Sibyl stared into the hallway mirror, pale fingertips touching her thin reflection. She traced the dark circles under her eyes, the cheeks that never wanted to regain their color from youth. Had she always been this way? Or were the details of her news eating away at her crumbling bravery, gnawing at her health along the way? She silently vowed never to keep a secret so large again. The pressure was too great a burden to bring upon her mind.
"Mother, Father," she whispered, letting her hand drift back to her side, "I am...no, not like that." Sibyl shook her head. "You are twenty-five years of age, Sibyl. Keep your thoughts intact, will you?"
She straightened her posture, thinking. "I have an announcement: I'm going to hunt…" She slapped her forehead. "No, no, that's all wrong. Why do books never teach us these things?" Her hand slid down her face, taking a loose strand of black hair with it. "You do not have the scourge, it should not be this difficult. Make it simple, Sibyl. Make it-"
"Sibyl, darling! Come down for supper!"
Her heart flipped in her throat.
"Yes, mother!" The fear in her expression was not cloaked by the mirror. Sibyl swallowed hard, adjusted her low ponytail, then turned and descended the creaky wooden stairs, pasting a smile upon her face as she wandered towards the dining room.
"There's our lovely Sibyl," her father remarked fondly. "Reading about chivalrous knights again?"
She took a seat at the table, smoothing out the skirt of her plain dress. "History, mostly, but I suppose that's close enough."
"If you want to call the murderous Healing Church knights," her mother sneered.
"Not at the table, dear."
"Sibyl," she continued, " you would be better off looking to men of real stature. Heaven knows you won't find any here."
"Then how do you explain our father?"
Sibyl smiled at her sister's addition. Ah, sweet Greta. Ailing since she was a baby, yet intelligent beyond her fourteen years of life.
"There are exceptions, Greta," their mother replied, "but not many. Your sister was wise to take on employment as a book shop's assistant rather than submitting to a Yharnamite marriage. The nerve of those callers…"
"Settle yourself, Rebecca."
Rebecca raised an eyebrow. "I make a fair point, Ancil."
The family quietly settled into their meal, as was the usual. Idle chatter crossed the table, but Sibyl cycled through her thoughts over and over again, focusing on the painting just behind Greta's head. As she recalled, this particular decoration was entirely her father's choice. A Hunter walked beneath the bright light of the moon, boots clicking along Yharnam's stone streets. He wielded a sharp, curved blade in his right hand, folded down to allow him easier passage, and a simple pistol in his left. Ancil had quite the admiration for Hunters, regardless of the organization they answered to, but never possessed the will to become one himself. Sibyl had asked before, but he always blamed it on physical incapability. She didn't believe that for a moment. Still, as she stared at the painting, her mind briefly fluttered with hope.
"Sibyl?"
She jumped at Rebecca's voice. "Yes, mother?"
"You've hardly touched your supper," Rebecca said, frowning. "Is something the matter?"
"No, I-"
"If it's about the doctor's latest visit," Greta began, "I told you I'll be fine. I've made it this long, haven't I?"
"Of course," Sibyl replied, fiddling with her hands. "You've always been a strong girl. I...I've just been thinking."
"What about?" asked Ancil.
Sibyl set her hands on her lap and squeezed them together. She could hardly recall how long she had rehearsed this announcement. Days. Weeks. Perhaps more than a month, at this point. Even with all of that practice, though, her mouth threatened to never speak of the matter. She cleared her throat and glanced at her family.
"I...would like to tell all of you something," she began. "I meant to tell you earlier, but it's been difficult, finding a way to announce it."
Greta tilted her head. "Have you found a suitable match, after all?"
Sibyl smiled a bit as their mother rolled her eyes. "No, Greta. They would have to break down the front door to gain access, if that were the case. Mother wouldn't have it any other way."
"I would break them first," Rebecca muttered, sipping her tea.
"In any case," Sibyl continued, "my news has nothing to do with the agonizing process of courtship."
She hesitated again and looked down, hating herself for it all the while. It was a simple fact, a statement, an account of what she had been up to in recent days. She feared their reactions, but there was no other way for her to know their thoughts on the matter. After a few moments of silence, Sibyl glanced at the painting once more.
"I'm going to become a Hunter for the Healing Church."
Sibyl didn't dare look at her family, not while the silence was so suffocating. She pressed her hands together again and waited for someone, anyone, to speak. The gentle ticking of the entrance hall's clock, ordinarily soothing, was about to drive her mad.
"Sibyl," Ancil finally said, dark eyebrows knitted in concern, "are you certain about this?"
She nodded. "I've been certain for two years, father. The doctor has already cleared me for good health. I should be fit to leave for recruitment tomorrow."
"I don't rightly care what the doctor cleared you for," Rebecca seethed. "No daughter of mine will offer herself up as a lamb for the slaughter."
"Rebecca, please-"
"Don't." Rebecca held up a hand, silencing her husband. "We have been over this numerous times, Sibyl. You do not owe those fanatics anything."
"They saved Greta," Sibyl replied, her tone steady. "Without the Church's Hunters, where would she be? I wish to give back to the city in one of the only ways I know how."
"You give them enough."
"Then I wish to give more. I can serve as protection for this city and for my family."
"You will bring those murderers right to our door!"
Sibyl flinched at her mother's rising volume. Rarely was such a tone used against her. She allowed Rebecca to regain some of her composure.
"You have been taking care of Greta for years now," Rebecca continued. "Perhaps more than you should have, but our standing gave us no other choice. That's what happens when Yharnamites see one of their own bring in an outsider. However, we made the best of it by not drawing attention to ourselves. If you join their ranks, who's to say they will not target your sister? Moreover, who will be here in your stead, should the Church's practices consume you?"
She hated that term. Consume. As if the Church were some strange monstrosity waiting eagerly to swallow its followers whole, crafted out of a nightmare.
"I've already arranged for my absence," Sibyl replied. "One of my old classmates will tend to Greta. She knows her condition well enough to understand her needs."
"And, if I may, mother," Greta interjected, "the nearby clinic has already gone over my diagnosis. They don't know exactly what it is, but it is decidedly not the beastly scourge. If it was, I would still be in said clinic."
"That is not the point."
"I believe it is," Greta continued, undeterred. "The Church has no reason to visit our home if they have no evidence of scourge. I've been told as much by numerous doctors. Sibyl should not be restricted from her wishes on my behalf. She's taken care of me long enough."
Silence floated around the table once more. Rebecca's eyebrows slowly shifted from angered to...Sibyl wasn't quite sure what emotion it was. Fear. Frustration, maybe.
"You make a fair argument. I shouldn't hide behind your illness, dear." Rebecca sighed, looking at Sibyl. "I worry what those Church Hunters will feed you, and I'm not thinking of food. They're a particularly violent sort, Sibyl. Surely you understand this." Her gaze flickered towards the table briefly. "I don't want to lose you to their fanatic ways or to the scourge itself. But you are an adult, highly capable of making your own decisions. In the end, I know I cannot stop you from leaving for the Great Bridge at sunrise, just as I could not keep you from all Yharnamite practices. As much as it pains me, this is your path to forge."
Sibyl blinked a few times. She expected more of a consistently raging response, but there was only sadness in her mother's expression. She reached over and patted Rebecca's hand.
"I like to think I learned something about personal responsibility from you," she remarked, smiling a bit.
Rebecca chuckled quietly, interlocking their fingers. "That you did." She gestured for Greta's hand. Soon, the whole family joined hands in a hushed circle. "Ancil, I know this is an odd request from me, but...say a Yharnam prayer for our daughter. Please."
Ancil nodded. Sibyl bowed her head, tuning in to her father's gentle voice.
"May the heavens watch over your treacherous journey. May your blade swing true. May you find mercy in your deeds, compassion in the night. Protect our fair Yharnam, kind Hunter, and bring to her the cleansing moonlight."
Rebecca squeezed her hand. A pause hovered between them before they closed the prayer with a phrase Sibyl had heard more times than she could count.
"Bless us with blood."
/~/~/~/~/~/
Sibyl stared out her bedroom window, the rooftops of Yharnam mere silhouettes against a moonlit sky. She'd couldn't remember how long ago she rose from her bed and propped her elbows on the windowsill. All she knew was that her eyes were heavy, but her mind was more than awake.
She had always heard stories of the gathering of willing citizens on the Great Bridge, but never did she think she would get to be a part of it. Perhaps if she hadn't witnessed Greta being snatched just out of reach of a beast's bloodied claws, the thought would have never crossed her mind. But it had been two years since that incident, and the idea hadn't left since. Still, the thought of leaving for a life dedicated to the Hunt was daunting, at best.
A short squeaking noise startled her out of her thoughts. She turned towards her door and sighed.
"Greta," she whispered to the sweet face peeking through the doorway, "what are you doing up? You should be sleeping."
"I know." Greta slipped into the room and carefully shut the door behind her. "But I won't be awake to see you, so...I wanted to say goodbye."
Sibyl walked over to the bed and sat on the end, patting the spot next to her. Greta made her way over and sat down, immediately grabbing one of Sibyl's hands. Even with all of the sickness rendering her frail, Gretas hands were still as soft as a child's.
"They're not locking me away, silly," said Sibyl. "Once I'm through with training, I'll come visit. Assuming mother will allow me into the house donning the Church's garb, that is."
Greta shifted a bit. "Are you scared?"
"A little," Sibyl answered truthfully. There wasn't much she could do to hide that fact. "I have a great legacy to live up to, after all. You and I both know how formidable Hunters are, not to mention the one in charge of the Healing Church Hunters. I don't expect to become that successful."
Greta shrugged. "You never know. What their leader has to offer in strength, perhaps you could offer something else in a different skill."
"Seeing as I barely have any strength in my arms, I suppose that will have to do."
"I think they could use someone as intelligent as you, Sibyl."
"Are you suggesting they're all dullards?"
"No!" Greta shook her head furiously. Sibyl chuckled. "I'm saying that you may be able to help them in ways they haven't thought of yet. Maybe you'll be the one to discover the cure for the beastly scourge."
Sibyl snorted. "Someone is certainly hopeful on my behalf."
"Aren't you?"
"I just wish to pass the initial training. If I do that, then my efforts will be worth something."
"Your efforts are always worth something, Sibyl." Greta patted her hand. "Just because you've been sitting in one place all of this time doesn't mean you weren't contributing to something smaller. But I don't think you were meant to keep all of your skills to yourself forever. You're meant to share them with whomever you please. Just...come back to us eventually. The house won't be the same without you."
Sibyl sighed and pulled her sister into a hug. "And my life won't be the same without seeing your bright face everyday." Greta giggled a bit. "But you're right. I can't dwell in the shadows anymore. I just hope this will be enough to pull me out of them."
"If it is, bring a piece of the Church back to me. I want to see how long it takes Mother to notice."
"Greta!" Her sister let out a string of giggles. "You'll kill her if she finds anything of that sort in your room."
Greta coughed a bit. "Oh, she won't die. After all, you certainly didn't kill her with your news."
Sibyl rolled her eyes. "Please behave yourself while I'm gone. You may be ill, but that doesn't stop you from crafting your own brand of mischief."
"Ah. I thought you hadn't figured me out."
"No. I just chose to ignore it."
"And you call me sneaky."
Sibyl laughed and released Greta from the hug, squeezing her hands gently. "Off to bed with you, now. We both need our rest."
Greta slowly stood up and wandered back towards the door. Her stride was steadier than normal. Sibyl could only hope it would remain that way while she trained for the Hunt. After she opened the door, Greta turned around again, her dark curls swaying ever so slightly as she did so.
"Sibyl?"
"Yes?"
Greta glanced down at her feet, then back up again. "I'm proud of you. I know you'll make Yharnam proud, too." Before Sibyl could speak, Greta slipped out of the room and quickly shut the door behind her.
Sibyl's gaze drifted towards the thin beam of light the moon was casting upon her bedroom floor. Soon enough, she would be living in its brilliant radiance alongside other new recruits. She climbed into bed and stared at the window. All of her quiet aspirations culminated into this one act. For wiith the dawn came a new life, one in which she desperately desired to succeed.
She shut her eyes, silently praying for sleep to take her before the sun's blazing rays bathed Yharnam in golden light.
A/N: A third fic has taken hold. I'm not quite sure how or why, but I think I noticed a slight lack of Ludwig fics and subconsciously decided to fill the void. It kind of snowballed from there. This should be updated alongside my other fics, but it's definitely going to be slow-going. At any rate, I hope you enjoy!