The Throne Room - Some Time Ago...
Preparations were underway for Queen Meliscente to travel to the Land of Long Nights, accompanied by her son, Myrus Silvers. It would be good experience for him - a first hand example in the politics that nations found themselves in. And for better or worst, the boy was filled with wanderlust. As much as Queen Meliscente wished that Myrus would fix his eyes on the Castle and not other lands, she could not change his spirit.
"I present Field-Marshal Gwydion Puck of the Young Army, my Queen," the herald announced.
"You may rise," Queen Meliscente said, an eyebrow arched. The Young Army had its beginnings in the Castle, but it had also met its end there. It had concluded during the transition time between the rules of Queen Cerys and Queen Jenna. For anyone to claim association with the Young Army...Well, it was madness. It had been centuries since that organization was even a well known name.
"Thank you, my Queen," a short man said as he rose from his knelt position in front of Queen Meliscente. "As the herald explained, I am in command of the Young Army. I have already anticipated your confusion - we may have no longer held a basis in the Castle, yet this hardship only made us stronger. We have more troops than ever before, as well as resources and the finest weaponry the world can provide."
Queen Meliscente rose from her seat on the throne. Two guards drew their swords in anticipation. "Forgive me, Puck, yet I must hope that you did not seek an audience with me merely to brag about the accomplishments of an outdated and barbaric institution. You may claim that they are soldiers, yet they are children, are they not? I should have you hanged, in order to liberate your supposed troops."
Puck was quiet for a moment, before he chuckled with a broad grin. "My Queen, you are mistaken. While in the days of old, the Young Army did steal children from their homes to build her ranks, we now take in those who lived life on the streets. We provide them with a family, shelter, and needed nourishment."
"I ask that you welcome the Young Army into the Castle," Puck continued. "We are strong and large, yet this is where our organization was born. This place is our heritage - our ancestral home," he argued.
Queen Meliscente averted her gaze for a moment, before turning to face Puck once more. Her expression hardened. "I recognize your surname, Field Marshal. Do you bear relation to the vile Jadis Puck, the Wendron Witches' Witch Mother?"
"She is my sister, my Queen," Gwydion answered, clearing his throat. "Yet my familial relations should not change the merit of my request."
Queen Meliscente nodded. "They do not. My answer is firm, Field Marshal. The Young Army will not be welcomed into the Castle. I care not the manners in which you recruit - you are still fighting battles with children that pretend they are soldiers. Leave, before I change my mind and have the guards kill you where you stand."
The Queen's Room - One Month Ago...
"I'm sorry that it had to come to this, my Queen," a strong voice said. The room was lit by a single candle, with shadows cast on the wall that prevented any identification. Queen Meslicente of the Castle slept softly, unaware of her company. No guards had stirred either. Only those of royal blood could enter the Queen's chambers without assistance, thanks to an ancient Magyk crafted by some ExtraOrdinary Wizard eons ago.
The figure took a step forward, their cloak concealing their face and features. "You always placed so much faith in destiny - a proper order that the world must follow," the figure continued. The cloaked figure withdrew a gleaming object from a pocket and paused for a moment, letting it simply rest in their hand. "It's a lie, my Queen. There is no such thing as destiny. It is simply an excuse you have used to ignore the suffering, to dismiss it as the natural order."
Had the figure's visage been visible from underneath the shadows cast by the cloak, perhaps Queen Meliscente could have stirred awake to see an almost peaceful smile. Instead, the gleaming object began to spin rapidly in the figure's hand. Queen Meliscente's veins became prominent, turning a dark shade of emerald as she gasped for breath. Her auburn hair slowly lost its sheen, with grey hairs and white hairs beginning to take its place.
"Return to your sleep, my Queen. When you wake, you will not remember this - but all the same, I want you to know by whose hand you will die - you will know who liberated the Castle from your tyranny and pedantry," the figure finished. As the object began to spin faster and faster, to the point that it surely had to hurt to hold, an emerald light enveloped the room just as the figure lowered their hood. It was blinding.
"Now you know, my Queen."
Present Day - The Castle: December 21st, 12,507 - 9:00 AM
The sun had risen over the Castle less than an hour ago, on the shortest day of the year and the longest night. The Winter Solstice has always held significance not just for witches, but for the people of the Castle as well. Queen Meliscente had been coronated on the Spring Solstice and her reign would finally close on the Winter Solstice. There was a certain symbolism to be had there - a sense of completion and peace, despite the Darkenesse that threatens to sweep through the Castle.
On this day, Princess Valda will be coronated as the Queen of the Castle. Monarchs and representatives from various corners of the world have made the long journey to the Small Wet Country Across the Sea in order to observe the coronation - perhaps due to sentiment or more likely, a desire to better trade relations with the new monarch. The ceremony is to begin at noon - not a minute before and not a minute after. Everyone in the Castle is welcome attend, with the rolling Palace grounds prepared with an appropriate amount of seating.
@jdh97: The Wendron Witches had been anticipating this day for a little less than fourteen years. Ever since little Valda had been CradleSnatched by Jadis Puck, the current Wendron Witch Mother, they had anticipated the day when Valda would take the throne. With a Wendron Witch in power, the Castle would be open to the Coven. Rather than relying on orphaned children and the offspring of current members, they could openly recruit the children of the Castle to increase their size. Never before had a Witch Coven been this close to power and Jadis was certain that Valda would not forget her true family when she became Queen. A grand feast for the Winter Solstice had been all but finished, ready for the witches to delve into once Valda became Queen.
"Are we ready, sisters?" Jadis asked, wearing her finest witch's cloak as she exited her hut. "We are to meet our little sister, Valda, at the Palace," she explained. They would need to walk through the Forest and make their way to the North Gate. From there, they could walk to the Palace.
@LadyRunic: The Meadows run the small little storefront currently serving as Rhys' fence in Snake Slipway. While they tend to keep to themselves and interact with Rhys just as much as is necessary, he can hear footsteps coming up the stairs, followed by the sound of a package hitting the ground gently. "Mister, some old hag dropped these off for you," Jim Meadow explained. His footsteps could then be heard as he descended the stairs. Rhys wasn't expecting any packages. Once opened, the package would reveal a handmade map of the Palace with painstaking attention to detail. There's a small note in the margins that simply reads Use it wisely.
@KazAlkemi: The boats at the Traders' Docks are relatively peaceful and quiet. Most of the traders have already opened up their stalls for the day at the Traders' Market, as the inhabitants of the Castle will pay almost any price to purchase a last minute gift for their new Queen. Halvor Odinsen had boasted the night before that he'll make enough money on coronation day that he'll never need to voyage to the Castle again to trade.
A group of three walks along the Traders' Docks however. Mavis Moll, the Senior Alchemie Apprentice, is escorting the delegation from the Land of Long Nights - the Chief of the Hanseatic League and their Crown Princess. Mavis is giving the tour as while she was born in the Castle, her father was a Northern Trader, making her uniquely qualified to welcome the delegation.
@Nallore: Luna has a frightfully busy day ahead of her, on which what could have been the start of her reign as Queen of the Castle. The delegation from the Eastern SnowPlains arrived the night before and has been sleeping in the Guest Wing of the Palace. The people of the Eastern SnowPlains are rather religious and had told Luna not to disturb them before 9:30 that morning, as they would be spending time in prayer. Yet it seems the universe doesn't wish to give her half an hour to relax, as a rat scurries into her room. But that itself isn't the cause for alarm - as this rat happens to be a message rat. If she simply says Speak, Rattus Rattus the message rat will deliver her its message.
@BlueSky44: Whether Valda's been awake for hours or continues to sleep, at exactly 9:00 on the dot there's a series of frantic knocks at her door. Only her blood relatives can enter her chambers without help - and perhaps morbidly, it was in these chambers that her mother died. Queen Meliscente's ghost has not Appeared to anyone yet. But per the rules of ghost hood, her spirit must dwell there for One Year and a Day. Maybe when the time is right, her mother will Appear to her. But for now, it's the Palace herald at the door. "Your highness, Field-Marshal Puck of the Young Army has requested an audience with you prior to the coronation. He says it is an urgent matter..."
Arya Rincewind
Location: Wizard Tower - 21st Floor ---> 20th Floor
Arya had risen early that day. She adored watching the sunrise from the top of Wizard Tower, as the sun slowly illuminated the silver building and gave it a surprisingly purple sheen. While she knew that it was all of the residual Magyk of the tower, it still took her breath away without fail. She loved to climb out onto what once had been used as a landing bay and feel the rays hit her skin. It had terrified Rowland when she did that, as he was convinced that she would fall twenty one stories and hit the ground.
Yet sunrises didn't last forever as time pressed on. She had duties to attend to as ExtraOrdinary Wizard. And by tradition, she would need to be present for the coronation, in order to place the crown on Valda and declare her the next Queen of the Castle. Arya closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the soft ebb and flow of the Magyk before she climbed down from the landing base, sliding in through a window and back inside the safety of the 21st floor.
She walked down their simple staircase to the 20th floor. Since both floors belonged to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard and their Apprentice, there was no need to say a password or unlock any door. In fact, the grand spiral staircase of Wizard Tower stopped at the 20th floor, right on their doorstep. "Atkin, breakfast will be ready soon!" Arya called out, as she stepped into the kitchen.
Arya snapped her fingers and the kitchen roared into life. A Fyre appeared underneath the kettle, already filled with water for tea. Biscuits and jam slowly began to assemble themselves, quickening the place after an irritated glare from Arya. Plates and utensils then flew from the cupboard, with the chairs at the table pulling themselves out in preparation for the two wizards.
"And don't forget, your potions inquiry needs to be on my desk before we leave for the coronation," Arya added. She preferred to have a hands on approach to teaching, yet sometimes, problem sets were necessary. And on a day like this, Atkin's main lessons would be in the various responsibilities that wizards were expected to perform for the Queen of the Castle - and in most cases, without any thanks at all.
Nera Hawthorn
Location: Port Witch Coven House
Nera's crow, Marvolo, was perched on her shoulder as she ate her morning meal. She had prepared the porridge herself - as while she had no doubts as to the cooking abilities of others in the Coven, she was not going to present Malekith with an opportunity to poison her. The Badlands had taught her many lessons - that just so happened to be one of them. Some of the newer witches in the Coven didn't take a second thought to eating any meal, regardless of who made them. Dear little Sybil had needed the skills presented by Physik to restore her nose to normal size after one incident.
Unfortunately, the Badlands had not taught Nera on how to make a meal that was both edible and tasteful. Her porridge had tasted like nothingness, no matter what spice she attempted to add to the mixture.
Once she finished her meal and took care of her dishes, Nera went in search of Fleur. "Joyous Winter Solstice, Witch Mother," Nera greeted as soon as she found her. The Port Witch Coven House was not terribly large. It had four floors in total, though the attic allowed access to the neighboring houses through a plank that had been turned into a makeshift drawbridge.
Marvolo flew off of Nera's shoulder, making his way towards a window before vanishing. The bird simply needed a chance to stretch his wings and Nera didn't mind. "Valda will be crowned in three hours, Witch Mother. What is our strategy?"
Myrus Silvers
Location: The Long Walk --> Servants Quarters - The Palace
It was going to be a long and tiring day for Myrus. While he himself had relatively little to do during the Coronation, he and Luna had made an agreement on splitting up the delegations that would arrive. He was going to handle the visitors from the Big Wild Land Over the Ocean, whereas Luna would deal with the Eastern SnowPlains. Myrus had gotten the luck of the draw - the Eastern SnowPlains were terribly fond of etiquette and rules. It'd be at least fifteen minutes before introductions and pleasantries concluded once Luna greeted them. The Land of Long Nights could more or less be juggled between the two of them.
But before he went to see the delegation - they'd be arriving at the Port within the hour - he had a favor to ask. Underneath his arm was a book wrapped in silk, titled Organisk Syntese. He had picked it up in the Land of Long Nights when he was there with his late mother and the scribes had finally finished restoring it. It was the perfect gift with which to win the affection of his ex-girlfriend, Mavis Moll. She was the Senior Alchemie Apprentice and her father had been a Northern Trader. It seemed to be the perfect combination of those two aspects of her life - and he was pretty sure the book was about Alchemie...At least, he assumed it was. He couldn't read the Old Tongue of the Land of Long Nights.
A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. What if Mavis couldn't read it either? She had to...right? He tried to reassure himself that she absolutely had to speak the Old Tongue. He made his way to Lyra's door, noting the small label of Lyra Laurek. It was a bit crumbled and crinkled, having been placed there to cover up the carving of the previous resident's name.
"Erm, Lyra? It's Myrus," he said, knocking on the door. "Are you decent? I need you - I mean, I need a favor, if that's alright. Shouldn't be too long. And Valda won't need you just yet. You know how she is - she won't be awake for another hour I bet."
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