In the kingdom of Verdura where the hills were always green and the rivers shone under sunny skies the people lived under the gentle rule of Princess Alina . She was wise and kind and everyone loved her. But a strange summer brought a blanket of clouds that covered the sky for days and the kingdom was in shadow.
As the days turned into weeks with no stars or moon in sight the people of Verdura were miserable. The endless nights affected the crops, dampened the spirits and brought a chill that fires couldn’t warm. Seeing her people so down Princess Alina knew she had to bring hope and light back to Verdura.
Inspired by the green chandelier earrings she wore—gifts from the earth itself, with gems that shone from within—Alina called her people to the palace. With a calm and soothing voice she spoke to the worried crowd “My friends, though the stars are hidden from us let us create our own constellations. Let us light the darkness with our hope.”
Alina’s plan was simple and beautiful. She proposed that every home and path in Verdura be lit with lanterns. These were no ordinary lanterns but ones made with translucent leaves and painted with reflective minerals that shone in the dimmest light. Each household would also receive a special crystal from the palace—extracted from the same mines that produced Alina’s earrings—to place in their lantern so it would glow green.
Over the next few days the people of Verdura came together and their spirits lifted with the task. Artisans, farmers, children and elders all worked side by side making lanterns and hanging them from trees, windows and lamp posts. By the end of the week the kingdom was glowing green in the dark with paths of light that connected every home and heart in Verdura.
On the night it was finished Alina invited her people to the palace gardens. As the sun went down and the sky turned dark the kingdom lit up in a green glow. The Princess wearing her green chandelier earrings smiled as she saw the happy tears and heard the laughter of her people.
“Look around you” she said her voice carrying on the night air. “We have made our own stars. As long as we stand together no darkness can beat us. Let these lights remind us hope is never lost only waiting to be rekindled.”
From that night on the Starless Nights were known as the Emerald Nights in Verdura. They held a festival of lights every year to commemorate their victory over the darkness and to remember the power of hope and the strength of unity.
