It's still dark out when Irene shivers awake. She blinks letting her eyes adjust before turning to look out through her window. She always leaves the curtains pulled back so that she can see the morning sunrise. Today the sun’s light has not yet reached over the horizon. Irene sits up on her elbows to squint at the clock sitting on her bedside table. It's still very early. Confused, Irene plops back down into her comforter. She never wakes up this early. And today is her birthday; the maids plan on letting her sleep in.

 

Today is her birthday.

 

Irene smiles to herself in the dark. Today she finally turns 18. The whole kingdom will celebrate her ascent into womanhood. It will be the grandest party this side of the Northern Ice has ever seen. Irene shivers as chill bumps bloom across her skin. It's unusual that she feels cold, so she blames the chills on excitement. It's probably why she can't sleep either. Irene has been dreaming of this day since she was 15. 

 

Knowing that she won't be able to go back to sleep, Irene sits all the way up and stretches before swinging her legs over the side of the bed. As soon as her feet touch the wooden floors she jumps in surprise, gasping at how cold the floors feel. Quickly, she slips on her slippers and grabs a fluffy robe for extra measure.

 

Irene’s steps are light as she skips down the corridor and stairs to the kitchen. It isn't too often that she gets to watch the sunrise, and she thinks to herself that today is going to be a good day. After a brief stop in the kitchen to grab a light breakfast snack, Irene continues out to her favorite tower balcony. It's one of the tallest in the castle and it gives a perfect view of the kingdom, valley, and mountains beyond. 

 

After making the short trip to the tower, Irene breaches the old, glass double doors in an excited, dramatic fashion, and she giggles to herself. Being prim and proper all the time is exhausting so she indulges in these small freedoms. Breathing in the crisp air, Irene settles into a broad lounge chair on the balcony just as the first rays of sunlight begin to twinkle above the horizon.

 

She takes her time enjoying her cup of coffee and muffin and takes in the sheer tranquility of the waking earth. It feels as though time is irrelevant, that this moment could last lifetimes. It brings peace to her heart and she lets her mind and body relax completely. Her thoughts dissipate like darkness when confronted with the sun, and past and future are left in favor of the present. The beauty of sunrise is the only thing that matters. 

 

Being the heir of the throne isn't an easy life to live. Irene is constantly learning about the past and planning ahead for the future. There is hardly a moment in which her mind isn't occupied with a hundred different things. She's spent many sleepless nights preparing for the day she will rule the kingdom of Syferia. The burden is great, but Irene's love for her people is greater; that is why she works so hard to become a wonderful queen. Even still, the times where she is able to have a moment alone are greatly treasured. The rarest gems are the most valuable, and as such, the moments that Irene can let her mind fly free are the most precious to her. 

 

The blissful morning sunrise is over all too soon and Irene is pulling herself from the bubble of relaxation, and heading back down the tower. The castle is now alive and bustling with activity. Maids and servants rush to and fro, preparing the castle for the big day. One of her personal maids comes rushing around the corner just as Irene turns down the hall to her bedroom. 

"Oh thank goodness!" the maid exclaims as her shoulders sag in relief. "Come, come milady. We must hurry and get you ready! Your aunt and uncles are to be arriving any minute now."

Irene follows the maid back to her room and complies as they prepare her for breakfast.  Irene never understands why her family always insists on visiting first thing in the morning, but it's been a tradition since she was little. 

 

There are to be two parts to her birthday extravaganza.  First, there is a private party held around lunchtime for family and close friends, a small more intimate celebration. The second part is a grand ball at dinnertime, where much of the kingdom is expected to attend. It’s almost like a pre-celebration to her coordination on her 21st birthday. There's a sad, fleeting thought that any free time she has had, will be gone or at least diminished greatly. But so is the way of her world, something Irene accepted a long time ago. 

 

Irene stands in front of a full-length mirror, admiring her reflection.  She looks absolutely stunning, as she should; the grand ball is mere minutes away from starting. Soon everyone will arrive and celebrate her. She will stand side by side with her mother and father as the future ruler of Kingdom Syferia. Everyone will recognize her as such and prepare for the day she will sit on the throne. The people love Irene as she loves them.

 

Irene enters at the front of the ballroom and stands elevated on a stage. Her pearl dress flows from her in layers as if she is encased in the translucent wings of butterflies. The sleeves bare her shoulders and wrap down her arms, fanning out at the wrists. Silver and crystal drip from her ears, neck, and wrists, intertwining delicately. The various servants and planners preparing in the ballroom stop and stare. They all know that Irene is beautiful, but tonight she looks ethereal, otherworldly. Her skin seems to sparkle underneath the lights, as if a small frost has settled itself upon her. 

 

The spell is broken only when Irene turns to ask for her coat. She rubs her arms as she feels a slight chill overcome her body, and quickly slips on her coat. She figures she'll warm up once all the guests arrive. The lively energy is sure the knock out any chill. 

 

 

The first guests to come down are, of course, her family and close friends who’ve been here since the morning. They are all extravagantly dressed in rich blues, greens, and purples but none can compare to Irene. They all gush over her and her dress, stating that they could've never imagined such a beautiful dress existing. Irene smiles and says her thank you, accepting a few invitations for a dance later on in the evening. No sooner is the last bit of food placed, the first guests begin to arrive. From here on its a steady stream of carriages dropping off elegant men and women. Each guest takes their turn walking up to the front and greeting Irene and her parents warmly. Gifts are stacked in a corner and soon laughter, music, and dancing fills the atmosphere.  

 

The entire ballroom has a warm glow about it, but for some reason Irene feels distant from it. She hates that when she is supposed to be the happiest, she feels uneasiness and worry. She can't seem to get into the fun and lively mood that everyone else is feeling. It frustrates her, but she keeps it to herself and keeps up appearances, smiling and laughing with guests. 

 

The official ceremony of celebration is over and formalities have been dropped. The lines of class and status are ignored and a total party vibe takes over the ballroom. Irene has finally been able to push the feeling of discomfort to the back of her mind and dances with the rest of the party guests. She’s spinning on the of a song when everything around her smears into muddled blobs. She stops, shocked, and looks around in confusion.

 

 It’s like she's in a glass case where time has ceased, looking out into a warped and muddled reality. Irene reaches out to touch someone, to reach for help, but her hands hit ice-cold glass. The shock of cold springs into her fingertips and travels throughout her body. She begins to panic in confusion, spinning around, and groping her glass encasement. Frost forms thickly from just beneath her feet and rapidly climbs up the glass walls.

 

The cold she feels is unbearable; her heart rate accelerates and her breath quickens. Irene looks up and reaches out in desperation, but stops when she sees a figure floating above her. It's more like an apparition that is forming from fog and configuring itself into the face of a woman. The woman opens her eyes to reveal black holes darkness, gateways into the abyss, and Irene is frozen to the spot. She can't move or breathe or even think. Fear has completely swallowed her heart and she wants desperately to cry out, but can only stare in horrified silence.

 

The woman's mouth moves and Irene's mind is filled with the harsh sound of grating ice. The lips move and form words that Irene cannot comprehend. She can only stare as the darkness from the woman's eyes bleed through her, dripping down onto Irene. The black splatters down onto her face and runs down her dress. The darkness pours until it covers her eyes and infects her mind, completely consuming her.  

 

~*~

 

 

“Valerie, you know this isn’t your fault. It’s not your fault, my love,” the king whispers to his wife in an attempt to sooth her. His calloused hands his wife’s trembling back, but he knows it is useless. The old gods are merciless.

The queen sobs wretchedly. She disrespected the old gods in favor of the new, and now she is receiving her punishment. The old legends of the gods’ wrath used to only be scary stories to her and her siblings, but now she is living a real life nightmare. “I cast out the old prophets and now I am being punished!”

The king holds his queen tightly. “I cast them out. It was my decree.”

“We are both paying dearly for our sins against the old gods,” the queen cries and the king can only cry along with her. He has never regretted something as deeply as this. The king and queen never imagined that such a fate would fall upon them.

 

---

 

I've had this idea for some time now and I'm pretty excited about the whole concept and universe. 

It that there's not a whole lot of invovled and detailed chapter stories for female ships so I was like hey I have this wonderful idea why not write it?

I only hope I can do it justice

I really want this to be a beautiful story

I plan on making the chapters longer than this first one. This one is like the preface or intro 

So I hope you will join me on this adventure! (and don't worry it isn't going to be all depressing and tragedy)