Hated by her lineage, Iliya Dalaminai dwells in self isolation, awaiting the day her cousin marries so she might escape the Throne.
Feared by the Gods, Sorein Chakrine's crown is mainly a relic put on display at royal ceremonies to ward off evil.
Wh...
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The shores of Chiori washed to life with the Yinae Oceans' salty brine, ebbing and flowing over the sand in short ripples followed by a sweeping undercurrent. When the sapphire water parted and revealed shells and sea life buried within the kelp, children would squeal and chase the bubbling foam back towards the ocean.
The cycle repeated even as the sun crested the horizon line and left them swallowed in the purple hues of dusk quickly fading.
Iliya felt her stomach churning like those waves as they disappeared, plummeting deeper into her gut as people shoved into her without thought. They pushed into her arms and ran into her legs, sneaking all around her.
Her one constant anchor was the tall Prince, side stepping in front of her, giving her something to hold onto. A buoy in the sea of people surrounding them.
She'd never felt simultaneously so seen and ignored.
Iliya's mind reeled, tracing from the scrape on her ankle from where the teenage Therian boy tripped over her to the phantom fingers of Sorein's hand tugging her to safety.
She didn't know why she'd snapped at him so harshly, only that the sounds were loud and overwhelming. Hushed voices echoed off of every surface, yelling both shrill and deep filled the air in between.
The closer everyone came to her, the less she was able to swallow.
Eyes skimming the crowds for her rendezvous, Iliya realized she didn't hear any of the things Sorein had been saying for a few minutes. He was pointing to different aspects of the festival, but his words sounded far away, as if she'd gotten lost in another reality.
They stopped in line at one of the vendors, a shorter lady with graying black hair and broad shoulders. Iliya wondered if she'd been a mother or a nursemaid with muscles like that. Her aprons were worn over a very nice dress. The contrast fascinated her.
This whole adventure felt like a very bad dream.
Night wrapped over them quickly, stars peeking out from their hiding spots. Offering little light just before the moon escaped the clouds, Iliya found her eyes focusing and unfocusing on Sorein's head.
His hair blended in and out of the night, so dark it was only distinguishable with the help of those stars.
One by one, people thanked the vendor and left with their lanterns.
"Is everything okay?" Sorein asked, casting a side glance over his shoulder.
Iliya's lips parted to speak but the words wouldn't come out. She felt the crests of her ears burning as sound struggled, bobbing in her throat. "I-I, Why?"
She cursed herself for looking like an idiot.
"You're staring," he said. The corner of his lip twitched, his hands fumbling with something Iliya couldn't see.
