The Princess in the Opal Mask

Not everyone who attends the coronation wishes the young queen well.

As the townspeople gather in the great hall of the young queen’s palace, many object among themselves. Construction has just begun. The great hall is the only completed room and already her palace is by far the grandest structure in Allegria. The townspeople see the glass windows—the first in the city—and glimpse the blustery, inky night beyond. They wish their own homes were so sheltered.

The wind howls and flickering candles paint shadows on the walls. At the end of the hall is an altar, which displays the young queen’s crown, as well as the large stone that started it all. The First Opal. The jewel glints in the candle-light, showing veins of gold cracked through deep blue, as if lightning is trapped inside. A man whispers that if he had discovered the opals in Galandria’s soil, instead of young Eleanor Andewyn, it would be his coronation they’d all be attending.

An elderly woman stands among the crowd. Hatred burns in her heart. Time will pass, but her son will never be returned to her. The young queen’s army has seen to that. She weaves among the people, spreading her discontent like poisonous seed.

The whispers go still as the young queen and her newly appointed council of advisors—her “Guardians”—appear at the back of the hall. The young queen’s expression is pained. She is having trouble accounting for her floor-length gown, which trails behind her.

The townspeople cheer and clap as she ascends the aisle. But in the privacy of their own hearts, many hope she will trip and break her neck.

They are bitterly disappointed when she does not.

The young queen kneels before the altar. Ambition burns in her heart. The crown has been purchased, not just with precious stones, but with blood. The people doubt her now, but time will pass. She will build a dynasty. One day her son will also rule Galandria.

A Guardian places the crown on the young queen’s head. She jolts slightly under its weight, yet her smile does not waver. This is her first test as a queen. She will not fail.

She stands and lifts the First Opal, raising it over her head. She turns to face her people. She is triumphant. She is their warrior queen.

She is also off balance.

The young queen stumbles backward and trips over her gown, dropping the opal, and she lands on her side. Loud gasps erupt, followed by a shocked hush descending over the crowd.

But Eleanor stands up, eager to reassure them. It will take more than a fall to stop their new queen.

However, the people’s attention is not on her. Instead it is on the First Opal. There on the ground sits not one large stone, but two. The First Opal has broken in half.

The old woman sees her chance. Fate has smiled upon her. She points a bony finger at young Eleanor and proclaims, “An omen! Just as this stone has split, one day this kingdom shall also split in two!”

The old woman’s triumphant stare locks with the young queen’s dismayed one. Neither can look away from the other.

The old woman is not a witch; she cannot curse a kingdom. She is simply an angry mother who has lost her son. And the young queen is not a prophet; she cannot foretell the future. She is simply a new mother who wants to protect her kingdom and her son.

But both the old woman and the young queen understand that the right words, spoken at the right time, can become more powerful than a thousand swords. The right words scatter like seeds. They are watered by rumor and grown by time.

Until one day, they become legend.

THREE HUNDRED

YEARS LATER