It's the day before Tot Colorum's annual ball and Aanya is starting to really get sick of hearing Tharia talk. The only things that come out of her mouth are, "I'm so excited for the ball!", "Have you seen my dress? I'm going to look amazing!", "I can't wait to show everyone!" and, "Aanya, go make runs for me so I can focus on getting ready for this ball."
Aanya is very grateful for being assigned to decorate the castle for the guests coming this afternoon. She will do anything to get away from Tharia. She is currently trying her best to hang the fresh ivy that was brought to the palace just this morning.
The ladder she is leaning on creaks below her as she reaches for the hook that lay just out of her reach. She stretches farther and farther, causing the ladder to wobble. Just a little bit more.
And then, she's falling. "Ahh!" Aanya cries. She tries to grab at the wall, but the surface is too slick.
Suddenly, she stops. She feels human skin against her own and a grunt that follows the pause of certain doom. She looks up to see Koa. "Look, it's my knight in shining armor," she teases.
Koa smiles sheepishly. He sets her down gently and scratches the back of his head. "Well… thank you," Aanya says.
"No problem. You should be more careful though."
"I will. What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be training or something?" she asks.
"They needed all hands on deck to get this decorating done on time so I volunteered to help out," he explains.
"Great. You can help me hang the rest of this," she says while holding up the vines.
"Sure. Why do we hang plants around the castle again? Not that I'm complaining."
"It's tradition. When the first Icies had their castle built, they filled it with plants and water and different stuff resembling nature whenever the Elders would come around. That way they would feel respected and more comfortable. That's also why the castle is shaped like a tree. They figured it would please the elders," she says as she hands Koa her basket full of the extra vines and moves the ladder down the wall.
"But now we do this every year for the ball and sometimes when diplomats from different planets come around. I like to think it's because we like to show just how great of a planet we have."
They move down the hall slowly, hanging the ivy and then doubling back and adding flowers. They talk as they work, Aanya on the ladder and Koa handing her the plants.
There was a point in which Aanya laughed so hard that she almost fell off again.
Just as they were adding the last flower, Aanya feels her wristband vibrate. "Tharia's calling me. I should go," she says.
"Um… okay. I'll see you later, yeah?" he says.
"Only if I don't die of annoyance."
Koa chuckles a bit, but then he looks around nervously. "Honestly, you're just like Bayne," she says. Koa blushes and gets this far away look when Aanya mentions her brother. "Anyways...um...bye,�� she says, slightly confused at the change of mood.
Koa snaps out of his trance and says, "Yeah, bye." With that, Aanya speeds off to the kitchens to get the tea Tharia requested in her text. After she makes the tea, she goes straight to the Meeting Room.
She cracks the door open and slips in, trying not to be noticed. She makes her way to where Tharia is sitting, which is right next to the king. Aanya notices that all of the faces in that room are sour and that they belonged to the full counsel. Clearly, she has walked into the midst of a very serious conversation.
"We must stay quiet. We do not know how bad this really is. We cannot take action this early," one council member is saying.
The King glowers at the man. "Too early? This has been happening for a month now. We know the situation. People are dying out there, and you suggest we do nothing?" he says.
"This could still blow over. They're just people who are angry. Soon, that anger will diminish. This ball will raise their spirits," says a very old man at the end of the table.
The King's eyes start to glow with the same fierce blue that Tharia's do whenever she is about to have a magical burst. But it goes away as quickly as it came. Aanya sets down the cup of steaming tea next to Tharia and backs away, towards the door but she does not go through it.
"I cannot just sit here and do nothing as my people are suffering. This is not just some revolt that will go away. These people are serious and they will not quit just because we throw a ball," the King argues.
"Sir, if we just wait until tomorrow and see how they react. Then we can make a decision about this," says a surprisingly young member. The King does not look happy, but he nods and says, "Fine. Let's talk about the preparations for this ball."
It is then that Aanya decides to take her leave.
Aanya sits in her apartment thinking about what she had heard in the Meeting Room. People were revolting? But didn't everyone love the king? How come I haven't heard of this earlier?
She is perplexed. The citizens of Tot Colorum are very peaceful and love their king. Why would they suddenly change their minds?
Aanya groana. First, it was her parents, then it was Bestia, now it's a rebellion. What was going on with the world? Not to mention this stupid ball that Tharia won't shut up about.
There is a soft knock at the door. "Come in," Aanya saya in a quieter voice than she meant to speak in. Koa pokes his curly head through the door, his eyes immediately landing on Aanya.
The girl starts to stand when she notices who it is. "No, don't get up," he hastily says while making his way over to her. Aanya sits up and hugs her pillow. She feels like she can be in that position forever. No parents, no Bestia, no confusing questions that made her brain go numb.
Then, a pair of strong arms wrap around her small waist, and warmth spreads through her chest. She feels Koa's soft curls brush her cheek. "What's wrong?" he whispers in her ear.
Aanya sighs. She wants to tell him everything, but she hesitates. What is she allowed to say? Should she tell him about her parents, or Bestia, or even the rebellion?
"I'm just…..confused I guess," she says.
"About what?"
"I don't know… everything?" She struggles to find the right words. "My life hasn't been perfect, but there were always things that I could rely on and now everything is changing."
"Is Bayne letting you become a guard?" he asks.
"No, that hasn't changed," she says with a scowl.
"Well, I know one thing. That no matter what changes in your world, I will always be there," Aanya smiles at that and turns to face him
"Really?"
"Really. And your brother too," he says.
Aanya grins. She studies his face, not wanting to ever forget it. Koa smiles back, but then his face falls. He pushes Aanya off of him and moves for the door. "Where are you going?" she asks after the sudden change in mood.
"I just need to...think about some things," he says while scratching the back of his head.
"What do you need to think about?"
"Uh...I don't know. Have a nice night and I'll see you tomorrow," he says before stepping out and shutting the door behind him.
What was that about? Aanya thinks. More questions, she is really starting to get sick of them.