// Chapter 15 \\

It now felt like how things used to be: Seonghwa being unreadable as ever, visions I couldn't even comprehend, and the seething unknown plight that weighed down on my emotions. And maybe that's why the journey back to my Court with Elara was so quiet. We walked across the large light tan path surrounded by purple grass fields, leaving the large city, palace, and other lands of the Dawn Court behind us. Here, along this path, a portal could open to take us home to Night Court.

Of course, Seonghwa didn't come to escort us, being the way he had with his simple command to leave.

As if I was his subject.

And perhaps that's why I clenched my fists in silent rage. Perhaps that's why I kept my mouth shut and didn't say a word to Elara.

But I didn't need to speak for a conversation to be started.

"Well, there was a short end to that visit."

I could've scolded Elara's stroke of confidence in that comment. However, the silence said enough.

"I... I'm sorry, ma'am, was I too blunt?"

My temper and overall commotion in my head was on a tight leash— it was practically overflowing. I could lash at her. But that thought alone had the waters of temper's fuel drain. I didn't realize my body was stiff until I loosened it then. I didn't want to hurt people— I never wanted to hurt anyone. So, I didn't want to hurt Elara.

"No," I sighed after another long moment, "It was a short visit. Almost as short as..." I snickered a bit, "Well, as his temper."

I was surprised to look over and find Elara's face crack into a smile as she gave her own laugh. She grinned for a bit before pursing her lips together in effort to try and reform the neutral complexion of a knight.

"Well, at least you were able to make a bit of progress?" Elara raised a brow as she tilted her head in my general direction.

I gave a nod to her, despite knowing her blind eyes wouldn't allow her to see my agreement of her statement. It also prevented her from seeing my grimace right after. I might've made a bit of progress, but the progress I made...

It frightened me.

"Yeah," I gave my verbal response to her statement. I sighed, "As tiny of a bit as you can get."

Elara snickered, "Yeah, well, at least you dreamed."

I smiled, "Well, of course, I'm sure you knew well of how I never had the ability to dream."

I was her High Monarch, and of course Court citizens knew many things of their High Monarchs. This would be something she surely knew.

"Yes, but," Elara hesitated with her words, tilting her head, "I don't um... I don't dream."

I stopped dead in my tracks. Elara stopped almost as immediately as I did, glancing casually in my way when I whipped my head to her's. No one had ever had the same issue as me.

"You... you can't sleep?" I nervously asked. This would be another one of those moments I would've blinked rapidly in disbelief.

"I can sleep," Elara shook her head slightly, "It's just... dreamless." her frown deepened slightly, "It's always dreamless."

She didn't have the same issue as me, but it was close enough that I stepped in her direction and placed a hand on her shoulder, "H-How...?"

Elara shrugged, "My parents always assumed it was due to my blindness and I think they're right in that statement but... I'm still unsure if that's it."

I was silent for a moment, not quite fathoming how I knew exactly how she felt. The tone of her voice of silent longing; Elara had to have wished that she could dream. I had that same exact feeling too many times to count.

"Well, however it is," I swallowed for a moment. This was definitely stepping out of my bounds of how I was to formally address my citizens but I didn't care in that one moment, "I know the feeling of... what it is not to dream." I patted her shoulder before lowering my hand back to my side.

That was when the ripple in the air formed where we stood and a gash in the air opened to the realm of night; home. My head turned to observe the stars twinkling in a welcoming gold. A stone path led into the white albino garden of trees and other foliage before the guard sector of the palace came into view, made of stones of darkness and tinted blue windows which gave way to the illuminated inside.

I turned back to Elara to find her head had tilted to turn towards the rippling sound before she looked back to me with a smile. It was a genuine smile. At that moment, it looked like she stared right into my eyes.

"Thank you," she murmured softly and that was all she said. Elara turned her head to head through the portal, waiting for myself to make my way through the portal.

For a moment, I didn't go through, letting all the thoughts I had sink in. And then I let out a breath of relief for once. Then, I stepped through the portal, and Elara followed after me.

And then the split-second thought came to me.

I cringed at it, at first. I'd gone stiff and stopped in my tracks. I was entirely unsure for one moment about it, and then the next I practically pushed myself off the edge to do it.

Elara had stopped behind me and it only gave her a moment to question what I was doing, "M-Ma'am?"

I was going to do it.

I turned around towards the shorter girl and her blank, blind eyes. Those eyes prevented her from sleep. They were like my eyes in that manner, except I could see normally. Perhaps what I was about to say was a split-second decision, but I didn't back down from suggesting it.

"Elara," I cleared my throat before addressing more properly, "Elara Omal, The Menkalinan, one of the four Knights of the Night Court," Elara immediately stood at attention— shoulders poised and back straight— from my new tone, "Would you be my Captain of the Guard?"

Immediately, her eyes widened and her mouth went slightly agape. She was speechless with my sudden offer, the fact I gave the formal choice here, at now of all times— right as we were coming back from Dawn Court.

Her mouth moved to form a response, but she didn't have a chance to give a reply.

"Star of Night Court!" a voice called, causing me to turn around at the sound of my name.

A guard approached us from the barracks, taking to a slight bow before they spoke, "A visitor has just arrived; Lupine of Spring Court."

Yeosang?

I tilted my head before nodding, "Um, yes, thank you for telling me. Where is Yeosang?"

As if on cue, his figure appeared from around the white marble corner. He was fit in a dark purple suit with cyan gems and white ruffles. A few pink petals drifted from his antlers as he nodded my way with a smile.

I couldn't help my smile back before I licked my lips and nodded to the guard to leave, who quickly did so. I then turned back to Elara who seemed a bit stiff but did her best to take a formal guard stance, "Elara, please consider... we'll have to talk later."

Elara took to quickly nodding, "Of course, Star of Night Court.'

And so Elara took to walking and making her way to the palace when I turned back to Yeosang, who had taken to approaching me.

"Well, it's been a bit since I've seen the sun-kissed ruler of the Night," Yeosang gave a wink.

This had me laughing but I stiffened just a bit as a second thought came to the back of my head. I quickly shook it away; Yeosang was a long-time friend of mine.

"It's been awhile since I saw the pink man of flowers," I fired back, raising my brows in a friendly and teasing manner.

Yeosang snickered slightly before calming himself, clearing his throat to say, "I take it you're doing better than when we last met?"

I nodded my head in confirmation, giving him a grin, "I am."

"Well, that's certainly good to hear," Yeosang let out a sigh before his face grew a bit serious, "I was hoping you'd be in better spirits for the information I've brought to talk about."

This had a frown forming on my face. My brows furrowed as I tilted my head at him. I waited for him to explain his words.

Yeosang licked his lower lip before he blinked and met my eyes as he said, "It's about the Crescent."

My eyes slightly narrowed, "The legend you mentioned at Dawn Court."

Yeosang nodded, "I haven't talked to the other High Monarchs about it since but, I've done as much research as I could about it," He shook his head with a bit of a fixed jaw, "Which that in and of itself is very hard to do— there's little information on it."

"But you found out something valuable?" I asked.

Yeosang nodded, "A few things," he met my eyes once more, hesitant in his words before he finally spoke, "Star, I believe you hold one of the Crescent powers."

REMEMBER:​​​​​​

1. Smack dat butiful star

2. Leave a comment talkin abt dis tea

3. Share dis tea induced book with yo fwends

WHY? Because I appreciate it 🥺

\\ See u in the next chapter! \\