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
