Content warning: the third (last) section of this chapter contains sexual harassment. Once again, I re-inforce that if it exists in drow society, the content warning might apply to this fiction.I will try to keep constant warnings of where they are so those that can be triggered by it can skip them, but I might not be able to do so every chapter.
The human girl hid beneath a pile of warm blankets, seeking to conceal her body's warmth from the drow. Her brother made a really confusing trajectory before hiding behind a cold statue, trying to keep the timing in mind. Rhyldaer followed the footprints of Wendy until the chamber the girl shared with brother, but instead of entering it, he sneaked into Eirian's room, circling the bed, then stepping on the heat signature of his previous steps and proceeding to jump to a corner close to the door, carefully pulling it open to hide behind it. The small Vierafay, taking advantage of her size, hid under Wendy's bed.
"She is probably starting to seek now." Though Rhyldaer, holding the wooden replica of a rapier close to his body. The drow siblings had an unfair advantage due to their ability to adjust their view to the infrared spectrum of colors, allowing them to see heat signature. Mayrina easily followed the signature of the footsteps to the general direction they ran to, walking quickly to reach a spot before they vanished.
"Silent as always." Thought Wendy, carefully peeking from her hiding spot, the small baton held tightly to her chest, as if her life depended on it. Mayrina entered Eirian's room, her glowing red eyes carefully scanning the area – familiar with her brother's tactics, she positioned the replicas of daggers in a fighting posture, and carefully entered the room, keeping her distance from hidden spots she could not see. Rhyldaer's breath was rhythmic and inaudible, and while the drow searched for her brother, Wendy warily slid herself from out of her hiding spot to cautiously tip-toe to the wall, her back against the cold stone while Vierafay watched quietly from underneath the bed. Mayrina looked to Eirian's wardrobe, pondering about the possibility of that being her brother's hiding spot, since it was possible for the boy to crawl inside it without creating new heat signatures in the room, and carefully approached it.
Rhyldaer did not let his sister's movement distract him: if he wanted to have an advantage, he would have to narrowly time his move so that he would move from the hiding spot at the same time his sister opened the wardrobe door, which he managed to do. He approached quietly, and was ready to poke his sister with the wooden weapon when she spun around, making the boy narrowly dodge the replica dagger. Although she wasn't using all of her abilities in order to keep the game fun, she did not expect her brother to dodge by diving at the ground behind her and stretch his arm to poke at her back, and neither did she expect Wendy to dash out of her room, nearly hitting her with the baton before being poked at the chest with the other wooden dagger.
– Still too slow. – Teased the drow, making the now pre-pubescent girl grump, while at the same time congratulating her brother on the improvement of his tactics and the execution of a new maneuver using the sign language "Well done, little pest".
– It would be easier to win if it wasn't for this rule. – Complained the human.
– Yes, but that would take away half of the fun. – Replied the young noble, who only had real opportunities to have fun in the parallel world the training chambers became.
It was taxing to maintain such dynamics in their relationships hidden, but the girl and her house continued in Lolth's favor – after all, she was a chaotic deity, and as long as things favored an increase in her power and she kept receiving the demanded worshipping and sacrifices, everything else was deemed as merely entertainment in puny mortal's small affairs. Besides, letting the young lady behave that way towards non-drow subordinates would allow the evil divinity of chaos and deceit to come up with a way more taxing and effective method of testing her faith – she would wait just another couple of years to do it, and just like a spider, strike at the perfect momentum to test the young apprentice.
Three months have passed since that day. Chessafae'stra was glad of the way her children not only seemed to be learning way faster than the average, but also enjoying to increase their abilities. The dim light illuminated the enormous library, decorated with different statues and paintings, some of which were made using disturbing materials. Mayrina watched as her little brother, who now was eight years old, skillfully climbed the shelves to get the grimoire she had asked him to pick. She was so fascinated with the outstanding dexterity showing from such an early age, that she was almost surprised when the door to the room flew open, a kid just a couple of years younger than the boy coming in.
– Wasn't he supposed to use magic to do that? – Questioned the youngest sibling, since Chessafae'stra asked the second living daughter to train Rhyldaer in the use of magic as well.
– Yes. – Mayrina answered calmly, without being bothered or annoyed by the intromission. – But I want to see how far he can get without doing so.
– What if he falls? – Asked the little girl, out of curiosity.
– Then he will probably get hurt, and this will teach him that climbing up the bookshelf is a bad idea. – The priestess in training answered, while the child quietly watched the boy carefully climb the tall, five meters high bookshelf.
– Won't mom get mad? – Vierafay inquired.
– Only if that hinders his training. – Calmly answered the young lady, while the little girl curiously began to swipe through the pages of the books her older sister was reading before. Mayrina smiled, knowing that she was probably looking for figures, since she was still learning how to read. It was then that a childish voice drew the attention of both of them to the top of the shelf.
– Mayrina, I got it! – The boy exclaimed excitedly.
– Well done! – Said Mayrina, standing to catch the grimoire her brother soon threw for her, while Vierafay watched completely entertained. – Now get down from over there.
The youngest sibling laughed when her brother held on tightly to the bookshelf after looking down, something which made it clear that climbing to the floor would be way harder than climbing up. However, the smile disappeared from her face when the boy misplaced one of his feet, hanging only by his hands.
– May – His sister calmly interrupted him.
– You belong to a noble family, Rhyl. – Said Mayrina. – Use the token with the house insignia to levitate.
– He is going to fall… – Muttered Vierafay, looking at her sister to see if she was going to intervene. The boy looked at his older sibling, and Mayrina knew very well the silent request for help in his scared gaze.
– I will hardly be there to help you, Rhyldaer. If you can't protect yourself, you will die. – Said Mayrina, knowing that no matter how cruel that sounded, that was the reality of the world they lived in. The boy finally couldn't hold on any longer, and Vierafay watched with eyes widened as he plunged to the floor, the fall being interrupted only a few centimeters from the ground.
Mayrina didn't hide her smile when Rhyldaer fell from a small height after letting go of the insignia, which he managed to use just in time to avoid getting injured. He slowly opened his eyes, proceeding to look at his older sister.
– It could have gone better, but at least you didn't hit the floor like a rock. – Said the priestess in training, smiling.
– Do it again! – Vierafay exclaimed, laughing. Her childish laugh was interrupted by knocks on the door.
– No climbing the shelves again. – Said Mayrina. – Now it's time for you little pests to head to your handicraft lessons with Eirian. Besides, it's better if your brother doesn't hurt himself before your martial training.
– Alright. – Said the little girl, sounding annoyed, but then turning to her brother with a big smile on her face. – The last to reach Eirian's room is a slimy slug!
Mayrina quietly chuckled before turning to her grimoire as her younger siblings excitedly raced to the human's room, both of them eager to know what the servant, who always made very beautiful embroideries and was able to turn seemingly valueless stones into lovely handicrafts, would teach them this time.
– What does this flower smell like? – Asked Vierafay, holding the embroidery of a rose. – Are they common on the surface?
– They smell good, but I can't give a detailed explanation on how, even if they're very common in some places. – The human answered, while showing the four eager children how to produce slightly less intricate stamps, their shadows reflected on the wall by the trembling flame of the candles that illuminated the room.
– They're beautiful. Do they all look like this? – Asked the drow girl.
– They vary in colors. But that is the shape they have once they bloom. – She replied, making the siblings exchange a childish stare before their shining eyes returned to her.
– I hope we get to find out how they smell someday. – Stated Rhyldaer, as his sister nodded in agreement.
– Me too! Let's make a deal! – She proposed, excitedly.
– What deal? – The boy asked.
– The first one who adventures on the surface brings a rose back to the others! As Wendy says, pinky promise! – Said Vierafay, extending her little finger.
– Pinky promise! – He accepted, sealing the pact. Eirian concealed how she felt towards the innocence the children had, wondering for how long they would retain any of it in the grim world in which they lived.
– Can I get one too? – Asked Wendy, smiling.
– Of course! – The siblings answered almost in unison, and Vierafay reformulated the promise. – The first one who adventures on the surface brings back five roses!
– Five? – Wondered her brother, as she happily explained.
– The first to one of us, then one to Wendy, one to Mayri, one to Eirian and one to Ron. – She said, and the boy soon corrected her.
– Then make it six. Matron Chessafae'stra won't like it if we bring something for them and not for her. – Reminded Rhyldaer.
– Alright. Six. – Agreed Vierafay.
– That's very sweet of you. – Said Eirian, trying to shun away the sadness she felt when she thought about the future of the children she raised as her own and what they could become, refusing to imagine those childish smiles becoming tainted by cruelty and malice. – Just take care to don't prick your fingers in their thorns.
– We will! – Said the drow girl, before almost pricking her finger with the needle, making Wendy chuckle.
– Begin by not pricking it on the needle. – She teased, making the other children laugh.
– Ha. Ha. Very funny. – Scoffed Vierafay, before giving in and chuckling as well. As much as those skills would be rather useless for survival, they were not only a good form of learning patience and precision, since every little stitch could make a difference, but also a hobby and something that could be used as a trade if they ever came to need it or to make a special gift for someone and impress the person.
After such lessons, the children would go separate ways – the drow children would go to their martial training and the humans would take care of domestic chores. Since those were the only sort of tasks Eirian and her children tended to, Mayrina saw no need to train them in combat – however, it was only a matter of time before that proved to be a mistake. In that particular case, time meant less than one year.
Wendy was carrying a batch of recently washed clothes back to the house, now alert to predatory gazes she seemed to receive from a vast array of citizens she began to receive as soon as her body started to change – nevertheless, it was after she entered the well secured gates of the palace that she began to feel she was being followed – the girl turned around, and was met with two pairs of red eyes.
– Do you need something, my lords? – She asked politely, having been taught to socially navigate the environment she was in. One of the men whispered something to the other, that dismissed in drow sign language and approached the human.
– I saw you playing with my little brother sometimes when you were younger. You're the daughter of one of the servants tasked with helping Mayrina raise him, aren't you? – He asked, removing the basket from her hands.
– Yes sir. – She answered, alarmed by such move. Her blue eyes darted around, looking for a way out of the situation, but with the exception of the soldier accompanying Malaggar, there was no one in the dark corridor. – Is there anything you need from me? I need to put those clothes to dry, so –
– Do not worry about it, Sorn will find someone to do it in your place. I'm sure my sister will not mind it. – Said the drow, handing the basket to the soldier, that had his fair amount of doubts regarding Mayrina's alleged agreement to that, but knew better than to question his superior's orders or to meddle in the situation instead of minding his own business. – Besides, washing the clothes seems to be a task unfit for a cute little thing like you.
– I appreciate the compliment sir, but I really need to – Knowing where this was going, the human tried to talk her way out of the situation, but the man interrupted her in a way he would never dare to interrupt a woman of his own race.
– I insist. Stop worrying about this rudimentary task and come with me for a while. If someone asks, you can say I ordered you to. – Stated the Auvryana'arn Elderboy, a deceiving smile that could make anyone that didn't know better swoon in his treacherously beautiful face. Cornered, the girl hesitantly nodded, seeing the soldier carry her basket away while the noble placed his arm around her waist. She tried to move away, but he merely pulled her closer, smiling at how deviously efficient such a plan was for him – sure enough, his sister could be angry, but the worst punishment she could give him was related to using one's belongings – at the same time, not only he would be able to take advantage of an attractive human, but indirectly harm the brother he came to hate, since it was clear that his younger sibling cared about the girl.
"You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" He thought, staring at Wendy while guiding her to his chambers. The man was with his hands on the door handle, when he heard a familiar voice coming from the corridor.
– Malaggar Auvryana'arn, who gave you permission to interfere in my servant's errands? – Inquired Mayrina, badly concealing her anger.
– Pardon Mayrina, I just thought – He badly had time to try to justify himself.
– She is not a pleasure slave, and you are disrupting her chores. – She stated, gesturing for the human to come to her side, which Wendy did with enormous relief. – And do not blame the clueless soldier to whom you gave her basket. I would find out one way or another, and I'll hold you responsible if anything happens to him.
– It won't happen again Mayrina. – Said the man, in a resentful defeat.
– It's in your best interest that it doesn't. – She warned, walking away with the human. Even if he knew that her action was related to a desire to protect Wendy, he wouldn't dare to make a complaint, since it could result in him having to answer for more serious accusations, such as going over his sister's orders, subverting her authority over him or questioning the finalities she gave to her servants. Despite her being the third living child, she still was above him in station due to their genders, and as if the complaints couldn't be made even more useless, Matron Chessafae'stra treated her as if she, and not Gaussaiara, was the first daughter.
Author's ending note: I hope you are enjoying the story, and I'm counting on your feedbacks to improve my writing. A brief summary of what happens in the last part, so those who skipped it due to sensitiveness towards the issue will know what happened: Rhyldaer's older brother, Malaggar, made a move against Wendy to indirectly get to him. Thankfully, Mayrina intervened just in time to prevent the fulfillment of his ill intentions.