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Noora

It was all over town.

Flyers stuck to the walls of buildings, wedged in between the pages of Old Town Avis, even the market was full of them. She had to pry the paper that was stuck under her boot, as the orphanage sisters made their way to church.

She cursed at the flyer, balling it up and throwing it into the nearest bin.

“What do you have against a tournament?” Lulva looked up at her, a few red strands falling into her eyes.

Noora brushed them quickly away. “Why do you think I have anything against it?”

“Because you just threw away the paper!”

Noora tried to look nonchalant. “I am not interested in it.”

“100,000 Gulls is a lot of gold.” Lulva’s hand brushed Nooras as they trudged along the group. She slipped her smaller hand into hers, swinging their arms lightly. She swung her blunt gray dress skirt front and back, her steps too bouncy for their destination.

Noora’s lips twitched lightly. “Don’t you say. What would you do with 100,000 Gulls?”

Lulva’s face scrunched up lightly, deep in thought. Noora didn’t push her, knowing the younger girl needed a bit of time to make up her mind.

They soon reached the church, girls gathering in the octagonal-shaped court in small groups, to whisper erratically. Even here, Noora wasn’t spared of the sight of the flyers. They were stuck to the doors leading into the church, announcing happily the upcoming tournament hosted by the royal family. Four contestants would be drawn by luck from the vessel, currently placed in the center of town. Every resident aged seventeen or older was allowed to put their name in. In a week’s time, the queen would draw the names of the four lucky stars, who were allowed to fight in a three-trial tournament for the 100,000 Gulls.

“I think I would give half of the gold to the town, they need it now that the harvest is not giving much food. Then I would spend some on the cherry-flavoured candy you bring from the market on the last day of every summer. We could use the rest to finally travel like you wanted.”

Noora looked down at Lulva. Her eyes were sparkling with the fantasy only a child could carry. She squeezed her hand. “Sounds like a really good plan, Freckles.”

She grinned up at her. “Then it’s a deal!”

Noora’s brows raised in surprise. “Listen Lulva, I will make sure to get you out of here, I promise. But this tournament…it is not the right way to do it.”

“Why not? You’re so good at shooting the animals and reading tracks, you know more than anyone about the plants and berries and the nature of Oy Frossen. You would win!”

Noora chuckled. “I’m grateful for your confidence but they did not say the tournament was about hunting or berries. And there is no way they will even draw my name. It is highly unlikely.”

Lulva’s eyes started to tear up, making a claw appear around Noora’s lungs, squeezing tightly.

“Oh. Okay.” Her small hand slipped out of hers and Noora already regretted her answer. Feeling the loss of that little hand made her world crumble apart. Lulva was the only pure and good thing in her life, she would not dare to risk losing it.

“Freckles—”

Before she could remedy the situation, she was interrupted by the matron.

“Everyone gather into their respective groups, mass is about to start.” Noora did not know how she managed it but somehow the elder woman found her in the crowd, to stare at her with a wicked sneer.

The girls scrambled into their respective age groups before they were let into the church. The younger girls always sat in the front rows, their naïve minds still malleable.

Being one of the oldest, Noora slipped into the back of the wooden bank, ignoring the left side of the church which was reserved for the townspeople. She could feel their stares burning through her skin and she rather not know if Isak was somewhere in the crowd of them, his followers probably not far from their leader.

The priest soon started with his preach, the light of the midday sun shining through the coloured windows and reflecting ominous patterns along the listening crowd.

Noora’s gaze flew over the first rows until she caught Lulva sitting at the end of one, all alone, the other girls staying as far from her as possible.

Noora could not leave her alone.

Throwing her name into the vessel meant exactly that. She would need to stay at the palace during the time the tournament took place and Lulva would be exposed to any kind of danger. Who would protect her, if Noora wasn’t there? Her eyes quickly turned to Elise, who was sitting beside the matron, head bowed. Feeling eyes upon her she met Noora’s gaze, the latter tensing.

Her hand closed around the cold metal of the ring, still stashed in the pockets of her trousers. Her thoughts dove back toward Kai.