Sunset of the Wandering Souls
Chapter 8

I didn’t like the unnatural way my wing stuck out. I hadn’t realized it didn’t fold correctly until I saw it in a reflection. Something had happened to it, made it so I had trouble flying, but whatever the cause was, it was still superficial enough to warrant the clipping of my wings. Maybe whatever had happened to handicap me was the same thing that caused my mother to go blind. Innin pulled at the awkward wing while I gripped the edge of a vanity, the maid working on my hair chastised Innin for causing me to jerk my head. The wing didn’t look odd anymore, but the pain traveled into my arm, into my neck. I closed my eyes, ground my teeth as the maid continued to braid my hair, Innin climbing onto the vanity. He pushed his hands in opposite directions on the sore joint before manipulating it with his hands. Each opening and closing of my wing caused my head to throb, the maid’s fingers digging into my scalp didn’t help any either. I wanted to vomit from the pain, wanted to push Innin away. I dug my fingers deeper into the wooden vanity instead.

The maid finished her work so after Innin finished fussing with my wing. She had done two braids, one on either side of my head that trailed off into a tail, the lower half of my hair having been left alone. Innin placed a gold crown on my head, pinning it between my horns the best he could. He looked at me in my blue suit, over the top ruffled shirt, ran a finger over the scar on my forehead. He wished me a happy birthday and reminded me to tuck my wings away before dragging me to the ballroom.

I had a notion that most of the guests wouldn’t have known I was their prince if it weren’t for the crown on my head and the footman announcing me upon my arrival. It was quite probable no one was supposed to know what I looked like. The cloak I was supposed to wear may have been for more purposes than to keep people from mobbing me while I was outside the palace. I couldn’t fake smiles for those who came up to me. I was utterly lost without Innin by my side. I scanned the crowd for him or for Pili, a sense of relief washing over me when I spotted Pili’s blue hair within a sea of reds, pinks, and purples. I pushed past everyone wishing me a happy birthday, well wishes, wanting to introduce themselves or their daughters, heading towards him was my only focus. He smiled at me as I approached, and I glanced away to keep myself calm.

He was standing out of the way, sticking close to a wall with his hands folded in front of him. I stood next to him, wishing I could pull the crown out with whatever chunks of hair came with it. “Shouldn’t you be giving a speech?” He asked, turning his head ever so lightly to gauge my reactions out of the corner of his eyes.

I leaned on the wall, my hands clasped behind my back. “My mother isn’t here yet.” I found the courage to plaster a painful smile on my face for anyone who looked our way. “Innin tells me the blindness has hindered her greatly.”

“You have time to practice, then,” he said. He shifted to lean against the wall using his shoulder. “Are you nervous? Having to give a speech in front of all these people?”

I bit at the inside of my lip. “Were you nervous?” I asked as I mimicked his stature. “When you had to do…whatever it was you did for when you…came of age?”

He let out a small laugh, grabbing at his short hair. “A little, if at all. Shows of strength and stamina aren’t anything to be nervous about.” He pulled a bracelet off his wrist and grabbed my hand. “I swam to the deepest depths of Ahe, armed with only a fisherman’s knife to retrieve a pearl from Arike. Everyone goes through it,” he said, “but only a handful can steal Arike’s pearls.” He slid the string bracelet with the single milky-white pearl onto my wrist. “There’s nothing one should fear after facing a monster with a maw the size of a boat.” He squeezed my hand, smiled. “There’s nothing to fear, nor be nervous about, with one of Arike’s pearls.” Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FɪndNøvel.ɴᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

I didn’t fully understand what he had meant, but the words were oddly comforting. Having the round pearl push into my skin made me feel a little better about everything I was to do tonight. The prospect of marrying Lady Oglin made me angry, but I couldn’t remember why. The very fact my Blue Moon Beautillion was happening upset me. I only knew I hadn’t had wanted it to happen, but I couldn’t remember the reason. I wish I was able to, that a least a little more of my memory would seep in. I thanked him for his words, staring at the pearl as I did. I wanted to tell him my mother would allow me to go with him, only the words never left my mouth, choked out by the sound that my mother, Queen Mirgen of the Reissu had arrived.

I watched her fly up to the balcony, her hand held firmly in Innin’s to make sure she landed safely. She did so with grace, smoothing down the skirt of her pale blue dress when her heeled shoes softly hit the ground. Innin helped her hands find the railing of the banister before stepping back into the shadows. “Thank you all for coming to Crown Prince Ezollen’s Blue Moon Beautillion.” She acted as if she could see everyone, turning her head to search for each House’s Lord as she said their names to thank them individually for bringing their daughters. “This year has been hard, not only on us, but within our borders as well. I know rumors have spread about the attack in the palace in the winter months, backed up by the Diatessian rebels, and they are true. We got away with our lives, but we have been wounded.” My mother cleared her throat, spread her wings out. “My blindness will not stop me from spending the rest of my life preparing my son to take the throne and continue my mission to keep instability out.” She gripped the railing, leaning over ever so slightly. “Let’s leave the talk of political affairs to later in the evening. Ezollen,” I stepped away from Pili reluctantly when she called my name, “come here and welcome your guests, please.”

I took one last look at Pili before flying up to the banister, feeling the pain in my wing return and stumbling some when the joint fell out of place. It hurt too much to fly with my wing like this anyway, I saw no reason for Innin to want to clip them. I figured it was the principle of the promise, that and I could still fly, even if it looked without grace, and felt that my shoulder had come out of its socket. I hit the floor of the balcony hard, tripping with the momentum of my landing. Innin kept me from slamming my face into the hardwood. He brushed dust I wasn’t convinced was there off my jacket and vest, looking concernedly at my wing as he pushed me next to the banister, next to my mother. She tried her best to block my wounded wing and Innin with her own, as he pulled and pushed it back into its rightful place.

I fiddled with the pearl, trying to find my courage to speak in front of a large crowd. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t stall this. I couldn’t go back on my promise to my mother, to Innin, to Pili. I found him again, sticking out like a sore thumb with his light, blue tinged hair and green suit. He didn’t belong here in the Interior with me. Seeing him from on high made me realize that. His eyes caught mine staring at him, and he smiled up at me. I took a breath, remembering what Innin had suggested I say the day prior. “T-thank you for a-attending,” I said, that small bit of confident I roused up already failing me. “And for the well wishes a-and birthday wishes…” I swallowed, pressed the pearl into my wrist. “C-Can Lady Oglin make her way forward?”

The guests parted to let a young woman covering the lower half of her face with a pale blue fan to make her way to the front. She curtsied, tilting her head down as she did, and I climbed onto the railing, trying to spiral my way downwards in a glide as Pili had suggested to me before we parted last night. But as I stretched my wings to catch the air, I heard one of them pop, then feel loose. I started flapping my good one to keep me up long enough not to make a fool of myself. Something different had happened than the joint merely popping out of its socket. It was probably the strain of lifting myself two days in a row. Only flapping them on my feet hadn’t issued such a dramatic response; I was too heavy for my wings, now.

Innin sped to catch me, grabbing me under my arms and setting me on my feet on the ground. It dragged on the floor, and the pain was too great for me to tell if many joints were dislocated, or if only the joint attached to my shoulder blade had been. I attempted to fold them together, but it didn’t move more than a few inches. “Your…Highness?” Lady Oglin asked softy. “Are you—will you be alr—” Her voice was drowned by my scream of pain, Innin grabbing me by the scruff of my neck and forcing my wing back in place. I heaved through the throbbing pain, through my tendons and ligaments relief of not having to overwork.

I rubbed the area where my wing attached to my shoulder to try and sooth the ache away. “Yes, I’m alright.” Music started to play as I assumed the initial shock of my almost hurting myself wore off, if there had even been any. I spread my uninjured wing out as I bowed in front of Lady Oglin and offered her my hand. “Could…Could I have your first dance, Lady Oglin?”

I felt her silk gloved hand settle in mine. “Stand straight, Your Highness.” She tucked her fan away as I picked my head up, tucked my wings away. A face caked with make up greeted me. I led her quietly in dance, taking any chance I had to look for Pili amidst those dancing. Selfishly, I wished he had been in front of me, that he had been my first dance of the evening. I had an inkling it wouldn’t go over well if he had been, if I had showed everyone I intended to marry him.

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