“Are you both done yet?” I asked the two servants doing the finishing touches to my hair, clothes, and make-up. “It’s been more than an hour since you started!”

“Please don’t talk, Your Highness, or you risk having your make-up all messed-up!” One of them, the one with long straight black hair, complained while applying a bit of color to my cheeks.

“Gods, I’m already missing my Healer’s robes!” I moaned in frustration. “Did mother have to endure this ritual every single day?”

“Once you take a look at the mirror you’ll change your mind for sure!” the other servant, this one of flaxen, curly shoulder-length hair, giggled quite cheerfully, adding a bit to my annoyance. “Right, Alinah?”

“Indeed, Amirah!” Alinah, the black-haired servant, nodded.

After what felt like another eternity the servants finally announced that they were done with their work, and invited me to check the results out in front of the full-body mirror. I must admit that, upon looking at my reflection on the polished brass surface, for a split second I thought I was looking at my mother!

The long, flowing white and gold dress, the exquisitely crafted pieces of jewelry adorning my neck, arms, and hands, as well as the veiled tiara sitting upon my brow. They all screamed “mother” in my head! It was quite surreal. But the servants were right: I looked so radiant!

“This is… Is this really me?” I asked, still not quite certain what I was seeing was real.

“Yes, Your Highness, that is your reflection.” Amirah, the flaxen-haired servant, said. “Oh, you look so regal, so divine!”

“This dress was originally made for your mother, the late Princess, but she never had a chance to wear it,” Alinah added. “It’s amazing that it fits you so perfectly! It’s as if it was made for you! Don’t you agree, Amirah?”

“It’s no wonder why, Alinah… Princess Shjasta is the spitting image of her late mother, may the Gods give her Soul Peace!” Amirah exclaimed

“But the rich caramel tone of her skin and those deep amber eyes... Her Highness got those from her father, the previous Champion!”

“Yeah, yeah! But everything else is definitely her mother’s: height, built, the lovely face, even that unbelievably smooth and shiny platinum hair!”

“Hiding such magnificent hair under that veil should be considered a sacrilege!”

“Now let’s pray to the Gods that Princess Shjasta’s Champion be a tall, strong, handsome man! Oh, they would make a most enviable couple!”

“And their children! Ah, they will be so beautiful!”

“Stop gossiping about me as if I weren’t here, you two!” I snapped.

Amirah and Alinah jolted in surprise and shame, and bowing deeply they apologized profusely. I rolled my eyes.

“We're sorry we got so carried away, Your Highness!” Amirah apologized on behalf of the two.

I sighed. “It's all right. Let’s just go to the Atrium, or I’m going to be late for my own Presentation. Shall we?”

“Yes, yes!” Alinah said while rushing to the chamber’s ornate door and opening it. “This way if you please, Your Highness!”

The two servants walked right in front of me through the short corridor that connected the Princess’ living quarters – or rather, my new living quarters – to another door. Almost every other step my feet wobbled a bit, causing my legs to shake and partially losing my balance. How in the Gods’ name did my mother walk around while wearing these heeled sandals with such elegance?

The door opened to reveal a small square room, big enough for around twelve people. Amirah closed the door behind me while Alinah pulled a thick golden cord hanging from the ceiling right next to the door. The whole room started to shake a bit as it started to descend.

This elevator was the most expedited, comfortable way to go up or down the Princess’ Spire, the tallest structure in the Temple Complex and all of Ysle.

When the quaking stopped and the doors opened again we were greeted by the Heads of the Temple’s Four Orders, as well as about a dozen Temple guards. They all bowed with great reverence, and I blushed a bit.

It will definitely take some time for me to get used to this…

“Your Highness,” Head Mentoress Zafira said while approaching me. “Everything’s ready for your Presentation to the people of Ysle. If you please, go ahead. Remember that, as Blessed Princess, you walk in front of all of us.”

“I’m so nervous, Sister Zafira!” I exclaimed. “I don’t know if I can do this… If I can be a good Princess…”

The Head Mentoress chuckled.

“I’ll only tell you this: you are your mother’s daughter. Oh! And Also this: while you are still technically one of the Priestesshood, you are no longer wearing the robes of one, but the tiara of the Blessed Princess. You must address all of your Sisters the way common people do: from now on I’m ‘Mother Zafira’ to you.”

“Sorry, Sis… err… Mother Zafira!”, I lowered my head a bit in embarrassment.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness,” Mother Zafira said, smiling. “I’m sure you’ll get the hang of this in no time! Now let us proceed to the Atrium. After you…”

Amirah approached and gave me a really beautiful bouquet made from freshly picked snow-white desert lilies. As I carried onward the rest of the entourage followed suit. Right behind me marched the Four Heads, and the guard escort marched six on each side, the first two walking slightly behind me. I did my best to carry on without losing my balance, and somehow I managed.

While we traversed the beautiful Temple Gardens towards the Atrium, my mind was a jumbled mass of memories: of my mother... of my father... of my Sisters whom I should address as Mothers from now on…

… And of course, of the events from the day before, the ones that put me in this rather uneasy position, to begin with…

I was surprised when the very first vote that Mother Zafira drew from the box had my name on it. When I spoke to my fellow Priestesses earlier, I intended to persuade them to cast their vote for someone that preserved the hard-earned peace and the support of our allies for as long as possible, not to convince anyone to vote for me!

In any case, I was pretty sure that was just a fluke. There were better-suited candidates among us, certainly. But when the Head Mentoress started to mention my name after the third drawn parchment, and after the fifth and sixth ones, I genuinely started to panic. Every time my name was mentioned by the Head Mentoress I shuddered.

And terror finally set in when Mother Zafira said:

“Sister Shjasta, with this last vote tallied in, you have the forty minimum required. I guess there’s no point counting the last few remaining in the box then.” She cleared her throat before announcing with a solemn voice: “Shjasta Jaahani, you had been chosen by the Gods as the new Blessed Princess of Ysle! May the Lords of Creation bless your Mandate with good fortune! As It Shall Be!”

“As It Shall Be!” The other Priestesses repeated in unison as they got to their feet; they bowed before me next while proclaiming: “Hail Blessed Princess Shjasta of Ysle! May her Gods-given Mandate be long and prosperous!”

“Are you all right, Sis… I mean… Your Highness?” Head Flame-Keeper Lyra asked me.

I was simply laughing nervously! Unable to speak back, or even think! The whole Chamber was spinning faster and faster around me, and everything stopped making sense. Oh, Gods, what had just happened?

“This is wrong!” I finally said, shaking in fear. “This is a mistake! I cannot… I shouldn’t be the Princess! Let’s do another voting round, yes?”

“Your Highness!” the Head Mentoress exclaimed with unsuspected strength, straightening me up. “Remember that this Sacred Conclave is the medium through which the Gods manifest their Will. We didn’t vote for you; the Gods did, using us as Their instruments. There is no refusing Their decision, Princess!”

“Unless you are implying that the Gods have made a mistake, that is,” Head Confessor Asli added. “Gods that, according to the Sacred Teachings, are incapable of such a thing.”

“It’s not that!” I blabbered. “It’s that… I’m… I’m not prepared to assume such a heavy burden!” I argued.

“If They chose you, it means you certainly are, Your Highness,” Mother Zafira insisted. “Even if you think you aren’t. Trust in Them, and everything will be fine.”

So absorbed I was in my thoughts that I didn’t realize we were arriving at the Atrium already! I could hear the loud fanfare of brass trumpets announcing my arrival to the hundreds, perhaps thousands of people gathered in the large circular plaza located inside the Temple Complex. The beautifully ornate, golden-plated archways of the Water of the Gods rose to my right, running all the way southward. More people were congregating outside the plaza, right at the Temple’s Main Gate.

It was a sunny, clear morning. The sun was still halfway towards its apex, so the usual desert heat hadn’t set in yet. A perfect morning for the Presentation ceremony, indeed.

I was located on the tall and wide tribune overlooking the Atrium, a few steps behind the bronze railings. The Four Heads walked right next to me, two to the right and two to the left. Mother Zafira, as Head Mentoress, should have been the one that made the formal proclamation of me as new Princess, but due to her age and failing health, she was simply too weak to do it. So the next one in pre-eminence, Head Fire-keeper Lyra, stepped forward and raised her right hand to demand silence from the audience.

“People of Ysle, hear us!” She said with a loud, clear voice. “The Sacred Conclave has ended, and the Gods have finally spoken: A new Princess has been chosen to lead us through the Path of Righteous Light! Lo and Behold! We present to you Shjasta Jaahani, by the Will of the Lords of Creation, your new Blessed Princess! Hail Blessed Princess Shjasta of Ysle! May her Gods-given Mandate be long and prosperous!”

“Hail Blessed Princess Shjasta of Ysle! May her Gods-given Mandate be long and prosperous!” the other three Heads exclaimed in unison.

“Hail Blessed Princess Shjasta! Hail! Hail! Hail!” the people in the plaza below chanted, their voices forming a thunderous roar. It made me feel a bit dizzy, and panic started to set in once more.

“This is your moment, my dear,” Mother Zafira whispered, speaking in a less formal, almost maternal tone to reassure me. “Go ahead and walk tall and proud, like the Princess you are!”

Another grand fanfare resounded in the air as I approached the railing so the people could get a look at me. I raised my right arm to salute everyone, doing my best to put on a graceful smile. The hails started once more, and I could see a lot of happy faces all around the plaza. The vast majority were joyous with the fact that there was a new Princess, and that life would go on as usual.

But among the jubilant faces, I could see a few doubtful ones. I could see them moving their lips, muttering, whispering to each other. I couldn’t possibly hear them, even if the brass trumpets weren’t blaring that loud fanfare.

But I could listen to them in my mind…

“What? The new Princess is just a child!”

“She’s too young to rule!”

“Is this the Will of the Gods? To leave our City’s fate in the hands of a girl?”

I swallowed hard. Perhaps they were right. I still didn’t feel up to the task. But… The Gods had placed this burden upon my shoulders for a reason. And I needed to find it.

I raised my hand once more, this time to request silence so I could speak. The hails and the fanfares stopped almost immediately.

“Good people of Ysle! I salute you on this fine, beautiful day the Gods have given us! A heavy burden has been given to me by the Lords of Creation. A burden that, no doubt, some of you might think I’m not prepared to carry. And…” I paused and breathed in before adding: “... And you are right.”

I heard a bit of murmuring coming from both the plaza below and from behind me. But before it grew louder I raised my hand again. This time it took a bit longer for everything to become quiet enough to allow me to continue my speech.

“You are right,” I repeated. “This burden is heavy, too heavy for any human being, however strong, to carry alone. So how have the Blessed Princesses of the past managed to shoulder it? Because they weren’t alone. They had plenty of help carrying this weight. First and foremost, the help of the very Gods that burdened them in the first place. For without the Gods, failure is certain. With Them, nothing’s impossible!”

The murmurs stopped, and the cheerful faces started to return one by one. Even some of the faces that once showed some doubt started to change a bit.

“They also had the help of the Blessed Priestesshood, always willing to lend their collective wisdom and strength to counsel the Princess, much in the same way they advise and guide you all when you visit the Temples seeking their aid.”

As soon as I paused to catch my breath the applause and hails started again. I let them die out naturally before finalizing my speech:

“But more importantly, all Princesses had the help and support of their people! From the humblest farmer to the wealthiest merchant, each of you eases the burden of your Princess by simply going about your daily lives, by working your crafts, selling your wares, sowing your seeds, digging your ore, and taking care of your children. By making Ysle prosperous through your hard work, you help ease your Princess’s burden. So People of Ysle help me... Priestesses help me... Gods help me! Let us all share the burden of making our City beautiful and thriving!”

“Hail Blessed Princess Shjasta! Hail! Hail! Hail!” the gathered audience roared and the trumpets blared while I saluted my people one final time before stepping back from the railing. Once more Head Fire-keeper Lyra took one step forward and spoke to the audience:

“As is the ancient tradition of our City, once the new Princess has been chosen and presented, is time to send the messengers out to all corners of the grand desert and beyond, to announce the Ascension of Blessed Princess Shjasta and to summon the strongest warriors of the land, so they convene in this City in three moons’ time from now to participate in the Sacred Contest ordained by the Gods to choose the new Princess’ Champion!”