Natalia’s POV
The festival was a vibrant swirl of colors and noises. Flower petals were strewn across the cobblestone ground, streamers hung between rafters and lightposts, and people clad in flower crowns and flowing garb were twirling in front of a band playing lively music.
I turned to my brother. “Festival of Flowers?”
“It’s a celebration we typically throw when the warriors return from an important mission,” he said, stooping to pick up a handful of petals. “The petals are plucked during the time the warriors are gone. Hopefully, by the time they return, there’s an array of colors to welcome the warriors back to a beautiful place filled with life and love.”
Andrei and I exchanged looks. I couldn’t help but smile; it was an unexpected and even a somewhat odd tradition, but it was s
