Crowned (Book 1: The Child Queen)

The coronation

     Reyna paced nervously in the large tent as she waited. She had been in there for almost an hour, and she was anxious for the ceremony to begin. The tent she was waiting in was beautiful, made of rare silks from the country of Alan, and the furniture had been a gift from Queen Asasara from the country of Sanra. But Reyna was too nervous to notice the decor. She turned and tripped on her long trailing robes. Cursing, she stood to her feet and gathered the traditional robes around her. They were a beautiful sky blue with dark blue and white trim, and they looked splendid against her olive complexion and dark silky hair. But wearing them made Reyna feel uncomfortable and anything but elegant and queen-like.
"Reyna? Are you okay?" Reyna glanced up to see her best friend Glen poke his head in the tent. Glen looked as nervous as Reyna felt. He stepped in the tent, and she could see that his beautiful gossamer wings were fluttering nervously. Glen was a faerie, and Reyna had known him all her life. They grew up together in the mountain range of Alpacia which she called home. It was also the capital of Ardale, and where the castle she had been raised in was. Thinking of the castle made Reyna think of her parents, and she felt a pang of sadness in her chest. Her own wings drooped miserably. Reyna wasn't a faerie, but she was one of the last angel half-breeds left in the world. Hundreds of years ago, angels had fallen from the sky and fell in love with humans. Their children were born with the angels beautiful feathered wings, but instead of living forever as angels do they would live about the same lifetime as a human, and they didn't have the angels glowing eyes or skin. Reyna shook herself from her thoughts and saw that Glen was still looking at her with that concerned face.
"Yes, I'm fine Glen. Is it almost time? I'm ready for this to be over. I don't know if I can stand to be in Queen Asasara's presence any longer than I have to, or any of them for that matter. They're all fake. They don't care about the coronation they're just waiting to see if I'm weak enough for them to swoop in and steal our land and wealth." Glen rolled his eyes.
"C'mon Reyna lighten up, you know it's tradition for all the queens to be present when there's a coronation, besides they brought you some pretty sweet gifts." Reyna rolled her eyes as Glen reached into a nearby sack of chocolate beetles from Queen Jacqueline and popped one in his mouth.
"Yes well I would rather we get this over with so they can all go home to their own kingdoms and stay out of mine." She grumbled. The sound of trumpets rang out, and Reyna was filled with dread, she wondered if she could maybe just skip the coronation they would still allow her to be queen. Reyna highly doubted it. One of her guardsmen poked their heads into her tent.
"Princess Reyna, it is time."Reyna realized that this was one of the last times people would call her princess. She had gotten used to hearing it her whole life, and she supposed it would be strange to hear them start calling her "Queen Reyna" and "your majesty". Reyna straightened herself out and spread her wings. She held her chin high and dipped her head to the guard who bowed respectively. She tried to walk slowly and regally out of the tent but she felt like running. Glen was right on her trail, munching on beetles. She gathered her robes in her hands, running her fingers through the silk nervously as they walked. The beautiful robe she wore had once belonged to her mother, and her mother's mother, and her mother's mother's mother. It was a bit big and the train was dragging in the dirt. She turned to see Glen lift it up. She smiled appreciatively and he grinned, bits of beetle in his teeth. She rolled her eyes but was glad for his presence. Her old friend being there helped to calm her nerves. Still, even with him there she was nervous. Reyna calmed herself by looking at the beautiful countryside of her home. All around her in the open rolling hills were tents. Her people had come from far and wide to watch their newest Queen's coronation, and pride swelled her heart. She hoped she wouldn't let them down as their new queen. Her mother had been one of the fairest and most dignified rulers the land had ever seen, and her husband, the King, had commanded the armies terrifically. Woman were always trusted to run the country better than men, and they often had more power. After hundreds of years of wars people didn't trust men in power, they were too quick to jump into fighting, and they made rash and hasty decisions. Better to let the woman decide things. They began to approach the coronation site. Hundreds of her ancestors had been coronated at this very spot, and as Reyna approached she began getting more and more nervous. It was a massive white and gold building, with ivy trailing down the sides. Once an old cathedral, it had been renovated and it was now the place for any of Ardales queens to be coronated or royal weddings to be officiated. She climbed the steps trembling, her white wings shaking. She tried to hold them still as she entered the building, she wanted to appear calm and collected. She stepped through the large arched doors, inside, hundreds of benches were filled with all of Ardales most important people. Her advisors and the captains of her army and navy, the seats of power who would help her lead. Cousins of hers and minor royalties, and the higher class citizens of Ardale who managed to weasel their way in to watch the ceremony. Throughout the crowd she saw a few pairs of wings, though none as stark white as her own.
  At the front of the room sat four thrones on a raised platform, three of which were occupied. This had been the part Reyna was most nervous for, meeting the other queens. Sure right now there was peace, but it never lasted long. The queens always bickered and argued over land and trade, all sorts of issues. There was never wars but there were battles and disputes, which Reyna was expected to handle once she was crowned. As she drew closer to the thrones, two guards on either side and Glen behind her holding her train, she got a better look at the three other queens. There was Queen Tess, who glanced nervously all around the room. She was a centaur so she couldn't quite sit, but she stood, the tail of her beautiful palomino flank whisking nervously. There had been whisperings that she was slowly going insane, and Reyna could see why as the Queens eyes darted around the room and she mumbled to herself. Reyna felt a stab of pity for her. Last year her two children, Polus and Helen had gone missing. She had searched tirelessly, even begging for help from the other queens, but to no avail. Reyna's own mother who was Queen at the time sent soldiers to help the devastated centaur Queen look. She was the only queen who did. They never found anything though. Queen Tess had given up searching, but it was clear that it had taken a toll on her mental health. Sitting next to her was Queen Jacqueline. She lounged on her throne looking bored, in full armor. Some called her the Warrior Queen because legend was that she had single handedly destroyed a hundred soldiers in battle. She was light and lithe, built like a runner. She had short brown hair cropped to her head. She also possessed the rare and powerful ability to control fire. She played with a ball of flames now, letting them dance across her palm. She looked as if she would rather be off fighting monsters than stuck at this ceremony, and she pulled out her sword inspecting its razor sharp edge. Finally there was Queen Asasara. Reyna found it hard to meet her gaze. The woman was definitely the most powerful of them all, maybe the most powerful queen ever. She had beady black eyes like a snakes, and she was deathly pale with pin straight white hair. While she wasn't as magical as the others, she wasn't half horse, she didn't have wings, and she couldn't control fire, she was the most crafty and manipulative. She gave Reyna the creeps and she hoped she never had her as an enemy. Reyna felt a nudge from behind. Glen gave her a look. Reyna realized she had been standing there staring while the coronation official stood waiting on the platform with the thrones. Reyna stepped up onto the platform and held her head high, trying to look unafraid and confident, the opposite of which she felt.  The official smiled warmly. She was an older woman, thin and frail. But reliable. She had coronated Reyna's mother and grandmother. The official cleared her throat.
"People of Ardale and esteemed guests, we are here today to celebrate the coming of age and coronation of Princess Reyna Quezada Ramirez, as she takes on the important task of Queen, and holds the responsibilities and duties of ruling over Ardale. Princess Reyna Quezada Ramirez must uphold the noble tasks that a queen must uphold such as-" Queen Asasara shifted in her seat.
"Get on with it." She hissed. The coronation official gulped. Reyna bristled at the interruption.
"Right, may I have the artifacts please?" Two guards brought out two items, one was a pillow with a crown on it, and the other was a golden scepter. They stood next to the official.
"Princess Reyna Quezada Ramirez, do you understand and accept the responsibility that is being handed to you, and do you, with this knowledge, wish to continue in your rightful place as the next Queen of Ardale and promise to protect and care for its people?" The officiate said gravely.  Reyna took a deep breath.
"I do."
"Then please, repeat these words. I Princess Reyna Quezada Ramirez, promise to fulfil my duties as queen as those have before me, and stay loyal to my country and do everything in my power to protect it as its queen." Reyan repeated what the official said. Behind the official, she saw Queen Asasara glaring at her, and Queen Jacqueline smirking. They doubted her, she knew she was the youngest, but Reyna was determined to prove herself. Without waiting for the official to do it for her, she took the crown off the pillow, and with shaking hands, lowered the crown on to her own head. As she did, she felt a weight settle on her shoulders. The weight of an entire kingdom. She took the scepter and raised it. The official and everyone else in the room looked stunned. No queen had ever done that before.
"L-Long live Queen Reyna Quezada Ramirez." The official stammered. Queen Asasara raised her eyebrows.
"Yes," she hissed, "Long live the Child Queen"