The Broken Crown

Chapter 9

Adrianne

The coronation had been the most magnificent thing Adrianne had ever seen, and the feast that followed had been so extravagant. Even the Queen had changed from her usually skin-covering clothes into something more... fashionable. But of course, the Crown would be expected to hold these kinds of feasts all the time. They held most of the money in the kingdom, after all.

Why the marriage happened after the coronation, and not before so that she and Raphael could be crowned together, she had never understood. Her mother had spoken about traditions, and Miriam had talked of pride. It still seemed a bit dumb.

They could afford it, she told herself as Miriam combed out her hair after a day of walking about the court. Many ladies had already offered to become her ladies-in-waiting. She was happy to find Celeste among them, and Lucretia had seemed satisfied with her choices. When she moved into her larger quarters as Queen, they would follow her and live there.

The King and the Queen’s chambers were apart, Lucretia had told her that day, although you could choose to live together in one of the quarters. It had seemed strange to Adrianne, who was used to her parents living close together, but she was not disappointed; privacy was something she had feared losing when marrying.

Miriam ran a washcloth dipped in warm water across her shoulders and neck after rolling up her hair. On this day, she would be stripped bare of any sort of unnecessary accessories; she would be wearing only a white toga, loose as to remove her shapes. She would also wear a white veil to cover most of her hair, which would be tied back according to strict rules; only hair that grew from a place in front of her ears was allowed to be touched. The rest of her should remain untouched, as the day she was born.

She was wearing the dress already and her hair was being tied back when a light knock was heard. A few seconds later, the Queen entered. She was still wearing ordinary clothes; she would not be participating in the ritual. No one was allowed into the temple while the ritual was being performed.

“Adrianne,” she said with a small smile. “Are you ready?”

Adrianne nodded. “Soon.”

Her smile kept in place while she gracefully crossed the floor. “You must be very excited.” She sat down on a chair some meters away.

“Very,” Adrianne agreed and Lucretia let out a quiet laughter.

“I remember when I married the King. I was about your age. I was so frightened; my mother thought I would die just from the excitement.” She chuckled lightly, her eyes disappearing as she stared into the air. “Thinking back now, I don’t think I realized, even then. I was afraid, excited, because I knew I would be leaving my family, but... I wasn’t prepared to what was to come, not even close to prepared.

“When I married Clement, I thought it would be a marriage like any other. Surely, his lands would be bigger, but that was all. I hadn’t considered that his lands were the kingdom. It wasn’t until after the marriage that I realized that I hadn’t just married a great lord.” Her eyes slowly returned to the present and met with Adrianne’s. “You see, the other ladies here at court, they are just ladies of Etheron. You will be the lady of Etheron. What you wear will be fashion, what you say will be sayings, and what you do will be traditions.”

Butterflies seemed to have appeared in the pits of Adrianne’s stomach, fluttering about. “I am prepared for it,” she told the Queen, trying to sound as ready as possible.

“I know you are.” The Queen smiled and reached for Adrianne’s hand, squeezed it and excused herself.

Once she left, Adrianne was filled with warmth throughout her body. But in that warmth, there was coldness as well. She looked at Miriam’s reflection in the mirror with uncertainty. When Miriam caught her stare, she smiled reassuringly. “You will be the lady of Etheron,” she said proudly and Adrianne couldn’t help but smile.