What truly happened between Jolie Ruewen and Brant, an unexplored tragedy.
It started with a spark, it grew into a blaze, all that's left is ashes.
"Sing swan, Spring swan then lets fly.
Follow the pretty bird across the sky.
Call swan, Fall swan, t...
Jolie had woken up wrapped in her mom's arms. The night before had been rough, but her fears were almost completely forgotten when Dad had sleepily said, "A messenger came around at midnight, I think he dropped off the scroll announcing where the Festival will be."
She bolted out of their bedroom, slid down the stair rails, and plopped herself down in a chair directly in front of the precious scroll. Jolie had been staring at the sealed paper since seven in the morning.
It had been sitting on the table for eight hours and twenty-three minutes. It could be opened at eight-thirty. In seven minutes. The wait was agonizing.
Her parents had come downstairs at about eight and Mom started making breakfast. Snapping her fingers, she conjured a plate of brown fruit. The smell instantly filled the whole room, spoiled eggs and something that probably died recently. A hand swooped in and grabbed the fruit, splitting it open. The smell got so much worse.
"Ew, Dad!" Jolie gagged, "Noooo!"
"Mmmh," Dad took a big, juicy bite out of the stringy inside, making slurping noises for effect. "Squirmigs are good, you need to try them at some point. They taste much better than they smell."
"Mommy, I thought you said you would stop buying them!" Jolie's face, an expression of betrayal.
"I said I'll think about it. If you try one slice, maybe we can open the scroll a minute or two early." Mom smiled.
"Fiiiine!" She snatched a brown fruit from the plate and slowly cracked it open. The green juice in the slightly hollow half of the squirmig sloshed as she brought it to her mouth. The odor, no wait, the stench was nauseating so close to her nose. She could feel the mallowmelt from the previous night trying to re-enter the world. Slowly, she took a tentative bite, already regretting it before it fully went into her mouth.
It was...
Slimy... yet satisfying. And Jolie hadn't died. Yet.
"I guess it's okay..." She admitted it grudgingly. Then her parents did that annoying thing adults do when they look at each other and sort of smirk like they knew better or something ridiculous like that. Her eyes flickered over to the thing she had sacrificed so much for...
"Now the scroll!" She squealed practically ripping it apart in excitement as she opened it. The Councill has randomly selected an Elvin residence to host the annual Celestial Festival, performed by a member of one of our most prestigious noble families, Orem Vacker... Her eyes skimmed the paper looking for a specific word starting with "H" and ending with "avenfield". ...the honor of hosting goes to Lord and Lady Ruewen of Havenfield.
"YES! WE'RE HAVING THE FESTIVAL HERE!"
Her parents rushed forward, needing to see this for themselves.
"I'm gonna tell Brant right now!" Jolie squealed, rushing to get her imparter. By the time she had rushed up to her room, it was already buzzing.
"Wow, I can't believe it!" A voice squeaked from the square in her hand. Brant's face looked almost as excited as her own. His shock of black hair still messed up from a case of the bedheads.
"I know right! You can come over and help us prepare. We can make custard bursts and you can bring Maurice and Uncle Kesler will have a bunch of potions and stuff to make all the animals look cool and we can decorate- oooh what if we pranked people, that would be fun and then..."
Jolie went on and on practically bursting from the excitement of it all. Brant came over and for the rest of the day, they "helped" prepare for the festival that night. Alden and Della had come over as well. The pastures of Havenfield were very busy as elves and gnomes zipped around getting everything ready. Councilor Liora and Councilor Terik came over to check in and make some final adjustments to the celebration. Their big grey bodyguards came as well, Jolie and Brant stayed clear of them.
By nightfall, people started arriving and were guided to the cliffside pastures. That's where Orem Vacker would be performing at the start of the eclipse. Floating balls of multicolored starlight lit the slowly darkening grounds of Havenfield. Many families were setting off Flicker Flares, sparklers made of the same iridescent flames as an Aurenflare. A great red moon hung in the sky, the eclipse had begun.
"Welcome," A deep voice boomed, "I would like to thank our gracious hosts, Lord and Lady Ruewen." Councilor Emery stood on an elevated stage looking out onto the massive crowd. The two six-year-olds in the front row whispered animatedly to each other.
All eleven other Councilors glittered onto the platform, adorned with silver capes clasped with pins shaped like keys. They all said boring speeches that Jolie didn't bother listening to and then finally, Orem Vacker leaped onto the stage.
The night sky was dark and sprinkled with stars. Not a cloud in sight, the darkness above them was like a canvas waiting to be filled. A burst of white light streaked across the sky and everyone looked up. The show had begun.
A bright ray shot from the stage, Orem's arms flourishing and swishing, as if in a graceful dance. Beams of every color cut through the blackness. Showers of sparks burst into existence and vivid flashes danced every which way. The heavens were aglow with spiraling flares and shimmery swirls. The whole display was breathtaking and energizing. Hundreds of lights appeared, creating a brilliant aurora. The luminous performance suddenly went dark, as if someone had smothered the sky with a dark blanket.
People all around her started moving around, panic seeped inside Jolie's chest. Her parents had been in a different section with the Councilors because they were the hosts. She reached out her hand and held on to Brant.
"Brant, I'm scared," She whispered. "Do you know what's happening?"
"I don't know, Jolie. We need to find your parents." His small voice trembled but had a tone of determination. She squeezing his hand and somehow she felt safer with him. His warmth still there in the cold darkness and confusion.
They both got up, bumping into others, and almost getting trampled. In all the chaos, Jolie heard the words "Rebels" and fear jolted through her. What rebels? She asked inside. Her question was soon answered as light suddenly flooded back.
There on the stage stood two forms in dark hooded cloaks. One of the figures shouted, "The Councilors are allowing the destruction of all we have built. Letting the humans run free and create weapons that could annihilate the planet." The voice spat the word as if saying it was the most despicable word you could say. "We must assert our dominance and truly take control. The Lost Cities are unsafe while the Councilors rule and hide while the humans continue to infect our world. Join us and put the humans in their rightful place."
The two rebels raised yellow crystals and then they were gone.
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Thank you guys, 377 reads! I threw some action in here this chapter, I hope you liked it. Describing the Festival took FOREVER and a thesaurus was definitely used. I'm very proud of myself :) By the way, I am a master procrastinator and usually write the majority of the chapter on the day I post it lol. Shout out to @Hermione_Foster, THANK YOU FOR VOTING!
3 more days till Unlocked! I'm so excited (preordered it in July lol)
