Six Years Ago

Abigail Valadon had never been more excited. Tonight was the Festival of Light, celebrating the goddess Diamara and the magic that she had gifted to the kingdom. Normally, the yearly festival would have been just another excuse for her mother to posture, thank the guests and the people of Alura, then spend the rest of the time drinking and trading cruel gibes with her small group of friends.

Normally, she would hardly get to spend any time with father, because he was the King. He was always talking to the visiting nobility and the common people, listening to their concerns and thinking up proposals to make their lives better. And she wouldn't get to spend time with Jay, because her big brother was the crown prince and he had his own responsibilities.

But worst of all, she would have to spend time with her little sister Luna. Luna, with the cruel smile and mother's love and one thousand little incidents that could never be traced back to her.

"Princess Abigail's cat had to have died of some sort of sickness. Such a shame, it was so young..."

"Poor Princess Abigail, getting locked in the dungeons for hours. Who would do such a thing?"
"I heard that a scullery maid tripped and fell down the stairs right outside Princess Luna's room."

But tonight, none of that mattered. Tonight, she wouldn't have to listen to Jay tell her to get along with her sister, to her mother's snide comments about applying herself. Because this Light Festival, Abigail's aunt Mara was coming to visit. Aunt Mara was father's sister, the former Princess of Alura. She had married Leon Parnell, the king of the coastal nation Perrnath.

Aunt Mara and uncle Leon had just had a baby, Jessica, the future Queen of their country, and Abigail couldn't wait to meet her, but that wasn't why she was so excited. No.

Her aunt and uncle had recently taken in a ward, the 2nd son of a major lord. The lord of Galys and his wife had been killed in a recent attack by Mordan, and their firstborn son was missing, presumed dead. Abigail knew that the deaths were tragic, and had wept when she'd heard, since her aunt and Lady Lochan had been the best of friends.

From her letter from Aunt Mara, she had discovered that the boy's name was Hayden Lochan, that he was a year older than her, and that he was very sweet. He was coming with her aunt and uncle to the Festival of Light. As a princess of Alura, Abigail had never had that many friends. Eliza Barclay, the daughter and heir of the Lord of Lys, had been her best friend since they were babies. None of the other noble families of Alura had children around her age. Hopefully, this Hayden Lochan, whoever he was, could be her friend too. 

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I know I said the next chapter would be on Friday, but this is so short I couldn't resist. Chapter 2 - Of Friendship and Poor Dancing will still be coming out on Friday, but I hope you enjoyed this interlude. Let me know your thoughts and any feedback would be greatly appreciated.