoke only two words through gritted teeth, "It's time."As the morning wore on, many midwives and physicians arrived at the palace to attend the Royal birth. Each had their own advice about what Zephyra should and should not do."She should walk around to let the baby come more naturally," one said."Your Highness, take these herbs for the pain," another offered."The Empress needs to rest," a third argued. "The hard work will begin soon."They began to bicker, each asserting that their way was best. The room spiraled into chaos as the arguing grew fiercer."ENOUGH!" A voice rose over the noise. Instantly, there was silence as a woman in white robes approached the Empress's large bed. She was clean and pale, her s
There was a knock on Aurora's suite of rooms; Nanny scurried to answer it. Although Aurora could not make out the words, she could hear the rushed tone of the conversation. When Nanny returned, she looked at a loss for words. "Child," she began. "I have news. Your siblings have been born...""That is wonderful! Was a girl or a... wait did you say siblings? I have more than one?"Nanny nodded, "Yes, a girl and a boy. They are safe and healthy.""This is excellent news, Nanny! My joy is doubled. Why do you look so sad?"The large woman looked at the ground. "There's more. Your mother....the Empress. Something has happened to her.""What do you mean?" Aurora did not understand her words."The Empress's midwife has disappeared, and the Empress is unconscious. No one can wake her.""Did the midwife do this to her?" the girl was worried. Midwives were supposed to help, not hurt."I don't think so. It just happens this way sometimes.
The Council consisted of twelve members plus their chief. After a long night of discussion, they sat once again around a long rectangular table with a tall backed chair at one end—for the chief—and a throne at the other end. When Aurora had been directed to place herself on the throne, she reluctantly complied. Her legs dangled awkwardly as she sat on the edge of her seat, trying to remember each Councilman's name. Cafer she had seen many times, but the others wisely chose to keep a low profile for fear of incurring Zephyra's wrath."We welcome the future Empress to the Council." Cafer announced."Glory to the Empress!" the Council responded in unison. They all stared at the girl, waiting for her to speak.Aurora shifted in her seat. "Thank you." She responded, unsure of protocol. Her tutors had taught her court etiquette, but none of them had actually prepared her to 'be' an empress. And the Council of her advisors were completely differ