The Shattered Crown (A Caraval Fanfic)

It's All in the Cards

    Something about you is drawing me, yet pulling me thin like ribbons in a child's hair.  I do not understand this fever dream that has been placed upon me by you.

  I love Legend.

  It's always been Legend and always will be.  But your cool embrace beseeches me from an unfathomable storm of curiosities, one I had not known I was lying in.  

  I hate to shatter your breath, but my heart wants what it wants.  And I cannot deny the emotion that taints whenever he is around.

  However the jewels were quite beautiful,

I just wish they weren't from you,

Or I was in my right state of mind to deliver you a letter of trust,

A friend

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  Before Tella could decide whether or not it was a good idea, she had sent the letter to Jacks.  Now she was having second thoughts.  No, this was what she wanted.  Was it, though?

  Tella looked up and saw Legend eyeing her curiously.  Then she felt her dress shift to the one with the butterfly skirt.  "Whatcha up to, Tella?" he asked.

  "Nothing," Tella said, a bit too defensively.

  They made a bit of idle chitchat, avoiding the subject of a certain person altogether.  Suddenly, Legend looked like he couldn't contain himself.  He pulled a fresh deck of playing cards out of his pocket and started shuffling them.  "Want me to tell your fortune?" he asked.

  "Sure," Tella said.  "I never knew you could tell a fortune with playing cards.  When did you learn to do it?"

  "I stayed up all last night learning. Just for you, Tella," he replied with a smile.

  Tella giggled a little before her grin came.  All for her.  As she watched Legend cut the deck, her thoughts were solely on him, and she momentarily forgot all about Jacks.

  Legend slowly spread the cards on the table.  "Each and every card has a meaning," he explained.  "Some more obvious than others."

  Tella knew exactly which card he was referring to.  She truly didn't know what card she would pick.  Apparently it wasn't random at all, but a subconscious choice.  She hoped she didn't pick the one card that stood out among the others.

  "Pick a card, any card," Legend said in his Master of Caraval voice.  If only magic were so simple as card tricks.

  Tella picked up a card, and Legend instructed her to place it at the top of the deck, which she did.  Please don't have to do with Jacks, she prayed.

  "Three, two, one!" Legend said as he flipped the card.

  Legend stared at the card for a moment before frowning.  Then he stomped out of the room in frustration, leaving the card face-up on the table.  Sure enough, it was the Jack of Hearts.

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  Special shout-out to As-told-by-lily for writing that amazing letter at the beginning of this chapter!!!  If you would like to read more Caraval, I would definitely recommend reading her book,  A Series of Caraval Oneshots!!!  I have a couple more chapters ready to go, and hopefully they will be up tonight.  If not, they will definitely be on tomorrow.  Thanks for reading!!!

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