Siblings at Heart

The gentle rays of sunlight pierced through the windows, awaking the young ashen-haired maiden. It was morning and the sun had risen. She gently rubbed the corners of her eyes as she got off her bed. Soon after, a knock came up on her door.

"My lady, have you woken up? May I come in?"

"Come in." The girl responded. It was strange how they always somehow knew when she woke up, but she shrugged it off. My wrists are still bruised and swollen. It stings a little, but that doesn't matter.

"Do you need my assistance in bathing, my lady?"

"There's no need. Just prepare my attire for the day."

"Yes, my lady."

Emersyn entered the bathroom and bathed in the tub. As soon as she was done, the maid assisted her in drying herself. She then wore a modest dress with sleeves long enough to cover her wrists.

As it was time for her meal, she headed down to the dining room for breakfast. Her father and younger sister had already seated themselves. She joined them and they began to eat. They had a few small chats here and there.

"How are you doing, Emie?" The marquess asked, facing her.

"I'm alright, father. I wasn't harmed while I was captured." She said, attempting to reassure him. But it unfortunately failed.

"Even so, you must have been scared. It was all so sudden."

"I'm not that weak, father. And Lord Erebus was there as well. I wasn't alone."

The marquess still had a worried expression on his face. But he trusted his daughter. He knew that she had been through a lot and could endure many things. Nevertheless, he still wanted to be a little more protective of her. She wasn't bioogically his daughter, but he still cared for her the same way he cared for his own daughter. He wished she would rely on him more. He would give her anything she asked for.

Selena looked at her elder sister. She felt guilty for what had happened. She couldn't do anything. Because she was good at nothing.

***

Earlier on the day of the kidnapping. It was pure chaos. The cries of children as they called out for their parents. The screams of agony as numerous people writhed in pain before collapsing to the ground. Blood splattered.

Right in front of the young blonde girl, an enchanted tree stood tall. It looked exactly like the one that had attacked her at the palace garden. She couldn't move. She tried to move her body, but it was hopeless. She just stood there, terrified.

Suddenly, a pair of hands covered her vision before dragging her away from the massacre. It was the prince. He had brought her with him to a nearby shop to hide. Elaine followed them and used an item to camouflage the three of them. The prince held Selena tight. He blocked her line of sight, preventing her from seeing more bloodshed.

"Don't make a sound." He whispered and the other two nodded.

Suddenly, two hooded figures stood close to them. Fortunately, it didn't seem like the two noticed them.

"The sun rises at three." One said, handing a few documents.

Selena thought they were suspicious but they had their own problems to worry about. Elaine focused on keeping them hidden while the prince was on the lookout for any danger.

As time passed, the Royal Knights finally appeared and subdued the enchanted tree. Once it was confirmed that the danger had subsided, the three came out of hiding. It was a gruesome sight for Selena. The corpses of innocent civilians were everywhere. The prince noticed and quickly tried to block her line of sight, but she'd already seen it. But as far as he was concerned, they didn't matter to her. As they revealed themselves, the knights quickly rushed to them as they noticed that the second prince was with them. The prince spoke with them and the knights handled everything.

Selena kept turning her head around, her eyes darting to every corpse, hoping — desperately wishing — that her sister wasn't with the pile of bodies. "Sister Emie! Sister? Where are you..." She trailed off as tears began to form in her eyes. Her sister was nowhere to be seen. She prayed that her sister was merely hiding to stay safe. But there was no trace of her anywhere.

***

"So, did you find them?"

"I apologize Your Highness. We couldn't find any traces of Lord Erebus and Lady Aldenri." A knight proclaimed.

Selena, who had been listening to the conversation, started biting her finger nails. Her mind was racing with countless thoughts. What if her sister died? Or maybe she was kidnapped? She didn't know. She was anxious. Her face was pale.

"-Selena!" A voice called out to her. It was the prince. Again. "I know it's difficult for you to calm down, but your sister will be fine."

"I know my sister is strong, but even she can't win against a group of adults."

As the prince continued trying to reassure her, Selena faintly sees the silhouette of a woman. Her hair was a hazel shade of brown, resembling the sweet chocolate she frequently bought at the bakery. Streaks of powder and frost shaded white hair were visible the lower her hair went. Blue was seen in the inner part of her locks of brown hair which made her rather hard to miss in a crowd. Her eyes sparkled with the same shade of blue that her own eyes appeared to be.

A voice spoke in her head. 'I know where your sister is.'

'How do I know I can trust you?'

'I'll explain later. Just trust me. I mean no harm.' She said. 'And besides, what would I gain from lying about this?'

'You could lure me into a trap.'

'Fair point. But I promise you, I'm not lying.'

'Alright, I'll trust you for now.'

'Your sister is at... '

***

Selena still vividly recalls how that day went. The only help she provided was giving the location of her sister, and even then, it was someone else who had given her that information. She was useless. And she hated being useless.

'So, do you trust me now..?'

'You really weren't lying. But you're still suspicious. Who are you anyway?'

'You may call me "R.T."'

'Why an acronym?'

'You'll know when the time is right.' She said. 'For now, assist your sister with the current case. That sapphire you found will prove to be useful. Something is bound to happen soon.'

'Alright.'

***

It was a pleasant afternoon. The sun shone brightly, almost blinding Selena in the process. She was sitting in an open space at the West Palace's, where the second prince resides in, garden. Emersyn and Ciaran had left a while ago to discuss a few things with the king. She's having tea with Prince Kiran. Although, it was too bitter for her taste and she had to add plenty of milk into the tea. But even so, she still felt bitter inside. Except, it wasn't because of the tea.

The prince placed his tea cup down and spoke up. "I've always been curious." He paused. "Why do you act like a child around your older sister when in reality, you're actually quite mature?"

Selena raised her head and met his eyes. She paused for a moment, before parting her lips. "I don't believe this concerns you in any way."

He smiled. "It doesn't. But it piqued my interest, you see." He added. "Your behavior is quite strange in my eyes. Especially for someone who's only eight years old."

That was quite funny for Selena as the prince was only a year older than her sister. But then again, he was right. Her behavior wasn't normal. She was more mature than other children her age. But she pretended to be childish in front of her sister. Why did she do it? She stayed silent, blankly staring at the half-empty tea cup. Or is it half-full? It depends on the perspective really.

"You also seem to be bothered by something." He said, pulling her away from her thoughts. "If you truly don't wish to say anything, it's fine. But I'm willing to lend an ear if you wish so."

His words caught her attention. He was right. She was bothered by something. But why would she ever tell him? Then again, he seemed sincere with his words. Maybe she could trust him.

She spoke up. "If I do tell you, will you promise not to let anyone know of this?"

"I promise."

"I'm bothered by the fact that I have been of no use at all. I don't have any special skills or proficiencies that may be of use. And it irks me." She admits.

"Then what do you wish to do?"

"It'd be great if there was some way I could be of use." She responded. It was the only thing she wanted. She hated being weak. She didn't want to merely sit and do nothing while her sister was risking her life. She needed to do something. She needed to be something.

He looked at her for a moment before slightly smiling. "Then why not secretly assist me in finding the culprit? The two who left earlier informed me that the culprit was residing in the palace." He whispered, just loud enough for only her to hear.

"By assist, do you mean I should pretend to wander around while keeping an eye out for suspicious individuals?" She replied, whispering as well.

"Exactly. But of course, I'll be by your side. Although, your sister might find it strange that you're spending most of your time with me. You should try asking your sister to assist her with the least dangerous parts of the plan while secretly assisting me." He stated calmly. "But for now, let us wait for the other two to return. We'll need to discuss our next course of action."

***

Two small figures exited the palace. Emersyn and Ciaran had just finished speaking to the king regarding the recent incident and they met up with Elaine soon after. As they discussed about their recent meeting with the king, they felt a dreadful gaze locked onto them. Almost as if someone was carefully observing their every move. Elaine had noticed it as well. They had to tread carefully. The culprit was in the palace lurking — watching. They mustn't be careless. They had already been caught once, they couldn't afford to be caught once more. This is dangerous. We can't stay in one place for too long.

They picked up their pace and continued walking. After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the West Palace. After asking several servants about the whereabouts of both Selena and Prince Kiran, they arrived at the West Palace's garden. In the distance, two voices could be heard speaking to one another.

"-our next course of action."

The prince seemed to be chatting with Selena while having tea. Emersyn and Ciaran approached them.

Ciaran spoke up. "We've returned, Kiran."

"Alright, let's head to a more secluded spot. We can't speak here." The prince responded.

The four of them entered the palace and headed to the prince's study. The study was soundproofed with the use of magic. It was a much more secure place to have conversations at, especially when the information being exchanged mustn't be leaked.

The four sat down in pairs on two couches. The sisters, of course, sat with each other while the two young lads sat together.

Ciaran spoke up. "We should discuss about our plan." He paused. "What should we do?"

Emersyn faced him. "What if we..."

"Then we could..."

The prince glanced at the two speaking and then at the blonde-haired maiden opposite of him. Selena made eye contact with him before shifting her gaze to her sister. "Sister Emie, can I help you with your plan?" She asked. "Please? I promise I won't get in the way. I'll stay away from danger as well. And I'll only assist with the least dangerous tasks." She clasped her hands together while earnestly gazing at her sister.

The prince kept glancing between the two and found the situation quite amusing. Selena was back to her little act. Acting like an innocent child towards her elder sister, who's in fact only two years older than her. It was interesting for the prince. He had a feeling things were going to be quite noisy and somewhat chaotic. But he didn't mind it. He actually quite liked the idea of it. His life had been so dull and uninteresting before. Their presence was like breathing fresh air after being trapped underwater for years. He was desperate for it.

Emersyn hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Alright, but you must always stay within my or Elaine's sight. And you must never do anything by yourself. Someone trustworthy must always be by your side at all times."

"Of course, sister."

Ciaran glanced at the two before turning to face the prince who strangely had an almost unnoticeable smile on his face. "What did you two discuss about?" He whispered.

"Nothing important. Let's continue discussing about our plan." He calmly responded. On the surface, it would seem as if he truly did care about resolving this case, but in fact, he was merely curious about where their somewhat reckless actions would lead them to.

***

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, but I should be asking you that, sister Emie." Selena said. "It hasn't been that long since you were kidnapped. And yet you're already doing so much again." She added.

Selena was right. It hadn't been that long since she was kidnapped. Even so, Emersyn couldn't help but think about all the innocent fairies who were murdered and the passersby who were dragged into this whole mess. She couldn't waste time. No offense, but the Royal Knights have been quite useless in searching for the culprit. Emersyn couldn't rely on them. She had to take matters into her own hands. She couldn't let anymore people get hurt. This is what her mother would have wanted. She would have wanted her to save them. She had to save them.

"There's no need to worry. I wasn't injured when I was captured and I was quickly rescued by Elaine." She replied.

"Sister, I know your wrists were bruised. I saw you flinching a few times while eating. Elaine said that you were tied up with chains when she found you."

"Don't worry, I'm f-"

"Sister." Selena interrupted her. "You don't need to lie to me."

Emersyn pursed her lips.

Selena held Emersyn's hands. "You can tell me anything. I can handle it."

If only you knew. "I'm sorry, it's nothing." Emersyn turned away from her sister.

Selena could only look at her sister as she headed for her quarters. She knew that Emersyn had gone through multiple horrific events since she was young. She always had to rely on herself and matured at a young age. Selena wished that she would just rely on her. But her elder sister always regarded her as a child, someone who was too young and innocent to face the reality of this world so she had to play along. And she hated that.... so much.

***

Five years ago, a certain blonde-haired girl was playing with her dolls in the garden.

"I feel bad for the young lady. Losing her mother at such a young age."

"I know, it's been two years and the lord has been so gloomy and pessimistic since then."

"Forget that. Do you think the lord will remarry?"

"Don't even think about it. He'll never marry a commoner like you."

"Hahahaha! She's right, you know."

The maids continued to gossip. Little did they know, the young lady of the Aldenri manor could hear them quite clearly. She was taught how to read and write at an early age. She was even praised as a genius for learning at such a quick pace when she was barely four years old. And so, she could understand every word they said. 'She's so pitiful', they would say. Selena didn't like them. She didn't like that word.

"If we can't marry the lord, what if we try to gain the young lady's favor so that we can ask her for things in the future." One of them snarkily said. The rest of them giggled, smiling mischieviously.

Selena heard every word. She was disgusted. But what could she do? She was a mere toddler. Even when praised as a genius, she's treated as an amateur — an incompetent child. Hypocrites. All of them.

She learned at a young age that everyone wore masks. Whether it be a mere maid or the prestigious royal family, they all hid their true intentions behind well-crafted masks. Although, if you pushed them at just the right places, they break and everything spills. Threaten them with the right information and they'll cower. Offer them a seemingly perfect opportunity and they'll cling onto you desperately like stray dogs begging to be fed. But even so, humans are opportunists. They'll stab you in the back once they find something 'better'. So they must always be kept on a tight leash.

In this world, everyone's only trying to survive. But, this world is unfair. Some are given a head start while others are held back. This created the society everyone knows today. A society built on a hierarchy where your social status determines how much value your life is worth and whether you deserve to live — or die.

Many speak of justice in this world. But exactly what is the definition of justice? 'These people are bad', 'these people are good'. These terms have changed throughout history. Justice is determined by the winners of every story — and they decide who the 'heroes' and 'villains' are.

Selena could only wish that she and her father wouldn't end up on the wrong side of this never-ending game called 'life'.

***

A few months later. Winter had fallen upon the Aldenri March. Multiple trees had been stripped bare from the previous season and were now covered in snow. Animals were now in hibernation.

"Lina, I want you to meet Delphine, a lady I'm courting at the moment."

"Hello, sweetie." The lady said, smiling brightly.

Her father gestured to the little girl standing behind him. "This is her daughter, Emersyn. She's two years older than you."

The girl had long hair as white as the snow falling in the winter. Her eyes were iridescent and could be seen as two different colors, purple and blue, at different angles. Her long silver eyelashes and gentle features made her seem ethereal, like a mystical maiden from a land of wonder and myths.

"Hello, I'm Selena! It's nice to meet you." Selena reached out to the older girl. "I hope we can get along with one another!"

The girl spoke up. "It's nice to meet you too. I hope we can get along as well." She smiled. Her gentle voice was mesmerizing and seemed to be able to captivate anyone who'd heard it. Selena knew that things were going to be better for her and her father.

***

Months passed by, and the marquess had remarried with Lady Delphine as his bride. As they spent time together as a family, Selena grew closer with her new step-mother and step-sister.

"Sister Emie, here's a flower crown for you!"

"Thank you, Lina."

The two were in the garden making flower crowns. Selena had suggested it after gaining the approval of the gardener to pluck the flowers.

"Look at her, acting so shamelessly as if she was actually a lady of the Aldenri manor." A person snickered.

The ashen-haired girl seemed to be unaffected by the rude remarks. But not Selena. She could put up with insults about herself, but not about her sister.

The two continued making flower crowns and spending time together. Though, Selena was occupied with certain thoughts...

**

"I apologize, milady! Please, have mercy. I need this job!"

"Maybe you should have thought about that before insulting my sister."

"I'm sorry, milady, please!" The maid continuously pleaded. She was on her knees, begging for mercy.

"You were so smug, snickering about her background just a while ago. What made you, a mere commoner, think that you had the right to insult my sister?" She lifted the maid's chin up to face her. "Hm?"

Tears swelled up in the maid's eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She trembled. "I promise I won't do it again."

"And why should I trust you? For all I know, you could do the same thing again behind my back. Because I'm quite aware that you disregard us merely because we're children, isn't that right?"

"O-of course not, milady!"

"Then why is it that you have a displeased expression on your face? It's as if you're annoyed by me." Selena glared. "You're fired. Leave at once."

"Milady! Please, I'm sorry!"

"Begone. I have no more time to waste on you."

After that day, the maid was forced out of the manor and was never to be seen ever again. This warned all others to never mess with the young ladies of the Aldenri manor.

***

"I know I may not be your real mother, but if you're willing to, will you call me 'mom'? Or just mother if you're uncomfortable."

"..Mother." Selena spoke.

The ginger-haired lady smiled affectionately. She embraced Selena and caressed her hair. "Thank you. I promise to do my best as your mother and protect you."

Selena started to tear up. Her step-mother- no, her mother was embracing her. It felt warm. When was the last time she ever felt this kind of warmth? She couldn't remember. But all that mattered was that she could finally feel the warmth that she had unknowingly longed for. She never knew that she needed it this badly. She felt content.

"Mother, I'm here. What did you need me for?" Emersyn spoke up. Catching the attention of the two.

The ginger gestured for her to join the hug. "Come here." She smiled.

A tiny hint of shyness crawled up onto Emersyn's face. "Okay.."

"Tell me, what do you two wish to do when you grow up? I'll support you in it."

"It may sound strange, but I want to be an adventurer and travel to different places." Emersyn responded.

"It's not strange at all. I'll help you train more so that you can be an adventurer." Their mother smiled. "And what about you, Selena?"

"You can just call me Lina.." She whispered, appearing a little embarrassed.

"Alright then, Lina. What do you want to do?"

"I also want to be an adventurer, just like sister Emie."

"Then I can train both of you together."

As the three continued to chat with each other, time passed by and night had fallen. They all headed to their quarters to rest. As Selena settled onto her bed, she smiled and soon closed her eyes. That night, she dreamt of a future where she and her family lived happily together and she had become an adventurer with her elder sister. She wished that this dream would last forever. But some things are just never meant to last.

***

The dawn of Emersyn's eighth birthday. Loud voices were overlapping beyond the walls of Selena's quarters. She had woken up due to all the commotion. Curious, she exited her quarters and headed down to see what had happened.

Selena approached the crowd that gathered. "Father? Sister Emie? Why is it so noisy and why is mother on the floor?" She questioned.

Everyone looked like they had just cried. Some were still in tears. Her mother was on the floor and red stains were everywhere. Her mother was on the floor. And red stains were everywhere. Selena couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. This is all probably just a nightmare, right? ...right?

She approached her mother. "Mother? Wake up, you shouldn't sleep on the floor." No response. She was as still as a corpse. But that couldn't be, right? She's just sleeping, right? "Mother, please wake up! Father, why won't mother wake up?" Her gentle nudges were becoming desperate shaking.

"Come here Lina, we shouldn't bother your mother." Her father gestured for her to go to him. Tears were in his eyes.

No, it can't be, right? "But why?" She questioned. This is all just a joke, right?

Her elder sister placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mother is resting right now. We don't want to disturb her now, do we?" She said. Her expression was solemn.

Selena desperately wanted to believe those words. That her mother was merely resting. That these red stains weren't blood. Her dreams were shattered. It hit her. Her mother was dead. But she couldn't cry. She can't burden her father and older sister. She had to hold it in. She had to wear a mask...