Viridescent Crown Novels & Stories

The black velvet inside framed something bright pink. A plastic crown. Gabby’s pink glitter crown. For a moment, no one spoke. “MY CROWN!” Gabby screamed so loudly the tiny hammer in my head went back to working overtime. She reached for it with both hands. “Easy,” I said. Kendra picked up the crown first and inspected it. “Oh.” “What?” I asked. She turned it toward the light. The crown was clean. No chocolate smudges from Al’s hands. No dust from the grounds at Villa Miravento. The underside, which had been slightly sticky yesterday because Gabby once tried to repair it with lip gloss, wasn’t sticky anymore either.

I’m about to stand up and protest when Eisa walks over carrying a purple velvet pillow with a crown resting on top that I’ve never seen before. Eisa steps up to my mother and slowly kneels down, raising the pillow to my mother. The crown she’s presenting is stunning, but definitely not one that’s been sitting in the family undersea vault. Large seashells point to the sky surrounded by smaller shells, all with a duo chrome shift that makes them shift from blue to purple to green in the light. The crown is decorated with blue, pink and purple sapphires, diamonds and opals creating a gorgeous prism effect when it catches the light.

Unlike Chaos, he wasted no motion. He stood before Sol and placed the crown upon his head. The reaction was immediate. Golden light erupted from the crown in branching streams that twisted through the air before coiling back over the metal. They did not remain light for long. They thickened, shaped themselves, and became living vines woven from gold. The room erupted in astonishment. The vines wrapped around the crown in elegant spirals, anchoring themselves along its edges. Tiny gemstones bloomed from them like leaves made of crystal—emerald, amber, sapphire, ruby, diamond-bright fragments catching every light in the chamber.

The man scrambled to open the box, placing it on the table. In it was a crown. The crown was made entirely of gold and encrusted with various gems. One of the gems was a fiery red color, emitting an exquisite scarlet glow. Wilbur scanned the crown with his spirit energy, and it lit up at once. He picked the crown up, taking a closer look at it. The man blinked nervously, clearly caught off guard by how carelessly Wilbur was handling the crown. A while later, Wilbur looked up. "I'll take it. I'll help you with whatever you want after I'm done."

Wouldn’t we have figured that out sooner if it were true? Gently, the drakaina places her tapered fingertips at very precise points on her crown, each one glowing to life as her flesh connects with the smooth, iridescent markings. As she does, her humming increases in frequency and volume, the tone turning lavender, the crown responding along with the markings on her arms, until both are glowing a faint purple in response. Her tongue moves, her mouth shape changes, and the note glows indigo, then violet, and red. One by one, she shifts her voice through the tones of the rainbow, right before all the colors coalesce, becoming all of them combined, a bright white so blinding that all I can see

Once I was close enough, the three jewels emerged from their containers on their own, attaching to the crown with some kind of magic, or perhaps with ghostly hands; it was hard to tell. As the jewels settled into their ancient settings on the crown, a shock wave of pure energy burst outward, knocking several people off their feet. The crown rose into the air, hovering at eye level as it pulsed with power, its colours blending in perfect harmony: moonsilver, sunlight gold, forest green, and celestial blue. "The Harmony Crown," Sebastian breathed, his normally composed features slack with awe. "Fully awakened for the first time in centuries."

At the center, resting atop a stone pedestal, is a jagged crown—half bone, half scorched gold, smoldering with silent flame. Ceres (awestruck): "That's it…" Lady Ilven (reverently): "The Crown of Flame and Bone. Forged in dragonfire. Tempered with the blood of the first Umbra king. It can only be worn by a rightful heir." Guard (low voice): "It looks like it's… alive." Indeed, the crown pulses faintly as if breathing. Ceres: "Why bring me here?" I'm not here to rule. I want answers." Lady Ilven (approaching the pedestal):

Something in his eyes, anticipation, perhaps, or nervousness… made me turn to face him fully. “What’s that?” I asked, nodding toward the box. Instead of answering, he stepped forward and lifted the lid. My hand flew to my mouth, a small gasp escaping before I could catch it. Nestled on black velvet lay a delicate crown, not the heavy, ostentatious thing I’d imagined when he mentioned royal regalia, but something ethereal and perfect. White gold twisted into intricate patterns that reminded me of moonlight on water, with moonstones scattered throughout like stars in a night sky.

I exclaimed happily, twirling around for emphasis. Saturday came and all the preparations had been put into place. Grandma Rose and Pernwél had come to the Beta quarters to help me get ready. Pernwél had made me a crown with dried herbs from Grandma Rose’s pantry. She had woven together Lavender and twigs of Rosemary, tying them together with a cream colored ribbon. With a fine metal wire she had wrapped mountain crystals between the purple flowers. She tied the fragile crown around my loose hair with the ribbon, making my whole outfit come together.