Aurora

Part 1, Chapter 2

Arrabella.sixI sat on the ground within the massive flower garden on the interior of the castle. It protected us from the strong winds that have plagued our country since my little sister’s, Acira’s, birth a year ago. I held Naomi’s hand tightly as she read to me the history of all the queens before me. 

“The very first queen of our kingdom was Febe Rosner, the Red Star. She was born in Seade, but was outcast because of a genetic mutation she had in her DNA. She was much taller than everyone else, growing to a height of 5’8”, making her a giant to the sprites. Her skin was able to flush, because of her red blood, which is why they called her the Red Star, because to the sprites, it seemed like she touched the sky. She was the first Lioan, but because of her mutation, she was cast out of her kingdom, among the others with the same mutations, and forced to make a new life for herself. This is how she stumbles upon the uncharted land, which will later become Voltanaxeria. She died of old age, at the age of 89.”

“She's my favorite!” I giggled.

“Shh..” Naomi hushed.

“The second queen, Cosmix Rosner, the Cosmic Seer, was Febe’s daughter. She was named so because of her eyes. Her eyes were glossed over and were a deep purple with, seemingly, stars in her eyes. The era of her reign was short but very efficient. She had the power to see into the near and far future, which allowed the young kingdom to avert many tragedies. The one thing she was unable to see was her own death, causing her to die at the young age of 29 from a falling tree.”

“Aww but she was so small. That's really unlucky.” I pouted.

“Hush Arra, I'm nowhere near done yet. Now...

The third queen was Polaris the Flame, who forged a way into a new era of war and distrust. Though the wars caused many people to die and distrust to spread, she helped our country grow and gained us more land. She was also the first, and only, queen to have the power over flame. The eldest daughter of Cosmix. She died in her mid 50s from unknown causes.

Fourth was Asteria the Swift, who was Cosmix’s youngest daughter. She had no big accomplishments defining her life other than obtaining a peace treaty with the kingdom of Airenna. She was the first queen to have complete control of the wind. She had three daughters: Ether, Skywin, and Astoria. Asteria the Swift died at the age of 41 from a spear to the head.

Fifth came Ether the Shadow, who she, with her sister Skywin, were the first in the royal family to have necromancy in their blood. Ether had control over shadows and was able to travel within them. She pushed for a just government system within Voltanaxeria. Died in battle at the age of 47.”

“Wait wait. Why did the last names drop?” I asked, confused.

“Every single one of the queens have the last name Rosner, so it would've been redundant to state it every single time.” She explained. 

“Redu… wha..?” I scratched my head. 

“Hush child.” She scolded me before she started up again. 

“**Astoria, the middle child of the three sisters, had quadruplets named Solaria, Moona, Liona, and Selena. She died in childbirth, causing the crown to pass directly to her younger sister Skywin. She was a strong advocate for equal rights.

Sixth was Skywin the Harbinger, who had the power to control death. Because of this, she could prolong her life. She did not care for the kingdom, and because of this, she was stripped of her position as queen 15 years into her rule and executed, causing the crown to go to her four nieces.

The seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth queens, Solaria the Light, Moona the Kind, Liona the Strongarm, and Selena the Nymph, were quadruplets and ruled the throne together. They together brought the kingdom to a time of peace and prosperity. They ruled for over 50 years and died of old age…”

I tuned her out as a butterfly landed on my knee. I giggled softly as I reached out and poked its wing softly. They fluttered and I smiled, knowing that it was allowing me to stroke its wing.

I closed my eyes and listened to the birds chirp around us, feeling the sweet, calming sounds. I let out a sigh as I drowned in it; I could just let-

“Arrabella!” Naomi exclaimed, yanking me out of my trance. My eyes flew open, frightened, and I frowned as the butterfly that was residing on my knee fluttered away.

“Whaat?” I groaned, tilting my head to look at her.

“You know you can’t relax like that, your power goes out of control.” She chided.

“Why,” I whined, “it makes me feel weird on the inside. It hurts.” I pulled on the strands of hair in front of my face. I heard Naomi sigh as I pouted.

“I know Bella, I know, but you have to do it. It’s for everyone's safety.”

“But I can’t hurt anyone!” I exclaimed.

“Too much of a good thing is bad.” She pointed out and I looked down at the ground sadly. I nodded mutely. She sighed again, explaining about skipping something before she started to read again.

“Nineteenth was Ma’atia the Eternal, who reigned for about 2500 years. She had the eternity necklace, which was made by a foraxion advisor the year the first queen, Febe, came to power. It was made as a pair, necklace and ring, the ring staying with its maker. When it was time for Ma'atia to pass, she returned the necklace to its maker and both the ring and necklace haven't been seen since. Ma'atia made advances in battle tactics, technology, architecture, medicine, and magical practices. Her discoveries for the kingdom will forever resonate within its culture.”

“She lived for like… ever!” I giggled, immediately pulled out of my sadness.

“That’s right. Though she didn’t live forever, she just lived for a very long time. When she was ready to pass away, she just took the necklace off and immediately turned to dust.” She paused. “It was very saddening.”

“How do you know? It sounds like you were there, but that was forever ago.” I asked, genuinely curious. She sputtered, unable to speak.

“I-I wasn’t! I just read it… read it in a book! Yes, that’s what I did, read it in a very graphic book.” She laughed nervously. “Now hush, and let me finish. I’m going to skip to your grandmother, because the rest of the queens aren’t very important. Now...

Twenty-ninth, Mint the Unnatural, only had one son, Aramis, and no daughters. Her son later becomes king. She was also the queen to change the name of her kingdom from Voltanaxeria, to just Xera.

The thirtieth ruler will be the first son of a queen to survive and come to power. His name is Aramis Rosner, the Emperor of Fire.”

“That's my daddy right?” I asked her, looking up at her with wide eyes and she nodded.

“That’s right, little flower. He made history by becoming the first king! Also, thank you for being quiet and listening while I finished.” She smiled before patting my head and closing the history book, but not before I caught a glimpse of my paragraph.

I blinked, thinking lightly about what I saw. 

The thirty-first queen of Xera, Arrabella, the Goddess of…

“What did my part mean?” I asked Naomi, causing her to turn to look at me with bewilderment etched onto her features.

“Nothing,” She smiled, tapping me forehead, “C’mon, let's head inside for lunch.”

I feel so blank.

What?

Blinking, confused, I shrugged before smiling and following her inside. 

“Hey Naomi, I have a really really really important question.” I said when I caught up to her, putting my hand in hers. 

“What is it?” She asked, looking down at me.

“Why am I the only person that I know that has this thing on my forehead?” I asked, pointing at the small slit that resided there.

“It’s an eye, Bells.” She paused. “You’re the only one that has it because you’re unique; you’re special.”

I giggled happily. “Okay!”