Royal Blue - How nervous, how calm

It was a time of great joy for the kingdom. They had been waiting 
twenty-seven years for this sunrise; twenty mooncycles of which 
were spent in high anticipation. The entire capital was gaily decorated. 
Crowds were gathering in front of the ceremonial hall or around their 
projection devices to see the beginning of the next chapter in the 
life of their ruling family.

Yet, not that far away from the ceremonial hall, in a room of the 
castle, sat five special women who were not jumping up and down 
in excitement or laughing in joy. These five women sat in silence, 
four because they were concerned about the fifth. And, although 
the fifth woman was feeling joy, she was also feeling nervousness 
and fear. And the latter two emotions were swamping the first.

In front of the nervous woman the four other women sat in a 
semi-circle. The one to the nervous woman’s immediate left 
was dressed in a dark brown ball gown, her thick dark hair was 
laced with lavender heather, which was all the more striking 
due to her features. She represented the element of earth and 
was one of the four "attendants" for the woman in front of her 
to the left. 

Next to "earth" sat the second woman, wearing a flimsy, short 
white dress representing "air". This female was born to a lower 
station than all of the other women present, but her boldness 
demanded that she be treated as an equal and her kindness and 
loyalty assured that she was. Ivy was wound through her reddish
hair. Of all the women in the semi-circle, she knew the one who 
sat in front her longest and best; which is also probably why she
was the most concerned at the moment. 

Next to "air" was the woman representing "water". Wearing a 
long straight light blue dress that shimmered (and almost matched 
her hair), she had her hair wrapped in a bun around a bunch of pink 
Bouvardia...and her normally bubbly personally was wrapped in 
concern for the woman in front of her and a man buildings away. 

Finally, next to "water" sat a woman in a bright red, strapless 
dress, nearly scandalous because of amount of leg it showed, who 
represented "fire". This woman, with long dark hair covering half 
of her face had somehow, with pins and other things, managed to 
weave the long and complicated snapdragon through her hair. She 
looked at the woman to her front right, slightly worried about 
what was running through her head.

"Fire" probably had a right to be worried, as doubts assailed 
the last woman in the room. She sat, starring distractedly down 
at her lap, a wreath of calla lilies secured on her head. Constantly 
smoothing her beautiful ivory gown with one hand, she clenched 
a bouquet of white calla lilies and golden orchids in other. 
Every once in a while she would shake her head, close her eyes, 
and then open them again. She hadn't spoken in the last twenty 
minutes.

This was probably why her sudden outburst was so shocking. Without 
warning, the young woman jumped from her seat and said, "I cannot 
do this! I cannot. There is someone better. I was not meant to...I 
just cannot," she finished as she crumbled in the chair.

That moved the other women into action quickly.

"You cannot pull out of this now!" objected Fire, also know as Her 
Grace Lady Talia Waynemeyer, Duchess of Amerwest. "Think of what 
this would do the kingdom."


"And to Terrius," added Lady Bella who sat next to Talia.

"Earth", the Countess of Afrique, Lady Ashante Zaire, just placed 
a comforting hand on the arm of woman in ivory.

"But do you not see?" the agitated angel in ivory countered, "It 
would be worse for me to go through with this. I am not what the 
kingdom needs. I am not sure how I ever deluded myself to think 
I would be! It would be better for the kingdom if I were to leave 
now. And Terry, well, someday he - " the young woman's voice caught 
on a sob. She struggled to push out the rest of the statement, "he 
shall find the right one for him who shall not be an...an embarrassment." 
She looked around the circle in front of her, as tears began to 
form in her eyes. "Surely, at least three of you must realize that 
I could never be the lady this would require me to be!"

Ashante, Bella, and Talia all opened their mouths simultaneously to 
object, but “Air”, Mistress Maya, held up her hand to stop them.  
"Dawn, look at me," she ordered her closest friend. When the woman 
complied, Maya continued, "Dawn, not only are you the right woman 
for all that is in front of you. You are the only woman for it."

"But, Maya - "

"Don't 'But, Maya' me. You will only convince me to let you go, if 
you can convince me of three things." The other women looked at Maya 
in horror, wondering why she was giving the clearly distraught Adaunde 
an out to make a decision with huge ramifications. But Maya ignored 
them. "Dawn, I am your friend. I have been your friend for most of 
our lives. You know that you are important to me, don't you?" At the 
nod from her friend, Maya pressed on, "So, because I care about YOU, 
I shall help you to cry off, if that is your final decision, provided 
that you can convince me of three things."

Adaunde nodded, and the three other women became very nervous.

"The first thing," Maya began, "is that you must convince me that you 
do not love our prince."

"A royal title means a life that is not your own. Visiting nobility to 
whom one must be nice; propriety that must be observed at all times. 
Never having private moments. All of the attention. Of course I hate 
that. Most people would."

"That isn't what I asked you, Dawn, and you know it. I asked you if you 
loved Terrius - not any duties tied to where and to whom he was born."

"Maya-" the woman looked at her friend with pleading eyes.

"Answer me honestly, Dawn. Do you love Terry?" 

"Of course I do!" the woman burst out. "That is why I am so upset about 
all of this! If he were anyone else, I would be so happy now. I would 
not be concerned with making life more difficult for him. I would be a 
wonderful wife of an officer, and I would have you to help if I were 
becoming a wife of a merchant, but-"

"So, you haven't convinced me on that point,"

"But sometimes love is not enough," Adaunde countered. "True love makes 
sacrifices, even if it means a broken heart. This is one I am willing to 
make, no matter what it costs my heart."

That statement made Maya pause. After a few moments of silence, with 
Adaunde looking at the young women with eyes pleading with her to 
understand, Maya relented. "Okay, since, I do agree with you that love 
may not always be enough, I will grant you that last point. So, convince 
me of the other two points and I shall help you with whatever your 
final decision."

"Hold," Talia objected, "we cannot allow you to do that!"

But the Maya and Adaunde ignored her.

"What is your second point?" Adaunde asked her oldest friend.

"Convince me that you will alienate His Royal Highness from the nobility 
class."

At this, Adaunde snorted. "That is easy. Everything about me screams 'bought 
title' and everyone is upset that I have dared to move so far out of my station. 
The smarter ones in the class have just learned to not say what they think and 
use the situation for their advantage."

"But no one thinks you bought your title," Ashante interrupted. She continued 
over the protest she saw in Adaunde's eyes. "No one thinks that you bought your 
title, because you did not. Your family did not. Only those who are extremely 
jealous and insecure in themselves even say such falsities out loud. To whose 
spewed hate have you been listening?" she asked quietly.

Adaunde looked a little surprised at Ashante's statement, but she rallied 
quickly, turning to Maya and adding, "But, even if my title is seen as 
legitimate, I shall still alienate Terry. My best friend, while she is 
the most wonderful person in the world," at this Maya smiled, "is not the 
most powerful in the world. It is not like I can rely on a network to help 
Terry press a point with the governing class. I have no friends who are 
nobility."

"Do you honestly believe that?" Bella asked. "What of us?"

Adaunde smiled sadly as she turned to the friendly women, "Lady Bella, you 
have been nothing but kind to me, but you are kind to me because of Terry. 
He has been your friend for years. Just as I would tolerate someone that 
made Maya happy, you tolerate me because I have somehow managed to make 
Terry happy. You are a good friend, but I have no illusions about to whom 
you belong."

At that statement, many of the other women in the room looked at one another, 
not sure how to respond to Adaunde's point. As Maya was about to concede that 
Adaunde was correct in this, Bella said softly, "I was never going to share 
this with anyone, but soon after you and Terry became engaged I began living 
in fear."

"Why?" Adaunde asked, "Am I so horrible as to - "

"Oh, no!" Bella quickly interjected, "Just the opposite! Yes, Terry is my 
friend and I shall always care about him, but you have become my friend as 
well. Did you not ever wonder why I never turned down an invitation to tea, 
even when I knew that Terrius was on the other side of the kingdom?" Adaunde 
shook her head as Bella continued, "This past year I have been so worried that 
something would break up the engagement and I would have to choose between 
someone I love like a brother and someone I have grown to love like a sister." 
A tear slid down the woman's face as she smiled sadly. "Some days I could not 
take the thoughts, so I forced myself to think of something else."

Adaunde stared at the blue haired woman as a tear ran down her own face 
as well. "Bella, do you mean that?"

The blue haired women nodded and got up to hug Adaunde. 

The shell-shocked woman smiled briefly, but quickly got right back to the 
point. "But even if I can count Lady Bella in my corner, she was already 
there because of her friendship with  Terry. How have I added anything to 
him?"

"But, Adaunde, you added me," Ashante offered.

Turning back to look at the fellow Afrique native, a confused Adaunde 
asked, "I did? But, how did I-"

"Do you remember when we met after His Highness began courting you?" 
Ashante asked. At her nod, Ashante continued, "Do you remember what 
I said to you?"

After thinking for a moment, Adaunde began to slowly nod her head, "Yes. 
You said that you were impressed with my preparation record and even more 
impressed that I reached out while I was there. But how-"

The countess smiled. "Before I met you and realized that more than likely 
you were going to be the 'other half' of his highness, I was prepared to 
make the necessary court appearances, but to do no more than that. I planned 
to spend most of my time in Afrique. But seeing you and having watched you 
during preparation, even though I was a year ahead of you, I knew that if 
you were involved with the royals, it would be worth my time to be involved 
as well. I knew that our people would be in good hands."

By the time the countess had finished, Adaunde's eyes had widened. "Ashante
...I had no idea that-"

Ashante smiled, "Of course you did not. That is what made it sincere, 
you were being you."

Maya smiled, "Well, it seems like you cannot justify the second point. 
Unless Her Grace would like to weigh in?"

Talia shrugged. "I use the impression that many have of my father to avoid 
interactions that I do not wish to cultivate."

"But, Talia," Adaunde began as she turned to face the black haired woman, 
"you never use those rumors when you talk with me. In fact, you seem to 
go out of your way to disprove them-" she stopped suddenly as she understood 
the duchess's point.

Looking better for the first time that day, Adaunde turned to her oldest 
friend. "So what is the last point, Maya?"

"Prove that you would be bad for the people of this planet."

At this point, the other three women looked at each other, relieved 
and confident. They had seen their new friend "the challenger" in action. 
There is no way that anyone could make the case that she was in any way bad 
for the people. This confidence probably explains why they were so startled 
when they heard her say quietly, "But Maya, that is the easiest thing to 
prove."

At that point the shock had gotten to Bella to the point where she "laid 
aside" her lady manners. She jumped out of her chair and stomped over to 
stand in front Adaunde. "Tell me that you do not honestly believe that! 
You have done so much! You helped that worker family get the help they 
needed."

"And you involved the prince in the annual merchant's fair, which helped 
to ease a lot of ruffled feathers," Maya added.

"And there was the trade alliance you helped to broker between Afrique 
and Atlantis."

"And there was the earth wake relief in Towana-"

Adaunde raised a hand to stop them. "I acknowledge your points and I can 
concede that I have been active in issues, although I am still not sure 
whether or not that is a good thing." She sighed. "I think I am just unsure 
if I can do this. And I do not want to ruin the life of my love by agreeing 
to something that I can never-"

"You would ruin his life if you did not agree," Bella said softly as 
she squatted in front of the concerned woman. "Adaunde, you are his life. 
For him it really is 'Queen and Country' or at least it will be. You are 
his eyes; he has told me so himself. You see the real him; you see the real 
in everything. Do not ask him to give up his horizons, his dreams, his new 
found connection to the world beyond titles. That would destroy him."

More than anything said, it was that speech that got through to Adaunde. 
"He sees me as his eyes? I see him as my heart. No other man could ever 
convince me to take this risk." She stood up and began to smile as her 
battered joy returned. "I am marrying the man I love. Creator willing, 
we shall work through any hurtles along the way."

"It was the Creator who placed you here. And I think that he fashioned 
you for this role."

Adaunde stood, ready to move on to the next step in her life. As she smoothed 
down her dress one more time, she looked up at the four other women in the room 
and said, "Thank you. Thank you for helping me see what I could not.”

“My lady Adaunde, we are your attendants. You are about to become much 
more to all of us. It is our responsibility and honor to serve you in any 
way we can,” Ashante observed.

Maya smiled at this, “Yeah, it’s like they’re ladies waiting to help 
you.”

Adaunde winced. “Do not let that explanation become public,” she said to 
her friend. “If it does, people shall start referring to you as my ‘ladies 
in waiting’ or something else equally distasteful and it will be a step 
down for all of you.”

And, as the four women began to walk out of the room toward their destination, 
the one untitled among them could be heard saying, “But it would be a step up 
for me! Really, it would!”

*******

At the same time, in an anti-room of the ceremonial hall were a group of five 
men. Unlike the group of five women or like the crowd, whose cheering could be 
heard through the beautiful windows, this group of men were calm. All five, 
wearing signals of their rank were quiet and contemplative about many things.

Finally, Anthony, Duke of Amerwest, had to voice the questions that were running 
around in his head. “Your highness. Terrius. Are you sure? Are you are sure that 
you should marry Lady Adaunde? It is not that I think she would make a bad princess, 
quite the opposite in fact,” the duke clarified, “but you really have not known 
each other for very long. How are you so sure that she is the one?”

“I doubt it matters either way,” Lord Sato, Baron of Atlantis spoke up 
from his chair across the room. He swirled the wine in his glass. “I mean, 
the position of princess can be very separate and ceremonial when it has 
to be.”

“That is not the style of His Highness,” Lord Zaire, Earl of Afrique, 
chimed in. “Any princess he chose would have to be a helpmate and would 
have to be ‘good for the people.’ If Terrius was not looking for this, 
he would have married eons ago.”

“None of that answers the question of Anthony,” Lord Morte-Vida pointed 
out. “Whatever internal criteria that his highness used are, the question 
is whether four and twenty mooncycles is long enough to be sure that Lady 
Anderson, or anyone else for that matter, could meet them.”

“I waited four and twenty mooncycles for the sake of Adaunde and her fears 
about being queen someday. I knew for sure she was the one after the Towana 
earthquake.”

That managed to shock all of the men in the room. Finally, Anthony managed 
to get out, “After Towana? But that was eight and ten mooncycles ago! How did 
you know that she was the one after barely six mooncycles?!"

"The way she responded to the quake," Terrius responded as he once again 
reflected on the most telling incident in his courtship of Lady Adaunde 
Anderson.

****

It was once again the warm season, six mooncycles after the ball where 
he met Adaunde. As had become their habit, Terrius waited in the garden 
for Adaunde, usually accompanied by her friend Maya, to join him. What 
made this day different is that while he was waiting a servant rushed out 
to find him to tell him the news. An area known as Towana, in the populated 
region of Europa had suffered a major earth wake that morning. The area was 
devastated and many people were still trapped. Terrius’ expression became 
more and more grave as the story went on. As the servant was finishing, Lady 
Adaunde appeared. Approaching with a smile on her face, it fell quickly when 
she saw his face.

"Terry, what is it? What has happened?"

The young prince ran a hand through his hair, "A massive earthquake 
hit Towana this morning. According to the early reports, the area is 
devastated. There are people still trapped." He paused, "I am sure you 
understand that we cannot have our outing today."

After he had said this, he mentally held his breath. This would be a 
time for any "true colors" to show through. If she was really self-
centered, she would protest.

But, of course, he should have known, even then, that Adaunde had a 
huge heart. "Of course we shall not have our outing! Part of the 
kingdom is suffering. Those poor people," she added in a whisper. 
After a moment of silence (out of respect or because she needed to 
think, Terrius wasn't sure), Lady Anderson looked up and then grabbed 
his arm as she began to lead him back to the castle. "The first thing 
we need to do," she began, "is to get the merchants to donate the things 
that the victims shall need. Do you have any idea what those things 
might be?"

Terrius shook his head in bemusement, not really sure of what was going 
on. Adaunde, not processing his confusion, continued. "Well, never mind. 
We shall just bring the basics with us and we can send word back through 
Maya about what else we shall need."

"Maya?" Terrius managed to get out in his shock.

"Yes. Maya is an absolutely amazing organizer. She is often placed in 
charge of merchantry outreach projects. But that is beside the point. 
Maya can take care of sending reinforcements after we see how bad it is." 
Still not processing that she had shocked her prince to the core, Adaunde 
continued, "The next thing we shall need to talk to your parents. I am sure 
they will want someone to come with us to Towana..." Finally noticing that 
Terrius was barely moving and not talking at all, she turned to look at him. 
"Is something else wrong?"

"We are going to Towana?" Terrius asked quietly.

"Of course! You were not just going to wait for reports from servants, were 
you? That would be nerve-rack...ing," Adaunde stopped speaking when she 
realized that the question may mean something else entirely. "Am I - am I 
assuming too much in thinking that I was to accompany you?" She looked down 
at her hands, which were now clasped in front of her. "I shall still talk to 
Maya about mobilizing help, but, of course, I shall stay here if that is what 
his highness wishes."

It was the hurt in her tone and her use of “his highness” that finally got 
through to Terrius. "Of course you are coming with me, if I am going," he 
insisted. "It is just that I have never gone to the site of a disaster. Father 
never has done and...it just never occurred to me." Terrius put his hand under 
Adaunde's chin and lifted her head so that she was looking at him. "Let us go 
talk to Father; it sounds as if we have much of do."

But the strange excitement Terrius had of actually going to help his people 
faded when they arrived at the scene. Whole buildings that used to reach up 
to the horizon, now lay in rubble, level to the ground. Roads were unidentifiable. 
To walk a few feet was to walk around fallen stones, metal, and pieces 
of structures. A cloud of gray seemed to hang over everything. What was 
a bustling city was now a wasteland.

As he stood in what was the city center, Adaunde on his left, both of them 
flanked by high ranking officers in the royal guard, he wondered what he 
thought he could do in to help with this intense suffering.

"Oh, Creator," Adaunde said quietly next to him. A few moments after that 
whisper, Terrius felt drops of water hitting the hand Adaunde held. Confused, 
he turned to his lady to find that she was slightly crying. "Those poor people," 
she said again. After a few moments, however, his lady seemed to pull herself 
together. Wiping her tears away, she said, "Well, pity does not do anything 
but make the eyes of one red. We have work to do."

"Work?" Terrius asked, "What could we possibly -"

"Do?" Adaunde finished. "Well, we shall ask the head of the relief effort. 
See that lord over there?" Adaunde asked as she pointed to a young lord 
twenty feet away. He was covered in dust, with his sleeves rolled up. He 
was talking to someone who looked like a merchant or a medic. The activity 
in the area seemed to be clustered around him. "He is still here and is 
involved with the people. He is the head of the relief effort. We shall 
talk to him. He will be able to tell us what we can do." Adaunde began to 
make her way over to the young man, still holding Terrius's hand. "Watch 
your step, your highness," she smiled.

*******

Even thinking about Towana over many mooncycles later still deeply 
affected him. The lord had been extremely startled that the prince 
was there and that he seriously wanted to help. His security detail 
was shocked at how Adaunde helped to coordinate the relief effort and 
how she managed to make sure so much was accomplished. Terrius, however, 
was mostly shocked by what he was able to accomplish himself. He had 
seen himself as a figurehead, executive in training, and a head of state 
that he never really thought of himself as useful. But digging out people, 
helping to move rubble, and just giving people hope by being seen helping 
showed him that he could be so much more, that he had a responsibility 
to be so much more. And of course he was going to marry the women with 
the big enough heart to help him see that.

"Adaunde was the one who got me to the scene of the quake. Adaunde was 
the one who made sure that that tragedy was not as devastating as it 
could have been. I was already half in love with her. She made me smile, 
made me laugh, made me think. And, with Towana, she brought out the best 
in me. I knew then that no one else could be queen one day. The people of 
this planet deserve no less than Adaunde. I am very sure about this. That 
is how I know."

After a few moments, the men in the room nodded. Many had talked about 
how Towana was different from all other disasters, from its devastating 
beginning to the extraordinary response from the royals, the merchantry, 
and, later, the rest of the nobility. Until that point, they had no idea 
how much Lady Adaunde had been involved in making that happen.

"Well, your highness," Anthony said after a few moments, "we have a ceremony 
to attend."

*****

The ceremonial hall was packed, with the crowd spilling out into the street. 
A group of men waited calmly at the front of the room. High ranking people 
were sitting on every surface that would hold them. Their majesties, King 
Telluric and Queen Honoria sat the very front of the room, facing the main 
entrance. Next to them sat Lord and Lady Anderson; Lady Anderson held a 
white calla lily in one hand and a white cloth to wipe her away her happy 
tears in the other. The group of men that included His Royal Highness, Prince 
Terrius, was in front of them. Also standing with them was an older man in 
a long white robe. His presence was a little controversial, but Terrius knew 
that his Adaunde would not want this any other way.

The entire assembly knew when the future princess arrived by the cheer 
that arose from outside of the building. Ten minutes after that cheer, 
the first attendant, the countess of Afrique could be seen walking slowly 
through the main arch.

"Wow," Maya whispered, "this place is packed."

"Did you expect it not to be?" Ashante asked, with a slight smile.

Talia probably would have contributed to that line of that conversation, 
if she had not noticed the robed man at the front. "Is that who I think 
it is?"

Lady Bella leaned around Lady Talia to see and then gasped. "That is - that 
is a Creationist minister. This is to be a creationist ceremony?!"

"I am afraid that is my fault," Adaunde finally spoke. "I insisted."

"But his highness seems to be okay with it," Ashante observed in the 
front.

"I knew he converted-" Bella began.

"He converted!" Talia interrupted Bella.

"Well, yes he did. But I did not realize-"

Adaunde sighed. "Please, do not worry so. We are not going to establish a 
planet-wide religion. In a way, that is rather anti-creationist. One 
recognizes the Creator on their own, not because of applied force."

"Oh, we are not concerned," Bella clarified. "We are just amazed at 
the level of change that you have been able to bring in such a short 
time." She smiled, "This should be interesting."

As they reached the front, Adaunde reached Terrius and put her hands 
in his. Then, they turned to the robed man as he began.

"Before the Creator, we gather together this day to witness the joining 
of futures of Terrius and Adaunde, children of the Creator. Such a 
joining is not a step to be taken lightly. Vows before the Creator 
are to be made with seriousness. My lady Adaunde, do you agree to what 
you are about to do?"

"Yes, as I believe the Creator is leading me," was the response of 
the woman in ivory.

"Your royal Highness, Prince Terrius, do you agree to what you are 
about to do?"

"Yes, as I believe the Creator has blessed me," was the response of 
the man by her side.

"At this point, make your vows."

"My Lord Terrius. Terry," began Adaunde, "I agree, as the Creator has 
led me, to join my future with yours. I agree to be faithful, in clear 
skies and in driving rain. I agree to devote my energies to our time 
ahead. I promise to love you, honor you, and cherish you, in times of 
joy and sorrow. I promise to be led by your hand and to stay under your 
protection. From now until I join the Creator at the end of this journey."

"My lady Adaunde. My eyes," began Terrius, "I agree, as the Creator 
has blessed me, to join my future with yours. I promise to love you, 
honor you, cherish you, and protect you to the best of the ability 
the Creator has given me, in times of ease and hardship. I agree to 
be faithful, in clear skies and in driving rain. I agree to devote 
my energies to our time ahead. I promise to listen to your voice and 
extend my umbrella of protection to wherever you wish to go. I promise 
to live by the creed, 'Creator, Queen, and country,' from now until I 
join the Creator at the end of this journey."

"Please kneel," the robed man requested. Adaunde handed her bouquet 
to Maya, as Ashante and Talia helped her to kneel in her dress. Terrius 
knelt next to her. "We turn our hearts to the Creator and our eyes to 
the solid ground that our Creator has provided for us. Creator, bless 
the new family before you. As you have led them to this point, lead 
them on from this point. Bless all that you have granted them and will 
grant them in the future. So be it." The robed man looked up. "You may 
rise."

Talia and Ashante helped the young woman to her head. "Now," the 
robed man said, "you may bestow the symbol of your new station." 

At this point, a young attendant came forward with a delicate sliver 
and diamond crown. Terrius reached up and took the wreath of white calla 
lilies off of Adaunde's head and handed it to Bella. He then took the crown 
and placed it where the wreath used to sit.

Adaunde looked up at the man, who was now, at the conclusion of two ceremonies, 
her husband. She shook slightly at some of her nervousness of her new status 
began to penetrate her joy. Noticing this, Terrius decided to take matters 
into his own hands. Leaning over, he kissed her gently. After the kiss was 
over Adaunde beamed up at him...and the assembly hall broke into cheers. The 
mother of the newly crowed princess was wiping away her tears and her father 
was trying to blink away his. The king and queen smiled serenely from where 
they sat. The couple finally turned to face the assembly, as the king rose 
and said, "May I present my son and daughter, their royal highnesses, Prince 
Terrius and Princess Adaunde."

At this announcement, the entire room rose. The men bowed and the 
women curtsied. "I do not think I shall ever get used to this," Adaunde 
whispered to her husband as she looked out over a sea of bowed heads.

Terrius smiled down at his wife. "It shall be okay. I shall always be 
with you."

As the people began to rise, Maya whispered to Bella. "So the kiss, that 
was part of the traditional crowning?"

"No," Bella whispered back, confused. "You mean that it was not part 
of the Creationist ceremony?"

Maya shook her head.

Talia, overhearing the exchange, laughed quietly. "I think that our 
prince just started a new tradition." 

And with that, four young women and four young men watched their prince 
and princess walk out of the ceremonial hall to greet the people.

And the cheer that went up when they emerged from the building would be 
talked about for many mooncycles to come.

-to be continued-