Luminara Whisperwind's Arc

Chapter 4 of 5

The embers in the binding circle had not yet cooled when the messenger came. Kael's family had heard. They would not honor the match until they saw her with their own eyes. Luminara folded her wings tight against her back and nodded. She had won him. Now she had to be allowed to keep him. She walked the road to the stone castle alone. A tall banner hung above the gate, blue and red, marked with lions and a crown. It said everything about who lived here and what they expected. She carried a wrapped bundle against her chest. Inside was an old sword, dulled by time, that had belonged to her father in the first emperor's army. It was the only proof she had that her blood had served something larger than itself. The king and queen waited in the hall. He stood with his hands folded. She stood beside him, still as carved stone. Luminara unwrapped the blade and laid it on the floor between them. "My father carried this," she said. "I have wings. I will not hide them. But I come from people who served, the same as yours." The queen looked at the sword. Then at the wings. "You love him." "Yes." "Then stand," the king said. He did not smile. "The blade is enough. The wings are not a problem we will pretend away, but they are not a reason. You will be received." The queen lifted the sword and set it on the table beside her. The match would hold. But Luminara saw the queen's eyes linger on her wings a moment too long, and knew the receiving was only the first door. There would be others, and they would not open as cleanly.