Sunset trailed behind Raven as they exited the royal tent. The opening ceremony had ended not long ago. Both Roseluck and General Sentry had left with the kirintal does and stags, respectively, for “diplomatic reasons.” From the way that the General had said it, Sunset had a feeling he meant “try to smooth things over after she’d dumped tar on everything.” Commander Spitfire had also flown off to “handle security while General Sentry was busy dealing with the emberling’s night soil.” Which left her and Philomena all alone with Raven and Dylis.
Sunset’s mind was smoldering as she followed Raven. Some of it was from her part in the opening ceremony and having to speak in front of so many sun-gazers. Even with Philomena’s encouragement and calming sendings, having all those eyes on her was so much harder than she’d expected. At least she’d managed to keep from making any mistakes or stumbling over her part. It didn’t change the fact that the entire thing had left her craving the safety of Golden Tree and her family.
Some of it was from having to be in such close proximity to Magistrate Blaze after the night prior, and the clear antipathy the kirintal now had for her. An antipathy that she’d learned could have serious consequences for Roseluck and her people. She didn’t want to think about it, because the magnitude of the implications were just so overwhelming.
But most of it was the fear of what might be coming next.
She was originally supposed to spend the morning with Lily and Daisy exploring the festival. After which she was expected to be back at the royal tent for something called the Youth Magic Competition and some kirintal event that she couldn’t remember the name of for all of her and Philomena’s flame.
But, that was before last night.
Now? Now Sunset wasn’t sure what Raven was going to do. She wouldn’t put it past the royal seneschal to take away her chance to go out and have fun as punishment for her outburst. The thought made her want to scream, because she knew that ultimately, she was the one who put herself into this situation. At the same time, she hated that Raven had put her into the situation to get into trouble in the first place.
She just hoped that Roseluck had convinced Raven not to take away her time with her friends.
When they reached the field behind the royal tent, Sunset’s looked hopefully towards a line of benches where Lily and Daisy were sitting with a few sun-touched and several local sun-gazers, playing some sort of card and dice game. Spotting her, the two of them waved happily, the sight of which drove off some of her malaise.
“Captain, attend me,” Raven called, startling Sunset out of her daze. To Sunset’s dismay, a knot of six prominence knights began to approach.
“What are your orders, Lady Inkwell?” the knight at the head of the group asked as each of the sun-gazers and plumed serpents bowed to the royal seneschal, the colaurata on the former’s back spreading their elytra and wings.
“You and your fireteam are to escort Sunset, Philomena and their friends around the festival,” Raven said. “Keep her safe and out of trouble. Before you go, get a coin pouch from the quartermaster. That’ll cover whatever the four of them want to do for the morning.”
“As you wish, Lady Inkwell,” the captain said as their plumed serpent member flew off towards one of the sun-blade tents.
Sunset wasn’t sure how to respond as she stared at Raven with disbelief, her chest filling with a touch of hope. Once she gathered her wits, she finally asked, “You’re letting me go out with Lily and Daisy?”
“Yes, I am,” Raven replied plainly as she looked down at Sunset from the corner of her eyes. “Is that a problem?”
“No. No it’s not,” Sunset said hastily, refraining from shaking her head so as to not smack Philomena. “I’m just a little… surprised…”
“Sunset, I promised you that you’d have the chance to spend time with your friends, didn’t I?” Raven said. She let the words hang in the air for a moment before her face visibly darkened and her voice turned icy, sending a chill up Sunset and Philomena’s spines, “But don’t mistake this for me forgetting, or forgiving, what happened last night. You’re still climbing a glass ladder, so unless you want to shatter the rungs, you better move with care. I will be very disappointed if I hear about you causing any kind of trouble while you’re out at the festival. Do I make myself clear?”
“As pure water,” Sunset said quietly, her temper beginning to rise.
“Good. Now, go enjoy yourself,” Raven said as crisply turned and headed back towards the royal tent, her hand reaching up and petting Dylis’s wing as she walked. “I’ll see you at noon. Don’t be late.”
Sunset mutely watched as Raven vanished into the tent, her chest fluttering with conflicting feelings. Confusion. Relief. Anger. But all of them were quickly replaced with joy. Joy at being able to spend time just being Sunset with her friends. No phoenix-born responsibilities. No lessons. Just a girl having fun with three people she cared for.
Hey, Sunset! You just going to stand there, or are we going to get going? Philomena’s sending came into her mind, causing her to get violently pulled out of her own thoughts and back to the real world.
Don’t be so pushy. We’ve got time, Sunset sent as she collected herself and began walking to where her friends were sitting, trying not to pay attention to the prominence knights forming a cordon around her. Both Lily and Daisy had risen and were heading towards her and her entourage.
Sure, if by time you mean we need to be back at noon. Or are you trying to see just how much weight Raven’s glass ladder is going to bear?
A slight sigh escaped from Sunset’s nose as her irritation flowed through her link to Philomena, which got a smug feeling in return.
Stop being right, Sunset sent as she reached up scratched Philomena’s chin absentmindedly.
Where’s the fun in that? Philomena sent with a playful lilt.
Sunset felt her mouth quirk up a little into a slight smile as she leaned her head against Philomena’s side, her bondmate’s good-natured teasing lifting her spirits. But, as much as Sunset hated to admit it, Philomena was right. They had only a precious few hours before they needed to be back.
And as much as she wanted to defy Raven again, she had promised Roseluck that she wouldn't cause trouble.
She’d just have to find a different way to get back at Raven. One that wouldn’t put Roseluck or her people in danger.
Thankfully, Sunset’s irritation was put out of her mind as she found herself wrapped in a warm hug from Lily and Daisy, Philomena taking to the air as they did.
“How’d it go?” Daisy asked.
“About as well as I could hope,” Sunset said. “Nothing went wrong, but Raven’s still mad at me. Said ‘I’m on a glass ladder.’ Whatever that means.”
“I’m sorry,” Lily said. “We should have kept a better track of time last night.”
Sunset shook her head.
“It’s not your fault,” Sunset said, hugging them a little tighter. “I’m the one who wanted to make her mad. Guess I got what I wanted.”
“Let’s not think about it, okay?” Daisy finally said after a pregnant pause. “She’s not here right now.”
“Yea,” Sunset sighed.
“So, what do you want to do first?” Lily asked as she broke the hug and took a step back from Sunset.
“There’s the food stands. The games. Artists and crafters. There’s the musicians and theater section. Oh, I heard that the Drakaea puppeteers are here. We need to go to one of their shows. You’ll love it,” Daisy chirped happily.
“Drakaea puppeteers?”
“They tell stories using these really amazing puppets. Entirely mechanical too, since the style was created by earth-weavers.”
“Those all sound great,” Sunset laughed, Philomena landing back onto her shoulder as she did. “Tell you what: How about we just wander around and see where the wind takes us?”
“What, don't you want to plan everything in advance?” Daisy said mischievously.
“I agree. We need to schedule everything down to the last detail and stick to it like our lives depend on it,” Lily added, planting her hands on her hips and nodding sharply.
“Yes, let’s do that. I clearly don’t want a break from the tyranny of schedules and plans,” Sunset said with a smirk and playful narrowing of her eyes.
“So, you just want to improvise? How very Sunset of you,” Lily quipped.
“Right. How odd for me to act like me. I must be an impostor,” Sunset said dryly.
Both of her friends shared a look.
“That sounds like something an impostor would say to deflect suspicion. Only one way to be sure: Philomena, is this really Sunset, or has she been replaced by a changeling?” Daisy asked Philomena.
Hey, Mena! Are you sure I’m me? Sunset sent as she gave the phoenix a look from the corner of her eyes.
Hmm, that’s tough.
Sunset laughed as Philomena began to scrutinize her, even going so far as to narrow her eyes and poke her cheek with the top of one of her talons. Eventually, she nodded and let out an affirmative screech.
“Well, guess she’s the real Sunset,” Lily said with a laugh.
“Yup, I’m me,” Sunset said as she crossed her arms. “So, are you two finished, or do you want to waste more time when we could be out having fun?”
“I mean, wasting time does sound like fun. What do you think, Lily?”
“Yup. Wasting time sounds good. And the best way to waste time is at the festival, let's get to it.”
“Well, if you insist,” Sunset said with a smile as she took her friends by the hands and began to head towards the exit, the prominence knights forming a cordon around the four of them. “Let's go waste some time!”
*****
Sunset was growing disturbingly used to being uncomfortable. From her time at the phoenix-rite training, to living on Mt. Liakeed, spending time with the queen, all her lessons with Raven, the exhaustion and humiliation that came from her combat training, to mundane things like having to wear dresses or being surrounded by bodyguards when she was out in public.
And now she was adding a new form of discomfort to that ever growing list: having people bowing to her wherever she went.
As they left the portion reserved for the phoenix-born, they passed through the section for the rest of the Heliopolan nobility. Which, unfortunately, included members of the Council of Light, their relatives, and their retainers. While Sunset was cordial with Duke Fancy and Duchesses Fleur, Snowfall and Redheart, she had ignored the rest as best she could, giving them only token respect and nothing more. She wasn’t about to let the fact that the goat-lickers were there spoil her good mood.
Then, they were out into the festival itself, walking towards the line of tents and temporary pavilions that made up the main event. It was then that Sunset noticed the crowd that had gathered a respectful distance away, all of them milling around, their conversations creating a constant white-noise.
That all changed the moment the first one spotted her, Philomena and their prominence knight protectors. Far faster than she had expected, the murmur of their conversations died down as their attention shifted entirely to her. Then, the crowd began dropping to a knee and bowing their heads. An action made all the more uncomfortable to her by not only the adults doing it, but the children as well. Even after being prepared by Raven and Roseluck, and having been told what she was supposed to do in this situation, Sunset still found herself freezing up like she was being stared down by a moorgaunt.
The paralysis holding her was broken when she felt Philomena give her a small push through their bond and nudge the side of her head with a wing.
Thanks, Mena, Sunset sent as she took a deep breath.
Any time.
Stepping forward, but remaining within the circle of prominence knights, Sunset clasped her hands behind her back before saying, “Light’s blessing upon you all. Please, rise.”
Ugh, that felt awful, Sunset sent to Philomena, her skin crawling having to say such a thing to the Easterners before her, who were beginning to get to their feet.
Why? It’s what you’re supposed to say. Remember? Philomena sent as she watched the crowd finish rising. Most began to disperse, though several chose to linger, watching her with naked awe.
It feels wrong, Mena. They shouldn’t have to bow to me like that. Or wait for me to tell them to get up.
But you bowed to Raven when you first met her. And Roseluck. And Queen Celestia. And people have bowed to you in Heliopolis. What’s the difference?
They’re royalty. And… well, I don’t mind the Heliopolans having to bow to me. But these people? It doesn’t feel right. They’re treating me like I’m royalty.
Well, you are. Right?
I… Sunset began to send, only for her thoughts to stop in her head. …I’m just a normal girl. A normal sun-gazer, like any of them.
There was a pause in the sendings as Philomena mulled over Sunset’s assertion.
But you’re not a “normal girl.”
And just like that, Sunset felt like something shattered. Something in that simple statement that hit her harder than anything had hit her before. Something that she realized that she hadn’t been willing to admit to herself. Something that she had been desperately clinging to that had just been ripped apart.
What did you just say?
She could feel Philomena’s confusion through their bond.
That you’re not a normal girl? I may not know a lot about the world, but I have a pretty good idea of what's normal from what you’ve shared of your memories. And I can tell you normal sun-gazers don’t live on Mt. Liakeed with the Queen. Normal sun-gazers don’t have fire for hair. Normal sun-gazers won’t live for centuries. Normal sun-gazers don’t get trained to rule entire sections of a country. And normal sun-gazers don’t have super amazing phoenixes sharing their inner flame and minds. I’d say you’re pretty far from ‘normal’ sun-butt.
Philomena’s sending left Sunset stunned. From her peripheral vision, she could see Lily and Daisy approaching, both of them wearing concerned looks, but they barely registered to her. The only thing in her mind was the clash between what she had been unconsciously been denying for months, and the crushing weight of the truth that Philomena had just forced her to acknowledge. A truth that the citizens showing her the respect due to someone of phoenix-born status had just brought to the forefront.
I’m… really not a normal girl anymore, am I? Sunset sent to Philomena.
A strange feeling of confusion came through her bond, along with a feeling of sympathy.
You’re just realizing that? Philomena sent, the feelings growing stronger as she trilled softly with worry.
I… I never really thought about it. I… I think I was trying not to think about it. I don’t get it. Why is this making me so… I always wanted to be something more than just another girl. But… I… Sunset couldn’t finish her thought as it trailed off.
A gentle hand touching her arm pulled her out of her head and back to reality. Looking in the direction of the touch, she saw Daisy, a worried look on her face. Behind her was Lily, who was looking similarly distressed.
“Sunset? You’re crying.”
Reaching up to her face, Sunset touched her cheek, only to find the telltale moisture of a stream of tears. Without saying a word, she brought up her forearm and scrubbed her face with her sleeve, wiping away the wetness.
“It’s nothing,” Sunset said, trying to put on a reassuring smile, only to produce a pained grimace. “Just the last few months catching up with me again. Look, can we just go. We don’t have much time, and I’d rather have fun with you two than worry about my problems.”
Both of her friends shared an uncertain look.
“Well, if that’s what you want,” Lily said. “But, you can talk to us if you need to.”
“Thank you. I mean it. But, I don’t want to think about it right now. I just want to go play. Please?”
“Okay,” Daisy said with a slight, warm smile as they began to head towards the festival.
Sunset… Philomena sent, her worry palpable.
Mena, can we please just drop it! I just want to have fun with you and my friends! Sunset’s sent with more force than she’d ever sent, before her intensity dropped back to normal. We can talk about it later. I just… I need to just have a simple day out with you, Lily and Daisy.
Sunset felt a small pang of guilt as Philomena withdrew and closed off their bond, a distressed trill coming from her throat.
*****
Sunset hefted the last of her ten, fist sized beanbags, carefully gauging the distance to her target. To her right, Lily had just finished throwing the last of her five, while to her left, Daisy was preparing to throw the last of hers.
They’re kicking your butt. You better not miss.
Sunset glanced down to Philomena, who was standing on the table where her beanbag pile had once rested, the phoenix shooting her a smug look.
You’re free to try if you want, Sunset sent as she turned her attention back to the task at hand.
Sorry, I don’t have thumbs. And I don’t think it’d be fair if I just did a drag and drop.
Smiling at Philomena’s comment, Sunset squared her shoulders and reacquired her target. Once sure of her aim, she swung her arm in an underhand arc, launching the beanbag towards a small thicket of poles topped with baskets of different sizes and colors. Unfortunately, her throw went wide, and the bag missed her target completely, landing on the grass below. The telltale plop to her left told her that Daisy’s aim had been truer than hers.
“And, that’s the game,” a sky-runner man with red and pink hair, blue skin and feathers, and silvery eyes said cheerfully. “Looks like the final score is twenty points for player one, seven points for player two and fifty points for player three. If you’d please come up to the counter, you can collect your prizes.”
“Good try, Sunset,” Daisy said.
“If you say so. Didn’t think it’d do that bad.”
“Kinda like you thought you’d pick up disk throwing right away?” Lily said with a smug grin.
“You’re a born comedian, Lily Valley. You know that?”
After offering her arm to Philomena and transferring her to her shoulder, Sunset followed Lily and Daisy back to the front of the stand, trying to ignore the prominence knights standing in a cordon around the stall.
“Here you go,” the man said, holding out three paper cups, one of which was larger than the others. “Three cups of honey candied vulantiberries for the lovely young ladies.”
Before Sunset, Lily and Daisy could take the cups, one of the feathered serpents extended a wing to block their way.
“Just a moment, Lady Shimmer,” a prominence knight said as the sun-gazer/colaurata members approached the vendor, causing him to stop and pull back the cups. As the sky-runner member planted the butt of their halberd in the ground and extended their hand, the knight said, “We need to inspect them first.”
Slightly taken aback, the sky-runner complied, handing the cups to the sun-gazer. Once the cups were in hand, the colaurata scuttled down the sun-gazer’s arm and began to run their antennae over the cups. After a few moments, the beetle scuttled back to its resting spot and re-secured itself.
Nodding, the knight went to distribute the cups, handing the largest to Sunset first.
“Uh, actually, Lily’s the one who gets that,” Daisy said. “She’s the one who won the game.”
The plumed serpent and sky-runner turned their attention to Daisy, who shrunk back slightly.
“Is that true?” Sunset asked the vendor.
“Y-yes, your highness. The largest cup was meant for your friend,” The man said nervously. “But, I can get you a large cup too, if you want.”
“No no, that’s fine. She won them, so she should get them,” Sunset said placatingly, before turning to face the knight holding the cups. “Please give Lily her prize.”
“As you wish, your grace,” the knight said, handing Lily her cup, before giving Sunset and Daisy theirs.
“Thank you for gracing my humble stand with your business, your highness. I hope you had fun.”
“I did. Thank you,” Sunset said, flashing the man a smile as she fished out one of the sandy yellow berries with her fingers, offering the treat to Philomena. The phoenix accepted the berry enthusiastically, yet as she bit into it, a feeling of revulsion flowed through their bond and straight into Sunset.
Ugh, bitter, Philomena said as she dropped the remnant of the berry out on the ground, and began wiping her beak against Sunset’s pauldron.
Really? Sunset sent as she stole a glance at her chat-lecti, who had already started on their own. Cautiously, Sunset pulled out a berry and bit down on it, the sweet, musky flavor of the foreign fruit bursting in her mouth. Mena, these aren’t bitter. They’re delicious.
Opening their link, Sunset allowed Philomena to experience the taste of the berry, getting a confused sending in return.
That’s not the flavor I got, Philomena sent as she provided a return sending of a nauseatingly bitter aftertaste that almost made Sunset flinch.
Guess they just don’t agree with birds, Sunset sent as she regarded the cup and its contents.
“So, what do you think?” Daisy asked as their group began to make their way towards a nearby bench to enjoy their treats.
“They’re different,” Sunset said as she had another berry.
“Different how?” Lily said as she stuffed two of the berries in her mouth.
“I don’t know. Different. I don’t think I’ve ever had anything like these before. I like them though,” Sunset paused for a moment and looked down at the cup, her brow furrowing in thought. “I still don’t get why we were competing for a prize.”
Both of her friends shared a look with the other.
“Why wouldn’t we?” Lily asked.
“Back home, festival games don’t have prizes like that. Games are for fun and competition, not to win something,” Sunset said, her tone confused. “You want something, you just buy it.”
“That’s kinda what we did,” Daisy said, before shrugging. “We bought the berries when we went to play. The winner just got the bigger share.”
“And that’s normal?” Sunset asked. You want another one, Mena?
Fire and light, no. I’ll just use your tongue.
“Well, yes, it is,” Daisy said. “Makes winning that much better, right?”
“Exactly,” Lily said, offering her cup to the other two, a cheeky grin spreading across her face. “Especially when the winner gets to share with the losers.”
Sunset grunted an affirmation, before taking one of the offered berries from her friend.
“So, what’s next?” She asked as she chewed.
*****
“Burn bright, Daisy! You can do it!” Sunset shouted as she pumped her fist in the air.
“Steady stone, Daisy! Steady stone!” Lily called enthusiastically, cupping her hands over her mouth to project her voice to her friend.
Daisy didn’t reply, her focus entirely on the sandy skinned, sap green haired earth-weaver boy she was currently arm wrestling. The two of them had their eyes locked on the other, muscles straining and sweat dripping down their faces, trying to gain advantage over the other. So far, the contest was nearly even, both having gained slight advantages only to lose it and return to neutral. Both of their faces bore giant, clenched toothed grins as they tried to overpower the other.
All around her, but outside the line of prominence knights, dozens of other sun-gazers near their age were also cheering, some for Daisy, and some for her opponent.
You’re really into this, Philomena said as she watched the spectacle before her.
And you’re not?
Not really. But I’m glad you’re having fun.
I’d be having more fun if they let me play too, Sunset sent as a small pang of annoyance wriggled in her guts as she irritably glared at her escort. I still think it's a load of rancid goat meat that they wouldn’t let me participate.
After the beanbag toss game, Daisy suggested they enter one of the arm wrestling competitions. When Sunset had asked what that was, Lily and Daisy had explained it to her, and that it was a popular sport among earth-weavers. Sunset had agreed that it sounded fun, and had enthusiastically gone along with her friends as they headed to where the competition was taking place.
While they’d arrived, Lily had tried to sign the three of them up, only for the prominence knight captain to intercede, informing the earth-weavers running the event that only Lily and Daisy would be participating, saying that “Lady Shimmer” would not on the grounds that she could be injured.
Sunset had protested, saying that she’d be fine. Her dismay grew when the earth-weaver in charge of signups said that she couldn’t risk Sunset’s health and safety. Naturally, Lily and Daisy had wanted to withdraw, but Sunset had insisted that they play, since there was no reason for them not to just because she couldn’t.
That left her relegated to the sideline as her chat-lecti began to work their way through the brackets. Lily got knocked out in the third of five rounds, joining her in cheering on Daisy, who’d made it to the penultimate round.
Do you think it’d be fair if you did? Philomena sent. They’re all earth-weavers.
I’ve got earth-weaver strength now too…
No, you’ve got the beginnings of earth-weaver strength, sun-butt, Philomena sent smugly. I’m sure any one of them could still snap you in half if they wanted.
Sunset’s planned retort was interrupted when she saw Daisy starting to lose ground to her opponent. Giving Philomena an irritated shove through their link, she cupped her hands around her mouth.
“Come one, Daisy!” she shouted. “Don’t give up!”
To her dismay, Daisy’s face turned into a grimace as her opponent slowly managed to bring her arm down, eventually pinning her, signaling the end of the round. Cheers and groans of disappointment went up from the crowd as the two competitors rose from their seats. After shaking hands, they walked off the stage, Daisy looking tired and slightly disappointed. As she reached the prominence knights, they parted to allow her to rejoin her friends.
“Hey, good try. You did amazing,” Lily said as she hugged Daisy.
“Yea,” Sunset added, clapping Daisy on the shoulder. “Right, Mena?”
Philomena gave an affirmative shriek and nod.
“Thanks,” Daisy added, smiling a little more genuinely as they moved to leave.
“So, what’s next?” Sunset asked as they turned to move on.
“How about the crafters section? I bet there are some fire-caller glass workers doing their thing,” Lily said.
“Sounds fun.”
“Um, excuse me,” they heard from behind just as they were about to leave the arm wrestling arena. Turning, they saw the boy that had just beat Daisy standing a few feet back from the line of prominence knights.
“Yes?” Daisy asked, her tone cautious.
“I just wanted to say that I had fun. You’re really strong,” he said, fidgeting slightly. “Um… My name's Bamboo Grove of House Arundinarae. What’s yours?”
Daisy looked unsure, glancing at Lily and Sunset.
“I’m Flower Wishes from House Leucanthemum,” Daisy finally said.
“That’s a really pretty name. Um… I’d like to give you something, if you’d accept it,” he said as he nervously looked up at the prominence knights barring him from approaching the girls.
Daisy looked back and forth between Sunset and Lily, the latter of which gave her an encouraging smirk and a light elbow.
“Sure,” Daisy said nervously as she walked towards him.
Passing through the line of knights, Daisy found herself face to face with Bamboo Grove.
“Here. For you from me,” he said, holding out a small twig with three long, lanceolate leaves attached along its length. “Maybe we’ll see eachother again tomorrow. Bye.”
Then, before Daisy could respond, he turned and ran off, waving as he retreated, leaving Daisy standing there holding the twig, her face darkening as a blush spread across her features.
Sunset watched him go, unsure of what had just happened, only for Lily to start giggling mischievously. Sunset noticed that Daisy hadn’t moved except to press the twig to her chest and stare in the direction Bamboo had retreated.
“Oh, that was bold of him,” Lily said between snickers. “Hey Daisy, are you going to just stand there all day?”
“What was bold of him? He gave her a twig,” Sunset asked as she gave Lily a confused look.
Lily glanced at her, only to roll her eyes.
“Right, Westerner,” she said playfully. “Sunset, that’s his house's personal plant.”
“So?” Sunset asked as she looked between Lily and Daisy, the latter of whom was finally making her way back to them.
“So… that’s a peace offering. When someone from another house respects you, they give you a sprig of their house’s personal plant. Though Papa and Mama say that it can also mean he likes her.”
“Likes her?”
“You know, likes her.”
Sunset stared at her friend for a few moments, before the flame ignited in her head.
“Oh…” Sunset said, a grin spreading across her face as Daisy finally reached them, the twig still held against her chest.
“Soooo, how’re you feeling?” Lily asked as she wrapped her arm around Daisy, before poking her cheek with her free hand.
“I’m not sure,” Daisy said, her blush deepening and her eyes still on the sprig.
“I mean, he was pretty cute, wasn’t he? And, clearly he thinks you’re cute too,” Lily said, her smile growing wider as Daisy squirmed uncomfortably, an embarrassed whimper escaping her throat. “I bet you want to go and ask him to join us for the rest of the day, don’t you?”
“Stop it, Lily. No need to tease her about him asking her out or whatever giving her that twig means,” Sunset giggled at Daisy’s obvious discomfort, Philomena letting out a string of laughter like trills.
“Come on you two!” Daisy cried as let out a distressed squeal and buried her face in her hands. “It’s just a peace offering. It’s not that big a deal. He’s just being nice.”
“If you say so. Maybe if you’re lucky, we’ll see him later at this evening’s formal diner. Arundinarae is a pretty important house, so there’s a good chance he’ll be there,” Lily said as she began to pull Daisy along, Sunset laughing as her friend let out another distressed whimper.
“I hate both of you,” Daisy groaned as they headed to their next destination.
*****
As a blacksmith, Sunset was intimately familiar with the process of working hot metals. Heat, shape, reheat, shape, over and over until the piece is done. Sometimes, it was point heating. Other times, it involved putting the entire piece into the furnace. Even if she hadn’t mastered the sort of advanced techniques needed yet, she’d watched Bronze making complex tools, iron works, or even sculptures during her time apprenticing under him. And it always amazed her the kind of things he could do with metal. The careful dance of the searing hot materials with the tools needed to shape it into its final form.
And now, she was seeing just what someone who was as skilled as her former master could do with glass.
She sat transfixed at the sight before her entourage and a growing crowd of spectators as a trio of fire-callers, an artisan named Vitric Volcanics and his two apprentices, were working on a piece of semi-molten glass. Unlike the measured pace of blacksmithing, there was a frantic speed to the whole process, the artists using long rods, scissors, crimpers and other tools she didn’t recognize to rapidly form the sculpture. A pinch here. A cut there. Press and twist. Another blob of glass stuck on the side to add a new feature. Then it was back into the furnace to reheat, shape another feature, over and over.
It was strangely nostalgic, watching a mortal artist perform their craft.
Her lessons under the Queen were far less about practical applications, and more about foundational knowledge and skills. It was a strange juxtaposition, because unlike when she’d worked with Bronze, there were no stakes to working with the Queen. With Bronze, everything they did mattered, because it was the difference between making ends meet or not. With the Queen, none of what she did really mattered outside sharpening her skills, because putting food on the table didn’t depend on her getting her forging right.
When they’d first arrived, everyone present supplicated themselves until she had bidden them to rise. Just like at every other place they’d gone. Once they’d risen, the glassmakers had effusively thanked Sunset for “blessing” them with her presence, before promising to show her their skills, offering her a front-row seat to watch them work. An offer she’d accepted at Daisy and Lily’s silent urging.
Every so often, the sculptors would look in her direction, before going back to their project. She wasn’t sure how she felt about what they were doing, but had decided that she’d just let it cascade where it would.
Soon, they stopped making modifications to the sculpture. At first, Sunset thought that was the end of the show, only for the sculptors to place the now finished piece onto a dias similar to the one she and Bronze used for their tempering dances. Shedding their protective outer coats, the three began a cooperative spell-dance, their soul-gems emitting soft magical light as they circled the sculpture.
Another wave of nostalgia hit Sunset as she watched the fire-callers weaving their magic. Memories of working with Bronze on her own dances. The subtle corrections he would make to her techniques to his firm but uncruel reprimands when she made a major mistake. A wistful sigh escaped her throat. She missed him and the forge terribly.
She was drawn out of her melancholy as she saw the fire-callers finishing their dance with a flourish, the sculpture glowed with a soft, red light that slowly faded in a few moments. Stepping back, the three presented their work with a flourish of their hands
There, on the dias, was a glass replica of Philomena perched on a branch, her wings spread as though she were about to take flight. The figure itself was roughly half the size of the real Philomena, but was beautifully crafted, resembling her down to the color of her plumage. It lacked a lot of the details of the real thing, but for having been built from scratch in under an hour impressed Sunset to no end, earning a smile and approving round of applause from the young phoenix-born. A sentiment echoed by the rest of the crowd who also broke into applause.
“Thank you,” Vitric said as he and his apprentices bowed to the audience.
So that’s supposed to be me? Philomena sent as Sunset rose from her seat.
Yup. Congratulations, you just got made into art.
Philomena eyed the glass statue critically.
I think they got my wings wrong. They’re too broad.
Sunset snickered and scratched the underside of Philomena’s chin with the back of her index finger.
I’d say they did a pretty amazing job, considering they did that right in front of us. Take it from me, that’s not easy to do.
Philomena gave the statue another quick glance as they walked down the stairs of the stand and towards the tent’s exit.
… I still think the wings should have been narrower.
You could have modeled for them, you know.
Sunset felt a pang of nervousness shoot through their bond.
That’s what I thought.
“So, Sunset, are you ready for that puppet show? They’re going to be starting soon,” Daisy asked.
“Yes. With how excited you’ve been, I’m expecting it to be good.”
“It should be.”
“Lady Philomena, Lady Shimmer, might I request a moment of your time, please?”
Sunset looked away from her friends towards the voice, spotting Vitric Volcanics standing on the other side of the barrier separating the show floor from the audience area. The man and his two aides were bowing to her at the waist, rather than dropping to a knee.
“Um… of course,” Sunset said, unsure of what was going on. “Please, rise.”
“Thank you, your grace,” Vitric said, rising from his bow. “First, I want to thank you again for gifting us with your presence. It was truly an honor to have the chance to show our skills off to you and your companions.”
“Please, it was my pleasure,” Sunset said. “If you don’t mind me asking, what sort of tempering spell was that at the end? I’ve never seen one like it before.”
“It’s meant to cool the glass quickly,” Vitric said, his tone shifting from deferential to impressed. “Without it, we’d need to put the sculpture into a kiln to cool it off slowly, or the glass would shatter. I take it you’re familiar with spell-tempering?”
“Yes,” Sunset said with a smile and nod. “I’m actually an artisan too, so it was a lot of fun to see you work.”
“You are?” one of Vitric’s apprentices asked. “Of what sort?”
“Blacksmith. Or, at least an apprentice blacksmith before my ascension.”
“Then as one artisan to another, I want to thank you again for attending. You’ve honored me and my students with your patronage and allowed us to model our work upon your blessed partner,” Vitric said, his voice taking on a far warmer, yet still respectful, tone. Then, he gestured towards the dias with the glass statue. “Please, as a token of my appreciation, I would like you to have this. Consider it my humble gift to our newest phoenix-born.”
Sunset’s eyes went from Vitric’s face, to the statue, and back again. Her inner craftswoman was telling her to politely decline the offer, and request he instead sell the piece, like he would any other he made. Something like this would probably net him and his apprentices enough shines for a week’s wages, especially since she knew that he could claim that she’d been present at it’s construction.
And he was just offering it to her, free of charge?
She couldn’t accept that. Not when she knew just how much it would be worth to him otherwise.
As Sunset was about to reply, she felt a squeeze on her right arm. Glancing to her right, she saw Lily looking at her with pleading eyes, before she made a slight gesture with her head towards the stands. Sunset understood Lily’s silent request to speak to her privately.
“Um, pardon me, Master Volcanics. My friend needs a word with me,” Sunset said.
“Of course, your grace. Take as much time as you need,” Vitric said, as he bowed his head to her.
Sunset followed Lily back towards one of the stairways leading into the stands, Daisy following close behind. To her chagrin, her plumed-serpent escorts flew up and formed a defensive perimeter around where they were headed, even as the sun-gazer component of the knights spread out to form their own cordon on the floor.
“What’s going on?” Sunset asked.
“Sunset, you were about to turn down his gift, weren’t you?” Lily asked, though from the edge of her voice, Sunset could tell it was almost an accusation.
“Well… yea. He shouldn’t have to give me something so valuable like that just because I’m a phoenix-born,” Sunset said, looking Lily in the eye. She couldn’t believe that she was having to explain this to her. “I’m not going to take away a chance for him to make a living just because he feels he needs to give me a gift.”
“That doesn’t matter, Sunset,” Daisy said with a shake of her head. “He’s giving you a gift because he wants to, not because he feels he needs to. And not just any gift. It's something he made for you and Philomena. If you refuse it, it’ll be devastating to him and his reputation.”
“What? But, why?” Sunset asked.
There was a strange disbelieving look that went across her friends’ faces, before they looked at eachother, then back at Sunset.
“We take gift giving… true, honest gift giving… very seriously here, Sunset. Surely Raven or Roseluck told you that, right?”
Daisy’s question caught Sunset off guard. Crossing her arms over her chest and bowing her head, she closed her eyes and tried to think back through the overwhelming number of lessons Raven had given her on the Eastern Territory.
“Now we need to address what to do in the event that you are offered a gift while at the festival, Sunset,” Raven said. “Easterners view gifts given to others, particularly those of higher station, as a matter of great seriousness.”
Sunset had nodded, prompting Raven to continue.
“From a Westerner’s perspective, gift giving is typically done within one’s social circle and family. As a means to deepen the bonds between those that you are close to. And while that is true for Easterners, they also view giving gifts to others as a sign of respect and an expression of the generous spirit that holds their communities together. It is not something done lightly. As such, if you are offered a gift, it is important that you accept it.”
“I’m just supposed to take things from anyone who offers me something?” Sunset asked incredulously. “So if someone offers me a bag of dead rats, I just have to accept it?”
“No.”
“But you just said…”
“Sunset, there’s a difference between being offered something of obvious value, and something that is an insult. It is the context of the gift that matters. What may be of no value to you may be of great value to them, and that is where the crux of the issue lays. That bag of rats you mentioned? They could be something rare and precious because they represent an enormous amount of effort from a hunter who spent hours gathering them from the deep wilderness, or they could be vermin killed by an exterminator cleaning out an abandoned house. Understanding the intent and the genuineness of the gift is the key to whether or not you should accept it.”
“So how do I tell?”
“Trust your friends.”
Sunset had balked at that.
“What do you mean?”
“If you’re not with Roseluck, you’ll be with Lily and Daisy. Trust in their judgment on the matter. If they tell you that you should accept a gift, you should. Just as they would need to trust your judgment on the Western Territory.”
Sunset hadn’t considered that.
“So if I don’t accept a gift when I ‘should,’ then what?”
“To begin, it would reflect poorly on both you and the gift giver. For you, it would make you look arrogant and selfish, because you would be refusing something that is given with honest intent. For the gift giver, that rejection would be devastating to their reputation among their fellow Easterners, and to their personal honor. This is especially true for you, Sunset. You are a phoenix-born. You are one of Queen Celestia’s chosen. Your disapproval and approval bears enormous weight. To an Easterner, they would not offer you something unless they felt it was worthy of you. And if you rejected that, then you would be telling them that you do not think they have made a good enough offer, and that their gift is unworthy. To other Easterners, they would look like they had offered you an insult by attempting to give you something that wasn’t worthy of being a gift.”
Raven paused, beckoning Sunset to come closer. Sunset had complied, considering just how much impact something as simple as taking or refusing a gift could have.
“With that in mind, we’re going to practice how to graciously accept a gift from an Easterner. First…”
“She did…” Sunset ruefully admitted. “And she said to trust you about it.”
“So, are you…?” Lily said, letting the question trail off.
“Yes, and I know how to properly accept his gift,” Sunset said solemnly, before her voice turned rueful. “Raven taught me that too.”
The four of them made their way back down to the floor of the tent, and to the waiting Vitric, the line of prominence knights parting just enough to allow her to address the fire-caller. A fire-caller who’s expression now bore slight traces of nervousness and worry, though he hid it well enough that anyone not in his proximity would have a hard time noticing it.
“I would be happy to accept your gift, Master Volcanics,” Sunset said as she bowed her head to the artist, keeping her voice as warm and pleasant as possible. “Thank you, for your great generosity. May your house and clan prosper.”
Through Philomena’s eyes, Sunset could see the glassmaker’s expression shift with relief as he bowed in turn. As they rose from their bows, Vitric signaled to his apprentices, who scurried off to retrieve the statue, placing it in a wooden box and padding it with what looked like wool. Once packed, they handed the box off to one of the prominence knights.
“Thank you again, both for the gift, and for showing me your craft,” Sunset said. “Sun’s blessing to you, Master Volcanics.”
“Sun’s blessing to you, Lady Shimmer,” he said.
Just as Sunset, her friends and her guards were about to exit the tent, she heard a youthful voice from behind shout, “How come she got a prwesent! I want one too!”
Sunset stopped in her tracks. She didn’t recognize the child’s voice, but her Heliopolan accent was clear even through her youthful lisp.
“You heard my daughter,” a second voice said. A familiar voice that made Sunset’s flame roar and her hair to writhe angrily.
‘Spoiled Rich,’ Sunset thought as she turned around, spotting both the Duchess and her daughter Diamond Tiara standing before Vitric and his assistants, flanked by three guards.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I cannot just give away my works like that,” she heard Vitric say, his voice conciliatory yet having a trace of anger. “However, if you would like to commission a piece, I am more than happy to provide you with my prices.”
“But she got one for free!” Diamond Tiara whined, pointing in Sunset’s direction. “If she gets one, I get one!”
“True,” Spoiled said with a haughty lift of her head as she held her right arm vertically to show off the signet ring on her index finger. “In case you didn’t know, my name is Duchess Spoiled Rich, co-ruler of Candesis. So I suggest you listen to my darling daughter’s request.”
The atmosphere in the tent shifted, all of the Easterners beginning to look visibly worried.
“D-duchess Rich?” one of Vitric’s apprentices said nervously.
“Yes,” the duchess said with a sneer. “And before you waste any more of my time, I want you to consider something. My city is the largest commercial hub into Heliopolis. Including raw materials produced in the Eastern Territory. Now, if a tariff somehow ended up on Eastern Territory produced glass and glassware, what would happen? Especially if it happened right after I returned home from this trip?”
Sunset grit her teeth as she saw Vitric and his apprentices visibly deflate, her hair seething with her anger as he said, “Of course, Duchess Rich. Do you want a phoenix like her’s, young mistress?”
“No,” Diamond Tiara said, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at Vitric. “I wan’ a statue of me an’ my mommy.”
“And it better be nice,” Duchess Rich said as she put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Come along, Diamond. Let’s watch them make your preasant.”
Sunset watched in mute fury as Duchess Rich and her daughter made their way to the stands. Even after everything she’d learned a lot about the Duchess and her husband in the last few months, Spoiled strong arming Vitric like that made Sunset’s anger ignite like a bonfire.
Sunset, I know what you’re thinking, Philomena sent urgently. And I can tell you that it’s a very bad idea.
Language fails to describe the magnitude to which I don’t care, Mena. She can’t do something like that and get away with it!
“Lily. Daisy. Would you wait here for a minute? I’ve got something to take care of,” Sunset said as she prepared to give Duchess Rich a piece of her mind. She got exactly three steps before two things happened simultaneously. The first was the prominence knight captain stepping in front of her and barring her way. The second was the air became suffused with magic as all of the sound outside their immediate vicinity vanished.
“What are you doing? Get out of my way,” Sunset snarled as she glared up at the knight.
“We’re sorry, Lady Shimmer, but we cannot allow you to do what you are about to do,” the knight said.
“And what would that be?”
“Put yourself in danger by accosting Lady Rich, and causing a disturbance.”
Sunset’s glare intensified as she stared up into the sun-gazer’s helmeted face, then to the plumed serpent.
“Aren’t you supposed to protect me? Well, I’m going to go and make her apologize, so either get out of my way, or go arrest her for what she just did.”
“No.”
“No you won’t let me pass, or no you aren’t going to arrest her.”
“Both.”
“Damnit, she can’t get away with doing that!”
“That is not our concern. Your safety is. If you wish her to suffer consequences for her actions, we would suggest you bring this to Lady Inkwell. We’re sure she will be able to handle it.”
“My safety?! What are you supposedly protecting me from?”
“Yourself.”
“Myself? Myself!? How is this ‘protecting me from myself!?’”
“Duchess Rich is not a woman to trifle with, especially in the way we are sure you were about to do. As such, in order to keep you safe, we cannot let you do something that would put you in danger.”
Sunset, they’re right, Philomena sent placatingly.
Mena, not you too.
Sunset, please, just stop and think. We both know what Duchess Rich is like Do you really think that you’d be able to do anything other than make her angry at you?
I’m not scared of her, Sunset sent, which only got another flood of worry in return.
And that’s the problem. I know you don’t like it, but we can’t do anything to her. Not yet at least.
So she can just get away with that?!
I don’t know. Look, maybe we should just tell Raven about it. Or Roseluck. They know how to deal with her.
“Dreaming darkness!” Sunset screamed as she clenched her fists and pinched her eyes shut. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew Philomena and the knight were correct. But that didn’t mean she had to like it.
“C’mon, Sunset,” Lily said as she and Daisy walked up to her and wrapped their arms around her waist. “Let's go. We can stop by one of the sweets stands before we go to the puppet show.”
“Fine,” Sunset said sullenly, as she allowed her friends to lead her away.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Duchess Rich watching her leave. Though she couldn’t be sure, she swore that there was the slightest hint of victory on the duchess’s face.
*****
Sunset was still smoldering as she sat down in the top-row of the small theater’s stands, her friends on either side of her, while the prominence knights had arranged themselves so that she had a clear view of the stage.
Originally, she had wanted to sit in the front row to better see these supposedly amazing puppets in action. That was until the rest of the stands began to fill, and she realized that her bodyguards would make it impossible for the rest of the audience to see the show. So, she’d chosen to sit where they wouldn’t obstruct anyone else’s view.
Or at least, none of the earth-weaver and fire-callers. She wasn’t worried about the sky-runner audience, since they’d situated themselves on several small clouds they’d summoned. As she’d taken her seat, she’d seen two of Spitfire’s sky-strikers among the audience, along with a group of ten or so young sky-runners, including two faces she never expected to see again. There, among the youths being escorted by the sky strikers, were Soarin and Fleetfoot. She recalled that they had stood with Blueblood when she had ascended and the lie they’d been fed about being potential ascendants had been exposed.
And if they were with the sky strikers, it meant they and the rest of their group were also with Spitfire. Probably the ‘young fliers’ from Radia she’d heard Roseluck threaten to remove from the afternoon competition when Spitfire had given her a hard time.
Sunset decided that it wasn’t worth thinking about, instead choosing to make smalltalk with Lily and Daisy. Small talk that ended when a blue skinned earth-weaver with violet hair and eyes stepped out onto the stage, dressed in an expensive looking tunic and trousers.
“Bright day and verdant growth to all of you,” he said, bowing deeply to the audience with a flourish. “My name is Dappled Daylight of House Drakaea. I welcome you to our show. Today, we will tell tales of courage, tragedy, comedy and joy. You will laugh. You will cry. And we hope that you will come away having grown from the tales we tell.”
There was a pause as he rose from his bow.
“We are also blessed to have two very special members of the audience today. Welcome, Lady Philomena and Lady Sunset Shimmer. I hope that our show pleases you.”
Swallowing the bile building in her throat at being made the center of attention yet again, Sunset rose to her feet and nodded to Dappled Daylight as she folded her hands behind her back.
“Bright day and verdant growth to you and your troup, Master Daylight. Philomena and I have been told by my chat-lecti that your performances are quite famous throughout the Eastern Territory. We’re looking forward to seeing them for ourselves,” Sunset said, then returned to her seat.
“Then on behalf of my players, I thank you, Lady Shimmer. Now, everyone, please enjoy the show.”
*****
Sunset found herself, along with the rest of the audience, caught up in the throws of laughter at the spectacle unfolding on the stage: three puppets, one of a fire-caller, one of a earth-weaver, and one of a sky-runner, were all in the midst of a massive argument about how to get their ball out of a tree infested with silver hornets. So far, each attempt had ended in failure, and the three of them getting chased off by the angry insects.
It felt good to laugh like this again. The last time she’d really laughed so honestly was back in Golden Tree, usually by her oath-sister Pinkie Pie. She could only imagine what sort of mischief she was getting up to. And the aggravation Applejack was going through trying to reign her and Rainbow Dash in. Even through the painful pang of missing their presence, she chose to focus on enjoying the moment, rather than smoldering on how much she missed them. She’d just have to be sure to write them when she got back to Roseluck’s manor that evening.
As much fun as she was having, Sunset was equally fascinated by the way that the puppets were being operated. Back home, puppets were either worn on the hand, or operated by strings. Or, in the case of the most skilled fire-caller puppeteers, made to temporarily mimic their movements through complex runic enchantments.
These puppets, which were about as tall as Sunset and her friends, were controlled by not one, but three puppeteers, all of which wore dark and light green full body clothes that blended into the wooded backgrounds the stories took place in. Beyond the coordination that went into the choreography, what impressed Sunset the most was the mechanical complexity of the puppets, from their ability to open and close their hands, blink, or have their mouths open and close to simulate speaking.
She’d have loved to take one apart to see how it worked, if she could.
The audience broke into applause as the three characters on stage finally figured out that the solution was combining all three of their failed plans. Only to lose the ball again when they tossed it next to a large rock that turned out to be a cragodile, leaving the three to groan in frustration and begin bickering again.
As the story ended, the puppeteers cleared the stage of props. Once empty, Dappled Daylight stepped back out, earning another round of applause from the crowd.
“Thank you, thank you,” Dappled Daylight said as he pulled up his mask to reveal his face. “Now, for our final show of the day, we will be crossing onto a new woodland. From a tale of merriment and foolery, to one of danger and drama. A tale taken from the very history of this land. The tale of none other than our illustrious and beloved Archduchess Roseluck, and her perilous fight for her life against the dastardly Storm King’s forces at the battle of Stelaria Pass. Come with us once again, as we transport you into another world.”
With that, Dappled returned his mask to its place, and made his way off the stage as the troup began bringing out new props for the next play.
The story began simply enough, with puppets made to look like Roseluck and Spitfire making their way across the stage, Roseluck walking, Spitfire floating in the air above her as they led a small army of soldiers represented by three flat cutouts painted black, through what was supposed to be a canyon. All the while, the Spitfire puppet complained about everything going on, and kept telling Roseluck that she didn’t need to be there, because she could take care of the Storm King’s soldiers. Roseluck, by contrast, would serenely respond to Spitfire, and tell her that they needed to work together to win the day and save the captives taken by the Storm King.
Things soon took a turn when the two of them came upon a group of captives tied up and in a cage. Upon seeing the prisoners, Spitfire exclaimed in frustration that they finally found them, and rushed ahead to free them, Roseluck calling after her to wait. Spitfire ignored her and flew up to the cage, only for three metal arrowhead looking things dropped down, and open to reveal more cutouts that represented the Heralds of Lightning, cutting her off from Roseluck and their army.
As the cutouts descended on Spitfire, she called out to Roseluck for help, who drew a strange green whip, and flew in. The “battle” lasted for only a few seconds of real time, but in the end, Roseluck stood triumphant, while Spitfire lay face down on the ground, knocked out during the scuffle. Roseluck then went up to Spitfire, doing a “dance” to “heal” her. The story ended with Spitfire thanking Roseluck for saving her and the people they came to rescue.
Sunset smiled a little. It was nice to see Spitfire getting put in her place, even if it was only a puppet show. It was nice to know that for all her bravado, Spitfire owed Roseluck her life for being too reckless.
As before, the players cleared the props off the stage, only this time instead of just Dappled Daylight coming out onto the stage, all of the puppeteers did. And once more, the crowd burst into applause, Sunset and her friends included. Yet, from above came another sound, one in sharp contrast to the jubilant fanfare.
The sound of angry booing and jeering.
Sunset looked up towards the source of the sound, suspecting that she knew where it was coming from, an action mimicked by the audience and puppeteers. There, on their cloud-seats, were the Radians, all angrily expressing their displeasure.
“What, you don’t like seeing the truth about your precious Commander?” One of the members of the audience said, earning a round of laughter from the rest of the crowd.
“If you think that’s the truth, then you’ve been listening to a tul’kaxen,” one of the sky strikers said, standing up on the cloud and spreading her wings threateningly. “I don’t know the kind of delusions you dirt-eating hicks have been telling yourselves, but we’re not going to stand here and let you defame our commander with this moorgaunt shit.”
An angry gasp went up from the crowd, followed by booing, though quite a few of the earth-weavers instinctively began to shy away from the threat display, knowing the disadvantage they were at against a sky-runner.
“Oh, you don’t like it when you get called what you are? Well, too bad,” the sky striker said, earning an approving nod from the other Radian sky-runners. “And since we’re on the subject of truth and lies, here’s some truth: It was Roseluck who walked into the trap at Stelaria Pass. Roseluck was the one who was almost killed. Roseluck was the one who needed saving. And the only reason she was there in the first place was because she was tricked into thinking that there were Heralds of Lightning that wanted to defect. If it wasn’t for Commander Spitfire, you dirt-eaters wouldn’t have an archduchess.”
“Sounds like the sort of lies Spitfire would tell to make herself look better,” Sunset shouted as she stood, unwilling to stay silent anymore and let Spitfire’s goons badmouth Roseluck. All around her, she could see the prominence knights prepare to spring into action if needed.
To Sunset’s chagrin, the sky striker shot her a contemptuous look as a smug sneer worked itself onto his face, a look shared by the rest of the Radians.
“If you’re so sure of that, Lady Shimmer? Unlike you and the rest of these dullards, those of us from Radia who’ve gone to proper school know the history of the War of Storms. The real history, penned by the people who were there, including your precious archduchess herself,” the second sky-striker said, her voice dripping with condescension. Like the first, she spread her wings threateningly. “But if you’re so sure that these tul’kaxen ramblings are true, why don’t you ask the archduchess yourself. After all, unlike these dirt-eaters, she can tell you what really happened. I’m sure she’ll happily tell you about how she almost died because of her incompetence. Just be ready to drink bile when you learn the truth.”
Another round of angry booing went up from the crowd.
“C’mon,” the first sky striker said as he hopped into the air and began to hover with slow wing beats. “We’ve got better things to do than waste more time with these deluded dirt-eaters.”
And with that, the Radians lifted off and departed, the female sky striker making a rude gesture as she left.
“Goat lickers,” Sunset growled as she returned to her seat.
“Seriously,” Daisy added with a nod.
“Whatever that means,” Lily said.
You okay, Sunset? Philomena asked.
No, she sent, her stomach twisting up in anger. I can’t believe the gall of those jerks. This was the last thing I was going to do before we have to head back. Now I’m ticked off again.
Do you think they did it on purpose? Philomena sent as she looked in the direction the sky-runners had gone. Maybe trying to make you mess up again around the kirintal?
Sunset thought about that for a moment, before sending a feeling of disagreement.
No. As much of a donkey’s ass as Spitfire and General Sentry are, I don’t think they want things to go wrong with the festival. My guess is we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
At least we’re not trying to get a ball away from a cragodile, right?
Sunset snorted with laughter, indicating Philomena when Lily and Daisy shot her a questioning look.
Right. At least there’s that.