A Wicked Game [The Crown Saga II] (Under Editing)

Path of Stars

Calla chuckled quietly as if she had a great joke in mind but was reluctant to say it aloud. "Are you ready for the Rising Sun Festival tonight?" she asked instead.

"A festival?" I asked, searching my memory for anything related to a festival around this time. However, nothing I'd ever heard of in the Bronze Region even resembled something as grand as a festival — not in this frigid weather, anyway. None of us had the money to heat a space large enough for a party, let alone a festival.

My eyes found Calla again, leaving my heart to skip a beat when I saw her staring at me with disbelief in her eyes. "Don't tell me you've never been to a Rising Sun Festival before," she said, stepping close enough for me to feel a little uncomfortable. "Like, never?"

I looked away from her before answering, avoiding her judging eyes as I admitted to my humble background. "We usually just celebrate the Sun with our families like most people in the Bronze Region do. We don't have access to the resources required to throw a party to fit the entire region — not even the closest area, but we manage with what we have," I explained, careful not to mention too much of my past.

Calla was already looking at me with the same pity in her eyes as I'd seen so many times before when I dared share a tiny fraction of my previous life. It didn't really feel like her pity was merited, either.

I cherished our traditions. I didn't need a grand party or a thousand people surrounding me; I didn't need more than my family and our closest friends, and I wouldn't trade those memories for the world's greatest treasure.

However, the time we spent waiting for the Sun to rise late at night was undoubtedly my favorite part of this tradition.

If I closed my eyes, I could easily imagine Mom sitting on our stained couch with Tristan and me on either side of her, narrating the revered tales of the everlasting love between the Sun and the Moon.

I loved that tale and knew every detail of their tragic yet beautiful story like the back of my hand — a story about two spirits in love and a jealous fox tricking them into being trapped in the sky, chasing each other for eternity. Today, they only live for the brief moments when they get to glimpse each other's stunning existences, creating what is now known as night and day.

She would tell that story repeatedly until the Sun started peeking on the horizon, and we all walked outside to see as the Sun returned from his slumber, ready for another chase.

However, I don't think it would have mattered to Calla. The pity of me never having attended one of the notorious Rising Sun Festivals would probably make her blind to the fact that I didn't need all this glamor to be happy.

"Then you've got a night to look forward to!" Calla suddenly exclaimed, extending a contagious smile. "But I can't reveal it to you. Then the surprise will be spoiled!"

I chuckled and grabbed her arm, dragging her toward the dining room, where Piper was waiting for us.

"Ready for tonight?" Piper asked with a smile when she saw us approaching her. "I've never been to a royal Rising Sun, but I bet it'll be—"

Calla immediately shushed Piper before she could reveal too much of the secretive evenings they'd attended before. "It's her first time, Piper! Don't spoil it," she quickly added and gestured for Piper to stop talking.

Piper fluttered her perplexed eyes as if she needed a few moments to understand what Calla was saying. Then she pushed her chair back to grab my shoulders.

"Have you never been to a Rising Sun Festival before?" Piper whispered, her eyebrows raised and lips parted in hushed surprise.

I sighed, too tired to explain my past again. A complicated answer wouldn't make a difference anyway, so I shifted my eyes to the floor and shook my head.