Page 83 of When the Moon Met the Sun

I felt Rayven clinging to the long shadow I cast along the ground, courtesy of the rising sun, as I rubbed dirt across my face, in my hair, and along my wings.

I wished to the Stars it was enough to trick those I’d have to make my way past, or at least givethem pause.

Then, I broke out into a run.

I ran as though my entire world depended on it. And in some ways, it did. I felt free for just a moment, like I didn’t have the weight of a crown on my head, like two different nations weren’t relying solely on me and my upcoming decisions to win this battle.

And after that, to win the war.

For once, I allowed my anxieties to overwhelm me. I let them fester in my chest, let them eat away at my stomach until it was nothing more than a growing pit in the center of my body.

I thought about Aurora and how much we seemed to have grown apart since I left the North. I brought to mind Dimitri and all of my worries I had revolving around him, and if he was truly going downhill or not. I pondered how alone I felt when I was first sent away to a strange place with strange fae.

I let it all eat at me until tears were streaming down my face as I ran. I let the hood of Rayven’s cloak fall back as the wind whipped at my tears, leaving streaks running down my face through the dirt I smeared there.

As I got closer to the largest tent, right in the middle of the campsite, my brothers and sisters from the North began to murmur and gasp as I ran past, my booted feet carrying me as fast as one of my air currents.

The closer I got, the louder those murmurs became, until they began to shout.

It only made me run faster.

My chest was heaving by the time I reached the center tent, but as I rounded it to reach the front, I came face to face with six winged guards, each one covered head to toe in that near impenetrable leather and carrying a variety of weapons. Each male looked as though they were carrying their own personal armory.

“What—” a familiar voice started. “Wait. Princess Aviva?”

Looking up, I remembered to put on my best performance.

“Joel!” I sobbed, throwing myself into the young guard’s arms and allowing the tears I had worked up to flow freely.

The gray eyed, dark haired guard had served my father for around six years now, and he often guarded Father’s meetings with his advisors. He was one of the only guards who would break his stony mask to smile at me, or would sometimes even look the other way when he’d find me outside of my room when I shouldn’t have been as a young teenager. Though he was only a handful of years older than me, he had worked hard to make his way from a servant in Gatlyn Castle to a member of the royal guard. And though I no longer served the North, I admired him for it.

“Princess, how-how are you here? What happened? We were all devastated when we heard you had been taken from us,” Joel said, his voice laced with concern as he gently put space between the two of us when he noticed the way the five other guards were watching us. Each one had removed their hands from their swords though, which was a good sign. They didn’t view me as a threat to them.

Yet.

I had to bite my tongue to keep from correcting him as I responded.Queen. No longerPrincess.

But I knew they recognized me right away. Their eyes bounced around from my partially covered face, to my white hair, to my dual colored wings. They, at least, had not forgotten me so easily.

“The South has been trying to persuade me to join their side of the war for months. They’ve been trying to break me.” I forced my voice to crack, reaching up to touch the eyepatch covering my green eye, hoping they’d believe it an injury. “I-I don’t know why they chose me, but this battle was to be m-my first test. The moment they turned away for just a second, I ran. I knew I’d find my people here somewhere.” I paused, sniffling, tears falling still. “Is… is Father here?” I made a show of looking around cluelessly, though I knew he’d be inside the tent Joel guarded.

Joel looked to the other guards around him, and though they seemed slightly skeptical, they also seemed to look on me with pity.

If only they knew.

When Joel hesitated, sharing weighted glances with his fellow guards, I pushed again. “He is, isn’t he? I just want to see my family. I want to gohome, Joel.” I spoke with a voice full of raw emotion, my lip trembling and eyes watering all over again as I looked upon him and the other guards.

“Let her in, Joel. The King can’t be upset that we let his stolendaughterin,” one of the others said, the only part of his face not hidden by his helmet was his blue eyes.

For a split second, I wondered if it was weird that I had missed seeing other blue eyed people, just slightly. Even if I wasn’tfullyblue eyed anymore.

Not that these males seemed to know that, or even suspected anything was amiss.

Joel loosened a breath. “Alright, alright. Let’s get you inside, Princess.”

I forced myself to let out a sob of relief, thanking Joel repeatedly as I allowed him to lead me inside the giant tent.

It took everything in my power not to drop my act as I beheld who was inside.

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