Chapter 20: New Moon
When Irene began slipping in Frieda's hold, she started to gently nudge her mom to put her down. Her mom graciously obliged, but she continued to hold Irene's hand as they move towards the centre of the hall that had been cleared for the princess to cross. From there, Irene could see the backs of the council members with their mighty tails proudly displayed.
"Fellow citizens of Daijaya," came the clear resonance of the princess's voice that amplified the cheer from the crowd. Even the people within the palace were swept up in jubilance as Irene heard her mom give an affirmative shout.
"I am grateful to see you all here tonight. It is thanks to you that I am able to stand here and serve our beloved country," she continued undeterred.
"Mom, I can't see," Irene grumbled, but Freida herself was too lost while witnessing a rare historical event, so she hushed her child absentmindedly.
Irene slowly pried her hand out of her mom's loosening grasp and started to weave her way through the crowd, she wanted to see, she had to see.
"The Azule clan has the privilege of leading this country to prosperity for nearly two centuries, and it has been no easy journey."
Even while running about, the princess's voice, an all-too-familiar one at that, still reached her ears.
"Halt, where are you going?" asked a knight who deliberately stepped in Irene's way.
"I need to see her, I can't see her," Irene explained frantically. The knight raised his head. By some miracle, he said, "The door to the garden is that way."
Irene hadn't the time to offer more than a muffled thank you when she rounded a table and slammed the door open. In the garden, it was another battlefield, for it was more crowded than the palace.
"My imperial sire, King All-Jouhtan Azule III, was a wise ruler during his reign. I had been by his majesty's side since birth and had been hand-taught by him for this very moment. My imperial dam, Queen All-Mycrion Azule, has invested an impressive amount of effort in embellishing a knowledgeable, and compassionate ruler. I can't thank them enough."
The princess' voice was like a candle in the darkness, and Irene was the captivated moth to the flame. She fluttered around the crowd, squeezing through the tightest spots and finally, decided to stand upon a boulder at the far left of the princess, enough to get a glimpse of an unobstructed side profile. She was small when sandwiched between adult dragons, but her confidence made her the tallest there.
"I am young, but that simply means I have more room to learn. Dragons of Daijaya, lend me your support!"
A roaring cheer cajoled a similar shout of worship from Irene's mouth. Water was spraying everywhere, and clouds were gathering across the clear sky, casting a light drizzle over the kingdom. The light of the gardens began to dim, and Irene looked up. Her little mouth fell in awe as she sees the silver moon glow red.
"People of Daijaya, let me hear you!"
And the people cheered.
As if knowingly, there was a low hum in the crowd. It started small, and gradually grew louder as more voices joined in.
"O' Praise the ocean,
O' Home of Azulean,
Praise be the ocean,
For treasures a million
Everyone, dragon and human alike, was harmoniously in sync as they sang the national anthem.
"We solemnly promise
Make home shine diamonds
Make walls of gold corals
Daijaya's immortal
Honour to the Queen
Blow a steam of heat
Honour to the Queen
Our crossed swords meet
Love our neighbours
Dragons and humans
We stand strong united
Like scales of a dragon
As pure as sea foam
As strong as currents
Warm as steam n'
Wild as torrents
Daijaya O' Daijaya
Daijaya O' Daijaya"
Some barely finished singing the last lines as the country erupted in cheer. Irene herself was smiling uncontrollably with her lips stretched wide. The princess allowed a tiny smile on her face as she raked her eyes through the crowd. Inevitably, their eyes locked. An electric current ran down her spine, leaving her fingers and toes to tingle in its wake.
The princess's red lips parted open in shock, but the moment was gone as quickly as it came when her wings spread behind her. Her red wings raised over her head. She spread her arms open and her words tamed the crowd.
"By the grace of the Blood Moon, the royal council and Daijaya's citizens, I, Ayudia Azule, swear to devote my body, my heart and my soul to Daijaya. May our Kingdom prosper with a thousand stars!"
To everyone's apparent shock, she turned inwards to the palace. The councillors parted their ways, albeit as befuddled as the audience. Irene barely had time to process what was going on when she suddenly reappeared while doing a short run up towards the railing of the balcony. Her wings were stretched behind her and her lithe body was wrapped in a flurry of white lace when she leapt over the balcony's railing and started plummeting. She vaguely heard a scream as the guards hastily took flight to catch her, but then, the queen soared.
A breath of warm steam, enough to cause the closest of the audience to cringe and take a step back surged as she arched over the sky. Her wings formed a circlet around the blood moon as her dress was dyed a shade of crimson. The people, relieved beyond compare, began another round of cheering as the young dragon circled her palace, flying towards the tallest tower.
"Long live the Queen All-Azule!" chanted the crowd. "Long live Daijaya!"
The water droplets condensed by the new monarch, a symbol of her great magical power despite her young age. Each reflected like thousands of twinkling, red stars before they showered over the audience. Irene's hair came undone, falling into soft waves that curled by her shoulders. By chance, she caught a droplet from the sky, one that she saw "knew" came from the queen.
With it cupped in her hand, she puckered her lips and reverently sipped it. It tasted no different than regular water, but it filled Irene with something otherworldly. The queen landed on the balcony once more, waving her hands to the screams of thousands, and then retreated inwards with the other councillors.
Even after the queen was gone, the people remained enthusiastically restless. The crowd went undone and everyone started singing drinking songs as drinks were passed between one another. Irene was starting to get uncomfortable, so she tried to make her way back into the palace. Alas, she was one against thousands, so she thought better of it and decided to try finding another way in instead. Well, an adventure would be fun.
X
Inside the palace, things were no different than in the gardens. Except, the people were much more organised and the queen's royal shower was lesser than before to avoid making the smooth stones slippery.
Queen All-Ayudia Azule's unorthodox ascension will later be remarked on by historians as The Ecdysis, the shedding of scales. The name would be connotated further as time passes, but the most austere reason was the sudden change in tradition. The previous generations of Azuleans were crowned by their parents indoors. It was a solemn event where they were crowned by the previous ruler, signifying how the previous ruler was bestowing the mantle to the new.
Neither of Queen All-Ayudia Azule's parents was present, so she was crowned none other by the secretary of state, Duke Macabre. The white-haired duke held the imperial crown with his gloved hands and murmured a prayer. For the waters to watch over the queen, to guide her with the oceans' currents, to lead Daijaya to an age of prosperity.
The heavy crown was embedded with jewels of all sizes, with a palm-sized sapphire in the centre. It laid snugly between her horns as she sat upon the high throne, her wings were stretched comfortably behind her. She was almost swallowed by the cushions that were endowed with the royal azure shades, but she was in no way unworthy.
Then, one by one, the councillors came over to swear their allegiance.
Duke Wythe and General Or are the first two, being as they are the swords of the state and protectors of the crown.
"The House of Macabre swears allegiance to the bearer of the crown," said the Duke, who flashed her a charming smile. The rest followed suit, each kneeling before the queen and bowing their heads, exposing the bare, unscaled portion of their necks.
"I thank you for your loyalty," came the hushed voice of her majesty once the last council of the lower portion had also sworn to allegiance. "For centuries, Daijaya has birthed dragons of pride and dignity. As marked by the braids in your hair, time remains our ally to ensure we leave the world a better place than what it was before. On my royal word, I announce a new era, may Daijaya prosper and may you serve our motherland well. Praise Daijaya, praise the ocean."
"Praise Daijaya, praise the ocean!" they echoed.