Son Of Hope

5 | In the Midst of Roses and Gowns

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Swishing gowns of blue and gold
Crowns on heads of young and old
Dance to the ode of shadows and dreams
But the dance of night is not what it seems

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In the castle of Elderon, a neighboring kingdom of Falconthrone, a party in honor of the Council of Elders was in full swing.

The Elderonian castle, black against the snowy background, stood proudly by the cliff, overseeing a vast ocean of azure below it. A bridge of great height connected the castle's interior to an open air pavilion in a nearby rock formation. There, the guests of great wealth danced in merriment.

Eistibus, child of the first elder, stood alone at one corner, her back to the dancers, her eyes longingly staring at the ocean. Above her, the ten-feet tall marble pillars supported intricately-designed arches, below them, equally beautiful railings.

Tables were pushed to the sides of the grand rectangular area, giving access for guests with beautiful clothes to danced at the center if the room, while servants in white masks carried trays of food from the castle and men of great talent played music at the left side of the room.

Eistibus-- Estia for short-- clutched her necklace with her gloved hand and tried to steady her breathing.

This was it. This was the first time she was ever get to see her father.

She had prepared her best clothes--though she refused to wear a gown; She was wearing a long-sleeved dark blue top,a brown blazer that matched her trousers and winter boots. Her curly black hair was tied into a pony tail by a silk blue ribbon. It wasn't standard 'formal' clothes but she made it herself, and she was especially proud of the cape she made, she secretly hoped her father would be impressed of her skill.

"If it isn't miss first elderborn", a voice said, a hint of playfullness in his voice. "What is such a beautiful snowflake doing at the background of such a scene? Such a shame, your smile outshines all of others, Miss."

She internally cringed, but tried her best to make herself look presentable, well-manicured and graceful. Not creeped out.

"Long tume no see, Miss Madeline. Or should I say--Maddie?"

Madeline. That wasn't her name. It was the name of her twin sister, her twin sister who died when they were young. The prized gem of her mother, the heir to the Silversnow Manor and of course, the prettiest snowflake of them all.

Until she took her identity.

Estia spun around and forced her best, most charming smile. Behind her, her glittery blue cape twirled with the grace of snowflakes dancing towards the ground.

The man-- Lajun -- raised an eyebrow, obviously surprised, maybe - she hoped- impressed, even.

Lajun was one of the three Hermen, the messangers of the council men, and so she was eager to impress him. They were entrusted with the task to recieve orders from the five elders, the most powerful and wisest mages of the kingdom. The five ruled over the kingdom of Elderon for years, even though noone ever saw who they were, except of course, their spouse, but never their children.

Every time an elder died, the snow in Elderon would stop for five days, and on the sixth day, a lucky child from the kingdom would be chosen to take his/her place. It was a strange tradition, but it had been like that for centuries.

Until now.

This time, a message from the hermen shook the kingdom--the elders, they would come to the castle and roam out to find two new elders. In person.