The Key to Ruling a Broken Kingdom (Girl x Girl)

19: Megan

So Persephonie basically told Megan "I never want to see you again." Let's fast forward about two years and see how Megan is doing.

Song: House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert

I could not love. I could not, I could not, I could not. Not since Persephonie had stopped seeing me, two years ago. I still went to the courtyard. Every day. Hoping she would for some reason be there. Hoping she would for some reason come out to talk to me.

She never did. I didn't know why that surprised me. I hadn't expected her too. She was angry at me. Furious, even. But I didn't understand why. Was loving her really so wrong? If so, why? Because God forbade it? That doesn't make sense. Why would he do that? How is loving someone a sin? If anything, my loving Persephonie is his fault. He made me so that I loved her. He made me, so that I could never love a man.

I cut pieces of the potato in my hand, and dropped the pieces into the pot over the fire. The water had already reached a boil. Polly, one of the people I shared the house with, was cutting another potato. She was cheerfully blabbering away about things I couldn't care less about. She was pregnant, and about Emily's age, with blond hair and blue eyes. I thought she was extremely pretty, and had told her on multiple occasions. Emily had already given birth to a beautiful and healthy baby boy. She and David had decided to name him William.

But with the added baby, our supplies dwindled, and since I wasn't really on best terms with the Royals anymore, I couldn't go to them for food or clothes. I couldn't really remembered how we lived before I met Persephonie, but I remembered that it was tough. Everyone in the household had thinned considerably, and Polly's mother had also fallen victim to the bad spirits of the Plague.

Baby William was sleeping, which is good because when he was awake, nothing was ever quiet, and he always broke something. Emily had found work as a cook at some manor, but the owner didn't provide David with any job. So David went out with Pa, Polly's husband, John, and some others to find work.

We never exactly starved. We ate at least one meal a day now, thanks to Emily, but we did often get hungry.

Polly was snapping her fingers in front of my face and saying something. "Megan?"

I turned my attention to her. "Yes?"

"Were you even listening to me?"

"Of course I was!"

"So, do you think I should do it?"

I gaped at her, at a loss for words. I could ask her what "it" meant, but then she'd know I hadn't been listening to her, and scold me for not being attentive because it was so 'unladylike.' Finally, I decided to say, "Do you think it's the right thing to do?"

"It really doesn't make much of a difference" Polly said, exasperated. I think she figured out I wasn't listening to her. "Never mind. I'll save these potatoes until tomorrow." She stood up and dusted off her dress, potato peels falling on the ground. "You can clean that up, right?"

I opened my mouth to protest, but realized I would have to do it because she was pregnant, and forcing a pregnant woman to do the house work would be extremely rude, and I would never hear the end of it from Emily. "Yeah. I'll clean that up." Grudgingly, I placed my knife down, and stood up. After dusting off my own dress, I got the broom to sweep up the potato peelings.

Polly observed me for a couple moments, taking in my dress, which I had gotten from Persephonie three years ago. It had started growing a little too tight around my chest, and only fell down to my knees. "You miss her, don't you?"