Irenaeus

Celeste

Preface

The sky was dark and the planet was silent.  At night and from a distance, the island of Knowland seemed desolate, consumed by darkness.  But as you got closer, as your boat, or raft or whatever structure that led your there approached its shores, you could see the lights from a distance. The kingdom island was constantly bustling in anticipation during the day and even at night, as you advanced toward the castle, you could feel the buzzing in the air. 

That evening when the dark sky came down to meet the island as it did each night someone did approach its shores.  She came by boat, traveling by her lonesome carrying only a lantern to guide her.  As she got closer, she too saw the bright lights of the castle.

Her destination.

Stepping off the boat and onto the shore, she made her way into the forest surrounding the castle. Into the darkness she departed where the creatures of the night called out to her as she made her way through the woods. She navigated between trees, over fallen stumps and through swamps until finally she came to a stop.

She had arrived at the kingdom with no king and the soldiers who vowed protect it stood at attention waiting for her. 

What they saw was a woman dressed in a regal cloak.  A soft blue colored material complemented by a deep plum pigment, the colors of the kingdom.  Although the hood of her cloak hung low, shielding her eyes, they knew who she was.  All was still as she looked up into the galaxy, to her stars, then made her way to the castle gates.  They opened for her without hesitation giving her way onto the long bridge whose path would lead her to the entrance of the fortress.  A line of guards stood at each side of the bridge and not a single one of them dared to utter a word.  And she passed through each of them had enough sense not to meet her eyes. 

Her heels clicked on the stone structure and she was met by two guards who bowed their heads to welcome her.  With their ancient swords at their sides, they followed the woman inside. 

Her eyes quickly adjusted to the palace's bright lights.  Lining her pathway were even more guards with blank stares yet she continued to walk gracefully, paying them no mind.  The hallway of stoic guards made way for the equally indifferent woman into a large ballroom area with a sizeable chandelier that seemed to reach down from the Heavens.

The two soldiers flanked her sides as she went, and it seemed that from every direction royal maids paced by, trailing young, off duty, royal guards who wore smug smiles on their faces. Lighthearted music played in the background of the commotion surrounding them.
The castle was lively and welcoming at every hour.

But no one knew what she knew.

She treaded the castle grounds differently than they did because no one could see what she could see.

The woman and her escorts made their way out of the ballroom and into the heart of the structure. They travel through its twist and turns, venturing deeper, lights dimming around them with each step they took. At last, they reached a corridor lined with ancient portraits.

Portraits of rulers: honorable, fallen, corrupted.

Portraits of families: destroyed, disassembled, incomplete.

This is where the guards stopped, leaving the woman to continue down the hallway lined with the kingdoms fragmented history alone. Her head held high, she reached the end of its path, a large door, and knocked but once.

"Come," said a strong voice from behind the door.

Glancing behind her to ensure the guards were a safe distance away, the woman opened the door to let herself in. For a moment, the dim corridor seemed to be washed by a wave of light but the door closed behind her and there was only darkness.

Inside the chamber was the lingering smell sweet flowers and the woman who let herself in found herself watching a figure who stood staring out one of the five body sized windows in the dome shaped room. The figure was another woman dressed in an all-white gown, accented with diamonds as clear as the water that surrounded the kingdom island's shores.  Her snow white hair, pulled up into a loose bun was held back by a headband made of the same diamonds on her dress. In the reflection of the window she stood at she saw the girl appear behind her.

As if released from a trance, the woman in white inhaled intensely.

"Celeste," she breathed out, as though she was suddenly relieved of anxiety. Her voice sounded as though she was singing.  She turned around to meet her guest, her eyes restless. As she walked toward her, the moonlight from outside reflected off of the jewels that adorned her, making her a sight to behold.  She stood at a grand marble desk in the center of the room.

"Have a seat dear," Said the woman, taking a seat herself while motioning to one of the large marble chairs, engraved with the kingdom's seal.  "We have been waiting for you arrival."

Celeste did not move.

A fireplace in the wall of the chamber was built powerful enough to warm of the entire room but as the woman turned her face up toward Celeste, it was as though all of the heat had left the universe.  The woman's porcelain skin was pulled tightly on her bone structure.

She was not pleased. She sat for only a half second, studying the girl that stood before her before saying, unmoving,

"Let me see you, dear."

It was an order.

She watched as the woman called Celeste reached up to remove the heavy hood off of her head to reveal herself. Celeste's naked head was bowed down, exposed, bearing ancient writings that were untranslatable to anyone but herself. Her olive skin was smooth and her face was young but resembled that of a warrior. Hardened by battles she had fought and the things she had seen.

When she lifted her head, the woman with the white hair looked her in the face and was met with the glowing gray eyes of an empty soul. She pushed herself up swiftly out of her seat, leaning over the desk. "You saw something," she said almost accusingly.

"It's been a long time since we last spoke", Celeste said quietly into the tense air. She moved to stand on the other side of the desk, facing the woman.

"The conditions are worsening. I'm afraid if we don't act soon we may miss our chance."

The woman's stern face stretched slowly into a humorless grin.  She detested having her time wasted.

"We have had this conversation before, child. I understand your apprehension, however, we have far too many assets at risk to act on merely a gut feeling of yours. If I recall correctly, we agreed you would not return until—"

"I did see," Celeste said brashly, interrupting her. "It's time."

The woman in white sat back down, slowly. Defeated. She nodded to herself, grasping the weight of this declaration, then cleared her throat.

"Very well then."

Celeste pulled the hood back over her head and her glowing eyes disappeared once again. Only her lips were visible when she whispered, "We've been waiting decades for this."

"It's dangerous."

"Yes. But we will be ready."

Losing her regal composition, the woman slumped ever so slightly in her chair. "How many are there?"

"Four."

Outside, rain had begun to fall lightly over the palace, pit-patting on its large windows. Wind whooshed swiftly past the trees that made up the forest surrounding the castle. Inside the chamber, fire began to crackle loudly. 

Inside the chamber, two women were preparing to go to war.

But first they need to find the soldiers who would lead their army.

It's been three years since I posted on here but I'm back and I edited the whole first chapter of this story so please so let me know what you think! I almost forgot how fun it is to world build and write but I will try to be more active one here. But anyways, leave your comments (I appreciate any feedback). Love, xx.

"As iron shapes iron,

so one person sharpens another."

Proverbs 27:17