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Vedero was getting a new mother. She had always known that such a thing was possible. Her own mother, Pazhiro, had become a second mother to Vedero's brother Nemolis and sister Nemriän, and had loved them just as much as she loved her own children. And there had been many days in the five years since her mother's sudden death in childbed that Vedero had wished for another mother to hold her, to stroke her hair, to wipe away her tears. The Emperor, her father, was a great man, and not a comforting one. And she knew he also missed her mother horribly from the way he wept on her deathday and the way his face crumpled whenever her name was mentioned the rest of the year. She couldn't burden him with her own weeping when he carried his own grief and the weight of all the Elflands.

But now Vedero was getting a new mother, and something was wrong. This was not a sweet romance with a vivacious and caring lady of the court, like the one both her parents had told her of, their eyes crinkling with joy as they looked at each other. This marriage was one result of a treaty arranged by the Corazhas and ratified by Parliament between her father and the King of the Goblins (“Avar of Avarsin” she could nearly hear her tutor reminding her with a sigh) and Vedero's mother would be no elegant elven lady, but a goblin! Vedero knew from her lessons that among the common folk of the Ethuveraz there were many goblins and many with goblin blood, but she had met very few. There were a few goblins among the servants of the court, but her father would not permit them to be among the visible staff in the Alcethmeret. She knew of their existence only from her stealthy visits to the kitchens and the other back chambers of the palace. They had been just as kind and indulgent to her as any of the other servants, all of whom knew she was a princess of the court. But having a goblin mother was something quite different.

And her father refused to speak of her new mother, or of any plans for the wedding, or when Vedero would be able to meet her. The carriages from Barizhan had arrived days ago and still there had been no reception, no ball, not even an audience in the privacy of the Tortoise Room between her father and his betrothed where Vedero could have come, or at the very least hidden in the curtains to catch a glimpse of the woman. It was time for Vedero to take matters into her own hands.

Sneaking out of the nursery proved no difficulty at this point, after her years of practice. And she knew her tutors were far too afraid of her father's wrath to admit that they'd lost track of her for an hour or two. The girls at the pneumatic station were delighted to see her as always, and gave her a sweet wrapped in wax paper along with the directions to the Barizheise delegations’ chambers. Once there, matters were more complicated, and Vedero cursed that she knew so few words of the goblin tongue, because all the conversations she could overhear from the servants' passages were incomprehensible to her. But soon enough she found a woman— hardly older to her eyes than Nemriän— who by the opulence of her clothing and the swarm of attendants around her could only be the emperor’s betrothed.

Vedero’s mother-to-be (and how strange for her mother to be one so young) was in process of departing her chambers, and it was easy enough for Vedero to insert herself at the back of the party as they moved through the hallways of the court. She was taken aback when it became clear that the destination was none other than the court’s rarely frequented othasmeire, but she reminded herself that goblins were known to be superstitious by comparison to elves.

The maidservants busied themselves in placing candles in the numerous wall-sconces of the chamber while Vedero’s mother-to-be— and how she needed to learn her name— offered brief prayers at each dusty shrine. Vedero was absolutely entranced by this foreign display of devotion, and forgot herself so completely that she was astonished when the girl—for truly she was also a girl— turned to her and asked in a gentle voice “And who art thou, child?”

“Vedero Drazhin, daughter of Varenechibel the Fourth” Vedero declared by rote, then surprised both herself and this stranger by lunging forwards and wrapping her arms tightly around the goblin princess’ waist “Will you be our mother and care for us?”

The woman huffed out a brief laugh and then wrapped her own arms around Vedero in turn “Oh child, we will do our best. Hast thou been so lonely here?” Vedero only looked upwards in silence, tears streaming unbidden down her face. “We are Chenelo Sevraseched, child, and it is a pleasure to meet thee.” Chenelo— the sounds strange and lovely to Vedero’s ears, took a step back to better look Vedero in the eye and took her hands in lieu of the close embrace they had just shared “Wouldst thou assist us in lighting these candles, child?”

Vedero, tongue-tied and still teary-eyed, managed to nod, and Chenelo lit a taper and guided Vedero’s hands until she was steady, then allowed her to scamper about the chapel finishing the work until the candle flames glimmered like a field of stars surrounding them.

Chenelo took her hand again as Vedero stood dazed in the gentle glow “Where neither we or thy first mother Pazhiro can follow thee, child, remember always that the sight of Cstheio Careizhasan is upon thee.” Vedero looked up in startlement at having her private thoughts read so clearly, and Chenelo huffed out another gentle laugh “We do not read thy mind, child. The candles are meant to remind us all of her watchful stars. Twould be strange if they did not.” She nestled Vedero under her arm and continued “We used to watch her stars from the roofs of our fathers palace and it comforts us to have this reminder of them here.”

They stood and watched together until the lights burned down.