Queen's Light

Rhiannon

I went out of town this past weekend and ended up writing a description of Rhiannon, so I thought I'd post it here. Enjoy.

Rhiannon had never been known for her beauty. Her raven tresses and grey eyes, while unique in the north, were quite typical of a southern woman. Her features were rather ordinary for the south as well, with a strong and defined jaw, full mouth, pointed nose, and large, round eyes. Her brows and lashes were thick, complemented by her ivory skin. Her mother's wide hips and ample bosom had manifested in her daughter, though not quite so prominent, due to both genetics and the fact that Rhiannon never dressed to flaunt her figure. Her natural monochrome blessed her with the ability to wear most colors with confidence.

She had a way of moving that made her appear to be floating, a side effect of the rigorous training she had been put through before her coronation. When she let the mask go, when the Queen was no longer there for Rhiannon to hide behind, her movements became less fluid and more forceful and deliberate. Since being royalty, she'd developed a nasty habit of allowing tension to build in her shoulders. The tips of her fingers were riddled with scars and callouses from her days of purposely pricking them with a quill, though most of her subjects were too focused on ogling the dazzling array of gems she wore around her fingers to notice the strange misshapenness of Her Majesty's fingertips. She never allowed her hair to grow past her shoulder blades, and when left alone, there was a natural wave to it.

She was of average height, no taller than most women of the north. Southern women tended to be shorter, but Rhiannon's father had been quite the giant.

When she spoke, she did so softly, not entirely used to having an audience that listened. Though she was naturally soft-spoken, her voice was a bit deeper than most women's, more alto than soprano, giving her an authoritative edge she hadn't known she had until she became queen.

She'd never considered herself beautiful. She'd wanted to be thinner, taller, with smaller feet and more voluminous hair and less muscle on her bones. Wishful thinking, she knew, and after much internal struggle, she eventually learned to accept her own looks. There were still some days when she looked in the mirror and was disgusted by what she saw, and felt tempted again to take out her blood petal incense, but she knew that those days were behind her.

Most days, she wore simple floor-length gowns, most of them only composed of either one or two fabrics. The rings she wore -- two on her left hand and three on her right -- had all been gifts given to her by neighboring rulers on the day of her coronation. She wore a key on a thin gold chain around her neck, one that opened the chest underneath her bed that contained her journals. She wore the same small diamond earrings almost every day, changing them only for special occasions. Her hair she preferred to leave down; however, she was expected to keep it up for formal situations and usually styled it in some sort of braid.

While the royal crown was kept in a guarded and locked room beneath the castle, Rhiannon still wore a thin silver circlet around her brow, styled in the shape of a vine. Whenever she had the chance, though, it came off.

Even a small crown had some weight to it.