Arrival

I went downstairs and met Aurora with her luggage beside her, poised like a statue in the morning light, and I walked to her, calling for some maid to take it to the car alongside mine, voice carrying like a soft command through the foyer’s hush. Soon my grandparents and parents came downstairs, footsteps echoing like measured beats in the anticipatory air. “Are everything ready?” my father said to his PA, who confirmed yes, single syllable landing like a seal on our departure. And we all went to the car I and Aurora sat in one, intimacy of shared space unspoken; my grandparents sat in one, gentle dignity in their silence; my parents sat in one, unspoken currents flowing between them; and the servants that were following us sat in one, eyes likely holding maps of discretion. We drove for 2 hours before we reached there, wheels eating up distance like hungry seconds, and were highly welcomed by the Luna queen Sharon, her presence unfolding like warm sunlight as she greeted us with poise