Chapter 4
Midwinter came and went. To the queen’s relief, and to Nora’s pride, Kitiara flawlessly sailed through the ceremonies Nora and the queen had chosen for her. She especially enjoyed the Festival of the Seven Gods, where she, her mother, Nora, and the prince-consort rode in a carriage to the temples, bestowing gifts and seeking the blessings of the priests and priestesses for the year to come. Clad in a white velvet dress with tiny icicles of glass sewn into the cuffs of the sleeves and the hem, she looked like a snow-maiden come to life. Excited by the novelty of the ceremony, she chattered cheerfully with the priests and priestesses, who were charmed by her. Even the gray old priests of Zekial, god of wisdom and justice, smiled to see her, and by the time the various nobles depar
