Sun and Moon - joshler

IV

selcouth

  sel·couth ( \ˈsel-ˌküth\ )

adj.Unfamiliar, rare, strange, and yet marvelous.

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Joshua could feel the vibrations as the people- his people- cheered for him. His father looked proud and his smile shone like the sun. Joshua's eyes swept over everything, wanting to store all of it in his memories. He glanced to the side of the platform before doing a double-take. Who were they? It was only a handful of people, but he was entranced by them. Silvers, whites, and blues shone softly in the early sunlight. So out of place in this sea of golds and yellow. They were still, staring out over the crowd, but still clapping. It took a great deal of effort, but Joshua managed to pull his gaze away from them.

"Let the festivities begin!" The king called, though Josh only half heard it before everything was a cacophony of excitment and celebration. The masses moved about, talking to peddlers or dancing to the many different tunes being played jovially around them.

The strangers were pushed from Joshua's mind in a snap and he looked at his parents who were smiling happily at each other.

"May I join them?" He asked, a little timidly, not knowing the proper conduct.

"Of course, sweetie!" His mother exclaimed. "Go have fun."

He said a quick thank you before leaning down to kiss his mother's cheek and bowing to his father. He all but glided down the stairs into the heart of the party. People greeted him with bows and kisses on both cheeks, instantly making him feel welcome. They oohed and ahhed over his shimmering attire that sparkled fully in the early morning sunlight. He felt like a god.

It soon became a little too much and he excused himself to the side, bobbing his head to the closest melody. He caught snatches of conversation and laughter as he took in the pure light and happiness. It was intoxicating.

As he watched all the happy people, his mind began to wander. It soon stumbled upon those people from before in their silvers and blues. Who were they? He thought on it until he couldn't take the curiosity and wandered back to where he'd seen them.

His mother and father sat together in the same place they had been before, but the strangers were gone. He peered out over the crowd, but saw no silvers or blues anywhere.

"Joshua, is something the matter?" his father asked.

"Oh, uh, no. I was just kind of wondering, who were those people? The ones standing over there." He pointed to their vacated area.

A tense look passed over his father's face before he looked over at his wife. She nodded with a frown. The king gestured for Joshua to take his seat next to him. Joshua quickly obeyed. "You know we're the children of the sun?" Joshua nodded. He'd been taught that from as early as he could remember. "Well, we're not the only ones in this land. There's a place not far from here where they worship the moon rather than the sun."

The prince cocked his head at his father. Surely, everyone worshiped the sun? How could he have not heard of these strange people who worshiped the moon?

The king sighed quietly. "In this land, there are two peoples. The Sun and the Moon. The story goes that in the beginning, one either came from a spark of sunlight or a drop of moonlight. If you came from the sun, you were of the sun, but if you came from the moon, you were of the moon. Arguments broke out, as arguments tend to on which Patron was better. It got out of hand and one thing led to another and a war started to defend our Patrons' honor. It was a horrible ordeal that lasted for a terribly long time. Eventually, the two armies came to a stand still, so both decided peace would be better than the fighting. It's a tense and strained peace, but a peace nonetheless." He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Forgive me for making this so plain, if I explained it in any more detail, we would be here for hours."

Joshua's head spun and questions bubbled up behind his tongue. One prevailed above the rest. "Why do they come to a festival for the sun if their Patron is the moon?"

"Peace. We welcome them here and show them hospitality, they welcome us to their festival. It's much more for show than anything else."

Joshua was about to ask another question, but his mother held up a hand. "Let's not dwell on the horrors of the past, they're behind us. Today is for celebration."

"But-"

"Joshua." Her tone was a warning.

He nodded and straightened in his seat. "Of course, I'm sorry."

"Besides, I think you have an admirer." She laughed, pointing to the edge of the stairs. A small familiar face and sunburst poked up before quickly hiding again.

Joshua smiled and sneaked over. When she poked her head over the top of the step again, he snatched her up into his arms and spun her and her yellow poof of a dress around in the air. Her laugh was high and clear and made the king and queen smile.

The prince set her down on her feet in front of him. "What do you think you're doing sneaking around, you little spy?" He asked with a grin. She laughed again and reached up for his hand.

"I came to tell you that you're 'sposed to dance during these things. Not hide away up here."

"Well, alright. You are more experienced in festivals than I am. Lead the way." She nodded, very serious about her task now and started marching forward. Joshua waved over his shoulder to his parents before disappearing a second time.

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a/n: josh interacting with kids is the best thing in the world and i do not do it justice,,

thank you so much for reading! i adore this story and i really hope you're enjoying it :)