The first thing I learnt about being reborn as a mythical Pegasus Queen was flying.
"Steady, my Queen!" shouted the centaur general from below as I flapped my enormous wings and promptly crashed into a cloud.
The cloud, by the way, was not soft. It felt like slamming into a damp pillow filled with regret.
"I'm fine!" I called down, emerging from the mist with what little dignity I had left. My mane was a mess of golden tangles, and I was fairly certain there was lightning stuck in it.
The centaur whose name I had learnt was Thalos looked both awed and horrified. "Your Majesty, perhaps… a slower takeoff?"
"I was going slow!" I protested. "The problem is that my wings have more attitude than I do!"
Thalos looked at the other creatures marching below pegasi, gryphons, and some horse-sized rabbits with antlers and tried, heroically, not to laugh.
"Your… wings are indeed powerful, my Queen."
"Oh, don't flatter me. I saw one of them nearly punch a thundercloud out of existence."
When we finally reached the royal citadel a mountain crowned by shimmering towersI expected something majestic, awe-inspiring, maybe a little intimidating.
Instead, it looked like someone had built a castle, sneezed glitter on it, and then decided that was enough architecture for today.
"Behold", Thalos declared proudly, "the Palace of Winds! The seat of the Pegasus Queen for ten thousand years!"
"It's… shiny," I said diplomatically.
"It's sacred," he corrected, chest puffed.
"It's… also missing a few walls."Thalos blinked. "Ah. The last storm battle was… unkind to the western wing."
"So, the palace has wings too," I murmured.
"Lovely. Maybe it'll fly away next time it rains."
A few of the younger pegasi snorted laughter before hastily pretending to cough.I couldn't help grinning.
"Relax, I'm not a thunder god. I won't strike anyone down for laughing."
"You could, though," whispered one of the attendants nervously.
"Oh, I absolutely could," I said with mock seriousness, spreading my glowing wings dramatically.
"Behold my power to trip over my own shadow."Thalos sighed quietly, muttering something about "the prophecy never mentioning sarcasm."
Inside, the palace was vast and windy. Every step echoed, and the air shimmered with golden motes that followed me like curious fireflies.
Statues of winged monarchs lined the halls, their eyes glowing faintly as I passed.At the end of the corridor stood a raised platform—and on it, a crown.It floated above a pedestal, spinning slowly, whispering with faint arcs of lightning.
"That", Thalos said reverently, "is the Celestial Crown. It awaits only the touch of the true Queen."
I approached cautiously. The crown was beautifulcrafted from gold, silver, and feathers that shimmered like dawn. It pulsed with energy, humming as if alive.
"Do I… just put it on?" I asked.
"Yes, my Queen," Thalos said, bowing. "It will recognise you instantly."
"Oh, that sounds reassuring," I muttered.
"No chance of it zapping me into horse jerky or anything, right?"Thalos looked uncertain.
"Theoretically… no."
"Theoretically?"Before I could argue further, the crown jolted forward, as if impatient. It zipped through the air and smacked straight into my forehead.
"Ow!" I yelped.The crown bounced once, spun indignantly, and then perched itself firmly between my ears. Sparks of gold flared around me as thunder echoed faintly overhead.
"Was that supposed to happen?" I asked, rubbing my head.Thalos looked torn between awe and terror.
"The crown… chose you quickly, my queen. That is… a rare honour."
"Or maybe it just has bad aim."
The golden motes in the air sparkled brighter, almost as if they were laughing.
By the time I was seated in the throne room, I had begun to accept that being a magical monarch came with a lot of wing maintenanceband not nearly enough tea.
The throne itself was enormous too large, in fact and clearly designed for someone with twice as many feathers.
A gryphon steward fluttered up beside me, clutching a long scroll.
"Your Majesty, the royal agenda!"He unfurled it. The scroll rolled down the steps, across the floor, and into the next room.
I stared at it. "Is that… today's schedule?"
"Yes, my Queen," he chirped proudly."I see," I said flatly.
"And at what point in this very reasonable day am I supposed to breathe?"
Thalos stepped forward, clearing his throat. "The council wishes to begin your coronation ceremony at sunset. Until then, there will be minor audiences, ceremonial inspections, and—"
"Let me guess," I interrupted. "—three thousand polite arguments about the correct sparkle density for my royal cloak?"
He hesitated. "Two thousand, nine hundred eighty-four."
"Wonderful. Progress."
My new life didn't give me time to breathe nor get used to new things.
As the day wore on, I began to see flashes of the world's beauty and its absurdity.
The palace staff treated me with reverence so exaggerated it bordered on slapstick. Every time I moved, someone bowed.
When I sneezed, three attendants fainted.
By evening, I was exhausted.But when I stepped onto the balcony overlooking the horizon, something shifted inside me. The sun melted into gold and crimson, and the wind carried songs real songs from the creatures below.
They weren't cheering a god. They were celebrating hope.
"Still think I'm a prophecy?" I asked quietly.
Thalos stood beside me, smiling faintly. "You joke often, my Queen. But they need that. The last age ended in fire and sorrow. If laughter returns under your rule, then perhaps the prophecy speaks truer than we thought."
I looked at the vast sky, glowing with the light of a hundred stars. My reflection shimmered in the palace glass wings glowing, crown sparkling faintly, eyes bright with life.
Maybe I wasn't ready to be a queen. Maybe I'd never really stop being a woman who once just wanted to win a race.
But here, in this strange, beautiful, ridiculous world… maybe I could do both.I smiled.
"Then let's make this kingdom fly again preferably without crashing this time."