One of the responsibilities the royal family had was making donations to the local Temple. Every month, the Queen would order to prepare a wagon, and fill it to the brim with goods. They usually included gold, gems and other material valuables, as well as food and supplies for the people under the Temple’s care. Priests and priestesses offered support for the poor through their houses of healing and orphanages, and wouldn’t be able to operate without the Palace’s donations.

Queen Hester gained a lot of people’s respect when one of her first decisions after becoming King’s Lucius’ wife was to support the Temple in its charity activities. There were few before her who would take any significant steps to care about the less fortunate citizens of the capital. Hester was different. Starting from her first day as the Queen, she would use her influence to help those in need. It was especially important in the recent months, when the number of people living in the streets rose significantly.

Her Majesty was fully aware of the problem and so, even before they left the Palace she had sent not one but two wagons full of aid to the Temple ahead of them.

By the time they reached the place themselves, the supplies were already half unpacked, and the Head Priestess was waiting for them at the entrance.

— Corinna, I’m so sorry for being so late. There was a certain… hold-up. — The Queen looked sideways at her daughter as she said that. — I hope the delivery arrived without any issues?

— Don’t worry about it, Your Majesty. It’s always a pleasure whenever you and Oriana visit, so I wouldn’t mind waiting even longer. — The Head Priestess welcomed them with a warm smile, and led them inside the Temple while chatting.

It had been a while since the Princess was here. The interior looked as impressive as she remembered.

The walls of the House of Gods were covered in spectacular paintings picturing legendary events involving the Aelian Pantheon. All of them were birthed under the brush of the most famous and talented painters throughout history. Thanks to that, when walking down the halls of the Temple, one could feel as if they had suddenly walked into a different time, where the Gods were in the moment of achieving their greatness. The myriad of sculptures, small and big only amplified this feeling.

The main chamber was the place where most of the rituals took place. It was a spacious, round hall, able to fit a hundred or so people. In the main area, ten sculptures were placed in an arch. Each depicted a human-like figure, the only difference being slightly longer and pointier ears. It was a characteristic feature of the Elves - the ancestors to humans, who no longer exist in the land of Karia.

The center spot of the arch belonged to the highest of the Gods - Sun-King Aelius, patron of warriors and leaders. There were five sculptures to his right, each marked with a stone tablet.

Hilaros - patron of poetry and art.
Maxima - patron of smithing, craft, and sculpting.
Cato - patron of knowledge.
Vitia - patron of motherhood and fertility.
Astesis - patron of astronomy.

To the left of Aelius stood four sculptures.

Lepidus - patron of diplomacy and philosophy.
Lucretia - patron of trade.
Laurentina - patron of hunting.
Horatius - patron of farming.

To Oriana, every time she saw the sculptures, she couldn’t help but feel that there should have been one more to stand on the Sun-King’s leftmost side. She never heard about any other God in the Aelian Pantheon, however. No one has ever mentioned it either, so she grew to accept it as a questionable choice of whoever was responsible for the interior decorations.

All of the Temple was made to pay respects to and praise the great Ten Elven masters, who through hard work and sacrifice, achieved godhood and ascended to the heavens. All with the exception of a little alcove with the sculpture of a sitting wolf, placed next to the entrance to the Main Hall.

Oriana had seen it many times, but she still felt a small tinge of sadness whenever she read the words on the plaque in front of it.

In memory of King Conall, Queen Aoife, Princess Eira, and the good people of Faolán.
May you find the way to the Land of Promise.
1045

The Princess reached out her hand and brushed her fingers against the cold letters. There was a sense of familiarity in those names, but there was no possibility for her to ever meet anyone mentioned on the monument.

— …Princess Eira…

— Forty-three years since, and we can still feel the aftermath of that shameful act. — The Priestess’ voice suddenly sounded from behind, startling Oriana. — The Little Princess would be around your age now. A terrible tragedy.

The Priestess cast her eyes down and shook her head as if even after all that time, she had a hard time believing in what happened.

— My age? — Oriana sent Corinna a puzzled look. — It was forty-three years ago, you said it yourself, shouldn’t she be closer to my mother’s age?

— Were-folk used to live much longer than humans, twice as long on average. Because of that, their growth cycle was also different. They were considered adults only after forty or fifty human years. It was only after the Shape-shifting Goddess was gone that their lifespan shortened, since it was one of the blessings She bestowed on them.

Valeria and Kyra listened quietly to their conversation with somber expressions.

— There are people who still believe that the Wolf Princess will return, interestingly enough. — Continued the Head Priestess.

— How so?

— Unlike her parents, the Little Princess’ body was never found. This led some people to believe that she is still out there, and when the time comes, she will return and rebuild the Kingdom of Faolán.

Oriana’s eyes immediately lit up hearing this.

— So there’s still a possibility that she’s alive? Yes! I can already see it! A beautiful warrior princess returning to fight for her lost home, punishing the evil-doers and avenging her family. And then she falls in love with a handsome ki… no, no… with a beautiful queen from another country, and they unite their kingdoms and live happily ever after! That would be so romantic!

No one even bothered explaining to the Princess that the chances of any of this happening were close to zero. She already had her perfect story prepared, and she would refuse to listen to reason.

Valeria sighed with resignation and just followed the group back to the exit. Her heart, however, felt much lighter than before.

While on their way back to the carriage, Oriana noticed a man standing on a crate, surrounded by a small crowd.

— They live in their palaces and mansions, bathing in riches, while we suffer and starve and die! Nothing is enough for them! They just want to take everything we have! Down with nobility! Down with the King!

The crowd cheered, raising their fists up, chanting the last words spoken by the herald. The commotion attracted the attention of more people who approached out of curiosity.

— Why are you letting him say all these things? He’s spewing all this nonsense, while you’re here giving donations that will feed him. And he’s setting other people against us. Wouldn’t it be better to ban such behavior?
The Queen followed her daughter’s sight and looked at the scene that instigated the question.

— The people are tired and scared. Taking away their ability to speak freely would make them hate us even more. Force is rarely the answer. You need to remember this, Oriana. - The Queen’s voice showed no sign of annoyance or anger. She simply looked away and got inside the coach.

The “Chevron” wasn’t the biggest tailoring shop in Lucetta, but it was certainly the most prominent one. Under the brilliant leadership of Lady Dorothea, it had quickly become known for its unique designs and remarkable quality. Owning one of the Chevron’s impressive creations was essentially equal to having one’s social status raised above that of an average commoner.

A significant part of the renown also came from the fact, that “Chevron” was Queen Hester’s favorite shop. Nearly every creation Her Majesty wore during special occasions was made by Dorothea and her talented tailors. The upcoming ball to celebrate Dawning and Princess Oriana’s twentieth birthday was no different in this matter. The Queen made arrangements for herself and her daughter, and, after weeks of meticulous work, the dresses were nearly finished. The last improvements had to be made, so both of them went to separate rooms shortly after arriving at the shop.

Valeria was waiting for them at the entrance, when a shop employee approached her.

— Please follow me, miss. We will have your measurements taken now. - The girl said with a timid voice. Although she cast her eyes down, she couldn’t resist stealing glances at the white-haired woman in front of her.

— I think it’s a mistake. I am not aware of any arrangements made for me.

— I-I was just told to t-take you to your room, Miss. I don’t know anything else…

— Ah! Commander! — Lady Dorothea has just left the fitting room where the Queen was trying her dress and saw her new apprentice girl melting under Valeria’s intimidating stare. — Hester asked to have something made for you, too. Alice, will show you the way.

— My apologies, then. After you, miss Alice. — Hearing that it was the Queen’s request, the Commander had no choice but to comply.

The girl led her to a room in the back of the shop where two other employees were waiting for her. They swiftly moved around Valeria with measuring tapes, writing down every thoroughly taken reading of her body.

The commander watched the girls working with a serious expressions. She started wondering, just what was the Queen planning? Even though the ball was a big event this time, it’s not like she needed a dress for that. After all, it was customary for courtiers and retinues to attend official gatherings in their formal uniforms. Besides, during those parties, all eyes were focused on the aristocrats and not someone as insignificant as a commander.

In the end, Valeria decided to just go along with whatever the Queen was planning. After all of her years in the Palace, she learned that it’s just better to not question Her Majesty. Everyone opposing her eventually regretted their decision, and she didn’t consider having new clothes made to be a hill worth dying on.

Once the apprentices were done, Valeria left the dressing room and headed to the entrance, where the Queen and the Princess were already waiting for her.

— What were you doing there? — Oriana looked at the Commander suspiciously. It was unexpected to be forced to wait for her. The Princess came from the changing room fully expecting to see Valeria’s bored face and maybe tease her about it, but she was nowhere to be seen. This made her somewhat… disappointed.

Before the Commander was able to answer, the Queen interposed.

— I asked Dorothea to make a new formal uniform for the Commander. I want everyone to be at their finest. I can celebrate my daughter’s twentieth birthday only once, after all. - The Queen’s words made a lot of sense, but Valeria felt like there was something else that she wasn’t saying.

— I guess it won’t hurt. Oh, right… you are my personal guard now, so you should look more presentable when we’re showing up in public. Don’t delude yourself, though. You will never outshine me, so don’t even try. — Oriana flipped her hair theatrically and left for the carriage.

Somewhere in the shadows, a cloaked figure was watching the Royal entourage from a distance. Upon seeing the Commander, a satisfied smile rose on their hooded face.

— I found you, Little Wolf.