1 Mid Autumn’s Morning

Harold Kline was the duke of a duchy called Lorenvale which sat on the border between the human realm known as Edenfal and the beast realm known as Hadrea. He had been married at one point but his wife died young, leaving him without children of his own. However a bit later in life his close friend and earl of the next town over perished in a werewolf attack along with his wife, leaving their five year old twin daughters without any family. Harold was quick to take the girls in as he was the children's godfather and had grown to truly adore them like they were his own flesh and blood.

At first both of the girls were very reserved, sticking to themselves and talking in very quiet voices. Telara, the one who was born first, was quicker to mourn her parents, whilst Emilia took far longer to come out of her shell.

Thirteen years later Emilia sits atop a swinging bench on the back porch of Kline Manor. Tapping off the bit of white ash that had formed on the end of her cigar, she brought it back to her lips to take a long drag. She gazed down into the valley which the manor presided over, all the little houses and the farmlands cast in shades of blue as the sun had yet to rise. Letting out the white smoke she had taken in she turned her attention back to the cigar, a soft smile spreading across her lips. When she was younger she began stealing the cigars from her uncle's case, she noticed him doing it and thought it would be fun to try. Smoking became a stress reliever for her so she continued stealing but her uncle Kline had caught her. She got scolded, however this meant she would just have to be more sneaky. Just last week she was helping herself to his cigars when he caught her again. She had been worried he would be angry, however he chuckled and said, "Em, you're nearly an adult now, do you really find it necessary to creep behind my back and steal my smokes?" He walked over to the case and opened it taking out three of the more expensive kind to give to her. She hugged the man, surprising him a bit but after a moment he smiled stroking the back of her head in a loving gesture.

Taking another drag she grinned, the man had been the closest thing to a father she could ask for. He supported both her and her sisters dreams, even if Telara's weren't very conventional. He had always strived to make them happy. Just as she let out the hit of smoke she heard the door to the porch open, turning she saw her sister holding a mug of black tea which she drank every morning. Seeing Emilia sitting alone and smoking, Telara joined her sister and sat cross legged on the bench. With a frown Telara said. "You didn't sleep last night?"

Emilia looked to her sister and shook her head, "No... the dreams get worse the closer it gets to today. I wouldn't have dared sleeping last night."

Telara still frowned in sympathy for her sister. She could see that Emilia's fair peachy skin was dull, and under her eyes were dark circles, evidence that she hadn't been taking care of herself. After taking a moment she said gently. "I know that it's hard, but they are just memories now... you can't deprive yourself of sleep, or food because of the past."

Emilia looked away for a minute, before turning back and saying. "I'm sorry. It can't be easy for you when all I do is bring it up."

Putting her arm around her sister's shoulders and squeezing gently Telara says, "You have nothing to apologize for, I'm always here for you. Come on, I will make us some breakfast."

Nodding Emilia put out the cigar in a small ashtray before she stood up heading towards the door, Telara followed her as the two went back inside.

As the girls sat down to eat the pancakes they had just made, Harold came downstairs dressed for a day at work. Telara asked. "Leaving so soon, uncle? We made you some extra pancakes."

He turns to the girls and gives them a nod. "I have a lot of work to do today in preparation for tonight. This year's mid autumn festival is already turning out to be a chaotic one." Harold sent a longing glance towards the pancakes before snapping himself back to reality. "I will see you girls tonight at the festival, I've got to go!"

Watching their uncle hurry off they both gave an amused sigh, the man was like this every time a significant event was being held in Lorenvale. After swallowing a bite of her food Emilia asked. "Are you excited for tonight? I know you've been practicing all year for this."

Telara's expression turned bright and she nodded. "Yes I'm very excited. To have the costume, lights, music, and crowd all come together will make all of the practicing worth it."

Emilia beamed at her sister's happiness, Telara was always a good distraction for her. Raising her eyebrows in a slightly teasing manner she said. "I was meaning are you excited that Jackson will be there to watch."

A soft blush formed on Telara's cheeks and she looked determined to deny it. "There is nothing special between Jackson and I, we are just friends."

This only made Emilia smile wider. She knew that no matter what she said Telara would deny her feelings for the man. Emilia had seen her sister give an especially attentive expression to Jackson, one she did not spare for any of the other men who had tried to woo her.

In Emilia's eyes, Telara could get any man she wanted. Telara was taller than her sister by a good six inches, with a body that managed to be both curvy and muscular from countless hours of dance training. Emilia was around five foot and three inches, her body thin with far subtler curves.

Telara continued, "Besides I doubt he will even be there tonight, his aunt lives in a town down south and he said his parents were thinking of taking he and his siblings there for mid autumn."

The tinge of disappointment was easy for Emilia to pick up and she gives a rakish look to her sister. "You could always offer him a private show once he gets back. A performance that's just for him would probably make him feel really special."

Rolling her eyes but unable to fight back a smile at her sister's suggestion Telara says. "You're no help..."

After finishing her food, Emilia begins to wash the dishes. Telara watched her from the table, swallowing a sip from her second mug of black tea, she asked, "What are you wearing for tonight? Did you have something special in mind?"

A light blush formed on Emilia's cheeks, but being turned towards the sink Telara couldn't see it. "I was thinking about going into town today to visit a couple shops. Maybe I can find something then."

Telara lifted an eyebrow up in an inquisitive manner knowing that her sister didn't enjoy shopping. Standing up she walked to where her sister was at the sink and leaned against the counter. "Maybe I should go with you, I don't have much to do today until a bit later."

Emilia quickly turned to her sister with red cheeks. "Don't the boys need you when they are setting up the tent? You shouldn't come with me, you should be there so that they don't mess anything up."

Emilia's defensive response only solidified Telara's theory and she said. "So you are going to Dominic's shop then..." after a pause she continued. "Em, can you promise me you will be careful? You know what uncle always taught us about those who were born in Hadrea."

Quickly Emilia responded. "He's a human Telara. Just because he comes from north of the border doesn't mean that he is evil, or one of those creatures."

Flashes of memories appeared before Emilia's eyes and she let out a pained scream before she fell to the ground unconscious. The pan she had been scrubbing clanged against the stone floor, making a mess of soapy water.

Panicked Telara quickly lifted her sister up and felt the back of her head, making sure she hadn't begun to bleed from the impact. With a sigh of relief after finding no blood, she tried to steady her shaking hands. Emilia hadn't fainted like this in a few years now, they thought that perhaps she had finally gotten over these strange visions.

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