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.

entire life, I had no idea if they even liked each

if their marriage was a show they put

father took a few deep breaths. He nodded at my mother, and then

specifically told you not to,”

a twitch in his eyebrow or a downward curl of his

not belong

with a sick child we are helping to take care of,” I said, my own

deserves to be as much – if not

–

—

his

stepped forward. “She can be a fine person without being

passed nearly every event with flying

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

opinions could never be wrong.

King huffed in the Queen’s direction. “He’s your

the sake of the kingdom that I caution you, but for her sake, too. She cannot bear the weight required. Her goodness? Her kindness? Her spirit? All will be crushed, to say

my heart, I knew she spoke true.

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

enough to protect

her sister and her wolf, and poor little Elva’s illness. She didn’t need

me to do,” I said, burying the ache in my