In The Kingdom

THE QUEENTIDE BEGAN AND ENDED WITH THE BLOOD OF THE QUEENLINGS. As was tradition, each Queenling was to cut her own skin, and spill her own blood into the ancient golden goblet.

As she sat cross-legged in the center of her chambers less than an hour before the ceremony, Cressida was not afraid. Not of the self-inflicted wound that would be set into place by salt water. Not at the prospect of battling her sisters. She felt strangely calm for someone who might be marching to her death.

Her hand fluttered to the pendant hanging from her neck, and wrapped around the warm stone that hung there. It thrummed reassuringly against her skin.

She was more than the Queen of Wolves. She was Fae-blessed by the Queen of Fae herself, which was more than could be said for any Queen that had come before Cressida.

"My Queenling," a voice muttered from behind her, no doubt one of the many servants that had been placed to serve her. "You must go to the Temple of Drakon."

Cressida let the pendant slip from her fingers, and collide with her collarbone. Bellatrix stirred from her sleep, and cracked an eye open.

Cressida nodded at her wolf as she pushed herself off the floor, Bellatrix mirroring her movements. Queenling and wolf turned to face the servant. It was a young girl, no older than fifteen years. Her face was hidden behind waves of mousy brown hair, but her wide, terrified eyes were all too visible to the Queenling.

Cressida's rose-bud mouth split into a smile. With a barely noticeable hand gesture, Cressida caused a beautiful white lily to sprout from the marble ground. She plucked it gently, and held it out to the servant.

"For your hair," she said, the smile still etched on her face.

With shaking hands, the servant girl reached out. Her pale, scarred hand wrapped around the vibrant green stem slowly, as if she were afraid it would bite her. She took it from the Queenling tentatively.

"Th-thank you," she stammered, the words coming out at the volume of a whisper.

Cressida smiled again. "If you'd ask me, tuck your hair back and you'll be Pallas-blessed. You will need a wolf to keep the suitors away."

A crimson blush stained the servant's face, and she lowered her amber gaze. "You are blessed by more gods than I ever will, my Queenling."

"Find me tonight, and I shall show you the extents of the god blessings," Cressida offered, her hand stroking Bellatrix's coat.

The servant bowed her head as Cressida strode past her, Bellatrix padding behind her.

Blessings of the gods were not taken lightly, and most rumors of them were just that; rumors. Few were ever validated by the gods, but that did not stop the people from every House to claim that a god had blessed them.

Some claimed that Elentiya, goddess of light and fire, had blessed Nova. Others said Selena was blessed by Dalos, god of the seas. But both were unconfirmed, leaving several to doubt the extent of their power. But the Queentide would change that. The Queentide would change everything.

Outside of Cressida's chambers was the most beautiful garden she had ever seen. But she walked through it as if it were nothing, carefully avoiding to look at any of the blossoming flowers. The ceremony at the Temple of the Moon was one of the most important of the Queentide, and it would do Cressida no good to be late. The conversation with the servant girl had already set her behind.

"Bella, I need you to summon a pack," Cressida murmured over her shoulder. Her Companion's response was an Earth-shattering howl. Cressida's power flowed out, and harmonized with her wolf's call, strengthening the urgency behind the howl.

Cressida continued to walk barefoot through the dirt, her golden dress flowing behind her like the tail of a comet. Her people were doubtlessly waiting for her at the Temple, expecting an entrance suitable for a Queenling. And she would give the Kingdom one.

She spiraled deeper into her power as she walked, grabbing every tendril of it that she could find. Then, Cressida threw the tendrils away from her as far as she could, their green color igniting the gray sky. They were invisible to all but her, and Cressida liked it that way. She made it appear to be effortless.

The flowers around her reacted to the sudden surge of power, suddenly reaching out to her like beggars. Cressida stalked past them, focusing on pulling the ends of her tendrils closer to her.

And then, she saw them.

The sky turned black as thousands upon thousands of birds flooding the sky. Their cries pierced the air, creating a chaotic cacophony. Cressida grinned at the sight of them flying towards the Temple.

Bellatrix growled behind Cressida, and the Queenling spun on her heel. Sixteen wolves were running towards them, varying in size and color. They howled as they ran, their cries harmonizing with the birds.

With a wild grin, Cressida howled in response as the wolves circled around her. Bellatrix growled once, and stood close to her Queenling. Cressida grinned; let them establish their dominance. This would be her pack, her legacy. No one could forget the Queen of Wolves.

The dirt and gardens of the House of Earth disappeared and were replaced with stone and buildings. There was a large group of people crowded around the entrance to the Temple of Moons. And every single one of them was staring at her and the birds that flew above her and the wolves that circled around her.

She was a deadly sight of power with the strength to control or destroy anything. Cressida was a Queenling, and no one could doubt her power.

Judging by the sheer size of the crowds, her sisters were already inside the Temple, waiting for Cressida. A smile painted itself onto her lips. Good. None of them would miss the spectacle that displayed her power.

She continued her walk as the ground below her twisted. Flowers and vines sprouted from the soil, reaching up towards the sky. They soon grew to tower above her, but Cressida continued. They didn't touch her.

She walked among the growing vines and flowers and trees and wolves, and below the birds. Cressida was Queenling of the House of Earth. She could control the world.

The people of the Kingdom parted to create a path for Cressida to walk into the temple. She made sure to smile at them; she would be remembered as a joyful Queen, not the cold, stoic one that Callisto wanted to become. Cressida could create life, so she would be lively.

Inside the temple, there were only a few dozen people. The entirety of the Council stood near the entry's way, their backs straight and heads high. Arabella, Nova's guard, stood directly behind the Queenling, and she cast a burning glare in Cressida's direction. A dark-haired boy stood behind Selena, and a dark-skinned girl stood behind Callisto. A young priestess stood at the head of the temple, her white robes swirling in the gentle breeze. Her face was young and pure, her beaming smile exalting a youthful brightness.

"Hello, sisters," Cressida purred.

Three pairs of eyes stared in her direction. The golden in amusement, the black in anger, and the silver in worry.

With the wolves behind her, Cressida walked past the Council members, up to where her sisters were standing. The pack lingered behind, but Bellatrix continued with her Companion. The wolf stopped next to the dark-haired boy, who took one look at Bellatrix and took a step in the other direction.

"Welcome, Queenlings," the Priestess said, the smile still on her face. "This ceremony will mark the beginning of the Queentide. Are you ready?"