Spring turned to summer, and then came the long-awaited autumn of plenty for the Rain Clan.
Not once in the thousand years since their migration to northern Orkney had the Rain Clan fairies ever known such abundance. Grain and fruit were hauled in by the cartload, filling warehouses that had never even been imagined for such use.
The fairies gathered together, holding banquet after banquet to celebrate. They believed that this winter would be more comfortable than any that had come before. The Rain Clan shed its usual quietness, replaced by a lively atmosphere so dreamlike it felt unreal.
A harvest this rare demanded a festival lasting no less than half a month. But more important still, this year's festival held something extraordinary: Aesc, daughter of the King and Queen—the other princess of the Rain Clan—was to wed today, to the Sage who had brought them this plentiful harvest.
Most of the lower-ranking fairies couldn't fully grasp the meaning behind it. To them, the idea of a fairy marrying a human was so strange it bordered on unimaginable. Yet if it was the Sage and the princess, it wasn't something they found impossible to accept.
The revelry that had begun two days ago continued into the third, with fairies celebrating from dawn to dusk. Not a single corner of the Land of Rain remained quiet.
In her bedchamber, seated before a dressing mirror while Vivian personally styled her hair, Aesc felt both joyful and nervous. Still, the boisterous sounds from outside kept tugging at her attention.
"Alright, alright, stop looking around." Vivian wove her fingers through Aesc's soft, shining golden hair, smiling as she reminded her, "Once the ceremony is over, you'll be riding in the palanquin prepared for you and the Sage, parading before the whole clan."
Her tone carried a subtle warning—that perhaps Aesc would soon find the crowd's noise overwhelming rather than exciting.
"I wasn't looking around at all! I already joined the banquets the past two days," Aesc said with mock seriousness, trying to hide the flutter in her chest.
The day before yesterday and yesterday, she had held Shiomi's hand as they attended several of the fairies' feasts. She had even tried some of the liquor Shiomi had taught them to brew from grain.
Distilled and fermented four times, the fiery drink left her head spinning after only a sip. She had to rely on Magecraft to keep herself from collapsing. It didn't taste harsh, but the aftereffects were powerful. Many fairies had drunk too much in one go, only to collapse and sleep until the following day.
"I haven't been this happy in ages," Vivian admitted with a broad smile. "And I never imagined you, Aesc, would one day marry a human."
"W-well, it's Tenkei after all," Aesc answered simply.
Vivian suddenly leaned down, peering at Aesc's profile with a mischievous grin. "Tell me honestly—did you fall for the Sage the moment you met him?"
"Well…" Aesc turned her gaze away in embarrassment.
She hadn't decided in that instant that she would spend her whole life with Shiomi. But she couldn't deny that she had indeed fallen for him at first sight. The reason was simple: though she was the one being rescued, he seemed even more frightened than she was. Then, as if terrified something might happen, he had carried her all the way back to the clan.
In a season when plunging into the icy lake was unthinkable, it hardly mattered whether he hesitated or not. Unless she truly was as wooden as the name her mother had given her suggested, like the World Tree itself, there was no way her heart wouldn't have been moved.
"Mother told me that after the wedding, you'll be leaving the clan together," Vivian said, her expression carrying a trace of loneliness.
"It's not like we won't return. We'll just be traveling Britannia, discussing the future of the Six Great Clans," Aesc explained matter-of-factly. "We'll come back every year or two."
"That's not what I mean." Vivian sighed. "It's just… we grew up together, and now, all of a sudden, you're leaving. I thought these days would never change…"
"I thought so too." Aesc nodded softly.
"Maybe in a few hundred years, by the time you return, I'll have already inherited the throne from Father and taken on the duty of leading the Rain Clan," Vivian said suddenly. "When that time comes, I hope the Fairies of Paradise and the Sage will look kindly on us."
Aesc burst out laughing at her words. "No matter what role you take, no matter when it is, you'll always be my one and only little sister."
"Huh? I'm the elder sister!" Vivian immediately protested.
"How could that be? Clearly, I'm the elder sister." Aesc countered without hesitation. "And look—I'm the one getting married first. The elder sister always walks ahead of the younger one, doesn't she?"
Vivian's hands continued weaving through Aesc's hair, but her words remained sharp.
"That's only because the Sage showed up. Otherwise, with how you bury yourself in the library all the time, you'd probably never find anyone you liked even after hundreds of years." She gave a sly laugh. "Am I wrong?"
"Tenkei is Tenkei. No matter what, he was destined to come to me—because we are each other's 'destiny.'" The words left Aesc's lips before she realized it.
Vivian covered her mouth, eyes wide with surprise and amusement.
Aesc herself froze for a moment, astonished she had come up with such a fitting word on the spot to describe their bond.
"So that's how it is." Vivian's tone was playful. "But I still won't give up calling myself the elder sister. Of course—"
She gently wrapped her arms around Aesc's shoulders.
"—Whether I'm the elder or the younger, it doesn't matter. I just want you to be happy, Aesc."
"Vivian…" Aesc felt warmth well up in her chest and wanted to thank her.
"Ah, enough of that. It's almost time. Let's check your wedding attire one last time, then I'll escort you to your—"
Before Vivian could finish, Aesc, who had just risen from the cushioned seat, suddenly lost her balance as the ground shook violently. She fell back into the chair.
"Huh? What's going on? An earthquake?" Vivian nearly stumbled herself, bewildered.
She steadied her footing and ran to the window. Explosions were erupting across the city, pillars of flame rising one after another. Vivian stared in disbelief.
The sound of hurried footsteps rushed closer, and a fairy maid burst into the room, breathless with urgency.
"Princess! A massive army of fairies is attacking the Land of Rain! His Majesty the King sent me—please, you must evacuate at once!"
"What? An attack?" Vivian cried, her face draining of color.
By then, Aesc had already sensed the mingling chaos of countless fairy Mana, and her expression turned grim.
...
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