Thousands of years ago a war broke out on a distant island, splitting its occupants into factions. Alifero, Cornucopia, Querencia and Aranea. The tension between them that has been unyielding for centuries only grows when their precious water starts...
A/N: This chapter is set apart from the events of the story, nothing that happens in this chapter has any effect on other chapters. Also, Grammarly edited it for me because it's late and I'm tired haha... Sorry for any errors T-T
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Bathwater sloshes as Niki readjusts her tail in an attempt to get a better angle on Beau's wild curls whilst Beau leans back against the side of the tub. Through the skinny bathroom window over the tub, we could see the blue moon inching across the sky. Fingers tug at my brown hair each time Beau weaves in a new flower - a tradition for querencian women of all races. I sit at the end of our "hair train", a small over mirror resting in my palm as I gently draw on my face paint. I finish the circle of silvery paint in the centre of my forehead, symbolic of the blue moon, between two other silvery crescent moons.
The blue moon festival was not like any other, just the thought of it made my leg bounce. Beau and I had been on edge all week, unable to stop thinking about the night ahead of us. I insisted that we got ready in the estate since I had the biggest bathroom and we could see Niki before we left. Sneeg evacuated hours ago, headed for the Pube where he could drink himself silly all night. In the office, Wilbur was finishing some last-minute work in Phil's absence. Amélie and Phil had left for a party in the Capital, a different celebration of the new year to ours.
In Querencia, the blue moon festival is the country's most sacred event. Beau had gone all out to secure us brand-new traditional-style dresses and accessories of all kinds.
The festival stems from the blue moon of course, but also the end of the winter season, the start of spring, the new year and the legendary Sprite who started it all. A fairy-like creature called a Sprite was said to have appeared thousands of years ago. She gifted the first Querencians the biggest harvest they had ever seen. Since then, she has become a figure of fertility and good luck for the country. Part of the traditions for the blue moon was that women dressed up as the Sprite in hopes that they will help bring a bountiful harvest for their families.
Alifero and Cornucopia don't celebrate the blue moon like Aranea and Querencia. Because the rainforest climate in Alifero never changes and Cornucopia is entirely artificial, we don't really have seasons. Sure there are wet and dry seasons in the rainforest, but they don't change much about the tropical foods we harvest. Also, we understand the science around why the moon appears blue in the sky, so it's less special. Though that doesn't seem to stop wealthy wives from throwing massive black-tie events for the sake of it. Phil and Amélie are at one of those parties right now.
I don't understand the tradition. Aliferian traditions don't stem from mythic stories, they revolve around things we can see. Family is something you grow up with and duty has been engraved into our bones since the war. Not to mention all the military habits that have been passed down.
