Page 13 of Of Storm and Emerald
Well, that confirms that.
“Good morning to you too, Aiden. How are you today?” Daemon replied sardonically and quickly followed with, “Where’s the coffee?”
Aiden picked up the carafe, holding it high in the air. “You want it in a cup, or…?”
“You want it in your lap, or…?” Daemon replied.
“Damn, D. I hope you find this chic—”
“For the last time, she’s a woman. Not achick,not agirl, a woman. Don’t make me punch you again.”
“Alright, shit. Come on, we gotta eat and get ready. Everyone is meeting outside the ballroom to walk to the sanctuary in an hour, so we need to hurry.”
“The sanctuary? They’re having the coronation here on the grounds?”
“Guess so. All I know is what I was told. Hurry up, so we can go.”
Daemon sat in the chair next to Aiden and took a sip of his coffee, letting it warm his insides and erase some of the fog left in his mind from lack of sleep. Once they finished breakfast, they each went to their own chambers and got ready for the day.
Since it was a coronation and the attire was formal, Daemon chose to go with the colors of his court. His shirt was black linen with fasteners up to his neck, though he left a few undone at the top. His vest was cobalt blue with delicate silver embroidery–reminding him of a certain little minx’s garter belt from the night before–and three silver buckles that fastened across his waist.
His coat, though similar to the one from the previous night, was a beautiful monochromatic brocade fabric in the richest shade of cobalt, and the cuffs were trimmed in the same silver thread as his vest. He paired everything with his nicest pair of black leather trousers and boots.
Aiden was already waiting for him when he walked into the sitting room. Their formal dress was similar, but where Daemon’s ensemble was accented in silver, Aiden’s was black.
“Ready to get this over with?” Boredom filled his friend’s tone.
“No, but I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
Neither of them particularly wanted to be in Lyndaria, let alone sit through a coronation, but Daemon’s father was sick and couldn’t travel so he had ordered him to take his place.
In Ixora, whenever there was a coronation for an heir apparent, or the crowning of a new monarch, a representative from every court had to be present so that there was no way to contest who was next in line.
So, there they were.
With a sigh, Daemon fastened his sword belt around his waist, and headed towards the door.
“Hey, forgetting something?” Aiden called from behind him.
He turned around just in time to catch the object that Aiden lobbed in his direction–his crown.
“Fuuuck.” After throwing his head back in exasperation, Daemon righted himself and placed the crown on his head. It had been in his family for generations and worn by every Crown Prince of the Sapphire Isles.
From a distance, it simply looked like metal had been braided together, but up close, the details shone through. Each strand in the braid was different. One was made to look like the tentacle of an octopus, another was a simple hammered metal, and the last strand had waves carved into it and each crest of the wave was accented with crushed sapphires. It sat just below his hairline, allowing a few wayward silky strands to fall over it in the front.
Now that Daemon was looking‘properly princely’as Aiden put it, they headed down to meet the rest of the guests and to head to the sanctuary.
Walking through the garden in the daylight was a stark contrast to the intimacy that it held in the dead of night. When they reached the sanctuary, Daemon’s eyes grew to the size of a ship's helm as memories from the previous night flooded his mind. What he thought had been old and abandoned, was actually a beautifully maintained garden oasis.
Next to the gate was a gold plaque, one that he completely missed while he had his beautiful star pressed against him. The sanctuary was built for Rhayne, the goddess of love and war. Though he wasn’t sure if the members of the Court of Emerald still worshipped her, there was something poetic about having the coronation in a sanctuary for a goddess of love and war. After all, even beloved monarchs had to take their people to war if it was warranted, and sometimes when it was not.
As they walked through the gate, Daemon looked around in awe. At first glance it looked like ruins from an old building, but upon closer examination, the intentionality behind the design of the space became apparent. The structure was made of the same light gray stone as the castle with giant columns towering like large oak trees throughout the space. There was no defined ceiling, instead it looked like a series of skylights without glass in varying shapes and sizes that let in natural light.
This would be beautiful at night to see the stars.
Following the group of guests further into the sanctuary, they walked through an archway that led to the ceremony area. The open ceiling continued, but the walls consisted of gothic-style arches in the stone that held no windows, allowing for a natural breeze through the space with a minimally obstructed view of the surrounding flora. There were natural wood benches lining the aisle down the middle that led to an upraised altar where a unique throne sat at the center.
A large wisteria tree grew behind the chair, and while its roots encircled and twined along the arms and legs, its branches draped waves of lilac-colored blossoms above it.
