𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄 ; 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐃
Her fingers brush against the surface of the leaves within the bush, the color and texture spreading to her skin like wildfire. Her feet follow the young boy, keeping a distance between the two as her footsteps were far slower than his. She pulls her hand from the bush, the green fading from her fingertips as her head twists upward. "Alida!" Nimue shouted towards the Fey girl.
The girl who, as most would say, never stopped crying. Those sheer black tears that stained her cheeks forever were almost a curse. The two share a wide grin at the sight of each other, Alida hurrying over to Nimue. The two shared a warm embrace, Alida's arms tightening slightly around Nimue. "I missed you," she said as her hand rubbed her sister's back.
The two separated from the hug, Nimue resting her hands on Alida's shoulders. Her crystal blue eyes flicker down to the boy which Alida had been following. He'd been stealing items from the pockets of others, and Alida hadn't paid enough attention to notice. "Are you unaware that Squirrel has been stealing right beneath your nose?" Nimue asked her as she released a short laugh.
Nimue's hands fell to her sides, eyes focused on the younger boy dressed in green and leather. Alida tilted her head, raising a brow as the corner of her lip had tugged upward into a small, mischievous smirk. "Was it worth it?" she asked the boy, looking further down at the canteen clutched in his palms. He shrugged, eyeing the object for a moment before bringing it to his pink lips. The substance had made the boy's face contort into distaste. "Bleh!" he exclaimed while tearing the item away.
Alida snickered, using her right hand to cover her mouth and muffle the sound that had passed her lips. Nimue shook her head in almost disappointment, as if she was a mother scolding her child. Although, Alida didn't see the harm in it. He was a child, and it was probably his first taste of ale. Alida had never liked it much, either. Nimue tore the canteen from his grip, scoffing.
The boy had grunted, clearly displeased with Nimue's way of handling him. But he was quick to change the topic and parted his lips to speak. "Nimue, are you going to the pyre?" he asked her, head forced to tilt up to meet her eyes. Alida gasped, raising her hand to her mouth once again. "Have you forgotten?" she teased, smile hiding beneath the skin of her palm. Of course she had. Nimue had no interest of being summoned, and therefore saw no reason to attend. But as the high priestess' daughter, it was a requirement. Alida was too different to attend.
"Oh, the Gods," she muttered, the back of her hand touching her forehead while the other rested upon her left hip. "Mother will kill me," she said, her lips twisted into a frown now that she had been reminded of today's events. "Well, you better hurry along. I can't be there to make excuses for you." Alida's voice was an octave higher at the last sentence, practically whistling it in Nimue's ears. "I wish I could go," Squirrel piped up.
Nimue rolled her eyes, shaking her head at Squirrel. "I promise you don't," she muttered. With that, she left the reins of Old Boy in Alida's hands and stepped away.
"She would be in so much trouble if it weren't for us," Alida commented as she watched Nimue's figure fade in the distance. Squirrel had looked towards Alida, but she did not look back. "I think it's more because of you. Only you could excuse yourself out of everything," he argued, reaching a hand out to caress the side of Nimue's horse. Alida gave him a quiet hum. "Well, come with me. I better get Old Boy to his stable," Alida told the boy as she beckoned him towards her.
The two walked in a short silence, chattering in Dewdenn becoming more faint the closer the trio was to Alida's shared home. The home which she would share with both her mother and Nimue. The woman who had most certainly taken care of Alida since birth, no questions asked.
"If Nimue gets summoned," Alida broke the silence. "She won't want it. She'll want to leave so that she doesn't have to face it. If she does," Alida mentioned, her eyes stuck on her feet that peaked from the bottom of her prussian blue dress. "Do you think she will? Be summoned, I mean," Squirrel asked the brunette as his steps fell in sync with hers on her left. Alida gave him a small shrug. "I don't know for sure."
They stopped before the small hut, Old Boy being placed in his makeshift stable just next door by Alida. She sighed, twisting her body in Squirrel's direction who was standing just beside the stall. "Squirrel," she had begun to speak but a male voice was quick to interrupt her. His breaths were heavy and his eyes had been filled with fury.
"That witch sister of yours has just tried to kill Benin!" he shouted. Alida and Squirrel glanced at each other before slowly approaching the boy. Her sister was no witch. Just a magical being who had yet to learn to control her abilities. "Her name is Nimue!" Squirrel shouted, stamping his foot against the dirt. The brown substance momentarily clouded around his covered foot. "What happened?" Alida asked, tone calm as she pressed a hand against Squirrel's shoulder. She was always angry when others called her a witch, but she preferred to keep herself contained. She didn't like showing people when things got to her.
"She tried to strangle him!" he shouted, his veins prominent. Alida sighed, knowing that when Nimue would come she would not be in a good mood. And neither would Lenore. "Listen, I apologize on the behalf of my sister and for what happened to Benum. But I know she would not attack him without reason. Perhaps he should consider what he is going to say to her before he approaches," Alida stared at him with cold, hazel green eyes. The girl gritted her teeth, left hand clenching into a fist. Her fingernails dug into her palm, but only left small indents in the skin. Without another word, he turned around and left the duo.
The sky slowly fell dark, and the land around the two darkened completely. Like a light. Alida stepped back slightly, her head turning to glance at Old Boy. She parted her lips, but quickly pressed them into a thin line as the sky began to brighten again. Sunlight illuminated her pale skin, arm reaching to cover her eyes. Squirrel looked down, watching the ground transform from black to a dark brown.
"It's happened. Someone has been summoned," Alida breathed out. Alida smiled a little, ideas swarming her mind of who it could have been. If it was Nimue. Her head turned, the snapping of a twig gaining her attention. Her hair whipped around, some falling over her left shoulder as she had looked to the right. Out came Nimue's familiar figure, which made Alida crouch to Squirrel's level. Nimue, as expected, was not happy.
Pym had been trailing behind Nimue, peaking Alida's interest. "Squirrel, run back home. I'll handle my sister," Alida told him with both hands rested on either of his shoulders. He nodded, sprinting away to the center of Dewdenn. With a grunt, Alida stood to her feet with her hands by her side.
Her delicate footsteps rushed after the pair of girls, pushing her inside her hut. "What happened?" Alida asked, although she already knew. Nimue had been stuffing a bag with necessities. "You've been summoned," she whispered, placing a small hand on her chest as if she was shocked. She was, but she wasn't shocked by Nimue's reaction. She had anticipated it.
"You're what?" Pym questioned, barely hearing Alida's whisper. Nimue frantically searched the hut for her belongings. "It doesn't matter. I'm leaving. I'm getting on that ship today; it's still in Hawksbridge." Nimue hadn't looked at either of them a single time. "What?" Pym was beyond shocked.
"Nimue, slow down, you're not making any sense." Alida hadn't said much. What was she to do? She knew this would happen if Nimue was summoned, and she was. Was she supposed to get her to stay? It was her decision after all. "They don't want me here and I don't want them," Nimue argued, looking up to meet Pym's eyes. "They can burn in the nine hells."
"Who? The elders?" Pym asked. Although, she didn't give Nimue enough time to find a response. "Don't worry about what they think. They're just a bunch of shriveled onions," Pym assured her. In other circumstances, Alida might have laughed at her comment. Nimue rushed past Alida, bumping into her shoulder roughly. "Hey," she's cut short and let's out a frustrated groan.
The redhead and Alida followed Nimue who was preparing her horse for the trek. "You're mad if you think we're letting you leave on your own," Alida told her, Nimue climbing atop Old Boy. "I'll get my horse." Pym nodded in agreement. Reluctantly, Nimue agreed, but is sure to give attitude with the way she rolled her eyes. "Come on," she muttered to Pym, reaching a hand for the girl to grasp. "To Hawksbridge we go."
𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗦 : 𝟭, 𝟱𝟱𝟰
𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗗 : 𝗦𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥 𝟰 , 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬