The palace was bathed in sunlight like it was every day in Valiant. Aurora sat on a bench and picked at the flowers of the garden, when suddenly the sky went dark. A blue-eyed, blond haired man appeared in front of her with a sword in his hand. The scared little girl held her arms up and tried to block the blow. Just as the sword was set to split her in two, the princess tumbled out of her large bed and onto the floor.

“Your Highness!” A lady-in-waiting rushed in to help the girl off the ground. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, Anna,” the heir to the throne answered. “It was only a bad dream.” Though somewhere deep down, Aurora felt it was more than that. She knew somehow it was a warning.

———————————

That afternoon, Aurora looked out at the bustling crowd, praying that she would not fall because of the tall heels her advisors had made her wear. The large heavy clothes and thick make-up made her feel like a clown, but the Council had insisted she needed to look older than her actual age.

They were right; Aurora no longer looked ten-years-old. She looked much closer to eighteen, which was their goal. It had been a tall order, but somehow they had managed it.

Beside her stood a boy, looking equally ridiculous as she. Instead of a long, flowing gown as she had, he was wearing a tunic and wide trouser to conceal his own elevated shoes and a purple robe covering his shoulders to make them look broader.

Devrim, that was his name. He was only two years older than Aurora, and now he, too, had the weight of the Empire on his shoulders.

Devrim waved awkwardly to the crowd below. They were high up in the palace on a balcony overlooking the capital city, Valiant. Many wars had been fought over the years, but today was a different kind of battle.

Today was a battle of politics, and both Aurora and Devrim hoped it would not end in bloodshed. The chief of the Council, Cafer, stood on the edge of the balcony with his arms raised to address the crowd.

Silence fell.

Cafer cleared his throat, "Empress Zephyra..."

"Glory to the Empress!" cried the crowd in unison.

Cafer expected their response. He paused before continuing. "Empress Zephyra is dead!"

The crowd exclaimed, murmured, and mumbled, but generally most seemed to have already understood this fact. "It is the Princess Aurora's and the Council's deepest desire to honor her death by observing a week's mourning."

A hush ensued.

A week's mourning was a short time for a ruler to be memorialized. Empress Zephyra had been a firm and mighty ruler, but also cold and distant.

She had conquered the world with her fierce army, and many would not be sad that she was gone. The short duration of mourning would mean that few would have a chance to show open defiance before it was complete.

"After this time of mourning, we shall begin a new era by crowning a new Empress, Empress Aurora!"

"Glory to the Empress!" the crowd shouted again, this time for their new ruler.

Aurora gasped. Their fervor was overwhelming. Devrim grabbed her hand to steady her. His grey eyes were comforting in the midst of the chaos.

Turning his head back to the crowd, Devrim regained his most regal pose.

"Are you ok?" he whispered through the side of his mouth.

Aurora couldn't help but smile. Even though he had been put in an impossible position, Devrim was still thinking of her. He was a good friend. She had chosen the right person to accompany her.

"I will be fine. Are you sure you want to be here, to a part of this deception? If you make your escape now, I will not stop you."

"I am here to serve you, Empress." the boy said, a hint of playfulness in his young voice.

"Please don't call me that...at least not for another week."

The pair were called back to Cafer's speech. He had been going on about the merits of Aurora, most of which were exaggerated for effect, but now his focus had changed.

"Good people, Empress Zephyra was a private person. She did not allow you to experience the joys of her life. Even we, as a Council, were not allowed to attend the marriage ceremony of the future Empress Aurora..."

The crowd was suddenly loud as many questioned how this could be so. Speaking over the multitude, Chief Cafer went on, "Nor could we be present when the future Empress had her first two children only this past week."

Cafer's lies worked; the people erupted in indignation. If they had known she was only a child pretending to be grown, pretending to be married, and pretending to have children…how much more angry would they have been, Aurora wondered. Lies upon lies to protect the empire.

As it was, the councilmen lining the back of the palace balcony grew uneasy. It was not clear if the crowd was angry at the late Empress or at them.

Aurora grasped at Devrim's hand, her anxiety growing each moment. Finally, when the noise had reached its apex, Cafer held up his hands dramatically.

"You are right to be angry," he comforted them. "But we will make this right. After our mourning, we will hold a celebration and declare a week-long public holiday in honor of the new Empress, her marriage and the heirs to the throne."

Those listening cheered so loud it was deafening. Aurora applauded Cafer's cunning move inwardly. He had let them be angry so that their joy would be that much more pronounced. And a week of no labor was unheard of in Empress Zephyra's reign. Already, Aurora's popularity was growing.

"And now, good people, I will delay you no longer. May I present, future Emperor Consort Devrim, and Aurora, future Empress of the World and all that is within it!"

The children stepped forward, working very hard to appear as the eighteen and twenty-year-olds that the royal records would indicate. They waved to the welcoming crowd, many chanting their names in turn. It felt surreal.

"They love you," Devrim said encouragingly.

"No," Aurora responded, "They love that I am not my mother."

"Do you plan to follow in her footsteps?" Devrim asked over the din of praise.

"Definitely not," the ten-year-old said with conviction.

The boy squeezed her hand. He had not let go through the entire ceremony, though whether it was to comfort her or himself she was not sure. "Good." Devrim said with a grin.

"You aren't waving enough!" Cafer hissed as he leaned over toward them. He had been too far to hear their musings and he had no mind for 'idle prattle' anyway.

"Yes, Chief Cafer," the children dutifully responded, redoubling their waving efforts.

"Much better," Cafer said, satisfied. "And don't forget to smile."

Through his plastered smile, Devrim could not help but add his final thoughts, "Don't be anyone but you. Forge your own path. It's not every day you inherit a planet."

Aurora chuckled, "Inheriting it was easy. Ruling it will be the hard part."