STEEL WOMAN

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                  There is as much a train can go whiteout coal or oil, the same can be said to someone with no goals in life , or has already achieved them.
The war has just ended , and with it people in the city of Queens started to gain hope again for a bright future after a horrendous battle that seemed never ending at some point to them .They could finally focus on rebuilding whiteout fearing that the enemy will attack or that some of those flying monsters would rain poisonous gaz on them.
They say that war is a 3 letter word for a reason .The "W" for the wounds it brings,the "A" for for the none stopping attacks towards innocents ,and lastly the "R" for the regrets ,sadness and rights it violated.
The war left too many casualties,  too many deaths and some permanent scares but humanity has to advance to live , we can't dwell on the past for too long .
The war changes everything , from the daily life of a person , to their very own mindset and goals . Many families lost their fortune and now sink in poverty. Little are those who survived in the tides  brought by the poor economy and the increase of dept , thieves and sickness.
But now , the city of Queens is buzzing with life , people forced themselves to forget the calamity of  years now. Being on the loosing side  , they were now under the Burgond Empire , at first they were ready to face some harsh fate after being colonized by such a powerful entity , but it seems the empror had other plans for their lands.The city of Queens situated between sea and mountains made it the perfect spot to build new trading routes and develop the touristic activities . The once small unknown countryside became a more modern city with the  new port that made it a hot spot for merchants and aristocracy to visit and invest in .

In one of the middle class houses around the outskirts,  laughter and music could be heard, flowers were thrown around , people smiling around the newly wedcouple .It was so loud that even those passing were curious about it .
"What is happening here ? Who is getting wed today?" Asked a young man passing by.
"You don't know ? It's the youngest daughter of the Hestain family , it is quite a joyous occasion ,she is wed to some handsome bachelor , apparently he is a teacher from Golhan University in the capital ,so he is really rich and to top it he is really polite , she was quite lucky ."the answer came from an old lady of the neighborhood, quite the nosy person in the eye of the young man but he didn't mind it as he was the curious type himself .
" She really won the lottery ticket but how come her family is able to afford such a lavish wedding ? Aren't they of middle class ? "
At that the woman scoffed "  You are quite an ignorant lad aren't you? don't you know the Hestain family ? They are the family who owns the coal mines in the north of Ernberg.They are quite the wealthy family , you can even consider them a nouveau-rich family , but they stay humble and never flunt their money on people quite the opposite they even participate in many charity actions .  The head of the family did everything to ensure that they had a bright future . "The more the woman talked , the more he was shocked by what he heard . Owning the coal mines in the age of Steam was like owning energy .
"The head of the family must be quite the fine man "
"There is no man in the Hestain family" interjected the older one.
"WHAT- but then how is it possible for them to be this rich , i know that women started working during the war as the men were sent to battle , I myself participated but was lucky enough to get in one of the support teams , but I know that my family suffered from my absence since I was the only boy . I can't imagine a family of 5 girls gaining this much wealth even if they all worked with the meak salary given to women "
" I know right ? But I guess it was possible if it's her ."
"Her ? Who ? "
"Kidaj Hestain "

~at the same time inside the Hestain family house , precisely in their backdoor garden ~
"Emily , where is sister Kidaj ? She is gonna be late for the vows and you know how much Maiara is gonna be angry if she is late like she did in you wedding "
" Don't worry Iliara darling she is just preparing something , she will be here in time , you know she always keeps her promises "
"I know -I know but I am getting anxious it's the wedding of our youngest and you know how much she looks up on her and wouldn't do this without her big sister "
"Not like anyone of us would , but she likes Kidaj too much to the point that I am actually thinking she will start revering her "retorted Izara, rolling her beautiful  brown eyes , a characteristic that all the Hestain sisters shared.
"Don't get jealous now for being the least favorite sister , we all know that none of us can dethron Kidaj when it comes to the heart of Maiara ,she basically raised her since childhood "
" Still she spent most time with us at home , while she only saw her from time to time "
"Izara darling this attitude is unbeffiting of a lady , and it's not like Kidaj wasn't there because she wanted to , we all know she was very busy helping the family financially " responded Emily ,while trying to sooth her sister .Well "tried "
"Again with your lady like manner ??? Please do us a favor and stop this hypocritical ac-"
"Stop disrespecting you elder sister she was just trying to comfort you and advise you "defended Iliara .
"Who told her t-" "Now now girls today is a special day and we have guests to attend to I don't think it is the right place nor the time to start bickering, don't you think ? "
All heads turned as walking sound was heard and soon the bride appeared all in white like a liky a bright smile on her face .She was a beauty , but even thought people were here to attend the wedding some curious gazes couldnt help glancing at the eeson who walked the bride .A petite woman dressed in a regale black dress with long sleeves, a striking contrast to the all white brides dress , some may say it was unbeffiting for a wedding but even the monotone dress couldn't hide the sharp facial decorated by the midnight short coiffure . Her smal stature didn't hide the emposing aura coming from her brown eyes that held coldness and warmth at the same time, it was after all the mysterious head "Kidaj Hestain " herself.
"You are late " were the first words that welcomed her once she joined them.
" As long as the ceremony didn't start , I believe that in fact I am not , am I wrong Izara ?" Kidaj was accustomed to the spicy attitude of her sister ,after all she herself was quite the strong headed , and she is aware of the love all her sisters give her  .
"Let's hear your reason later and focus on the main characters of the day "
The wedding went smoothly,  laughter could be heard here and there ,  people started going back leaving behind only the close family members to bid the newly wedcouple with wishes for a good future .
"Will you stop crying you crybaby ? When are you going to become an adult ,you are married for God's sake !" Izara's complains could be heard around the house if it weren't for the now clinging Mariana her husband behind her standing awkwardly at a distance from the 5 sisters , a small smile on his face at the warm sight.
"B-But I'll miss you guys s-so so much,  it won't be the same without you. What if I do something wrong ? I won't be able to bicker with Izana and Iliara , and won't be comforted by Emily , nor will i be able to see sister Kidaj" the more she talked the more she cried .
" Come on ,you are no longer 5 it's time for you to leave the nest darling , you can always come back to visit ,to visit not to stay thought,  you know we also have to go back my James is waiting for me at home and you have Benjamin  with you to take care of you , look at the poor thing don't you love him ?hm~"
"I-I do !" Mariana almost screamed with rosy cheeks making her even cuter in the eyes of her sisters( especially her now red head husband ;))
"Stop crying now you made your pretty little face all smudgy . A bride has to cry only tears of joy as her tears are too precious to be wasted on sorrows " The warm hand of Kidaj wiped the now ruined makeup , luckily she only needed little as she already had a pretty face.
"OH yes before I forgot here , this is yours "She said while giving her a small box inside of it was a daisy necklace .It was a tradition in the Hestain family each one of them got a flower necklace made of silver as a wedding gift,  symbolising them .This gesture meant that the bride was a flower  that is not to let herself weather ,be it body or mind , to stay strong but also loyal to the principles that symbolise her flower and herself.

"Our little daisy may you always stay pure whiteout having to touch darkness , always remember that the Hestain family always open its doors for you " and those heart warming words were a cue for another crying session.

~around midnight in one of the rooms of the Hestain house ~
The lit candle casted a warm glow on the study. The open window letting the breeze in , it was calm , no one was there but the owner  .Or so she thought until knocking was heard on the door .
"Sister?" A soft almost whispering voice was heard ,afraid of waking up her sister, but the light of the candle was a dead giveaway .
"You may enter Emily"
"You still didn't go to sleep at this hour ? Are you having trouble sleeping ? Work could always be done tomorrow you know?"  Just as the door opened ,Kidaj could hear the nagging .
"I could say the same to you .What are you doing here it's already late and  James is waiting for you at home ."
" Well James already knows I'll spend the night here I told him in advance that I wanted to spend some time with you , I couldn't possibly sleep in peace while leaving you alone in this house .Now that Mariana and I are married, I even have a kid now so I can't possibly come and go like I used to, Izana and Iliara went

to the capital to study and won't come back until their next vacation .Why don't you hire some maid to keep you company at least ?"
" The house isn't lonely I like it calm , and you know I like cleaning it brings me peace in mind "Emily could faintly see the face of her sister sitting in her late mother's old rocking chair .Dark hair that blended in the night and brown eyes that reflected the orange light of the candle . Even thought Kidaj wasn't a stunning beauty like Mariana ,a serious one like Izana and Iliara , nor a calm one like herself . She always had her own unique charm , like an obsidian gem . But time was never kind to her , and it sometimes saddened Emily that she wasn't as courageous as her sister at the time , maybe, just maybe , she would've been able to hold some burden so that she can be less lonely.
"Kidaj"
The only response she got was humming as the older one was busy gazzing at the sky filled with stars.
"Why don't you get married ?"

~To be continued~