All Chapters of Will Bear the Moon: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

-Three years later-*Ana*“I can’t take it anymore.” The maid screams and throws down the brush. Her face almost as red as her hair. She’s still huffing and puffing through her fangs as I reach down to pick it back up. “But my hair-” I see the wild mess in the mirror. I can’t remember how long since the last maid combed it. And it was bad then. But now, I can’t even pass my fingers through parts. The long, curly silver hair is starting to lock up. It’s going to hurt even more than usual to untangle it.But, it needs to get combed.“I know no one wants to touch it, but it will only be worse if you don’t-”“I can’t touch it,” The maid goes again, making a face. “It’s gross! Don’t make me touch it!”“But -” How am I to get the knots out? “Today was supposed to be the designated day.” I go. “We agreed, didn’t we?” but the maid charges for the door.“Well, I changed my mind. I’m not doing it..” “Please-” I try once more. “IF you just do the back-” I can do the rest. But, I don’t get an

“Have you ever considered taking a pen pal, Ana?” Maddie uses the nickname. It’s a habit of hers when we are alone. “Pen pal?” I repeat. What is she going on about this time? It’s been a month since Maddie started. But it doesn’t feel like much time has passed. Maybe because she makes everything seem, I don’t know, odd?She never seems to run out of questions. That’s for sure.Maddie moves to smell one of the roses. We are walking through her garden right now—the great garden of the late Empress Parsul, my mother. It’s the only remains of her reign. Everything else was destroyed, as is the custom in Nochten. We purge anything of the dead.I think that is why no one visits this place. It stays deserted, save for me.Well, except for Maddie. She seems to like them as much as I do.“Why would I do that?” "Why do you think so?" Maddie leans down to fluff my hair. “Stop,” I shift away, but Maddie plops her hand over my head. It feels warm on my scalp. It’s calming“To make a friend, y

*Aunt Funda* Aunt Funda could feel all the blood drain from her cheeks as the initial shock transmitted to outright dread. What is the meaning of this? Her mind raced as her eyes again read over the envelope. Somewhere, she hoped that it was her mistake. A trick of the light or her eyes had turned sour. Anything would be satisfying if it were to help say she had been mistaken. As long as it wasn’t this. Surely this can not be. Aunt Funda refused to believe. It wasn’t real. She was convinced it wasn’t. But try as she may to pretend it wasn’t there, the letter remained the same. It was undeniable. The letter was stamped from the kingdom of Dawny and addressed by the very King Alexander himself. It even bore his royal stamp- a blue wax declared it an official letter from the foreign kingdom. And it was addressed to none other than her niece. "This has to be some joke." Aunt Funda growled, still resisting what she held in her hands and cursing under her breath. She wanted to rip i

*Uncle* Ana’s Uncle did not enjoy change. He was a systematic man with a tendency to habit. It was a quality that he and his niece seemed to share. But each for different reasons. Where Ana followed routines to fight her isolation, Uncle preferred it. Uncle was a slow speaker and could not keep up with banter. He was not clever or had a way for pretty words. He was the sort of man you would forget after the meeting. Though Uncle knew himself to be this way, he never saw it as a nuisance. Instead, it was pretty beneficial as he was talented in other areas- areas like money. Uncle had made himself known as a man for numbers. He was called proficient when it came to them. So much so that he was elected by the court to take on the empire’s treasury. A title he took great pride in- as it made it so much easier to rob the coffers blind. Even if there were suspicions, no one would talk if they did. Uncle relaxed at the sight of his future in comfort and luxury. Being both related to

*Ana* I hold the little gift box tied in blue ribbon carefully on my lap as the carriage door closes after Maddie. The maid takes a seat and smiles across the cabin. “And how are we feeling, my little Ana?” Maddie starts. 'My little Ana?' I feel my cheeks warm at the new nickname. Maddie is being strange, per usual. “Excited?” “Yes,” I look out the window. Outside, there is a farewell party. Aunt Funda and Uncle are here. And some servants have joined. I can even make out many faces I see from the court. It’s nice to see many come to see me off. But they don’t seem too excited. No one is waving or saying goodbye. I get a somber bow before they start heading back inside. I haven’t even left yet. I press my tongue to the roof of her mouth but say nothing at the slight insult. Even though I know that it’s not proper to leave before I do. But it’s quickly forgotten as I discover one still remains. It’s the human with a scar over his brow. Admiral…something I think. He doesn’t