Sierra sits dejectedly by the fire, sharpening her knives for the hunt. In less than an hour, the conch horn will blow, and it will begin. Yet, Sierra does not seem to anticipate the ceremony. There is something else on her mind. Orianna.
Sierra worries about her beloved queen, forced to spend the night with her sisters. Absentmindedly, she reaches for the mashed berries they will use to paint their bodies. Amarys flits about, flirting with every boy she spots. She has painted her face to look like a butterfly, and painted delicate swirls of ochre and pink on her arms. The younger twin's corn-yellow hair is in a intricate braid, and her silver sickle is newly polished.
Amarys scampers over, noticing her twin's distress. Her delicate fingers begin to comb through Sierra's chestnut hair, twisting it into an ornate bun. Amarys' familiar, Chester the otter, darts about on the grass, picking wildflowers. He scampers over, handing the bundle of weeds to the younger twin. Grudgingly, Sierra allows her sister to braid the yellow flowers into her hair. Rae is sitting on Sierra's shoulder, preening her feathers.
However, when Amarys reaches for the paints, Sierra stops her. She will paint her own face. Truly, she wishes Orianna was here, with her eye for detail and artistic aptitude. But she will have to paint herself.
The older sister attempts to paint roses along her left arm, though they look like red blobs. Frustrated, she decides to simply paint stripes along her legs. Nothing too intricate. She does, however, allow herself one more decoration. A small, black crown over her heart. For her Orianna.
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One Hidden Queen
FanfictionA Three Dark Crowns Fanfic. 400 years before the book, a seemingly regular generation of triplets was born. But what happens when a queen with a death sentence from birth, survives under a false gift? Amid the chaos of the Ascension, how will these...
