Of Blood and Fire

Chapter 5 - Sora

This chapter has been edited and finalized.

Oh, no.

Oh, no no no no no.

Sora stared down at the letter as if the sheer force of her eyeballs could make it go away. This wasn't meant for her! It was supposed to be Khani! But still the white envelope remained in front of her face, creased from the tight grip her fingers had grasped it with.

Summoning all her willpower, she tore it open, already knowing what was inside.

To Miss Sora Larkwood of Laihara:

Congratulations! You have been randomly selected to participate in the competition for the heart of our beloved Crown Prince Henri Kendrick Cyning. Authorities have been informed that you currently reside in the palace as a servant, so you will receive no royal escort to the gates. Instead, you will be introduced to the other seven women having already arrived. Further instructions will be given in the Grand Hall. For the next three days you will undergo preparation for the palace, and will be given paperwork to make sure your experience with us is the best it can possibly be.

Best of luck to you, Sora Larkwood!

Daisy Ophelis

Head of the Department of Palace Events (HDPE)

A terrible loneliness opened up in Sora's chest. Why did she have this deep, primal instinct to keep Khani in the dark? What's wrong with me? I have to tell her! She shook her head. She'll be so mad. I can't hide this from her.

But she knew that the words would never be spoken. For the first time since she and Khani had met, Sora was on her own.

And she was scared.

What will he want?

Why me?

Of all girls – WHY ME?

She'd never imagined this. There were over three million girls in Laihara. Probably about 750,000 were eligible. How had she gotten chosen? For the briefest moment, a hooded figure and a pair of calculating, intelligent eyes flashed in her mind.

Then someone knocked on her door.

Sora peeled herself off of the bedspread and swung it wide open, not recognizing the tall, burly man standing on the other end. He held a leather messenger bag. "Who are you?" she asked with a sharp edge to her voice. "Why are you here?"

"You must be Sora," he said, more gently than Sora could have imagined ever coming from him. He broke into a smile. "My name is Zander. I've come to help you with your paperwork."

Sora stepped back. "Come in. I have a table we can sit at."

Zander complied and withdrew several sheets of paper from his bag. "First things first. Can you confirm that you are really Sora Larkwood?"

"I can," Sora said. She blinked. "I was born on the second day of the Month of the Snow Blossoms, I think, and I've never celebrated. I lived on the streets of Laihara up until three months ago, when I found a job at the palace." Like I'm telling you about the man who found it for me. "I work in the Dungeon – um, I mean, I wash dishes here."

Zander snorted. "Wonderful." His tone softened until he could have been subduing a frightened animal. "Now, you said you lived very poorly for what – sixteen years? That would lead me to believe that you're very undernourished. Would you like some vitamins to help speed along your process to good health?"

"Oh – no," Sora stammered. "The palace food is amazing. I'm doing really well now." She patted her belly and grinned. "It's a land of plenty."

Zander made a note on his papers. "Are you literate? Can you read and write?"

"I can read a little bit," said Sora uncertainly. She picked at a fingernail, grimacing as a dollop of blood welled up between the folds of skin. "But I've never needed to write."

"We have a quick three-day course for you to learn the basics of literacy," Zander told her. "We can register you for it, it'll begin tomorrow, and you'll be done before you begin the competition. It won't do too much on grammar, because that's not something you'll need to know, but it'll teach you cursive, so you can work on your signature. You won't be the only one," he added kindly. "I'm sure at least two other girls from the poorer districts will need this, too."

Sora nodded. My signature. Somehow this didn't seem like the right time to be uncooperative. Zander was nice, and he didn't treat her like a four-year-old. She didn't want to make him upset by chiming into his mantra with sarcastic tidbits and comments like she normally would. "Okay."

"You don't seem to have any criminal record," Zander mused, flipping through a file he'd withdrawn from the bag. It was a light fawn brown and looked very official. "That's quite impressive for having lived on your wits for your whole life."

"I scavenged," Sora said. She lowered her eyes. "I never considered stealing."

Zander shuffled around in the bag and handed Sora a pen and a small, thick card with a line and Contestant, sign here when you have been checked by the messenger written in small script. She scribbled her name rather untidily and flipped it over curiously. Messenger, sign here when you have checked the contestant.

Zander held out his hand for the card and pen. His signature was loopy and fancy, which immediately made Sora feel terrible about her abilities. She'd been proud when she figured out how to spell her own name when she was twelve. S-O-R-A, she'd written on the pocket of her coat. She hadn't known the correct spelling of Larkwood. In fact, she didn't even really recall using a surname when she'd been a beggar.

"Is that all?" Sora asked. Zander nodded and stood. "Thank you," she said. They shook hands and as Zander walked away, he cast one final sentence over his shoulder:

"I'm routing for you."

Then the door closed behind him. Sora felt a rush of mingled fear and longing. This couldn't be all bad, could it? Surely she should take advantage of this opportunity and at least try to win.

Because even if Khani was mad that Sora didn't tell her anything, wouldn't some part of her still want Sora to come out on top? Victorious? Sora could do so many good things for Khani – for Arehlia – if she was queen. She knew firsthand how difficult it was to survive as city trash, the lowest and most abundant tier of citizens. That needed to change.

Sora breathed in and relaxed as crisp mountain air filled her lungs. Khani would want this. She knew it. It wasn't like Khani to hold a grudge, or even be angry for an extended period of time.

Hopefully that applied when Sora competed for the love of Khani's life.

Okay, Zander, she thought. Okay, Henri. I'll try.

Please, Khani, please don't be mad.

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OH my GOSH guys. I had so much fun writing this chapter because SORA IS COOPERATIVE THE SKY IS FALLING. When does this happen? NEVER, that's when!

And plus, Zander's pretty cool. Nice dude. We'll be seeing more of HIM....*wink wink*

Comment your suggestions and vote!

Thank you all so much! It's Snowfall, and peace out!