Contract with a Star (On Hold, Possibly Forever)

The Festival and the Star

            When they got into town, they found it very crowded. The people did not part for them as they had before in other towns, their clothes well worn and not nearly as fine as they had been. Finally, they made it back to their old, barely used house. When they got there, three rather poor looking people came running out.

            “Gr. Argh.” Lune sat on the porch, watching after the people. Rena ran up to her and grabbed her around the neck. “Hello dear, it’s good to see you again. You’ve been gone for what, a year?”

            “Don’t lie to me, Lune. I know you’ve been checking in on us. Who were those people?” Aiden and Tanya listened to Lune’s answer.

            “Those were some squatters. I figured I’d chase them out for your birthday. It is a bit messy in there.”

            “I thought you didn’t have a birthday?” Tanya asked.

            “I don’t. Well-no I don’t have a birthday. It’s complicated. Let’s just go in.” The horses had already found the backyard.

            The house was a mess. They spent the rest of the day cleaning and getting their clothes repaired. That night, they slept in Rena’s room, as it was the only one hidden from the squatters.

            Rena woke, as she always had, when the sun rose and the last star was hidden. They figured that out during the winter, when they had to drag Rena where they wanted her until the sun could actually be seen. She slammed her hands down to push herself off the end of the bed and effectively punched both Tanya and Aiden in the stomach, waking them up too.

            With the wind knocked from them and any chance of sleep scrapped, Aiden and Tanya decided to get an early start on the day. It was a good thing too, because even this early, it took them a while to get breakfast from a local store, not trusting any food in the kitchen.

            They decided to eat and walk, seeing all the festival plans before it got unreasonably crowded. Everywhere they went, music could be heard and Rena would pause in eating her apple to dance a few steps. While she did, Aiden and Tanya had the same argument they had had for the past ten years, ever since they came to the city.

            “There’s no way Ky could be a woman. He was a great tactician and led an army of men. No way a woman could do that!” said Aiden.

            “Ky was a benevolent and generous queen. There’s no other way the star would have trusted her.” Tanya countered.

            “Unless she was in love with him! It’s completely possible that the king is the many times great grandson of King Ky and the Forest Star!”

            “Why are you talking about Ky?” Rena whispered. Her fists were clenched at her sides and she was glaring at the ground. Tanya bent down to look her in the eyes, but Rena looked away.

            “Because it’s the festival of Ky. Don’t worry, we weren’t really fighting. He just thinks Ky is a man when it’s obvious that only a woman could do what Ky did.” Tanya glared at Aiden.

            “The festival of Ky?!” Her voice was still a whisper, but she was clearly upset.

            “Yeah,” Aiden hesitated now, worried. “Ky and his star. What’s wrong Ren-ren?”

            “Why is there a festival for that stupid jerk?! That lying, promise breaking, manipulative, jerk! All Ky did was use-” Rena broke off, sobbing. She took a deep breath and said one last thing, “Ky left the star, left her alone for fourteen hundred years! And you people throw a festival for that?!” Rena threw down her apple and ran off, much faster after the year spent traveling. They lost her in seconds within the growing crowd.