Coldfire

chapter 8: Fire and Water

Everything was dead. For miles, there could be seen burned down trees, broken weapons, and hastily made graves. pools of dried blood could still be seen in spots, and the air hung heavy with magic. Laurena covered her nose and mouth. "Oh my God. What...what is this?!" 

Laurania was solemn. "This is the reason Mother couldn't come get us until we were ready. The reason She looks so tired. She had to wait until we were old enough to protect ourselves, because it isn't safe here."  

Laurania noticed Laurena's incredulous expression, and continued. "We're at war, Laurena. Where we're standing; it's a battlefield."

They sat looking out for a hile, then turned around to start looking in the other direction. They were tired, hungry, and lost. The two of them wondered if they'd ever make it home; ever find the Palace again. They were about to give up when Laurena looked up and said, "Hey, do you see that bird right there?!" Laurania's head shot up."Where?" 

"The red one, right there!"  

"I don't see it!"  

Laurena began running, pointng at a bird Laurania couldn't even see. Laurena could see it clearly, though. It was a shimmering red bird such as she had never seen before, it's feathers glowing like fire. Could it be...?  

The bird alighted in a tree, then took off again just as they got close. They temporarily forgot their exhaustion, chasing after this bird. They didn't realize what it was up to until they saw the giant tree looming before them. The Palace! They ran to its foot, where they sat, panting. The bird alighted in front of them, and Laurena noticed that it was a lot bigger than it had initially seemed. Actually, it was about as tall as she was. It was the same shape as the eagles at home, but...red. And glowing. And...changing?  

It was true. The bird's form was shifting, the beak fading back into a nose and mouth, eyes settling back into the head, and feathers sliding back into skin, turning into clothes and hair. In the end, a woman was standing in front of them. She had straight blonde hair, sharp features, and pointed ears. She looked young, but in her eyes could be seen an unfathomable age; a wisdom only known to the very, very old. Laurena took a step back. 

"Who are you? Why did you help us?" 

The woman smiled grimly. She seemed very stern. "My name is Eleanora Tanya. I am your Grandmother, a phoenix." 

Laurena paused. "So...grandmother? How did you find us?"  

"The birds told me where you were." 

"You can talk to birds?" Laurania interrupted.  

"Yes. Now. Inside. You've been gone for almost 50 hours now." 

"FIFTY hours? How is that even possible!? The sun hasn't set once!" 

Eleanora nodded crisply. "Yes. Aigasion days are roughly seven times the equivalent of Earthean ones. Your bodies will adjust to the change, I can promise you that." 

She turned to go through the massive doors of the tree, and were followed by the twins in stunned silence. They walked through the massive grand entryway of the Palace, not saying very much at all. On occasion, Eleanora would interrupt the silence to say things like, "Walk straight. Don't slump. Keep your head up, you're princesses. Control yourself, Laurena," when Laurena had an urge to touch one of the paintings on the wall. She was very particular about the smallest things, and was stern and crisp about everything. Laurena recognised where she was leading them. It was the stairway leading to the room she had been in earlier, when she'd woken up. Only instead they turned to the left, entering into a large room. There were three beds in it, and a door leading into a separate room. Eleanora stopped in there. "This is your room. The two of you have separate beds. That one is for you, Laurena," She pointed to a bed with silky red sheets, embroidered with a darker red phoenix, and complete with a headmoard of handsome, shiny dark wood, carved in the shape of a phoenix rising out of flame, "And that one is yours, Laurania," She pointed to the bed closest to Laurena's, which was very similar, only blue, and the headboard was the same wood, but carved in the shape of a phoenix rising out of the ocean, water dripping off of its body. 

Laurena wondered about the bed in the corner, though. It was green, with an intricate pattern of leaves and branches, and the headboard was of a phoenix surrounded by leaves and trees. But nobody was there. Also, she wondered where the door to the other room lead. She was about to ask, but her thoughts got interrupted by Eleanora. 

"We are preparing a feast in order to celabrate your return. You are to bathe, change, and then come to the dining hall. You will find suitable clothes in your closets," She pointed to a set of three small doors set into the wall, each painted a different color, "I will see you there, granddaughters." She swept out of the room, closing the door behind her. Laurena went over to the closet painted red, and opened it. She gasped at what she saw inside. 

It was a dress. But it was long, and red, poofing out at the waist. And it seemed to be just her size. She pulled it off of the rack, letting the fabric slide between her fingers. It was so soft, it felt like water. She took it and a pair of red crystal-looking shoes out of the closet, and headed into the bathroom, located in the side of the room, next to the green bed.  

She wondered how bathing was going to work in a world without technology. It turned out to be a large wooden tub, with a metal pipe hanging over it, a small cord dangling out of the end. Experimentally, she tugged the cord, and water came out. It was surprisingly warm, and she wondered how they managed to heat their water. She waited for the tub to fill then stepped into the warm water, pulling her dress off as she did. Unfortunately there was no soap. She was just about to get out when she heard a female voice say, "may I help you with anything, my lady?"  

Laurena just about jumped out of her skin. She looked around the room for where it had come from when she laid eyes on the mirror. What she had originally thought was her reflection was in fact an entirely different person.

"May I help you with anything?"

"Wha-"

"Oh, I must apologize, for not introducing myself. I am Aramira, but please call me Mira. I am the palace's head maid. It's difficult to explain, but I live inside reflections. As long as you can find your reflection in the palace, you can call me to ask for anything. If you wish for a piece of your wardrobe, some food, or someone to keep you company, I can help you."

Well, this was certainly different. Laurena felt awkward, though, standing naked in front of a full-grown woman. Not to mention...the last time she had stood naked before a grown-up, it was because Father was beating her.

This thought just made Laurena look away. "I would like some soap."

"Any particular scent you would prefer?"

"Um...rose?"

"It is done."

"What..." but when Laurena looked down, there was a bottle of red liquid in her hands. She had not picked it up, it had just appeared there. But when she began to question Mira, she realized that the woman in the mirror was gone, replaced by her own reflection. Oh, well, at least she had the soap.

She thoroughly washed herself, relishing the feeling of the warm water against her skin, and the scent of the sweet rose soap, almost like perfume. When she finally stepped out of the bath and pulled the plug, she felt cleaner than she ever had before. She had never been allowed a bath before. Except for those times when Mother would try and drown her, pushing her head underwater over and over again.

When she put on the red dress and combed her hair, she felt like a completely different person. She didn't feel the familiar bruises, or the scars where the whip had struck. Looking at herself, she saw that her skin was, in fact, dark from the sun, contrasting against her blonde and red hair in a not unpleasant way. And in the red dress, she looked stunning, like a fairy tail princess.

When she finally exited the bathroom, Laurania was waiting for her, reading words on a piece of paper. But when Laurena tried to look over her shoulder to read it, she quickly folded the piece of paper up, blushing.

"What was that?" Laurena asked, her curiosity piqued. It was so much more interesting now that Laurania was trying to hide it.

"It was nothing!"

"Nothing means something, and something means I want to know! What was it?" Laurena asked, attempting to snatch the paper from laurania's hands, but failing as Laurania pulled it away.