AU: Wings

Clipped

"Why don't we ever fly?" Eloise asked suddenly.

Daphne looked up from her embroidery and gazed over at younger sister, her brow furrowed in confusion. Their mother, Violet, had also looked up at the question. She placed the copy of Whistledown that she had been pretending not to read in her lap and pursed her lips.

"We don't need to fly," Violet said slowly. "And so, we don't."

Daphne nodded her agreement, hesitant. Coming from Eloise, it felt like a trick question. She watched as Eloise, frowning deeply, contemplated the answer. She wondered what kind of argument her sister would present. Whatever she came up with, Daphne was sure that their mother would not approve.

"Other people fly," she said. She gestured to one of the young female staff members who, looking very uncomfortable, was dusting the bookshelves. "The servants fly."

"They need to fly," Violet responded. "They have things to do which require it. We do not."

"But wouldn't it be easier if we flew? Instead of summoning carriages all the time?"

"But then our wings would become worn."

At her mother's words, Daphne flushed with embarrassment. She couldn't help but look at the girl, still cleaning, whose wings were battered and stained. They were a stark contrast from her own, tidy and a pure white that almost glowed. Eloise's, she couldn't help but note, were just the same—totally pristine.

"Why does it matter if they're worn?" Eloise continued. "It's odd, isn't it? That there's this part of us that we don't use at all."

"Well, what you use them for? Where would you go?"

The question left Daphne's lips before she had time to bite them back, and she cowered at her mother's disapproving glare.

"I don't know," Eloise said longingly, seemingly unaware of the tense air. "I just think it would be nice, flying freely from here to there."

Eloise suddenly gasped, making both Daphne and Violet jump their seats. She leaned over, snatching the Whistledown from her mother's lap and, waving it in the air, made an exclamation about Whistledown's latest observations of society. Without missing a beat, Violet offered her own opinions on the latest ball in return. All of a sudden, the mood had shifted.

It was like, Daphne mused, the question had never been asked at all.