𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐃 | ❝Hope is good, Hope will never disgrace, but make no mistake, Hope will hit you in the face!❞
In which the Just King becomes betrothed to a princess from a neighboring kingdom, only to fall in love with the prin...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
QUEEN OF THE PEOPLE.
Hope was given several new titles now that the war was over, but this one was appointed to her by the citizens of Narnia themselves. The title swept through the reborn kingdom in the hours that descended after the coronation. It seemed that it would stick as evening emerged and the festivities began. One of which Hope somehow managed to pull together after inventing the idea just three days ago: a lantern festival for the fallen Narnians.
It was impossible to know every name of every person who passed in the war or those who fell to the Telmarines over the years. Hearing the stories of the commoners made Hope very alert to this, and it was how she came up with the idea for the festival. The evening of the coronation, all the Narnians and Telmarines alike came together to light a festival in honor of someone. Anyone! A loved one that had passed, a stranger who sacrificed their life, a soldier lost to battle.
It became quickly known as the Festival of Stars, in honor of the Bright Queen's namesake. May every lantern guide each lost soul to follow the stars into Aslan's Country.
And so, the Festival of Stars became the first of many new traditions introduced to the Narnians, thus leading Hope to gain the new nickname of Queen of the People.
She lit her lantern in honor of the little family she knew in Wysteria. The servants, the commoners. Part of her missed them dearly. The other part was relieved knowing they were free from King David's rule. Their spirits could finally rest at ease. As her lion-branded lantern glided into the heavens, Hope held them to her heart closest.
The celebratory ball commenced shortly after the festival, but Hope found herself alone on the balcony outside. The party hummed behind her. Harmonies of strings and laughter and spilled drinks joined as one, warming her spirit on that cool evening.
In Narnia, the sky seemed so much bigger. No matter how far she gazed into the midnight, speckles of glistening lanterns acted as constellations of their own as they floated into oblivion.
The door behind her squeaked open. She nearly looked over her shoulder, but once she heard his footsteps, she already knew who had found her.
"Your Majesty," Edmund greeted, giving her a gracious bow.
Hope gently shoved his shoulder. "Oh, shut up."
He snickered, leaning against the railing. The light of the party couldn't quite reach them. The dusk disguised their figures. Only the twinkle of their matching silver crowns signaled their location if anyone was watching in the distance. Up close, Edmund studied her while she watched the sky, squinting at what remained of the lanterns.
