Wren loved the new rose, she loved everything Sena did. She wished she were strong enough to romp through the forest on one of Sena's adventures, but Wren was born a frail and sickly babe and had never grown strong. Her legs could never hold her up for more than a few minutes before completely giving out on her, and the effort of the sustained standing would leave her exhausted for days. Still, she was a happy child with a keen eye and bright intellect and extremely sensitive to others. Sena felt that this was Wren's magic, for Wren often knew before Sena showed up what kind of mood Sena was in. Wren smiled happily when Sena suggested she had some magic but denied it nonetheless.
"It's being crippled, my other functions make up for it." Wren would say. Sena always frowned at this and would often exclaim,
"You are not a cripple Wren! Really! I wish you wouldn't talk so."
Despite their physical differences the two sisters were completely devoted to each other. Not a day went by when Sena didn't come report in detail her day's activities for Wren to smile over. Wren was a devout reader and would share what she had studied that day and between the two they managed to cover a great many subjects.
After Wren had fussed sufficiently over the rose she pinned Sena with one of her piercing stares.
"You haven't said anything about your visit with father and his friend."
"Oh! Wren! I completely forgot! The man was from Lynoth, he had the bluest eyes I've ever seen and he was so dark. Dark hair and tan skin, not at all fair like father's. But Wren, you should have heard how he spoke to me, as if I were an adult, not all baby talk like most of Papa's visitors." Despite being younger than Sena, Wren was more adept at the subtle art of conversation and when this last bit came out it caused her to pause.
"What did you talk about Sena?"
"Oh, I asked about his home and his family, rather silly, fluffy stuff actually. Nothing of consequence."
"Well, tell me about his family."
"I don't really remember . . . oh yes, he has two daughters and he thought it was funny when I told him that I missed Melba, even though she teased me because his two daughters do the same thing. He also has a son who is the oldest. That was all really, nothing else. He said he missed them and that it felt like forever since he'd been home."
"What was his name?"
"Varden Greystone, isn't that a strange family name? So austere. There's no magic in it at all," and with that Sena was back on the subject of magic, talking so rapidly she did not notice that Wren didn't seem to be paying attention. Shortly after Sena decided to run out to the gardens to check on her roses once again and left in a flurry of flying hair and bare feet.
Wren sat quietly by her seat near the window, she could see Sena exploding into the gardens with all of her fierce energy, it was as if the house could not contain it all. Wren did not want to give her thoughts any credence, but they would not go away. Sena had room in her mind for very little besides magic, it completely engulfed her. If it were not for her family she would have forgotten she was human and needed to eat, sleep, and drink. Wren on the other hand thought about a great many things, she took time to analyze, and question, and at this moment she wished she could be as single-minded as Sena, for what would she do without her?
The summer passed quickly, too quickly for most members of the Amalanth household, while Sena remained blissfully unaware that her life was soon to change drastically. As fall came and began to touch the leaves with bright colors, and the breeze began to have a distinct chill Eldon Amalanth and his wife Ladonna found that they could no longer bear withholding the news from their daughter. Ladonna had at first refused when the idea was presented. Even when the king prodded through letters and ambassadors she refused, but finally, at the pleading of her husband she relented, although it broke her heart to do so. Ladonna understood her daughter well, better than most would guess, and it filled her soul with grief to think of tearing Sena away from the magic of Perdia.
It was not until mid fall that Eldon and Ladonna called Sena into their private chambers. Sena came warily, wondering what she had done wrong, for the only times she was called into her parents private chambers was when she was in trouble. She tentatively knocked on her parents sitting room door and then cracked it open and peeked her head in. Her parents stood by the fire place and both looked at her with great sadness in their eyes.
"Papa? Momma?" Sena stepped quickly in the room, her heart hammering as she had no clue what she could have done to cause such grief in her parents.
"Sena, love, please come sit by me." Ladonna sat down in the love seat next to the fire and patted the spot next to her. Sena eyed it warily.
"Am I in trouble?" she finally asked. Her parents managed to laugh softly.
"No dear, you're not in trouble, please come sit by me" Ladonna repeated. Sena smiled, relieved and plodded over to her mother, snuggling into her warmth. Her mother gathered her small child to her, closed her eyes as she felt the gentle humming of Sena's magic and then nodded to her husband.
"Sena, you know that Perdia and Lynoth have decided to sign a treaty for peace, right? That's what I was doing much of last year in the capitol, sitting in on negotiations." Eldon paced around the room as he spoke. Sena watched her father, still unsure of why she was here.
"It's a good thing, right Papa? No more fighting?"
"Yes, Sena, it's a very good thing." Eldon sighed. "Sena, do you remember the man who came to see you, the one from Lynoth?" Sena nodded gravely. "Well he sat in on those negotiations as well. He's kind of the same thing I am to his king."
"He's the cousin of the king of Lynoth?" asked Sena.
"No, I said 'kind of.' Like me he is one of his kings most trusted advisors."
"Oh." Sena pretended to understand why this was important.
"Well, Sena, dear, both of the kings want a marriage to seal the treaty. They feel it will further unite the countries . . ."
Sena began to have a gnawing feeling in her stomach, and her throat began to clench, she did not like where this was heading. She leaned in closer to her mother, as if she could hide. It was quiet for several moments that stretched like an eternity.
"Papa?" Sena squeaked.
Eldon took three long strides over to his daughter and knelt in front of her, taking her hand. "My sweet Sena, I'm so sorry, but you must marry Varden Greystone's son. I . . ." he stopped at the look of shock that passed over his daughter's face. Ladonna squeezed her daughter tightly and couldn't help the silent tears that slid down her cheeks.
"But Papa, I'm only twelve, I'm too young, I, I . . . I DON'T WANT TO GET MARRIED!" Sena began to shout before hysterical sobs began to wrack her body.
"Sena? Sena. Sena! Please listen, if this wasn't for an extremely important cause you know your mother and I would never ask this of you. But Sena, it's for Perdia. Your marriage will be the beginning of peace." Sena could not hear him through her sobs.
"Why Papa? Momma? I don't want to get married!" Lodonna moved Sena onto her lap and cuddled her sobbing child, gently rocking her, but letting her cry. Eldon looked into his wife's agonized face and it was all he could do not to weep himself. They let Sena cry herself into exhaustion, and she fell asleep there in her mother's arms.
"She took that worse than I thought she would." Eldon whispered to his wife.
"Really? She took it better than I thought she would. I thought she would get up and run away, maybe break a few vases, throw a few paintings." Ladonna looked down at her sleeping child, Sena's eyes red and puffy even in sleep. "Eldon, how can we possibly? She's so small, she's so young. She's not like Melba or Wren, she's so innocently unaware of the world."
"If Wren were old enough, and capable I would be tempted to choose her. She is so sensible, so quick and bright. But even then I think they'd want it to be Sena."
"Why? Why Sena?"
"Because, Cyril says." Ladonna grew quite before responding.
"So this is about magic then?" she asked. Eldon stared into the dimming fire.
"It must be."
"But Eldon," his wife stated, "there is no magic in Lynoth."
"I know."
Sena awoke with a headache. She was in her own bed and couldn't think of when she had gone to sleep the night before when she remembered. She wanted to cry, but she felt too drained. Will they really make me get married? A fire was lit, but no maid came to bustle her out of bed and into her clothes, or to tell her she had overslept. It was almost an hour she lay there thinking before she jumped out of bed and not bothering to dress ran to Wren's room.
"Wren!" she cried agonized as she plowed through the door. Wren sat quietly by the window, and she turned her soft, sad eyes to Sena. "Wren, you knew, didn't you?" Her sister looked at her sadly before responding,
"I guessed, back when Varden Greystone came to see you. I guessed, but I didn't know until this morning, when mother told me."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because, I wanted to be wrong. I wanted to be wrong so badly. I wouldn't really admit it to myself. I thought if I just pretended it wasn't there it would go away." Tears slid down Wren's cheeks.
"Oh, Wren!" Sena sprinted over to her sister embracing her tightly. "Wren, please don't cry, it will make you sick. Wren, please! It will be all right. Shhh, it's okay Wren." Sena was hardly aware of what she was saying as her concern for her frail sister took over. When she finally got Wren quieted and had assured herself that Wren had not got herself too worked up she went and sat on the window seat and looked into the gardens below. Her whole life seemed to be outside that window, all that she loved, all that she had worked for. Perdia's magic thrummed deeply in her.
"Wren, what am I going to do? I can't get married. I can't live in Lynoth, there's no magic there. I'll die without magic."
"Maybe your husband could come live here?" suggested Wren half-heartedly. Sena snorted.
"You read too much to even slightly believe that. Especially since I'm to marry Varden's oldest child, his heir."
"You're taking this rather well, Sena." Sena laughed.
"You wouldn't say that if you were there last night. I'm just too tired to cry or scream or do anything right now. Mostly I just want to die."
"Sena! What a thing to say." They looked out the window for several minutes, seeing the golden leaves swirl around with the wind. "When do you go?" Wren finally asked.
"I don't know. I don't really know anything except I'm supposed to get married." Sena suddenly jumped up. "Wren, I've got to go. This isn't right. I'm not going to get married. Especially to someone from Lynoth. Melba got to choose who she married, why don't I? I'm going to go talk to father." With that she stormed out of the room before Wren had a chance to respond.
Sena sprinted all the way to her fathers study where she guessed he'd be. She didn't bother knocking but burst in like a tumultuous wind.
"Sena!" her father stood quickly as she entered. "Sena, I'm glad,"
"I'm not going to get married!" Sena shouted, loud and clear.
"Sena, dear, please calm down,"
"No," Sena stomped her foot, "No, no, no noooo!" She screamed. Her mother came rushing in the room a moment later to find it in a state of chaos as Eldon attempted to restrain his daughter from demolishing everything in sight.
"This is what I thought she'd do last night." she shouted above Sena's screams.
"Sena, please!" her father pleaded, "Can't we discuss this like adults?"
"I'm not an adult, I'm just a child, I'm too young to get married!" Sena shouted, but she stopped her flailing. Her parents both took one of her hands and led her to an adjoining sitting room, where tea was often served.
"Now Sena," said her father once they were all seated on a long couch. "I know this has all been a little much. You're mother and I are concerned about you and want to hear what you think," he put hand up to stall her attempt to butt in, "but could you do it like a lady, please. No shouting. Let's discuss this." Sena sat quietly for a moment.
"It doesn't seem like you've left much to discuss. Last night you told me I have to marry. Do I not even get to decide? You let Melba choose!"
"Sena, the truth is, we don't have much choice. The king is demanding it of us. He feels it's in the best interest of the country."
"How do you feel, Papa?" Sena asked. Eldon looked at his daughter and answered truthfully.
"I think it's in the best interest of the country as well. Sena, if I didn't feel strongly about this I never would ask it of you."
"But you're not asking!"
"Well, neither is the king."
"Why doesn't he pick someone else, someone older?"
"The king feels strongly that it needs to be you."
"Why?"
"I don't know. He and some of his other councilors feel that you are the one." Sena looked miserable.
"When am I supposed to get married?"
"The beginning of next fall, when the treaty is signed."
"Where?"
"In Lynoth." Sena started as if hit.
"I don't even get to be married in my home?"
"I'm sorry, they've decided it's all to take place in Lynoth." Sena looked to her mother.
"What do you think?" she asked her.
"I don't want you to go, but I think you must."
"So you both want me to give up Perdia? To give up magic?" Ladonna looked away in pain. Eldon took Sena's hand.
"Sena, we're not asking you to give up Perdia, we're asking you to help Perdia. Think, your marriage will mean no more fighting. No more people dying. Peace, Sena. Finally."
"It means more than that." Ladonna whispered. "It means the magic won't be used to hurt people, it means the magic can start growing stronger again. War is hard on magic." Sena looked into her mother's eyes.
"How do you know that?" she asked curiously.
"Because I once had magic too Sena."
"Once? What happened?"
"I had you, and it was as if all the magic from miles around went straight into you."
"But, but, how could it do that? That's not fair!"
"The magic chooses us, Sena, not the other way around." Sena sat quietly for several minutes in thought.
"So, you want me to get married, to save magic?"
"Yes," said Ladonna.
Thanks to my two reviewers, I appreciate the comments. I look forward to more comments in the future (hint, hint). I hope to update again soon but in reality it probably won't be a for a few weeks. Please review!