The Unexpected Crowning

Chapter Two

The Choosing Ceremony was always held on the last day of the First Month of the year, and it was a night when most fae of the Four Kingdoms gathered at the capital of their respective provinces. Those who weren't even participating in the lottery attended the event in hopes of catching a glimpse of the Chosen if there were any selected from their land.

Rue watched as they neared their destination- the center plaza of the city of Elya, where all grand events of the province of Avanleah, such as this one, are held. She did not know why her insides twisted and turned out of nervousness. It definitely wasn't anticipation or hope that was making her anxious; rather it was the gut feeling that the closer they got, the more something was telling her that nothing would be the same anymore. She thought it was ridiculous to think this way, especially when nothing different will happen and it will be like the previous ceremonies where she got to watch some lucky fae get granted a better life.

Maybe this year it would be Moonie who becomes a Chosen, she thought, the only reason she can come up with to explain why she was feeling odder than normal.

She will admit that it was her selfish little secret that she in fact lived for these moments. She already felt like her life was too stagnant. Every day was the same old and, even though she was known for her pessimism, Rue liked change. And if coming to these events once a year allowed her to break away from routine, she couldn't help but feel excited for herself and those around her. Everyone was in a jolly mood and that itself was addicting.

Aerwyna was about six hours away from the city of Elya. So, every Choosing Ceremony Rue and her family would stay at the private inns of Lodgings Creek where most people resided whenever visiting the city. The journey was quiet as usual and due to how late it was, Rue spent most of it asleep beside Moonie. While she didn't like having to dress so formally and attend the celebration which was always held in the chilly outside, she loved walking around when the sun was up and exploring the enormous city with Anna and Moonie the day after the ceremony. There was just so much to do, and it was nothing like Aerwyna's lifestyle or scenery. It beat those nights when her uncle forced Moonie and her to attend dinner and mingle with the other guests of the inn, especially when it happens to be a viscount or important figure.

Most significantly, Elya was also where the hospice clinic, Ama Mercy, was located and where her father and mother stayed. Aerwyna was too small to pay for a clinic, so any chance Rue got to come to the city, she would spend most of her time at Ama Mercy.

Her body slightly lurched forward as the carriage halted to a complete stop, the horses whining. Marissa and Moonie began to climb out, her uncle telling the ladies to get a head start, that Rue and he would follow in a few. Marissa worriedly glanced at Rue, but there wasn't much that she could do to save the girl she grew to love as a daughter from her husband's wrath.

Unbeknownst to Rue and Haryk, she has already crossed a line behind her spouse's back and if her actions do result in her favor, she will surely pay the price for it later when she has to answer to Haryk. Yet, she has no regrets, and if the night does turn out how she hopes it does, she can live on happily knowing that she has done everything she could for Rue. It was a secret worth coming into light if it is meant to be.

Rue, already knowing what her uncle wanted, focused on slowing her breathing, her stomach clenching painfully as she mentally prepared herself for the conversation they were about to have. It was always the same before any special event or social gathering. Even if it wasn't about her, he never failed to remind her to stay cautious and to never let anyone look at her longer than necessary in fear that they would see behind the dye in her hair and the chemical in her eyes that concealed what lied underneath. In fact, they had already spoken this morning when they arrived at Lodgings Creek, except Rue had been too sleepy from the trip to care in the moment. Now though, she was more than awake and on high alert.