𝑫𝑹𝑰𝑭𝑻 [currently being edited]

chapter 17 - smiling

Aruna never thought she would relate to a prince. As her mother's words rang in her head constantly. Words only spoken by jealous lovers spats and at angry men, not words to be told to a young child.

Aruna might be the kind and beautiful moon summoner to everyone else, but she would never view herself as anything more than the lonely, beaten, malnourished girl who's only kin, her own mother, who decided she wasn't worthy of a childhood.

The girl that got to watch the other kids in the village play in the water and make dolls out of their seamstresses scraps, while the village forced her up before the sun rises to collect the fallen salt. Crawl through those ting tunnels, the little moon wishing to finish early, only to see the sun set, or hoping the one of those narrow tunnels would just collapse on her.

Yet when a tunnel did collapse on her, and no one bothered to search for her, just collecting the fallen salt and unknowingly Aurna to freedom, she would never view herself as anything more.

Coming to the Little Palace, where the children had been learning for years, the snide comments about her weight or matted hair, or how her eyes hurt after being in the sun. Even among her supposed equals she felt below them.

While the others ate in the dining hall, Aruna hid in the library, her progress on learning to read was a slow yet steady thing. Yet it turned out on that day she was not the only child, scroend and forgotten to society that took refuge in the library.

At first hesitant conversations turned into best friends sharing secrets only meant of each other's ears. Stolen pastries and escaping royal governesses became Aruna's escape from the stares and snide comments.

All because of the equally lonely second born prince, if he was even truly a second born prince based on all the snide comments.

Inside jokes forms, memories made, first kisses taken, witty comments and begging to braid 'those luscious locks of golden hair'.

It seemed even young Nikolai possessed charms that even shy little Aruna could not resist. Aruna loved the company and Nikolai loved making little Aruna blush, even after he was shipped off to different schools, every holiday back at the Palace's making little A blush was still his goal, even as her child cheeks filled in as his jaw line became sharp.

That was the day a pale, severely underweight, newly thirteen year old met the scrawny blonde prince. That was the day two children bonded over a shared loneliness and a great friendship started.

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No one really knew of Aruna and Nikolai's close friendship, even Aleksander. It simply never came up, and it wasn't like they even talked these days anyway.

No one had really heard from Nikolai since he left to further his education anyway, yet Aruna exchanged weekly letters with a Sturmhold, no one seemed to question the girl though.

Aruna's views on herself had not seen significant change since she arrived at the Palace, even when she found out about being the only moon summoner and wearing a black kefta.

A black kefta that now seemed to haunt her, especially after seeing Alina in a matching one, the only difference being her gold to Aruna's sliver.

Aruna loved all her friends and valued all of their opinions, yet she would never show her true feelings on Alina's black kefta. She couldn't blame the girl, not when Alina was so nice and caring and Aruna herself knew how dangerous Aleksander's smile could be.

So she smiled, she helped in the young grisha classrooms, she attended charity dinners and did her usual visits to homeless places and orphanages donating the scrape food she collected from the kind chefs. She did it all with a smile, no matter how her heart broke every time she saw Alina's blush, maybe it was the looks Genya gave when she two saw the blush.

Aruna was glad it was mainly herself and Genya subjected to Alina's beautiful blushes. She might not have a high view of herself but she was not perfect, and Aruna did not want to face the embarrassment of Aleksander's official rejection.

So she smiled, she smiled at Feydor and Ivan and she danced during the next full moon, brighter than normal, more powerful, a song of pain sang from the moon, full of the emotions she projected onto the light orb.

She received louder claps at the end of the night, they didn't know but they just clapped to her pain, Aleksander's rejection of her, the repetition of her mothers words. Aleksander in the audience, the loudest clapper.

Clapping louder to her pain than they ever did to her happiness.

Perhaps that was the way of the world for Aruna.

Yet she smiled, only Nikolai, or Sturmhold would read the tears on her letters.

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Y'all I'm crying, anyway I loved all of your suggestions and I am still open to any. Lowkey want to turn this into a Nikolai fanfic (might happen anyway if our boy Aleksander can't pull his shit together)

Just wanted to let you know that even if Aleksander does cheat on her with Aruna I would never blame Alina and neither would Aruna, like it might be kinda shitty but she is young and overwhelmed but Aleksander would be the one in the relationship so all the blame would go to him. I hate it when they blame the girl in stories, like the guy was they one in the relationship. That's one of the reasons I hate the cheating trope. I am also a petty bitch and would never forget or forgive.