Elara Thornveil's Arc

Chapter 4 of 6

The flowering hall was ready, but the tables were bare. Elara counted the empty platters and felt her stomach drop. The queen's report would reach other kingdoms by morning. Guests would arrive at dawn expecting a court, and she had nothing to feed them. Freed chairs meant nothing if no one could eat. "You need food, and you need it now," Celestia said. She tied Elara's cloak and nudged her toward the door. "The shops open early. Go, before the report spreads and the aisles fill." Elara hurried out with the sparkle pupper at her heels. Its purple coat threw tiny lights across the dark path. At the shops, sellers were just lifting their shutters. She moved fast. She chose bright tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, golden corn, and warm loaves of bread. She added apples, grapes, and mushrooms until the basket strained in her arms. She wanted every family full and happy. A sweet queen fed everyone. As she paid, a tall woman in a deep blue gown stepped into the shop. Gold trim ran down her sleeves, and a small crown sat in her silver hair. Her white gloves never touched a single shelf. This was Lady Ashmont, one of the regal guests the queen's report would bring. Elara had never met her, but she knew the type. One wrinkled nose could shape how kingdoms spoke of her court. Lady Ashmont studied the piled basket. "So this is the famous flowering court," she said. Her voice was cool and even. "Doing her own shopping at dawn. How unusual." Elara's heart raced, but she smiled. "I want every guest to eat well," she said. "Even the ones who arrive before breakfast." She lifted a shining apple from the top and held it out. "Please. You came a long way." The cool look in Lady Ashmont's eyes softened. She took the apple with a gloved hand and turned it over. "A queen who serves her guests herself," she murmured. "That is not in the report." She almost smiled. "I will remember it." Elara carried the heavy basket home as the sky turned pink. The pupper trotted ahead, sparks bouncing. She slipped into the hall and spread the food across the blooming tables. Tomatoes beside purple flowers. Bread beneath the fairy's light. The court looked full and warm at last. Celestia met her at the door, her face tight. "The report is out," she said. She held up a message sealed in blue wax. "It went to every kingdom an hour ago." Elara read it fast. The queen had written of her gardens and her kindness. But Lady Ashmont had added her own line at the bottom. It named the flowering hall and the fairy in the rafters. Word was already moving. Elara had food now, and a full table. But far more guests were coming one slip up and her reputation was ruined