Hey guys! Welcome back to Hear a Tale! Before anything else, time for reviews!
Thanks so much to CitrusChickadee (Cyrus was supposed to be helping, but he got a bit too distracted by his excitement XD And good catch! That was indeed a reference to Cyrus and Therion's conversation in Tale 11: Memory!) and Guest (Everyone has their own passions, I suppose! XD And I absolutely love the phrase "Therion the walking space heater" lmao) for reviewing!
With that, on with the tale!
Relevant Events: Ophilia's Chapter Four
26. Tears
Ophilia lingered in front of the door to the room she had long shared with her adoptive sister, Lianna. A little ways behind her in the chapel, she could hear the hushed voices of her seven traveling companions talking amongst themselves, but she paid them no mind. They would understand her brief absence, she knew. There was someone who needed Ophilia a bit more than they did at the moment.
The cleric carefully eased the door open, peering in. "Anna?" she called softly to the huddled figure on the bed at the far side of the room. "It's me…"
No response.
"I'm coming in, alright…?"
When there was once again no reply, Ophilia quietly slipped into the bedroom, gently shutting the door behind her. She padded across the stone floor, hands clasped in front of her chest as she approached Lianna, who was lying curled on her side on the furthest bed, facing the wall. Inwardly, Ophilia's heart cracked to see her sister as despondent as she herself had once been, but she put on a smile all the same.
"It's such a lovely day outside," she began kindly, as though speaking with a frightened child. "Won't you come out and see it, Lianna?"
Lianna flinched almost imperceptibly at the sound of Ophilia's voice, and, if possible, curled up in on herself even tighter. Her chestnut brown hair fell limply over her eyes, tangled and oily from lack of care. What little Ophilia could see of her face was gaunt and pale, and her clothes were rumpled and dotted with pine needles she'd inadvertently picked up on the road.
She'd been like this for days.
Ever since the pair of sisters and the rest of Ophilia's companions had left Wispermill, Lianna had barely spoken a word to any of them. She had not responded to Alfyn and Tressa's friendly attempts at conversation, nor Primrose and Cyrus' gentle words of comfort. Olberic and H'aanit could never quite figure out the right words to coax Lianna into opening up, and Therion had never even tried, angry as he still was about the incident back in the jail cell. Ophilia was the only one of the eight of them that could convince Lianna to take even a few meager bites of food or sips of water, and even then, her sister would refuse to look at her, or even let her help brush her hair.
Matters hadn't improved when they returned to Flamesgrace. Lianna had promptly shut herself in the bedroom, pleading with Ophilia to leave her alone each and every day. Thus far, the cleric had reluctantly acquiesced, keeping herself busy with preparing for and performing the last part of the Kindling, but she was beginning to fear that her sister would never recover if she didn't take action soon.
"Lianna…" Ophilia repeated softly, taking a tentative step forward.
"...I'm sorry, Phili," Lianna finally croaked, her voice raspy from disuse. "Please. Just…leave me alone…"
It was the only thing Ophilia had consistently been able to get her to say since they had gotten back to Flamesgrace, and the cleric had continuously given her sister what she wanted. She had kept nodding obediently and quietly retreating, allowing Lianna to submerge herself in her own guilt, day after day.
But not today.
Ophilia stepped forward, resting a hand on Lianna's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Lianna," she said, "but you're coming with me!" Her touch careful but firm, Ophilia lifted her sister into a sitting position, brushing her hair out of her eyes and dusting the pine needles off of her clothes.
"W-What!?" Lianna exclaimed, her voice louder than it had been in days. "Ophilia!? W-What are you - !?"
"Come on!" Ophilia pulled Lianna to her feet, then, grasping her hand, she turned and began to run out of the room. Her briskness and tight grip left Lianna little choice but to stumble after her, eyes wide.
The cleric marched them both out of the bedroom, then out of the cathedral itself, straight past the other seven travelers. They exchanged some confused looks as the sisters passed them, but upon seeing the determined look on Ophilia's face, they wisely chose not to try to stop them.
When the two of them exited into the crisp, cold air, Ophilia ran even faster. Lianna yelped, scrambling to stay on her feet as the other cleric dragged her through the streets of Flamesgrace, all the way to the small cliff at the edge of town. They didn't slow even as they scaled the natural ramp leading up to the formation's flat top, and they only stopped once they stood atop it, looking out over the whole of the snow-covered city.
Ophilia finally released Lianna's hand, walking to the center of the clifftop on her own while her sister doubled over, panting. The cleric took a slow, deep breath that allowed the clean, frigid air to fill her lungs. She had done her part in getting Lianna here. Now, it was up to her sister to take the next step.
"Ph-Phili!" Lianna gasped behind her. "W-Why did - ? W-What was - !?" She suddenly stopped, however, when she lifted her head to look around, seemingly processing where the two of them were for the first time. She slowly straightened, taking a few tentative steps towards Ophilia as she caught her breath. "This…this is…"
The cleric smiled. "Remember when you first brought me here?" She reached out and took one of Lianna's hands in her own, far more gently this time. "I was so happy when you did…Lianna, you helped me find my own feet and stand again, when I thought I'd be lost forever."
Lianna was silent, her eyes fixed on the horizon.
"Out of all the things you tried to tell me," Ophilia continued softly, "to reach me in my despair…there was one thing you said. It was what truly saved me. Do you remember, Lianna?"
For a moment, it seemed as though Lianna would not reply yet again, but she soon turned to partially face Ophilia, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Phili…" she whispered. "I don't…"
Ophilia's smile only grew wider. "You said…'If you frown all the time, even sweetcakes will taste sour!'"
Lianna gaped at her, and despite herself, she actually let out a startled chuckle. "...did I really say that?"
"Finally, a smile!" Ophilia was nothing short of beaming now. She squeezed her sister's hand gently. "I knew you still had it in you."
Lianna blinked, taken aback. "What…?"
"Lianna…this time, it's my turn to save you."
"Phili…"
Ophilia reached over to take Lianna's other hand, clasping them both in the space between the two sisters. "Father lives on in your heart, Anna. Can you hear what he's saying to you now? He's telling you not to give up on the joy of life!"
The other cleric's eyes widened, and she looked down at their entwined hands, then out at the hushed beauty of Flamesgrace. Understanding dawned in her eyes, and when she spoke again, her voice was an awed whisper. "You're right, Phili…he…he is, isn't he…?"
"Yes, he is." Ophilia squeezed both of Lianna's hands. "So snap out of it, you sourpuss!"
"Ah…" Lianna swallowed thickly, then turned to look Ophilia in the eyes properly for the first time in days. "O-Oh…Phili…" Her words faded into a quiet whimper, and she sank to her knees in the snow, Ophilia lowering herself as well to join her.
"It's alright, Anna," Ophilia murmured, wrapping her arms around her sister and pulling her in close. "I'm here…"
Lianna wept against her shoulder for several minutes, all of the pent-up grief and pain of the last few days flowing out of her all at once. "I-I'm sorry…" came her broken whisper. "Ph-Phili, I'm s-so sorry…"
"I know…and I forgive you…" Ophilia brushed a hand over Lianna's tear-streaked face, giving a gentle smile. "Careful, Lianna…your tears are liable to freeze out here, you know. You wouldn't want your eyes stuck shut when there's a view like this right in front of you, would you?"
"H-Heh…" A watery smile came to Lianna's face. "I-I…I suppose not…" She sniffled, taking several deep breaths as she huddled against Ophilia. Her tears continued to fall for another few minutes, but Ophilia was always there to wipe them away before they could turn to frost.
Finally, after some time, Lianna was able to calm herself, appearing much better off now that she had finally allowed herself to release her anguish. The two sisters sat silently for a while, watching tiny flakes of snow begin to trickle down from the sky.
"...it's beautiful up here today, isn't it?" Ophilia said finally, breaking the silence.
Lianna nodded. "More beautiful than I've ever seen it…Phili?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you…for everything."
Ophilia blinked, then smiled kindly. "...it is my pleasure to serve, Sister Lianna."
"Hehe…"
"Hee hee hee…"
"You're impossible, did you know that?"
"What can I say? I learned from the best!"
The sisters giggled slightly, then fell into another comfortable quiet once their laughter subsided. This time, however, it was Lianna who found her voice again first.
"Phili…we'll always have each other, won't we?"
Ophilia nodded, one arm around her sister's shoulders as feather-light snow fell around them. "Of course we will, Anna."
"Thank you…for bringing me back to the light."
"I told you, didn't I?" The cleric smiled. "I did learn from the best."
See you guys next time for Tale 27: Foreign!