I just want to take the time to thank everyone for reading and to wish you all a wonderful New Year!
Aelfric's day had been Ophilia's favourite holiday for as long as she could remember, but how can you celebrate the turn of the New Year when you're ending the year worse than you started it?
Aelfric's Day
Aelfric's day was said to mark the day, some 1600 years previously, that Aelfric had called the Sacred Flame down from the heavens to seal Galdera away. As the day that ended this year and started the next, it was very much a day of new beginnings.
And it had been Ophilia's favourite day for as long as she could remember.
From what Ophilia had heard in her travels, each of her companions and friends celebrated the day differently: Alfyn would hold a feast with Zeph in Clearbrook for all to attend; he would celebrate with his village as he always had. Although, this year, there would be a new face at the table – an old apothecary who was in desperate need of starting again this new year. Tressa had plans with her family and Leon in Rippletide – a feast would also be held there, a much less cosy one.
Both Tressa and Alfyn had expressed their desire to start over in the new year as better, stronger people. The year had been good to them, so they were going to be good to the next one.
Ophilia couldn't say she felt the same.
A lot had happened to her this year and, whilst she'd definitely come out a stronger, braver person, she'd also lost a lot. However, she hadn't lost nearly as much as her sister had.
There had been a time in her life, some 15 years ago, that Ophilia had nearly given up hope. Her family dead and village destroyed by the flames of war… What hope had a five-year-old without a home to call their own? What kind of person would take an orphaned young girl off the streets and treat her like his own blood?
The kindest person in Orsterra.
Josef had pulled her up from the floor, given her a reason to dry her tears and a warm home in the coldest region of the country. He'd given her a sister to love and care for, a staff to carry and a faith in the world and the Flame that had spared her.
How easily things could've gone the other way.
How easily things could still go another way…
Ophilia shook her head. There was no place for thoughts like these on Aelfric's day.
"Liana?" She'd stood outside her sister's door for a long time before finally knocking. "Ana? I'm coming in…"
Liana was sat on her bed, back to the door. There was clearly something in her hands, something she'd been holding onto for far to long.
"Liana," Ophilia approached her cautiously, a hand out to rest on her shoulder. "Liana, put it down."
"He's not an it, Phili." Liana clutched the urn closer to her chest, hugging it as tight as a child would hug their favourite soft toy.
"I know," Ophilia knelt in front of her sister, one hand on her shoulder, the other outstretched and asking for the urn. "But you need to put him down. The people are waiting."
"Let them wait."
"Liana-"
"Phili," she looked her sister square in the eye, giving view to the red marks on her face, the pure, unadulterated sadness that had taken up residence in her once clear eyes. "I don't know how to celebrate without him."
With a tired, sad smile, Ophilia rested a hand on top of the urn. "Neither do I."
"Then let's not celebrate!" Liana's eyes went wide, staring at Ophilia with a kind of crazed hope. "Let's instead pretend that today is like all other days and go about our business as usual!"
"You know we can't do that, Liana…"
"I can't go out there and give a sermon, Phili!" Liana almost shrieked, holding her Father's ashes even closer to her chest. "I can't do it!"
"I'm not-"
"And Father wouldn't want me to! He wouldn't want me to celebrate without him!" She interrupted, practically in hysterics.
"Ana, breathe." Ophilia sat down next to her sister on the edge of the bed and gently lifted the urn free from her arms as she rubbed her back. "Brother Owen will be giving the sermon this year, I've made sure all the preparations are in place and that you'll have nothing to do with it."
"Why…?" Liana looked over at her sister in confusion. "Why would you do that? I'm the daughter of the Arch-Bishop, it's my duty-"
"It's your duty to spend today with your family." Ophilia stood up and held out her hand. "Come on."
"Where…" Liana took Ophilia's hand with a great deal of hesitation. "Where are we going?"
"You know, Ana." She smiled as she led Liana out of the cathedral. "Days like today are best spent outside."
Soon, the two girls were atop their favourite hill in the village, the one that gave view to everything and everyone as they went about their Aelfric's day preparations. Some were shopping for the finest clothes, others were trying to find the perfect meat for their family's feast; most of the villagers simply stood next to one another chatting, reminiscing on the year and asking one another if they'd be praying at the cathedral later.
Ophilia let go of her sister's hand and sat down, patting the snowy ground next to her as she settled. Soon, both girls were sat together in the snow, hands full of small, snowy wildflowers as they looked in the direction of their cathedral.
"Why are we here, Ophilia?" Liana asked after a few minutes, her voice subdued.
"Because we don't belong in there this year." The cleric tilted her head at their home. "Today is about moving on and getting stronger, neither of us need to stand around and hear what everyone in the village has to say about the kindling."
"What do we have to move on to, Phili?" Liana asked in a dreadfully sad voice.
"I don't know." Ophilia answered, quiet and subdued. "But I know His Excellency wouldn't want us to give up just because he's no longer with us."
"I… I suppose so…"
"Liana," Ophilia turned to her sister, an intricately braided flower crown in her hands – she certainly made that quick. "There's only one promise I want to make going into this new year."
"What's that?" She asked as her sister placed the crown on her head.
"That I will always be here for you, whatever you need." Ophilia smiled gently at her sister as she straightened the crown. "I promise you this."
Back when she'd first arrived here in Stillsnow, Ophilia had been lost, purposeless without any hope for the new year. But Liana had made her a similar promise, she'd promised she'd always be around to make her smile. It was that promise that got her through the hardest times of her life.
So she was going to do everything in her power to get Liana through what had to be the hardest in her own.
"Thank you, Phili." Once again, Liana's eyes filled with tears as she threw herself into her sister's arms.
So long as they had each other, Ophilia was convinced that she and Liana could make it through anything – even the first year without their father.