331 B.C. - 329 B.C. - Losiane
'You are magical.' Was all Fannel had with him, to tell Alexandra. Just as she'd sat down on the rocking chair, beside the bed, and given him her brilliant grin, he completed his one sentence and fell silent.
'I know right,' Alexandra told him, 'Either that, or it's just my luck.'
'I don't know what to say, Mabel. I don't know how to thank yo-'
'You don't have to,' Alexandra cut him short, 'I didn't thank you for taking my fall on yourself. If thanking is what we're going to do, we rather not talk, Brother.'
Fannel laughed, 'Little sisters are cute- until they grow up and start talking big-big philosophies,'
'Thank you,'
'Not a compliment.'
'You never give me any. I've begun taking some of your taunts as compliments- just to feel good about myself.'
'That is nice, because like a responsible brother, I'm going to tell you for once and for all- you are never ever doing something so foolish, again.' He replied, in a we're having real business now tone, 'There was NO need to return to that cursed tower. You didn't have to be so heroic- Master George would have got a heart attack hearing about your EXTREME foolishness. Diana told me- everything. And I am NOT happy at all.'
'I had to do it- you know.' Alexandra replied, stoutly. She was sure she hadn't done anything wrong. She was sure this had to happen..
Fannel stared at her for a second, he then looked down.
'Maybe you did,' He said, 'I have something to do too. I have to confess.'
Alexandra stopped rocking the chair, 'It's nothing like Diana's not your sister and I got an impostor into the house, right?!'
Fannel laughed weakly, 'No! You have an unusual imagination, but NO. And I, have to confess something else- I - I thought I could fill Diana's gap- her space, with you, Mabel.'
Alexandra didn't reply, urging him to speak on,
'I thought I could heal myself with you- I thought I could move on, forget the past. I thought I would make you- treat you like- see in you- Diana.' He stopped again. Alexandra wasn't surprised, she'd known this all along. 'But - Mabel, I forgot or rather- I didn't realize that we could NOT replace anybody. You never occupied Diana's place, Mabel.'
'You mean,' Alexandra said, her own voice sounding alien to her, her head was feeling hotter- some part of the brain which sensed extreme unhappiness seemed to be getting overactive, 'That now that Diana's here- now that she's here, I no longer matter? That I should forget about our whole br-'
'Mabel!' Fannel interjected, frowning, 'Which wrong carriage have you boarded?! Come back down. I didn't imply anything like that! Look, Mabel- you DID heal me. You did make me - if only partially - but, you did make me get over Diana. Mabel, you never occupied Diana's place- you made your own place! And what I want to confess is- in the past nineteen years- If I've learnt anything, realized anything- it's that, I can live without Diana, Mabel. But without you- it's impossible.'
Alexandra had a tough choice between cry, hug or reply.
Crying- she didn't want to.
Hugging- would probably not be very good for an injured person.
So she chose replying.
'And?' Was all she asked.
'And, and Diana has done so much for me- Diana means a LOT to me, Mabel- but, guilty as I feel saying it- I do love one sister over the other. I thought about it- had I had a three hundred feet fall in front of me to make with - Diana - I would... not take that impact on myself. I see everybody writing poetry- I see whole genres around us that talk about a Man and Woman in love. I see their immense popularity. Nobody realizes that there does exist another- an even stronger, even greater love. They say infatuation, that love - is complicated. I'll tell you how complicated our relation is- the triangle that you, Diana and I form... The bond we share- Mabel, you know, a man who's stuck between two women? He feels so relieved finding out he loves one more than the other. He feels his problems are over. What do I tell you, Sister? Finding out that you love one Sister more than the other- it only makes you guilty. But have you ever come across a book which dares to talk of this? Watson - he's the perfect example of today's society - if a man and woman are close, they must like each other that way. He thought, without knowing anything, he thought we were... leave it.' Fannel finally said, shutting his eyes, 'There's too much on my mind.'
'But you can tell me,' Alexandra replied, 'You don't always have to be made of steel- hide your scars- to be a man. Real men have emotions- and they are not afraid to show it.'
'I will talk utter rubbish,'
'And I will hear it,' Alexandra confirmed, 'Come on, brother- pour it all out. It's okay to have perfectly unrelated things strung together and gnawing on you. And it's okay to want to have them unstrung. I would love to listen.'
* * *
More than a year later - in August, as Alexandra stood on the window sill of their Losianish house's Hall, Jade perched upon her right arm and an official Espionage Council letter in her left hand, she turned to look back, for one last time - at their long trial in this Country.
The first week had been the worst. Definitely. Things had improved after that - Diana always knew which terrorists were behind a particular thing.
For example, when the always crowded Club Diadem in North Losiane had been attacked on a normal, busy Friday and its seven hundred residents held hostage - Diana had immediately known who was behind it.
In fact, after that too, a lot had happened. Alexandra must have had shouted "Arnold's Tenth Detention" for a gazillion times already. Because well, that was a spy's life. Get information. Confirm. Retreat.
She actually now had first hand experience of hiding in a dustbin - that had been one particularly murderous pursuit - Alexandra was not proud of her dustbin trick, but between death and ten minutes of stink - she'd gladly choose those ten minutes of stink.
Then once, just so her face wouldn't be visible - she'd dropped onto her knees and pushed her face into a muddy puddle of water ... that had been a trick which had got her a nice face mask for the next twelve hours.
Muddy puddle of water - living in Losiane for two years, had taught Alexandra how their monsoons were even worse than their summers. Once the rain started - in March or July or maybe even in December- whenever it wished to, it didn't stop before three whole days. 72 hours.
Alexandra had liked the petrichor and cooling rain of Idgard. Heck, even Doveland was better - Losiane, though, would NEVER be her favorite holiday destination.
Tropical Forests.
Huge, large, colossal tropical forests surrounded the country. Like Natural Barriers. The small extent of Scorpion Forest in Drum corner? That was a tiny example of what Tropical Forests would be like.
Another reason to be afraid of Losiane.
Only Diana seemed at ease. She got up at eight, maybe even later - after all of them had left, and did goodness knew what the whole day - practiced her blade, strolled around and mused to herself.
But she didn't help them a lot. Not as much as she could have. She didn't meddle into their work - even when the meddling was welcome. Diana was moody and almost always emotionless. And they on the other hand were a bit hesitant in asking her.
'Diana is not normal,' Kane had told her one night, his blue eyes looking disturbed and unfocused as he polished his dagger,
'Why?' Alexandra had asked, she had just been passing him, hearing the not normal part, she had stopped, kneeling down by him, 'She did something?'
'No.' Kane had said, 'But I've seen her- she... she has sort of forgotten how normal people live. She had become... out of society.'
'It'll be fine.' Alexandra had replied, 'She'll take time... she will learn it- it's been almost twenty years. We can't expect her to be back to normal all of a sudden.'
'I know that... but now, she's just with us, it's fine here. Back in Idgard, with ten different types of people- older to her in age, or in ranks, or in any scenario- I have a feeling she'll get into trouble.'
Alexandra had told him not to worry about that - but she, herself, was now a bit concerned. After Kane had voiced his doubts, she had started watching Diana more closely. Actually, truly, Diana was a bit out of society. A bit ... different. And she needed a little firsthand practice. Though Alexandra had NO idea how they would get her firsthand practice of talking to people higher ranking to her...
Interestingly, though, the person she got along best with, was Watson.
He had his ways, and he always ended up making Diana laugh. It was an uncanny, almost perfectly fitting friendship they had struck, and Watson had, although he didn't realize it, started distancing from Alexandra. It was very minute, but there was no longer any trace of admiration in the way he watched her, there was no special inclination. She couldn't say she was glad for it, but was certainly relieved. Mainly because she had not been able to distance herself from Liam at all. They still exchanged letters, a lot more than they had previously done - there was always enough to talk of. Alexandra spent the most part of her letters in criticizing Losiane, because she enjoyed being consoled by him. She was as much in love with Idgard as with its king. Both treated her well and were the best of their types. Many times she had wondered what would follow if she penned down her heart to him, and though a hundred things could follow, the one that scared her the most was that no reply would come back. And if no reply would come back, no Alexandra would go back to Idgard - where could she hide her face in the country, from its king?
But back to the Espionage Council Letter... it told them how they were no longer required in Losiane. Their group was dissolved. They could return to Idgard.
Idgard. That word warmed up Alexandra right to her toes. She stroked Jade, who hooted at her, as if to say, Stroking doesn't fill my stomach, you miser, give me food!
'Soon, Jade.' She replied, 'First let me break this news to the others!'
Then Jade almost rolled her eyes and hopped off her hand, perching on the window sill, Fine, I'll wait- but if you don't come back...
And the bird let that threat hanging- well, what would she do? Peck Alexandra to death?
Possible... Alexandra's mind ventured, it was hushed and asked to shut up.
'We can return!' She said, almost slipping to a fall in the dining room.
'What?' Asked Watson, who had, by now fallen into a sort of routine to get up everyday morning, have a wrangle with Fannel at breakfast, make things up and leave for somewhere with Daniel, 'We can inturn? What is that?'
'Return, you idiot! RETURN! RE-TURN!'
'To where?' Asked Kane, putting a hand to his chin, 'Not the Paradise Courting Club, please.'
Alexandra was annoyed at the lack of enthusiasm and the dry humor, 'I SAY!' She barked at them, 'To Idgard! I-D-G-A-R-D!'
'Do we look like fools, Mabel?' Daniel asked, 'It's two years... they didn't ask us to return yet, means they have decided to- as good as exile us here.'
'Bu-'
'And we have done a good job here- maybe this is a permanent punishment,' Said Fannel, who had made a full recovery almost a year and a half back.
'Forget about it!' Alexandra said, throwing the letter down on the table in exasperation, 'You people are dunces!'
Everybody exchanged looks. Then they looked at Alexandra.
'Actually, we know.' Said Watson,
'That we have to report back on seventeenth August,' Said Kane, 'Not at Paradise Courting Club-'
'Rather, at our one and only Espionage Council.' Said Daniel,
'And we were only pulling your leg,' Finished Fannel, as the four men erupted into laughter around her. Alexandra made her super-deluxe-dirty face at them, but she couldn't help smiling. Losiane had sort of grown on her in so much time.
But Idgard was Idgard.
'Wait,' she said, remembering her talk with Kane, 'What about Diana?'
'What about her?' Asked Fannel, 'She already knows everything- taking her to the council doesn't matter. And she can help. I say- what about Marilyn?!'
Everybody was suddenly quite interested in the letter Alexandra had brought.