Nocturne

☾ Chapter Thirty-Two ~ Nocturne ☽

It was finally time. The day of The Restoration of Artemis had come at last.

Not everyone understood why, or even what, really, but Nocturne hoped they would, in the end. It would take time, though. Some people were always resistant to change.

After the date had been announced, the people had been understandably shocked. They had only had about two days to plan everything and get ready. Pretty much immediately Aurora's family had come clamouring to speak with her, and so Aurora had ended up spending much of the short time with her family.

Nocturne tried to act like her own family's silence didn't affect her, but her heart didn't care, and it refused to stop aching like a thousand knives had cut it into a million pieces every time she saw Aurora laughing with her parents and sister. Nocturne and Asa's families still wanted little to do with them- or, in Asa's case, anything at all.

Nocturne had tried to ask her about it, to make sure she was okay, but Asa had dismissed her concerns with a polite, "I'm fine.". But Nocturne knew she missed her little brother terribly, as any good sibling would. There was nothing Nocturne could do but resolve to be there for her friend when she finally broke.

She was glad that Asa still had Eliana. The two were nowhere near as close as they once were, but Eliana had apologized for her inaction at the fiasco that had started this all, anf having one friend who would accept her was definitely good for the newly decided queen Asa.

They'd set Asa's coronation for the next full moon, almost exactly two weeks from then, as the moon was settling down into Her dark phase that very night, resting and renewing Herself and all who cared to join Her for the month ahead.

Not that anyone in Apollo knew either of these dates. It turned out Asa and Nocturne had each been tracking the moon's phases for as long as they could remember, and as far as they knew they were the only ones who did.

Nocturne wished they kept track of things like moon cycles in Apollo. She'd need to set up a system for Artemis.

Of course, before Asa could be coronated, she needed a place to be queen of! And because of this, among other factors, the day of Artemis' official reinstatement as a full city-state was not only of ceremonial and political importance. The former queen Surya had managed to find a team of people who would be willing to help rebuild Artemis, offering the service as an apology for her past behaviours, and as a request that she be allowed to join Asa and Nocturne (Along with Emmie and whoever else wanted to change their allegiance) in Artemis.

Asa had smiled at this and agreed. "We were wondering when you'd ask." She had appointed Surya as an official advisor to the throne, a decision Nocturne heartily agreed with. They would need someone with experience on their side.

The Gatherer's Guild responsible for ensuring Apollo had the resources it needed kept some horses for when they ventured out of the city for longer distances, and a farmer had had some black horses fine enough for the Lunars' use. They had bought six horses, three white and three black, for the procession to Artemis. The two finest went to Asa and Aelius, then being allotted through Aurora, Nocturne, Arun, and Surya. Almost the entire population of Apollo followed behind them on foot.

They had set out at noon, and reached the ruins of Artemis approaching twilight. Nocturne hadn't remembered it taking so long on her trip to and from Artemis before, but she had been travelling alone and with no baggage.

They fanned out and swung around to face the crowd. Asa rode her jet mare, who she'd named Nuit, forward just a few steps. Aelius matched her, a step and a half behind.

Asa put on a regal smile as Aelius introduced her. "People of Apollo! You have come here today to witness the righting of an ancient wrong and the restoration of the great citadel of Artemis, as sacred to Luna as our mighty city is to Sol. Today, I, your King, recognize their city-state as an equal under the rule of the queen Asa and her high priestess Nocturne!"