Page 92 of Cursed Crowns

Lei Fan had insisted on painting Rose’s lips red and had dabbed gold paint on her eyelids, before lining them in black ink. Rose’s hair was pinned away from her face by two ruby clips, while the rest tumbled artfully down her back.

Just then, a gong sounded. Rose felt its vibrations under her feet.

“Come on,” said Lei Fan, grabbing her hand. “It’s starting!”

The enchanters of the Sunkissed Kingdom had been busy. The golden statues had been brought to life, the horses whinnying as they reared up, over and over again. The dragon was flapping its metallic wings, while the beetle and scorpion scuttled back and forth, as though they were dancing. Long wooden tables, lit by amber everlights, groaned under heaped platters of food and generous jugs of wine, while, on either side of the courtyard, ten pigs roasted on slow-turning spits.

Drummers roamed the courtyard, playing in time with an entire orchestra of stringed instruments Rose had never seen before, andwhich seemed to be plucking themselves. Tambourines had been passed out to the children, who were laughing and playing with gusto.

“There’s so much magic out here I can practically taste it!” said Rose as they made their way down the steps. Immersed in the splendor of the Sunkissed Kingdom, it was difficult to worry about Edgar Barron and his Arrows, who seemed a world away. In fact, it was hard for Rose to worry about anything at all.

As she passed a blond enchanter tuning a pair of floating flutes, Rose noticed that while most of the people in the Sunkissed Kingdom looked like Shen and his family, with golden-brown skin, dark hair and dark eyes, there were also witches with pale skin like her, as well as ones with skin similar to Thea and Celeste.

None of them were remotely interested in Rose. Either they did not recognize her, or they simply did not care that she was queen of Eana. After all, tonight wasn’t about who ruled over Eana. It was about who ruled the Sunkissed Kingdom. And Rose was beginning to understand that those were two very different things.

“Sun dumplings!” Lei Fan chased a passing servant carrying a platter of steamed dumplings. “These are my favorite!”

Rose bit into one, closing her eyes in pleasure. It was full of spiced meat and a little bit of broth that ran down her chin, but it was so delicious she didn’t care.

“So the festival delicacies are to your liking, Majesty.” Rose’s eyes flew open to find Shen standing right next to her. He was wearing the Sun Walker’s Crown at a rakish angle, a black high-collared shirt and fitted black trousers. His eyes had been smudged with kohl and the way he was staring at Rose, likeshewas a festival delicacy, made her suddenly feel light-headed.

“Oh, Shen—Hello,” she stammered, quickly wiping broth off her chin.

His gaze roamed. “I like your dress.”

“Thank you,” said Rose, feeling curiously giddy. “I like your... crown.”

He raised a brow. “I thought you had complicated feelings about this crown.”

“Oh, please. You know I appreciate beautiful things. And you can’t deny that crown is a work of art.”

“Just the crown? Not the person wearing it?” Shen needled.

“You are ridiculous,” said Rose, but she was so relieved that things felt normal between them again, she couldn’t stop her smile.

“Is this a truce, then?” said Shen, leaning closer.

She bit her lip, thinking. “What would you like it to be?”

He moved his lips to her ear to whisper something, and Rose’s breath caught at his sudden closeness. Then the gong sounded again.

“Pay attention, you two,” hissed Lei Fan. “Here comes Daiyu. She’s our master storyteller.”

An ancient-looking woman in a long crimson dress strode to the steps, climbing them until everyone in the courtyard could see her. She clapped her hands, commanding silence.

“I welcome you all to the Festival of the Dancing Sun!” she announced. “Tonight we gather to rejoice in the return of our crown prince”—she paused as the crowd roared in approval, and Rose smiled at the pride that sparked in Shen’s eyes—“to celebrate the return of the sun, and to honor the origin of our great kingdom.”

The storyteller held her hands out, and two witches came to join her on the steps. Rose watched, mouth slightly ajar, as one created a crackof lightning between her hands and then tossed it into the air, where it became a roaring fire.

“That’s my tutor,” whispered Lei Fan excitedly. “Her tempest skills are unmatched.”

The other witch, an enchanter, started to manipulate the fire into different shapes.

Daiyu spoke again. “Our tale begins many thousands of years ago, when Eana the first witch was young and the world still unformed. Eana journeyed from the heavens on her green-tailed hawk, leaving her dearest love, the sun, alone in his sky.” Rose marveled as the flames turned into a woman riding on the back of a huge bird. “After years of tireless searching, the hawk landed in the sea and, with Eana’s magical touch, became the very bones of the country in which we now find ourselves.”

Rose clapped in delight as the flames sprawled, painting the map of Eana in the sky. Beside her, Shen’s eyes were shining, just as entranced as she was.

Daiyu’s voice grew somber. “Heartbroken, the sun watched his lover from afar, waiting for the day she chose to land. And when she did, so moved was he by their love that he floated down to kiss her goodbye.” The flames flared brighter, stinging tears in Rose’s eyes. “But their passion was so great that it scorched the earth itself, creating the Ganyeve Desert. Afterward, the sun returned to his sky, and Eana gave up her claim on eternity to become a mortal witch in this new land. She knew she would one day die, while the sun would live on.

---