Queen Of Glass

Chapter 22

Celaena Sardothien awoke on Yulemas morning to silence. Pure, fresh silence. The light in her room was a soft gray, colored by the gently falling snow outside. There was ice lace on all of her windows, each pane filled with thousands of different intricate designs with borders of stranded snow. It was as lovely a Yulemas morning as she could possibly imagine.
A smile on her face, Celaena turned over to bury her face in her silk pillows, but something got in her way. It was crinkly and harsh against her face and smelled like...
"Candy!" she exclaimed delightedly and sat up. To her great pleasure, a large brown paper bag was filled to the brim with Yulemas candies of all sorts. Not checking to see whom it was from, Celaena stuck her hand into the bag and pulled out a handful of the sweets. It had been so long since she had eaten candy...too long.
With a jolly laugh, she crammed it all into her mouth. It took her several minutes to chew the sticky candies, and by the time the last one was down her throat, her jaw was quite sore. Naturally, this minor inconvenience didn't stop Celaena from taking several more handfuls of the candy before stopping...almost ten minutes later.
She emptied the bag's contents out on her bed, ignoring the sugar that poured out with it, and clasped her hands over her mouth in joy. All of her favorite sweets were in there: flavored bean-shaped chews, chocolate-coated bear- shaped gummies, sugar-covered strips of...something, the fruity-tasting berry-shaped Yulemas suckers, and, most importantly, chocolate. Not just cheap chocolate—real, expensive chocolate.
Celaena took one of everything plus two extra chocolates and stuffed them into her mouth. "Someone," she said in between chews, "is very good to me."
Who had sent them? Chaol? No, he doesn't celebrate Yulemas. Maybe Dorian...or Anuksun. I wonder... "Miss Sardothien!"
Celaena turned her head to see Farana standing in the doorway, her mouth open in shock. The assassin grinned and held up a chocolate-covered gummy. "Want one?"
Farana's face turned red with anger and she stormed up to the bed. "Miss Sardothien, your teeth are red!" The woman pointed at her mouth.
Celaena blinked and ran her tongue over her teeth. She looked down at her candy. Damn those Yulemas suckers! "Miss Sardothien, you have gotten sugar all over your bed! Look at this mess! Look at your face! It is coated in
chocolate! How much candy have you eaten?" The maid was clearly about to blow a gasket.
Celaena laughed and swung her legs out from underneath the covers, spraying sugar into the atmosphere. "Don't you ever take a break, Farana? It's Yulemas. I haven't eaten candy in three years!" Celaena stuffed a few more candies in her mouth. She'd just brush the stains away later. "Besides," she continued with a red-colored grin, "I don't need you this morning. I don't have to wear a corset or a fancy dress or do my hair or anything like that. So, just lay out my green velvet dress and matching cloak and I'll be fine. Oh, and make sure that you leave out that red-beaded head circlet too."
Farana shook her head, deciding not to argue (or considering quitting her job), and left Celaena to her glorious food.
Beaming like the first ray of sunshine, Celaena popped a few chocolates into her mouth and headed off to her dressing room.

O-o-o-O-o-o-O
Celaena walked beside Anuksun (who had not sent her the candy) in the ankle-deep snow, trying to keep her poor feet from freezing. Her teeth had remained red—despite the intense scrubbing that she had done in the hour before. It was difficult to keep your mouth shut while your teeth were chattering like a kettle about to burst. The temple where the Yulemas ceremony would take place was inside the palace grounds, but it bordered the game park that was located on the other side of the palace...too far away from my chambers.
Anuksun was merrily trotting along, her fur-lined boots keeping her feet warm and dry. Celaena, on the other hand, was wearing the silly green slippers that she wore every day, and her feet were now soggy, frozen, and beginning to go numb. Of course, she had been in worse situations. Working in the freezing depths of the mines of Endovier without anything but a few rags to clothe her was number one on Celaena's list of terrible cold-weather scenarios.
There were several other people walking in front and behind them, some were being carried in litters, but most of them traveled by foot. The cowl of her emerald cloak kept her hair from becoming coated with snow, but the damn dress was now soaked in six inches of snow and slush. I should have worn something more sensible...but since we are to sit with Madam Tul'rouse and the other girls, I think that I would be hanged by the old bat if I were to walk into that temple with men's apparel on me.
Two male nobles walked by them, nodding to the princess and her green-clad companion as they passed. Celaena merely bowed her head in acknowledgement. Praise the gods that this is a society that adores silent women. If they saw my teeth, they'd think I was a cannibal.
O-o-o-O-o-o-O
Seated in a pew that was towards the back of the spacious temple, Celaena Sardothien looked out across the crowded room. It was a grand temple: built entirely from glass, save for the stone altar and platform that stood in the front of the room. They were from the remains of the original temple, which had been built from limestone and then destroyed when the king had decided to replace it with a more impressive glass structure.
It was impressive, but Celaena thought that it was a bit too showy for a building of religious purposes. But then again, those who used the temple were the ruling elite. They were used to such extravagance.
Two rows of about a hundred pews stretched three quarters of the length of the temple. It was a massive piece of architecture—the high, glass vaulted ceiling let in so much light that no candles were needed during the day. Snow was piled upon the clear roof, casting strange patterns of light throughout the temple. Since the walls were also made of glass, it made the stained windows appear to be merely hovering in mid-air.
It was incredibly beautiful, but just too distracting for a building used for worship.
Celaena stood up from her aisle seat on the hard wooden bench and peered over the heads of the hundreds of people sitting in front of her, instantly spotting the royal family seated in the first pew. Dorian was chatting to some...some girl.
Is that his Yulemas lover? Celaena squinted to get a better view. She's not very pretty. Perhaps she's a cousin...
"Lady Lithaen, sit down at once! The service is beginning!"
Celaena hid her scowl and dropped back onto the bench. All around her were faceless nobles who were dressed as if they were going to a ball. How ridiculous. This is service of worship and reflection—not dancing and gossip.
The High Priestess walked out onto the raised stone platform and raised her hands above her head, the folds of her gossamer robe falling around her like the snow cascading from above. She was old, yet her face was lined with wisdom, not wrinkles. The eight-pointed star that was tattooed upon her brow was freshly inked in midnight blue: its deep color and straight lines contrasted with the flowing river of silver hair that fell from her head.
"Welcome all and may the blessings of Yulemas be upon you," the High Priestess said, her voice echoing across the massive chamber to reach even those seated in the back. Normally the High Priestess led the attendees in Yulemas prayers, which was then followed by a sermon and finally the procession of the gods. It only took a few hours, but to many people, it felt like a lifetime.