The air in the grand hall changed as the last echoes of the Celestian queen's words faded.
What had been tension and hesitation now shimmered with a new energy a rare hope that perhaps, against all precedent, love might trump tradition, and family could be defined by more than bloodlines and law.
Kaelith, blissfully unaware of the centuries of weight resting on her young shoulders, squirmed in Malvoria's lap, eyes wide at the sea of faces and the piles of wrapped boxes and treasures on the table before her.
She wore her tiny general's uniform with the pride of a conquering queen, her little crimson jacket resplendent with golden embroidery, the brass buttons gleaming in the lamplight.
She had already collected a half dozen delicate circlets, three enchanted stuffed animals, a handful of magical sweets, and a pile of books that would take a decade to read—but the most precious gift waited just ahead.
