A New Beginning

52 Stories in 52 Weeks 1. A story entitled “A New Beginning”.

Fari adjusted her grip on the mahogany arm rests as she took slow, deep breaths. Inhale, 2, 3, exhale, 2, 3. She could feel her freshly manicured nails digging into the wood and the jeweled choker digging into her throat. She was covered from head to toe in brilliant emeralds and golds, with fine silk fabrics flowing down her body, wrinkling slightly as she sat. The sun hit her skin through the skylight, making her sweat even more than she already was.

She looked out upon the grand room, with dark marble floors and gold accents. Exotic plants lined the walls with vibrant blooming flowers. It seemed a lot darker in here without the stark white walls and the addition of plants in front of the windows. But it also seemed better.

“Your highness,” a voice said with urgence, “what shall you do next?”

A good question. Now that Edmund was gone, and so was his ridiculous minimalist decor, Fari now needed to rebuild the kingdom from the ground up. Another deep breath.

“It won’t be easy,” she replied in her honey-smooth voice, “but we’ll have to create a new system by which the people have say in their rights. A newfound freedom.” Fari stood up, the sunlight glinting off the gemstones embedded into her dark skin and golden bands. She slowly walked down the steps and towards one of the windows, which had some ivy crawling onto it. Fari tried to feel as confident as she sounded. She was never trained for this.

“But first, let’s start by opening up more tents to heal the wounded. They’re priority. And we must discuss the damage the bombings have done to people’s homes. The war may be over, but the impact will last a lifetime. We can only hope to be better from this point forward. Reverse Edmund’s ridiculous laws and start a new era of peace.

After all, it is a new beginning.”