"Kare! "
"Kare!"
The little girl's cry pierced the air as she shook the lifeless body cradled in her lap with a desperate urgency. The woman, youthful in appearance, laid before her, bathed in an excessive pool of blood. Her unusually pallid hand pressed firmly against a gaping wound near her abdomen, struggling to stem the relentless flow of crimson. Once-bright, wavy hair now lay dull and saturated with blood, painting a grim picture. The light had faded from her eyes, leaving them vacant and completely drained of life.
The little girl cried out, violently shaking the limp body laying on her lap. The limp body belonged to a woman, a young adult. The body was covered in an absurd amount of blood. Her paler-than-usual hand laid on a gaping hole near her stomach, attempting to stop even more blood from leaking out. Her once bright, wavy hair was now dull, and had hints of red, fully immersed with the blood around her. It looked as if life completely left her eyes.
In addition to her stomach, various other parts of her body had suffered extensive damage, but none more evident than her left leg. It was grotesquely twisted, a horrifying contortion that forced several bones to pierce through her broken skin, creating a macabre tableau of injury and agony.
Just one look at her and you could easily tell that she didn't have much time left in this world. In fact, one would be surprised that she was still breathing, even if albeit in small, trembling gasps.
"Heya... Ko," the woman breathed out, her voice hoarse and strained, a stark contrast to her typically cheery and carefree tone. The roughness in her voice sent a shiver down the little girl's spine, unaccustomed to hearing such a tone.
The woman took notice and summoned her signature grin in an effort to soothe the girl's anxiety. However, the usual joyous impact of her smile was completely gone, tainted by the blood trickling from her lips.
"Startled by your own sister? You wound me so," Her voice was hoarse but still had a sliver of a teasing tone to it.
The little girl, she couldn't be more than 5 years old, stared at the woman, attempting to stifle her sobs. It was only when she was reasonably certain her voice wouldn't betray her emotions that she finally spoke.
"Sto..." Her voice still cracked despite her efforts, and she inwardly cursed herself before mustering the resolve to continue. "S-Stop joking."
"Watcha' mean?" The woman feigned innocence, her voice full of mirth, "No idea whatcha' talking 'bout."
The little girl clenched her teeth, frustration evident in her voice as she snapped, "Don't you see the state you're in?" Tears flowed down her cheeks, tracing the path of those that had come before.
"'s all because of him! That greedy, selfish, asshole-"
"Language," the woman interjected gently.
"-is why you're like this! He was never going to help our clan. He was going to take advantage of everyone!" She took a moment to stifle the sobs that threatened to overwhelm her once more.
The little girl continued, her voice quieter this time, laden with sorrow. "When the clan finally saw a chance to grow... a chance for our future clan members to thrive... guess what he did... he killed that chance." She paused for a moment, carefully choosing her words, "He had no right ."
The woman's grin faded, and her gaze shifted from the little girl to the ceiling, "Ko, he was our king, chosen by Aten. You saw the cerem-."
"No!"
The woman in her lap flinched at the sudden volume. "He could be a king, a god, Aten's messenger... I don't care!" She took a shaky breath, growing increasingly agitated. "This chance was prophesied for centuries by our clan... you were the prophesied one, you were the chosen one! ... and! a-and... you were..."
The little girl inhaled shakily, looking down at the floor, " ..You were...you are...my sister..." Her last words were no louder than a whisper, but the woman heard her clearly.
The woman returned the little girl's gaze, her own breath shaky, each inhalation a reminder of the sharp pains in her ribs. "..Ko... you should leave," she said, changing the subject.
The little girl looked at the woman, confused, "...His majesty may come...I don't know of his plans anymore...you...you should go..." she explained, followed by a bloody chain of coughs.
"Huh.." She mused weakly, "I've had a huge hole in my stomach, and we just had a full-fledged conversation. Pretty strong, ain't I." She said, and winked, trying to brighten the mood.
"Yea," the girl agreed, her voice filled with admiration. "You've always been strong, Kare... you've always been... the strongest..." Her voice trailed off. "You were strong enough to kill him. So... why... why didn't you?"
The woman remained silent, her thoughts weighed down by the unspoken truth.
The girl restrained her frustration, her voice carrying a tinge of resignation. She gazed at her sister, who was now struggling to stay conscious. "It's because of that unwavering loyalty of yours," she murmured softly. "You wouldn't let go of it, even when your life was at stake."
The woman's eyes flickered, and she managed a faint smile. "Our clan... our family... they needed someone to believe in, someone to uphold our values," she rasped, her words punctuated by labored breaths.
Tears welled up in the little girl's eyes as she leaned closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "But, Kare, you're important to me too," she choked out, "I can't bear to lose you like this."
"Why?" The question escaped her lips as a tortured sob, and then it erupted into a relentless torrent of hysteria. Her voice cracked and trembled, each "Why" more desperate and gut-wrenching than the last. Her breaths came in ragged gasps as she spiraled into a frenzy, repeating the word like a broken record. "Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?"
The woman remained silent for a moment before she finally spoke, her voice barely more than a whisper. "A-"
"Aten's Will," the girl finished for her, her voice tinged with bitterness, "Aten's Will this, Aten's Will that. Don't you have a will of your own?" Her words hung in the air, heavy with frustration.
The woman managed a fragile smile, her bloodied hand trembling as she gently cupped her sister's cheek, "You're not goin' to send 'yer sister off screamin', are you?"
"Then at least call me Onee-chan for these last few moments," she earnestly requested, her voice quivering with emotion. "Pretty please?"
The girl sniffled, her lip quivering, and then she looked down, almost afraid of the words about to escape her mouth, "Kare...Onee-chan... are you really going to...y'know..."
he woman's vision grew blurrier by the second, her surroundings reduced to indistinct blobs of color and the worried expression on her sister's face.
"Hey...Ko..smile for me, kay?"
"Onee-Chan, that's your thing." The girl responded while a small exasperated simper made its way on her lips.
The woman let out a hoarse chuckle. "Well.. There ain't gonna be no me left in this world. Why don't ya take over for me, kay?" and she let out one of those rare genuine smiles of hers.
The girl remained silent, her brow furrowed in disbelief, ensuring she had heard her seemingly absurd sister's words correctly. "What?" she finally managed to utter, her voice tinged with incredulity.
"I'm just saying, Ko, be happy," the woman whispered, her voice barely audible. "At least, for my sake?" It was a plea, tinged with hope, as she edged closer and closer to death.
The girl sighed in exasperation at her sister's antics, but she wasn't able to hide her smile, "Sure...why not."
The girl sighed, a mix of exasperation and affection for her sister's playful spirit. "Sure... why not."
The woman's grin widened, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "Well, open up your ears real wide, 'cause your sister's about to give you the lesson of a lifetime, literally." She chuckled, her laughter tinged with warmth. The girl didn't find it funny.
"First! Ya' gotta have more vocabulary under your belt than just 'Uh-huh." or "Hn". Talk some more, why don't cha'. People won't know how cute 'yer little voice is if you keep quiet~" The little girl shot her a mock glare, while the woman continued to grin.
"I've memorized the entire Amarna dictionary. I do not need you to comment on my vocabulary."
"Then use it! Show everyone the genius my little sister is!"
"Fight some strong guys for me, kay?" The little girl's glare intensified, "You gotta' show the rest of the world the power of my successor!" The woman reasoned, "Try it out a few times, if you don't like it then, just don't do it. But the rush of adrenaline, the wind in your hair, the look of despair in 'yer opponent's face! Ooh! It's just. so exciting!!" The woman giggled mirthfully, entertained by the look of disgust on her sister's face.
Then, the woman got quieter, her voice sounding more sincere, "And y'know, as anti-social as you are, you're bound the make some friends sometime, soon..." She paused. " Well, maybe not soon, but by the blessing of Aten, you've gotta live long! So find some people to enjoy it with! Point is, 'yer gonna make some friends, sometime, somewhere..."
"...and when you find some you really love, ya' better make sure ya' follow them to the ends of the Earth." The woman let out a hoarse chuckle "Speakin' from experience here, a lifetime full, eh?"
The little girl's stern expression melted away, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as the harsh reality of their situation pressed down on her. "Sure..." Her voice was gentle yet resolute. "I promise..."
The woman flashed a grateful grin, but it quickly gave way to another bout of violent coughing. The girl waited anxiously, seconds feeling like an eternity, but her sister's coughing only intensified, blood pooling at her lips. She could only watch, her eyes brimming with tears, helpless in the face of her sister's suffering.
When the coughing finally subsided, the woman turned her gaze toward the little girl, her grin still there, albeit fainter, blood now staining her chin. She struggled to speak, her voice even more strained than before.
"Remember, Smile For Me. 'Kay?"
In the dimly lit room, her sister's body went entirely limp, succumbing to the relentless grip of death. The air hung heavy with a solemn, almost suffocating silence, broken only by the girl's shallow and trembling breaths.
As she sat besides her sister, she hesitated for a moment, her small hand inching closer to the lifeless wrist. The room seemed to close in on her, the memories of their shared laughter and shared secrets swirled around her, a bittersweet reminder of the life that had just slipped away.
With great care, her fingers made contact with her sister's wrist, the skin cold to the touch. She pressed two fingers against it, her heart pounding in her chest, hoping against hope for a sign of life.
The room's stillness was suffused with tension as she waited, each passing second feeling like an eternity.
There was no pulse.
The little girl's eyes brimmed with tears, their shimmering gloss a testament to the deep well of sorrow within her. Her hands quivered as she delicately cradled her sister's lifeless hand, placing it gently between her own. With a heavy heart, she lowered her head and began to murmur a soft, mournful prayer, her words carrying the weight of grief and longing for the one she had lost.
"Ih stentru ouyx ton hets odgf howv edcreats ust llaz. Ayml ouyx rnretut ton hets neon howv edforml ouyx omfrq stdut. Ayml ouyx bed edfred omfrq uryon nssih ndaz edplacb ngamon sethon ofe ngdeservih ofe hets sthighed sepraih. Ayml uryon ulson bed eefrq orfe llaz tyeternih."
She took a deep breath.
"Alv. "
She managed to utter all the words of her prayer without a single stutter, her voice unwavering, but as the final word escaped her lips, her composure crumbled. She could no longer contain the overwhelming sorrow that had been building within her. With a heart-wrenching sob, her eyes released a torrent of uncontrollable tears. Her fingers released her sister's lifeless hand, grasping instead at the tattered remains of her sister's clothes.
Bent over her sister's lifeless form, guttural sobs wracked her body, tearing through her chest like a hurricane of grief, as she wept uncontrollably into her sister's motionless body. The room, empty and lifeless, echoed with her agonizing cries—a mournful tribute to the loss of her last kin.
"I promise...I'll be happier than you ever were...I'll be happy enough for the both of us."
Published 11/5/19
Edited 9/24/2023