From the time she had laid down to sleep, she was sure that it would never come. One would not be at fault for assuming the reason was because today was her naming ceremony. However as much as that was of importance, something more poignant gripped the mind of the princess of Aurum. It was the reactions to her father’s play, rather one reaction in particular. You know nothing of me Reza Altieri. His words echoed through her ears like bells calling for prayer. When she had first heard him say it, she dismissed it for she did not like the tone in which he spoke to her. Yet ever since their time together it was all she could recall; it was true, she did not know him. So when her father had announced a playact to celebrate his greatest achievement in the eyes of many. The princess was sure that the king would drown in laughter and pride at his glories, for what great man would not? She would get a glimpse of the man so many praised and sought the company of. However just before it had begun and soon after it ended, his expression gave her great cause for concern. Amidst the thunderous applause and cheers and the calling of his name, when she turned to the man she was meant to marry. It was only for the briefest moments but all she saw was pained sadness. A similar kind of grimace to the one he sported when he gazed into the sea. You know nothing of me Reza Altieri. She would not entertain the idea of it, for she could not discard her feelings for Gawain. Nor would she, but for the briefest moments after the play, Reza wanted to know more about Antares.

  The early morning sounds snapped her out of her trance as her face reddened at the thought of him. She forced herself to remember the importance of what today was. It took precedent over such childish and nonsensical thoughts, for now. Reza was tired, more so than she had been in days, but today was the day her life would change forever. So as she sat up patiently, in the white gown that had been hand crafted for her alone, she waited. She studied the texture of the silk fabric and the softness against her skin. She felt as though she were a woman of the cloth, they often wore basic garments like this, a thin layer separating their bare flesh from the world of the Gods around them. Her gaze then turned to her room that she was accustomed to and her royal garments scattered about. Looking around her chambers, she was unsure what it was she was trying to discern. Or more accurately, Reza had hoped the world would look different now that she was seventeen and a woman in the eyes of those around her. That there would be a physical change in how she saw the world and it reflected back in her eyes. Still it was the same room she was familiar with as well as the same clothes she owned. It was all the same, she was unsure if her new found realization was a welcomed one or not. She let out a half-hearted chuckle and shook her head. The room fell back into silence and with that she was made aware how quiet the air was, not even the ever present sounds of the bustling city below. As she rose off her bed, a knock on her door startled her and she quickly sat back down before the door opened.

  Her mother dressed in her ever familiar black gowns entered the room. She was accompanied on either side by noblewomen of both House Altieri and House Blackrose. They too were dressed in all white, although their fabric was not as fine as her own. The simple design she sported sought to somehow elevate her above them even though Reza knew she looked quite plain. The hidden jealousy behind their gaze was muted with an oppressive silence. She turned her sight back towards her mother who approached her with a soft expression that contained a familiar warmth that she had known her whole life. Her mother was as tall as she was beautiful, and as she stood over her it was the first time Reza felt as though she was in the presence of a queen rather than the woman who had raised her all her life. She still failed to understand how any could look at her and dare compare her to the woman who stood in front of her. The regal energy she exuded was one afforded only to those who were destined to rule, that was her mother, that was her sister's, not she.

  The princess realized her expression must have shown, for her mother’s face softened even more in return. She looked away embarrassed or ashamed, it did not matter. Soon after she felt her mother’s soft hands across her cheek and then down to her chin turning her gaze back to her. As she pulled her chin upwards, Reza followed the command and rose. She watched as her mother studied her as though it was the first time she had ever looked upon her. Her emerald eyes slowly made their way across her body. The freckles that dotted her shoulders. Her uncontrollable flowing raven hair, eyebrows thick and healthy, and finally resting on her cerulean eyes filled with tears ready to fall.

  Reza was unsure why she was overcome with such strong emotions as the tears rolled down her cheeks. Perhaps it was because in the same look her mother had studied her, it was the very expression she felt when she looked at her room previously, as she searched for change. Yet where she doubted there was an obvious difference. Here she hoped that her mother would see that she was still her same daughter. The little girl who filled the lower libraries with water, the little girl who was always eager to see the outside world. The little girl who looked at Tereza Altieri as the greatest witch to ever live and proud to call her mother. Many would look at her as a woman, they would expect things of her and try to mold her into a being worthy of their expectations. But no matter what change would come or would not, she would always be her daughter, nothing would ever change that.

  Tereza acknowledged her daughter's tears with her own and she too was overcome by a great emotion. They embraced with a desire to convey their feelings for each other through the warmth of their body. And as Tereza pulled back, wiping away her tears and her daughters, Reza’s naming ceremony commenced.

  When they exited her chambers, once again Reza was met with an oppressive silence that startled her. She recalled from her lessons, quietness was a necessary part of the ceremony. She was not quite sure why that was the case, but now that she stood in it, she was starting to understand its importance. These were halls she had walked before, and had begun to familiarize herself with, however now as she walked them flanked on either side by noblewomen and her mother in front of her. They felt somehow larger and hollow, almost as though she walked through an unimaginably old structure. In truth she did. Only their footsteps seemed to break the monotony of the atmosphere around them but it was enough to make the princess aware of herself and how she appeared. Her naked feet hit the cold marble floors of her father’s home. The thin cloth she wore, barely kept the chill from her naked body. If the point of her attire was to make her uncomfortable in her own flesh, there was no need, she was more than already accustomed to that feeling.

  It was not long before their march took them through the castle towards the rear. They met no other on their journey and Reza found herself enjoying the silence somewhat, it was a welcomed distraction of what would come next but it was a short lived experience as they reached the large doors that opened to the outside. Tereza stopped in front of her and the others followed as well. She could see her mother’s shoulders tense as though preparing for something before they relaxed again. Next the doors opened.

  The light was first to blind her, she raised her hand shielding her sight from the burning rays that beat down across her face as she stepped into the morning sun. The warmth felt different, almost harsher than she was used to. The fact she could tell the difference would have been cause for pause, but Reza was shocked into stiffness at the thousands who had gathered around. All of them were staring at her. Her heartbeat rang in her ears so loudly she was sure that they could all hear it. Which is why they looked at her so intently. Her clothing did not help matters and the princess lowered her gaze to the ground. A wave of discomfort washed over her threatening to drown her in her own thoughts. Eyes filled with envy, others with a budding curiosity and many with the carnal desire she had grown accustomed to while she was in Longshore. To Reza it was as though they were all tearing at her being, taking something of her for their own ambition. In the presence of so many eyes of both royals and nobles alike, she was meat to be devoured and defiled. Was this what it meant to be a Crown Princess, or a woman? The answer eluded her.

  Her mother and the others looked to march, the princess was rooted in place. Unable to move forward. She could not calm herself, nor could she look up to meet her mother’s gaze. She stole a glance at the crowd and their faces all began to dissolve into each other, the individuality giving way for a coalescing entity of a thousand faces all of them waiting and watching. Judging her unworthy of everything she was given by birth. Her entire existence merely a happenstance. There was nothing about her to warrant such a procession, such fealty, such reverence. In comparison to those that came before, she was sorely lacking in every single regard that mattered. In the growing mass that surrounded her, she could not find her sisters nor her brothers for comfort. Too many to discern, too many to try to understand. The silence crushed her.

  You know nothing of me Reza Altieri.

  His voice cut through the silence with all the power afforded to one of his standing. It resonated all around her and she was sure it would split her head open. She instinctively raised her head as she looked across the growing mass of faceless people gathered around her until her eyes rested on his. The storm-covered, golden-violet sunset looked back at her intently. The twin suns burned with an intensity only compared by the celestial body in the sky. His sight alone in a sea of thousands upon thousands, all filled with countless opinions of her; expectations and their burdens, made them all look inadequate in comparison. A piercing and cold gaze that carried no desire, no malice, no want, merely observing her as she was. Only wanting to know her. Reza quickly looked away before her face could redden anymore than it had, her senses coming back to her as the world around her seemed to find its reminiscent appearance. He was right, she thought. Standing here in front of all of these people projecting themselves onto her, she accused them all of the same thing. They knew nothing of her and who she was. What they had not heard in rumor, they conjured in gossip, their expectations for her were formed with their own goals and desires in mind. She was not theirs to do as they pleased, that was not the role of the Crown Princess, that was not her role in all of this. She would object to them all, even if among those people it included her father. Reza met her mother’s concerned look and returned it with a soft smile and before long she continued on her long march down to the sea behind the castle. It was difficult at first, putting one foot in front of the other. For several paces all she could do was keep her eyes lowered on the path in front of her as she walked. In time as the scent of sea breeze filled her nostrils, she found the strength to raise her head and look on.

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  The path to the sea shore was accompanied by a constant cool breeze that she liked. Since her arrival in Longshore she had traversed this path many times with her sister and her mother. And yet as she walked in silence all she thought of was of the time she came here with him. The awkwardness and the uncomfortable silence she was experiencing now reminded her of that day with him and unbeknownst to her, a smile crept across her face. Having handled that ordeal, she found her current position was one she could survive as well. The princess was still bothered by those who looked at her but found comfort in the familiar uneasiness. This feeling was enough to carry her until they reached the end of the steps by the seashore.

  As Reza stepped on to the sands, the softness of the grain was a welcomed feeling that calmed her even greater. She felt as though she would sink beneath the surface and wiggled her toes in delight. Here the crowd had moved back a great distance creating a wide semi-circle around her. She followed in her mothers footsteps as they made their way closer to the sea. As they arrived near the edge, surrounded on either side of the old High Priestess were her family. All of them looked at her with admiration and love, most of all Roderika. She smiled in return and met all of their gazes. Her father stepped forward and she bowed in reverence along with her mother and the noblewomen by her side. The High Priestess was the first to act, her priestess robes looked to drown her before the sea could claim her. Nevertheless she persisted and walked deep into the water until she was submerged up to her hips. She motioned for the princess to approach, and while led by both her mother and father holding her hands, Reza followed.

  They left her in the care of the priestess and retreated back to shore. The old woman’s homely appearance reminded her of the elder noblewomen of House Altieri. Although the elder women of her house often carried accusatory looks, the old woman before her instead beguiled her worthiness. It made the princess smile as she took her arms. Just like her mother before the High Priestess studied her, as though looking for something. This time she was not overcome with the same feelings as she had with her mother, there was a greater sense of understanding of who she was now. As though across the journey from her chambers she had undergone a change. Subtle in all the ways that mattered, but enough that even the woman before her could see. When she too was satisfied with what she saw in Reza, the High Priestess stood out of her path and motioned for her to move deeper into the sea.

  Reza gazed at the endless expanse of the cool blue waters as they went on beyond the depth of her vision. The sun over head reflected light off the waves and the sea before her sparkled with a beauty that she would never cease to adore. Here half submerged, it was as though the entire world beyond the one she knew was but a few paces away. The wonders of what could be found in distant lands and seas, the magic that lived there. At first it was just a childish thought, but the more she looked out into the endless ocean, the more she felt as though she could begin to feel the call of the entire world. So she heeded it and walked until she was embraced by the sea completely.

  The silence she had experienced before dwarfed in comparison to the endless void that had enveloped her. With her eyes closed it seemed to double in force. The pressure building in her ears as well as holding her breath seemed to sink her further into the black abyss. Even still in some ways it felt as though she was floating to the surface at the same time. The lack of direction, lack of purpose should have terrified her but it did not. She did all she could to hold still and embrace what would come from her journey into the abyss waters.

  At first nothing happened, and then a long while later or at the very least what she assumed was a great time passing. She heard it. It was too distant at first, barely audible if at all. She strained her ears all she could to hear but it was muffled as though the waters around her would not let her hear it. However the longer she focused, the louder the voice became. Its arrival thundered in and she was thrown into a time as many sounds swirled around her. Reza heard men laughing, women singing, and around her children ran playfully. Water gently rocking against planks. Then the large groaning of ships, too large to be anything she could recall. Reza was unsure how she knew they were ships but it was as though she could feel them, smell the wet wood. The princess could feel their happiness, their warmth as they traversed the open oceans free. And then without warning, a second sound ruptured the very air all around her. Plunging the world to eternal night. The longer their journey went, the once pleasant sounds of people slowly grew more distressing, twisted and terrible. Like a wound was cut across bare flesh, divine skin that should never have been touched.

  Men barked orders at each other as they fought. Women begged for deliverance to dead Gods with sacrifice of their unborn. Children huddled together frightened at the rising waves as they watched violent winds snatch some away into the dark. Above them so much rain poured down as it thundered ceaselessly. The only marker of light is the lightning and the dying bonfire made of the corpses of dead babies. It is then a frightened boy holds out his hand, trying with all his might to hold on to his brother who the winds beckon to take into the abyss. In the ceaseless flash of lightning that illuminates the night. The endless rain is revealed to be blood, so much of it raining from the heavens. And Reza listens as the boy turns his head to the cosmos, lightning striking again. To watch the slaughter of the Gods. Hundreds of them, thousands, innumerable, their lives extinguished as a star is born in the sky for each one. Their deaths forever marked upon the night and their butchers, like a crown they wear the cosmos for all to see. And the boy sees one of these butchers, sickle-shaped sword and mouth soaked in the blood of a celestial. It turns, the boy looks into its eyes and beholds the death of Montju-Ra trapped in its gaze. And in the light of another lightning strike, it is aware of him. The boy lets his brother go.

  She could taste their fear, bitter and rancid like a rotting fruit. The uncertainty of what lay ahead was palpable, their doom laid exposed for all to see. The ships numbered in the hundreds at one point even in the thousands. So many people cowering in horror and praying, so much praying but there were no Gods to hear. All of them dead, the heavens were empty. The seas still. They were alone, as she was.

  As silence returned to her, it brought with it relief of the horrors she had heard. However her moment of reprieve was short lived. The impossibility of the sound now growing louder, stunned her into alertness. Reza heard her mothers voice. Her words muffled, the princess was barely able to make out a few sentences. Soon after she heard Roderika’s voice, then Enrieta's and Saturn's and her father’s. Other voices she knew and many she did not. They spoke of her, things from her past before her birth–she was unsure how she could tell, but from her future as well. Yet it was not their voice or what they said that reached her. Soothingly cutting through the noise, it was the voice of a mysterious woman she did not know. That is what she thought she believed but Reza could not shake the feeling that she knew her, in fact she knew this woman far longer than anyone else. A person she should not have forgotten. Compelled, Reza focused as she desired to hear what this woman had to say. What she found the more she focused on her voice, unlike the others who seemed to be speaking to her, this woman was speaking to another. It was only then, did the princess realize it was she who was intruding on the woman. However despite her folly, she was seduced by their conversation, for they spoke of a great many truths and terrifying things

  She heard mention of the stars before they were crucified in the night sky. Of a mother’s love that shattered eternity and a Black Witch's that mended it. The Great Serpent who became Shahanshah and its followers who reshaped the world. But through these forbidden truths and obscure certainties. She heard of what should not have been spoken. That which should not exist. The last son/kin of Isfet, who the Outer Gods would deem Anti-Life. She heard mention of Antares Xerxes. The mere acknowledgement of his name filled her with so much guilt and dread at a truth she feared she was never meant to be made aware of. Not yet at least. To hear this woman say his name, unnerved her as though the very world itself was conscious of his existence and would unravel at the seams by its mere mention. With all the effort she could muster, she fought to make the sounds clearer, desiring to know why his name was said. To know why the entire world shuddered underneath the weight of it. As though reacting to her desire, the waters answered her plea if only barely. In the conversation she intruded, she finally could make out the voice of the second woman. In this other voice she heard familiarity, but was unable to clearly point out who it was. She demanded more. It was not enough, she did all she could to push deeper, further into the darkness and all the secrets it hid. In her naivety to require more her presence was revealed. Both women stopped talking, even with her eyes closed she felt one of them turn to her. In that moment of stillness that seemed to stretch for all the time that was offered to the world, she heard an impossibility. As the woman spoke, the princess heard her own voice.

  Reza you must breathe.