When The Stars Align

chapter forty four | before the

I COULDN'T FALL asleep, but I stayed in bed for most of the day.

Tori helped me to get into her room, which is the only place she apparently trusted me to be in. Dr. Maxwell came to check on me and tried to force something down my stomach, which she ultimately failed. My sister had to head back downstairs to greet guests who came from afar. She left me alone, though she didn't want to.

I couldn't stop thinking about her words. I know that the current rule of Noatra was full of lies, but I didn't know to what extent. I didn't realise that it went to council members being forced to follow King Pheon's rulings.

The council was sacred. Though the king had the most power, the council had to approve any changes the royal wanted to make to the laws and regulations. It wasn't a full monarchy. I heard from my mother that King Micheal's rule was anything but sweet, and I guess that carried on to Pheon.

Yet, King Pheon never seemed so ruthless. In fact, he was the oddball out of a hundred and eight seven years of rulers before him, ones that have instead ruled Noatra instead of their home of Coronam. I know people had hope for him, but apparently that quickly changed.

This wasn't ideal for me. Not when I might need him to defeat Ansen. I couldn't be fighting a battle on two fronts, and honestly, I don't think Pheon wants to fight me. If I correctly recalled out old conversations, he wanted to help me with whatever I choose to become. Queen or not. He said he wanted to make things different. He wanted to change.

But if he really did, then why wouldn't he tell the citizens of Noatra what was going on? Why wouldn't he admit the wrongs his family did, and hand the kingdom back to our family. There was an uprising eighteen years ago, questioning Pheon's rule. The twenty-year old king could've said his family made a mistake. He could have corrected it.

But then again, Mom was in the picture. Mom, who needed the legend to be true, in that specific way.

People wouldn't have questioned the rule if they didn't know about the kingdoms, so maybe I was wrong about that. Maybe I didn't realise how much of an impact those bedtime stories had on everyone, and not just me. Olivia said they knew a powerful queen would have been born in that month, when I was born. They believed in the legends. They knew what was coming.

People also knew of the alignment of the stars, and apparently that's one of the main reasons why people are coming tonight. What better way to experience Noatra's biggest lightshow than to be in a kingdom where it would happen.

I play with the chain of Noatra's amulet around my neck. I left it in Tori's room, apparently. It didn't go anywhere, which I'm glad. Ansen could've taken it from this room if he really wanted to, and I think I know why he didn't.

Because now I realise the mistake I made.

Noatra's amulet was where it was supposed to be - in Noatra, in the palace. But the other five were out of place. They weren't in their kingdoms, and there would be no way to return them to their homes before midnight tonight. Plus, three weren't in my possession, so I couldn't have gotten Ansen to return them to where they were required... unless he did that himself, and I'm the one screwing tonight up.

I'm overthinking. I'm overthinking. I'm overthinking.

Maybe I was delusional when I heard what Tori said to me. Why would she suddenly bring that up?

There was a knock on the door. My head tilted up, then tilted to the clock on the wall. It was just after lunch, and I'm sure my brother and sister were busy enjoying that with guests. Both of them had their duties as part of this royal system. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be down there, but I'm glad I'm not.