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[maarigoold]

Beyond the Veil {6} Marveil

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Asird 13th, 1026 N.E.

Willow was sunbathing. Her dark red hair cascaded down her bare back while she was relaxing. Callista herself was enjoying the hot autumn day. She was floating in the water staring at the bright blue sky above. There were no clouds in sight, only the screaming seagulls crying out. Laughter boomed from her right, the grating sound from her fellow roommate disrupted Callista's shallow peace. It was joined by two other voices that grated at the young girls' ears even more. So much so that she found sinking to the bottom of the lake a welcoming distraction. She braced herself to open her eyes in the murky water. The sun from above offered little light and Callista could not make much of her surroundings. It did serve to help her nerves and calm her as she laid there weightless, though.

Suddenly a hand shot out and grabbed her waist. Callista's eyes sprung open and she trashed against the grip, letting out a scream and accidentally swallowing water. Shaking the hand off she swam towards the surface and trudged towards the side of the lake. She coughed violently and roughly wiped her eyes, trying to clear them from her falling tears. The guards rushed towards her in panic.

"Rala! Rala! Are you okay?"

Laughter rang out loud. Callista could recognize that pretty laugh from anywhere. She whipped her head around and just as she suspected, Willow stood behind her doubled over.

Suddenly everything dawned on her.

"Ha. Ha. You're so funny." Callista deadpanned, shaking off the guards' hands that would always somehow linger a bit too long on her skin. "I'm fine," she barked at them. Getting the hint they retracted and resumed their posts.

"Aw come on, darling! I wasn't even planning on scaring you. You're just a big baby who's too jumpy." Willow said while poking on Callista's stomach. She swatted her friend's hand away again.

"I'm not a big baby." Callista muttered. "And who in their right minds would sneak up on someone underwater? I nearly died!" She shrieked.

"You're overreacting as you always are, darling." Willow said matter-of-factly. She went to put her arms around Callista's waist but she was swatted away yet again. "And besides, you wouldn't have died because I would have been right there by your side."

"To see me gone."

"No! To help you."

"To help me pass on."

"Callista!" Willow lightly splashed her friend and Callista ducked away laughing. The both of them were smiling at each other when a voice spoke out above them. Instantly Callista's smile vanished quicker than the wind whereas Willow - the better one of the two - kept hers pleasant. The both of them turned and were face to face with a man. But not just any man. He was a king, a descendant of the gods. Despite being a demigod whose ties to his godly parentage had been severely watered down by many generations, he - just like everyone of his kind - much preferred when others saw him as an equal to the gods themselves. Callista always secretly wished that someday their god, Cario would smite her king to ashes. Perhaps that way she and Willow would finally be free. But that was just wishful thinking.

"Ladies." He acknowledged, keeping a pleasant smile on his face.

The two girls bowed, Callista a bit reluctantly. "Your Highness."

Callista saw her roommate standing not too far off talking to the other girls in hushed voices. Their short skirts flaring in the wind, dangerously exposing certain parts of their bodies. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Willow put her chin in her hand, leaning over a bit just the way she knew he liked it. "You would never," she said, batting her eyelashes. Callista couldn't stop staring and - to no one's surprise - neither could he.

He gave her an endearing smile he only reserved for her. "Good. I came by to say that I will be leaving tomorrow." At that Callista's attention was stripped away from Willow and onto the man in front of her.

"Really?" She asked in surprise. Callista couldn't help it. Finally they could have some time off and with her king gone she and Willow could finally breathe properly. She felt a burst of happiness soar through her veins and a genuine smile almost broke out. But she was suspecting that the same excitement must have seeped out and he must have caught it as well judging by the way his doe eyes narrowed into slits when meeting her own wide ones.

"Yes. I will." The air suddenly became chilly as his dark brown eyes bore into hers menacingly. Willow went to rest her hand onto Callista's lower back. She didn't brush it off this time. "And that is why I came by." He continued to stare at Callista like a wolf would observe its next meal. "You will come with me." Instantly her heart sank but she held her composure this time.

"May I ask where we're going?" He smiled at her and none of the warmness that he showed Willow appeared on his features as he stared.

"We're going to Kleon."

Drienuc 27th, 1032 N.E

Marveil was a tiny town barely holding 1000 people. Cereza did not know much but that they were a fishing port working directly under house Delille. It was near midnight when they entered the town. The northern cardinal star's shine bore down on the small town. Soldiers Foley and Sallow looked spent while they trudged at the back of the group. Lieutenant Reverdin had given them a harsh scolding for slowing down their trek.

"I don't give a damn if the two of you slow down or pass out but let me make it clear for you two," he said with a low voice, eyes glaring at the two men. He was towering above the tired soldiers on top of his horse. "When the wolves come out to eat you alive, I will not turn back and retrieve your bodies, you will rot in these woods alone and have your flesh ripped apart bit by bit until there's nothing but bones left of you. Do you understand?" The two Soldiers quickly nodded their heads, slightly swinging from side to side.

"Yes, Lieutenant," both of them said, trying - and failing - to maintain their composure. Cereza almost felt sorry for them. Almost.

"Keep up." Was all he said in return and continued to ride on.

They did not once stop and rest their whole trip to the tiny town and everyone felt the fatigue wear down on them. Cereza winced as she hopped on her horse trying to keep the displeasure from her face. Her legs were sore and her back hurt. She loved riding but not to this extent.

"Soldier Rue," Lieutenant Reverdin called upon his third-in-command, ignoring Cereza completely. "Prepare for some supper." She nodded at him and called upon three others to help her make the food. Lieutenant Reverdin turned towards the tired crew. "You guys pick up your tents and set up camp, we're staying here." They were situated on the outskirts of the town. The black night concealing it. The houses and trees were just a mirage of what they would usually look like during day time. There were some small lamps sharing their light in the few buildings however the majority of the light came from the stars.

Cereza walked towards a pretty secluded place on the outskirts of their camp. Soldiers moved to and fro, some starting a fire, some making food and the others raising their tents. She took her bags that she loaded off her horse and began preparing for the night.

"When you've eaten, go directly to bed, we'll wake at 6." Soldier Rue said. She turned towards three soldiers and addressed them. "You three will be on watch duty." She pointed at three more. "And you guys will switch with them after three hours. And for the rest of you, food is ready. Take a bite." Everyone nodded and quickly walked towards the food stands. Cereza felt her stomach growl but she continued to pack and stepped inside her tent. She could fall asleep hungry, she'd done it before. Just when she was about to zip it up she saw Soldier Sallow pass out on the ground not moving an inch and Soldier Foley groaning as one of his friend's massaged his feet. Cereza thought to herself that her punishment was not as bad as theirs. She closed the zip and went to bed.

The town of Marveil was kind of cute, Cereza thought when she entered it. Soldier Manuel walked by her side and surprisingly Soldier Ciro as well. He did not spare Cereza a single glance though and she was too scared to apologise to him.

A coward really.

They were told to patrol the streets and keep an eye out for potential troublemakers. They wore their red and black military uniform, tari. The townspeople gave her group stares bordering on contempt but kept to themselves for the most part . Soldier Manuel looked as if he didn't mind their stares and Soldier Ciro looked as cold as stone. Cereza felt awkward and tried to muster up some courage to talk to her friend and as she began to open her mouth to say something, she chickened out and closed it again. Soldier Manuel saw her and gave her a look.

"I'm going to the town square to check up on our lieutenant, I need to talk to him about something. You two can head down to the harbour in the meantime." Cereza turned towards Soldier Manuel in panic, words on the tip of her tongue. "I won't be long," he told her. Cereza silently cursed him for his obvious intervention but kept her face passive.

"Are you sure that you don't need us to come with you?" Soldier Ciro asked. He had not said a single word the entire time they patrolled together. Soldier Manuel scoffed and dismissed his friend.

"I don't need you two to babysit me. I'll meet you guys at the docks. Try to behave." That last line was directed to her. Feeling her chest grow hot, Cereza crossed her arms and turned the other way like the petulant child she was. It was Soldier Ciro that scoffed this time.

"Didn't you just tell us not to babysit you? The same goes the other way around, don't parent us." Soldier Manuel laughed and put his hands up in mock surrender.

"Hey, hey. Unlike me, you guys have a history of misbehaving."

"Soldier Sanchez, are you suggesting that I'm bad at my job?" Cereza put on her second in command voice. The sly fox gave her a knowing smile in answer.

"If the shoe fits-" Cereza hit the back of his head with a quickness even he couldn't avoid.

"Ow!" He laughed.

"Just go and suck up to the Lieutenant. We don't need you here," she dismissed him with a huff.

"You'll always be my favorite, Lux." Soldier Manuel had a big smile on his lips.

"Leave," Cereza said with mock irritation, waving her hand away.

Soldier Manuel laughed before walking away to find Lieutenant Reverdin. It was only Cereza and Soldier Ciro now. There was a tense silence that was too intimidating to break. She snuck a quick glance towards her comrade before clearing her throat, breaking the ice.

"Well, I guess it's only the two of us now." Silence. Cereza should've known better than to try to strike up a conversation with the man that hated her guts. "Shall we continue on our way?" Her voice was on the brink of giving away her trembles but thankfully it hadn't yet.

He didn't even spare her a glance when he turned on his heel and headed for the docks. It was a lonely trek despite having a companion but Cereza's heart was still pounding in her chest just at the thought of confronting Soldier Ciro. She could feel the anger radiating off of him. He kept a wide distance between the two of them and whenever Cereza attempted to close it, he veered out of her way like a lightning bolt. A pang of hurt hit her chest at the obvious sign of rejection but she reminded herself that there was no one to blame but herself.

The docks were relatively empty, save from some fishermen. The air was still cold and frost littered the area. The sun's warm rays had yet to fully melt the icy waters. It was setting and people were heading inside to the warmth that would welcome them. Cereza and Soldier Ciro walked along the rows of boats that were gently bobbing to the rhythm of the sea. Her attention was suddenly brought to her companion when he blew air into the palms of his hands. He had no gloves on and the cold air bit into his cheeks, giving them a slight pink blush. Cereza took off hers and offered them to him. They used to belong to Elysion and she kept them several years later. He stared at them before turning his cheek the other way, continuing to walk further along the planks.

"Soldier Ciro," Cereza called out to him. "You're cold. You can borrow my gloves, it's okay." He said nothing. "Your hands are getting red and irritated, how are you supposed to wield a sword if they're frozen-"

"Can you leave me be?" He sneered quietly at her, stopping in his tracks. Cereza was rendered speechless at his sudden outburst. "I don't want your gloves, I don't care if I catch hypothermia in this cold. All I want is for you to leave me alone." Cereza let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry-"

"-For what?" He demanded. Cereza was momentarily stunned by his impatience, Ciro who was always calm and collected. "For screaming at me the other day? Blaming me for my wive's suicide? For being an annoying piece of shit?" He said each word with such mockery in his voice, becoming more and more taunting with each sentence.

"I-" She began to say.

"No, I won't hear any of it. You always do this, say stupid shit without thinking about the consequences or the other peson's feelings. I'm tired and I won't stand for it. You went too far this time Cereza and I don't think I can forgive you for that." Cereza felt as if her world was spinning on its axis. Horrible flashbacks to her childhood flew past in record speed. He had no idea but his words sent something off inside of her - a terrible thing and she knew that the moment she opened her mouth, everything would crumble before her. Cereza went silent.

Soldier Ciro snorted. "You have nothing to say?" He asked but he was already starting to walk again. "That's a first." His steps got quieter the further away he went. Cereza stood on the docks still, so still a bird landed on top of her head but even then she refused to move. Her mind was trying to go somewhere else and she desperately tried to reign it in. She barely breathed and the bird - though annoying - proved useful when it picked on her hair. The slight pain helped her to refocus on the now, again and when she fully came to she saw that it was already dark out. Cereza had no idea for how long she was out of it but next to no one were on the streets except for a drunken sailor giving her a snide leer, raising his drink to her from his boat. Cereza wrinkled her nose at him and ignored his obscene calls. She briskly walked back to their camp where she found everyone enjoying themselves. She met Soldier Manuel's gaze and he raised his eyebrow at her. She shook her head in return. Understanding filled his eyes and nodded his head in return, resuming his chat with a fellow soldier.

Some were still out patrolling the streets for their night shifts. Cereza felt her stomach growl and she went to get some food, of course she managed to stumble upon Soldier Foley. She sighed inwardly trying to hurry up and gather all her food. As she was reaching across the small table to stack her plate with vegetables, someone pushed her. Cereza felt fire burst out of her ears. A distant ringing sound echoed and Cereza knew that she was slowly losing it.

"Watch it," Soldier Foley said.

"I'm not having this with you, wasn't the last punishment enough? Or do I need to remind you of how you speak to your superior." Cereza's tired eyes were cold as she stared at the soldier.

"My only superior is the lieutenant." Cereza felt the dizziness again but this time it was from anger.

"Then I will remind you, Soldier Foley." He ignored her words and spit on the ground by her feet.

"And I will remind you that I will not respect anyone that got their position due to personal favors." The ringing in her ear became louder. She thought about the last time she acted out and spared a quick glance towards Lieutenant Reverdin. He met her gaze head on from a nearby table. He raised his eyebrows at her. She turned her head back to the despicable soldier.

Cereza put on her command voice and said, "You will clean everything in the camp for the entire week and you'll only do the night shifts for the rest of our stay here." Cereza didn't back down from his glare but after a tense moment he gave her a crooked smile but slight hesitancy lingered behind it.

"Excuse me?" He said, voice growing hesitant despite the smile that was glued on his face.

"You lost your hearing? You'll clean the camp and only do the night shift," Cereza spoke slowly, enunciating every word.

"The Lieutenant wouldn't-" Soldier Foley began. A scoff was heard from the nearby table.

"Wouldn't do what?" Reverdin spoke up. He gave Foley a hard glare and the other man shrunk in the Lieutenant's scrutiny. "You heard her."

"You can't-" he began to say

"I can't what? Do my job?" Cereza interrupted him, her voice hard as stone. "In your blind jealousy you've forgotten who I am haven't you? I earned my place here and if you're so pissy about that perhaps you could take a page out your own book and earn your place here too. Whether I am your superior or not, I demand the same kind of respect I've always shown you. This is minor. If there were anyone else in my position they would've given you 10 hits from the whip for the amount of disrespect. I've shown you mercy and that is far more than what you deserve." Soldier Foley, and no doubt many probably thought that she whored her way up the ranks but the lieutenant knew her, had seen her in action. He himself had witnessed her skills and she'd be damned if a loser like Foley discredited all her hard work.

He stood there looking back between the lieutenant and the second in command, both giving him hard glares. His eyes dimmed significantly when he realized that there was no way he could get away with this.

"Disrespect me again, and I won't hesitate to bring out the whip." Soldier Foley swallowed when he met her eyes and the beginnings of fear could be seen in them. Cereza took her plate of food and went to join her friend Soldier Manuel at his table. She briefly met Soldier Ciro's eyes on her way there but kept on walking. His eyes were empty, not giving any of his thoughts away.

Cereza didn't know why she even looked.

The stars were out. They lit up her surroundings, keeping the darkness at bay. She still felt light, floating in the calm. She tried to find as many constellations she could recognize. The Bear stood high and proud to her left, roaring to the black sky. The Spider crept along the right, spinning its net of star clusters and in the middle was her own sign The Clover. It was rather small but not insignificant. She was born under the sign of luck and happiness, though it always felt like a cruel joke to her. She'd never felt lucky. Not once.

Cereza kept floating in the air. Her dreams were rarely significant or action filled. Instead they would always seem to lull her further into calmness, like a mother singing a sweet lullaby to her child. She tried to move and walk along the sea of stars. Many were far away but she wondered if any one of them held a world just like her own, if there was a god out there among the stars, looking over everyone, if her mother was there, shining bright and pretty at her-

Cereza stopped in her tracks the moment her mind went into forbidden depths but before she could spiral any deeper a scream shattered through her dream.

Cereza bolted up straight, feet touching the ground and her hand clutching the handle of her sword. She was out of her small tent at lightning speed. Commotion was all around her as everyone ran around in panic. Voices blended into each other and Cereza pushed her way through.

Someone was weeping and Cereza's worry increased.

"Cereza!" Someone screamed her name. Soldier Manuel reached her side in an instant and took a hold of her shoulder. "Are you okay?" He asked, eyes brimming with worry. Cereza was still a bit sluggish with her thought process, the remnants of sleep ebbing away from her slower than she wanted.

"I- yeah. Wha- what's going on? What is happening?" She tried to form a coherent sentence but her throat felt like concrete.

"They found a body," Soldier Manuel said, wrinkling his forehead in worry.

It took a while before the words registered in her mind. "They what?" She felt the familiar ring echo in her ears. He nodded towards the direction where a large crowd gathered. Lieutenant Reverdin barked at everyone to calm down.

"Foley," was all he said.

Cereza pushed past him in haste and stormed to the throng of bodies. The soldiers automatically stepped out of the way when they saw her coming. Soldier Sallow and some others stood to the edge of the crowd and watched with grim faces and red rimmed eyes. Cereza felt bile rise up her throat when she approached the front. Soldier Foley hung from a big oakwood tree. His neck was at an unnatural angle and his eyes were staring into nothing. He was still wearing his red tari. His hair was disheveled and skin a sickly blue.

"What happened?" She whispered.

"We suspect that it was suicide," Lieutenant Reverdin answered, hearing her quiet question. He stood in the small clearing and another soldier helped him bring the body down from the tree.

"But how?" She asked. It didn't make any sense. Soldier Foley was alive just a couple of hours ago. He was talking, breathing, living and watching his deceased corpse made Cereza feel insignificant. It was bizzare to her, how life was so precious and fragile. It could disappear from you in an instant yet it was powerful and loud, dominating each and everything that had ever existed in their world.

"The question isn't how but why, Soldier Lux," Lieutenant Reverdin countered. Soldier Rue, the third-in-command, came towards them with a thin white sheet and gently laid it over Soldier Foley's body.

"I never knew." It was Soldier Sallow that spoke this time. His voice was wobbly and he blinked away tears from his eyes while watching his friend being carried away by Soldier Rue and some others.

"Has he shown any unusual behaviour these past few days, weeks, months, years? Has he said anything that would cause any suspicion?" Lieutenant asked the group of soldiers that were standing there. Many shook their heads, a few muttered silent no's. Cereza thought back to all of the times she'd interacted with him but they were few. Even then she could not spot any unusual behaviour.

"No, he didn't. He appeared perfectly fine which is why I don't get why he would do this?" Soldier Sallow said, sniffling. He stared down and ground his feet into the mud, shoulders sagging.

Cereza felt pity for him and his friends. It's always tragic when you lose someone, she knows this more than anyone. "Sometimes these things can be hard to spot." She tried to offer some comfort to her fellow soldier. She didn't like him nor Foley but empathy was not completely lost on her.

"You have no place to talk about this. He was perfectly fine before you came into the picture," Soldier Sallow raised his head and locked his hard eyes on her. Cereza took a shocking step back, not believing what he just said. She felt like she had been hit with all of the world's blows simultaneously.

"What?" She asked, feeling panic starting to build in her core.

"Settle down," Lieutenant Reverdin ordered Soldier Sallow but the other man didn't listen. He pointed an accusing finger towards her instead. His entire being shaking with unconcealed rage and contempt.

"No! She hates him, how do we not know that this was a murder? They had a big fight before he died after all," He raised his voice even more. Cereza was annoyed by Foley for sure and even despised him a bit but hate was a strong emotion. She can count on one hand the amount of people she truly hated in the world and none of them were Foley. That never once crossed her mind.

"Soldier Sallow, enough." Lieutenant Reverdin continued to stare the mad soldier down but it did nothing.

"Do any of you know how much stress she put him through? He complained all the time about her awful leadership. She's terrible at her job and took it out on him!" Soldier Sallow addressed the silent crowd. Many people looked between him, Cereza and the lieutenant but no one except his own friends spoke up.

"I didn't-" She tried to say.

"-She broke the rules and hit him! While on duty nonetheless!" He stared at her as if she was the sole cause of all the world's suffering. Cereza felt the ground shake. She took a hold of her mother's necklace for support. It's calming hum thrummed through her fingers and the ebb of panic slowed down a bit.

"You little-" Soldier Manuel spoke up, having appeared to her side along with Soldier Ciro. Cereza didn't know when they came.

"Why do we have to listen to an abusive, opportunist bedwench-!" Soldier Sallow all but screamed in hatred.

"Enough!" Lieutenant finally managed to shut the soldier up. He glowered at Soldier Sallow and the other man shrunk a little bit but he was still fuming. His entire body shook with anger. "It seems, Soldier Sallow, that you care more about Soldier Lux than your deceased friend."

"What? Lieutenant-" He started, all anger lost to him.

"-I understand that you're devastated by these unexpected turn of events but you have no right to lay claim to baseless accusations. This could cost you your job, Elijah Sallow. You have no evidence that would suggest that she is the reason for his unfortunate suicide or murder as you have also claimed but I am willing to help investigate this and if something contrary comes up we will act accoridngly." Soldier Sallow rose up to the lieutenant's claims and tried to defend himself but Reverdin did not want to hear it.

"Doesn't feel so good when it's you, huh?" Soldier Ciro muttered under his breath, stealing her a glance. She felt her body lock up once more. There was that distant ringing in her ears again.

Cereza wanted to cry.

"Shut the fuck up, Ciro," Soldier Manuel bit out. He watched his friend with fury in his eyes. Cereza thought that he looked every bit as a lion when he did that. Fierce and terrifying. "I know you're still hurt by what she said but someone died. You complain about her lack of respect but you've shown you're no better." His eyes were big and his pupils shrinked in size. He looked terrifying. Soldier Ciro, appearing surprised by his friend's outburst, didn't say anything else.

Many soldiers looked at her but she refused to meet anyone's eye contact. Cereza was exhausted and didn't feel welcomed anymore judging by Soldier Sallow and his companions' hard looks. Soldier Manuel gently took her hand and squeezed it, knowing her well enough that she didn't want to talk at the moment.

She held onto his hand like it was her lifeline.

[maarigoold]

A lot of writers don’t know what happens next in the piece. Others won’t start up a story unless they know exactly where everything goes.

A lot of writers have a million and one ideas and would trade anything for the focus to have just one. Others only have one and would kill for the chance to come up with something new.

A lot of writers feel they’re not doing enough. Others did so much they wrote themselves to burnout.

There are a lot of ways to write. A lot of different paths you can take. Each have their flaws and their strengths, much like the writers themselves. Don’t spend the energy comparing yourself, alright? Do what you have to for things to work for you.

[maarigoold]

Beyond the Veil {5} Secrets

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Drienuc 14th, 1032 N.E

Althéa’s eyelids were heavy. She’d been up all night not knowing how to sleep. It had been like this ever since she was a child. Finally at around 5 am she fell asleep though not for long since Deandra woke her up at 9 to begin their work day.

The apothecary was small but cozy. Upon entering you would immediately see rows upon rows of different medicines. Near the back of the shop was the counter decorated with many small trinkets and her sister’s favorite succulent. That is where Althéa stood right now staring at her chipped nails. The store was empty save from Deandra filling the shelves and organizing the items. There was a huge metal door to her right that led to Kilwood’s Community Hospital. Pamela owned that one as well. Only staff that worked in either building had access to it. On her left behind the counter was another door that led to the office.

The door to the apothecary opened and an older man walked in with a stick.

“Welcome.” Deandra said with a smile, her grey eyes shone brightly at him.

The older man nodded at her with an equally pleasant smile. “Thank you, miss.” Althéa’s eyes followed him as he walked towards one of the shelves. He stopped in front of the digestive section.

She looked outside the shop’s windows, trying to expel the boredom from her body. The sun was standing high and several people milled around on the streets. A sigh left her body while she stared onwards. She badly wanted to open the windows and let fresh air in but it was spring, and pollen was everywhere. The heaviness in her eyelids grew tenfold and she tried not to let them drop.

“Excuse me, miss?” Both Althéa and Deandra looked up when a new voice was heard. It belonged to a young man. He was slightly taller than Althéa and his skin tan. His pale blue eyes caught the reflection of the sun rays seeping in through the windows and Althéa’s breath caught in her throat. It had only been a day since they last met but Althéa looked at him as if seeing him for the very first time.

“Rone Winn, right?” She recalled with a smile. The guy from Miller’s shop stood right in front of her once more. He nodded with a pretty smile, dimples and all.

“Yeah,” he said with a slight surprise in his voice. “You remember my name.” Althéa snorted.

“Of course I did. How could I forget?” She said, a small smirk played on her lips. “What can I help you with?”

He stared at her a moment too long before he seemed to gather his bearings. “Oh - yeah. Um, I’m looking to buy some seasonal remedies.” Althéa walked around the cashier straight towards a big shelf to her right.

“Hmm, allergy?” She asked Rone while she looked through the many shelves.

“Yeah, for my brother.” he replied, staring intently at her back.

“What are his symptoms?” She asked and turned around to face him. She did a little double take upon meeting his strong gaze.

“Well, normally it would be pretty mild. Runny nose, sneezing, irritable eyes etc. But his symptoms have gotten worse recently. Nowadays he gets increasing headaches, shortness of breath, itchy throat, wheezing and intense coughing.” Althéa furrowed her brows in concern.

“Have you been to a doctor? To see if he has any underlying issues?” Althéa dared herself to maintain the intense eye contact but unfortunately for her, she lost.

“Yeah, we have. My brother developed asthma and the doctor told us that the worsening symptoms could be that. We’re getting another check up later this week but for now I am looking for some remedies,” he said.

Althéa hummed and turned back around. She gazed across the shelves in concentration until a lightbulb went off in her head. She stood on her toes reaching for the second highest shelf. She took a hold of one packet of pills and a medium sized medicine bottle. She brought the items to Mr. Winn.

She held up the pills to him. “Okay, so this is Dextrarodin. It’s an all-in-one and combats your symptoms fast. However it easily wears off after about a day. So if you’re looking for short term treatment, I would recommend this one. You can take up to two pills a day but nothing more.” Althéa showed Rone the bottle, feeling her nerves pick up at his incessant staring. She spoke quickly. “And this is Ariline. It doesn’t work as fast and needs a bit more commitment. It focuses mainly on combating any itchiness and coughing, especially if you have dry throat.” Rone nodded his head and Althéa continued. “For headaches I would recommend Viktrovirase. It’s pretty standard but works just like it should. You could get that at the counter.” The handsome man in front of her took the items in his hands. Her breath hitched when his fingers momentarily brushed against hers. Rone was quite muscular and his arms looked toned under his white crose. She wondered how those arms would feel around her waist-

“Ms. Tanda?” Althéa looked up quickly seeing the other man smiling at her coyly.

“Yes?” She tried to keep her features neutral as she addressed him.

“I’ll buy these ones,” he said, holding up the recommended items she gave him. His hands were big and burly. His fingers were incredibly long and Althéa tried to stop her mind from going somewhere else. Althéa nodded and walked Rone towards the register wanting to get him out of the store as quickly as possible. On her way there she saw Deandra helping the older man who was still standing at the digestive section.

She took the items and counted them without sparing him a glance. “It will be 12 eso.” When Rone didn’t say anything for a while she looked up and saw him staring at her intently. She felt her forefinger tap at the desk on an irregular beat. “Rone?”

He startled slightly. “Oh, I’m sorry. Here,” he said a bit flustered. He seemed to snap out of it and gave her the money. Althéa felt a blush creep up on her face as well.

“You know, I’ve never been here.” He said, still staring at Althéa.

“I know,“ she replied. “I would’ve recognized you if you had.” Her heart skipped a beat when he gave her another dimpled smile - and god was it pretty.

“If I knew that such a beautiful girl worked here I would have come sooner.” He was leaning on the desk at this point. Rone’s features were soft but angular at some places. His nose and cheeks were not particularly defined but his eyes and jaws were striking. Althéa wanted to touch but she was still working and needed to be professional.

“So where do you usually shop?” She tried to change the subject. His eyes turned down towards her lips and up again. Heat surged from her cheeks all the way through her body.

“Smiths.” Was all he said. Kleon had three different apothecaries owned by different people. Pamela owned the biggest one as she also owned a hospital, but it was not close to the center of the city where Bill Smiths’ shop was. Because Bill’s shop was near the center of the city people preferred to go there instead to Pamela’s that lay at the outskirts of Kleon. The people that usually shopped here were either patients or families of patients residing in the nearby building. Speaking of Pam - where the hell was she? Althéa could not afford to stay there and flirt with a total stranger during working hours. Pam would have her head.

“W-well it was nice seeing you again.” Althéa’s blush deepened at her stammering.

Rone gave her his pretty smile in return. “You too.” He paused for a moment standing there in the middle of the shop and stared at Althéa a bit hesitantly. He didn’t say anything for a while, appearing to mull something over before he seemed to come to a conclusion. “There’s a newly opened restaurant that I work at called The Shining Parlour. It’s located by the Midfell Canal, at Grey Street?”

Althéa tilted her head to the side, letting her bangs fall over her eyes. She’d heard of it before but never actually gone inside. “Is it near Ella’s Jewelry?” She wondered.

He smiled and nodded. “Correct, just a couple of houses down. I’ll be there if you want to come by?” Althéa could only nod. Rone gave her another dazzling smile that nearly made her knees buckle. The both of them said goodbye before he took his things and walked out. She knew that Deandra was staring but Althéa refused to meet her sister’s eyes.

A string of violent curses continually left Pami’s vile mouth. The two sisters had just closed the shop and they were currently getting ready to head home waiting for Pami to get done with her paperwork. It did not seem like it went well. Deandra played with Althéa’s hair absentmindedly. The both of them raised their eyebrows at Pamela’s sudden outrage.

“What happened?” Deandra asked. Long fingers cascading through Althéa’s platinum blonde hair.

Pamela ignored her young apprentice and just continued to swear, throwing paper against the table violently. Pamela Kilwood was a 41 year old doctor that was renowned for her expertise, but she was a bit strange - Althéa had to admit. She had a buzz cut, green colored hair and brown contact lenses. As it was law for every commoner to wear an off white, crose or crosa, there was no law against what type of jewelry you could wear or what type of makeup you could have. Pamela had several golden hoop earrings all across her ears and two button piercings on either side of her mouth corners. She had a nose ring and a tongue piercing. There was a simple black tattoo encompassing the circumference of her ring finger on her right hand and ridiculously high heels. The woman wasn’t even short but Althéa remembered her mentor saying that there’s certain power that comes with height. Her eyelids were painted in multiple shades of green and her lips a glossy black. Deandra hated her look and the rest of Kleon did not approve of it either. Pamela even lost customers and patients for her outward appearance despite her expertise. Althéa did not hate it but she definitely did not particularly like her friend’s style either. To each their own, she would say to an exasperated Deandra whenever Pami came home from another shopping trip.

“Pami-” Deandra tried but Pamela waved the younger girl off.

“No, fuck them. They raised the taxes again,” she angrily banged her hand against the table. Althéa sat up a bit too quickly and poor Deandra was not ready for it. Her fingers got tangled in Althéa’s hair.

“Ow!” She hissed at the harsh tug.

“I’m sorry, Al.” Deandra apologized and quickly worked her fingers out of her sister’s hair.

Althéa patted Deandra’s knees and shook her head. “No, it’s fine.” She turned towards Pami again. “Another raise?” Althéa’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Mhm, another fucking raise.” Pamela sat back down and dejectedly stared at her table. “I have no other choice, I have to raise the price-”

“-You can’t do that!” Deandra exclaimed.

“I have to. Not only do I have to pay for all of this-” the older woman waved her hands around motioning to the shop. “-but also two other mouths to feed.” Pamela gave the girls a pointed stare. She sagged against her chair, lit a cigarette and brought it towards her mouth exhaling slowly.

“But why?” Deandra asked and Althéa stroked her sister’s back in comfort. Deandra lived for the people and knowing that with the sudden raise of taxes not many would be able to seek the medical help they needed - even less than they could do before. It ate her alive seeing the sick and dying not getting the help they deserved.

“You know why.” Pami took another drag of smoke. “They’ve begun to assemble their troops, have you heard of that?” She asked. The two girls nodded their heads. You would have to be living under a rock to not know about it. Multiple flyers spread around the city with threats from Él, each one was more hostile than the last. Pami took another deep drag of the cigarette and gave out a long dry laugh, cursing the Melcias again. She was not a supporter of the elite and Althéa understood her.

Deandra shared a conspicuous look with her sister. “I’ve heard that there’s been a couple of uproars in the outer cities.”

Pamela hummed. “I’ve heard that too and damn right they should. They can’t continue to screw us over and expect that we’ll say nothin’.”

“I read in the newspaper that some farmers in the north are hoarding their money, refusing to pay the taxes,” Deandra said, grey eyes big and worried.

“Good for them,” Pamela snorted.

“Speaking about money,” Althéa spoke up, seeing her opening. “Miller wants his back,” she said, changing the subject.

Pami’s green eyebrows rose incredulously. “And he can shove it up his fucking ass. Wouldn’t be the first time he’s put something up there.” Deandra sighed beside Althéa. The feud between Pami and her former husband had been nonsensical at most and exhausting at best. The divorce was not pretty and according to him, he gave Pamela some money to help her with her medical studies while she claims that the money was all her own. Neither Althéa nor Deandra cared and wanted to stay out of it as much as possible.

“I was only delivering his message.” Althéa raised her hands in defense. Pamela tapped the butt of her cigarette on the ashtray that laid beside her.

“Mhm. And tell him to suck it, again wouldn’t be the first time-” Deandra groaned loudly.

“Whatever, I’m leaving.” She said and stood up from her sitting position followed by Althéa.

“Me too,” the other girl said. Pamela shook her head and threw the house keys towards the girls and dismissed them with a wave of her hands. Althéa was the one that caught them.

“You guys are no fun company either way.” The woman measured Deandra’s form with a knowing look in her eyes. “Are you going straight home?”

Deandra paused for a small moment before she answered. “No. I’m seeing a friend.” Althéa raised her eyebrows at the small subtle blush on the tips of her sister’s ears.

“A friend?” As bad as it sounded, Althéa was surprised. Deandra did not have any friends.

Pamela hummed knowingly. “Don’t forget to protect yourself.”

“Pamela!” Deandra exclaimed.

Oh. So this is what it’s about. Althéa looked at her sister, a smirk playing on her lips while she dragged Deandra out of the room.

“See you later, Pami!”

“Don’t forget it’s your turn to cook tonight, Al!” It was not hard to decipher the merth in Pami’s voice.

“Yeah, yeah.” Althéa and Deandra were soon outside the back of Kilwood’s Apothecary. The sun was just starting to set and the crisp spring breeze enveloped the girls nicely. It might’ve only Drienuc and they were still in early spring, but the cold air was a nice welcome to the stuffiness of the apothecary. Althéa let go of her sister’s hand and the two of them began to walk towards their home - well, Althéa was.

“So,” she began, tentatively. “Who is this friend of yours?” Althéa stared unabashedly at her sister, relishing in seeing the deep flush of her tan skin travel all the way down to her neck.

“No one,” Deandra said, a bit too high pitched. Althéa raised her eyebrows. Since when do they keep secrets from one another?

“Doesn’t seem like it’s a ‘no one,’ Dea. Who is it?” She nudged her sister’s arm with a smirk on her face. Deandra huffed. Her twin sent her a scathing look.

“Oh? So you’re suddenly up in my personal affairs when you haven’t even talked to me about that new boy.” Althéa’s smirk only widened.

“So it is someone special.”

“Does it matter?” Deandra retorted, looking mighty irritated.

“If it doesn't, why won’t you talk to me?” Althéa said, almost walking into someone. She hastily gave the man a bow and apologized quickly before she caught up to her sister’s retreating form.

“Why don’t you talk to me?” Deandra demanded after Althéa finally caught up to her. Her sister’s platinum wavy hair fell loose from her plaited bun after hours of running to and fro the apothecary and hospital rooms.

Althéa continued to smile. “Because it is genuinely nothing.”

“Didn’t seem like ‘nothing’ to me.”

“It’s been a while, little sister and I just feel a little craving. It’s nothing serious.” Althéa cocked her head to her side, staring at her sister. “And what about you?”

It took some time before Deandra said anything. “It’s nothing serious here either.” Althéa was about to say something when Deandra held her hand up, stopping her. “Before you open that irritating mouth of yours,” she gave her sister a harsh glare before she continued on. “I would like it if things did get serious between us. I - I think he really likes me and I like him too but-” She paused and shrugged her shoulders. “Things are a bit complicated right now.” Althéa smiled triumphantly at finally getting an answer.

“Who is it?” She inquired, curiosity brimming through her veins. She looked at her sister expectantly.

“You don’t know him but he’s an apprentice for Beta Jonas Cord.” Deandra gave her sister a wry smile. “His name is Philo Caldwell.” Althéa furrowed her brows.

“A politician?” She thought Deandra hated them. The other girl had expressed this many times before.

“Yeah. He’s so perfect. He’s funny and considerate. Remember when I broke my foot a couple of months ago?” Althéa nodded her head quietly. “He took such good care of me, Al. He called upon Beta Cord to take me to the hospital. It wasn’t Pami’s as you probably remember. He stayed with me the entire time and even brought me back home. He always cooks food for us when I visit him and he’s really good at it.” Deandra’s eyes softened considerably the more she talked about him. They were walking along the canal and multiple lights lit up the waters while the evening activities were about to begin. The grey in her sister’s eyes turned a bit more blue and the platinum blonde hair became just a tad bit warmer under the cozy evening lights. “I haven’t felt something like this in a while. For some time after I ended it with Elazar I thought that that was it, that I would never find love again, that I would never feel such happiness ever again but here he is,” she said with a small smile on her face. She turned towards Althéa. “I’m really happy with him, Al.”

Althéa gave Deandra a funny look. “But since when did you like politicians?” Deandra stared at Althéa, her previous soft look diminishing instantly.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she said.

“Like what?” Althéa cocked her head and stared at her sister innocently.

“The look you had before,” Deandra pointed an accusing finger at her sister.

Althéa shrugged her shoulders. “Can you blame me? Before, you would’ve rather dropped off a cliff than even entertain a politician.” Althéa wrinkled her nose up in disgust. “Only for you to suck off the closest one available.” She ran away from Deandra’s range the moment she saw the hit coming. Laughter booming out of her voice.

“Althéa!”

There was a short pause. “You’ll just end up being like one of those fuckers,” Althéa’s eyes turned dark and her smile wiped right off of her face. Deandra halted in her step and stared at her sister in shock.

“Al, what the hell?”

“No, you what the hell? James Cord is a fucking noble apologist and a major supporter for the war. Caldwell is an apprentice for him? He’s in support of the very same thing you’re against!”

Deandra shook her head. “You don’t understand. Philo had to apprentice under Beta Cord if he wanted to get promoted.”

“Promoted to what, follow a war criminal’s footsteps? Not one of them are for the people Deandra! Not one of them cares!” She exclaimed at a stunned Deandra. “They would be the first ones to suck the Melcia’s off if that’s what it takes!”

“You’re speaking as if you know him!”

“Do you?!” Althéa was livid. “They’re the ones that are raging across this damn continent taking and colonising every single fucking thing they see. Cord was the one that led the attack on our home!”

“He’s not Cord-”

“-But it says a damn lot about who he supports.” Althéa stepped closer. “No matter who they are, they do not work for us,” she motioned to the empty space between her and her sister. Althéa angrily pointed towards the huge building in the distance that shone brightly under the setting sun. “They work for them and I thought you knew better than to get with one of them, Deandra.” Althéa said angrily.

Deandra’s eyes were big and incredulous. “Oh yeah? And what about that ‘princess,’ huh?” Deandra air quoted angrily. “I can’t be seen with a politician but you can coddle one of them?” The girl was shaking and her eyes stared fiercely at Althéa.

“She’s not one of them! She hates her family just as much as we do!” Several people stared at them now but Althéa could care less. Deandra stared at the star on her sister’s chest in disdain.

“She can hate them however much she wants but she’ll always pick them before us. We’re nothing to her and I thought that you knew better than to trust any of them,” Deandra said mockingly. The both of them were hypocrites but neither one of them wanted to back down either, standing firmly with their beliefs and bias.

“Caecilia is just as much of a victim of her family as we are.” Deandra raised her eyebrows at Althéa.

“Ooh Caecilia. The two of you go by first names now?” Althéa crossed her arms and began walking again, not wanting to draw anymore attention to herself. She walked by several people that had stopped and listened to their argument. Deandra walked quickly behind her. The noisy people of Kleon could go and fuck themselves.

“Whatever. Do what you want, I can’t tell you what you can or cannot do.” Althéa mumbled and waved her sister off.

“I’m offended that you even tried.” Althéa gave her sister a look but Deandra did not turn to her. The both of them were quiet the majority of the time they had left on their trek home. After a while Deandra walked off, mumbling about going to Caldwell’s place.

She did not come back home that night.

Her skin was on fire. Althéa’s hands ran up and down his back while Rone Winn left scorching hot kisses down her neck. His hands gripped her hips tightly and he grinded against her. A sigh left her mouth when he bit her neck sucking on the sensitive skin there. She allowed herself to get lost in it, to let herself go. Rone’s hands moved up the sides of her body and cupped her breast. Althéa let out a moan and she bared her neck even further, giving him more access. They were currently in the back closet of The Shining Parlour, the restaurant Rone worked at. It had been a week since she last saw him and after many unsuccessful nights of trying to chase her own pleasure, Althéa eventually deemed it impossible. So instead she sought him out and dear gods was it exactly what she needed. He brought his mouth to hers and slipped his tongue in. He wasn’t the best kisser by any means. She’s had better but that was not the pressing matter here. The pressing matter was the huge bulge she could feel grinding against her stomach. Althéa played a game of chance in her head on whether or not it was worth doing it right now. His tongue was eager and his lips, those heavenly lips….. could be better if he would only use some chapstick. Althéa was terrible at letting herself go. His other hand that was not groping her chest snaked down past her navel and reached her thighs. He brought her skirt up higher and higher but just before he could reach her apex a voice resounded from outside the closet.

“I would hate to disrupt you guys but Winn, your break is over.” A man with a deep voice said.

“Fuck,” Rone swore. His lips were red and swollen and his eyes were still dark. Althéa cursed Ulo, the god of Chance for this disruption. Rone stepped away from Althéa and she fixed her skirt while he buttoned up his shirt, adjusting his pants. “Alright! I’m coming,” he said.

“Well that was fun.” Althéa proclaimed after they heard the sound of the door closing behind Neiper. Rone however, was back on her the minute it closed shut. Althéa brought her hands to his sandy hair and kissed him deeply. He leaned back and stared at her lustfully.

“I end my shift at 6, I could come by Kilwood’s if you want?” Gods yes, did she want that. Althéa, still feeling a bit breathless, nodded at him.

“I end at 8 so you will have to wait for a bit.” He smiled at her and kissed her again. This time slower as if he was not in a hurry in the slightest.

“You’re worth waiting for, Althéa.” An annoying blush rose in her cheeks. Althéa grumbled to herself while swatting him away. Rone laughed at her and opened the door to the closet and the both of them stepped out. They were in the break rooms and to the left was a door that led outside towards the back of the restaurant. Only staff could walk through it. In front of them were a couple of stairs and on top of them sat two big double doors that led the way into the restaurant’s main area. Althéa was surprised at how luxurious and huge the place was. From what little she could see there were only high class men and nobles that occupied the tables.

She walked in front of the mirror above a workbench to gauge her outer appearance. Her face was still flushed red. The freckles on her cheeks and nose looked even more defined by the redness on her face. Her otherwise small lips were pink and swollen and she quickly wiped away the remaining saliva they had. Her eyes looked wide and glassy - brighter. Her hair that was previously in a bun had fallen down her back somewhere along the way. She looked like a mess. Quickly, she remade the bun in hopes of appearing at least a bit more refined. Caecilia’s brooch was slightly slanted so she quickly fixed it, wanting her precious gift to be perfect.

She picked up her empty basket and turned towards him, batting her eyelashes. “I’ll be going then,” She said sweetly. Rone gave her a dimpled smile and kissed her cheek.

“Be safe, alright?” He said as he led her to the back door. Althéa rolled her eyes at him and stepped outside.

“Yeah, yeah, I will.” She smiled.

“See you later?” He asked, adorable eyes lighting up with hope.

Althéa put her hand on her chin in mock pondering. “Hmm. No.” She laughed when he playfully shoved her.

“Hey!”

“Yes, yes. I’ll see you later. At Pami’s?” She asked. He nodded in return and gave her a thumbs up.

“At Pami’s.” He confirmed.

“Cool. Bye!” She waved at him and walked away with a slight skip in her step.

Althéa had always liked Kleon. It was a pretty city if she was going to be honest. Several shops were open in the afternoon sun and children played on the sidewalks. There was no horse dung on the streets and the air smelled of freshly baked goods. Birds sang above her head while she walked towards the woods. The ever rising taxes did not look like they affected the city much except for the few occasional newly closed shops. Althéa halted in her tracks. Just a couple of meters down the canal stood Avery tending her boat. Althéa hadn’t seen her ex in ages and she did not want to do it now either so she quickly turned another way. She hastily walked to the outskirts of the city past the giant walls where several guards patrolled. They were there to check the people that wanted to come in but there were no checkpoints for the ones that wanted to leave.

Althéa was picking some mushrooms and quietly humming to herself. Pami lost a lot of customers the past week. Due to the drop of business they had no money to go and buy ingredients for medicine and even though Deandra tried to convince the older woman to buy a greenhouse, Pamela declined. She ran a hospital not a botanica. Why waste money on herbs when they had many proficient business owners in Alcar? Though the recent tax increase seemed to prove Deandra right.

Althéa volunteered to head out and try to find as many natural ingredients as she possibly could but that was just an excuse to escape the terrifying tension she had with Deandra. The two girls only offered a handful of words to each other. Too stubborn to relent and apologise. Deandra had not spent a single night at home and Althéa visited the temple more often than usual. She never talked about the fight with Caecilia and Pamela couldn't care less, as long as the girls did their jobs she kept herself out of it as much as possible.

Althéa thought that it would be relatively easy to find some ingredients but it was in the middle of Drienuc, the first month of spring and the snow had just finished melting. The familiar heat of the sun had come back and a couple of buds began to bloom. Only a few plants produced fruits thus far in the season and they were rare. She kneeled and picked up some sweet flux berries. They were orange in color and upon touch they felt close to ripe.

Until she suddenly felt something cold against her neck and an arm snaked around her shoulders, gripping her with an iron strong hold.

“Well, well, look what we’ve got here.” A voice sang in front of her. It was then Althéa looked up and saw a man in front of her. He looked young, around her age. His hair was dark blonde and his eyes were almost white with how blue they were. He gave her a crude smile when he regarded Althéa’s kneeling form. He did not wear a crose. His attire did not have the same form. He wore black leather pants and a white shirt that appeared a bit sheer. His neckline went deep and his shoes looked heavy and sturdy.

The knife on her neck pierced her skin when she was about to scream. On the man’s exposed collar he had a tattoo engraved. It was a snake with dripping fangs and its mouth open wide. She knew what kind of tattoo it was, she’d heard of it before, everyone on the continent had heard of it before.

Bandits.

[maarigoold]

MASTERLIST

originally posted by wallpaperup

A healer gets kidnapped and taken prisoner as a bargaining tool for money. In hopes of setting herself free, she has to help her kidnappers in finding fallen a star, one that will grant you your biggest wish and she is the only one who can find it. A soldier gets dispatched to quell an uprising when she stumbles upon dead bodies of her fellow peers and towns folk alike that shows peculiar and disturbing ways they have passed on. A noble prepares herself for her wedding and leaves her home to wed the crown prince. Everything seems perfect until death comes knocking on her door.

Beyond the Veil 

originally posted by photos

Summoners of Dusk - COMING SOON

originally posted by wallpaperset

When Darkness Falls - COMING SOON

originally posted by wallpaperaccess

Folklore - COMING SOON

[maarigoold]

Beyond the Veil

''The wish of a star is death and only on the brink shall it come true,"

Three young women set out on a life-altering journey where they have to challenge their world, beliefs and relationships in order to survive.

Althéa Tanda gets kidnapped and taken prisoner. In hopes of setting herself free she has to help her kidnappers find an ancient treasure and she is the only one who knows where it is.

Cereza Lux gets dispatched to quell an uprising when she stumbles upon the dead bodies of her fellow peers and towns folk alike that shows the peculiar and disturbing ways they have passed on.

Ilá Delille leaves her home to wed the crown prince of Alcar. Everything seems perfect until her old friend, death, visits her again.

War is brewing and nature is shifting its balance. Ancient sleeping gods awake and fate is once again weaving its thread.

Prologue

Chapter 1: Making Waves

Chapter 2: Golden Star

Chapter 3: When the Heart Bleeds

Chapter 4: Restless Soul

Chapter 5: Secrets

Chapter 6: Marveil

Chapter 7: Misty Grove

Chapter 8: Captive

Chapter 9: When Death Knocks on Your Door

Chapter 10: Never a Rose without the Prick

Chapter 11: Golden Chains

Chapter 12: Moving Pieces

Chapter 13: Missing Faces

Chapter 14: By the Gods Graces

Chapter 15: Singes

Chapter 16: A Shift in the Air

Chapter 17: The Lost Treasures

Chapter 18: The Four Cardinal Ponds

[maarigoold]

Beyond the Veil {4} Restless Soul

PREVIOUS - NEXT

Illel 23rd, 1032 N.E

The lamp hanging from the ceiling swayed back and forth with the harsh waves. Ilá stared outside her window with a pounding head trying to see anything but it proved to be futile. The waves rocked the boat from side to side, worsening her irritable head. The sky was dark and the waters grey. They'd been out at sea for about a week when they should've arrived on the mainland five days ago but the waters of Delille seemed reluctant to let Ilá go.

"The dinner is ready, Lady Delille," Ms. Roos stood by the door, head bowed towards Ilá. Ilá took one last look out towards the dark waters before her hands clasped the folds of her white stolla. She nodded at Olivia and walked towards the dining room. Soldier Kim tipped his head at her before he opened the doors.

"M'a Lady," he said with a cheeky smile. Ilá returned the smile politely, ignoring the growing pain in her head. The dining room was as spacious as it could be on the boat. The walls were deep red and the carpet that encompassed the floor was champagne in color. The brown mahogany table stood in the middle of the room and as Ilá sat down at the head of the table she felt comfortable in the velvety cushion. The food was in an abundance. A huge turkey stood in the middle surrounded with vegetables and sauces. A steaming pan of potatoes was to her right and a glass of wine in front of her. She was the only one seating the rest of her entourage stood by the walls staring at anything and everything that was not her.

She cleared her throat trying to expel the building awkwardness she felt in her shoulders. She gingerly took some food and chewed. It was too quiet. The pounding in her head got worse. The only other sound was that of the storm that raged on outside. The boat lurched harshly when a wave hit the sides. Ilá clutched the sides of the table so tightly her knuckles turned white. Thankfully none of the food spilled onto the floor.

Captain Levine silently cursed. "Lady Delille, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied. Ilá had to hold back from cursing herself. She picked her fork up from the ground, cleaned it and took another bite. The boat kept on shaking several moments later and the lack of human conversation nearly made her crazy.

"Olivia!" Ilá called on her handmaiden.

The other girl looked shaken when she looked up at Ilá. She did not say anything, only stared in question.

"You must be hungry," Ilá waved absimentely to a chair opposite her. "Come and join me." Ilá had no idea why she chose Olivia for this but the girl was the first person that popped into her mind.

Olivia did not move for a second, looking particularly shocked. However, she seemed to catch herself and briskly walked towards the appointed chair.

"Could someone set the table for her, please?" A hidden staff walked up to one of the shelves that held many of the cutlery and began to set up the table for the astonished Olivia. Ilá offered a napkin to the other girl trying to seem friendly and offered a small smile, unfortunately that seemed to irk her even more. Her handmaiden shrunk a little bit into herself when the staff loaded her plate with food. She refused to meet Ilá's eyes. The tense silence from earlier only amplified.

Olivia sat at the table motionless without touching her food. Ilá gestured for her to begin to eat, signalling that it was okay to indulge.

"How do you like the food?" Ilá tried to converse. Olivia had just begun taking a bite of the food and she looked up in surprise when Ilá addressed her again.

Silence.

The throbbing in her head became unbearable. She tried again. "Is it good?" Ilá tried again.

Another silence.

Olivia just stared at Ilá. Her dark brown eyes were round like saucers. Ilá swallowed a sigh and hid her ire as best she could.

"Already got something stuck in your throat? I thought I asked you a question."

Well, she did try to hide her ire, however bad it turned out to be. A cough came from behind her and a deep voice piped up.

"She's mute, m'a Lady," said Captain Levine.

Oh.

Oh no.

Shame seared through her veins. They've been on this boat for a week and Ilá never spoke much with her crew unless necessary. When that happened she wanted to keep the conversations short. The only one out of the girls that would speak to her was Ms. Roos in small attempts at small talk, however she was never in the mood for them. Olivia was quiet but Ilá always thought that it was because the other girl was shy or just not a very vocal person - Lady Katherine used to be like that. Ilá never took it into consideration that the girl could be mute.

"I am so sorry, Olivia. I should have known," Ilá apologised. Olivia only shook her head and raised her hands in swift motions Ilá could not decipher. She cocked her head to the side. "I'm sorry I-" Ilá turned to Captain Levine for help.

"She says that 'it's okay.'" Ilá nodded, turning her head towards Olivia again. Feeling awkward once more Ilá tried to take another bite of her food but she did not feel hungry anymore. She put her cutlery back on the table and stood up. Ilá held in a hiss at the soaring pain that shot through her skull and seared all the way down the back of her neck. Her eyes blurred just slightly but she managed to get upright again. Nothing caught Ilá's attention by her peripheral vision.

That was good.

All was good.

"I'm done." Ilá looked at Olivia's sitting form. "You can finish the food if you want to, I don't mind." Her handmaiden looked still a bit shocked but she nodded anyway. Ilá gathered her skirts and walked to the music room, needing to get away. When she arrived, multiple instruments laid on the ground while the boat continued to rock back and forth. She held back a curse and looked at the only instrument standing.

A black piano.

Ilá walked towards it, trying not to trip on the many different instruments laying on the ground. She sat on the hard cushion and removed the lid. Her handmaiden, Ms Roos stood to the side out of Ilá's line of sight.

Perhaps she should try a bit more.

Ilá pressed the keys softly, a bit tentatively even. Her father hated the piano and would always give Ilá trouble whenever he would catch her playing it. But it was her favorite instrument and he could never keep her too far from it. Now as she sat on the rocking boat Ilá desperately wanted to drown out the heavy storm outside (and the one raging beneath her temples). She began to play. It was soft and slow in the beginning, an easy melody that Grace would play to her when she was younger. Ilá would beg her sister to teach her and she would sit on the older girl's lap while they played the tune together. Ilá was terrified of thunderstorms and her island used to project the harshest ones whenever one of her family members left. So Grace would steal Ilá away from their mother's tight clutches and together they would sneak into the music room. It always seemed as though Grace's tune pacified the island's storms. As if it was a petulant child coming down from a massive tantrum by its mothers calm voice. The two girls eventually dubbed it, Grace's lullaby. Sometime after Grace left them, Ilá would continue to play Grace's lullaby and she later on wrote a song out of it.

She didn't know for how long she played the melody over and over again, but the magic was broken when a small sunray reflected onto the piano keys. A gasp heard from behind her and Ilá looked outside the window. The clouds were parting and rays of sunshine shone through the dark sky. The sea became still and no waves were in sight. The boat bobbed gently on the water and she heard distant shouts coming from outside the music room.

"M'a Lady, the storm. It stopped," Ms. Roos said with an awe filled voice.

"It did," Ilá said quietly.

For the first time ever since she left her home Ilá felt peace.

The docks were filled with people as she walked across the planks. The air smelled familiar and yet not. Ilá was used to the fish stank and the smell of the sea; however, there was something different in the air out here. She couldn't pinpoint what that was though.

Putting a hand on her irritable forehead she looked around. Her crew arrived at one of her family's many ports, Port Mea - named after one of Ilá's ancestors - a couple of hours ago and had finally gathered all of their belongings to continue on with their journey.

"It is getting late and the sun will completely set in two hours. I suggest that we all stay here for the night and continue our trip at sunrise." Captain Levine announced, giving a handkerchief to a sniveling Soldier Noir who had been sneezing non-stop. His tall frame looked even mightier with the orange setting sun throwing dark shadows behind him.

"Where do you plan us to stay, Captain Levine?" Soldier Kim asked. He stood by Ilá's right side, looking visibly relaxed.

"There's an Inn located at the end of this town. If we make the two hour journey there now and stay for the night, we'll have an easier travel to Kleon in the morning." Captain Levine turned towards Ilá in question. "Is that alright with you, Lady Delille?"

Ilá already felt as though their journey had been way overdue with the intense sea storm they encountered on their way to the mainland. She's a week late and she would hate to be any later.

She pondered for a moment and everyone waited around patiently until she spoke again. "Are you sure that we cannot continue our travels? I am already very late and would hate to make any more haltations."

Captain Levine nodded and added, "I would love to ride straight for Kleon myself, Lady Delille. However, this town is surrounded by wolves and they love to roam about when darkness falls. First and foremost we have to think about everyone's safety." Ilá nodded. No matter how much she would rather just take a horse and ride straight for Kleon, she herself felt tired and her crew needed rest. Safety always came first.

"Alright," she said. "Take us to the Inn."

Soldier Logie showed her to the black horse carriage and Ilá was the first one to enter. After her came Ms. Roos and Olivia. Soldier Logie closed the door and walked to the side. The men outside prepared the carriage for the two hour journey and Ilá was conflicted. She gazed at her two handmaidens whom she had not shared many words with during their boat ride. Ms. Roos stared out the window sitting straight and with her chin up. Olivia sat beside her slightly hunching over. Her irritable red eyes were stubbornly not meeting Ilá's. The girl was visibly trying to hold in a sneeze. She wondered how she could strike up a conversation. Captain Levine did tell her in the beginning that these two ladies were going to work under Ilá for the rest of her stay in Kleon, perhaps she needed to try and get to know these two a bit more. But the last time she tried to strike a conversation, Ilá embarrassed herself immensely.

The carriage began to move and so did Ilá's lips. "Where do you come from?" It was a generic question but she was glad that Olivia did not look petrified for being addressed to this time. The girl made a series of hand movements that Ilá subconsciously turned towards Ms. Roos for translation. She breathed in relief when she got her answer.

"Chalamet, m'a Lady." Ilá never realized how smooth Ms. Roos' voice sounded.

Of course, Ilá thought. Chalamet lay in the south west on their continent, neighbouring Él. They had a huge slave trade that lasted centuries. No wonder Olivia had no last name. Slaves have no last names, usually no names at all.

"Is Olivia what your parents named you or was it something you were given by your Master?" Ilá asked, trying to continue the conversation. Olivia visibly cringed but she answered anyway.

"It was a name her parents gave her."

"It is really beautiful." Ilá offered a sincere smile and it took awhile for Olivia to smile back. It was a pretty smile. Small actions matter just as greatly as the big ones. Ilá counted that as a win. She turned towards Ms. Roos and the woman looked at her with a pleasant smile that did not reach her eyes.

"Do you crochet?" Ilá nodded towards the creation in Ms. Roos' hand.

"Sometimes I do."

"I have never tried crocheting but if I am being honest I'm not very good at it or anything related to it either." Well that was almost true. Her older brother Castell unfortunately traumatised her with needles to the point where Ilá always felt queasy by just looking at them.

It was not something she liked to remember.

Thankfully though, crochet needles were thicker and less sharp than the sewing needles he used but the effects remained the same.

"Queen Melcia was the one that taught me." Ms. Roos' face was perfectly pleasant, not giving away any hints of other emotions. Ilá thought that she had never truly seen Ms. Roos' face change much at all.

This got her attention. "Queen Melcia?"

Ms. Roos nodded. "She was enjoying her favorite tea when we discussed our hobbies." She shrugged her shoulders casually making Ilá's eyebrows nearly rise above her hairline. "She demanded that I would be taught since a lady was supposed to know how to crochet. I tried to tell her that I'm not a lady but she would not budge. If I'm being honest, I hate it." There were so many questions Ilá wanted to ask. How did she become close with the queen? How did she come close enough with the queen that she could drink tea with her? To talk about their favorite hobbies? What else did the queen and her talk about? How close were they? Did she know any of the other royal members? How long had she worked at the palace? But instead Ilá asked,

"Why do you hate it?"

"Well, to begin with it's quite boring and my-" there was the briefest of pause, her eyes widened slightly before they returned back to normal.

A slip up.

"I am somewhat of a slow learner when it comes to things like this." She instead held up her small piece. "I've been working on this for the past four weeks now and I'm not even halfway done."

"It looks pretty," Ilá offered, ignoring when her pounding head made her see double again. Still saw nothing in her peripheral vision, though.

Ms. Roos did not look convinced but she offered Ilá the same pleasant smile. "Thank you, m'a Lady." Ilá wondered how many times Ms. Roos must have practiced that same smile in the mirror. She turned around and gazed outside her window as the horse carriage drove further away from the town. They've since left the docks and the air did not smell of fish anymore but that same scent that Ilá felt earlier was stronger here. She could still not pinpoint what that was... It smelled close to sour, a bit dense and heavy. Rotten.

Port Mea was nothing short of busy. Multiple slaves walked alongside their owners and Ilá could not stop the awe filling her head. She had never stepped foot outside of her small island and this tiny town - while bordering the same size as the one she grew up in - looked miles better and the people livelier. She had only ever met two slaves before in her life and no matter how morbid it sounded like Ilá could not stop herself from admiring the symbols that were tattooed on their forehead. It was intricate, resembling a circle and multiple layers of lines crossing one another. Only slaves of Alcar needed to be branded. She could not see many Freed People walking around but they were as easy to recognize as well with their massive burn marks on their forehead, where their slave tattoo should have been.

The houses were brown and grey in color. Some had a copper tint and they sat closely to each other. Workers walked around the unclean streets and dirtied the hems of their crose, the standard dressing only freed folk and common folk could have. Several people stopped in their tracks as they saw the carriage drive by. Neither one of them looked happy once they saw it. One old man spit near the carriage and met Ilá's eyes. She frowned.

"What's the matter with them?" She asked Ms. Roos. The other girl raised her head from her work piece and gave Ilá a questioning glance.

"What do you mean, m'a Lady?"

"They don't seem particularly thrilled to see us." Ms. Roos looked out her window for a moment before she sighed.

"It's not us, m'a Lady." Ms. Roos' face was still pleasant but her smile for once was not there.

"Then why do they seem so mad?" She looked at both Ms. Roos and Olivia. The former was quiet for a moment while she looked as if she contemplated on whether or not she should tell Ilá the full truth whereas the latter looked worried. Once Olivia met Ilá's expectant gaze, she only smiled. Hers looked more believable.

"The royal family are not particularly popular right now." Ms. Roos halted her words but continued when she saw Ilá's impatient expression. "King Melcia had raised the taxes and with the possibility of war between Alcar and Él the people cannot help but feel tense." This was news to Ilá. She had no idea that the taxes had been raised. Being a part of the nobility granted her and many other families the luxury of not paying them.

"Oh," was all she said. The possible war between Él and Alcar was not news to Ilá though. Despite this, it felt as though Ms. Roos did not tell Ilá the whole truth.

"And what else?" Ms. Roos gave Ilá a pleasant smile that once again did not reach her eyes.

"That is all, m'a Lady." Ilá stared, trying to decipher where the lie was but Ms. Roos went back to her crochet. Olivia did not meet Ilá's eyes either and stubbornly stared out the window with a blank expression.

Ilá settled back down, deciding to drop the subject the moment the ache in her head intensified. The world around her seemed to close in, crushing her very bones and making it hard to breathe. Ilá knew what this meant. She knew what she needed to do to get rid of this pain but she didn't want to make the sacrifice. Captain Levine suddenly yelled, "We're here!" Forcing her back to reality.

The carriage stopped in its tracks and a commotion sounded from outside. Soldier Noir opened the door while keeping his eyes downcasted. Ilá gathered the white skirts of her stolla and stepped outside, slightly wincing at the stiffness in her legs and lower back from the two hours of straight travel.

The Inn was relatively small but she could tell from the pristine condition of the outer shell of the building that it was probably high in cost. On big plates written in bold letters stood, The Bronze Hill Inn.

"I will go inside and order us a room for the night. Soldier Logie, Andreu and Kim, you three will unload the carriage and when you are done, Noir and Anello will lead the horses to the stables." The men nodded and Captain Levine turned to Ilá again. "I'll be right back, Lady Delille." Ilá nodded, feeling tired but kept her face neutral.

"Okay." Captain Levine gave her a court nod and walked inside as the men began to work. Ilá fiddled with the edges of her sleeve and turned to look at her surroundings. Regina and Olivia stood to the side talking amongst themselves whilst the men worked with the carriage. A loud laugh startled Ilá and she quickly swiveled towards the tinkling sound. Soldier Noir threw his head back and cackled at something Soldier Anello said. The brunette wore a crude smirk on his face. Soldiers Logie, Andreu and Kim unloaded the carriage and brought the stuff into the building.

Standing in front of the Bronze Hill Inn, Ilá felt alone. Her eyes roamed the dirty streets of Port Mea, watching everyone go about their day. Some passersby sent her looks, either out of curiosity or disdain. Ilá refrained from letting the niggling stares affect her mood and opted to ignore them instead. She smoothed out some imaginary wrinkles on her white dress, leisurely checking to see if it had caught any dirt at the hems. The building pressure in her head seemed to lessen a bit and Ilá dared to let hope blossom in her chest - only for it to slam back into her with a force strong enough to nearly make her stumble minutes later.

A loud sneeze was heard from behind her. It was Soldier Noir.

"Lady Delille," a sudden voice surprised her. She looked up to meet who was calling out to her. Through hazy eyes she saw Captain Levine's worried face. The middle aged man stalked towards her, taking big strides. He looked tall and commanding in his all back uniform. He sported his blonde hair in a high ponytail further accentuating his cheekbones.

"Yes, Captain?" Ilá inquired, trying to ignore the pain and tilted her head to the side. Levine's eyes lingered on a couple of fringes that strayed from her carefully done updo.

"I apologize, Lady Delille. I didn't mean to startle you," he said. Ilá shook her head offering him a polite smile.

"No, no, no. It was my fault. I am easily jumpy, Captain. Do not worry." She said, waving her hands in front of her to refute his statement. "Has everything been prepared?" She asked.

Captain Levin gave her a stiff nod. "Yes, my Lady. Your room is ready. If you'll follow me," he bowed his head while stretching his arm out towards the direction of the Inn. Ilá called upon her handmaidens and together all four of them entered Bronze Hill Inn.

It was not big per se but rather quaint. The walls were brown in color and the floors made out of dark wood. A long red carpet led the way from the front door to a much bigger area where sofas and armchairs were put on display. There were a couple of tables littering around the room and chairs coupled with them that other patrons currently occupied. Loud chatter could be heard from the big room all the way to the hallway. To her left stood a huge desk and a man that looked to be in his late years. He gave Ilá the most dazzling smile she's ever received. His pearl white teeth momentarily blinded her.

"Welcome to Bronze Hill Inn, my Lady." He greeted her. Ilá could only muster a small smile, suddenly feeling self conscious of her own less than dazzling teeth.

"Thank you, good sir." Ilá thought that it would be impossible for his smile to grow wider but she was proven wrong.

"My Lady?" Captain Levine cocked his head to their right showing her the stairways. They passed many floors walking up the incredible narrow staircase until they reached the top floor. Ms. Roos seemed as if she was ready to pass out and fall flat if it wasn't for Olivia holding the young woman steady. Ilá herself had trouble catching her breath and felt dangerously dizzy but she tried to keep a brave face on. The hallway was quite narrow but the walls were filled with a beautiful dark green tapestry. Ilá let her hand gently trail the patterns on the wall to not only steady herself but to get a proper look at the art. It was a good distraction from her pain.

"This is your room," Captain Levin announced, interrupting her silent marvel. He stood at the very end of the hallway in front of a simple dark wood door. "Ms. Roos and Olivia will sleep in the room right next to yours."

"Okay. Thank you, Captain." He bowed his head, acknowledging her praise. "No need to thank me, just doing my job." There was something hidden in his eyes that Ilá couldn't decipher and for some reason an unsettling icy feeling took a small tentative root in her stomach, barely even there.

"When will we depart?" Ms. Roos asked. She had her hands clasped in front of her midriff. Her blonde hair was in a simple braid wrapped around her head like a diadem. Her cheeks were just the right amount of rosy matching the color of her lips perfectly. Her back was straight, chest out and neck elongated. A real lady, Ilá morbidly thought. Despite only being a high class woman Regina Roos looked more like a queen than Ilá ever hoped she herself could be.

"8 pm at the latest, we will arrive in Kleon in two days earliest if we journey quicker. So I would advise all of you to take an early night." He gave Olivia and Ms. Roos a pointed stare. "All of you." The smaller girl smiled at him coyly as the taller one snorted.

"We will," Ms. Roos said. Ilá didn't know if she imagined the small tone of contempt in the older girl's voice. The captain kept on staring at the two girls building a tiny bit of tension in their small group. Ms. Roos did not lose face in front of him and only smiled sweetly in return. "Promise. Right Olivia?" The brunette quickly nodded and signed something to the captain. Ilá guessed that she signed a promise to him. He grunted and turned towards Ilá again.

"Dinner will be served to your room. It would be best if we limited your contact with the other guests for the time being, I am afraid. There's been some-" he stopped himself before finishing his sentence. "-civil unrest recently." Ilá thought back to what Ms. Roos had said earlier on their way from the docks. The raise in taxes and the escalation of the possible war. She furrowed her brows. Ms. Roos said that the people were feeling a bit tense but civil unrest? How bad could it be? Ilá felt the familiar icy hold in her stomach again setting down deeper roots.

"That would be lovely," she replied instead. Captain Levin turned his back to her and marched down the hallway confidently, as if he owned the place.

Ilá swiveled towards Ms. Roos who was still standing outside her shared room with Olivia. Ilá could not decipher the other girl's expression but yet she gave her a polite nod and began opening the door to her room.

"Do you need help undressing, m'a Lady?" Ms. Roos asked. It was not unusual for the woman to ask that question as Ilá had refused her handmaidens' help before. Ilá doesn't know why but she felt uncomfortable having hands other than Sinrene's on her body. The two women already knew her answer, Ilá already knew her answer and so she gave it to them.

"No, thank you. I will be fine. Goodnight, Ms. Roos." Ilá said to her and turned towards the shorter girl at her side. "Have a lovely night, Olivia," she offered. Olivia looked slightly perplexed that Ilá addressed her but soon her perplexity turned into genuineness and she gave a small smile in return towards Ilá. Ms. Roos gave Ilá a smile of her own and bowed to her lady.

"Goodnight, m'a Lady." She gently closed the door behind her and Ilá stood there in the narrow hallway alone. When she closed the door to her own room and as she made herself ready for dinner Ilá could not help but wonder what she could have possibly done to earn such a sincere smile from Ms. Roos, small as it was.

She surveyed the room taking it in. It was definitely much smaller than the one she had back in Delille. In the middle stood a queen sized bed filled with layers upon layers of pillows and covers. The room followed the theme from the rest of the building in that the walls were dark in color, this time it was purple. The floor was made out of dark wood and hanging from the ceiling swayed a small sparkling golden chandelier. Ilá looked around and saw that her stuff had already been carried in. She debated on whether or not she would undress before or after dinner. She walked to her window and drew her curtains closed, suddenly feeling watched. Ilá then walked towards the vanity and stared. Taking all of herself in.

She looked rough. Her pale skin looked sickly, taut skin accentuated the blue veins under her round eyes. Despite numerous attempts to keep her hair in place the red frizzy curls still found themselves free from her updo. Small irritable hair strands stood upright creating a fiery mess on top of her head. Ilá thought that she looked crazed. No wonder Lady Emma would call her a monster.

And her head. Her head was killing her.

She turned her back to the mirror and unlaced her dress, breathing heavily. Undressing was not a hassle and she could do that by herself but the thought of it going much faster if she had any help - and when her head wasn't hurting - did not go unbeknownst to her.

She sat on the bed in her sleeping gown counting the freckles on her arm to pass the time when she heard a knock.

The door opened and a middle aged woman stepped in, bowing timidly. She wore a simple white crosa that reached her ankles, shiny black shoes and a black hair tie holding her hair in place. Her black eyes were a stark contrast to her grey hair.

"Here's your dinner, m'a Lady. I hope it will come to please you." Ilá rose from her spot on the bed and crossed the room hastily feeling her stomach gnaw at her insides, not even caring that she was dressed indecently.

"Great. Thank you, miss." The woman bowed and hurriedly left the room. Ilá sat back down and stared at the food - a violent throb coursed through her head all the way down her bones. Ilá had to steady herself against the table taking in huge lungs of air. A sudden image of Lady Emma's critical stare penetrated her mind for a millisecond but it was enough to put her on edge for the rest of the meal.

After she was done eating, she threw the leftovers in the trash and finished her bedtime routine. Laying in bed she worried her lip, trying to give herself a rest but it didn't work. Her mind would not stop running away from her when she so desperately needed it to calm down. Her thoughts involuntarily went to Grace and Ilá was not prepared for the onslaught of emotions those thoughts would bring. Her hand absentmindedly went to the hollow juncture at her neck and back down when met with nothing but skin.

Gracie, my sweet, sweet Gracie, Ilá chanted in her head like a prayer, an act of complete and utter love and fondness that proved difficult trying to contain in her small body. Grace, her Gracie who proved to be just like everyone else and left Ilá when she needed her the most. A nasty, bitter feeling different from the one just moments before gripped her. It was slow and hesitant but the more Ilá fought it the harder its resolve became and the tighter its reins on her got. She hated it, she hated feeling this way about Grace. The anger, the betrayal, the abandonment, her own sadness.

Ilá missed Grace so much it hurt. She couldn't help but wonder where her sister was. If she was okay, alive or-

Ilá rushed out of her bed and opened her window, letting the cool air in. Music could be heard from the streets down below and her heart calmed from the merry sounds of the people laughing and drinking the night away. The song was catchy and she absentmindedly tapped her finger against the windowsill. Feeling restless she took a black cape that was big enough to cover her entire body and against her captain's words she exited her room. Ilá stopped in front of her handmaidens' shared room but thought better of it and headed down the terrifyingly narrow stairs.

The atmosphere was relaxed, Ilá observed when she arrived on the ground floor. She saw the same man at the front desk from earlier in front of her and he gave her the biggest grin she had ever seen. Ilá gave him a simple nod in return. Turning towards her right, finally stepping down from the last step of stairs she began to walk to what she could only assume was the living area. The room was big with a lot of space and much more people than she originally thought but what really surprised her was seeing a part of her crew, laughing and drinking near the far back of the room. Ilá looked at the big grandfather clock to her right and it read a quarter past eleven. The other guests of the place all wore orne or orna, the dedicated style of dress for high class citizens. Some of the people in the room wore stolle or stolla, the dedicated dress fashion for either nobles or council members. Seeing all of these important society members, Ilá felt self-conscious. Looking down at her lack of proper dress she felt a furious blush rise on her cheeks, clutching her cape closer to her body. She pivoted to run away and hide in her room when-

"LADY DELILLE!" Soldier Andreu shouted her name and Ilá wanted to die. "COME AND JOIN US!"

The others at the table tried to hush him and Ilá ducked her head behind the tendrils of her hair trying to somehow become invisible. She was too far away to know what the others at the table were saying but Andreu was loud.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHUT UP? YOU SHUT UP! SHE CAN JOIN US IF SHE WANTS TO. ISN'T THAT RIGHT, DELILLE?" Ilá wanted to slap some sense into him. Apparently Olivia thought the same thing as a quick sharp hand flew to the back of his head. Soldier Andreu yelled out in exaggerated pain. He dramatically fell out of his chair and rolled around on the floor repeatedly calling her a monster and more obscenities. They gathered dirty looks from the other patrons in the room and Ilá was mortified. Olivia rolled her eyes at his theatrics and Ilá met Soldier Anello's gaze. He did not look the least bit embarrassed by his drunken friend's outburst. Ilá wished she shared the same sentiment. He hid his smirk behind a glass of ale and beckoned for her to approach them. Against all of her better judgement, she did.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the princess." Anello said in a sing-songy voice. Olivia gave him a sharp glare but he kept his eyes solely focused on Ilá's approaching form.

"Not princess-" Ilá began.

"-not yet," he interrupted her. An awkward silence fell over the small table as Ilá didn't know what to say to that. She had never felt so uncomfortable in their presence before.

"N-not yet." Ilá silently cursed herself for stuttering. More heat rose up from her neck all the way to the tip of her ears. She cleared her throat, deciding that a switch of subject would save her. "I didn't mean to intrude-"

"YOU DIDN'T," Ilá flinched at the loud voice and Soldier Kim grumbled in irritation. His loud voice reverberated through her skull painfully, making her suffering worse. The corners of Anello's lips turned slightly but he kept his face relatively impassé.

"Will you please lower your voice? We've already gotten a warning from Ms. Sophie. You don't want us to get kicked out again, don't you?" Ms. Roos said in a defeated voice. Poor girl looked as if she was ready for Asin to come and take her at any moment now. Now that was a sentiment Ilá could share but there was one thing about the older girl's sentence that made Ilá cock her head to the side.

"Again?" Ilá inquired. The mood of the table dimmed when no one said anything. Ms. Roos and Olivia shared an inconspicuous look. Soldier Kim seemed to have a staring match with his glass of ale, Soldier Andreu refused eye contact with her and Anello only observed the unfolding scene with mild interest but not interested enough to offer anything either. Ilá realized then how much of an outcast she really was and she was partially to blame for that. The silence stretched on when an awkward cough left Soldier Andreu's lips.

"It was nothing," for once his voice was a normal conversational level but Ilá hated it. She hated how everyone's guard immediately shot up whenever she entered a room, how she herself had to put on a second skin every single morning when she woke up. She could only see glimpses of the real people here or there but it only lasted for a second, if even that. She hated feeling like she was a burden and she could not help but feel like she wasn't welcomed with how closed off everyone became.

If it wasn't for Olivia.

Despite the tense atmosphere she gave Ilá a tiny smile. Her dark eyes twinkled from the chandeliers, dim light reflecting off of them. Ilá couldn't see anything hidden in the girl's eyes. No walls, no pretenses, no lies. The veil had been dropped and all she could see was Olivia in all of her honesty. Ilá couldn't help but feel some comfort in them. At least there was someone that didn't mind her presence.

"I got kicked out once too," Ilá suddenly said. Five heads turned in shock at her statement.

"You what?" Anello asked. The others looked horrified but Anello only looked intrigued, tilting his head to the side as he slowly whirled his drink.

Ilá had no idea why she said what she said. Maybe it was the silence and the irrational sense to fill it that spurred her on. Maybe a week of a growing horrible headache had made her soft and open. Perhaps a part of her felt like she needed to give up a piece of herself - pieces that she had carefully woven to conceal from the world - as a way to break the ice, an offering. Regardless, what's done is done and she can't go back now.

She hesitantly nodded her head, her mind trashing against her temple. "I was 11. It was two months after the new year. The date was Thowhul 29th and my family had a banquet for Grace and Castell's birthdays. I had just witnessed an argument between my brother and sister when we were in the painting room and was not in the mood to participate in the festivities that occurred later that day. I was acting extremely petulant."

You could hear a pin drop as the silence stretched across the table. Not one soul dared to utter a single sound. Ilá felt her pulse hammer against her chest in rapid beats when everyone gave her their undying attention. She wished her voice would stop shaking so much. "Castell had a liquor stash hidden in his room and like the fool I was I decided to try it out." A gasp could be heard from her small party. Soldier Anello dared to let out a small chuckle. "It- I-" Ilá began to feel her heart accelerating and fast. A part of her - a big part of her - wanted to shut up and just dash straight into the comfort of her room, into the comfort of her own space but she had made it this far. She couldn't hold back now. Ilá steeled herself again. "My parents always kept a close eye on me and I suppose that despite knowing the consequential effects alcohol had on an individual, at the end of the day I was still young and did not understand why Castell loved it so much. You guys know how kids can be."

Soldier Anello nodded at this. "You forbid them to do something and suddenly their number one priority is to do it anyways."

Ilá cleared her throat. "So I snuck in and tried it out." Her voice made an awful lilt to the end that grated Ilá's ears.

"What did it taste like?" Soldier Kim asked, having stopped whatever one-sided staring match he had with his drink and finally met Ilá's eyes.

"Like shit." Her eyes widened in horror at what just slipped out of her mouth. Anello tipped his head back in a boasting laugh and Ms. Roos tried to hide her smile behind her hand. Heat rose in Ilá's cheeks after watching the amused chuckles that spread over her table like a ripple effect. Ilá wanted to die again. "I am sorry," she immediately apologized silently, cursing herself for her recklessness. If her parents were here she would've been disciplined like no tomorrow. She felt herself slip beneath her growing headache and the incomping anxiety did nothing to help quell it. "That was terribly impolite like of me, I shouldn't have said it-"

"No, no, no." Soldier Andreu shook his head in mild amusement. "You have no reason to apologize. We're the last bunch to judge. If I would get paid for all the diabolical things I've said. We would all be rich!" Soldier Andreu said, opening his arms wide with a big cheeky grin.

"I - yeah," Ilá stammered, still feeling very much ashamed.

"So, what happened next?" Soldier Anello asked, shifting the conversation back to Ilá's story.

Ilá went to touch the hollow juncture of her throat again but as always was reminded that nothing was there. A bit dejectedly she put her hand back down. "One of the maids saw me and brought me to my parents. It did not go well at all." Ilá inwardly cringed while recalling the terrible beating she endured. The marks didn't fade until weeks later. "I didn't even drink much. It just was one sip but my parents and I have had many qualms before this event and I suppose this was the breaking point." Ilá brought her gaze up from her feet when she felt that the mood had dampered again. "So they sent me away to live with my great-uncle, King Roy for about a year - well, it was planned that I would stay there until I reached adulthood but," Ilá motioned with her hands in between the spaces. "As you guys would have imagined, it did not go according to plan. I came home sooner than expected. I was only away for about 14 months." Silence settled after that and she was glad. She didn't know what type of response she would get by telling her story but a small part of her felt relieved. Relieved to have finally allowed herself to open up and no matter how small, Ilá felt a little bit lighter. She'd been so used to putting her feelings aside and once her only source of support system got taken away from her, Ilá had no other outlet to air herself out. She allowed herself to let out a huge breath of air.

"I said her bosom was nice." Soldier Andreu muttered. Olivia loudly snorted while she quickly signed to him. "No, not to her face. I'm too much of a gentleman to do such a thing. She wasn't even in the room!" Andreu stammered, holding his hands up.

"Exactly you fool!" Ms. Roos butted in. "She was all the way in the kitchen and could still hear you!"

"Fucking pervert," Soldier Kim sneered at his partner.

"No-no-no, you misunderstand me-"

"I misunderstand? You said in verbatim, 'her chest is fuller than ripe watermelons' - you sick fuck." Soldier Kim gave Andreu a foul glare. His seemingly beloved drink now long forgotten.

"Sophie - the innkeeper - is Zachary's younger sister," Soldier Anello said to Ilá who just stood to the side of the table completely confused.

"Oh." Ilá said.

Well.

"It's true!" Soldier Andreu said in defense. The corners of his lips rose slightly and that was all it took before Kim lunged across the table. Thankfully Soldier Anello was there holding his companion back.

"I'll kill you!"

"You won't, you love me too much to do such a thing!" Andreu said to his friend, his voice rising in power.

"Ignore him, m'a Lady," Ms. Roos said, waving Andreu off. "We all do."

"HEY!"

"I won't kill you?!" Kim looked furious "And who crawled out of their grave to tell you that lie, idiot?" Ilá took a couple of steps away from the warring men, closer to the comfort of her handmaidens as the boys continued to taunt and swear at each other. She brought a hand to her trashing forehead deciding to focus on her breathing. Ilá swayed a bit side to side and saw double.

Noticing her presence, Olivia swiftly stood up and brought an extra chair from an unoccupied table. She put it down right in between her and Ms. Roos and stared at Ilá with worry in her eyes.

"You mother-"

"WILL YOU CHILDREN CALM DOWN?!" Ilá's soul left her body from the sudden fright. Several heads fearfully turned towards the voice and a short woman stood at the threshold of the community space. Her hair was red and her eyes a deep brown.

"Oh no." Ms. Roos put her hand to her forehead and shook it tiredly. "I just got déjà vu."

"S - Sophie!" Soldier Andreu stammered trying to correct his posture but Soldier Kim's harsh grip was still on him.

"Brother. Let him go." She commanded, stalking towards their table. There was something about her that intimidated Ilá, that reminded her of Lady Emma.

Soldier Kim didn't even spare his sister a single glance. "No."

Her nostrils flared and she stomped to his side. "You're being unreasonably loud and I've gotten many, many complaints from my guests all evening," she whispered, giving him the fiercest glower Ilá had ever seen. Kim shrunk a bit but still didn't back off.

"But he said that your chest-"

"Does it look like I care?," she interrupted him sternly. Sophie turned to stare Andreu down with the dirtiest look known to humanity. "I am not a child constantly having you rescue me or protect my honor, Zach. All I care about is my business. You two are in my domain, a guest at my place and have the audacity to almost ruin my business with your bickering? Consider yourselves lucky I haven't sent you to the streets already, but if this continues I won't hesitate. That way you losers will fight amongst yourselves like the ravaged animals you are and taint the streets of Mea without bringing down my business with you but unfortunately I cannot say the same for our future queen over here." Ilá felt her entire body lock up when Sophie's powerful gaze trained on hers. She didn't do any wrong but yet felt like she was being chided along with them. "It will not only look terrible on your part - as the captain will most likely send you two to the bear pit for putting your pride away, raise bait to your egos and neglecting your duties as the future queen's personal guards - but it will also look unfavorable to the royal family as well, don't you think?" Her eyes were sharp, not missing a single little movement. "Many city guards are patrolling the streets tonight. You two fight, you get arrested and thrown into jail, is that what you want?" There was a prolonged silence until Soldier Kim finally let Andreu go.

A collective sigh of relief was heard all throughout the room and a slight blush rose to the soldiers' faces. They mumbled an apology and sat back down. Sophie let out a huff. "You guys cause any more ruckus and I will send you out."

The men grumbled a reply and Sophie bowed to Ilá before striding away. The chatter slowly picked up again when the patrons went back to what they were previously doing. Some sent her table curious glances and many whispered.

"You're right, this is bad," Ms. Roos said. Ilá hadn't noticed that Olivia said anything until Ms. Roos caught her attention. "The captain is going to be pissed if he finds out."

Levine told them to stay in their rooms and they broke a direct order. Thinking about the massive fight Andreu and Kim had there was no doubt in her mind that word would travel. The captain would be furious. The pounding in her head intensified. Soldier Anello raised his glass and emptied it dejectedly.

"Well, let's do everything in our power so that he doesn't," he let out a large burp. Ilá wrinkled her nose while Kim uttered a disgusted ew. Anello gave her a cheeky smile in return and blew the air right into Ms. Roos' face.

"Are you dense?!" She shrieked, waving the scent off her face. Unfortunately for Ilá she got a whiff of it before it travelled away.

"You're so nasty." Soldier Kim gave Anello the most foul glare he could muster.

Olivia signed something quickly, Ilá barely had time registering her hand movements. "Going back to the subject, how are we supposed to make him not notice? The captain had eyes and ears everywhere." Ms. Roos translated.

"We just need to find something that will distract him," Soldier Anello said matter-of-factly.

"I don't think that's a good idea-," Ms. Roos began to say.

Olivia's eyes lit up and a smile tugged on her lips. "She thinks it's a terrific idea," Ms. Roos deadpanned.

Anello's eyes sparkled like diamonds at her words. " Wait, really? " Instantaneously her eyes dimmed and the corners of her mouth turned down as she made a sign dead serious.

"No." It was Soldier Kim that translated this time holding back a smile.

"Oh come onnn!"

"Enough! We're not going to do anything. If he finds out he finds out and we will deal with it accordingly." Ms. Roos said determinedly.

"I can put in a good word if you want me to," Ilá piped up. Olivia gave her a sweet smile and signed.

"We don't expect you to save us from the captain's fury, we can deal with it," Ms. Roos translated. "We're the ones that broke his rules and snuck out." Olivia pointed an accusing finger at Andreu and Kim "They were the ones that almost got into a physical altercation and most likely brought the royal family's reputation down the drain even more." Kim and Andreu glowered at the brunette but Olivia seemed to care less. "We disobeyed him and he will punish us as he sees fit. He's our superior after all-"

"-I am," Ilá suddenly said, voice firm. They all looked at her and she stared right back. "If he finds a problem with this then I will talk sense into him." Ilá's entire body sang with unconcealed determination.

"It doesn't matter. If the king finds out about the fight and it becomes news and ruins the royal family's reputation it will be the captain that takes the blame. More so than us," Soldier Kim replied.

"The Melcia's really aren't in the people's best graces right now. Anything can be tipped over the edge," Soldier Andreu said.

"Only if enough people care," Ilá rebutted. "And with more pressing matters like an upcoming war, I don't think many will mind that some of the king's men had a brawl on the streets of a small town." Ilá knew why they were hesitant and while it was certainly bad that some of the king's most prestigious fighters acted out while on duty, Ilá simply did not think that the consequences - if any - would be that terrible. The King would probably either spare the captain completely or not punish the man too harshly. Perhaps Ilá held too much hope for someone she did not know yet but she had to try. "And if it becomes an issue with the higher ups then I will try to lessen the burden. Sophie may have a point but I just don't think the situation is as bad as you guys make it out to be since nothing came out of your argument. Some foul words were thrown about but that was it. Thankfully your sister managed to pacify the both of you before anything could escalate. So really, the captain's fury should not be that terrible over a petty argument and a simple break of order. You guys at least stayed within these walls and I will expect all of you to be sober and in your best shape by tomorrow morning," Ilá shrugged, really not understanding the panic.

Soldier Anello's eyes became hard as he stared at her. "You have no idea to what extent they're willing to take when they feel ridiculed or disrespected. I admire your determination and your willingness to stand up for us, my Lady, but you're new and have not seen much yet." Ilá's expression considerably soured at his words and pointedly held his gaze. He didn't cave in. She did not like the slightly undermining tone in his voice but would be stupid to not acknowledge his point. Unlike them, she didn't know much of the world outside of her little island and they had been working for the royal family longer than her at this point. A prolonged silence stretched out when no one knew what else to say.

"Well, we-uh. We were about to start up a game of cards before you came," Ms. Roos stammered, changing the topic and nodding towards Soldier Kim who held up a deck of cards. A tiny grin began to stretch on his face. "I know that everyone is a bit worried and uncertain right now but the mood has dampered significantly and I just want to have a good time before we head to bed. What do you say, m'a Lady? Care to join?"

Olivia looked at her expectantly.

"Are you sure?" Despite everything Ilá still felt as though she was intruding on their alone time but Anello just shrugged.

"Like grandma used to say, 'The more the merrier!'" His mood had instantly been lifted. Andreu and Kim joined in as well.

"The captain may or may not murder us in the morning but hey! At least I got drunk." Soldier Andreu clinked his glass with Anello, both sharing jovial smiles with each other.

"Children." Ms. Roos translated for Olivia and Ilá snorted.

Ilá gazed at the people sitting by the table and let it all sink in. They didn't shy away. No one avoided her eye contact, no one tried to put on another facade. It was just them, sitting around a table drinking and having fun like good companions do. Ilá felt a small flutter in her chest at their words.

"Y-yeah," she said. A brilliant smile stretched onto Olivia's lips and Ilá hesitantly returned it. "I would love to."

She sat down in between Olivia and Ms. Roos watching the game of cards unfold. They were laughing and even joking with her. For the first time Ilá in a long while finally felt a little less like an outcast.

A little less alone.

It was a good morning, Ilá thought to herself when she woke and got ready for the day. The sun was rising and her crew were just waking up, preparing for the long journey ahead. She ate breakfast with the rest of them after she demanded so to the captain. Despite her best efforts Ilá was reminded once again how hard it was trying to keep Lady Emma's intrusive thoughts away from her mind. Lady Emma's incessant obsession with Ilá being perfect and her nearing Kleon, soon meeting her new family, the pressure began to increase tenfold. That and the fact that she hadn't taken her medicine yet, one she was instructed to do daily. Soon, Ilá always told herself but it never happened. She could live with the headache, she could not live with the visions though but thankfully it hadn't escalated to that level yet.

She looked around the table, trying to listen to the many various stories being told, trying to distract her ever pounding head. She chatted with her handmaidens, even offering a few laughs with Andreu. She could see the curious looks she received from the rest of the party that were absent the previous night but once they saw how their companions were treating Ilá, it did not take long for them to lower their guards either.

Ilá watched a moping Anello picking his food with mild curiosity. He had not once looked up from his uneaten plate. She'd never seen him so quiet before.

"Captain Levine gave him one big ass kickin' that's what he did," Soldier Logie said, giving Ilá a wry smile as he ate his breakfast when she finally asked. His long blond hair was braided into two plaits on the side of his face, showing off his many face tattoos. Soldier Anello scoffed into his plate but said nothing.

"What did he do?" Ilá asked in bewilderment.

"Oh, this cheeky one had a little ruffle last night with one of the women." Snickers could be heard across the table and Anello's scowl deepened.

"Really?" She asked, astounded looking at Anello's sulking form.

"Correct." Captain Levine's booming voice rattled Ilá to the core. "Having affairs while on the job is forbidden, you know that. You were supposed to be in your room sleeping but you were out and about causing trouble instead."

It seemed as if he had no idea about their little leisure night. Ilá and the others hadn't noticed anything amiss, this being the only type of reprimantion someone from her group received.

"What do you mean?" She questioned.

"The woman's husband found them!" Soldier Andreu hollered and the rest of the table followed suit. Everyone except the captain, Anello and Ilá.

"Poor boy was terrified out of his damn mind," Logie said and more laughter came from their party when Soldier Kim made a very dramatic display of fear. Anello chucked his bread at the man and more laughter rang out.

It truly was a good morning.

But here she was, standing in front of her carriage in the middle of a large commotion happening around her. Her voice was gone after her piercing screams emptied it from her. Ilá was shaken to the core as she stared in shock at the mess in front of her. Olivia and Soldier Andreu were cleaning up the blood that covered the outside of the carriage. The dead raven was taken care of by Captain Levine. However, it was not the dead animal she found inside her carriage that shook her so terribly. Ilá stood to the wayside while the other's worked and the passersby looked on with confusion on their faces. She held onto Ms. Roos' hands tightly while she watched Soldier Noir and Captain Levine clean up a circle painted in blood with five lines meeting in the middle. It was the symbol of death.

A curse, Ilá thought.

She'd been cursed.

[maarigoold]

Beyond the Veil {3} When the Heart Bleeds

PREVIOUS - NEXT

Thowhul 2nd, 1027 New Era

Callista had never known love. Not romantic nor familiar. She used to scoff and huff whenever Willow mentioned it. The older girl constantly colored her hair dark red - the symbol of passion - and always dusted her cheeks and lips cherry pink. The color of love. To be truly honest, Callista longed for love probably more than anyone else but she knew that she had done nothing to deserve it.

"If you could marry anyone in the world, who would it be?" Willow batted her eyelashes against her reflection in the mirror dusting some powder onto her tan skin.

Callista shrugged her sheer robe on to her shoulders, getting ready for the night. The nerves never really went away but compared to all those years ago she had learned to endure it. Because that is all she could do.

"No one," she answered matter-of-factly. Her robe was black in color. The sheer fabric revealed far too much skin for her liking.

Willow hummed. "I like how self aware you are. Wouldn't want to make someone endure a hell of a marriage with you." A laugh broke out of her pretty lips when she ducked out of the line of a flying pillow. Callista tried not to smile. She crossed her arms and furrowed her eyebrows in a mock glare.

"And would you be any better? You can't even keep your attention on one person long enough before you're on to the next." Callista did a mock shake of her head while Willow continued to look at her with a smirk on her lips. Her pretty brown eyes glistened in the yellow light, reflecting like stars.

"But I'm here with you now, aren't I?" She said sweetly. Callista was not going to fall for it this time.

"That's hardly pacifying." Willow clicked her tongue with a shake of her head before she walked straight up towards her friend and put a tender hand on her cheek. Callista wished her heart would beat like the flying wings of a bird, that her body would flush with the nerves sending her waves of adrenaline all the way down to her toes. That her whole world would focus into the eyes of the beautiful girl in front of her.

But it didn't happen.

Callista had tried to love many times before, to let herself know of that feeling Willow spoke of so fondly but she never felt it. That which is supposed to be so natural to others, never came to her. She's beginning to wonder if there's something wrong with her.

"You're sad again. Do I make you sad, darling?" Willow did not look as sorrowful as her tone would have you imagine. There was a knowing glint in her eyes, as if she knew exactly what Callista felt even though she never uttered the words out loud.

"No, you don't make me sad." The both of them knew it was a lie. Willow tilted her head and her lips that were pink and full turned into a pout.

"But you're sad," she stated.

There was nothing Callista could say to that. "Do you want to know why I am sad?"

Willow stared at her inquisitively and cocked her eyebrow.

"Your eyeliner is uneven." With that Willow spun around with a quickness and groaned at her own reflection.

"Shit, how could I have missed that?" She whined. Callista finally broke into a smile and laughed at the redhead, her chest light again. Willow swore and hurriedly fixed her makeup as best she could before the time ran out.

Once she felt satisfied she turned around again. Her face burned with frustration but her features instantly softened when she gazed at Callista's contented face. Willow walked towards her and left a chaste kiss on Callista's cheek at the same time a knock sounded on her door.

It was time.

Her nerves spiked up and the familiar dread rushed through her body once more but Willow gave her a soft smile.

"You should smile more often, darling. Happiness looks good on you." With that, Willow patted her cheek and left Callista's room bowing in front of the man that stood outside.

Callista may not have ever known love, but Willow could not stand it. The moment things got too serious, too real, Willow would take several steps back. She loved the idea more than the reality and thus whatever strings Callista may have wanted to build between them - if she could - would never come to fruition. Willow was not hers and would never be. She knew as much, equally as Willow knew that Callista would never return her feelings the way she wanted her to.

Drienuc 26th, 1032 New Era

The muddy streets from the dark alleyways splashed onto Cereza's shoes and clung to the hems of her uniform. The heavy rain fell with a splatter onto her thin coat, seeping through the thin material and cutting right through her bones.

She couldn't breathe.

Her heart was squeezing in her chest so much that the veins burst with the immense pressure, gallons of blood seeping from the wound. Her lungs were constricted as she tried to inhale, only to be left breathless and heaving. A heavy sob raked through her body while she blindly stumbled through the tight space of the buildings that were thankfully deserted. All she could think about was his eyes, which were usually so incredibly golden, full of life and love - now looked at her with so much pain and sadness. She was thankful for the rain that obscured his tears, not knowing if she would've handled it any better if she properly saw them. The both of them knew that it was not going to last but that did not mean it hurt any less. They were each other's first and she didn't know how her life was going to continue on without him.

Cereza took a hold of her mother's necklace but its consolation did nothing for her. She cursed herself. The both of them knew it was stupid to give it a try, she was never truly his. The heavy rain dulled the stomping of her boots until she couldn't see past the tears anymore. Cereza leaned against the walls and slid down until she was sitting on the dirty ground. With her knees up against her chest she draped her arms around them and put her head on top of the bent kneecaps. Finally, finally she let herself crumble into pieces. Violent sobs shook her body and knots twisted in her stomach. Cereza had had her heart broken before many times but this type of pain was different and she briefly wondered through the heavy weight of her grief if she would ever find such happiness again.

It was already dusk when Cereza arrived at the military base. Huge buildings spread across the land swallowing up anything and everything that stood in their way. The grand fields - trampled by dozens of boots and years of weathering - housed weapons that just came over with the new shipments. A couple of soldiers stood over them confirming the cargo and one of them was him. Cereza quickly averted her eyes and went into one of the smaller buildings that were the sleeping quarters. Keeping her eyes on the ground she hurried over to the big metal doors. The moment she raised her hand to open them however, she crashed into a big figure. Cereza would've dropped to the ground if it weren't for the two big hands that brought her right back up again. Surprised, she looked up to see Soldier Manuel Sanchez. He held a bag of what seemed to look like food in his hand. His previous irritated expression turned into wariness when he took a good look at her disheveled appearance. Matted hair, wet clothes and red eyes.

"You've got a booger in your nose," he said nonchalantly.

God she hated him.

"Not now." Cereza hated the way her voice wavered. All she wanted to do was to get to her room and stay there wallowing in her pity for all eternity. She waved him off before he could say something that would ruin her mood further.

"Soldier Cereza-" he began, but she was already walking away.

"I said, leave me alone," she gritted through her teeth, not having the fire in her to fight. The idiot followed her anyway. The walk to her room was quiet and she was silently thankful. Soldier Manuel opened the door for her and she stormed past.

He raised his eyebrow. "You're welcome." Cereza plopped down on her bed and groaned. She heard footsteps coming closer behind her and a heavy weight settled on her bed. There was a short silence. "I got food. Do you want some?" He tried. Cereza shook her, appreciating the gesture though.

More silence.

Her chest constricted when her mind involuntarily went to him again. Right on cue, the tears began to fill her ducts until they overflowed. The silence quickly eroded away the harder she cried. And she cried and cried until her voice broke. Cereza felt a tentative hand lay on her back apprehensively. Despite her sadness she rolled her eyes into the pillow. Soldier Manuel once again proved his inability to console someone. With unsure movements he stroked her back and patted it at times. A hiccup forced its way out of her throat. It was an ugly sound filled with snot and tears. Soldier Manuel laughed anyway.

"Shut up," Cereza grumbled but Soldier Manuel continued to pat her back.

"What happened?" He asked, although Cereza thought that he already had a pretty good idea what it was.

"I ended it," she muffled into her wet pillow.

"You what?" Soldier Manuel asked.

Cereza lifted her head up and said with downcast eyes, "We broke up." She didn't look up from the tear stained pillow but she still felt Soldier Manuel's eyes bore into her back. A white tissue appeared in front of her and she gingerly took it. "Thank you," she mumbled.

"No problem." His hand was still rubbing circles while she tried to get herself together. She honestly didn't want to talk about it. The pair knew that it was not going to last and while everyone around them warned them to stay away from each other, they simply couldn't. He already had a betrothed by the time they began seeing each other. Cereza knew it - all of Alcar knew it - but she still felt a sense of validation that Elysion picked her.

"I'm sorry," she had no idea what she was apologizing for but she felt that she needed to.

"No need to apologize. Although, if you told me that you were planning on ending it today, Ciro and I would have probably made better preparations." Cereza felt a small smile creep up on her lips at his words. Soldier Manuel withdrew his hand from her back. She slowly turned around and finally met his eyes. As usual he looked unimpressed. He gave her a once over before reaching for his bag of food and gave it to her.

"Here, it's yours," he said. She accepted it and saw that it had three wrapped bread in it and salad in a small container. "I was on my way to find you and Soldier Ciro with the food I made. The both of you were late for dinner so I decided to pack it up and go to find you guys, thinking that you probably got stuck in a dumb quarrel or something - as per usual," he sighed. Cereza winced and Soldier Manuel narrowed his eyes at her. She brought her gaze down again.

"We did have a small quarrel," she confessed in a tiny voice. "Or - well - more like a huge fight.." She heard a sigh from her left and saw that Soldier Manuel looked unimpressed once more.

"Aren't you guys tired by now?" He drawled. Cereza felt the corners of her mouth twitch.

"He basically called me an incompetent bitch." Soldier Manuel continued to stare at her. She tried again. "To quote he said that 'a dog has more common sense than you,' which is obviously a very offensive thing to say." She sounded like a child she knew, and the way she went off on him definitely wasn't the most mature thing either. Cereza's shoulders slumped. "He told me to just get it over with. To just go to Elysion and rip the bandage off. He said that we're both dumb idiots."

"That was unnecessary, it's not as if you have not been killing yourself and losing sleep over this whole thing for months on end now." Soldier Manuel said dryly. Cereza nodded.

"Yes, it was unnecessary and it did hurt me deeply. I understand why he said those words.He said that time was ticking out and neither one of us are going to get out of this unhurt. He's my friend and trying to protect me I know but I am just really sensitive at the moment and it's not easy having to let go of the person you love." Soldier Ciro had never been a big supporter of Cereza's and Elysion's relationship, however he remained silent about his disapproval. When it was announced that the wedding between Elysion and Lady Delille's younger sister, Ilá was going to proceed the following year, they had to end it. Cereza put her head in her hands feeling the crippling sadness dig deep into her chest once again.

She not only lost one person today but potentially two.

"I lost it and-" Cereza winced. "I was just so angry and sad and kept wondering why he needed to feel the need to comment on my relationship when Viola would've rather commit suicide than stay with him." The silence that followed was tense. So tense it gripped all of her muscles and stopped her lungs from breathing. What she said was terrible and she knew it but it was not enough to stop her from saying those words in the first place. It was incredibly unfair of Cereza to mention Soldier Ciro's deceased love. That she would re-open those terrible wounds and one by one pick at the scabs that tried to heal his heart. That she was so willing to project all of her hurt onto the person she dared to call a friend. One of the few ones that she had left and no matter how much she wanted to make excuses for her behaviour she knew that she could not.

"You're terrible, you know that right?" Soldier Manuel said sternly.

God, she hated herself.

Cereza knew that Viola Palaremo's death was not really Ciro's fault and that he never truly got over it even after many years of counselling. She felt even worse when she watched him walk away with tears in his eyes but she couldn't take it back due to her pride.

"I know, I knowy, and I regret it," Cereza all but whined.

"I understand that you're hurt and feeling sensitive right now but nothing he said warranted you to behave the way you did. That was such a low blow Cereza, even for you." Guilt crawled all the way up her throat. She hated herself, she hated herself so much.

"I know," she said weakly.

"Did you apologise?" He demanded, for the first time there was some emotion in his voice.

Silence.

"Cereza. Why haven't you apologised?" Soldier Manuel asked.

She let out another sigh. "I know, I know-"

"-Well there seems to not be much knowledge in that head of yours despite all of your 'I knows,'" he interrupted her.

"I will. I will apologize the moment I see him again." It was a terrible response and she knew that it wasn't going to satisfy Soldier Manuel's inquiry judging by his blazing eyes. She let out another sigh.

Cereza took one of the wrapped breads and gingerly took a bite. It tasted of chicken, lettuce and tomatoes. It had an exotic spice to it, a golden palaco that came from one of the many continents in the south. A popular spice that's hard to get by so up north in Alcar. She looked up at Soldier Manuel again and he had his signature unimpressed stare. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, not knowing what else she could say.

He only raised his eyebrows and scoffed in return. "Well, no offence but I've got to go and check up on Soldier Ciro to see how he's doing, but I am sorry as well. I know you loved him a lot and there really is nothing in this world that can mend a broken heart better than time," he said, voice calm. "But only if other people will let you do it." He looked pointedly at Cereza at that last part. Soldier Manuel stood up from her bed and she nodded looking down to her food.

"You do so. I don't think he wants to see me right now anyways," she said.

Another excuse.

"You're sure you'll be okay?"

She nodded. "Don't worry about me. I just need a moment for myself right now." Cereza said, trying not to sound so sad.

She failed.

"Try to drink something or otherwise you could get a headache." Cereza nodded. "And don't forget that you still have work to do today."

Cereza let out a low huff. The prospect of thinking about doing work right now brought her spirits down even more. She was not in the mood to do work right now but maybe she needed the distraction.

"I haven't forgotten." She hated how raw her voice had become.

Soldier Manuel took the bag where the rest of the food was and walked to her door. Before leaving he looked back at her with wide eyes and said, "Oh! I nearly forgot. Lieutenant Reverdin had assigned you to a new post, by the way." Cereza halted her chewing and looked up at him quizzically.

"What do you mean?" She said through a mouthful.

"Lord Malvolia dispatched 200 soldiers up north to quell the rising rebellion in the northern towns. It's nothing big but with the ongoing war with Él, King Melcia wants nothing else to possibly ruin any of our advantages. A civil war is the last thing we need right now. The town of Marveil has made several uproars as of recently and they see it as a personal threat to Alcar's well being," he said. Cereza knew of the unrest brewing in the kingdom. The tensions had gotten worse throughout the years. Even the locals near their base have grown significantly more hostile towards the royal troops.

"And Lieutenant Reverdin is in charge." Cereza took another bite of her sandwich. It wasn't a question but she did not particularly like the Lieutenant. He was an irritable man and in desperate need to raise his status and get promoted. Which meant that he was willing to do almost anything to get where he wanted to be.

"Correct. You need to pack your things since this new information came to us unexpectedly. We leave at dawn." Cereza took another bite of her bread, chewing slowly.

"And who's coming with us?" She tried to sound nonchalant but Soldier Manuel obviously knew better.

"There will be 50 men joining us in Marveil and Prince Elysion is not one of them," his voice was dull as always. Cereza held back a sigh of relief for the good news but unfortunately her body did not hide the way it relaxed and that did not go unnoticed by Soldier Manuel either. But there was still a certain tick rising up the length of her back and it only worsened by his next statement. "You will not have to worry about him, Soldier Cereza."

Pride surged up her spine with an otherworldly force and she straightened herself. "That was not what I meant with my question," she suddenly said.

A lie.

Soldier Manuel shrugged his shoulders in slight mock of boredom, "I just assumed since you seemed pretty pent up on the idea of him coming along - "

"-I don't need you to assume my feelings when you yourself can't even decipher from your own lack of emotional competence. You can't even tell annoyance from boredom, Manuel. So since you suddenly decided to assume my feelings - which let me tell you - are wrong, I was asking the question so that I would know who out of my subordinates would join if they even would, which you failed to tell me when I asked. This had nothing to do with Elysion, I don't care if he came with us or not. It's over between us, remember?" Cereza knew she sounded utterly ridiculous but as always she couldn't stop it. It was not so much that she had a problem with him answering her question and relating it to Elysion, Cereza herself sometimes had trouble knowing why she was the way she was.

Soldier Manuel stared at her unimpressed. "You're judging my emotional competence?" He said dryly. His heavy gaze looked at her unflinchingly and Cereza almost turned her eyes down but pride kept them up. Soldier Manuel didn't even blink. "None of your subordinates will be joining you except for Soldier Ciro."

Damn.

Goddamn it.

Cereza knew she couldn't hide from him forever and that she needed to apologize as soon as possible. She nodded back at her friend.

Soldier Manuel raised his eyebrow in question and asked, "Are you okay with that?"

No.

"Yes."

Another lie.

Soldier Manuel nodded and turned to walk out of her room but she stopped him right before he could turn the corner. She cannot let this slip past just as it did with Ciro.

"I'm sorry." He stood right under her doorway and turned to her. "I'm sorry," she said again. "I don't know why I suddenly lose myself and let my emotions get the better of me but that is not how it's supposed to be, that is not the type of person I want to continue being. I'll do better." He was fully facing her, arms across his chest and he still looked unimpressed. Cereza didn't feel intimidated by it though, as that was just his resting face.

"It's fine Cereza, don't worry about it," he said while nodding his head. He turned around to walk back out. "You have training in about an hour and after that you need to pack. Remember we leave before dawn." He said and closed the door behind him.

Feeling terrible, Cereza slumped down onto her bed, half eaten sandwich in her hand and willed another set of tear trails down her face.

An hour later amongst the smoke of burned letters, a puffy face, red and bleary eyes she wondered if the tears would ever stop falling.

It was black.

Cereza neither felt cold nor warm while she moved her eyes waiting for them to get used to the blackness but it didn't happen. She raised her hand trying to see if her eyes could recognize it but she saw nothing. There was a tug on her chest, a sort of heaviness settled there as she began to move her feet.

Cereza had always hated the darkness for various reasons. One for starters was because she did not know what could be lurking within it. Another reason was that the darkness felt restrictive. It pushed at her vision, not letting anything through. And this darkness that was so heavy, so full was her biggest nightmare. There was no sound, she couldn't even feel the ground beneath her feet but she knew she was rooted somewhere. It crept up her skin, leaving hot trails all around her body. She reached out her arms and felt nothing. Darkness can not be grasped, can not be felt physically and yet it pushes through the senses with force, enveloping your entire world until it is all that you can see.

Cereza tried to speak but her voice would not come out. Words left her lips, like soft breaths of air when she spoke but there was no sound. She clapped her hands, trying to decipher if she was in a small or big room but no sound came from that either. She stomped her feet but as before she felt no solid ground. Cereza screamed then. The veins in her neck protruded and her eyes welled in tears while the prison around her continued to close in on her. She pried at her hair ripping some strands out. As twisted as it was, that was the only thing that grounded her in the coming madness. The feel of her hands touching her hair, the pain while she ripped it out felt real. A bit too real and Cereza relished in it. She needed to feel something, anything when the darkness did not move, when no sounds came out. She began to cry. She decided to run, quickly, trying to see where she would end up but felt as though nothing propelled her forward. She ran and ran. Her hair stayed limp on her back. There was no wind, no other indication that she was moving except for the feeling of her legs stepping forwards. It kept going and going. Cereza felt as though she'd been running forever. She stopped, sat down on whatever sort of ground that was under her and cried. The beginnings of a name sat on the tips of her lips but she quickly shut them again. Her lungs constricted and pain exploded in her chest.

She couldn't breathe.

No air could fill her lungs and the panic rising within her only amplified. A sense of foreboding kicked all the fight out of her body and she slumped back down. Tired. Exhausted.

Cereza really hated the darkness.

The bright early morning air jolted Cereza out of her tiredness. She rode right behind their Lieutenant. Marian Reverdin was 31 years old and was as proud as he seemed. Even prouder than Cereza. He was a tall guy, standing 1,86 cm tall with broad shoulders and an impressive array of muscles. He had the typical Alcarn look with his pale skin, blonde hair and grey blue eyes. His hair was long and kept in a low ponytail and his beard hid the nasty scar he wore on his lower face from an attack he got during a fight. He looked terrifying and everyone was afraid of him except for his wife who - might Cereza add - was even scarier than him.

Her friend, Soldier Manuel Sanchez rode by her right side looking as indifferent as ever. The young soldier was staring at a point above Lieutenant Reverdin's head, somehow seeming as interested as a bored lion quietly staring at a dangly piece of meat in front of him. He could snatch the food and eat it but preferred to play the game instead. Lieutenant Reverdin did not particularly like Soldier Manuel since everyone knows that he only got his high rank due to the soldier's refusal of the Lieutenant position. Her friend did not like making orders and raising ranks was not something he sought out to do. Even though the general of the army, his father Emil Sanchez pressured him to inherit his place, Soldier Manuel preferred to stay in the shadows and do his work quietly.

Two rows down, her other friend. Friend? Could she even call him that now? Soldier Ciro Palaremo rode looking stoic like he usually does except that his expression seemed tighter today. Cereza held in a sigh. She should've never mentioned Mrs Palaremo.

"Focus will you, Soldier Lux." Cereza realized too late that she had accidentally led her horse to bump right into Lieutenant Reverdin's own one.

"I'm so sorry, Lieutenant." The tall man sneered at her and she quickly brought her gaze forward, not once turning to look back at Soldier Ciro while they trudged on wards. Cereza and the crew continued to walk without saying another word. The ride lasted for several hours and the sun had already begun to set when they finally could see the outskirts of the tiny town of Marveil. Cereza almost let out a breath of relief. The trek to the town was not long. It took a week to ride all the way there but her legs were sore and she just had enough mosquito bites to last her several nights of itching pain.

Lieutenant Reverdin suddenly stopped and raised his hand in the air, halting the whole crew. A sound of disgust left Cereza's mouth when she saw what caused the disturbance. There in the middle of the road, blocking them from further advance into Marveil laid a dead reindeer. It seemed to have no visible struggle leading to its death from where Cereza could see.

"What the hell is that?" Soldier Elijah Sallow sneered in disgust. His pale green eyes narrowed while he glared at the dead animal.

"Is that a reindeer?" Soldier Adan Foley asked. His face looked paler by the second.

"Does that look like a koala to you?" Soldier Manuel replied dryly.

"Soldier Manuel," Cereza tried to warn him but Soldier Foley had already turned on her friend with a quickness.

"Do I seem like an idiot to you? Of course that is a reindeer, I already knew it-"

"Then why do you embarrass yourself by asking idiotic questions?" Soldier Manuel seemed undisturbed by the glares both Soldier Foley and Sallow sent his way.

"Manuel, please," Cereza pleaded. He shallowly shrugged his shoulders and stared onwards, dropping the argument. Cereza could finally relax. Lieutenant Reverdin was already by the dead body examining it, completely used to the quarrels Soldier Manuel would create.

"Yes, yes listen to the royal cock sucker," Soldier Foley said. A few chuckles resounded across the small group. Cereza's ears bristled and she turned towards the Soldier.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Murmurs rippled through the small party.

A bunch of bored idiots, Cereza thought to herself.

"You heard what I said." Soldier Foley regarded her with even more disgust than he did to the dead animal on the ground.

"Easy now." It was Soldier Manuel's turn to try and end the quarrel but he was unsuccessful.

"No, Soldier Sanchez, I will not. Ever since she managed to whore her way into the Prince's bed this bitch somehow thinks that she's better than us when we all know that she didn't earn this position by her talents alone." More murmurs sounded throughout the party. Cereza began to see red spots dancing in the corner of her eyes and she gripped her reins tighter. The lieutenant still ignored his party.

Useless.

"Exactly! She just saunters around this place as if she owns it." Soldier Sallow turned towards her with a vicious sneer on his face. "The only reason you're even here with us is because your precious princeling asked his daddy to." Some people in the background dared to laugh.

"You probably thought that he would ignore his duties and marry you instead of the Delille girl like the fool you are. Well let me tell you something," Soldier Foley leaned dangerously close to Cereza's face. She could see some leftover food in his rotten teeth. She had never wanted to gag more in her life. "Women like you will try and try to raise your status by any horrible means possible. You may bewitch our prince into thinking you actually mean something to him but you will never be more than a whore to the rest of society, do you understand?"

Cereza reached out and struck him with the back of her hand before she could think.

"That's enough, children! I need some help with moving this atrocious animal somewhere and I can't do that alone." Lieutenant Reverdin's voice boomed through their small group. He turned towards Cereza, staring at her intensely. "You know the rules." Was all he said.

"But he kept on insulting me-"

"This isn't about you," her Lieutenant said.

Cereza took a steady deep breath. "Well, then he kept on insulting the Prince's intelligence and personal choices," Cereza tried.

"It isn't about him either. This is about our rules, Soldier Lux and you just broke them. I don't care how much the lot of you quarrel or fight. You guys could talk the ears out of each other until they drop for all I care, however you do not raise your hands at one another. You are my second-in-command, Lux. You're supposed to be an example to these rookies." He stared directly at her. "Violence does not help solving any issues. You've got a problem? Solve it like adults, not like a bunch of wild animals."

It was one strike and he's still alive..regrettably, Cereza thought to herself but she didn't dare to voice it out loud lest the lump building in her throat threaten to rise into the sockets of her eyes and spill over, embarrassing her to no end. And so she kept quiet trying to extinguish the growing anger building in her chest.

"You know the punishment, Soldier Lux. No dinner tonight." He held her gaze daring her to argue any further.

Cereza could only respond in a stiff nod.

Lieutenant Reverdin turned towards Soldier Foley and Sallow and pointed at the two of them. "You two! Help me move the body and give me your horses." The both of them stared at the Lieutenant in confusion.

"O-our horses?" Soldier Foley stammered. Lieutenant stared at him, a vein in his temple throbbing visibly.

"Did she smack your hearing away, boy?" He sneered. "Give. Me. Your. Horses."

The two soldiers scrambled off their horses and led them to the Lieutenant. The taller man roughly took the reins and motioned his head towards the dead reindeer. He turned towards the rest of the group.

"It seems as though it had no visible injuries and it shows no signs of trauma either." Lieutenant Reverdin gazed across the group while the two Soldiers picked up the dead body by its legs and carried it away from the middle of the road and dumped it to the side with great difficulty.

"Could it be because of exhaustion?" A new voice asked steadily. Cereza recognized the new voice as belonging to Soldier Ciro.

"Does it look like I care to know? It's dead and out of our way." Lieutenant Reverdin grumbled and brought the horses to his third-in-command, Soldier Veila Rue. "Lead these stallions the rest of the way to town, neither Soldier Foley or Sallow are allowed to ride them." The Lieutenant brought his eyes towards the rest of the party.

"But Lieutenant-" Soldier Sallow tried but he got interrupted.

"They're not allowed to ride any horses the rest of the way." He continued to stare and when no one said a word he briskly walked towards his own horse and mounted it. "Gather yourselves, we will continue our journey. We'll enter the town of Marveil in six hours." That was all he said before he continued to ride onwards.

Cereza dared to give the two Soldier's a peek. Soldier Sallow looked dreadful while Soldier Foley gave Cereza a death glare. An immediate wave of satisfaction filled her chest. She gave him a smile and spurred her horse forward leaving the two of them behind in the dust.

[maarigoold]

Beyond the Veil {2} Golden Star

PREVIOUS - NEXT

27th Enchant, 1025 New Era

Annora had always been told that her head was in the clouds and her eyes filled with stars. She sat on top of a mountain top, eyes red and brimmed with silent tears. The wind howled all around her and the sky was dark. The eerie quiet of her mountain home provided a warm welcome to the otherwise hectic days she would usually spend. Her hands shook but she refused to let herself cry. It was when she took in a deep breath of the cold air that she heard the footsteps behind her. They were light and hesitant, as if afraid that Annora would snap at the person whose feet they belonged to. Again. Yet they still persisted and a pair of brown sandals stopped right beside her. 

“Can I join you?” Nolwenn asked with a shaky voice. Annora nodded her head. Her sister sat right beside her and scooted closer so that they were flush against one another. “I’m so afraid.” Nolwenn sat with her back hunched, arms hugging her stomach tightly. With her head turned downwards Annora thought that Nolwenn looked incredibly small.

“Me too,” Annora sighed and brought her arms around Nolwenn’s shoulders.

“This is not how it’s supposed to be.” Nowlenn’s voice became heavier.

“I know.”

“This wasn’t how it all’s supposed to end.” Nolwenn was close to crying again. Her hand was above her heart as if it was physically aching.

“I know.”

“It should have never gone this far.” Nolwenn was fully crying now.

I know.

Annora could do nothing more but to stroke her sister’s hair. Light brown tendrils flying around in the harsh winds of their mountain home.

“If only there’s more that we could’ve done, if only the suffering of our people did not lean on us to fix.” Nolwenn sobbed through her words. Despite being so close to each other Annora still had a hard time understanding what Nolwenn said through her thick tears. Annora held her sister tighter against her.

“They would’ve suffered anyways, Wennie.” Annora tried to consolidate and she could not keep the bitter feeling in her stomach at bay. No matter how much she tried.

“Then they should’ve left us alone!” Nolwenn yelled suddenly, shocking Annora. Her voice echoed across the mountain in waves. Her purple and grey eyes shone bright with tears. “Then they should’ve suffered and left us alone.” Her voice lost its edge but her eyes turned dark at those last words. Nolwenn’s cheeks became bright red that spread all across her face while it contorted into something nasty.

It was a morbid thought and Annora knew that Nolwenn did not mean it; however, grief strike people in different ways. Perhaps her sister had finally lost it after all these years. Anyone would.

“And now they’re gone. Left us all alone.” Nolwenn buried her face in her hands. “Now there’s no one left.”

“That’s not true,” Annora shook her head, trying to gather up some imagined bravery so she could meet Nolwenn’s broken face. “We have each other and that is all that we need and as long as we’re together we’ll find a way to get a new life.”

“I don’t want a new life, I want our old one,” the other girl whined.

“That’s not going to happen and you know that.” Annora’s gaze softened when she looked at her sister. “It is better to move on and start anew than to fixate on the past. To a new beginning and get a second life. Mom and Dad would’ve wanted that.” Annora wasn’t so sure that was the truth but the lie was better than uncertainty.

Nolwenn was quiet and Annora knew that the other girl did not want to hear Annora’s preaching of a new life. She wasn’t ready for that, she hadn’t even let herself grief fully yet and truly neither had Annora. So instead she looked up at the sky again, trying to forget about the now and let her mind wander up into the stars where she could have her final escape. 

Nolwenn broke her out of her thoughts after a few moments of silence.

“Nora?” Nolwenn turned her head to look at her.

“Hm?” Annora turned her eyes from the bright stars of the night and looked into those that Nolwenn held. She had always been jealous of her sister’s eyes and the uniqueness that they had. Their implications had always made Annora feel inept for most of her life however, she was not stupid. Annora eventually grew out of her envy of Nolwenn’s unique eyes and learned with age what privilege really was.

“You’ll never leave me right? We will always be together.” Nolwenn held onto Annora’s hand tightly as if she was afraid that the other girl would disappear at any minute. Her eyes were pleading and features drawn tight. Annora looked at her twin and smiled.

“From the womb that we both shared to our graves, and all the way into our next lives. We’ll be there together. That’s my vow to you.” Finally her sister relaxed into Annora’s embrace.

“I vow that to you too.” The both of them smiled then. They knew that no matter what life would bring their way the red strings of fate had already tied them together, forever.

13th Drienuc, 1032 New Era

“And that’ll be fifty eso-”

“Fifty what?!” Althéa nearly dropped her bag.

“You heard me, ma’am.” The old man looked perpetually bored as he continued to count his register. Althéa wanted to punch him. Fifty eso.

“You raised the price,” Althéa deadpanned. The old man met her gaze. “By thirty!”

“Fifty. Eso.” He stretched out his hand. Althéa tried to keep her temper cool and paid him the extra thirty, slapping the coins on top of the counter. She grumbled underneath her breath. He gave her the ingredients and walked to the back of the shop.

While she stood there waiting for his return she turned to look into her now hollow purse. She only had a hundred biko left. Nearly everything in Kleon had its price raised the last couple of years.

“Having a rough day?”

Her head snapped up when she heard the gruff voice. A young man who looked slightly older than her held a basket full of herbs and oils.

“Unfortunately,” she sighed. “Nearly half the store had gone up in price these past few months.” She was tired especially after a long and hectic week of work. Her feet were aching and she had not eaten lunch yet. The last thing she wanted was for her pockets to suddenly run dry. The man nodded in understanding.

“Yeah, hopefully the council will do something about it.” He nodded to his basket. “My brother’s sick and we barely have enough money for food, more or less medicine.”

Althéa gave him an empathetic nod. “I’m so sorry.” The man gave her a smile and waved his hands.

“No, no. Don’t apologize, it's not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong.” He gave her a dimpled smile and Althéa found herself smiling back in return.

“I was just offering you my condolences.” She said softly. He shook his head in return.

“But thank you, it’s appreciated.” As he said that Alan Miller - the shopkeeper - came back out from the back of the shop with a small box in hand.

“2 silver berries, 4 bone dusts, one earth mint and one salty rose.” After crossing them off a list he handed them to her, “and tell Dr. Kilwood that she still owes me money and if I don’t get them soon-”

“-yeah yeah, I’ll tell her,” Althéa said dismissively. Pami was not going to give him the money nor was he going to do much about it like always. Althéa turned to the man next to her. “Well I’ve got to go but it was nice meeting you.”

He gave her a dimpled smile again and she couldn’t stop staring. “You too -?”

“Oh - uhm.” She shook her head out of her ogling. “Althéa. Althéa Tanda.” She said, cheeks warming up.

He gave her an inquisitive smile. “Althéa Tanda,” he mused, trying it out on his tongue.

Althéa nodded. “Yes, that’s my name. I work at Pamela’s.” A look of recognition appeared on his face. It didn’t surprise Althéa as everyone knew of Pami. The woman was kind of hard to miss.

“You work with Dr. Kilwood?” He said in surprise.

Althéa nodded. “I do.”

“My name is Rone Winn by the way. I guess I’ll see you around?” His head was tilted to the side when he stared at Althéa. She returned his smile and picked up her stuff, preparing to walk out.

“Yeah. I’ll see you,” she nodded and left the shop with the sun in her eyes.

The road to the Temple of Adem was long and the blisters that formed on her feet did pained Althéa. As she kept on wandering down hill towards the city’s center the crowd became thicker. Adem’s Temple could be seen over the heads of the people. It was ginormous. The golden color shone bright against the sun and the many worshippers littered outside, praying, chatting or sacrificing to their god of choice. They either did it in front of their statues or entered the smaller temples that stood to the side for more privacy. The line leading towards the main temple was full of people waiting for a chance to get in. This temple was the most important one, at least for the inhabitants of Kleon. It was there the oracle was. People travelled far and wide in hopes of getting a prophecy but not everyone could get in. The lines were simply too long and the oracle was not always available. He came to them just twice every year. When he was not present people would visit the main temple to pray to Adem and kiss his feet, seeking guidance from the priestesses and more. To Althéa’s left lay the Brotherhood’s headquarters and to her right stood the Sisterhood’s headquarters. Several Sisters entered and left but that wasn’t her destination so she kept on walking up, past the many waiting people on the stone steps towards the main temple. Until she felt something hit the back of her head with powerful force.

“Ow!” She shrieked.

“Hey you! Get back in line!” Someone shouted. Althéa turned back in shock. It was an elderly woman. She had an accent that told Althéa that she probably came from the south. A long journey to make and probably tired of waiting in the long line.

But that did not warrant her to throw a freaking rock at my head?!

Althéa was bewildered and she felt her chest heat up. Not wanting to give in to her anger though, she simply turned her back towards the woman again and continued her ascent putting a hand on her throbbing head. There was nothing she could say to defend herself. The older woman would probably not care about her reasoning. Mostly because Althéa’s biggest reason was to not wait in that godforsaken line. If she went back in line she would never enter the temple and she had work to do later on. It was one of those few times she knew she could use her privileges and she did so accordingly with no shame as well.

“Hey!” The older woman screamed even louder this time. Many people turned around to see what was happening and Althéa felt her cheeks burn up. “Are you just gonna let her cut the line? Who does she think she is?” The older woman shouted towards the guards that lined the stairs. But Althéa knew that they wouldn’t try to stop her. That had only happened once and it did not end well for them.

Suddenly a lot of commotion was heard happening behind Althéa and she turned back around to see what was going on. She saw several guards who tried to hold the woman back. “What? What?! If she can just walk right past the line why can’t I?” The other people who waited in line regarded Althéa silently. She wasn’t dressed like a Sister nor was she dressed like someone from a wealthy background, but despite that no one else in the waiting line seemed willing to question her. If the guards were okay with it, surely this strange young woman skipping the line to one of the most prestigious temples in all of Alcar had to have a good reason to.

Right?

Althéa couldn’t blame the old woman. She must have been very confused.

“Tanda,” said a man. Althéa’s attention shifted to him. She was face to face with a guard. He beckoned her to follow. “She’s waiting for you.” The two of them continued the steps upwards until they reached a small man. He stood behind a table filled with coins organized neatly.

“Two eso.” Althéa tried not to wince. That’s not how much it cost last month.

“I only have a hundred biko left.” She looked at him expectantly, hoping that he would lower the price. “I can only make the change to one eso.” She held out the two seperate biko bits, worth fifty each.

“I’m sorry I cannot do that.” He beckoned a man behind her to step forward. “Two eso please.” The other man paid him and walked into the temple. Althéa let out a defeated sigh. She didn’t have any money left; she spent most of it at Alan’s. But before she could lose all hope the guard beside her said,

“Brother Indra, the Sister is expecting her-”

“Then she has to pay like everyone else, Parker.” Brother Indra turned to stare at the guard, “This is a spiritual ground first and foremost, everyone has to pay their respects to our Lord.”

“More like making the money flow into your own pockets, cut the crap and be honest.” She couldn’t help it. The sudden price rise had certainly put a toll not only on her but others as well. The man looked as if he wanted to punch her but before anything else could happen the guard beside her, Parker slapped two eso onto the table.

“There you go. Two eso as you requested.” Brother Indra regarded the money before sorting them in. The long grey sleeves of his capa hid dry chubby hands that peaked out just a bit. The cap of his robe completely covered his head and much of his face but even then Althéa could see his sparkly white teeth as he tried to hide his smile.

“See? That wasn’t so difficult now was it?” He said dryly.

The guard didn’t wait for long though, as he walked up the steps towards the enormous temple with Althéa in tow.

“You have to be careful of what you say around here. Our Sister cannot protect you from a possible retribution if the gods deem it necessary.” He opened the doors to the temple and Althéa stopped in her tracks.

I don’t care about the gods, she wanted to say but held her tongue. No matter how many times she came to visit, the Temple of Adem always left her breathless. It was huge. A long walkway led straight from the door to the opposite wall of the building. There stood the large statue of Adem, God of the earth and crops. This city’s patron god. The room was painted dark purple and the ceiling was gold in color. Many pillars stood around the temple, both outside and inside which were made out of pure gold as well. The floor was translucent, hard glass stood a couple of feet above a small pool. Its shine that lit up the big room came from small lights at the very bottom. It was aqua in color. On a large platform stood the statue dressed in gold and had clothes made out of silk. The god Adem held wheat in his left hand and a scythe in his right. Despite not growing up with the same religious practices as the Alcars, Althéa could not stop her fascination with their rituals, even for some of which she didn’t believe were necessary.

Right below Adem’s feet kneeled a girl. Her shrunken shoulders and bowed head made her already petite form seem even smaller. She uttered an age-old prayer.

O great Adem the first and the true. From the roots of the earth and with light you grew. Our beacon in the darkness please lead us through-

“-speak to our spirit and show us the truth.” Althéa finished the prayer quietly. The kneeling girl continued onto another one. Parker made a sign of respect towards the god and to play along, so did Althéa. He took one last look at her before leaving the temple. All throughout the hall roamed other Sisters tending to the few visitors that entered. The Brotherhood and Sisterhood’s roles were to be spokespeople for the gods. If somebody had particular problems they could come and speak to the Sisters to pray for them. The Brothers however, usually were in the smaller temples dedicated to the other gods and took care of the people there. They would also care for the massive library and write pages upon pages of religious scriptures.

Althéa walked towards the kneeling grey robed Sister and waited for her prayers to finish. With hands clasped in front of her and head bowed she stared into the aqua blue water beneath her feet.

“You’re late.�� Althéa looked down to the younger girl that stood before her. No longer crouched but her short height compared to Althéa’s was stark. Unnatural bright blue eyes stared in her direction, eyes never meeting hers. The lack of life behind them always disturbed Althéa to an extent.

“You can thank Brother Indra for that, he held me up by the entrance,” Althéa paused. “How’d you know it was me?” She asked.

“You reek of earth mint,” Sister Caecilia wrinkled her nose in disgust. A small smile formed on Althéa’s lips as she reached into her bag and waved the plant into her friend’s face.

“Really? Is that so?” She taunted.

“Ew stop that!” Sister Caecilia exclaimed. She pinched her nose shut while she tried to wave off the smell. “You’re so annoying!” Althéa laughed.

“Girls.” A stern voice came from the right. It was Head Sister Roza. Her arms were folded underneath her many layers of robes.

“Sorry.” They said in unison. Head Sister Roza gave Althéa a once over, her nose slightly crunching. Head Sister Roza didn’t approve of Sister Caecilia’s friendship with Althéa - a non-practitioner - but there was nothing the woman could say against Alcar’s former princess’ interests. “If you two are going to be nuisances let me show you the door.” Head Sister Roza addressed them both, however her gaze only lingered on Althéa. The girl almost said something nasty but managed to steel herself and kept her thoughts to herself. Once again she felt like a petulant child being chided by her mother, the only one being chided.

Sister Caecilia clasped their hands together and bowed deeply. “We’re so sorry for your troubles, Head Sister Roza. We’ll be off now.” She turned her head towards Althéa with her eyebrows shot up. Keeping her ire to herself Althéa begrudgingly bowed towards the Head Sister as well without saying anything, back stiff as a board in her ninety degree bow.

After a moment Head Sister Roza nodded her head, silver chains rattling against her weathered neck. “You may do so, and Tanda please lower your voice. You’re loud.” The last bit really soured Althéa’s mood further. Her voice was already quiet! It wasn’t like it was her first time there anyways. The Head Sister turned and walked away. Her black capa swayed with every step. Althéa shot up from her bow, irritation seeping into her bones at the clear bias against her.

“Could she be more of a bi-”

“-Théa.” Sister Caecilia said softly.

The familiar nickname put her on a pause and her previous ire already long forgotten. She turned to see that Sister Caecilia had a small smile on her lips.

“What?” She asked dumbfoundedly, sounding close enough like a child. Sister Caecilia just tugged their clasped hands and led them to one of the backrooms of the temple.

“Please don’t call my Head Sister out of her name here,” Sister Caecilia chastised. “I wouldn’t want someone to accidentally hear and make your visits become even harder.” Althéa thought that her tone was close to a whine but - oh, that can’t be - the respectable Sister would rather die than be caught doing something as undignified as whining.

Althéa rolled her eyes but kept her mouth shut. Uptight nobles.

The room was quite dark, being only lit up by a series of lamps across the five walls. However compared to the quietness of the main temple this room was definitely more lively. Several sisters sat in smaller groups chatting amiably amongst each other. Frantic gestures of hands flew in the air, each trying to say their piece above the noise. The walls were made of marble and the color of sandpaper. Sister Caecilia signaled to Althéa asking her where they should sit and so the older girl brought the two of them over to a remote corner and they both sat down. Althéa brought her knees up to tuck them under her and rested against the armrest of the couch. Sister Caecilia - as dignified as always - didn't let her spine sag one bit.

Looking around the room leisurely she saw one pretty sister walking in with her friend. Althéa let her wandering eyes stop upon the familiar figure. She tilted her head to the side and began to rack her brain for the name that she shyly asked Sister Caecilia after months of silent admiration. Her friend gave her a knowing smile at the time. What was her name again… Linda? No, it wasn’t. Leah? Mmh.. no.

“Linnéa!” The girl beside the priestess - Althéa remembered her name being Sofia - chastised loudly while she lightly slapped her friend’s arm. Sister Sofia covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to muffle a laugh. Sister Linnéa smiled her beautiful smile as she smugly moved out of her friends berating hands and Althéa could only stare. A cough sounded from her direction and Althéa regrettably brought her attention to Sister Caecilia who could not keep her smile to herself no matter how hard she tried.

“Enjoying the view?”

Althéa scoffed. Heat rose up her ears. Thankfully she kept her hair down today, covering them. “What are you talking about?” There was no way she knew.

Although Althéa should’ve known by now that despite her friend’s blindness, rarely anything went past her knowledge. Sister Caecilia casually shrugged her shoulders while she trailed the beads on her bracelet with her thumb. “You became really quiet.”

“That could just mean that I’m thinking,” Althéa said petulantly.

“Thinking about Sister Linnéa I’m sure,” Sister Caecilia pointed out with a smirk.

How the hell did she know?

The other girl heaved a heavy sigh. “I can feel your exasperation all the way from here. Sister Sofia isn’t exactly quiet and she made their entrance loud even if she didn’t mean to.” The blonde girl’s eyes narrowed into slits and her tone dropped an octave. “Even an idiot can put two and two together.” The last sentence held a bit of a mocky tone that Althéa did not particularly appreciate.

Althéa snorted. “Whatever,” and crossed her arms.

She really should’ve been used to Sister Caecilia’s scary accurate attentiveness. Althéa supposed that being blind had made her friend pay an even extra amount of attention to her surroundings with the help of the other senses and her good judgement. Wanting to end the conversation of her obvious infatuation with Sister Linnéa, Althéa decided to prop her feet on top of the small table that separated them both and gave her friend a wry smile. “So, how’s hell?”

“Hotter than usual,” Sister Caecilia replied without skipping a beat. Althéa cocked her brow up in question, the smile not leaving her lips.

“And the monster?”

“Getting drunk and damning the earth by creating more offspring.” The Sister didn’t even blink once. Althéa whistled slowly.

Well damn.

“Has he visited you recently?”

“Unfortunately, and left a child in his wake.” Althéa choked on her spit, eyes bulging out of her sockets.

“What did you say?” She asked, eyes big.

The only tell signs of distress Althéa could recognize on Sister Caecilia was the slight tension on her mouth. “A fellow sister of mine unfortunately got pregnant.”

The atmosphere got tense around them. “But that’s illegal.” Althéa said hesitantly. Before joining the temples the boys and girls were sworn abstinence and if they were to break that vow-

Althéa felt her bones lock up as trepidation snaked its way into her system. The other girl just sat there staring into nothingness while her eyes turned icy.

“Sister Caecilia, please tell me you’re lying.” She knew that her friend would never lie about something like this but the other aspect was too much for her to think about so she tried to call her friend but got no answer in return.

“Sister Caecilia.” She bit out but the other girl just sat there motionless, jaw locked.

“Caecilia!” She said hotly, dropping all titles. At that she slowly turned her gaze down and said quietly.

“They waited the full nine months before decapitating her head and cursing her. They sent a raven to ask him what he wanted to do with the baby but he never answered so they took matters into their own hands and abandoned him to the streets letting whoever felt kind enough to take care of him do so but if he died they reasoned that life wasn’t meant to be his.” Sister Caecilia paused when her voice started to waver. “I couldn’t do anything, I have no contact with anyone in my family and no one wanted to keep him, being a bastard and all. And I can never leave this place either unless permitted. I feel so useless. That was my baby brother and no one did anything, no one cared.” Sister Caecilia’s voice got caught in her throat, blinking away tears. Althéa felt the strings of her heart tugging, dragging her off of the couch she was sitting on and setting herself beside her friend, pulling her into a hug.

“I’m so sorry. I am so sorry.” Not knowing what else to say she kept on repeating those words. They stayed like that for a while, Althéa offering her friend some much needed comfort until Sister Caecilia felt strong enough to straighten herself up again. Her chin and shoulders were as high as ever. Gaze unwavering once more.

Althéa was afraid to ask but she had to. “Who was it?” She inquired quietly.

“Vanessa.” The lack of title that would normally show disrespect depending on who spoke, instead highlighted the true sisterly bond that the two of them had. Sister Caecilia and former Sister Vanessa were close. Althéa didn’t know much about her as they didn’t see each other often. Being a bit more experienced, she and the other higher ranked Sisters would go on crusades and spread the words of their gods. Althéa did remember Sister Vanessa being extremely kind and generous, though. A lot of people often complimented her on her beauty and she had many admirers. She was utterly and completely devoted to her religion. Just the thought of her breaking her vows that she kept close to her heart was something Althéa could not comprehend. Although she did not truly know the girl she did know the monster. Only one out of two possibilities could have happened that led to the conception of Sister Caecilia’s half brother and Althéa did not have the stomach to ponder any of them.

“Her family received the body and supposedly buried her in the cemetery,” Sister Caecilia said, bringing Althéa out her thoughts. She turned towards her friend. Her blue eyes that usually seemed too bright- unnaturally so even - were now dim. It was like a veil had draped over them, casting a huge shadow.

She did not know what to say. It was silent for a while while the both of them descended into mourning. A laugh rose from the chatting room and Althéa was embarrassed that she knew who it belonged to but she still kept her arms around Sister Caecilia’s midriff. The other girl let out a sigh and turned her head towards Althéa.

“I can’t leave this place, I haven’t seen her ever since the execution. I haven’t gotten the chance to pay my respects to her. I sent a bouquet of peace lilies to her family in apology for what he and the temple’s done to their daughter but-” Sister Caecilia heaved another sigh. “They sent them right back.” Althéa bit the insides of her cheek and she felt a small fire spark to life in the deepest bit of her stomach.

Sister Caecilia’s shoulders were still high and mighty. It could fool anyone who didn’t look close enough but Althéa could tell the level of her friends' sorrow by the shaking of her hands she hid in the arms of her capa.

“I’ll buy some chrysanthemums and stop by her grave for you once I leave.” Althéa said. Sister Caecilia just sat quietly pondering Althéa’s proposal before she nodded. The beginnings of a ghost smile appeared on her lips. She brought her hands out of the many folds of her capa and clasped Althéa’s hand tightly.

“Thank you, Théa.” Sister Caecilia smiled. Althéa kissed her friend’s knuckles seeing the thin veil lift from her eyes, brightening the blue of them into their usual unnatural brightness.

“Don’t worry about it, Little Rose.” Sister Caecilia properly smiled at the sound of her nickname being used that was made up by Althéa many years ago.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You know that you can drop the titles right?” She said softly, intertwining their fingers. Althéa knew it but she still felt weird about it. Calling Sister Caecilia solely by her first name felt strangely intimate while the other girl felt no such issues using Althéa’s own nickname. She was about to say it when-

“Don’t even try to explain it away, I’ll personally knock your teeth out if you so much as utter the word Sister,” Sister Caecilia said with disgust. Althéa really shouldn’t be so surprised but she couldn’t help it. Sister Caecilia always knew what Althéa was thinking or doing.

“I highly doubt that you can reach my face with your impish height.” The Sister may not see the leer Althéa had on her lips but she definitely heard the mocking tone. As always she did not rise to the bait.

Of course.

“We’re friends and thus equals. You should drop the titles, they’re awkward,” she said lightly but her tone held a form of finalty to it. Althéa’s smile dropped a little. They’ll never be equals no matter what. The blood running through Sister Caecilia’s veins mattered too greatly in their world. As if reading her mind, Sister Caecilia shook her head. “Don’t think too much about it. Yes we have differences and live different lives, yes society seem so adamant to separate the people no matter what. In their eyes we’re not equal but in my eyes you’re the sister that I’m glad to call mine, a dear friend that I want to treasure and I want you to think of me as such as well. I don’t want you to believe that you’re below me or have to be overly formal. I want you to feel free enough to see me as an equal and treat me as one just like I already do to you.” Her tone was soft and her gaze unwavering. Golden locks shining bright under the lights of the room.

Althéa really shouldn’t be surprised.

A smile formed on her lips when she regarded her friend of five years. Warmth flooded her chest making her smile. Althéa didn’t have many people in her life and neither did Caecilia. The two of them often bonded over that and while Althéa had her younger sister back at Pami’s waiting for her to come back home she was thankful that she now had another one.

“What if someone hears? They’d think that I disrespected you.” The stupid smile would not leave her face.

Caecilia held Althéa’s hand a bit tighter. “And what if they do? I’ll be there to correct them.” Althéa hummed in mock pondering. She saw her sister take something out of her inner pockets and in her hand was a brooch in the shape of a golden star with white diamonds at each corner and in the very middle a small mini star made of diamond as well. At the back was her signature crafted into it. C. M. Caecilia Melcia. All noble houses had a color and a symbol, the Melcia’s flag was a golden rose with red dripping from the thorns and a black background. People would normally adorn their golden rose if they were born under this house however the direct descendants of the ruling monarch could create their own brooch that would symbolise them. Everyone that wore a customized brooch by a member from the royal family showed great affinity to said person. It was precious and extremely hard to earn. It symbolised an affinity for life.

“Little Rose,” Althéa murmurs softly. “It’s beautiful.”

“Why thank you. You could wear that the next time you visit me. When Brother Indra sees the brooch he’ll let you through immediately.” Not looking up, Althéa could hear the smile her friend adorned while she spoke.

Giving me more privileges, huh? She thought. But Althéa was not going to complain.

Caecilia let go of their clasped hands and brought it up to pin the brooch down right on top of her heart. It looked a bit clumsy on her crosa. The beautiful and bright accessory unfortunately did not flatter and even highlighted the offwhite of her plain dress. An old dirt stain that refused to leave no matter how many intensive washes she had, looked ugly beside the bright golden star. Althéa didn’t care though and hugged her friend tightly.

“I wish I could give you something in return. Something as beautiful as this,” Althéa said into the crook of Caecilia’s neck. She really felt bad that she couldn’t give her anything remotely as impressive as this in return but she’d try. Caecilia returned her hug with equal forcefulness.

Caecilia sighed, playfully tapping Althéa on her back. “Just give me your love and I’ll be happy.” Her voice was light and Althéa smiled. She breathed in and let herself relax into her friend’s embrace. The scent of rose infiltrated her nostrils, flowed down into her lungs and filled them to the brim with the rosy scent.

[maarigoold]

Beyond the Veil {1} Making Waves

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Dreidund  19th,  1026 New Era

Ilá could never keep up. Her legs were too short compared to her taller siblings’. The kids were running through the gardens on the west side of their manor. Dry grass cut through the soles of her feet as she raced down the path. It was a chilly autumn day and her hair was incredibly frizzy. She had previously let it down, feeling restrained and restricted in her everyday attire. The workers barely had time stepping out of the way as the children barrelled past them. Her older brother Castell was in the lead. His white hair stood on its ends and soot littered all over his face and clothes. He was smiling but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Her older sister Grace was running just a bit behind him, toes hitting the ground first as she let her long legs guide her forwards. They were too far ahead of her. Ilá could never keep up.

They ran past the manor walls and down the path towards the beach. For the first time in a long while did Ilá feel true happiness. She joined her siblings on the beach a while after they arrived, lungs heavy and breath short of air. She saw Grace standing by the waters looking outwards towards the dark murky sea. Her brother Castell lit a cigarette and sighed, his shoulders relaxing by the first puff. However, unfortunately for her, the smoke reached her nostrils anyways. Ilá tried to keep the disgust from her face, she really did but Castell noticed anyways.

“What’s up with that ugly face of yours?” He asked sourly. Ilá felt her tiny body lock up as she saw the dangerous look her brother had. She swallowed.

“Nothing,” she replied quickly. Her voice was a bit too high for her liking. “I just - uh - you know that I don’t like the smoke.”

Wrong. 

That was the wrong thing to say.

Castell narrowed his eyes at her. His big frame towered over hers casting a large looming shadow over her frightened features. “Does it look like I fucking care?” He hissed. Ilá didn’t say anything in fear of upsetting him more. The both of them stayed there staring at each other in silence while the heavy waves splashed onto the shores of their little island. His eyes were daring her to back down but despite everything telling her to do so, Ilá couldn’t.

It was Castell that broke eye contact in the end. He took the cigarette into his mouth and drew in a large breath. He held it there for a second before he puffed it out straight at Ilá’s face. She had no choice but to ignore the burning in her cheeks as she held her breath in. Thankfully though Castell moved away to another spot on the beach, far away from her. She angrily fanned the air around her face as she turned to look at Grace. The young girl was staring into the sea with an empty gaze. Ilá quietly walked up towards her sister and stood there side by side staring into the wide open sea.

“Have you ever wondered what’s out there, Ilá?” Grace did not turn around to meet Ilá’s gaze. She only continued to stare into the endlessness of their waters.

“Many times, Gracie.” Her older sister’s white hair flowed in the cold harsh wind, the multilayers of her white dress followed suit. She looked like a sea goddess to little Ilá. “But I have your and Castell’s stories to answer them.” Ilá was never allowed past the walls of her home, more or less step foot outside of her little island. Her parents deemed her either ‘too unpredictable’ or ‘too young’ to do so. She didn’t think that 12 was too young to travel considering the fact that Grace and Castell left the island for the first time when they were just 8. But alas, rules always seemed to apply differently to her compared to the twins.

“I don’t know much about our world outside of Alcar but I wish that I did.” Her face was suddenly drawn as a flash of unrecognizable emotion passed across her features making her already pale face look kind of sickly. Fleeting and barely there but Ilá saw it anyway. Concern began to fill her chest as she finally took a good look at her sister. Grace looked terrible. Dark circles lining under her eyes and they were red as if she’d been crying for several hours. She had lost a lot of weight, so much so her bones were protruding. But she always looked happy and was good at making other people think so. She was much better than Castell who turned his own sadness into anger. 

“That won’t be a problem anymore once you become our queen. You will be able to travel wherever you want.” Ilá could not hide the awe that her voice held as she spoke. “And once you get married, I’ll come to your wedding and finally leave this hole of an island, even if it will be brief.” 

“You’d hate it.” Grace smiled at the horizon. Ilá wondered if this smile was genuine or not.

She hoped for the former.

“Hate what?”

Grace was about to open her mouth and answer when she stopped herself. Instead she said, “the boat ride.”

Ilá hummed with a pout. “I’ve never been on a boat.”

Grace smiled. “I know, little pixie.” Ilá wrinkled her nose at her sister’s annoying pet name.

“Can you tell me what it’s like?” She asked Grace despite already knowing the answer but Ilá loved to hear her sister talk and Grace seemed to never mind it.

“It’s like you’re leaving your soul behind.” Ilá furrowed her brows. Well this was new. Ila was expecting Grace to mention the usual things like the severe sea sickness that both she and Castell always talked about, the annoying rain that seemed to never stop or even the dangerous creatures that lived beneath them, just waiting for an unfortunate fool to tip over the edge.

“I don’t understand,” Ilá said. Grace turned towards her sister. She caught light to the necklace that hung around the little red head’s neck that Grace gifted her. Brute’s Stone. Ilá hadn’t taken it off once since the day she got it. Grace smiled a little to herself.

“There’s a reason why our family never migrated from this island and settled someplace else. We’re connected to it just as much as it is connected to us. You know this just as well as I do that every time someone from our family tries to leave the waters turn black. A storm begins to brew and the current pulls us right back into our shores. The island of Delille won’t let us leave and thus we stay here as we always have.” Grace finally turned towards her younger sister and her face smoothed into something tender as she watched Ilá’s large eyes grow in size. She was so small, so young and naive that Grace couldn't keep her possessiveness at bay. Not when this world was as bleak and grey as it was. Not when Grace knew what Ilá’s future would hold.

And it would all be her fault.

“Promise me that you’ll try.” Grace said with a quiet voice. Ilá cocked her head to the side observing her sister quizzically.

“Try what?” She asked, touching the necklace around her neck - a habit.

“I don’t expect you to find happiness in all areas of life, I don’t expect you to never be sad but please - for me - and your own sake. When things get hard and you just feel as though life has no meaning left. Please just try a little more. Small actions matter just as greatly as the big ones, my dear Ilá. I won’t always be there for you so you will have to do so for yourself. Promise me that no matter what you will try.” Grace’s grey eyes stared at Ilá intently and despite feeling confused towards the sudden change of topic Ilá nodded anyway. She sealed that promise deep inside her heart and locked it with steel bolts, because it was one that she made to her lovely Gracie.

“I promise.”

Illel 17th, 1032 New Era

Her hand reflexively went to grasp at the hollow place on her neck before she was reminded that nothing was there for her to hold on to. Her head pounded along with the falling rain outside the window, drowning out any remnants of the silence that coated it. The office was gloomy. A handful of candles hung on the walls giving the dark mahogany room a warm glow. Exquisite carpets littered the floor and black curtains decorated in gold hung from the ceiling window. The room was spacious and decorated with rows upon rows of bookshelves. Her eyes stumbled upon one of her favorite books but quickly dismissed it. She did not want to share anything in common with him right now.

There was no question that her family had money. Ilá came from the powerful family Delille, one of the great houses that founded the country Alcar. House Melcia was not only the royal family but the oldest existing house in the kingdom (many of the old houses having gone extinct several centuries ago). Then there were the Milada's. They controlled the treasury. The Centune's had the biggest agricultural land that was privately owned outside of the state. The Malvolia's had the largest army and the best fighters in the kingdom and lastly house Delille, the youngest house of them all. They were notorious fishers and owned the largest port in all of Alcar on top of controlling many of the trading routes. An emblem with the five house's symbols decorated the far wall with Melcia's golden rose positioned in the middle.

Ignoring her searing headache she straightened her back and put her chin up, continuing to hold his assessing gaze. He grumbled and muttered to himself, a bit too quietly for her to hear. Ilá began to feel the last remnants of patience leave her body and she held in a sigh.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," she said, trying to start a conversation.

"I know," was all he said in return. It became quiet again while the rain continued to pour down. The silence lasted for an uncomfortable long minute. Ilá had no idea how to approach him. She silently cursed at him for being such a difficult person to talk to.

There was more silence until he sighed a deep breath, features looking immensely tired. But she could care less.

"Have you made your preparations?" Ilá's father asked tiredly.

"I have packed all the necessary things," she said. Her eyes stared straight at her father, refusing to break eye contact. Lord Hansa ushered a deep grumble in reply before he continued to sort through his many papers. Despite the pouring rain, the intense summer heat left Lord Hansa's red hair plastered wetly on his forehead. Perspiration ran down her lord's face to the glasses that were sitting perched on his big burly nose.

Silence ensured once again. Lord Hansa shuffled through his papers nonchalantly and Ilá felt the tips of her ears redden. The searing in her head intensified. She clenched her hands together on her lap to contain herself. She swallowed down her words and willed her head to calm down. Her father had not said a single word to her these last couple of days and for him - for her family's sake - she swallowed her pride and marched into his room in hopes of getting something more than a cold shoulder but here he was two sentences in and already dismissing her. She had never wanted to scream more than ever before. She cleared her throat.

"I understand that you are tied up, my lord," she began tentatively. "However, I cannot seem to figure out why you have not issued a farewell yet. Your departure for Hizer is in a couple of hours -" Ilá wrung her hands together in her lap and with flaming hot cheeks she brought her gaze downwards - a rare gesture. "And this is the last time we will be having a proper conversation for a long time, as father and daughter-"

"Enough of that nonsense sentimentality," he said, interrupting her. "I don't know why you came in here to waste my time with stupid farewells. You have a duty to make and according to your mother you still have a long way to go before you've reached an appropriate level. You may leave." He pointed his stare towards the big oak door that dominated the big wall behind her back. Ilá suppressed a large sigh and breathed in a calming breath instead. She gently took a hold of her skirts and made her way out of Lord Hansa's office, heading toward her chamber.

When she walked in she saw her mother picking out several gowns that she would wear when she met her betrothed, Prince Elysion of Alcar the second child of the Late Queen Irena and King Sanan Melcia. Also the crown prince. She had never met the prince before, her family rarely visited the mainland unless for important events.

They lived on the outskirts of Alcar on a small island named after those who founded it. The island of Delille was a small remote little place surrounded by big rocks and a thick fog all year long. The tides were unpredictable and violent. Even the most skilled sailor would have trouble setting sails on their waters. The lack of vegetation and sunshine was not often seen as an ideal place for settlement but for some reason Ilá's first ancestor Philippe Delille thought that this was the perfect place for his descendants to live in and her family had continued the tradition ever since. It was a rarity for someone to leave their little island and never come back.

That is except for her sister.

Her mother picked up a big silver blue dress - stolla - where the skirts layered in many different materials. The upper body was embroidered in tiny sparkly silver flowers. A bright silver brooch in the shape of her house's symbol - two silver fishes made out of cut diamond encircling each other - laid on a table right beside the rest of her jewelry. It was a family heirloom passed down to the first born. It used to belong to Grace before she left. Ilá inherited most of her sister's things.

"This would do. The dresses are not quite your size but hopefully that won't be an issue soon." Her mother said. Lady Emma of house Delille wore her white hair in tightly tied two fish braids. She stepped forward and grabbed Ilá's arms a bit too tightly. The older woman gave Ilá a once over, a look of disapproval graced her face. "Have you taken your medicine today?" Lady Emma inquired, dissatisfaction dripping from her mouth. Ilá's throbbing head came back with the full force of a battalion.

She harshly breathed in. "Not yet," Ilá replied courtly.

Lady Emma gave Ilá a look. "We've been through this before," she said. "Don't make me remind you again." Ilá watched the woman call Ilá's childhood maiden, Isabella Sinrene forth. "Sinrene, give Ilá the drink. We can't have her slip up now."

"Yes, Lady Delille." Sinrene put her hand into her small dress pocket and brought out a large sparkly blue drink.

Tinéa.

Ilá felt her stomach drop the moment she saw it. Sinrene gave the drink to Lady Emma before bowing and walked to stand at the corner of her room. Lady Emma poured two drops into her water bearer and gave a glass to Ilá.

"Drink," she said before shoving the glass to Ilá. She only stared at it however. The swirling blue water already made her nauseous and her worsening headache intensified.

"I don't want to." Ilá received a big glare from Lady Emma. "I'm fine. I really am." Her head decided to violently throb against her temple just to prove her wrong. Ilá caught something white slip past the edge of her vision and dread filled her chest.

Despite Lady Emma's small stature she quickly commanded the entire room with one look. She saw right through her daughter's lie. Ilá was scared of her mother's fury. The possible consequences of her refusal already made waves into her thoughts.

"We do not have room or time for any of your shortcomings. We need you to be healthy and well." She pushed the drink to her daughter's lips. Emma's hair looked like white flames in the light of the fire from Ilá's fireplace. "For the last time, drink."

She hated this, hated the drink, hated that she was put into this situation in the first place. Lady Emma was staring intensely at Ilá, a promise of pain worse than any other tinéa would give her if she refused. Her back still hurt from her last refusal. Every part of her protested while Ilá took the glass and with a quick prayer to the gods she downed it in one go. Ilá hated how good it tasted. The sweetness was intoxicating but her body would still not relax. As usual it only took a couple of seconds before her stomach turned into knots. A dizzying feeling swept over her as Ilá began to dry heave and her head violently pound. She tried to keep it in, she really did. Out of the corner of her eye she watched her mother pick up a trash can near the bureau and walk over to Ilá. The girl hastily took it and brought it over her mouth and all of yesterday's food came forth.

Lady Emma brought the tinéa to Sinrene. "Put this with the rest of her things before you leave, the girl will need it." Lady Emma ran her gaze over the chamber in a sweeping notion. Once she saw that everything was in order she addressed Ilá again. "Get ready and done before the hour ends. They're on their way." Ilá felt weak and the room was spinning but at least her head wasn't aching anymore. She sat on the floor clinging over the disgusting bin with the little strength she still had and looked up at Lady Emma. Through light red tresses Ilá saw her mother go over to the vanity table where most of her jewelry still laid. Lady Emma's back was facing Ilá's and she slowly picked up the two diamond silver fishes encircling each other, gently putting it back into her dress pocket and left.

After Ilá caught her breath she tried to stand up. Sinrene, a lady in her late years who had been by Ilá's side since the day of her birth, quickly rushed to her aid.

"You need to be careful Lady Delille, you're not strong enough for this."

"And who's fault is that," Ilá snapped. Sinrene pretended not to hear though and put her hand under Ilá's arm and brought her to the bed. When Ilá was situated she was offered a glass of water.

"Here." Sinrene said, stroking the young girl's back.

Ilá slowly took the glass and brought it to her lips with trembling hands. She paid extra attention to the corners of her vision and found nothing there anymore. Her headache may have gone away but the perpetual emptiness Ilá felt in her body hurt impossibly more. It was like tinéa took something from her every single time she drank it and left a big black void in its wake.

After she took a sip she carefully looked at Sinrene. The old lady was at the side of her bed picking up the gown her mother held earlier and a thought entered her head at that moment. "Have you ever been to the capital Sinrene?" She suddenly asked. Sinrene didn't answer; she walked to the rest of Ilá's bags and began to organize them. Ilá continued though, not yet deterred by her maiden's silence. "You know, I've heard stories of parties on top of rooftops with the golden sun in the background. Of an endless buzzling city never once slowing down. Of blue waters and flowers in all colors of the rainbow. Of a land much more beautiful, than our little dump." Ilá's tone soured at the end of her statement cringing at the grey sky above her manor being clouded by constant rain. The grass was almost never green. Warm days were too rare and the ground was too hard and rocky to grow any vegetables, except for one. A rare plant that did not grow anywhere else but could only grow and survive on her little island. The supposed reason why her ancestors even settled there in the first place.

The older miss answered without turning her head. "You mustn't speak such of your home, Lady Ilá. It had its own charms that the capital does not." Ilá rolled her eyes. "But to answer your question, yes. I have been to Kleon." Ilá looked up with surprise. Sinrene was one of the few people on her island that was not a native. She came from a remote town that resided on the coast of Alcar called Quinnix but Sinrene never spoke of her old life.

"I had no idea." Sinrene walked over to the young lady with more clothes in her hands. "When?" Ilá had always been intrigued with the city life of Kleon. She only heard stories made by the few tradesmen that visited her little island on occasion. The important trades happened on her family's seaport, Port Mea on the mainland. Despite her unfortunate situation Ilá could simply not wait until she would finally see the magnitude that was Kleon.

"I went there very briefly with my parents when I was younger." The older lady's tone was monotonous just like always. Sinrene never spoke of her parents to Ilá until now and to be frank Ilá was a bit too shocked.

"How was it?" Ilá stood up and immediately felt her head spin. She held onto her bureau and took a deep breath. A hand came to rest on the small of her back. With calming strokes she felt her mind coming to.

Sinrene helped Ilá take her clothes off and with expertise she managed to unlace the corset. "It was huge. The buildings were made of white stone, glinting with a small yellow hue when the sun shone onto them. I don't think anything can explain the magnitude of it. The streets were immaculately clean and the plants do come in many colors. When the sun is up, the entire city gets painted with gold but at night, when the stars come out of their hiding the white marble shines brighter from the moon. The sky's incredibly clear showing the stars above, almost as if the gods blessed the humans by bringing heaven down to earth. It truly is a perfect city." Ilá had stars in her eyes as well but despite the high praise, her maiden's voice did not match it. Sinrene walked over to the big wooden wardrobe that decorated the left side of Ilá's room. Two giant silver bolts were in place in front of the dark brown wood. She carefully took out a golden colored corset, one that was spinned with the utmost detail. Two fishes were embroidered into the fabric.

"Okay and how did you find the people?" Ilá wondered. Her maid said nothing though and continued to secure her corset. The girl felt her patience wear thin. "Come on, Sinrene," she said exasperated. "I'm about to spend the rest of my life there, I need to know what i'm getting myself into." Ilá rested her arms on top of her bureau while Sinrene tied her corset a bit too harshly.

"There's nothing to say about the people of Kleon." Once again her voice was monotonous. The only sign of her real feelings though were evident in how harshly she pulled one particular lace. Ilá took a sharp breath but held herself back from saying anything. She was too tired for any scolding that day. Ilá tried to ask more about Kleon but it was evident that Sinrene had nothing else to say. The rest of the time continued with the older woman putting on some makeup, fixing Ilá's hair and putting her dress on. Despite not arriving to Kleon until several days later, Lady Emma told Ilá how important her appearance would look to the rest of the kingdom on her way. People would watch her every move and so would the royal family. She needed to be prepared and pretty at all times.

She made some last minute preparations and lastly put on her favourite perfume - which Ilá was gifted by her maternal grandmother on her twelfth birthday. It smelled of citrus and cedarwood vanilla. Feeling ready she walked to her doors. Before leaving her room for the last time, Ilá took one sweep. Almost everything was packed.

Almost.

Ilá took her things and began to walk out before she was stopped by Sinrene.

"Before you leave, Lady Delille," Sinrene began. She held something tentatively in her hand and her expression bordered on chary.

Ilá's brows furrowed. "What is it?" She asked brashly.

Sinrene opened up her palm and a very familiar necklace was in her hand. "I was thinking that you would perhaps want to keep it-"

"-I don't," Ilá interrupted. She walked to her doors and swung them open.

"Lady Delille!" Sinrene called out after her. The two women headed for the front steps of the manor where Ilá would be whisked away. "Please can you wait for just a minute?" Her maiden huffed behind her. "My bones aren't what they used to be." Ilá stopped and faced her old friend.

"Why don't you take it? Or I can give it to Lady Katherine, she's always wanted a Brute's Stone." Her voice was clipped and offered no room for argument, but Sinrene was undeterred.

"She gave this to you and would probably love for you to keep it. She's always been by your side, cared for you, loved you. I know how much you mean to her and her to you - I watched the two of you grow up! And despite what happened, despite what will happen I know that Grace will always be with you and this necklace could be a testament to that, Lady Delille." Sinrene looked at her with indescribable eyes and Ilá genuinely thought about it - for about two seconds. Conclusion? She already had jewelry to last her an entire lifetime.

"Sinrene-"

"-You don't have to wear it! But keep it with you at least." Her maiden wasn't going to let this go so Ilá had to do it for the both of them. The younger girl sighed heavily.

"Fine. Put it in one of my bags," She said tiredly and turned to walk away. "I don't care which one."

She arrived at the front of the house, opened the big doors and stepped out. The harsh wind immediately assaulted her and heavy raindrops fell from the sky.

Ilá stood on the front steps of her manor watching a black horse carriage with the Melcia's house emblem draw nearer. A golden rose with its golden stem and red poison dripping from the thorns. 'Never a rose without the prick.' Melcia's house motto flitted through her memory at the sight. Her mother was to her right and her father was nowhere to be seen. Ilá would leave soon and there was no one she would truly miss excluding Sinrene. Once the carriage arrived the horse boy helped her up the steps and closed the door behind her. Lady Emma harshly grabbed Ilá's hand before the carriage could move and grey eyes stared at her intensely. She said one last word before the horse began to move Ilá away from her family, from her home, from the people that she grew up with forever.

"Don't disappoint us."

The big red and black boat stood on Philippe's harbour, its decks bouncing mournfully on the waters. It was almost as though even the inanimate object's spirit was longing to be freed from the grey waters of Delille. The horse trampled hurriedly to the harbour, wanting to escape the gloominess as quickly as possible as well. Ilá wrung her hands in her lap, her heart beating with the speed of the wings of a dragonfly. She stared out her window and saw an entourage of guards in black uniform standing before the boat. The royal guard's presence left an impression. Nothing short of the stories the traders used to tell her. The carriage stopped before the entrance to the boat and a big man thrice the size of her walked forward and opened her door.

"Lady Delille," he said, bowing slightly. "My name is William Levine, Captain of the Royal Cavalry. I am here to accompany you to the palace." His dialect was deep and harsh, as all people from the capitol were. Grace and Castell used to double over in laughter whenever they would imitate that regional dialect while Ilá only sat back with a small smile plastered on her face.

When the guards saw her exiting the carriage they all immediately fell down into a bow as well. "Welcome on board m'a Lady," they all said in unison.

Ilá felt a bit awkward seeing royal guards bowing down to her, as the only people they bowed down for were the royal family themselves. "Thank you,"she replied.

"We are humbled by your presence." Some even went as far to say, still in their bow. Ilá felt an awkward shake of the head coming forth but she held it back and instead squared her shoulders. She continued to march forwards, chin high in the air.

Despite the dark red and blackness of the boat on the outside, the inside of the boat was surprisingly light in color. The walls were white and the floor was light brown. It was decorated lavishly with many expensive pieces of furniture. A long hallway led into a bigger room. Situated on the right side of the hallway was a small green bureau with a gold mirror hanging above it.

"Lady Delille." Ilá turned around and saw Captain Levine standing behind her. His hand rested casually on the hilt of his sword. Even though his stance appeared relaxed his blue eyes looked at a spot behind her before landing on her, leaving her face and landing on a different spot and back to her again. "This way." He said courtly. He led her down the long hallway into a spacious living room. In the middle stood seven people in perfect order. Five men and two women. "These will be your personal entourage on your journey and your primary protectors, Lady Delille." Captain Levine said and motioned to the five men. "Let me introduce you to Samuel Logie, Khar Andreu, Zachary Kim, Leonel Noir and Mackenzie Anello. They are some of the best fighters and assassins in the country, nobody will be able to protect you better than them. They were personally handpicked by the king himself. It is an early wedding gift from Lord Alexander Malvolia." The men bowed and said their greetings. They were surprisingly diverse with their body build. Logie and Andreu were tall and powerfully built. Kim and Noir were slimmer in stature but tall as well. Anello was the most interesting one. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes. He was the shortest of them all and very skinny. His tan complexion made Ilá think that he was not a native of Alcar. He probably came from one of the many countries in the south. She could hardly believe that someone as small as him could protect her.

She carefully nodded her head in acknowledgement. Captain Levine pointed to the two women. "You'll have more maids helping you out in Kleon but these two women, Regina Roos and Olivia will be the ones in command of your personal wellbeing at all times. " Olivia was the only one without a last name. Regina Roos was a very tall woman, strongly built with fleshed out bones. She was probably raised in a well off household, Ilá mused. She had golden hair and striking blue eyes that shone brightly against her sun kissed skin. Olivia however, had a shaved head. New tiny dark brown hair had grown out but not by much. She was a tiny girl, almost as tiny as Ilá. "Hello, Lady Delille." Ms. Roos said. The two girls bowed deeply.

Ilá didn't know what to say or do. She knew this was coming but Sinrene had been with her for most of her life. Ilá only ever trusted Isabella to take care of her. Sinrene always seemed to know what she needed before Ilá herself even did. "Hello ladies," Ilá greeted them.

Captain Levine nodded in satisfaction. "If you'll follow me." Captain Levine said and walked her out the room. He showed her the rest of the boat before leaving to inform the others to start the boat after one soldier told him that all of her belongings were now safely loaded.

Olivia stood to Ilá's left while Ms. Roos stood to her right. An uncomfortable silence settled between them.

"You're rather quiet, Lady Delille." Ms. Roos stated and it was true. She had never really been this quiet before but the effects of her exhaustion and her new surroundings with unknown people apparently killed some of her spirit.

"I'm simply taking everything in." She replied courtly.

"I suppose that all of this can be quite intimidating for you. Have you ever seen the royal guards before?"

"I have." The royal guards almost never wandered beyond the capital but one day they did. A young looking soldier came onto Ilá's doorstep with a small letter from the king.

Ms. Roos looked at her before asking, "Have you ever visited the capital? If I remember correctly your father and sister went there for a brief visit a while ago. I couldn't see much of their presence in the palace but I was wondering if you were there too?" Her tone was sweet. Inquisitive even, but Ilá knew better.

"No."

Ilá was already tired of the conversation and the mention of Grace triggered something within her. She excused herself before walking away from her new maidens. Only one of the guards, Noir Ilá guessed, followed after her.

The boat's engine was fully on and the massive vehicle was just about to leave the harbour. There on the docks stood her people. A huge gathering of fishermen. Women, men and kids all alike stood on the wooden platform waving their goodbyes with big smiles on their faces. The stench of fish infiltrated her nostrils. Ilá put her hands up and waved back trying to draw a smile on her face but it was not as enthusiastic as theirs. She looked at them closely. Despite the gloomy weather, despite their dirty and wet clothes they all looked happy to see her leave. Marrying into the royal family was a big deal and it just so happened to be someone from their island Delille in which people were general outcasts to the rest of the kingdom - continent even. Despite all of her bad mouthing and ill thoughts towards her island - watching the last remnants of it become bleaker, seeing the faces of the people and the world she grew up in become smaller - Ilá felt an emotion she never thought she would feel about the home she despised so much.

Sadness.

It gripped her heart and soul. Tugging her so harshly that Ilá was ready to let it topple her overboard and swim back to land. It hurt and that puzzled her even more. It hurt so much tears fell down her face. She could see Grace and her kind smile, her tingling laughter floating along with the growing turbulent winds. But her sister wasn't here, there was no one Ilá would miss and yet it felt as though her soul was ripping itself piece by piece, slowly and painfully. All the individual pieces floated back to the island with the wind and Ilá was left standing there on the cold hard wooden deck watching across the growing darkness as her soul fragments left her body. The sky became darker and darker, the waters crashed against the hull making her lose balance.

"I think that it is best that we leave now m'a lady. The weather is getting worse!" Noir screamed against the winds. Rain fell heavily on them but Ilá refused to move. She was desperate to watch every single drop of land leave her vision until it was all completely gone. She smiled. Perhaps, she mused to herself, this was what Grace told her about all those years ago.

Before the fog could swallow up her boat Ilá saw a drop of purple. The only clear color in her gloomy world. The purple plant with its blue berries hanging off of it ripe with the season. The only plant in all lands that could survive the island's harsh weather.

Tinea.  

[maarigoold]

Prologue

NEXT

Fire. 

Fire everywhere. 

The red and orange flames creep up on the walls, swallowing everything in its wake. Light illuminates the room but beyond his vision, beyond his perception he would see smoke billow in the wind, spreading out far and wide into the city and the land beyond. He is bewildered. He looks around in confusion and panic. The flames are all around him, touching him but they never burn. People are screaming and running for their lives. A part of the stone ceiling collapses onto four young priests smashing them to the ground. A half mashed leg is protruding out from the rubble, twitching. 

Priests and priestesses are running to and fro, their terror grips his own heart and squeezes. He doesn’t know what is happening or why he’s seeing all of this. He cannot move nor speak, only watch as the people burn to their deaths and that terrifies him a lot more. He watches as a young girl that looks to be about 13 years old gets lit on fire. He watches in horror as the flames penetrate her skin and soaks up all moisture from it, peeling off one painful layer off of another until ashes fall from her body. She begs for mercy and it comes in the form of Asin. Death takes her away from this realm and her now lifeless body slams down onto the burning floor. An older man runs over another young girl in panic and she falls to the ground with a scream. The Spectator  watches in horror as her face turns towards his, recognition sparks in his chest. He tries to move but cannot. Two other women come for her rescue, coughing hard. He cannot hear what they’re saying over the screams and coughing of the dying. He tries to move again, to break whatever barrier that holds him stuck. He has never felt such claustrophobia before in his life. He tries to scream out to her but no sound would come; he can’t even open his own mouth. The three women get seperated by another rubble that falls from the ceiling and one of them gets hit by a falling burning flame. One of the women tries to help her burning friend but unfortunately her foot catches on fire. A man that looks to be around his forties tries to drag the last standing woman away. She’s coughing heavily and it seems as if she’s about to pass out judging from the way her body sways. She tries to shake him off although it was futile. The older man is stronger than her and yells at her to go, he will help the others. He calls upon another man who tries to bring her out but she still refuses. She reaches forward towards her Sisters but the other man brings her up and carries her away. The Spectator can still hear her screams even after she’s long gone. The other man tries to help the burning women but after seeing their bodies engulfed in flames he sends them a prayer and runs away, his own lungs crying out for help. 

The Spectator has never seen anything like this before. A burning star made out of gold, falling pillars, books, statues and corpses littering the ground from people of all ages. A world engulfed in flames and people screaming out in pain, for mercy, for their gods to hear them but the only one that comes to their aid is the god of death. 

Depending on who you ask you will realize that death comes in many different forms. Sometimes peacefully, sometimes a bit quickly, sometimes too slow and other times painfully so. But no matter in which form death comes to you initially, it welcomes you - like a parent leading their child into a new part of their existence. Death envelops you and lets you fall into peace for as long as it is with you.