This wasn’t just a day for gods or grain. It was for music, laughter, catching the eye of someone he hadn’t stopped thinking about. For brief pockets of beauty where the rest of the world couldn’t reach. Collin glanced once more toward thefar end of the square, heart lifting. If she showed up in that green scarf, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.
Collin tugged at the leafy garland around his neck. No matter how he adjusted it, the dry edges scratched at his skin, insistent and itchy.
Aries thanked the little girl who’d handed them out, but as soon as she turned to offer one to River, he slipped his own off and dropped it back into her basket unnoticed. “What do you want to do first?” he asked, scratching his neck.
“I promised my cousin we’d watch her performance,” River said quickly, joining them.
Collin smiled. It was good to see him like this—lighter somehow. The wreath around River’s neck set off the paler strands in his hair, and the pointed leaves didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest. Living with the builder and his wife, having Nic and Uriah like brothers—it was working. It showed in the way River stood taller these days, like he had a place again.
Collin moved through the thick of the crowd, letting the noise and music carry his steps. The fair’s energy softened the gloom inside him, fed that quiet anticipation already building in his chest.
“What time does the dance start?” he asked.
River shrugged. “She just said by the clock tower, same as always.”
“We’d better ask someone, then. I’m not standing by the tower all day,” Aries said with a theatrical sigh. “Hadria gave me a whole list of things to pick up.”
A group of young men and women hurried past, leading sleek ponies with braided manes and polished leather reins. Collin watched them go, eyes trailing the way the animals stepped so proudly, like they knew they’d been groomed to impress.
“I want to see the livestock competition,” he said. He kept his tone casual, but his thoughts were already drifting.
“Oh! Me too,” Aries said, voice bright. “We’ve got to cheer on Arion’s entries. Wonder what he brought this year.”
“He probably brought—” River started, but he broke off as a dozen young women trotted into the square.
The girls wore dresses in deep autumn hues—burnt gold, wine red, coppery orange—that shimmered as they moved. Bells at their wrists chimed with every step. Braided vines circled their waists like green sashes, and flower crowns rested on their heads, ribbons trailing behind like threads of wind. They lined up in front of the clock tower as a group of boys scrambled to set up their instruments.
Aries smiled. “Well, that was easy! I guess it’s starting now.”
They pushed toward the front of the growing crowd, drawn by the swell of movement and sound. A guard barked at the gathering to keep back, but no one seemed to hear him.
Collin’s heart ticked faster. This was the part of the festival everyone waited for—the dance in honor of Venus, the goddess of love. Nothing else drew a crowd like this. The swordfights were fine, the plays dramatic, but the Daughters... they were something else entirely.
He scanned the dancers. Dozens auditioned each year, but only a few were chosen—and even fewer lasted. It took more than grace or a pretty face. It took discipline. Resilience.
All around him, girls watched with wide eyes and held breath, imagining themselves up there one day. Boys leaned in too, half-mesmerized, half-calculating. They’d act like perfect gentlemen while the music played, but once it ended, the rivalry would spark again—jokes, boasts, looks exchanged like drawn swords.
Collin didn’t care about any of that. He only wanted to seeher. Was she here, somewhere in the crowd?
“Pleasant day, gentlemen!” Nic clapped Collin and River each on the shoulders as he stepped between them, his grin wide. His roving eyes quickly scanned the dancers before landing with pride on his pretty girlfriend. “The Daughters of Venus sure look good today!”
Uriah soon joined them, and as they waited for the performance to begin, Lekyi, Clive, and Niall found their way to the front as well, all adorned with their own leafy garlands.
“Has anyone seen Logan? He said he’d meet us,” Niall asked.
“I told him where we’d be,” Clive said, his face bright with excitement as he watched the girls.
Lekyi shifted a crutch to wave at a lovely girl in the row of dancers.
“How’s your leg?” Aries asked.
Lekyi scowled at his crutches. “Still can’t put weight on it, but I can’t wait to be rid of these things. They’re useless.”
"Yeah, they really clash with your whole 'mysterious genius' aesthetic. I was starting to think you'd added them for dramatic effect,” Nic said.
“I was hoping they’d at least win me a little sympathy. Maybe get a few girls to notice me.”
Nic snorted. “Sympathy? Please. If you wanted attention, you should’ve gone with a bandage across the cheek and a haunted stare. Works like a charm. Girls love a good tragedy if it’s well-packaged.”
