"Tears of the Goddess" by R.M. Prioleau (Novelette)

Genre:  Fantasy Romance

Type of Short Story:  Novelette

Summary:  Celestra, Goddess of Beauty, aspires to leave her home of Siyr, the god-realm, to travel the cosmos and create a new world of her own. But her dreams cannot be fulfilled unless she is one of the seven chosen to undergo a trial put forth by the Genesis Spirit—a trial in which she alone must nourish a Genesis Seed with tears from her heart.Tydus, God of Chaos, is renowned and adored by many in Siyr, but his heart has always yearned for only one—Celestra. Unlike most Siyran goddesses, Celestra is unyielding and determined, but Tydus’s attempts to win her heart go unnoticed as she keeps her attention focused on her trial. 

This fanciful tale of romance and determination tells the story of two lovers who strive for happiness and realize how much they need one another.

Excerpt:

Siyr, the realm of the gods, was made up of the delicate fabric of time and space that housed the seeds of life. The realm existed within the vastness of the plane of astral beings. Siyr was the gateway to the beginning and end of all existence—a place where chaos and peace became one. Often, the gods would embark upon their own journeys, creating worlds and new realms that connected to their home plane. All gods aspired to rule over their own domains, but such privileges were only granted by the god king Aetern to a select seven, and even then only on the seventh tier of every seventh transition, when the Genesis Tree bore fruit that contained the seeds of creation. It was Aetern’s intent that those selected would succeed in their endeavors, and they would keep the boundless energy of the act of creation flowing into the home realm.

Celestra blinked, her reflection in the silver mirror swimming back into focus. Her thoughts kept drifting to the Genesis Tree and the moment when she might finally be selected. With a sigh, she resumed brushing her silken hair. When she finished, she braided several long plaits, which she arranged around her head in intricate designs, letting the remainder flow loose down her bare back. She completed her coiffure by tucking fresh, fragrant honeysuckle blossoms into her white tresses.

King Aetern had announced a formal gathering that would bring all of Siyr’s inhabitants to Zenith Palace. Like most gods, Aetern loved a good party and hosted them often. This particular event, however, not only promised an eventide of entertainment and bountiful melomel—the most coveted drink of the Siyran gods, a honey wine infused with the sweetest pomegranate and edenfruit picked from the Wilderness of Paradise—but Aetern and his queen, Myria, were to make an important announcement.

Celestra was hardly interested in socializing at the gathering, but she would do her duty as formalities and proper protocol demanded. Her mind continuously raced, dreaming about the moment when she would hopefully be given the chance to set out on her own. The seventh tier of the seventh transition—the Seventh of the Seventh—was rapidly approaching, and she couldn’t wait.

As she stood from her vanity, the sheer material of her long, white gown flowed around her voluptuous form like water, while diamonds scattered across the material sparkled like the prismatic spray from a fountain. Around her neck, she wore a small, empty glass vial secured on a crystalline chain. Matching diamond bangles adorned her forearms. She stepped into white, diamond-studded slippers and gazed at her reflection a final time. She twisted slightly, turning her back to the mirror. Slowly, gracefully, two white, feathery wings unfolded from her shoulders. She stretched the wings and flapped them gently a few times, sending a few tiny feathers fluttering to the ground. Satisfied, she folded them around her body and departed her home.

As she walked the grand arcade that circled the cool, crystalline walls of her home, the scent of her signature flower, the honeysuckle, wafted from the trellises, filling her senses and calming her nerves. She glanced at the city streets, which were crafted of pure marble inlaid with abstract golden designs that glistened and shimmered in the light of Solis, God of Radiance. But as he rested, his light was slowly eclipsed by the presence of Luna, the eventide goddess, who filled the sky with her presence, marking the coming of the sixth tier of the sixth transition—the Sixth of the Sixth.

Find out more on Prioleau's website!