White Hair Day

In the Capital of the Icelands, the day of the coronation ceremony of Prince Emilian started with rare warmth. The trees and bushes all over the Capital already sported small buds that were bound to bloom soon.

To the surprise of Princess Helmina, the troublesome nobles had finally agreed to her proposal of coronation and even pushed it further forward. Though she was suspicious of this development, she had no time to investigate the matter. Thanks to Ve's ultimatum, her hands were more than full with matters of the army, and preparations for the ceremony. She even had to bring some personnel back into the palace to manage the workload.

On the morning of the ceremonial day, her eye bags were unconcealable with all the makeup in the world. She looked into the mirror, and tears threatened to roll down her cheeks. Even her skin seemed pale and yellowy, some hairs turning white despite her young age. Gripping one of them, she blinked rapidly, then gritted her teeth.

"It is worth it." She ripped off the white hair and reached for another one. "It is worth it. It is worth it."

More and more white hairs fell to the ground around her feet, but her hand didn't stop. When her sight turned burry, she even ripped out dark hairs only to get one more white one. A maid who came into the room with a brush in hand halted at the sight and stared at her in shock.

It was just the maid's bad luck that Helmina noticed her and turned with rage written all over her face. With bloodshot eyes and disheveled hair, she looked just like a witch who was out for human meat. "What? Do I seem unsightly? Do I seem ugly and old like a hag? Spit it out! I dare you to say it, you ungrateful wench!"

The silence of the woman, how she stood there clutching onto the brush with a pale white face, sufficed to anger Helmina more. "Are you afraid now to voice your thoughts? Anxious? Look at me! Am I so ugly you can't look at me anymore? You, who I've found on the street, begging for work and money. What would you be without me? What would all you women be without me? And you dare call me ugly? You dare be afraid like I am my crazy mother who throws things left and right? How can you! How... how can you. How?"

Just as suddenly, Hemina lost her spirit and stared at her reflection. What she saw looked just like the woman in the isolated room upstairs. Her fists were balled, her silky black hair a mess, and anger apparent in the lines of her face. She could remember this image very well.

Whenever their mother got angry, Helmina and Emilian had been ushered out of the room by the servants. If nobody else was there, they hid in a closet or under the bed. They'd never taken the brunt of the Queen's rage, but sometimes they had to watch. The maids, whom her mother hit, were women like her, women who served her mother day in, day out, and whom Helmina knew from a young age. That was where Helmina's urge to help began. But despite all the things she did to help the women in the Icelands, she could never bear to stop her own mother, even now. And now she herself was sending hundreds, thousands of men into war. They might not be women, but they were also human. She would send them into pain and death just to satisfy her selfish wishes. She was really the daughter of her mother.

As she thought so, Helmina's fists loosened. She took a deep breath, her eyes still fixated on her reflection. She knew she was in the wrong, but she could not find the will to apologize to a simple commoner. She sighed. "Is the Queen presentable yet? One way or another, she will have to appear at the ceremony."

"I - I don't know, your Highness." The maid blinked cautiously through her lashes though her head was still lowered in fear. Not getting a reaction from her Highness, she swallowed before she continued, "She was clothed and prepared, but we cannot gauge her mental state. She did not speak to anyone since yesterday, though we did catch her talking to herself at night... the guards said so. If your Highness wishes, we can make preparations so she cannot disrupt the ceremony."

Helmina's brows furrowed. "She usually upheld her image, even in the later years. I don't want to restrain her. Still... it would be bad if she suddenly starts screaming within the the holy hall of the goddess. The ceremony cannot be disrupted. Hopefully, she will manage it one last time. But since this is so important... yes, there is no other way. Her image is too precious to be sullied, and so is my brother's. Please do what you need to do."

"Yes, your Highness."

As the silence prolonged, the maid approached the Princess and held up the brush. "May I, your Highness?"

Helmina stared a bit longer into nothing before she nodded. "You may. And please call Rosalie to do my nails. She really is the best at it."

Cautiously, the maid nodded and pulled the brush through Helmina's long hair. "Do you maybe know where the Crown Prince is, your Highness? As the star of the day, we wanted to prepare him to the best of our abilities, but nobody could find him. Do you know his whereabouts, your Highness?"

The image of an icy cellar flashed through Helmina's mind. "... Yes. I can bring him later. I will help pick his clothes as well. Don't fret. The ceremony won't start without him."

.

The temple of Skadi was situated inside the outermost ring of the Capital to allow even commoners to visit. As such, it was not hard for the former King, his son Aston, and a few loyalists to enter. They just had to squeeze through the masses of visitors at the entrance who tried to secure a good viewing place early on. Of course, they wore disguises.

The temple's inner yards and the hall of the goddess were already decorated with unmelting ice shards and paper snowflakes. Banners of the royal family hung from the window sills, and the wisened high priestess, who was usually found in prayer in the hall of the goddess, stood in the courtyard to oversee the last decoration efforts.

When the group approached her, the high priestess showed a smile that, though friendly, was also professional. Matching her outfit was her hair like a bonnet of snow, and she held a staff in her hand. The light blue colored accessory was both a status symbol and a real help to her aging body. She spoke before anyone else, and with a surprisingly firm voice. "No, I cannot open the higher levels for visitors. No, you cannot watch from the vestry. And no, you cannot bring food or drinks inside the hall of the goddess. Any questions left?"

"Yes." It was the old King who spoke, sitting in the wheelchair at the front of their group. "Do you still recognize my voice, high priestess Melody Rendell? And if so, do you remember why the high priestess is required to crown each King with her own two hands?"

The high priestess' snow-white brows shot up before seriousness settled in her features as she composed herself. "Yes. Of course, I do. The high priestess is the representative of Skadi, neutral to all worldly matters. If a king dies, it is my responsibility to tell who is the rightful heir. And today, as always, only the rightful heir shall earn the crown. Though, I must say, it is a bit sad for all the bribes I decline before each coronation. They would do our temple much good."

A low laugh rumbled out of William's chest. "Getting greedy in your old days, is it?"

The high priestess smiled softly and glanced over to the soldiers standing here and there at the sides of the hall. "If I were greedy, would we really talk so leisurely here?"

"Fine, fine," William waved a hand and smirked below his hood as if he anticipated the answer. "You are generous. And since you are so generous, I am sure you would do an old man like me another little favor. Am I right?"

The high priestess shook her head with amusement. "I offer a finger, and you take my arm. Things really never change between us."

"Well, after you didn't show up at my son's wedding... you still owe me for the surprise."

"Oh yes. I am sorry for that." A slight furrow grew between the high priestess' brows, opposing her light tone. "I heard it was quite a spectacle. Sadly, I was not in the city, and I assure you, it will not happen again under my watch. Now, how can I help you?"