snow and stars| jon snow

i : the better queen

     House Vela was a strong house. They were not quite part of Westerosi politics, but still part of Westeros. The Velas were a monarchy, and a strong one at that. Their kingdom of Ilta was a fortress of its own kind, the almost six hundred year old country strong and thought to be nearly impenetrable. With mountains and the sea all around them, the island was thought to be the strongest and most secure place in Essos and Westeros, until Aegon the Conqueror came along, wanting to change their dark blue banner with three stars into a three headed dragon on a black background.

    Three hundred years ago, Aegon Targaryen came to Ilta and demanded to have the Queen of Ilta as his wife, or he would burn the kingdom. Queen Callisto was at her wits end, and instead of marrying a man who would certainly end the women's reign in Ilta, she did the most controversial thing a queen had ever done in that land. She traded the marriage for the freedom of Ilta. Ilta was to be a part of Westeros. Queen Callisto was reduced to a lady in the eyes of Westeros, and even her own people began to call her the "Bending Queen".  

    "And who created our house words?" Andromeda was in a lesson with her mother and other sisters, who made her recite almost everything about their house, including the long origin of it.

    "Queen Lyra, the First of Her Name and the First Queen of Ilta." Andromeda responded, her back aching from being so straight while she sat.

      "What are our words?" Shirina asked her youngest daughter as the others looked on at her curiously.

  "We shift stars for none." She responded automatically, almost robotically when she was asked. She was rather proud of it, but it was clear that her mother and sisters were not. These were basic questions.

   "And what kind of queen was Queen Lyra?" Her mother asked quizzically, leaning forward. Her youngest always had a problem with this question, unlike all the rest.

    Andromeda fought a grimace of uncertainty. "She was a Day Queen."

    "And what queen was Queen Callisto?"

"She was a..." she breathed out, and in defeat she answered. "Night Queen." Her mother's disappointed face answered for her. If it wasn't that, it was the faces of her sisters, who were desperately trying not to laugh. The difference between Ophelia and Elara's laughs was that Elara was laughing at how cute her nine year old sister was, and Ophelia was ridiculing her.

   Shirina shook her head so gently that her crown didn't even budge. "No, Queen Callisto was a Day Queen. Day Queens have the forte of controlling lightning, storms, and the weather. Night Queens are better at controlling the night sky, the stars, and the galaxy. They are seen as more powerful, and are much rarer to come by. You will do well to remember that."

   "You're a Day Queen." Andromeda bursted out, needing to get something right. "And your specialty is lightning."

    "Everyone knows that," Ophelia remarked. "Tell us something not a lot of people know, like how often a Night Queen comes." 

    Andromeda resisted a harsh scowl at her eldest sister, while the other sister looked at Ophelia in mild and silent contempt. "Every one hundred and fifty years exactly."

   "How many Night Queens have we had?"

"Three." Andromeda answered with certainty. "Queen Calypso, Queen Cordelia, and Queen Nuray."

   "How long ago was Queen Nuray?" Ophelia asked, the tension in the room growing. Everyone knew this answer.

"Ophelia, stop." Elara said, finally speaking up for her younger sister, and for her mother as well, who was looking very uncomfortable. Discomfort did not look good under a crown.