Before sunrise, I arrive, and stand nervously outside the shop, waiting for Madam Treeleaf. I fidget with my bag where I’ve packed my book, quill and ink set in the hopes that I could write down everything I’ll learn today.
“Good morning, Luna.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping I’m just imagining the haunting image of Arthur before me, but when I open them, he’s still standing there. I turn away, and groan, knowing it’s too late to pretend I haven’t seen him.
“Arthur, please, I can’t do this right now,” I groan.
“Do what? Have a good morning?”
“Not with you around, I’m afraid.”
“I just wanted to wish you a good first day.”
“Thank you, now please carry on about your business.”
“Arthur!” Cries Madam Treeleaf, pushing through the morning crowds to meet us.
“Madam Lyra, you look younger each time I see you. How old are you now? Eighteen?”
My jaw drops when I notice the blush on her cheek. How can she fall for such cheap flattery? She should know better at her age, shouldn’t she?
“You’re back early,” she replies with a grin. “How is your family?”
“Everything is wonderful. My father sends his greetings.”
“Well,” she sighs, then waves her hand, motioning us to enter the shop. “Come in, I was just opening up. This is Luna, she will be my new apprentice.”
“The two of us have already met on the road over a week ago. She was traveling with a good friend of mine. You remember Lucien?”
“Oh,” she says, smiling warmly at Arthur, reminding me of my grandmother when she dotes on my sisters. “Arthur is good company, isn’t he? Always such a good boy.”
She disappears into the back room, and I hear her rummaging around. I give Arthur my best disapproving look, and he just grins, clearly enjoying my discomfort.
“I’m actually getting older, you realize,” Arthur calls, giving me a wink. “Not really a boy anymore.”
“Sorry, my dear. He’s a good man,” she says, reappearing with several pastries on a plate. “Please take one. Take two, if you’d like.”
“I’ll take one, thank you. Let me know if you need help picking herbs this week, I’ll gladly help you.”
“Nonsense, don’t trouble yourself, my dear. You know I can do it alone.”
“I know you can, but it still doesn’t hurt to have help.”
“I’ll help,” I offer.
“See? Luna says she’ll help.”
“Nonsense,” he says, with an overly caring tone.
The door opens, and a stranger steps in, which Madam Treeleaf seems to recognize immediately. “Tim! How is little Alice doing?”
“She’s doing quite well,” he says, with a bright, weary smile. “I… wanted to thank you in person.”
“I’m just glad to hear it, my dear. Glad to hear it. Come in, come in. This is Luna, my new apprentice, and Arthur, promising Mystic, and very skilled in Fire-Wielding.”
I smile, and bow my head politely.
“Luna, I have many herbs ready to be grounded, and extracted. Put on an apron, and get to work.”
“Yes, Madam Treeleaf.”
Arthur follows me across the room with his eyes, smiling deviously. I try my best to ignore him, but my insides are rattling, and colliding with my insides.
“Well, Tim,” says Madam Treeleaf, from the shop floor. “How’s the family, and…”
I crush herbs in batches in the back room, listening to the talk at the front of the shop. The leaves are crushed to dust, and poured from the mortar into a pot of boiling water sitting over the roaring fire. The water is already a dark, murky green color, and the smell of it is so strong, I’m grateful to have an open window for the smell to escape through.
“How have you been, Arthur? How was your journey here?” I hear Madam Treeleaf ask.
“It was quite pleasant, actually. As I mentioned, I ran into an old, dear friend of mine.”
“How is Lucien?”
“He’s well. As irritating as always.”
I can picture the smug look on his face as he says it, and accidentally crush my finger with my pestle. I let out a yelp, feeling tears prickling the corners of my eyes. I continue to work more carefully, after taking a few deep breaths.
“Oh, Arthur!” Madam Treeleaf laughs heartily. “I know you are the difficult one. Lucien is usually a dear. You didn’t give him a hard time, did you?”
“Always, Madam Lyra. Do you need me to help you with those?”
“Yes, place them on that shelf just there.”
I hear the clinking of bottles, as Arthur makes his way across the shop floor.
“I’m glad to hear Lucien’s abilities finally manifested. Did he take after his mother, or father?”
“Both, actually.”
“Well!” She cries out loudly, making me flinch. “He always did show much potential.”
“He did. What do you think of your new apprentice? I only met her briefly on the road. She seems…” he speaks the rest quietly.
I stiffen, and shut my eyes tightly. I’m afraid of what he might say about me. Would I be losing my job so soon?
“She’s going to be one of my best. I can already tell,” replies Madam Treeleaf.
I sigh with relief.
“That’s just what you’re supposed to say,” laughs Arthur.
I tighten my grip on the pestle, annoyed by the sound of his laughter.
“It is, but I know she’ll do well, anyway.”
“Will you still like an extra hand around the shop?”
I squeeze my eyes tightly, praying that he is only trying to be difficult, and isn’t really considering an apprenticeship in the shop to annoy me further.
“Of course, I will, dear. Feel free to stop by whenever you’d like.”
I pray a silent prayer to Selene, hoping my next job is further away from the Academy where he can’t find me.
“Well, I’d love to help you, believe me, but I am extremely busy this year. I’m beginning my level five courses. I was asking for Lucien’s sake. If he doesn’t have anything to do, he will never leave his room, and will get paler than he already is. You’ve seen him, he’s too pale for a dark elf as it is, and it won’t do him any favors.”
“Of course. Lucien can stop by, as long as it doesn’t interfere with his studies.”
“Would you mind if I take another pastry back for him?”
“Of course not, dear. Help yourself.”
After a full day of grinding and crushing herbs, I make my way back to the Academy. The halls are empty, due to the Celestial Alignment ceremonies. Even from my room on the top floor of the Academy, I can hear crowds gathering outside. Thoughts of Bellehaven, and missing out on such a joyous day with family and friends has put me in a somber mood.
Finally deciding that going out, and wandering the streets alone is better than missing the festivities, I change out of my nightgown. There are many people around, and the streets are more crowded than usual. While it’s been weeks since I’ve arrived in the city, I’m still unfamiliar with the area, and take care to remain near the Academy, easily visible above the surrounding structures.
“I see her!” Shouts Arthur from the crowd.
I search around trying to spot him so I can escape in the opposite direction, but I come face-to-face with Lucien instead. The sight of him stuns me, and I’m frozen in place. Meanwhile, Arthur is being pushed away from us by a swarm of people walking past. Lucien smiles at me, and shoves a small lantern into my hands. I accept his gift, afraid I’ll spend my first year at the Academy alone, if I don’t.
“Thank you, Lucien,” I say, feeling suddenly shy, and fidgeting with my lantern. “Do you believe in silly superstitions, too?”
“Of course,” he replies in a gentle tone.
He scans my face, and again he smiles.
“Lu-”
“Lou? Lous? Ready for the lantern festival?” Asks Arthur, finally reaching us.
I reluctantly and forcefully pull my eyes away from Lucien’s gaze, and look over at Arthur, who is grinning from ear to ear with a bit of jam on his chin. I snicker, and point at his face. He wipes his mouth with a sleeve, and licks the corners of his mouth trying to find the remaining traces of it. I reach towards his face, to help him, but Lucien takes me by the hand, and pulls me through the crowds, in search of an empty spot by the river that runs through the center of the city. Rumor has it that it’s the best place for viewing the lanterns during the festival.
“Lucien!” Arthur calls out. “Why are you trying to abandon me?”
“I want to make sure Luna has a good spot to light her lantern, since she’ll be needing many friends this year to keep herself sane from your incessant company.”
“L-Luna,” Arthur pants. “Did you have dinner?”
“No…” I say, giving Lucien a puzzled look. “Why?”
“I’ll go get us something to eat. Pastries? Fruit? That’s fine, I’ll pick several things for all of us,” he says, and he disappears into the crowds once more.
“Hello, Luna,” Lucien smiles, and sits on the ground on the banks of the river. “I’m sorry about Arthur… again. And… me. I’m sure you’d rather be with some of your other friends for this?”
He offers me a hand to balance myself as I take a seat next to him, being careful not to crush the delicate paper lantern I balance in one hand.
“Hello, Lucien,” I say with a wide grin. “Thank you for my lantern. I haven’t made friends yet, but my roommates are very sweet.”
“Arthur insisted I get the lantern for you.”
Stolen novel; please report.
“Did he, now?”
“No, he said it was a terrible idea, and you’d hate it, since you were so disappointed in us. I told him I wasn’t going to let you spend your first year at the Academy alone, though. You don’t have to spend it with us, but I don’t think anyone deserves that.”
He stares at me, and I’m almost convinced he can only see me.
“I’d like to spend it with you,” I mutter, saying my private thoughts out loud.
I gasp, and clasp my mouth shut, surprised at my carelessness. His cheeks become a slightly darker shade of blue, but he refuses to break eye contact with me despite his visible discomfort. There’s a glimmer in his eyes that wasn’t there before, and I’m not sure what it means, but I want to fill the awkward silence with other distracting topics.
“Sorry,” I laugh, nervously. “That… came out wrong. I’m sure you know what I mean. Friends are hard to come by, and I could use as many of them as I can make, since I don’t know anyone here.”
“Of course,” he exhales sharply, turning away.
I am grateful he’s able to quickly let matters go, knowing Arthur will never shut up about it, if he happens to overhear us.
“I love this time of year,” I say, making another attempt at small talk. “Though I don’t think I’ve ever celebrated this festival with such a large crowd. There are many people in Mirror Lake, but they don’t live so close together, and the entire city is surrounded by water, so no one gathers like this. I loved seeing the lanterns in the distance, like watching from another… world… a river of lights, like spirits making their way to the heavens.”
Tears threaten to spill from my eyes, and Lucien gives me a worried look.
“Sorry, I… Sorry,” I mumble.
“It’s alright, Luna. You’ll get to celebrate the more fun holidays with your family in the summer, won’t you?”
“What fun holidays?”
“Don’t you dress up during Twilight’s Mystic Masquerade or Selene’s Blessing?”
“In Twilight, I do, but I don’t have nice clothing. I’ve always hated it, because I wear the same dress almost every year. It was the worst. We’d get so jealous of all the other girls,” I laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. “I remember one year, my mother loaned Celestia the only necklace she owned, and every year after that, we asked to borrow it. My poor mother never got to wear it during the holidays.”
“The dark elf maidens dress like Selene in Dark Grove. They wear long flowing dresses, chains of silver adorned with moons and stars in their hair, waists and necks,” he has a dreamy look in his eyes as he speaks. “My grandmother said my father found my mother breath-takingly beautiful during that celebration, and that’s when he first fell in love with her.”
“What’s breath-taking?” Asks Arthur, returning with a tray of food.
Lucien clears his throat, and shakes his head.
“Uh-Oh,” I stutter. “I saw a woman with a lovely jeweled necklace.”
“Fine, lie to me,” he grumbles, taking a bite out of an apple.
“How do you celebrate during Lunara’s festivities?” I ask in an attempt to veer the conversation to another topic.
“The children dress up as magical creatures, the non-sentient ones, of course, and we enjoy a large feast, like all the other boring holidays,” he says, looking bored. “I get dressed up, shown around like a trophy, and remain on my best behavior.”
“That sounds incredibly difficult,” I snark.
Lucien chuckles, and covers it up with a cough. Arthur’s eyes flicker to his face, then back at me.
“Lucien,” I slap his upper arm. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry, Arthur.”
“I’m not blaming you. Here, take this. I’ll be back,” he pushes the tray of food into my arms. “I see someone I know.”
Lucien breaks out into a fit of giggles when Arthur is out of sight. I give him a stern look, but wind up joining him instead.
“Oh, Lucien!” I laugh. “Stop. It’s not fair. Both of you are constantly giving each other a hard time, and I keep getting caught in the middle. Is that really the type of thing you like?”
“I like that the two of us can laugh together, and Arthur knows he and I never stop taking jabs at each other.”
“Must you stick me in the middle?”
“I don’t mean to, however, Arthur seems to have taken an interest in you. A dangerous type of interest. You’re to be his new plaything for now. He always tries to push his limits.”
“A plaything? I’m not a plaything.”
“As you’re already aware, Arthur has a very different way of viewing the world.”
“Is there a way out of this? Is there a way to make him run in fear?”
“You can just play along. It’ll be fun to see him challenged for once. Or behave like all the other women that enjoy rejecting him, insulting and degrading him non-stop. He deserves it, anyway,” he says, watching people in the crowd settle down across the river from us.
“Oh, is this a game you play? You find his next victim, and he makes a pass at me?”
Lucien turns to look at me, and it sends a shiver down my spine. His brows are furrowed, his lips are tightly pressed together. He looks more upset than I ever thought possible.
“I don’t pick the women, he does,” he states, emphasizing each syllable. “He wanted to annoy me by selecting you, and I thought it’d be fair to warn you. It’s ridiculous and annoying.”
“Is he good at this game he plays?”
“Luna,” he sighs, looking weary. “Not really. It’ll be painfully awkward.”
“Why does he do it, then?”
“I personally think it’s just an excuse to sleep with as many women as possible before he’s married.”
“But you love him. So he must be… he’s… somewhat…”
Lucien chokes on a bite of food, as he’s choking back laughter. He clears his throat with a swig of wine.
“Sorry,” I blush. “I wasn’t thinking…”
“Sweet Selene, you nearly killed me. Can we please not speak about that near others?”
“Yes, sorry. You’re right.”
“If you want, you can just make him think you only want riches. It’ll crush him.”
“Some wine!” Shouts Arthur, startling us.
He sits close to Lucien, and places a cup in my hand, brimming over with mulled wine.
“I forgot he got married,” comments Arthur, making small talk. “Having his fourth child already. Poor lad! At least he’s happy, I think. What about you, Luna? How many children are you going to have?”
“Uh…” I think about Marcellus, and the day he mentioned wanting a big family. “That’s… personal.”
“Oh, don’t be that way. You have some idea, I’m sure.”
“Three, I guess?”
“Three? That’s a low number. I want at least fifteen children!”
“Your poor, unfortunate wife,” I blurt out, and turn away from him, wiping up the wine that spills out of my mouth from the shock.
Lucien breaks out into a laugh, and slaps his knees in amusement.
“Why unfortunate?” Arthur glares.
“She’d have fifteen copies of you,” explains Lucien, when he finally stops laughing.
“I just… mean that it sounds like too many children, but what would I know? I don’t come from riches.”
“How many children does your Marc man want?”
“Arthur!” Scolds Lucien. “Don’t test her patience.”
“Ugh, it’s fine,” I decide to entertain him, rolling my eyes. “You’ve bought me food. I’ll talk to you about him, but ask everything you want to know now, because after this day, I shall not be answering any more questions about it. Or talking to you, hopefully.”
“So suddenly. I wasn’t prepared at all for this momentous occasion,” a smile creeps over his lips.
“Hmm,” I hum, in a teasing tone. “That’s too bad then.”
“Well, how many?”
“At least five boys.”
“Oh, my. He’ll keep you busy-”
“Arthur,” warns Lucien. “That’s two.”
Arthur simply laughs at Lucien’s discomfort. Lucien eyes me, carefully scanning me for any signs of distress. I wish I’d known he’d be here, and would be looking at me closely, I would have worn my best clothing.
“How long have you and Marcellus known each other?” Asks Arthur.
“Ten years.”
“Ten years? And you clearly haven’t laid together?”
“That’s three,” grumbles Lucien. “You’re done. Go away.”
“It’s alright, Lucien,” I say, placing a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him.
He gives me a worried look, and I give him a reassuring pat on the back.
“I’ll decide when he’s crossed the line, thank you for your concern. I’ll leave it at two, though. Arthur, I’m not going to discuss that with you. It’s highly inappropriate, and extremely personal, like most of our conversations, but if you must know, I don’t think he can provide me with a life of comfort. He’s poor, like my family, and I’d rather move up in status.”
“Very well, uh… What is your favorite color?”
“Silver and gold, of course,” I wink at him. “Jewels are not so bad, either.”
He turns away, looking uneasy.
“I see,” he mumbles. “Well, how is your relationship with your parents?”
“Um… well, they couldn’t afford much, so it’s been a difficult life. We get along fine, nothing special. I’m sort of the black sheep of the family, though.”
“How so?”
“Well, I want to make tons of riches using my magic.”
“Ugh, Lucien,” he rolls his eyes. “You told her?”
“Why make it easy for you, Arthur? You think you’ll find true love, you still lie with them, and then you never change. Don’t waste Luna’s time. She already knows you’re engaged, and she has higher standards than most. You’re just annoying her at this point.”
“You just want to keep her for yourself, I bet.”
“I’m not a thing to be owned!” I shout.
“Gods, I hate both of you. Now I’m going to have to find someone else,” he says, averting his gaze from me.
“I’ll warn every single one of them,” I mumble, thinking this will be the best way to keep him away from me.
“Oh, this will be a fun challenge, then.”
That was not the response I expected.
The lights of the city dim suddenly, and only the lights of a few lit candles remain. Soon, the light spreads to thousands of lanterns, and each of them is released onto the river. They float along gracefully like small boats made of light. Lucien gasps quietly near my ear, and I peek over at him. His eyes are filled with childish wonder, and his mind is probably flowing down the river alongside the lanterns. He looks over at me, as if sensing my gaze on him. The corner of his mouth curls up. The image of another time and another place flickers before. It’s of my sisters, from years ago when we’d lived in Mirror Lake. We’d waited anxiously by the lake that surrounded the city, and screamed with excitement when the lanterns began to flow down the rivers like a blazing fire. My parents had been frightened, thinking we’d been attacked by a wild animal.
Lucien sharpens back into view before me, appearing sad, with one hand placed on my shoulder.
“Is everything alright, Luna?” He whispers.
“Oh,” I sniffle, and wipe my tears away in embarrassment with the sleeve of my dress. “I’m fine.”
“She just needs some sweets, and some ale,” says Arthur, pushing a cup into my hand with a concerned look. “I’ll return shortly.”
I take it without protest, and continue to watch the lanterns.
Some time passes, and I become lost again, my thoughts making a journey through the stars, the universe, the heavens. I watch the strangers around me hugging, chatting, kissing. They all look so happy. Suddenly, I realize Lucien and Arthur are no longer at my side.
After searching for them for a short time, I resort to walking back to the Academy, thinking I’ve been abandoned for the evening. My crying has probably made them uncomfortable. It’s for the best that I return now, knowing my day will be starting early tomorrow.
I feel a light tug on my sleeve.
“Where are you going?” Asks Lucien.
“I thought I’d just get b-”
He holds out an apple pastry for me.
“For you,” he says, shyly. “N-Not that it’ll… uh…”
“Thank you, Lucien.”
“Thank Arthur. Do you want to… take a walk outside the city? I… was planning to follow the river until the last lantern went out. Feel free to decline my invitation, if you need to. I will take no offense.”
“What about Arthur?”
“He’ll be fine. He hates when I force him to come with me. He thinks it’s foolish, and the last time I saw him, he appeared busy finding his next victim. If you don’t want to-”
“I’ll go, as long as they let us back into the city.”
“They will tonight.”
We walk along the banks of the river, not saying a word to each other, simply admiring the lantern light with the rest of the crowds that have chosen to follow them. There are only two lanterns remaining afloat. Lucien and I follow them, growing increasingly excited each time we find ourselves struggling to keep up. Our journey continues long after the others around us have ended their own, and return to the city.
Soon, we’re both determined to continue following them as far as we can. I chase after Lucien through the meadows until the river becomes a small waterfall, and we can follow them no further down the steep drop. From the top of the falls, we watch them until they vanish beyond our line of sight.
“Those two are going to be together for a very long time,” I say, excitedly.
“Yes, they are.”
“I wonder who they belonged to. They’re going to be happy.”
“They could end up hating each other, too.”
“I certainly hope not. That would be awful.”
We turn back, following the path along the river towards the City of Lights, reaching the city gates. The crowds have cleared the river banks, and all the pubs, residences, and shops have become alive once again.
“Where the hell did the two of you go? I searched everywhere for you.”
“Arthur,” Lucien says, with as much cheerfulness as he could muster. “I walked off to get a pastry, and suddenly, the both of you were gone.”
I wonder why he’s neglecting to tell the full story. Would Arthur tease him for choosing to follow the lanterns?
“Yes, and I ran into Lucien after I’d wandered back to the Academy,” I say, convincing myself I’m technically not lying.
“I wasn’t even gone for very long,” grumbles Arthur. “In any case, good night to the both of you.”
“Good night, Arthur,” I wave, making my way back towards the Academy.
“Good night, Luna,” Lucien says, with a polite nod. “Thank you for coming with me.”
“It was a pleasure, Lucien. Have a good night.”
We stand there awkwardly, and I almost think he wishes to remain with me a bit longer. Just before I find the courage to ask, he turns on his heel and walks away claiming he has to stop Arthur before he gets too drunk.