27. family outing

30 2 20
                                    

𝖆𝖚𝖗𝖔𝖗𝖆 • the grand palace━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

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𝖆𝖚𝖗𝖔𝖗𝖆 • the grand palace
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

A week later, after helping Elara get used to the enormity of the palace and her new home, Aurora had taken her to the temple with their parents, who happily obliged.

Naturally, though, four guards had followed them to the monument, which had left Elara in awe.

"I had always seen this from afar," she said, right arm linked with Aurora's as they walked up the stone stairs, "but never in person. It is absolutely beautiful. I see now why Mother always seemed to spew adoration and admiration for this place. Although, I do have some complaints about the sun blinding me."

She laughed softly. "You will get used to it," she said, squinting slightly as she looked down.

The temple overlooked greenery and flowers, and from their height, they were able to see into the kingdom from afar.

As usual, it had all been glowing golden, its enchantments pulling in the sunlight.

"Eventually. It takes some time. Father says I screamed the first time and made him think I had been attacked."

"In my defence," the aforementioned said, a few feet behind with his left arm around Queen Luna's shoulders, pulling her close, "you have a horrifying scream. If Elara one day has the displeasure of hearing it, she will understand why you nearly gave me and the guards a heart attack."

Queen Luna rolled her eyes, playfully swatting his chest with the back of her hand. "You are just overdramatic. Like Ophelia. Apparently her children have gained that trait." She wasn't wrong there—Dusk and Dawn's mother was as easily worried and therefore slightly dramatic with concern as her children were. "I am sure it was not that awful."

"I don't know, I think he might be right," Aurora said. "I scared myself with that scream. Cass still claims to this day he heard it echo from the fields below. He might actually be right." He had looked as alarmed and startled as everyone around her that day. "Now never mind the screaming. We are here as a family for the first time. Let's make the most of it."

"Your unrelenting positivity makes me sick," Elara commented half-teasingly, earning a playful eye roll. "You are just like our mother in that aspect. A little naively hopeful and happy." The upset tone when mentioning Queen Luna didn't go unnoticed.

"Elara—do not speak of our mother that way. I understand you might be angry and upset with her and Father, but they are still your parents and you need to respect them. They put themselves through so much for us; they split up for eighteen years, went without each other's love and presence properly in that time, just to protect us. If that is not devotion and love then I do not know what is."

Ironically, and she didn't know how she couldn't see it, Elara was doing exactly what they had done to protect Xander from a nonexistent threat. She couldn't force her to see it. Aurora needed to make sure Elara knew it for herself and learnt it from her own self, or else she would never believe the truth.

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