The Princesses Luna

[Authors Note: This chapter focuses on some content that may be considered sensitive by some readers. This is primarily world-building in nature; you may skip it if concerned, but I can guarantee that later plot points might not prove confusing if you do.]

[Authors Note 2: The keen eyed reader may notice some details that are different from how things work in the real world. These are not accidents, but are instead why this chapter was deemed necessary to be included in the story in the first place.]

Selena rolled her shoulders and hardened her focus on the spell she was working with three of her fellow acolytes.

Selena wasn graced with the natural proficiency with her element that Lucine had, but she was at least strong enough to take lead on the spell to probe the state of the conduit supplying the Convocation chambers with tidal waters.

Normally this probe was nominative: the conduits were wide and well-filtered so that nothing was likely to block them. Certainly not in only a month, anyway – and any blockage that might occur would have been removed in the cleaning that had been done the night before.

But the tides had been weakening over the last several months, and while the chambers hadn failed to fill yet, a certain tenseness could be noted on the higher Sisters of the Lunar Order whenever the topic of tidal levels came up.

So nothing was being left up to chance.

After several tense minutes, a glowing blue sphere returned, floating in the trickle of water that would hopefully be much higher in the next hour.

Selena dismissed the sphere and led her friends up the stairs and to the office of the Priestess. She knocked once on the door and entered.

”The probe is complete, ” she reported. ”No obstructions found. ”

”Very good, ” Priestess Tulsi replied. ”Go prepare yourselves for the Convocation. Selena? ”

”Yes, Priestess? ” Selena remained behind as the others departed.

”Is it true that there will be a new attendee with your family tonight? ”

”Yes, a halfcat named Cassandra Demarin has been selected as our tutor, and has accepted the invitation to attend with us. ”

Our tutor, as if she wouldn be spending the bulk of her time with Mona and Aadhira; Selenas constant presence in the temples and palace already had her education in much more stable hands than those of the guard house.

”I look forward to meeting her. ”

She hesitated, a rare occurrence for the royal familys personal priestess.

”I know that I don check as often as I used to, but – is the Luna family still… afflicted? ”

Selena swallowed, licked her lips.

”I also don ask regularly, ” she replied. ”I really can say whether or not anyone would have told me, but if I am any indication, there has been no change. ”

The Priestess did not miss Selena instinctively drawing her hands to her middle, or tightening her stance.

”It is a strange affliction, ” she muttered, almost to herself. ”Stranger still that divination tells us nothing about it. ”

Sighing, she spoke more directly to her acolyte. ”If it were only you and your twin, it would be within the realm of reason; but your sister Luna is already 18! ”

Selena nodded, not knowing what else to do.

”Ah, but surely there is a way for you to serve the moon yet. And you certainly have found your way.

”Run along, girl. Run along, and may the Shining Mother illumine your path. ”

Selena hurried toward the acolyte chambers. Arriving at her cell, she collapsed on her bed, tears she hadn realized were looming beginning to flow.

Why were the Luna sisters cursed? Why weren they able to participate in the outpouring of life to the moon like everyone else?

There was no shame in their lack; no one faulted them for the shortcomings of their bodies; yet it still seemed unfair that they were unable to participate in this expression of womanhood.

Selena took the time allotted to fully explore her grief while meditating, experiencing each emotion fully and feeding it to the depths of the waters in her soul. They would remain there; a current could not be suppressed forever, but she could choose when to sail it.

Now was a good time.

In time the bell rang, signaling the acolytes to make their way to their stations. Selena splashed some water from her basin to clear her face and departed.

Greeting arrivals was always one of the most coveted assignments; and as luck would have it, this was where Selena was assigned tonight.

Opening the doors, she saw a score or two of women already waiting in line: the women of the palace, from the baby still suckling at her mothers breast, to the aged grandmother who would not be here without the help of her family and friends.

And in they came, maids and cooks and servants of every duty; and the wives of servants besides.

They milled about, greeting friends and family who they might not see at any other time during the month.

Selena could already feel the power of the community building, resonating with itself and amplifying in anticipation of the upcoming rite that would unite all women in this building, in this city, in the kingdom, in nations at peace and at war with each other throughout the world.

Other temples scattered throughout the city were serving the common woman beside the noble, beside the mercenary, the adventurer, the law-abiding and the criminal; and so it was in all known lands.

Those by the sea would of course use tidal waters; where the tides were not felt, they would use groundwater where they could; where water was scarce, they would be forced to use other mediums; but everywhere on this night, womankind was gathered to offer her tribute to the full moon.

As the women came in, Selena would check each name off the list of palace workers and note their condition; she would then pass them on to Tamra, Lili, or Sara to escort them to the changing rooms.

Fifty-eight women came through the door and were counted, and then the door opened to admit the last group, Selenas own family, with a nervous halfcat in tow.

Selena took down their names, dutifully, and recorded their condition: a check for the tutor and queen, and a dash for each of the princesses, herself last.

As the other acolytes and the priestess had already recorded themselves before opening the doors, Selena signed off on the count and closed the door after checking in with the guards stationed outside.

No man would dare interfere with the nights proceedings, but neither would they be lax in their defense.

Selena followed her sisters into the changing room reserved for the royal family and shed her robe in a single efficient, practiced motion.

When they were all skyclad, Selena held the door for her family to enter the Convocation chamber: a room with eight pools that would be just over waist-deep when full, but that currently only held water up to the ankle.

A hole open to the sky was above each pool.

Cassandras nose twitched at the smell of salt in the air. ”True tidal? ” she asked approvingly.

Selena nodded.

Six of the pools had women sitting on the ledges around their rims, chatting among themselves; Tamra led the queen to the empty one closest to the smaller pool for the priestesses, the one reserved for her.

After helping the royal family and their lone guest into their pool, Tamra joined the priestess and the remaining acolytes in the head pool.

Priestess Tulsi remained standing as the rest of the temple staff sat down.

The women continued their conversations as the priestess eyed the position of the moon in the sky. Selena couldn help looking up herself and watching as it edged closer to directly overhead, the tiniest sliver of darkness remaining.

Selena couldn tell whether the priestess drew her cue from the position of the moon or the sudden swelling of magic in the water that was now halfway to their knees when she held up her hand for silence.

”The sun is our source of light and life, ” the priestess intoned. ”It provides us with energy to grow and thrive. This energy flows through all living things, from the plant that buds and grows, to the beast that feeds on it, and in turn dies to feed another.

”All things live and grow and die and are reborn in new forms, and this cycle, this web, is the source of all magic.

”But there is a power beyond the heavens, seeking to break through the bulwark of the sky to destroy the cycle of life. We can see it at night, as pinpricks in the veil shine through, looking upon the life it hates.

”The gods in times past built a shield to defend us from this onslaught, but it needs our help. The moon alone has the power to repel the evil outside, but were it not for the contract signed long ago with all living things, it would surely run out of magic to power it.

”All living things give a piece of their life to the moon, to buttress our shield. This is why the day is divided into day, by which we gather energy, and night, by which we pay our tribute to the moon in rest and dreams.

”This is why the tides swell twice a day, to better gather the bounty of the sun, and to provide a channel to carry the tribute of life to the moon.

”And this is why women are given every month a chance to either birth new life within us – or to share with all life the nurturing that would otherwise have gone to waste. ”

The waters were now starting to spill over onto the ledges on which the women sat in their pools; and the power of the tides was evident even to the non-attuned.

”Tonight, ” Priestess Tulsi concluded, ”we join women everywhere in paying our tribute to the moon that protects us and guides, to protect all life from that which lies beyond! ”

And all the women joined in the ancient chant that would bind their energies to the tides that even now began to draw out that which flowed from all women.

Across all the pools in the temple, red began to spread from all women who could no longer be called girls. The tidal waters drew the life-heavy fluid to the center of the pools, where it combined with the essence of the other women in the pool and began to shine with magic.

But in the queens pool, there were five women from whom the blood did not flow; and Cassandra gasped to witness the curse on the daughters of the family Luna.

And then the moon was directly overhead; and for just a moment the channel was complete, and flashed with a light that shone across the city for those who were capable of seeing it; and then the water was clean, the tribute accepted.

The water receded after that, and there was no small amount of discussion regarding the servants wife whose lack of tribute proved her to be with child; and one by one the women departed.

Selena stayed until the last. Such was her duty as an acolyte; but more, such was the least she could do for the moon above, when her body denied her the tribute that life itself required of her.