Son of Night and Daughter of Stars

Chapter 3: The Royalty

"I welcome you, Princess Genevieve Whitethorn Galathynius, to the line of the royal family, and to the kingdom of Terrasen." The priestess raised the tiny ceremonial crown over Genevieve and placed it on her soft blonde head. Estelle nudged Aneryn, who began lightly clapping her hands together, followed by Talen, then Reave, then Estelle herself. Then the gathered citizens inside the hall began clapping, the sound a roaring thunder. 

Estelle glanced at her youngest brother and found that he was smacking his hands together like they were cymbals. She rolled her eyes, but didn't bother to correct him. It was too adorable. 

Estelle's mother and father beamed at the surrounding people. Estelle caught the eye of Lord Lorcan, who was standing beside his family in the front row. He grinned at her as he clapped his massive hands together. She looked to his right and met the eyes of his daughter, Odette, who was an almost exact match for her mother standing next to her. Both women smiled wide at Estelle, and Odette bowed her head in a slight nod.

Finally, the cheering subsided, and Estelle's mother and father stepped forward. 

"Thank you all so much," Aelin was practically glowing with happiness. "Thank you for being here, and thank you for welcoming our-" 

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Estelle saw a dark figure dart out of the crowd. Her gaze snapped to the movement, and she saw a person cloaked in shadow raising a crossbow to point straight at her mother. 

"NO!" Estelle roared and whipped forward, her magic taking over without a second thought and transporting her straight to the figure's side. She grabbed the crossbow and snapped it in half before they had time to release the dart. The heel of her hand shot out and connected with their jawbone, and they fell backward. 

The people nearest Estelle scrambled back, and Estelle paused, breathing hard as she stared down at the assassin. Estelle's mother calmly walked by her, her newborn child still clutched in one arm as she raised a hand and lit her palm with flames. "Who are you?" 

Estelle's father came to stand beside her, his menacing form towering over them all. "More importantly, who sent you?" 

The assassin did not move. Aelin growled, handed Genevieve to Estelle, and kneeled to grab them by their shirt. But the second her hand connected with the fabric, the assassin seemed to melt in front of their eyes. The body inside the clothes vanished, leaving Estelle's mother with her fist clutched around an empty suit. 

Aelin slowly opened her hand, letting the fabric fall to the ground in a heap. She stood up and brushed off her dress. Her face was schooled into calm, cold indifference. 

"Estelle," Aelin said quietly. "Take your brothers and sisters to your room. Don't come down until someone comes to get you." She turned her eyes to her daughter, her face so serious Estelle couldn't find the courage to protest. "Understood?" 

Estelle nodded and walked towards the front of the room, where her siblings still stood. Aneryn had grabbed Reave's hand and clutched it like a lifeline. Reave, for once, did not push her away. 

"What was that?" He asked, his eyes on the empty clothing. 

"Nothing," Estelle replied, taking Talen by his hand and beginning to lead them all out of the hall. "Come with me." 

Dimly, Estelle could hear her mother ordering the guards in the room to escort the civilians back to the city. She could hear her father talking to the Captain, trying to figure out how the assassin had gotten in. 

"That was not nothing," Reave protested as he followed her, Aneryn still holding fast to his hand. "You and Mother and Father know something more, don't you?" 

"For once... no," Estelle admitted. "I have no idea what that was." 

"Is Mama okay?" Aneryn asked. "Is Ginny okay? Are we safe?" 

"We're safe, Ana," Reave assured her. To Estelle's shock, he actually leaned down and picked their sister up, balancing her on his hip. Aneryn released his hand to suck on her thumb, a habit their mother had been trying to break. Neither of the eldest Galathynius siblings bothered to scold her. 

Estelle led her siblings into her room, then closed her door behind her. She moved to her vanity and pulled the key out of the top drawer, locked the door, then returned the key to its hiding place. She walked to her bed and gently set Genevieve into the child-size cot she kept next to hers for when Aneryn was frightened by storms, then turned and lifted Talen onto her bed, sitting down beside him. 

"We're going to stay in here for a bit, okay?" She said, straightening the collar of his jacket. She noticed a small chocolate stain on the pocket and felt a faint smile grow on her face. Her brother loved to sneak chocolate everywhere. Including ceremonies, it seemed. 

Reave tried to slide Aneryn off his hip, but she clenched her heels into his side, her little fists grabbing onto his jacket. He stopped, then sat on the bed next to Estelle, moving Aneryn onto his lap. "We're fine, Ana. I promise." 

"Why was Mama angry?" Aneryn asked, taking her thumb out of her mouth to speak. Reave's gaze snapped to Estelle's, and she discreetly shook her head. 

"Mama wasn't angry, Ana," Estelle said, leaning over Reave to stroke Aneryn's silver hair. "She was just worried. Someone who wasn't invited to Ginny's party showed up." 

"Who, Stelle?" Aneryn's deep blue eyes began to glisten. Estelle sucked in a breath and grabbed her hand. 

"No, no crying, Ana," She said, keeping her voice low. "You're okay, I promise." 

But Aneryn had always been the most delicate of her siblings. Her bottom lip began to shake. "I want Mama." 

Estelle jumped when she felt something grab her arm, but when she turned, it was just Talen. He'd wrapped both his arms around her bicep, his large green eyes fixed on her. "Estelle, why did that person try to shoot Mother?"

Estelle winced at her brother's inability to mince words. She glanced at Aneryn again, who had tears threatening to spill over. Before she could decide what to do, Reave decided for her. 

"Talen, Aneryn, you both saw what happened in there, right?" When both of them nodded, Reave stooped his neck a bit to get closer to Aneryn. "And you saw how fast Mother acted when she saw something was wrong?" 

"And Estelle!" Talen piped up. "Estelle winnowed!" 

Reave nodded, his lips tugging upward slightly as he met Estelle's eyes. Estelle couldn't stop her own smile. None of their family could explain why she could winnow. But she'd always had the ability. 

"That's right," Reave continued. "You know how our family is. We protect each other, right?" He lightly shook Aneryn, bouncing her up and down. "Right, Ana?" 

"Right," Aneryn mumbled. 

"And do you think Mother or Father or Estelle and I would ever let anything happen to you?" Reave pressed. 

"No," Aneryn whispered, a slight smile on her face. Estelle couldn't help but stare at her brother, smiling in wonder. When had he gotten so old? 

It occurred to her she still had the image of him on his tenth birthday in her head. Their parents had thrown a small party with their court, and Reave had been miserable all day. He'd just wanted to go to his room and read his book. He'd tried to run from the party twice, but Estelle had made him stay, telling him she had a surprise for him. 

She'd been lying, of course, but she'd known their parents did have a surprise. They'd built Reave his own little room in the library, with comfy chairs and soft-lit lamps and ladders that slid across the wall. 

Dealing with his bratty attitude had been worth it when she'd seen his face light up like the sun upon seeing the room. He had barely left it for days afterward. 

But now... honestly, Estelle wondered whether her brother might make a better ruler than she. Where she was prone to lose her temper or be rigid with her rules, he was always there to remind her to keep calm and not lose her cool. 

Estelle smiled to herself at the notion of Reave being king. It would never happen. He'd bring her back from the dead before he'd accept being King. 

Happy Halloween!