The Luna Choosing Game

Nicholas

I stood before the King in his chambers. He was angrily pacing the length of the room. Back and forth,

back and forth. Occasionally he would stop to shout at me, but he’d always break himself off, unfinished,

and continue pacing.

“How could you think –?”

“You deliberately disobeyed –!”

“What do I even –?”

A few minutes in, his face was turning red, and my mother, the Luna was forced to intervene. She stood

in his path to keep him from pacing, then whispered into his ear.

I never totally understood their relationship. My mother was a private person. And though the two of

them often gave compliments to each other, any meaningful conversations only went on behind closed

doors.

even after knowing them both my entire life, I had no idea if they even liked each

a show they put on for the world.

breaths. He nodded at my mother, and then

you not to,” he said.

his voice, occasionally leading to a twitch in his eyebrow or a downward curl of

not belong

child we are helping to take care

to be as much – if not more than anyone

–

—

his hands up.

forward. “She can be a fine person

passed nearly every event

she was common. I wanted to help them see without directly calling them out. To do so would be incredibly dangerous, even for

King’s opinions could never be

the Queen’s direction. “He’s your

just for the sake of the kingdom that I caution you, but for her sake, too. She cannot bear the weight required. Her goodness?

my heart, I knew she spoke true.

burden of a cruel world would press down on her. It would wear at her

enough to

illness. She didn’t need the added weight of a near

I