Heirs of the Gods

Ch 3: A shackling sense of duty

It was well into the night when Ella wandered into her room. She wasn't surprised to find her mother sitting on the armchair by the bed, her stern expression lit by the almost nonexistent candles left on her night table and vanity.

Ella spared her a glance and headed to her vanity table. Wordlessly, she smoothed her skirts and sat, meticulously taking down the handfuls of pins and combs holding up her hair. Grim, Minna stood and walked over to her.

Observing their reflections in the mirror, it was easy to see why out of all her children, Ella was the one that most resembled her mother.

The differences were there, particularly in Minna's flaming crimson hair and green eyes, compared to Ella's own pale curls and features, but other than colouring, they were strikingly similar. The same small frame, the heart-shaped face, the upturned nose, the long-lashed doe eyes.

It was arresting beauty, the type of beauty that Ella had learned to resent and to exploit at the same time. In Minna, it was charming, coupled with her grace and lovely softness. In Ella, it was almost harsh.

Often, it was said that Ella was much too cold and her features too sharp for her beauty to be properly appreciated. She had a certain severity that made her difficult to look at sometimes; made it difficult to hold her gaze.

She had elegance and beauty, but she lacked her mother's warmth. The high arch of her brows made her look petulant; the upturned tilt of her nose came off as arrogant; her lips, despite being soft and full, looked cruel when she smiled. There was something slightly unsettling about her, and no amount of etiquette lessons and ingrained aristocratic manners could paint over that.

"Come here to chide me? You're a bit late, Harrion took care of it already," she said, meeting her gaze in the mirror. "Whatever you have to say will pale in comparison to his speech, spare yourself the trouble."

"You're upset," she said, like stating a fact. "There's no need to be rude." Ella's stomach churned with guilt, because she was right, as always. She was angry and lashed out, childishly.

"I didn't come to chide you for the spectacle," she said, pressing her hands together. "I don't care for that, Elowen." Her green gaze searched for Ella's in the reflection of the mirror, trouble flickering in them. "Harrion had an incident. Do you have any idea how that might have happened?"

Her tone was not accusing, but Ella whirled around abruptly, baring her teeth just the same. "Did I have anything to do with that? Is that what you're asking? He shook the life out of me and made sure to call me every name under the sun and you're here asking for his well being?"

Minna's face plummeted, as it did every time Ella was punished. Minna was impotent to help, Ella was all too aware that her mother wasn't exempt from Harrion's wrath either.

She still hated to look of pity.

Minna surged forward, "Oh, sweetheart. I'll bring the poultice and bandages, we'll get you cleaned up--"

"He didn't get around to beating me with his belt," Ella cut her off. The flinch her mother made had her stomach twisting uncomfortably. "I had nothing to do with it, he only suddenly stopped trying to beat me and I left. Perhaps he's finally succumbing to an ailment, I only hope it's serious."

Minna's eyes flashed with something she couldn't recognize. It was a look she'd only seen a couple of times in her life, a strange sort of fear. "This is serious, it's not a joking matter, Elowen. I need you to understand--"

"Yes, I insulted Jonas and Cordelia. Yes, I've made the family lose face and tarnished our good name," she said, fisting her skirts. "Don't worry, Jonas will still marry me, no matter how horrid I am. I haven't ruined that. I'll be out of here soon enough."