THE LUNA HE THREW AWAY

The Sovereign’s Rite 2

The words hit me, cold and heavy. Erased. Wiped from memory, as if I had never existed. They would remove every trace I left, no name in the records, no quiet stories told in the dark. I pictured my father’s face fading even from the memories of those who loved him, our family line gone not just in fact but in legend. The thought left me empty, full of grief I couldn’t show. If I failed, I wouldn’t even be a warning or a ghost. I would just disappear, and everything I fought for would fade with me.

Cass nodded. "The last Sovereign did it. She stood in the Hollow, named her claim, and the moon answered. But when morning came, Aldric’s grandfather poisoned her at the feast. After she was gone, they burned the records. That’s why you do it here: if you fail, there’s no feast, no witnesses you didn’t choose, and no one to make you disappear quietly. This time, surviving is your only proof. There is no mercy, and the world forgets those who don’t succeed."

I glanced at Fen. He watched me like he already knew what I would say, maybe because he could see the fight inside me: doubt against pride, hope still alive despite everything. For once, I wanted to choose courage over fear.

“Fine,” I said. “Tell me the words.”

Cass grinned, all teeth. “Good. Let’s get you ready. You have a day.”

The rest of the morning was drills. Cass made me repeat the words, my posture, and the history until my vocal tone was hoarse. She corrected everything: my stance, my tone, even how I set my jaw. “You’re not asking for a place at the table,” she snapped. “You’re declaring the table is yours.”

Kael watched in silence, lost in his own memories. Fen kept his eyes on Cass, tense and ready for anything. I felt like I was watching myself from far away, seeing the girl I’d been at Moonstone Hall still burning inside me. That was where everything first fell apart for me. It was where I learned I was a target, not an heir, and felt like an outsider in my own home, always wishing I could take up more space than I was allowed. On the night of the banquet, I heard my name whispered behind closed doors and saw my birthright given to someone who had never even been in our ancestral halls. That was when I realized I wasn’t meant to belong, only to watch as everything I loved slipped away. The resentment from those nights stayed with me, fueling my need to finally claim the place I had been denied. For a moment, doubt twisted in my chest. But I drew a harsh, steady breath and remembered every slight, every closed door, every time I refused to give up, even when I felt small. I chose, right then, to let my hurt become resolve instead of fear. I made myself listen and let all that smallness burn away until only determination was left.

When night came, I stood near the edge of the Hollow. The pool reflected a thin sliver of moon. Cass handed me a slip of paper with the words, but I didn’t need it. By now, I knew them by heart.

“Ready?” Fen asked.

“No,” I said. “But I’m going.”

Cass nodded, satisfied. “That’s the right answer.”

I stepped into the moonlight. The Hollow was silent except for my heartbeat. I felt every eye on me, the weight of hope and history pressing down. My hands shook, but I made them into fists, thinking of my father’s laughter and the night they took him away. I remembered the halls of Moonstone, each stone echoing my footsteps as I searched for a place to belong. Memories crowded my mind: the smell of ashes, the quiet of doors closing, my name whispered like a curse. For a moment I faltered, grief rising in me. Then rage followed, sharp and clear. I thought of every time I was dismissed, every birthright denied. I thought of the faces who doubted me. My first words were rough, but grew stronger: "I am Lira Vale, daughter of Emric, Greymoor bloodline unbroken. I name what was taken: my father, my place, my name. I claim what is owed. I do not beg. I do not kneel. I am not a mistake. I am the correction."

The pool stayed still. The moonlight grew brighter. Cass, Fen, and Kael lingered as witnesses, three faces in the dark, each changed by what we had faced together.

Somewhere deep in the Hollow, something old woke up.