Queen Of Stars

Chapter one.

"Everyone always says that people are like snowflakes. No two are perfectly alike. I beg to differ. I think, I would compare ourselves to leaves. A lot of us look alike and act alike, but we all come in different shapes and sizes and breeds. But no matter what, I don't think two people are meant for each other than the two before me."

Tears of joy ran down my cheeks and I quickly swept them away, not the smudge the kohl on my eyelashes. I reached for the hand resting on my thigh, gripping it tightly as if to anchor me to the moment and not float away.

"I wish them all the happiness in the world," the best man rose his champagne glass. "To the happy couple." Everyone chanted the same in return and clinked glasses, linking elbows and drinking.

I was happy, happier than I had been in my entire life. I turned to my right to face my husband, grinning ear to ear.

His face was blurred with black mist, his features hidden. The joyous music around became muffled in my ears and the world blurred together as I reached a hand forward to touch his face and my fingers went right through him and he turned to smoke. And within seconds, everyone in the ballroom burst into black smoke and swirled around me as I stood up, new kind of tears on my face as I crouched down and clutched my hands over my ears; to block out the hissing and snarling of the shadows. I screamed until my throat was raw, and let the darkness take me.

§

My face slammed into the dirty floor of the bedroom, and I let out a groan, pushing myself up on my forearms. Rubbing my forehead, I gripped the bed frame to pull myself standing.

It was well into the afternoon now. I had managed to sleep for the majority of day, exhausted from my services long into the night. Yesterday was harbor work, lifting crates and keeping track of shipments coming in and going out. My muscles were sore and my body creaked in protest as I made my way through the small cabin, my bare feet scrapping the floor.

The only other room besides the bathing room was the kitchen, dinning room, sitting room and library all in one. In one corner there was a rickety old book case with far too many books on it and was one more heavy volume away from collapsing. Late afternoon light came through the three windows, making the dust floating through the air visible.

Going to the dresser in the short hallway, I pulled out a pair of slacks and a loose fitting grey blouse, plain and a little too small. The hem of the pants were a little too short and looked awkward, so I pulled on some hunting boots that were well worn in by now.

I put my hand on my stomach, feeling it grumbling for food. I had nothing to eat here at the moment, so I would have to scrounge up some food at a tavern, maybe get it off some chump for free. But, I slipped some coins into my pocket anyhow.

The cloak around my shoulders was probably the only expensive thing I owned anymore. From the days of Anthea, I had many priceless clothes, this cloak was one of the only things I kept. The gold accents in the cloak matched my hair as it flowed over my shoulders.

The cool autumn air made me shiver as it wrapped around me. My cabin was on the outskirts of the village, away from the busy and noisy evening of the center village. There were others, young people like me living in the row of small houses. I'd managed to snag the one I have now in a drunken bet, that the other one lost horribly. Most of the good things that happened to me were because I was drunk. Or pretending to be.

I navigated through the streets, much less crowded at this time of day, people getting off of early shifts. The nearest tavern was one of my favorites, always joyful, Salem sentinels seemed to avoid it. I don't know why, but it was always filled with a kind of life. A life that I didn't have.