Thousands of years ago a war broke out on a distant island, splitting its occupants into factions. Alifero, Cornucopia, Querencia and Aranea. The tension between them that has been unyielding for centuries only grows when their precious water starts...
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Niki's limber fingers work wonders in my hair, even if she has to do everything in my bathtub. In the mirror, I can see the concentration on her face as she brings my hair back to braid in a half-up-half-down sort of style. It wasn't too hard to get Niki up here, the water-breathing potion that Sneeg whipped up worked in reverse in her body to what it would in a land-dweller. Wilbur snuck her up from the lagoon and managed to save half of the potion for her to use on the way back down.
After getting over the initial shock at Father's request, Amélie lent me one of her old dresses. I was more than surprised at her lack of protest or questioning. She's been acting strangely these past few weeks, but I am yet to decide if it's a bad thing. Phil was the most opposed, seeing as I'm supposed to be on house arrest, but he wouldn't ignore the word of a fellow councilman. Now that I'm wearing the dress, I can't stop looking at myself in the mirror.
I feel more than silly. The girl looking back at me, framed with white marble tiles and a crystal clear mirror, was nothing like me at all. Niki hums quietly behind me, barely visible behind my wings I had stretched out of her way, and Sneeg scrambles through my jewellery box, inspecting every treasure he touches. They don't notice how bizarre I look out of my regular over-worn shirts and trousers and skirts.
The dress itself is prettier than anything I've ever owned, and probably doubly as expensive. It looks beautiful even if I don't look that beautiful in it. The shiny white material was meant to be fitted and hug my waist and hips and has extra fabric for a cowl neckline. But it was designed for Amélie's more accentuated curves, I spend so much time training that my body became skinny and angular, lean with muscle for fighting.
It wasn't just the dress that was ill-fitting, it was everything about this. Dressing up was one thing, but going out to a formal party with my family was another.
・꧁꧂・
I stood outside Amélie's room clutching the side of her white door. Mother had dressed in a lavish ocelot print dress that glittered with sequins, her auburn hair wrapped into a smooth twist on the back of her head. Big jewelled plates hung from her ears and her makeup was made of vibrant reds and yellows.
"Oh you look so lovely, my darling!" she cooed over Amélie, fluffing her sandy wings that were almost identical to Mother's. Amélie stood politely on a little stool, a phantom maid on each side of her mirror, waiting for orders and wearing perfect calm facades. In truth, they would have been terrified that Mother would strike them should they put a foot wrong.
Amélie's dress was a soft pink and the skirt was perfectly pleated to where it ended at her knees, showing off her sparkly white shoes. The perfect heir. I tried to copy her and stood up a little straighter where I was hiding. She looked like a princess.
