Chapter Two

Two years after my mother's death, something happened that shattered the tranquility in our house. Madame Ariela Chemise, the youngest of five daughters of a noble lord who lived near the capital city, was quite a scandal. She was indeed beautiful, with blonde hair, eyes the color of the ocean, and a charming smile. Many held her in high esteem, but it was not for her accomplishments. Ariela had many affairs and was far too flirtatious with everyone, even married men. She had two daughters whose fathers were unknown, for they looked nothing like Ariela's first two husbands, and only a little like Ariela herself. She had even flirted with my father right after Mother's funeral! She had no morals when she was trying to get what she wanted and few knew that she was as ruthless as she was beautiful.

On her way to another of the grand parties (which she seemed to attend constantly) dressed in a flashy and provocative gown, she had the bad fortune to run across a rather upset fairy. Not many fairies live in Alansia anymore, and they are not always recognizable. Their wings remain hidden unless they choose to spread them to fly, so many look like humans. They always have something odd about them though, and that was this fairy's depressing predicament. Her ears were off center, one being higher up than the other and both of them being rather pointy. The fairy had fallen rather deeply for a human man somewhere, or so someone said who knew the man. But the man had spurned her for her oddities and run off with a beautiful woman. Instead of taking her anger out on the man she had loved, she decided to take it out on someone else.

The fairy decided that beautiful women who went around stealing other's beaus were terrible creatures who deserved to be punished. She finally came across Ariela, fixing her makeup in her coach. The fairy stopped the coach with her magic. Ariela burst out of her coach, demanding to know why they were stopped. When she saw the fairy, she did not know quite what to think, I'm sure. The fairy looked at the outrageous looking Ariela and cursed, "You scandalous woman! I shall put an end to this right now. You shall marry the first unmarried man you see and remain faithful to him for the rest of your life!"

At this moment, some cruel twist of fate brought my father along the road, returning home from a diplomatic mission. He came across Ariela's coach, and stopped to see if they were having any troubles that he could assist them with. Then he saw the fairy in full. She spread her wings and rose into the air a little, hovering just long enough to explain the curse to my father. Then she flew away, leaving Ariela and my father to stare at each other, both of them repulsed by the idea of marriage. At last, my father arranged a meeting with her at a later time, rushing home to inform us of the awful news.

In a month, my father and Ariela Chemise were to be married. That meant she would be coming to live here, in our precious manor. Ariela would be presiding over our home, a thought that truly bothered almost the entire household. Eidyia in particular objected strongly to it. First of all, she informed me, Ariela was a terrible influence and I must never model my behaviors after hers. I think some of her discontent also radiated from the fact that she knew my father well, and knew that he could never love again after the death of my mother. It was miserable, knowing that we would all have to tolerate Ariela and her horrible daughters.

We refused to let her have any of Mother's things, and hid them all in our attic. Until now, Father had left most of her things where they had been. It had been too difficult to put them away, as if we were putting Mother out of our minds as well, something that had been painfully impossible during the past two years. Now we had to put everything away and hide it.

Eidyia presided over the packing, and everyone else in the household let her. She brought me with her to help pack away the clothing from the master bedroom. I watched as dresses and gowns and robes were packed way in carved chests, ready to be hauled up to an attic where none ventured. My governess also packed away coffers of jewelry and accessories. Some of them she showed to me, magnificent works of silver, gold, and gems. One I recognized, a silver charm set with a single pearl, dangling from a length of silver chain. Another that I admired was an opal ring, with flecks of color in the gem that burned like fire.

"Are all these Mother's?" I asked, wide eyed at the wonders before me. Eidyia finished wrapping a pair of pearl earrings and tucked them into a box.

"Yes, they all belonged to Pasiphae. A good deal of them belonged to her mother before her, too. Just as they will all belong to you someday." That filled me with excitement and anticipation, although I couldn't quite picture myself in my mother's jewels. They were Mother's and I wouldn't be able to help thinking of her whenever I wore them. Suddenly, I was very sad, and felt a new wave of grief wash over me. Eidyia watched me staring out the window as I sat on a little stool by the trunks.

"Don't fret, dear," she comforted, walking over to kneel down in front of me. "Everything will turn out all right in the end. You still have your father, and he will always be there."

"But I don't want a new mother," I finally exclaimed. "And this Ariela lady sounds awful! The cook says that her daughters are mean and stupid, and I don't want mean, stupid sisters. Why can't our family stay the way it is?" I looked at Eidyia, a slight pout forming, even though I couldn't ever recall pouting before. Eidyia looked as if she didn't know quite what to say now.

"No one wants her to come here, Chryseis. But sometimes things happen that we do not intend. It's not a good answer, but it is the best I can give. All we can do now is do what we must." With that, she went over to pick up the last ring and set it in the nearly full box. Closing the lid, she handed it to me so I could put the little wooden box in one of the trunks. Reluctantly, I took the box from her and hopped down off my stool to tuck the box away between the soft folds of Mother's dresses.

Mother's things were all safely stored away before Ariela married my father. Our house was prepared for their arrival. There had to be new bedrooms set up and maids hired to wait on them. We hoped that they would not interfere with our lives much, but knew that our hopes would likely be in vain. Ariela and her daughters would change everything, and we were powerless to stop it.

In the temple, on the day of the wedding, I met my new step-sisters and step-mother for the first time. As children, we were the first part of the procession up the aisle. I had been put into a violet dress by my nurse, simple but elegant. I felt as if I were far too dressed up, even for a wedding. Then I saw Amerisia and Cyala walk up to me. They were both wearing pink frilly dresses that looked embarrassingly lavish. Each dress was covered with more bows and lace than I thought possible to fit on a gown, but these two girls proved that even the impossible can be possible. In my opinion, they looked ridiculous; although I'm sure they thought they looked lovely.

When we met, I gave them a careful curtsy and introduced myself formally. "Olehna, Amerisia and Cyala Chemise. I am Chryseis Annorise of Llyr. It is a pleasure to meet you." I had practiced saying this so I would not make a mistake, but from my pauses, one could tell where I had memorization mistakes. The girls didn't seem to care much anyway.

They bent their knees in some bare semblance of a curtsy and mumbled "Lady Crisis." They were glaring at me as if I were something to be despised. From then on, I disliked my two new sisters with a passion. We never got along, from the moment we met. They were always so impressed with themselves, and I thought they were both fools who needed to be taught a lesson.

All three of us were given little baskets of flower petals to strew along the aisles where the bride and groom would walk. When we were sent forth to perform our task as light music played in the background, I dragged, as if it were not a wedding march that was playing, but a funeral dirge. I felt as if this was leading to something awful rather than something joyous. I let the flower petals fall on the carpets as I made the way for my father, but I felt like throwing the basket and acting like a young child

I was just a young child then, too young to be able to do much of anything. When I saw how childish and silly the other girls were, it did not occur to me to think that perhaps I was not acting my own age. In my years as a single child striving to someday take on the burden of my inheritance, I had grown up and gained a sense of age beyond my years. Now, I had little tolerance for those were not the same, and so was frustrated at my soon-to-be-stepsisters' giggles from the back of the temple.

My father walked down the aisle looking despondent, and I felt sorry for him. I watched him walk up to the altar as quickly as possible. No one noticed the look of displeasure on his face when he got there, for that was when Ariela burst into the temple. If I thought her daughters looked ridiculous, then Ariela looked completely absurd. She was all at once revealed but covered. The top of the dress clung to her, more daring than a decent wedding dress should be. The bottom flowed out, a mass of frills and lace. All of it was covered in sequins and trimmings and trappings. On her head was a white feather headdress also covered in what she must have thought to be finery. Her veil was even adorned with little white sequins. What was worse, she and her awful daughters had horrid grins on their faces, looking as if they had just won a great prize.

And so my father was wed to Ariela, and so the happy term of my young life ended. When we finally were forced to take Ariela to our home came the worst shock of all. She stepped out of the coach, followed shortly thereafter by her two awful daughters, who were this time both dressed in completely hideous orange dresses. I remember the greedy look in her eyes as she surveyed our manor and lands. She gazed at our property with a contented smile on her face. I could tell that she thought that she would own this. However, I knew better. Father had sworn that she would never own an acre of our land. Everything was in my name now, with my father as guardian. Everything would be inherited by me when he passed away. It was our only consolation now.

When Ariela spoke, she spoke to her daughters. "At last, a home befitting our stature. This manor needs someone to manage it properly." She turned to my father. "Perhaps you are fortunate after all that you have married me. I'll set everything in order. After all, every baron needs a baroness," she said in an odd voice. "If I'm not mistaken, my Amerisia is a year older than Crisis…"

"Cry-see-is!" I corrected. Ariela just glared at me and continued as if she had not heard me.

"It is fortunate that Amerisia is eldest, so that Llyr will have a proper baroness after I pass on. I rather like the sound of that." She was now speaking to herself more than anyone else. "Baroness Ariela Llyr." This is where my father finally broke down. He was usually a man of infinite patience, but listening to them carrying on like this was killing him.

"Llyr is my wife's title, and I am only the guardian of that title. I am baron in name only, but not by blood. This marriage to me does not give you the title or any rights to this land. There is already a Baroness of Llyr." He said it calmly, in his diplomatic voice, but I knew that he as trying to contain his anger. Ariela sneered at him.

"And who is that?" she demanded. "Your wife is dead." Her words were cruel, and I was filled with anger. How could she be so spiteful?

"Chryseis." The answer was simple, but it had an enormous impact on Ariela. Father elaborated his statement. "It was arranged that she should come into ownership of all the Llyr estate and fortune should her mother die, with myself only acting as guardian until she comes of age to take her place." The fury contained in Ariela and her daughters was apparent. Once my father went to take care of things with his steward, Ariela pulled me inside, followed closely by her daughters. When we made it to a quiet hallway, she turned on me.

"Listen, girl. Things are going to change around here. You may have been a little heiress before, but you're not so special anymore. Don't fancy yourself to be anything more than a child, and there will be no trouble."

Then she turned away, calling for a servant in a loud, shrill voice. Lorna, a housemaid, came down to answer the call. She curtsied to Ariela, a terrified look in her eyes. She must have felt so intimidated by this new woman who had marched in and disrupted all of our lives. "Girl, take us to our rooms, and find someone to bring in our things. We don't want to have to live in such conditions without the comforts of home." Lorna scrambled off to fulfill their wishes fearfully. She had always been rather skittish.

Ariela glared over at me with a look in her eyes that almost scared me. "From now on, girl, I am the mistress of this house." She was quick to anger, and I knew that she hated me. After all, I was the ruin of all her plans. She had been there when the Queen spoke to her husband about me, and now that thought was festering in her mind. Ariela's pride was great, and she recoiled at the thought that someone might be above her daughters. She knew who the rightful duchess of Llyr was, and she knew that she could not claim that title while I was present. So she fumed with quiet resentment until my father left.

My father was very diplomatic about the marriage. He made sure that Ariela was provided for. By law, she had the rights to half of my father's fortune, but all of Mother's fortune and property he had transferred to my name. She could not touch a bit of the Llyr estate while I was still Baroness. When he explained that she would not be given part of the Llyr inheritance, she was livid. He left the next day, to journey to the capital and ask for a mission from his king. Before he went, he said goodbye to me and promised to write. Eidyia was to care for me, and he left orders with Ariela not to interfere with my well being, or he would not be so diplomatic and understanding.

As soon as he was gone, Ariela and her daughters began to show their true colors. My nurse was made to serve them so constantly that I hardly saw her anymore. Eventually, she left our service, apologizing to Eidyia profusely. She would not stay and serve the rotten Chemise girls. Many other servants left as well, unable to stand the manor's new occupants. Ariela replaced them with simpering fools who waited on herself and her daughters hand and foot. I was ignored, for the most part, but I wasn't upset by that. For my part, I was happy to avoid my new step-family and their ridiculous staff.

It was Eidyia who cared for me, just as she had since my mother died. She patiently taught Amerisia and Cyala what she could, but at night, she would teach me far more. Besides that, she made sure that I was dressed properly and had everything I needed. She made sure that I ate when I was supposed to and all the things my nurse would have done. Eidyia was the only one I had left. She was young, but still had a certain measure of maternal instinct.

I was foolish enough to ask her one night why she didn't leave like the rest of the servants. She simply shook her head, a few straight strands of dark hair shaking loose. "It is my love for Llyr that keeps me here," she told me. "And you, Chryseis. I won't abandon you, no matter what comes. I promised your mother I wouldn't." I always remembered her words, for they have always reminded me that no matter how bad things were, I still had two things: a love for my home and someone who would always care for me.

At night, I could hear the patter of feet in the hallway or the calls of one of my stepsisters, demanding that someone do something for them. They were spoiled rotten, and loving their new-found fortune. Once, even I was awoken by Cyala, who demanded that I get up and make her a cup of hot cocoa. Angrily, I told her that I was not her slave, and to go back to bed. She ran off, saying that her mother would hear of this. Indeed she did, and Ariela berated me for being so inconsiderate.

It was a rainy spring day, about a year after my father had wed the evil Ariela. I was in my room with Eidyia, who was trying to make me look less like a tomboyish bookworm and more like a lady. I was dressed in a green linen gown, ready to go calling with the terrible three that were my new family. The doorbell rang downstairs, and I heard it open. I thought nothing of it at the time, thinking only of how awful it would be to spend an entire afternoon with the Chemises.

"Crisis!" came Ariela's shrill voice. "Crisis! Come when I call you," she ordered. Eidyia shook her head and clipped the last pin in my hair, suggesting that I hurry. I went down the stairs in time to see a messenger riding away from our home. Ariela closed the door, a letter in her hand. She was reading it, but looked up at me when I came in. "Baron Michael is dead," she told me. "He tried to mediate a disagreement in Minako, and when the disagreement turned violent, he was killed." At that moment, my heart stopped. This couldn't be true. It just had to be one of Ariela's lies. Father was the last parent I had, the only one with enough power to keep me safe. What would happen to me now that he was gone?

I grieved heavily at the loss of my father. He had always loved and cared for me. Now, he was gone and I was left with Ariela as a guardian. I did not know if I had any family who would care for me or take me in. My father's kin lived far away, and he had not spoken to them in years. Besides, I could not leave my land to be swallowed up by some greedy lord. I attended my father's funeral, but not as his daughter. As soon as Father was gone, Ariela began changing things. One evening, she called everyone into the dining hall during supper. I was sitting properly at my place, wondering what she would be doing now. Ariela was at the head of the table, flanked by her terrible offspring. She stood to address all of us.

"As you may have heard, Baron Michael has tragically died." There was a terrible outcry at this statement. I heard whispers and tears from the few loyal servants who had remained with us. Many others were frozen in fear from Ariela and the new tone in her voice. "As his wife, his lands, titles, and fortune are now mine," she declared triumphantly. With a smug grin, she went and sat in Father's place at the table. "You will now serve Baroness Ariela Llyr."

Furiously, I leapt to my feet. "I am the Baroness of Llyr. As long as I live, you will never claim what is mine!"

"Calm yourself," I heard Eidyia whisper as she tried to rest a hand on my shoulder. I jerked away, ignoring her.

"Llyr isn't yours. You stole the name Lady Rillian, but you won't steal the title of baroness." By now, I was shaking with anger. I was only seven, but I could see the fury and fear in Ariela's eyes. It was as if my voice had not been my own. It was as if my parents had come back and spoken through me. I watched the fear fade in my stepmother's eyes, replaced with a look of anger.

"You, girl, are an orphan now. There is no one to care for you. I should cast you out into the streets," she sneered. Her voice was filled with contempt and I knew that she would make good her threat. It only made me even more furious at her.

Amerisia stood up, after a sharp kick from underneath the table from her mother. "Please, Mother, do not cast her out, for she is our dear stepsister." Her words were practiced and slow and she was quite obviously quoting something that her mother had written for her to memorize. Ariela appeared to think on this for a while and then spoke, her voice dripping with hatred.

"Crisis shall join the servants. Anyone who speaks of her or her parents will be severely punished. I think it is time you all learned how to properly respect your betters. I shall return the old ways to this house. From now on, you shall all wear hoods to cover your unworthy faces. And you shall treat me as you would the queen, and my daughters as you would princesses, for we rule this house now."

A gasp went through the hall. I sat, riveted to my chair. How could this be? I was the chosen heir, the last of the line of Llyr. What would happen to my land, my heritage? Ariela answered for me. "I am Lady now," she sneered.