Chapter 9 - The Strength (2)
“You are headed to East Tower, huh?”
That was not a question. Obviously, it’s a little girl teasing his big brother for licking a sweets that he shouldn’t even look at. Furthermore, Deair loves this expression of Rydan so much. She would definitely not forget this time of day, month or year. For sure, she will tease Rydan in the future just to annoy him.
Rydan takes a step back, trying to regain the last bit of composure he could gather, he takes a deep breath and crosses both of his muscular arms in front of his chest. He tried to look high and powerful in front of his little sister, trying to convince Deair with every drop of sweat that he is not headed for East Tower, he failed miserably.
“I’m going to the forest”
That is a pitiful way to get out of Deair’s sharp way of thinking. He might as well tell her that he was lost in the Palace. But no! Rydan chooses to humiliate himself even more by telling her a lie and Deair chooses to play this little game that her big brother initiated.
“Oh really?” Deair smirked, her thin lips lifted with mischief and mock. She knows the palace well, just like her big brother. The path Deair had taken is too far from the forest, this path is straight headed towards the East Tower. If Rydan was telling the truth, he should have turned right instead of following her step this far from his destination. Rydan is lying through his teeth.
“You know, this…” Deair pointed the road around her “is not the way to the forest. Instead, I know for sure a way to East Tower, where Elleryn is residing at the moment, right?” Deair smiles. Her eyes blinking innocently at her brother, and he starts to squirm in front of her.
“What? Of course! Of course, I know… I was just… just” Rydan’s dark eyes look around, trying to find an escape. Something to let him get away from his little sister, but nothing he could found. He decides to look at Deair with a glare, trying to scare her.
“That is not your problem. I was the first to ask where you headed, and you should answer me instead of throwing me a bunch of silly questions,” Rydan was frustrated. He never thinks that apologizing to that girl would be this hard, he did not want to make a mistake ever again.
Deair shakes her head in disbelief, “I didn’t ’throw a bunch of questions. I only ask you why you follow me and I just assume that perhaps you headed the same way as I do. But knowing yourself, you're too selfless to even acknowledge that you are going to see Elleryn,” Deair turnaround and start to walk towards East Tower.
Rydan grunt before his light step could be heard through the hallway, following his little sister quietly.
“Why did you,” he was a little bit hesitant to ask, “How did you become close to her anyway?” Rydan manages to ask. After standing beside Deair, her annoyed expression turns calm and a smile begins to creep up her face, making it known to the world that the question makes her happy. It makes Rydan a little bit surprised.
Even though Deair is a cheerful child, she was devastated when she became aware that she doesn’t have a wolf within her. Both Arax and Edra feel sad for her, not disappointed, just sad. Because, for a werewolf, it will take too much to handle.
She would always put up a fake bright smile, trying to busy herself with activities and make everyone around her look at her as if she is the happiest princess in the whole world. The truth was, she just wants to forget. Forget that her wolf is non-existent, being abandoned by her werewolf, an abomination and a curse to the Suttern family, the most well-known royal erewolf kingdom.
“Elleryn can talk to the spirit,” Deair said softly, her eyes sparkling like it never before. “Werewolf spirit as well, she said to me that my wolf has been watching me since I was little,” Deair begins to tell Rydan. Rydan looks at her with sad eyes, knowing well where this conversation is gonna take place.
“She said my wolf's name is Willia. Her fur is light brown with three little red dots on her forehead and she loves to jump around rather than running in the forest,” Deair reminisced, as if the actual wolf standing in front of her right now, jumping around.
“She has the same personality as me,” Deair said, smiling at her big brother.
His face scrunched up as worry took over his forehead, before he took a deep breath, “Deair, you know what mother always says,” Rydan begins.
He doesn’t want to rip out little actual happiness that Deair’s feeling right now. However, he doesn’t want a piece of illusion like such a thing to make her happy. Once reality kicks in, her happiness could disappear into thin air. Although Rydan wants her to be happy, he doesn’t want it to turn out like this.
“She can manipulate others and…” Deair expression turns dark after hearing his words.
Rydan chooses to stop his explanation and look at her with the same pity once again. As if saying that Deair has been tricked into believing her words, that she has fallen deep in imagination and hopeless dream. But she isn’t, she knows what Elleryn says is real.
Not like how other people have told her.
In front they would try to cheer her up and stated that it’s alright to not have a wolf, but behind her back, pity and regret would shroud their face when seeing the Princess.
“How dare you!” her golden eyes turn glassy with tears, unconfined anger poured out of the little girl.
“Here I was talking about my wolf! My wolf!” Deair seethed.
Never before had Rydan found her this angry towards him. Not even towards Lorra and Rydan has decided to touch the invincible bruise on her heart, making her scream in pain, in front of him.
“You talk as if what she said is a piece of crap! How dare you! Do you think I would be that easy to manipulate? To be tricked?” Deair shakes her head, she cannot believe what Rydan has said, in front of her.
“You will never understand,” she whispered, drops of tears pouring down her cheeks.
Rydan feels sad, awfully sad towards his little sister, but nothing more. Not even guilt.
“Do you know what she said to me the other night, she utters words about the wishing tree” Deair begin. Enough to make Rydan's eyes go wide with surprise.
“Yes! That wishing tree! The one we planted beside Eyions Lake. The one we all went together to plant that tree. Wishing upon that tree together, do you remember that? The tree that Father and Mother didn’t know about,” Deair wipe her tears, shaking with anger.
“You still want me to believe she tried to trick me?” Deair shook her head. Disbelief showed clearly within her golden orbs and this time trickles with disappointment.
“Think once again big brother,” Deair said, scolding him. As if she is the older one, and Rydan is the child. Rydan can only stand on his feet, too tongue-tied to say anything, every little piece of reason now started to bug him.
Think once again, big brother.
There could never be any explanation to argue with that one. The wishing tree is the only thing all the Suttern siblings share about. All of them even being secretive about their wish, Aevin and Ahron not even share that wish with each other, to think a fairy from another land can mention that, he just couldn’t believe it. But he has to now.
“Do you think Lorra would be telling her stories about us?” Deair mocks her big brother, she is far too angry to even think about what she said, she doesn’t care anymore.
“Perhaps Aevin and Ahron decide to get along with her? But I know full well that these past three days that they didn’t encounter her,” her thin eyebrow was raised.
Challenging her to argue or stopping her, but he just listens, too ashamed to raise his head.
“Well done… you just successfully made me hate you!” Deair punches Rydan's chest with her tiny fist. She steps away from him and closer to the East Tower. Feeling angry that she decides to walk away, Rydan runs towards Deair and is about to shout at her, when she turns around and looks at Rydan eyes, dead on.
“Do you know what else she told me?” Deair whispered eyes slightly soften.
“My wish, the one that I did not tell to anyone, hoping I could cherish it till the day I die,” Deair takes a deep breath. Tears still trickle down her cheek.
“My wish to meet my wolf,” she said.
Deair stare towards Rydan is strong, powerful with true determination to protect the one who tries to hurt her, Elleryn. She knows she will do it until the day she dies.
Rydan stands there, not moving an inch, Deair takes another deep breath and turns around, leaving him behind with things on his mind.
Now he doesn’t know what to believe.