Shae walked the halls of House Arress with the queen and Beatrix, truly rested and washed for the first time since leaving Su’Sonith. They had arrived in Ceres just yesterday, the capital abuzz with final preparations for today’s Festival of Birth. Shae had barely had time to unpack her belongings before it was time for her to bathe, eat dinner, sleep, have breakfast, dress, and then depart for House Arress’s keep. However, the bed had been so soft--especially after using the brick-like mat in the carriage--and the food had been so good, she felt completely refreshed and even had a spring in her step. Of course, part of that might have been due to the queen letting her leave the duffel of armor she usually carried in her room, much to Beatrix’s dislike.

“You’ll find them in here,” the servant who had been leading them through the hallways said, opening a door and then bowing low to the queen.

The three of them entered the chamber, Shae first, followed by the queen, and then Beatrix, the servant closing the door behind them. It was a long room, dominated by large, floor to ceiling windows on both sides that ran down its length: the view to the left was of immaculate gardens and to the right was what looked to be a wide, circular sparring area. At the other end of the chamber, there was a curved table of refreshments that women and girls of various ages hovered around, attended on by servants wearing House Arress’s green and black, the exact same as their guide had worn.

The guests turned at their arrival and, despite being a good thirty feet away if not more, they easily spotted the queen’s pure silver gown, marking her as the wife of Lord Silver, and all fell into deep curtsies, young and old alike. All save one, who cried out, dashing straight toward the queen.

“Aunt Atira!” the girl said as she ran. She was perhaps sixteen years old, maybe younger, and was dressed in an orange and silver dress--the colors of House Filad’s nobility--with her short black hair done up in tight braids against her scalp.

Shae tensed, unsure if she should intercept the oncoming noble or let her pass. Thankfully, the queen stepped forward so that the girl could embrace her, removing the decision from Shae.

“I was worried you wouldn’t come,” the noble girl said, once the hug was done.

“And miss your rebirth?” The queen tapped the girl on her nose. “Don’t be silly, Eleanor.”

The girl, Eleanor, smiled for a moment, but then it slowly faded. “I’m scared.”

“It’s only natural to feel that way,” the queen said, leading the girl a few steps over to one of the many sofa and chair arrangements that sat in decorative groups between the door they had entered from and the large table at the other end. The rest of the guests, who, judging from their dress, looked mostly to be commoners, seemed perfectly willing to give the queen her space and so stayed by the refreshments. “I’m sure your mother and father have told you as much.”

“I know,” Eleanor said, appearing ashamed for having mentioned it as she plopped down on a two-seater sofa. “It would just be so much easier if some of my friends were here.”

“None of them are in attendance?” the queen said as she sat beside the girl.

“They’re all at House Kale,” Eleanor said with a sigh. “I’m only here because mother wants to marry me off to Jos Arress.”

The queen nodded, as if unsurprised by the news. “You would make a strong pairing. From what I hear, he is a fine lad. A bit of a temper apparently, but at his age that likely just means he has spirit.”

“I wouldn’t know how he is. He rarely attends court functions and he didn’t show for our lunch the other day.”

“So,” the queen said with a smile, “are you frightened of the rebirth or of soon seeing Jos?”

“The rebirth, Aunt Antira,” Eleanor said with a giggle. “Jos is just a stupid boy. I’ll marry him or I won’t, and even if I do it’ll be after I go to Su’Sonith. That’s forever away.”

Shae nearly opened her mouth to say that the five years of training would be over in a blink, and that even while attending Su’Sonith there would be yearly functions with the boys of Kellingherth, during which time marriage proposals, and even consummations, can and did happen. Shae wondered if the queen would say as much, but her monarch decided to go a different route.

“What is it about the rebirth that worries you?” the queen said.

Eleanor bit her lip. “Will it hurt much?”

“It depends,” the queen said. “Have they told you what the conduit is going to be?”

“A poison-coated dagger,” Eleanor said, her expression tense.

The queen clucked her tongue. “House Arress hasn’t hosted the Festival since the removal of Silver the Fifth. I suppose it’s no wonder that they should choose to be archaic in their administration of the test. Well, poison is poison, regardless of the source. Besides, my guardswoman Beatrix had to stick her arm into a basket full of snakes. I bet you’re thankful that you don’t have to do that.”

Eleanor’s eyes widened. “She did?”

“She did,” the queen said, turning to Beatrix. “Tell her.”

The large woman stood up straighter and planted her feet shoulder width apart, looking like she was going to give a formal report. “House Gavel was one of the hosts that year and they had recently traveled to the lands of Lava and thought to show off some of what they had seen. They brought back a nest of fire asps and put the meanest in a large basket, the size of a barrel. One at a time, we had to stick our arms into a hole at the top, and if we didn’t get bitten quickly enough, a nearby guard would shake the basket. Even back then I was bigger than most, and the guard must have wanted to be sure, because he kicked the basket right away.” Beatrix held up her right arm. “I got bit four times before I could pull my arm back. I fell to my knees, feeling the fire of their poison in my veins and thought for sure that my heart would burn right up.”

“But your blood stopped it?” Eleanor asked, eyes even wider than before.

“It did,” Beatrix said. “Even better, I birthed a second gate, without which I couldn’t be a guard to the queen. I would take the test every year if it meant I got to keep the life those asps gave me.”

“That’s amazing,” Eleanor said, looking at Beatrix in awe.

Shae couldn’t help but wonder if her own face had been the same only a few days ago.

“What about you?” Eleanor said, turning. “You just took it last cycle, didn’t you?”

With a start, Shae realized that the girl was talking to her. “That’s correct,” she quickly said.

“So, how was it?”

“Not too bad,” Shae said, trying to sound upbeat, as she could tell that’s what the queen wanted. “I went to House Jetir for mine, and they gave us thimbles full of poison too quickly drink. There was some pain, but it was all over much faster than I had expected.”

“And did you get another gate?”

“No,” Shae said. “But I already had four, so I wasn’t disappointed.”

“Four?” Eleanor said.

“Yes,” the queen interjected. “The original chosen blood runs quite strongly in Shae. It’s one of the reasons she’s with me now. Of course, as Filad’s future Head of House, this is something you should already know, Eleanor. Leaving tomorrow for Su’Sonith is no excuse to be remiss in your studies. If anything, it should be the opposite.”

However, instead of listening to the queen’s chastisement, Shae noticed that the girl was looking at her the same way she had been Beatrix. It made Shae uncomfortable and before she could think better of it, she was talking. “What about you, my queen?”

The queen raised an eyebrow, whether at the change in topic or the question Shae didn’t know. Either way, Eleanor turned back to her aunt, looking instantly intrigued.

“Hmm,” the queen said, “let me think...”

“You don’t remember?” Eleanor said in disbelief.

“My dear,” the queen said, “life is twice as long when you don’t sleep.”

“You could sleep if you wanted,” an elderly voice said. “I’ve told you as much many times.”

Shae looked up to see an older woman approaching, steadying herself on the arm of another woman maybe a few years younger than the queen. Both were dressed in the same orange and silver as Eleanor, and had similar features as Eleanor and the queen: thin noses, strong jawlines, and a matching hourglass-shaped swirl, though the pattern showed up on each of their faces in a different place. What’s more, from her time at court before she left for Su’Sonith, Shae recognized the younger woman as the Head of House Filad.

“I remember your rebirth quite clearly if you do not, my Queen,” Lady Filad said with a playful tone.

The queen stood, wrapping her arms around the elderly woman. “Mother,” she said, and then she turned, embracing Lady Filad. “Sister.” The queen gave the older woman her place on the couch beside Eleanor, sitting instead on one of the nearby chairs, and Lady Filad did the same--the four of them facing each other.

“If you remembered it, Mother,” Eleanor said to Lady Filad, as Beatrix and Shae discreetly moved around the group to take up position behind the queen again, “then why didn’t you tell it to me before?”

“Because it is your aunt’s story to tell.”

“You seem eager to share it now,” the queen said.

“Only if you do not,” Lady Filad responded with a wink.

Their banter reminded Shae keenly of her own family. She wished someone from Tissis were here today, but now that her own aunt had wedded the Head of House Kale, they were surely all there.

“Children,” the older woman said, “if you keep this up, Elly will be long gone to Su’Sonith and me buried in the ground before it’s ever told. One of you, tell the damned thing.”

“Let Lelane,” the queen said, folding her hands in her lap. “She was always better with stories.”

“Only if you insist,” Lady Filad said, still smiling. The woman turned toward Eleanor but at the same time seemed to keep everyone else in view, even Beatrix and Shae, as if they were all part of the tale. “Now, this was long time ago. You must keep in mind that my sister is very old.”

The elderly woman glared at her younger daughter. “Don’t make me older than I already am in this telling.”

“That would be impossible, Mother,” Lady Filad replied. “As you often remind us, you stopped having birthdays at fifty.”

The older woman turned to the queen. “You see what I have to put up with, ever since you left?”

“She was always like this, Mother,” the queen said. “I was just the one getting the lip instead of you.”

“May I continue now?” Lady Filad asked, still all smiles as two other women waved her onward. “As I was saying, this was a long time ago, so the poison test had only recently been introduced by Silver the Fourth and there was still much debate about the proper mixture to use to inspire the birth of new gates. We were at House Trent that year, the whole family watching as it was your aunt’s turn to walk up to a dais in the center of the great hall and inhale a tiny lump of black powder. She did so without hesitation, and we all waited eagerly to see the effect. Nothing, however, happened. Do you know what she did then?”

Eleanor shook her head, and Shae found herself leaning forward. She had never heard this particular story about the queen before.

“She asked for a second helping.”

“She didn’t,” Eleanor breathed.

“She did,” Lady Filad said, her smile growing. “She stood there in front of half the nation's nobility and demanded a second serving, and then when that didn’t have an effect either, a third, and then a fourth, at which point she declared that the portions must be off and that the entire thing would need to be redone.”

“Aunt Atira!” Eleanor exclaimed, turning to the queen.

The queen just shrugged. “Someone had to say something.”

“So,” Lady Filad continued, “there was an hour recess, while those in charge of administering the test consulted amongst themselves. When it was over, your aunt was the first to inhale the new mixture and right away, birthed another gate. What’s more, she made sure that those who had gone before her went again, and two of those received new gates as well.”

“So…” Eleanor said, managing to look both serious and mischievous at the same time, “she’s always told people what to do?”

The elderly woman gave a dry chuckle at that, while Lady Filad laughed, and Shae would have joined them, but Beatrix, as if reading her mind, reached over and pinched her arm, and Shae swallowed the sound.

“What’s more,” Lady Filad said, “in addition to getting a new gate that day, your aunt also caught the eye of Zazell Trent, who is now the sixth vessel of Silver.”

“When she demanded that the test be redone?” Eleanor asked.

Lady Filad shook her head. “It was when she brought the chosen who had gone before her back to the dais. In that moment, he got to see that she fought not only for the best in herself but also in others.”

“You always like to add that part,” the queen said. “But we didn’t court until years later.”

“True,” Lady Filad granted, “but I was looking at him then and you weren’t. Little as I was at the time, I saw the wheels turn in his mind when he realized that you were a woman who could be a queen.”

“Why were you looking at Silver?” Eleanor asked. “Was he very handsome then?”

“Yes,” Lady Filad said with a smile, “but no more so than some other lads. However, he had been born with six gates and was doing well at Kellenghirth, so even then, there were rumors that he would be the one to succeed Silver the Fifth. Everyone who wasn’t watching your aunt’s antics was looking at him.”

“And not much has changed since,” the elderly woman said, pushing herself off of the sofa with some effort. “I want some juice.”

“Mother,” the queen said, “a servant will bring that to you.”

The old woman waved off the comment as she headed back to the refreshment table, her steps jerky. “My legs are lazy. If I sit too long, they go right to sleep.”

“And now you see what I must deal with,” Lady Filad said to the queen with a lowered voice as she rose from her chair.

Shae was in the right position to see the queen mouth the words, “Thank you” to her sister, to which Lady Filad nodded with a small smile, before heading after the elderly woman.

“Will he be here tonight?” Eleanor said to the queen, unmindful of the exchange. “Your husband, Lord Silver?”

Even though she knew she shouldn’t, Shae perked up. She had been wondering the exact same thing. She hadn’t seen him in the palace when they arrived, nor in the morning. It seemed that the queen and he no longer shared sleeping chambers, but Shae expected him to at least greet the queen upon her return or accompany her to the Festival.

“It’s hard to say,” the queen said, turning back to Eleanor. “Zazell is a mercurial man. He is just as likely to grace one of the other cities with his presence as he is to attend here.”

Eleanor looked disappointed, but the queen pressed onward

“More importantly though, how do you feel now about the rebirth?”

“Much better,” the girl said, brightening. “Thank you, Aunt Atira.”

“You know,” the queen said, motioning to some of the girls in the room who were around Eleanor’s age, most of whom clustered near the table with food and drinks. “I bet they are just as scared as you were a few moments ago.”

“I only spoke with them briefly, but they did seem rather nervous,” Eleanor said.

“House Filad’s role is to care for chosen born until after the Festival. In this moment, they are still our charges--your charges. Help them as we have helped you. Let them know that there is life waiting for them after this test if they have but the courage to see it through.”

Eleanor hesitated for a brief moment but then she popped out of her seat, taking a step forward. “You’re right, of course.” She leaned down to hug the seated queen. “Wish me luck.”

“Always,” the queen said, smiling as they parted.

The girl returned the grin--looking much like Lady Filad as she did--and then spun away, heading back to the table.

“My queen,” Beatrix said into the ensuing silence.

The queen turned to regard the large woman. “Yes?”

“I didn’t want to interrupt before, but a message came from Lord Arress. He wishes to speak with you before the Festival of Birth begins.”

Shae blinked, she hadn’t even noticed a runner. She must have been caught up in Lady Filad’s story at the time. She would have to be more vigilant in the future.

The queen stood. “We must hurry then.”

Beatrix nodded, moving to the door, but the queen raised her hand.

“Shae will escort me. Please stay here and watch over my family.”

“My queen?” the large woman said, clearly unhappy with the idea, and for once Shae wholeheartedly agreed. While she most certainly wanted the opportunity to prove that she could guard the queen alone, she didn’t want her first try to be in front of one of the most powerful Lords in all of Silver!

“My mother has never liked depending on servants,” the queen said as way of explanation, “but you she will accept. Especially if you tell her that I’ve ordered you to assist her for a time.” The queen glanced out the garden window, seeming to note the position of the sun. “The Festival will begin soon, so we won’t be long, and I’m sure my sister will appreciate the help, however short.”

“As you command,” Beatrix said, bowing her head briefly and then striding away, but not before giving Shae a sharp look--her eyes making it clear the immense responsibility Shae now shouldered.

“Attend me,” the queen said as she walked the opposite direction, toward the entrance door, and Shae leapt to obey, her heart in her throat.