Emilee left Merari and Arcane to their devices once the crowd had abandoned them. They were sweet girls, but Emilee had somebody else she wanted to find.
It didn't take her long to find her twin because Elanora had attracted a crowd of her own. It wasn't surprising, them being spitting images of one another. She could clearly be pinned down as the Eseterrian's sister.
'Yes, well, that's my sister and I. She spills everything all over herself, but in a rather endearing way, like a clumsy kitten.'
Emilee pushed her way through the crowd that moved aside the moment they recognised her dark locks. For once, she was grateful for her change in status. Until now, the Sato twins had been in the shadows of the court.
When Elanora saw Emilee, she froze.
'Ela? Can we talk?'
Elanora eyed the crowd around her and said, 'If you all would excuse me, I'll be back in a moment.'
'Why don't you stay? We'd happily meet your sister.'
Elanora shook her head. 'I think we'd like some privacy.' She waved coyly, then lead her twin away. Once they'd found a fairly quiet corner, Ela stopped. 'So? What do you want?'
'I haven't seen you since the funeral. Where have you been? Did you get my notes?'
'I did.'
'Then why didn't you come? I would have loved to have had you with me,' said Emilee.
'I've been busy,' responded Elanora.
'So busy you haven't had a minute for your twin that you used to spend every day with?'
She shrugged. 'I knew you'd be busy too. As an Eseterrian, I assume you're spending most of your time at religious ceremonies.'
Emilee blushed slightly. Yes, she'd been in the chapel daily, but it had often been an hour or two a day and no more. The rest of her time was spent polishing skills and drinking tea with various nobles. Bit by bit, she was starting to map out her circles, but there was a huge hole where her sister should be.
'The Chèr wants us to maintain social connections. Besides, you could surely join me for chapel—'
'Absolutely not. You're an Eseterrian, Emilee. Don't you understand what that means? You have a duty to Cines to be a bridge between our world and the spirit world. It's not just playing princess,' hissed Ela. Then she added, 'Tell me, do you even believe in spirits now?'
Emilee bit her lower lip. Even with all the priests' preaching, she still found herself having doubts. Luckily, the Chèr kept her so busy that she didn't have much time to think about such things.
'If you're an Eseterrian, tell me the name of the blue and green pilgrim.'
She didn't know. Was that the farm one? She thought he was the orange one. Was that the odd brother with two powers?
'Lena Nightshade, Pierre Saul. What is the first case of a mortal having visions of Sorita?' She gave Emilee a few moments, then turned away. 'Goodbye.'
'Ela, wait! We're stronger than this. We can't break apart over something as trivial as this!' Emilee's hand reached for her sister's, but Elanora pulled it from her grip.
'It's not trivial, Emilee. That's the thing; to you this is a game, but this is about spirits. I just hope Ellux has mercy on your soul.'
Emilee couldn't believe it. She'd told herself Elanora's distance was just rooted in miscommunication, but it seemed there was a genuine rift. The issue was, Elanora had a point. Emilee wasn't overly religious or anything. She found herself spending more time keeping up appearances than figuring out her beliefs. She didn't know the names of the pilgrims, nor did she know the correct order in the creation story. In the past, it had made for an enjoyable evening to listen to Elanora recounting religious texts. Had Emi been perfectly acquainted with their contents, the pleasure of it would have been greatly diminished. Now she was meant to represent a spirit in Lypera but she didn't know as much as she should.
Ellux... Why me?
Emilee wouldn't let something like this ruin her sisterly relationship. She quickly checked that she wasn't being watched, then fled the crowded ballroom. A pang of guilt hit her. They were going to be presented to the royals soon. Hopefully they'd accept the excuse of her praying.
There was no time to waste. Chance had it, somebody would notice her absence soon. She'd rather not be found, even though she knew she might be disappointing someone. Then again, who would miss her? Somebody like Arcane had far more charm, even though she rubbed Emilee up the wrong way sometimes, and Kaya could befriend a prince. Emilee definitely paled in comparison.
She dodged behind a column when she heard the pounding of footsteps. She watched all seven Leere walk past in cloaks. She held her breath to avoid notice, but the Leere didn't even bother looking around. They had other priorities.
The chapel looked empty at first glance. Emilee was glad. She walked down the centre aisle, looking at the painted display before her. Overcome by emotion, she knelt down at the altar and closed her eyes.
'Ellux...' The words felt strange on her tongue, but she forced herself to continue. 'I'm honoured that you thought me worthy, really. But I have a sister and she's perfect for this. She knows the name of every pilgrim, every Eseterrian, every Chèr. She is the most dedicated soul you could find. Why me?'
She opened her eyes, staring at the painting before her. The shapes blurred, the colours swirling and then she saw it. You are humble.
It took a few moments for the words to compute. Whether it was a compliment or an insult was hard to guess at. Probably an insult. She couldn't know without clarification, but she did not wish to pester the spirit.
Slowly, she rose to her feet. The night was still long. There were libclarae and libtoriae in the chapel that she should spend this time reading. But any such plan died when she met eyes with the girl watching her.
'I'm so sorry! I didn't want to disturb you by leaving, but I didn't want to intrude either, so I froze and... I'll try my best to forget everything.'
'No, it was my fault,' admitted Emilee, 'I should have looked first. I just... I didn't know this chapel was open to all.'
'It isn't.' The young woman awkwardly closed the libclara in her lap, then ran a slender hand over the leather cover. 'My uncle's a priest of high standing though, so I asked him if I could come here tonight since I knew the Eseterrians would be busy. The regular chapel is never completely empty during a ball, usually filled with maidens atoning for a misplaced kiss or... I'd rather not talk of such things in a sacred place.'
Yet another reminder of how much more dedicated to the Esprian faith some people were. Emilee wouldn't have remembered to censor her language.
The woman bit her rosey lips and queried, 'I'm sorry for asking but are you Emilee Sato? Eseterrian of Ellux?'
'You've got me.' Emilee forced a smile that was ruined by her glum tone.
'I wanted to thank you, Ponyeva. I know that sacrificing the rest of your life to serve our beliefs can't be easy. I know it's an honour, but I'm sorry for all the pressure.' The woman gave her a tight, guilty smile.
Emilee stared. 'You're the first person to say something like that.'
'I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to insult you in any way—'
'No, it was appreciated,' she reassured her, 'Everybody acts like it's such an honour, which it is, but... They forget that I'm just a person like any other.' She was oversharing. This woman didn't want to hear anything like that. She wanted to see the perfect Eseterrian that took everything in her stride, always beaming, always humble. Did Ellux really think her to be so?
However the woman didn't frown or judge her. She just smiled, her eyes twinkling and held out a hand gloved in white lace. 'Lavia Rewns.'
'Emilee Sato,' responded the Eseterrian, giving it an awkward shake.
'I'm afraid I must return to the ball lest my father should scold me for not keeping up appearances, but it was a pleasure to meet you. If you ever... If you ever want to talk to somebody who won't judge you, I'm here. I know what it's like to be caught up in pageantry.'
She rose up, returning the libclara to its initial place on the bench. The dark haired woman wandered the aisle, her white dress trailing the carpet. She looked rather like a spirit herself.
For a few minutes after she'd left, Emilee continued to stare at the door, regretting every honest word she'd said. Then she forced herself to work, electing for the grave accuracy and literacy of the Libtoria over the bright colours and poetic prayers of the Libclara.
So she started at the beginning. Creation.
♤ ♤ ♤
At the start there was nothing
No world of which to sing
Until there cometh Goece
The spirit who formed space
But in this giant empty room
Had settled an unnerving gloom
Until there cometh Ellux
The spirit who bore light
Now they looked at their creation
But felt no invigoration
Until there cometh Toutelé
Who created four elements
They observed their world from great height
But soon bored of the changeless sight
Until there cometh Gadeden
The spirit who made time
Now all was beautiful but shallow
A world of wonder but still hollow
Until there cometh Sorita
The spirit who gave soul
And since that day, Lypera's thrived
We've greeted many days arrived
Until the end of time
We'll worship our five spirits
♤ ♤ ♤
'Sorita was one of the spirits to spend the most time on Lypera. Whether visible or not, she would descend to the world of mortals and set to work. Many a happy friendship she would break apart, many an honourable man she would seduce.'
'Isn't that kind of, I don't know, immoral?' pointed out Arcane.
'Spirits are beyond our morality. Besides, she did it to remind people to live a little. To embrace their desires. However, she also tested moral codes. Those who would cheat on their lovers with her would feel her wrath,' explained Atticus Favre. With a frown, he remarked, 'Then again, you should all already be acquainted with the details.'
'My father didn't pay for a religious tutor,' said Arcane.
'I grew up outside of Cines,' threw in Kaya.
Emilee remained silent. She did know this stuff, but she now spent hours on end in the chapel studying. The result was her becoming the star pupil.
'Miss Sato, do you know the name of the father of the Cryanids?'
'Nathaniel the Bather?' Emilee guessed.
'Correct again. Miss Bay, can you explain the reason for this name?'
'He was a germaphobe?' Arcane said.
The priest sighed. 'Miss Sato, could you please correct her?'
Emilee blushed slightly. 'Well, uh, he bathed in the Lake of Marvë in which Sorita often spent her leisure time. It is believed that lead to him impregnating his wives with the Cryanids from which many magical creatures are descended. Rindea, Elementida, Creons, so on and so forth. Him bathing in the spirit's waters is regarded as his original sin.'
'Perfect, Miss Sato. Miss Bay, you'd ought to note that down. Miss Kaya, I'm sure you can't afford not to either,' said the priest.
Arcane shot her a vicious glare, then aggressively jotted what had been said down. The spite in her actions was confirmed when she shoved Emilee gently after class.
Arcane and Kaya went off to dancing lessons, while Emilee decided to take the chance to walk through the gardens. She briskly went to her chambers to fetch a fur coat. The grounds were freezing at this time of year, yet still maintained their charm. Nevertheless, unless you were Shula Kaya, going outside without thick layers was fatal.
Mirja was already inside and jolted slightly before curtseying with an unreadable face. It saddened Emilee to think she intimidated her servant. Once again, she found herself longing for her sister and their closeness, but even if she mended the bridge, the Chèr would probably still insist on her having actual servants.
'Could you pass me the furcoat, please, and some gloves?'
Mirja hands were quick. Within seconds she'd conjured the two requested items and set herself to the task of helping Emilee into the coat.
'How did you actually land this job?' Emilee shyly asked.
'The Chèr sought me out and offered me the position, Ponyeva,' she calmly stated, handing her the gloves.
'Oh?' Had he handpicked the whole staff? It was impossible to know. Well, she could ask him, but she knew he had a lot on his plate and didn't want to bother him with unnecessary questions.
The snow crunched below Emilee's gleaming boots. The chill nipped at her nose and she felt the tops of her ears freezing. Aromas of various winter flowers teased her and she leaned in towards one of the winter roses and inhaled. The sweet, subtle taste tickled out a sigh and even her pricking herself on a thorn couldn't ruin the pleasure of the sensation.
'Ponyeva?' A nervous voice called out.
Emilee opened her eyes and searched for the source, only to recognise the lady from the chapel. 'Lady Runs, was it?'
'Miss Rewns, actually. I'm afraid the nouveau riche aren't deemed worthy of a title.' She ran a gloved finger over her chin.
'Sorry. I'm afraid I'm meeting new people on a daily basis and retaining all those names is nearly impossible.' She felt bad, she knew she'd added Lavia's name to a list for her circle. Yet the more she stared at the list, the more she forgot.
Lavia leaned in and Emilee froze in panic, but then she just smelt the rose. 'Sweet, isn't it? I do so love the scent of the winter rose. I always wished somebody would compare me to one.'
'I'm sure you're as sweet as one,' Emilee complimented her, but she could see the problem. The winter rose was snow white, but Lavia's skin was honey and her short hair dark. Only her green eyes bore a resemblance to one's leaves, but they could be compared with those of most flowers.
'You didn't have to,' Lavia laughed, letting her pale blue dress spin around her as she turned towards the palace. Her hand trailed down Emilee's arm—she had no clue whether it was intentional or not—before curling her fingers over the tips of Emilee's. 'Come on. There's something I want to show you.'
Emilee was nervous about following her, but Lavia raced ahead, laughing her head off. She was no longer the pious perfect lady she'd met in the chapel, but there was still something innocent about her, like a child, racing through the meadows. It brought out the kid in Emilee too. She remembered how Elanora had used to run through the grounds with her. Lili had scolded them, but Ela had profusely apologised. When Lili was tired, she would blubber and cry until Lili apologised, when Lili was grumpy and strict, Ela would put on her best courtier's face, not letting the words break her and waiting until Lili tired and went away.
To her surprise, Lavia led her into the palace. For some reason she'd expected a pretty part of the garden. Still, she was too afraid of disappointing the pretty woman, so she followed her anyway.
The route they took was familiar, in fact, Emilee would have known it blind. They were heading down the path that led to the rooms of the less distinguished courtiers. Every now and again, she still found herself automatically going that route rather than heading to the lavish rooms she now called her home. Did Lavia live in these rooms? Emilee didn't recall having seen her there much, but the room arrangements were fluid. A family could easily be disgraced just as they could win favour with the king. It wasn't so different from how she'd been moved once Ellux had claimed her.
She froze when she saw that it wasn't just the route that was the same, but the destination as well. Lavia came to a halt in front of the door to the room she'd shared with her twin. Before Emilee could interject, her slender hand knocked on the door. Emilee sucked in a breath, preparing to see her sister, but somebody else answered. A man with gelled brown hair, honey skin and earthy brown eyes. His cheekbones were defined and his face well-structured. There was no doubt, he was Lavia's brother.
'Who are you?' Emilee recognised her twin's sharp, authoritative tone.
Lavia didn't let the rude greeting shake her. 'Miss Elanora Sato, it's lovely to meet you. I am Lavia Rewns, Flynn's sister, and I am here to exploit a minor coincidence.'
'What do you mean?'
Lavia smiled across at Emilee. 'Well, while you and my brother have recently become acquainted, I happened to meet your sister and—while I am aware that I may be stepping out of line—I have decided to try and act as a mediator with the help of my twin—another happy coincidence.' Without invitation, she stepped inside, pushing past her brother.
Emilee was freaking out. She hadn't spoken to her sister since their argument and now these two new acquaintances were trying to fix things. She wasn't sure she wanted to go along with this but she was also afraid of letting somebody down.
It was Flynn that freed her from her panic. He bowed at her, then muttered, 'I apologise for my sister's scheming, but we mean well. We just want to help an Eseterrian however we can.'
Emilee's eyes darted to the doorway. Hopefully Elanora hadn't heard that, she doubted it would benefit Lavia's cause. Still, she entered and made herself as small as possible in the corner. Elanora was also unhappily sat at a small table, while Lavia occupied the centre of the room.
'Now, we live in a rotten court where people are always stabbing each other in the back. With Emilee's recent claim to fame, you'll both be in the path of shallow people who are desperate to parade you around as trophies,' began Lavia.
'And... how are you any different?'
Emilee wanted to defend Lavia, but this was all stressing her out. Instead, Flynn spoke up with a slightly tired tone. 'Lavia met your twin in the chapel by coincidence. Meanwhile, we were introduced by mutuals, although naturally I appreciate your position as an Eseterrian's sister. It would be dishonest to claim otherwise.'
'In a court like this, you need friends by your side and nobody is closer to you than your twin,' Lavia emphasised, meeting Ela's eyes. 'This isn't a story I like to share, but I will out of twin solidarity, not to mention the fact that I want to help a fellow devout Esprian out however I may. My and Flynn's mother was a twin, just like us, however she had a great falling out with her sister before we were born. All contact to her perished and when our mother birthed me and then Flynn—'
'I was born first,' he snapped.
'—she refused to hold us. We reminded her to much of her despised sister. She paid a wet nurse, then kept her on as we grew. She hired tutors, sent us to boarding schools, planned summers for us with distant relatives. Her friends were impressed by her generosity towards us. "Oh, you do spoil them, Rebecca!" they would say. But she didn't do it out of a mother's love, more out of hatred. She let her spite carry over to us and tried to forget about us,' Lavia's eyes had glazed over with tears. She supported herself with the top of a chair as she recomposed herself.
'Was that sob story meant to fix anything?' scoffed Elanora.
Emilee was shocked and opened her mouth to speak, but she still couldn't get a word out. Elanora shot her a pitiful glance, then turned her nose up at her twin.
'Such disputes don't always just affect oneself. Imagine the conflict mutual friends will face. Already there is gossip as to why neither of you show up to one another's tea parties.'
'And what right have you got to come in here, trying to reconcile us? I get the impression you're still a stranger to my sister, as is your brother to me.'
Lavia frowned. 'It may be so, but many a tale in the Libtoria preaches to aid one's fellow man. If the gossip is true as to the two of you having fallen out due to jealousy, let me say that—'
'No. I don't want to listen to this. In my experience, those claiming to be committed Esprians are just frauds.' A dagger stare pierced Emilee. Upset, she scrunched up the fabric of her coat.
Lavia sighed, turning to the door. 'I just wanted to say that I know your sister has been spending hours a day to the study of religious texts. My uncle told me she's the top of the class according to their tutor. I have no way of knowing what type of Eseterrian you may have been, but when it comes to your sister, I know that she's doing everything to prove herself the right choice. And even if she weren't, I trust in the spirits. As mysterious as their workings may seem, I trust they have their reasons.'
The mediator left, her brother in tow. Emilee hesitated a moment, then began to leave herself too. She'd been foolish to even hope. Elanora's mind was rarely changed, especially not when another person was encouraging her to do so.
'Wait.'
Emilee spun around, her heart racing.
'What is the first case of a mortal having visions of Sorita?'
Emilee recited, 'Cassidy Myèvo, a milkmaid, went to milk the cows, but instead she found a spirit leaning against one, another's dead body at her feet. Her—'
Ela raised a hand to silence her. Slowly, she pressed herself up and approached her sibling. Emilee bit her lip and sucked in a nervous breath. Was she foolish to hope? She didn't know, but no matter what people said, her sister was not a cruel woman. Deep inside, Elanora Sato had a heart of gold, one simply needed to cradle it and give it no reason to doubt and fear.
They were so close. Emilee fancied she could feel her sister's breath in that one long moment. Then she felt her sister's arms around her, squeezing her with so much affection.
'I missed you,' she whispered into her hair.
Emilee considered saying she'd always been there, but she settled for rubbing her twin's back in the embrace. There was no need for spiteful words now. The fighting had passed, now they could set to the task of forgetting it had ever happened. However, one task remained before that could happen.
She found Lavia Rewns walking back from the aedrum, a small medallion clutched in her hand.
'For my mother,' Lavia explained, 'I like to pray for her in the hope that she will find the joy of life once more and will mend broken bridges one day.'
Emilee nodded in understanding, then spoke, 'Thank you for your help, Miss Rewns. I... I cannot thank you enough. Your kindness and consideration astonished me. Not that... Not that I didn't think you were kind.' She stumbled over the last words and tried to suppress the blush colouring her cheeks.
'Ponyeva, your gratitude is more than enough.' She curtsied, then bade Emilee farewell.
That evening, Emilee didn't just pray for her sister. For the first time in her life, she prayed for a friend.
♤ ♤ ♤
A/N: I apologise for mistakes and clumsy writing. I am currently ill and taking King of Scars as medication. Anyway, it's late and I'm tired, so that's all I'm writing in this author's note.