The Coronation

Serenity

Having learned of their relationship with Lady Luthia, High King Antar appointed Mai, Téa, and Serenity as his newly adopted son's guardians and allowed them to stay in his castle and care for him. While he would have loved to spend time with the boy, he could not; for he was in his summer home being treated for his illness.

Sadly, he passed away just a few days later leaving the kingdom in mourning for weeks. Now it was official. The baby boy, who was named Daveed, was declared the future High King of Termnnia. All the races of the world traveled to Rassay to get a look at the next High King and, as many called him, The Slayer of Anubis.

Being one of his guardians, Serenity stood at the foot of the long stairs that led up to the Diamond Throne, the central seat of power on the continent. It was a massive structure standing forty feet tall.

The throne was made of solid gold and giant diamonds, each one bearing an important part of Termnnian history. It stood at the center of a wide pedestal and served as the base for a massive statue of the legendary High Queen named Evangelia. There was a beautiful pool at the base of the throne with five little fountains on each side of it.

And thundering down on both sides of the throne were two large waterfalls that poured from the towering wall behind the throne. Their torrents were drowned out by the choir of the temple monks, who were singing in praise of the new prince. Standing guard on the pedestal were three thirty-foot statues made of gold depicting the greatest rulers of Termnnia.

They formed a diamond formation around the throne and the statue of Evangelia. The statues were of Norman the Conqueror. Tiberius Pendragon first Termnnian High King and the Uniter of the Continent. And the third statue was of Rufio the Blade of the Phoenix, so-called because he wielded a mighty sword blessed with and forged from the flames of the Winged Dragon of Ra's Phoenix Form.

Resting on the centerpiece of the throne's towering banister was a beautiful gem. It had over a thousand facets and was gleaming like a star, giving off iridescent hues into the air. The gem was known as the Tear of Horakhty, the most precious jewel in all Termnnia.

Horakhty gave Tiberius Pendragon the stone as a reward for unifying the continent after hundreds of years of bloody conflicts waged by barons, warlords, and scores of Ancient Norman kings. And there it stood, shining on the throne ever since.

Serenity grimaced. She felt dizzy at how tall and massive everything in the throne room was. From the towering heights of the statues to the black marble columns and even very walls, which stretched hundreds of feet high.

It didn't help that she was finding it hard to breathe in the tight corset she was forced to put on by her mother and her handmaidens. She waved a fan in front of her face to give herself some air.

"Nervous?" Téa asked. She stood as still as a statue beside Serenity.

"How can you be so calm?" Serenity asked. She exhaled deeply and waved her fan even faster.

"You always act as if the sky is falling," Téa said with a suppressed giggle. "Come on now, stand up straight and keep your chin up. You're a legal guardian to the Crown Prince of Termnnia, so show a little dignity, huh."

"Easy for you to say," Serenity gasped. "You're not wearing a damned corset. Mom brought it all the way from the Empire of Light. It must be custom for girls there not to breathe."

"Eesh, sorry to hear that. Think there's any time left to head to the powder room and change?"

"No, I lost that moment a while ago. It's too late. Look, the Grand Maester of the Temples and the High Priestesses are on their way right now."

The bells rang all over the city in jubilee. Trumpets thundered with royal fanfare declaring the arrival of Grand Maester Seymour, the lord, and master of all the temples. He waved a jeweled thurible back and forth, singing along with the choir as he made his way across the hundred-yard throne room.

The High Priestesses followed him, each of them from a temple of the Mothers, who were Goddesses of Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, and Light. The High Priestesses were chaperoned by their own female knights, all of them adorned in beautiful armor and holding up banners emblazoned with the sigils of the temples they served.

After the parade of the Grand Maester and the High Priestesses, Grand Priestess Avenellia arrived. She was from the Temple of Horakhty; Queen of the Goddesses, and Mother of the Divine Beasts. Her floor-length hair was as bright as sunshine and brushed from left to right like a cape of gold silk.

She wore a long white dress accented in blue, and a black blindfold was wrapped around her eyes. She carried a case in her hands covered by a white sheet. As she made her approach, the Grand Maester, the High Priestesses, and their knights formed two lines on either side of the red-carpeted path that led to the throne.

The chatter of the crowd died down as Avenellia slowly and gracefully walked to the throne. People knelt in respect as she passed by and rose petals rained down from the ceiling. She walked by a rectangular pond that spanned the length of the throne room and shot fountains high up into the air that began to dance with the hymns.

When Avenellia reached the foot of the stairs she knelt down.

Another blast of fanfare erupted and the herald cleared his throat. "All kneel before His Majesty, Daveed Delgado Luthenion Wallcroft of the House of Plantegrast. The First of his Name. Crown Prince of Termnnia. Heir to the Diamond Throne and the Divine Beasts!"

"Da, hell," said Joey. "That's a long-ass name."

"Shh," said Yugi. Yami stood over his shoulder in a phantasmal form, bearing a wide grin on his face.

The herald continued. "He comes before you in the arms of Lady Mai Valentine, the newly-appointed Duchess of Purple Rose. And Godmother of His Royal Majesty, Prince Daveed."

The crowd applauded as Mai came into the throne room. She wowed them all with a white dress that sparkled like a thousand suns and bore a long train that was held up by ten little girls. They were invited from the local school because of their good grades and other achievements.

Each of the girls was gowned with stunning white dresses that sparkled with tiny diamonds. And they bore crowns of silk flowers on their heads. In front of Mai paraded four more little girls. They were tossing rose petals as they walked down the throne room towards the Diamond Throne.

One of them was Akiza Izinksi of Rosehold, who became heir to the legendary Black Rose Dragon, the beautiful guardian beast of her kingdom precious. Her parents watched her from a balcony above with a glass of wine in hand.

They proudly boasted of their daughter's power and how she would one day serve as a knight for the High King when she was ready. When Mai reached the foot of the throne, the girls bowed, formed a line out of the throne room. Mai then turned and held up the baby for all to see before she set him down in a basket.

Grand Maester Seymour approached the child and waved the thurible above him, blessing him with sweet scents that were believed to ward off evil spirits.

Afterward, each High Priestess came to offer the prince gifts and blessings.

"This is gonna be good," Joey said. "Bless you, little guy."