Warrior of the Moon

18

The preparations for Serena's crowning were carried out immediately. Nymphs poured into the lake, gathering in Reverie until the sand at the bottom of the lake could not even be made out anymore due to the crowds. At Serena's request, Nahla had sent out some of her attendants to specifically invite Fern and any other tree nymphs that had assisted her escape from Tank and Garnoc. Nahla had smiled at the request and promised that it would be done. Most of the tree and water nymph representatives were already there or on their way, ready to witness the coming of a new era at Muiress' summons.

Muiress had explained to Serena that though she was already queen of the Realm by right, monarchs engaged in formal crowning ceremonies before their kingdoms to mark the beginnings of their reigns. She told her that this one under the water would be for the sake of the nymphs she would lead in the battles to come.

For that had been Serena's plan ever since being sent into the human world again. With Muiress' help, she would ally herself with the nymphs who had been ignored by their cousins for far too long. She would learn to fight, and she would help Tarin and his armies as best she could from behind the scenes. It would be best that the Fae did not know that she was alive and fighting, or that it was nymphs she was fighting alongside, until the nymphs trusted her completely, and she had turned the tides of the war enough for the Fae to show her gratitude. If she was careful, thoughtful, then she could unite all of the Fae against this enemy. If she was not, she could divide them even more thoroughly, and definitely lose any chance they had of winning this war.

Will had helped her think through more specifics, and since she had been back, her mind had been going into overdrive with all the new ideas that cropped into it. And when Muiress had told her that she would give Serena her magic, her wisdom... it had brought all of those plans within immediate reach.

She opened her eyes as Brook cinched the satin ribbon tightly around her waist. Looking back at her from inside the mirror was a queen, there was no doubt about that - even if that queen had a swollen left eye because she refused all the healing that had been offered to her.

All of the attendants Muiress had assigned to her had helped to make her dress perfect: it was stark white, but shimmered with a silver glitter that seemed to be part of the fabric. Rather than a full ballgown, which she had not been a huge fan of since she was a child playing dress-up, the dress was tight over her waist and cascaded to the floor in a fluid ripple of silk as she slipped her silver heels onto her feet and dropped her skirts.

Crushed pieces of sea glass had been tastefully pressed into the bustier of the gown, adding a touch of color to offset the paleness of her skin. Her hair drifted behind her, held away from her face by two silver combs on the sides of her head, inlaid with tiny seashells made of diamonds. The ensemble showed her that though Muiress did not tend to flaunt expensive garments each day, she knew how to do so when the situation called for it.

The queen in the mirror lifted a hand to trace a line across her brow. Soon. The crown from Muiress' vision would lay there soon.

"You're absolutely breathtaking, Majesty," Brook murmured, her eyes wide as she took in the full effect of Serena's appearance. Serena lifted her chin higher as the other nymphs in the room nodded in agreement, their eyes full of admiration, and not just for her beauty.

"Thank you," Serena replied. "All of you."

The nymphs fluttered around her, dusting her eyelids with silver powder that matched her dress and glossing her lips with a subtle, lighter shade of pink. Then they followed her out of the room to the foyer of the castle, the only room in it large enough to admit all of the nymphs of highest standing that had made the trip. The rest of them would wait in Reverie for a glimpse of Serena with her crown.