Celeste walks down the stairs carefully, following the procession of her family. Celaena and Cecille beside her, moving in sync with her as the entire royal family makes their way into the royal mausoleum. The queen walks at the front, proud and tall and bearing the ashes of their father. Her light blue cloak falls from her slim shoulders and floats behind her in the slight breeze, creating an almost ethereal illusion. Even though the ashes of their father must weigh very little, each of the Queen's steps are heavy, her expression distant. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Queen Thalia loved her husband to the ends of the Earth.
Directly behind the Queen is their grandmother, Cassia. She had always been a lively funny person when her son was alive but now she is a shrunken shell of
