Feast of Noros
Beatrice’s mother allowed her to attend the feast and stay up past the midnight hour when she was ten years old
Tbh Beatrice had a mixture of both excitement and nervousness about the whole thing
She’d heard tales from both Cecily and Isabella, which eased her own fears a bit, but truth be told she was somewhat apprehensive about the entire experience
If her mother hadn’t already promised Constance that she would be allowed to attend the following year, Beatrice might have gone to her mother and said that she wasn’t ready ... but as it was, she felt it her duty to tell her siblings what it was like and be there to help Constance during her first time
(Alexander and Cassandra both, especially, were jealous and insisted that she tell them everything that happened -- and not to leave out a single detail!)
Although Beatrice had her own reservations, she would not let it on to any of them -- she must always be stoic and brave in front of her younger siblings
Beatrice dressed as Rosamund - the heroine of a tragic fairytale where a bride was tricked by an evil fae and drowned on her wedding night. It is said that she haunts the forests on the Noros, forever separated from her sweetheart, cursed to dwell in the land between the living and the dead
All of Beatrice’s fears fell away when she met up with the elder Turner girls and all of them ran a bit wild ran the fires and later, into the woods, Beatrice finding her bravery in the company of her dearest friends
They didn’t see anything in the forests that night (much to Isabella’s disappointment) but they stayed there as long as their parents would allow, daring to explore the darker corners of the woods -- giggling and whispering as they went
With the help of Roland, they did manage to jump out and scare a group of young boys who had been terrorizing other young children who were fearful on their first feast of norors
At the end of the night, Beatrice’s mother allowed Beatrice to go home with the Turner girls, and the four of them stayed up late by the fireside (later joined by Lucy and Eleanor who had not slept a wink since they were sent to bed)
They shared the last of the remembrance cakes that they had brought back and told ghost stories in the fort they’d made by the fire after striping their beds of the sheets and quilts
Alistair found them the next morning: all five of them curled up asleep on the floor
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Nocturnal Feast of Noros
Cecily’s first nocturnal feast of noros celebration came much earlier than she had been expecting
Isabella had been pleading with their father to let her go and had proclaimed, at the age of six, that she was good and ready to participate
Cecily did not share her sister’s enthusiasms and, by contrast, was certainly intimidated and more than just a little afraid of what might be encountered and she voiced that she was sure it would be a few years away, before she would be ready
Cecily had been tucked warmly into bed and was very near asleep when Isabella jumped up and nearly pulled her out of bed
Their parents and Rebecca had already left – now was their time to escape and go themselves!!
Cecily said she was firmly against them going: they were not old enough and would be going against their parents’ wishes … besides, if they snuck out to the celebration, they would have to experience it all alone (something that scared Cecily all the more)
But Isabella would not be persuaded to stay and Cecily realized, quickly, that she would either have to go with her sister or she would remain at home and worry endlessly about her
Isabella had clearly been planning this for weeks (if not longer) and produced a dragon’s costume to wear
Cecily, on the other hand, was limited to what she could find then and there and, grabbing the sheets from her bed, she hid underneath and proclaimed to be a ghost
Cecily timidly trailed behind her sister the entire time and was less inclined to join in the celebrations
She watched as her sister danced wildly about the fire, but Isabella eventually pulled Cecily in to join her and for a few moments, Cecily forgot just how badly they both were behaving
The warmth of the fire and the comfort of the remembrance cakes also helped to drown out those feelings, but they quickly returned when they went on the walk to watch for the dead
Cecily’s imagination quickly got the better of her as she waited with her sister long after most of the company had gone home. The forest was dark and quiet and still and the sounds of the forest gave her goosebumps
As the hours wore on, Cecily found herself feeling braver (it helped that a stray cat had found its way to them and stayed with the girls until they left)
Isabella had been disappointed that they did not see any gods or spirits, but Cecily said that perhaps one had come to visit them, after all, in the form of a cat
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