Aurora Thornwing's Arc

Chapter 1 of 3

Aurora Thornwing wanted the Fairy Court's crown, but the two golden horns on her head said she had no right to it. Every fairy in Avalanche Row wore wings and nothing else above their brow. Aurora had wings too, purple ones, folded tight against her pink dress. Still, the horns were what the Court would see first. They would see them and send her home. She stood outside her leafy hut and pressed a hand to each horn, as if she could push them flat. They did not move. Red hair fell over her green eyes. Inside, the worn diary waited on her table, its pages torn, its brass clasp cracked. Her mother had left it behind, and Aurora believed it held the proof she needed. Royal blood ran in her family. She just could not prove it. Today the Queen herself held open court. Aurora would not get a second chance. She grabbed the diary and flew. The Court gathered in a wide ring of frosted trees. Fairies turned as she landed. A hush spread. Someone whispered about the horns. A guard stepped toward her, hand raised to turn her away. "Let her speak," a voice said. The crowd parted. Titania Rosewing stepped forward, the Queen of the fairies. Her wings spread wide and red, bright as fresh blood. Black hair poured down her red gown. She did not smile. She looked at Aurora's horns the way everyone did, but she did not look away. "You are not one of us," Titania said. "Why have you come?" Aurora's hands shook. She held out the diary. "My mother kept this. I think she was royal. I think I belong here." Titania took the book. She turned the brittle pages slowly. The Court waited. Then the Queen stopped on a page near the back, and her face changed. Her fingers went still. "These pages were torn out," Titania said. She held the diary up so all could see the ragged stubs. "Whatever your mother wrote, someone wanted it gone. This proves nothing." A murmur ran through the ring. The guard stepped close again. But Titania did not hand the book back. She studied the cracked clasp, then the single letter pressed into the cover. Her eyes narrowed. For a long moment she said nothing. "I knew this book," the Queen said at last, quiet enough that only Aurora heard. "I have seen this mark before." She closed the diary and pressed it back into Aurora's hands. Her voice rose for the Court. "The horns stay. The girl stays. She will not take the crown on a torn page. She will earn it." The Court gasped. Aurora held the diary to her chest. She had not been sent home. But the Queen knew something about her mother's book, and the missing pages were the only thing standing between Aurora and the truth of who she was.