Fractured Youth

Fire Breathing Bitch Queen - 6

Age: 16

Thank the gods for Yulemas.

Having been crowned High Lady less than 4 months ago, my life had become extremely  hectic. Thankfully my mother was happy and willing to help with most of it while I adjusted.

Thankfully, with Yulemas only a week or so away, all of my usual duties had been postponed. The dukes had decided to forgo the Yulemas Ball, since I was still supposed to be mourning my father. (Hint: I wasn't)
So I just got the next two weeks off.

Laying in my bed, I looked around the room I'd chosen for myself as High Lady. It was on the highest floor of the palace, with a balcony that let me see almost all the way to Night Court. It's walls were a deep red, close to the shade of blood, but the colour was somehow comforting. My desk, which used to be tidy, was now littered with paperwork and demands and things I had to do.
I ignored it.

I sat straight up in bed, having realized something. Since my father was dead, he couldn't stop me from trying to thank that Warlock I'd met all those years ago. I just had to remember the path.

It took me a day or so to figure out a gift for a witch coven. I'm not going to lie.
I ended up deciding on a sculpture I'd made out of cooled fire that mimicked a bloodrose I'd once picked, carefully writing out a note to tie onto it.

Once everything was done I set into the woods that lined the border of my court, trying to look for the bloodroses I knew covered the area around the coven. I didn't succeed in finding any, but I found a clearing I vaguely recognized and just set the gift down, exhaling a small breath, my breath visible with the cold air of winter. 

I looked around for a minute, just admiring the beauty of the forest. Even without the blood red flowers that usually adorned the place, it was beautiful. I let a small flame dance over my hands to keep them warm.

"I don't know if anyone can hear me, but I brought a gift for the Witch Coven that resides in this area, I'm sorry I don't know the name of your coven." I breathed a small sigh, closing my eyes and angling my head to the sky, collecting my thoughts.
"To the white haired Warlock who met me 12 years ago, thank you. I know you probably don't remember me, but thank you."

I nodded to myself and left, heading back to my court. My cloak brushing away my footsteps behind me.

The White Haired Warlock

I watched the young fae female leave the clearing, crouched behind a concealed barrier between my coven and the world. With Rosalina hibernating, my magic was all but non-existent, and I didn't feel like taking on a fae, even a teenage looking fae, as little more than a mortal.

Once she was far enough away I crept out of my hiding place, picking up the sculpture she'd left. It was beautiful. A perfect replica of one of our bloodroses. How a fae female from day court, a court I and my coven had avoided for the last 11 years, knew what they were I had no idea.

I also had no idea who the Warlock she'd apparently spoken to was. A few members of my coven, such as our Dragon Keeper Lysandra, could shift forms at will, so it could've been one of them, but there were also many warlocks in my group with white hair. Myself included. But I couldn't remember ever speaking to a fae female that looked like her.

I hadn't spoken to any fae since that day 11 years ago where I cursed the High Lord. The day I saw the Crown Princess for the first time.

Seeing her was the reason why I couldn't curse him more specifically or more fatally. As much as Helios Solem needed to pay for what he'd done, I couldn't force a child who couldn't have been more than 5 at the time to take the throne.

I took the gift back into the safety of my coven and read the note, my eyes widening at the contents of it. I ran back to my mother, sibling and cousin, finding Lysandra with them.

Seeing Lys around my house wasn't uncommon. The coven had unanimously decided that I was hopeless with women and had chosen one of the most powerful and level headed women in the coven to be my betrothed. If Manon wasn't my cousin they might've chosen her, but Lysandra was the only one they thought would tolerate me enough to have an heir eventually.

But as much as Lys was kind and intelligent, I didn't love her. She didn't love me either. We both considered each other close friends, but we both knew that unless I found my mate, someone needed to be willing to eventually have a child with me.
It was an odd prospect to think about, seeing as we hadn't so much as kissed, and Lys had a tendency to tease me, only reaffirming our relationship as friends.

Either way, I set the rose and note down in front of them.
"What's this?" asked my mother, the sole elder my coven had after the massacre.
"a gift. From the High Lady of Day court." I explained, swallowing my emotions to wait for their reply.

Everyone froze.
"High Lady?" echoed Lysandra, to which I nodded.
"Seems the old Bastard has finally gotten himself killed." I grinned.

If Princess Celeste was now High Lady, and she remembered the message I'd given her, she'd be a good Queen. A fair Queen.

While everyone was talking about what they thought would happen, I quietly picked up the note that had come with the sculpture. Rereading it to myself.

To the Witch Coven of Day court,
I am Celeste, High Lady of Day court. I'm offering you this gift to help mend the bridge between my family and yours. As you've probably guessed, My father is dead. (Your curse worked, so thank you).
To the Warlock I met, thank you for showing me kindness. Without it I might not have made it to become High Lady.
Sincerely, Lady Celeste