Fred was hiding away among the towers of the Citadel, where she had once discovered a narrow winding stone staircase that lead up and up and up to the tiptop of the very tallest minaret. She sighed into the heavenly silence that engulfed her favourite private perch, scratching words into the parchment of her diary.
She savored the quiet provided by the wee hours of the morning. This was her favourite time of day. Before her sisters awoke, their opinions vying for attention in her brain; before the clamor of the world below became too loud to tune out. As the pink light of the dawning sun dyed the sandy stones of her little heaven rose-gold, she peered out the small rectangular window from her stone bench inset into the wall. The sun was rising over the rooftops and the winding paths of the ancient sandy city below.
She sighed gratefully.
This is where I belong.
While her identical sisters longed for adventure, Fred yearned for the tranquility and cool of the library that lay somewhere beneath her feet. She thrived on the steady rhythms of routine, and the lessons she learned in her classes. Of the triplets, Fred knew she was the most reserved, "the quiet one." But also, the most thoughtful and watchful. Perhaps the cleverest, when she needed to be. And definitely the most well read.
Winnie, aka the first Winnifred, had come out stubborn and precocious; She was fiery. Determined. And she cared deeply. Winnie is going to change the world. Fred admired how brave and outgoing Winnie was, as if she exuded passion. But Fred, in contrast, was calm and collected next to Winnie's overly excitable nature. Fred was the rock in the storm.
Whereas their third sister, Fredrica, or Rica, was the one who caused the storm, but she was also the missing link between Winnie and Fred, temperament-wise. An aloof trickster, she was always joking sarcastically, which somehow made her the coolest kid in school. Fredrica was Miss Popularity. She honestly didn't care what people thought about her and that just made other kids think she was awesome. Rica made people laugh, came up with sneaky plans, disobeyed the rules, and looked for fun down every alley. Fred took her thrills from story books, thank you very much. To her, getting grounded or having detention would have been the end of the world. "We're only young once!" Rica would prompt, attempting to galvanize her siblings into action. And somehow, she often managed to convince Winnie AND FRED to join in. If Fred didn't go along with the shenanigans, something would always end up going terribly wrong and her sisters would get caught. They needed Fred, so she came along, if somewhat begrudgingly.
All three girls looked so alike; if they'd dressed the same, even their father wouldn't have been able to tell which girl was which. So their parents had called them all Winnifred, until distinctions in their personalities had become apparent. Now, it was much easier to tell who was who: Fred was none other than Fred, Winnie, Winnie, and Rica definitely Rica. Their outfit choices differed enough that others were confident in telling them apart. Girly dresses in loud colours for Winnie. She also always wore her hair in a natural fro. Fredrica would have on something fashionable and trendy (but generally wouldn't put too much visible effort into it), and she wore her hair in braids or straightned. Fred, on the other hand, leaned toward simple dresses in muted tones, outfits that helped her blend into the environment while she watched or read, happy to be ignored. She usually just tied her hair into a short ponytail or a bun.
Fred finished up writing about the far-too-exciting-for-her-taste voyage and then shut her journal, placing it carefully in her satchel with the rest of her school books. She'd recorded it for posterity's sake. Time, however, was ticking on and she needed to get her siblings up for school.
The girls had a test on the history of Htraen Tainted persecution later. Fred had studied yesterday for ever. She found the subject fascinating. However, she would have given a hand or a foot to be a mouse in the corner of a class in the Epicurean Empire, if only to see the difference in bias. She wanted so badly to hear what those students were learning. To understand how they thought... though getting magic lessons could be useful as well. There were books in the library from the Epicurean perspective, but nothing as telling as what the Empire was actually teaching their children. Fred's curiosity was an insatiable yearning for hands-on knowledge. You cannot beat those you do not understand, she thought, recalling something her father had once told her.
With a full day looming, Fred closed her eyes one last time, breathing slowly, listening to her inhalations and exhalations. Then she stood, dusted the sand and dust from her dress, and descended the steep steps. Down she went, passing offshoots of stairs leading to other towers and turrets, prepared for the chaos of a day in the life of a Winnifred.
Once she reached the second floor of the Citadel, she walked through the boarding area where there were rooms for students and families. On the opposite side was another wing that held their school, COTR, colloquially referred to as 'Coter.' It was nestled in a particularly pretty part of the Citadel, windows and stonework lacing the hallways. Below that section was the Great Hall cafeteria and the kitchens, which lead to an auditorium that backed onto the dome, with its large stained-glass window providing a breathtaking focal point. The second floor also had two balcony gardens along the right and left of the building's exterior. The offices for the rebellion were tucked away on the main floor in a section forbidden to trespassing children (not that that had ever stopped her sisters from snooping). The Citadel was rife with arched and intricate doors, glowing lanterns, and coloured glass mosaics in the walls, the surfaces without adornment covered by hanging tapestries. Rich plush carpets ran along the floors. The grand basilica was fine enough to rival the most extravagant castle.
Fred pattered towards the room she shared with her sisters and careened to a halt as she turned a corner to discover a frenetic Will. Fred liked Will so far. He seemed sweet and goofy. Currently, he was pacing back and forth as if trying to pave a worn path into the cobble-stoned floor. The one outside Sky's suite. He paused by the door, faced it, and stopped wringing his hands long enough to raise a fist to the wood as if to wrap his knuckles on it. Instead, he let out an exasperated sigh and dropped his hand, beginning his pacing again.
Fred took a few tiptoes backwards, hiding herself behind the wall and peering around the corner from her obscured vantage point. She continued to observe Will's odd behaviour.
"Ummm... well, uhhh.... Goodmorning. It's Will. I just wanted to ask if ... if maybe you feel the same way I ..." He paused momentarily as if thinking. "Uggh, no!" Will shook his head furiously. "Did you cast a spell on me? Cause I've never been obsessed with a woman like this bef ... damn it!" he groaned, grasping for the right words. "I love you. I do. And I ... I just don't get how it's possible I feel so strongly so..." He smacked himself in the forehead like a lunatic. "Yes Will," he continued talking to himself, "that'll really woo her. I'm crazy about you, and I ... can i escort you to the dining ... No, no, no. Not that. Shit!" he swore. Bad word Fred chided inwardly.
Will's hands were grasping at his tousled hair, pulling like he was trying to remove handfuls, his legs automatically continuing his walk back and forth in front of her door like a griffin in a cage. "Would you like to have a romantic dinner with me? Or maybe we could go for a picnic in the jung ... ahhhhh. No, stupid! She's an angel. Hell, why would she go out with you?"
Fred watched, utterly fascinated with Will's tirade. Adults did the strangest things when they were interested in courting a person. He stopped and leaned against the opposite wall, hanging his head in obvious dismay and anguish, his back to the door. Just then, unbeknownst to Will, it opened silently, revealing an alert and curious Sky. "You're just so enchanting," he continued, as Fred cringed and considered whether to interject, "all I can think about day and night is ... is you – running my hands through your hair and kissing your beautiful lips, and I just," Will said in an emotional plea, unawares of the company, as a bemused smile spread across the Valkyrie's face.
Sky coughed. "Good morning," she interrupted, as a startled Will jumped four whole heads in the air and spun to face her, his cheeks blushing furiously. "Were you saying something? Did you need help?" She was addressing him, wrapped in a thin light-blue silk robe and animal-skin slippers.
"Uhhh..." he was silent for a good few seconds, his mouth hanging open. "I... uhhh... coffee," he grunted.
Sky nodded and gestured towards the cafeteria. "Ah, yes. They have a similar rich and caffeinated breakfast beverage here. Ask for freshly brewed lindel."
"Thanks," Will said. He was beet red. "How ... long were you ... standing there?" His voice broke in the middle of the word 'standing', a nervous obtrusive crack.
"Oh, just since I asked you what I could help with," Sky lied, playing it off like she'd heard nothing.
Fred assumed this was a gesture of kindness so Will wouldn't die of shame.
It was all so confusing really. Fred would have bragged immediately if she'd overheard something embarrassing about Winnie or Rica, even if she was the quiet and sweet one.
When Will had received the answer he'd been hoping for, he turned on his haunches and sprinted, like there was a vampire nipping at his throat, towards the previously indicated cafeteria. Sky giggled, something Fred had never seen the demi-God do, and then shut her door as she retreated back into her apartments.
Fred, her path now clear, rushed back to wake Winnie and Rica so she could report on the strange pre-mating ritual she'd witnessed. Both of her sisters would be eager to hear about this! Normally Winnie would launch a pillow at her head because Fred had woken up Winnie up, and Rica would mumble that she'd get up in a minute and then continue to sleep, drooling on her pillow and snoring loudly in an unladylike fashion.
But today Fred had news to motivate her siblings to get up in a hurry. The best type of news: boy news. At eleven years of age, Fred had no interest in any particular boy. Winnie, however, had made it clear that one day she was going to marry Joel, and Fred suspected Rica had a crush on someone in their class. Fred planned on explaining Will's blunders as a case study on what not to do when trying to woo someone, but then again, he had made Sky laugh so perhaps making a fool of one's self was the first step... Fred really wasn't sure. She was certain about most things... the answers to school questions or math problems and the solution to situations the triplets got into, but on this particular subject, she was stupefied.
But her identical sisters would have some answers.
From where Fred was standing, love looked excruciatingly painful. Like a headache you couldn't get rid of ... at least if Will was any indication. Romantic love, Fred reasoned, was something she would happily live without. It seemed a rather stupid endeavour.
***
Rica was bored. Compared to the exciting events of the prior week – sailing on the high seas, taking on a fleet of Wyvern and their Epicurean riders -- today was a monotonous droll day full of mundane tasks, classes, and even a bloody test (one she'd probably do badly on, though she wasn't overly concerned). When the triplets had returned, everyone had flocked to them for gossip on what had happened, oooing and ahhing in the appropriate places. But now the drama had died down. Very little had changed. Except that Will was almost always in the training yard with Rowan, learning how to fight like a kinetic. And there was more royalty around the Citadel to hang the hope hat on.
However, Will had been suspiciously absent from his habitual training yesterday.
Which was why Rica had coerced Fred and Winnie to help her spy on the adults. At least, mostly why (some of it could also be blamed on her aforementioned boredom). And her suspicion. When adults did things the same way over and over, and all of a sudden their routine changed, they were always up to something. After a week and a half of Laina and Will's presence at the Citadel, Will's sudden absence in the yard was an indicator that it was time to tune in to the happenings in the Rebel headquarters. Winnie had been eager enough to assist, but Fred had put up a fuss. And since their magical powers could only ever be activated when all three of them worked together, she'd had to waste valuable time convincing her studious sister.
It was a pain in the butt only having powers when working with her sisters.
"They're planning something, Fred!" Rica'd pleaded. "We need to know so we can help or they'll try to leave us out. Think about what would have happened if we hadn't been there when the Epicurean soldiers attacked. Will and Laina would have been eaten by Wyverns, or become Kraken food at the bottom of the Citnalta ocean! They never would have lived long enough to fulfill the prophecy," Rica reasoned. "The adults don't know it, but they need us."
"Fine," Fred had finally said, "I capitulate." Rica wasn't sure what capitulate meant, but from Fred's attitude it seemed like she'd given in. So now, all three of them had triangulated one of the side offices where Rowan, Joel and Sky were talking heatedly: Fred was underneath the window outside, Winnie was in the hallway on the left wall, and Rica was on the right nearest the door. When they stood surrounding a point, their magic allowed them to hear what was being said between them. They could even work together to listen to what was being thought. But that got too confusing when there were multiple targets, so today they were simply listening in on the plan being voiced.
"We don't have a choice," Rowan argued, "We need the Stragoi Vampires on our side. They have reason to join us, and they would be formidable allies. We have to go to them and convince them."
"Ludicrous!" Joel bellowed. "They're dangerous. You know I'm generally on your side, but this idea is insane."
Clearly the conversation was already pretty heated.
"Rowan is right," Sky concluded after a short pause. "The Tainted are their favourite food source. With the Tainted dwindling, they have the most reason to fear the Empire. And they are a substantial and strong force. We need them. We can't be picky."
Rica was horrified. The Strigoi Vampires were blood-sucking horrors that lived in every Tainted child's nightmares (and hers too since she'd spent so long believing that she and the rest of the Winnifred's were Tainted). They could put people without magic under a thrall, making humans submit to their treacherous and malicious whims. How could Rowan even consider joining forces with bloodsucking VAMPIRES?!
"This is crazy," Joel stressed.
"No," Rowan disagreed. "Desperate times call for bold moves. And the Strigoi aren't as bad as people say. They don't kill the Tainted. In fact, they treat them with a great deal of respect. I've done my research. It's not as simple as some would suggest. And they aren't inherently evil. Many Tainted even go to them for protection in this political climate."
Rica suspected that Joel was glaring at Rowan. If she could, Rica would be glaring at Rowan too. Though Rowan was a little intimidating so ... maybe she'd just let Joel do the glaring. Rumour was, Rowan could disarm ten soldiers in less than ten seconds ... and when the kids said disarm, they meant loose their arms (not their weapons). She was a legitimate badass.
"If we have to, but not before we at least try the Fae Folk of the Isles." Joel said.
"Of course." Rowan replied, "We'll go there first. And we'll leave tomorrow. But we need as many allies as we can get. Like Sky said, we don't have the luxury to be picky right now. We have to do whatever it takes to gather a force big enough to take on the Epicurean Empire."
Tomorrow? They were leaving tomorrow?! That wasn't good. This time Rica was certain they wouldn't invite the triplets. And she'd miss out on all the fun! Perhaps if she hid on Joel's boat... a stowaway.
"I'll tell Will and Laina to get ready to leave. We can't wait any longer, and we need a united Aary front," Rowan concluded. Rica heard steps head towards the door and so she jumped up, preparing to dash down the hall to hide behind a large planter.
"Wait," Sky called out. "There's something else I need to share with you both. About Laina."
"What?" Joel asked quickly, his voice sounding strained. Worried. "What is it?"
There was a pause.
"When I was looking for Laina's aptitudes, and I noticed that she had none... I saw something else as well."
"What?" Rowan echoed.
"If we ever discover Laina is like her mother and can do primal magic, it will be far worse than we ever imagined. She ... she has the largest source of any human or witch I have ever seen. It's enormous. More than triple what most are. Not even the ancient witches had sources that large."
"And that's a problem why?" Rowan asked.
"If she becomes too emotional and unleashes her source on the world, she could ... she could end everything and everyone on this planet. Maybe on Earth, too," Sky replied.
There was a tense pause. Rica was horrified. One witch could end two worlds? That was absolutely bonkers.
"That seems impossible. At the very least, highly unlikely." Joel paused. "Are you certain?"
Even without seeing, Rica could sense the tension in the room.
"Yes."
Rica's stomach lurched.
"How can we prevent that from happening?" Rowan inquired, her voice sounding incredibly concerned.
"Well... we could bind her pre-emptively, but that would make her go insane ... before we even knew if she could do primal magic," Sky answered.
"No," Joel said, in a decisive and authoritative tone. "Not ever gonna happen. No one is touching a hair on Laina's blonde head."
"But if that's the only way to make sure –," Rowan began.
"No!" Joel growled. "You can't condemn a girl for something she may never do. Laina deserves better than family and friends who would even consider that an option! I will never let that happen."
Rica pictured Joel and Rowan facing off. They seemed like best friends, almost always on the same team. She had no idea which of them would win.
By the way Laina and Joel had argued like Wyverns and Gryffins on the boat, Rica wouldn't have guessed he'd be so protective of her. It was a surprise, but then again, Joel was a thoughtful guy.
"What are our other options?" Rowan asked Sky.
"Well, I suppose someone can work with her, to try and help her learn how to control the magic she could hypothetically develop? Help her learn to control her emotions, too. It's a long shot -- since we don't even know how primordial magic works -- but we know there's a connection to intuition and emotion. Perhaps meditation?"
"I'll do it," Joel offered. "She's a pain in my backside, but I know how to make her angry. And I think I might be able to help prepare her in case it ever becomes an issue. Trust me, Laina isn't going to hurt a fly. I have a feeling about it. And ... we need all the help we can get right? Sky, if what you say is true, it means that if she could tap into her magic, she'd be the most powerful witch we've seen in ... well, ever, right?"
"If she could control it, and that's unlikely, then yes."
Rica had seen Rowan's skeptical look more than a few times. Fredrica suspected that was the look currently plastered across her face. Her most common looks were suspicious, skeptical, and badass.
"Well, I guess all we can do at the moment is try to prepare her." Rowan sighed deeply. "I'll let Will and Laina know we leave tomorrow. Why don't you two go do whatever it is you need to do to prepare. I need to update High Commander Jorah. I'll see you both at dinner." And with that, her footsteps clipped along the floor, heading towards Rica.
Rica scampered as fast as her legs would carry her, all the way down the hall to the triplets' meeting spot, outside on the stone bleachers near the training field. The Winnifreds had a lot to discuss.
***
At the beginning, Winnie had been uncertain about Laina.
Laina'd been easily distracted, stubborn, and wore awfully strange men's pants. But over the days on the Lady Nerthus, Laina had grown on her. The girl from Earth might have bad taste in clothes, and get easily distracted, but she also told the most incredible stories. She was nice to the triplets, too, and treated them like adults, equals, not like stupid children the way some grownups did. Sky was aloof and Rowan was intimidating, but Laina was warm and kind and friendly, like Joel. And even if Winnie's Joel sometimes looked at Laina funny, Laina was growing on her. She actually liked Laina. But Joel was hers. She'd make that clear to Laina if it ever became an issue, but it was pretty obvious Laina disliked Joel immensely so it was fine.
And the thing was, she'd felt bad for Laina when they'd found out she had no aptitudes. Winnie remembered what it felt like, believing you had no magic. The Winnifreds had grown up thinking they were Tainted. The soldiers had come to their house late in the evening, pummeling on the door and commanding to be let in. They'd tested them. No aptitudes. And so they'd been taken away at the tender age of four, and held in a bleak camp. Their parents had broken them out soon after, but their mother had died in the attempt. Then their father had found the Rebels and joined them, hells bent on finding a way to take down the Empire. So the Winnifreds had gone to the Citadel as students; somewhere that was safe and protected, away from the reach of the Empress. The Rebellion attracted parents of Tainted children, those who were Tainted themselves, or those who loved someone who was Tainted.
The triplets had discovered their magical abilities at the age of five. They were playing in the ocean, standing in a circle in the shallows, attempting to splash each other. The waves had gotten bigger and more animated with their giggles. Suddenly they'd realized the water was doing whatever they wanted: making strange shapes, splashing in loops and sploshing up in the air. It had felt amazing, manipulating the water. And then the Winnifreds had realized that when they worked together they could control what it did. That was how they discovered their elemental aptitude; their magic.
It wasn't until later that they'd realized they'd had magic all along. The triplets had assumed everyone could talk to each other mentally. Or at the very least all identical twins and triplets could. Nobody had ever asked, and they'd never questioned it. Apparently, they could only do it because they were 1/3rd touched by Wyrd. And also, shared 1/3rd of their elemental aptitude. It meant they could only do magic when they worked on it together, but together they had powers.
So, case in point, Winnie felt bad for Laina. She was rooting for the girl. Which is why, when Winnie bumped into Laina on the way to the cafeteria before dinner, when she'd looked around and not seen a single soul, when the girl had looked so forlorn and mopey, she simply couldn't contain herself. It WASN'T, Winnie concluded, 'cause she couldn't keep a secret.
Winnie blurted, unceremoniously and maybe a little loudly: "I know a secret about you!"
Winnie proceeded to spill the beans.
***
Happy Holidays, everyone! New CHAPTER finally up. How do you feel about the Winnifreds? Should they stay in school or come along for the adventure? Which Winnifred are you most like? ~ Emmy