The Rose Revolution (working title)

Prologue

Once there were two queens who ruled the skies.

They came into being one after the other. Though it was a long stretch of time before the two beings met, they were born from the very same breath in which the universe was. The first queen took form in a brilliant burst of color that seeped into every crevice of the land, bringing forth a vibrancy all across the world. She glistened and shone, her entire body a kaleidoscope of every shade imaginable. Her endless hair faded into the sky, and her eyes were oddly the only colorless things about her, clear and reflective as glass.

At first, it was only she who existed. She delighted herself in being able to shape the land to her will, creating mountains that kissed the sky, puffy white clouds, gentle rolling hills, lush vegetation and infinite oceans. As much as she was enjoying herself, it did not take long for boredom and loneliness to creep in. She had formed and painted every inch of this world that she inhabited, but the colors were not as ever changing as hers were. They were static, and they quickly grew dull in her eyes. No matter how many times she recolored them, it was never enough.

One fateful day, as she was glaring down at a random spot amongst the trees in contempt, suddenly the colors started to darken outside of her control. Her eyes widened in surprise. It was as if darker versions of the leaves took form on the ground below them. She had never seen anything like it before. She looked around to see what had caused this strange phenomenon to occur, and she gasped when she saw a figure floating behind her. She had known only solitude for so long, that seeing another sentient being in her midst was beyond her wildest imaginations.

Where she was the embodiment of color, this stranger had none. Her skin was pitch black on one side, and stark white on the other. She exuded what the first queen would come to learn as light, and with light came its companion, shadow. Her eyes were sockets that housed roses, a white rose on the black side of her face, and vice versa. Her luscious lips matched with those roses, con-trasting with her two-toned skin. She was hairless, the top of her head smooth and glittering.

The first queen could only stare at this newcomer as she lifted up both her arms, and then suddenly . . .

The sky moved and changed color in a way she had never seen before. A big bright orb moved from one side of the sky to the next at a brisk speed, disappearing beyond the horizon until an orb that was significantly less bright appeared on the same side that the other one had risen from. The fluffy clouds that she had weaved were roiling and undulating along with the shifting skies. On and on it went, gradually slowing, and throughout this whole process she marveled at all the different shades appearing all around her, how the sky went from light blue to orange to a soft lavender kissed with pink, then into a deep dark blue it was almost black, growing lighter and then back again.

The shifting of colors grew slower and slower until it was at a crawl, and the brightest orb was resting up in the clouds. The stranger lowered her arms to her sides and lowered her face from the sky to gaze at the first queen, who was wiping away her tears. "I know not who you are," she spoke to the stranger softly, "But I am grateful for your presence."

The rose-eyed stranger smiled and held out her hand. Gingerly, the first queen took it.

And so began the love story of the two queens; Atia, the Queen of Color and Shape, and Ohmera, the Queen of Light and Shadow. The two never let go of each other's hands as Ohmera taught Atia the concepts of light, shadow and time. Atia saw her world with brand new eyes, and she realized it was not her world anymore but their world. Boredom and loneliness became distant memories now that her days were filled with laughter, dancing and the feel of Ohmera's hand in hers. Whenever Atia's tears of joy would spread rain across the land, Ohmera would be there to kiss her and bathe Atia in her light, and thus the two of them created rainbows.

Their love spanned centuries and gave birth to what was now known in the queendom of Alfera as the Seven Princesses; Acela, the Princess of Life, overseeing the birth of all living creatures. Elu-na, the Princess of Knowledge. Calyx, the Princess of War. Milio, the Princess of Prosperity. Lamira, the Princess of Love. Tylia, the Princess of Magic. And finally, Velos, Princess of Death.

The Seven Princesses now preside over the mortal world in their mothers' stead, for the two queens were now constellations in the sky, content with their love and having no desire to concern themselves with the trials and tribulations of men. The Princesses, despite their constant disagreements and squabbles with one another, struggled to maintain a balance for the greater good of the mortal world, Acela being the mediator to keep her sisters in line and reduce any tensions between them.

And yet despite Acela's efforts, the sisters harbored immense envy toward Tylia, for she was the most powerful of them all, being the Princess of Magic. Tylia was soon cast out from the sky to live amongst the mortals, but her sisters had forgotten to strip away her magic.

Little did they know how monumental of a mistake that was.