"Are you sure you want to go?"
Lily sighed and looked up from her dinner at Rowan, who hadn't said much ever since they had left the fairies.
"You keep asking me the same question, but my answer doesn't change Rowan," she told him lightly annoyed. "I am sure I want to go and I am going."
Rowan looked down and Lily bit her lip as there once again was tension between them. She hated it when they argued... But she couldn't keep herself hidden from the world forever. She sighed and her eyes softened as she looked at Rowan.
"Why is it so hard to let me go?" she asked him. "We both knew it was going to happen, but you keep trying to make me stay all the time. Why?"
Rowan didn't answer, but she could see a painful look on his face. Alice, who was sitting next to him glanced at him.
"Are you going to tell her or am I?" she then asked.
"She doesn't need to know," Rowan answered bluntly, shaking his head.
"What don't I need to know?" Lily snapped, slamming her hands onto the table. "What is going on here. Why do you keep being so secretive and talking about me like I'm not even there?"
Rowan looked up surprised and shocked at the same time. Lily's eyes were burning annoyance and anger. He was treating her like a little kid... She might have only 'lived' for two years, but that didn't mean she could not take care of herself. Yet he barely let her do anything.
"Rowan you know you have to let her go..." Alice pleaded "Can't keep her here forever, no matter how much she reminds you of her."
Lily blinked as they once again were talking as if she wasn't even there.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on, or not?" she asked them. "Either way, I am leaving tomorrow. Weather you want me to or not."
Once again, both Rowan and Alice fell silent and Lily could feel the tension between the three of them. What was going on? What were they trying to keep from her? She sighed and stood up. They weren't going to tell her anyway... She walked up the stairs to her bedroom, closing the door behind her. With a soft sigh, she lowered herself onto the bed and placed her head in her hands.
The truth was... She didn't really want to go either. But did she really have a choice? She had spent the last two years with Rowan and he had became her best friend throughout it... A brother... She didn't want to leave him behind, but she couldn't stop the feeling of Layla needing her help either. And her magic was still out of control and could hurt him... And besides... Rowan already had someone who could take care of him. Alice could take care of him better than she ever could herself. Even if she tried and they got by together for a long time. Rowan didn't need her anymore... If he ever did...
There was a soft knock on the door and Rowan's voice sounded through.
"Lily? May I come in?"
She sighed and took a deep breath, trying to keep her tears inside.
"Yes!" she called back.
The door creaked as Rowan pushed it open. His expression was sad, but serious at the same time. Before saying anything, he walked over to the bed and sat down next to her at the edge. He sighed as they sat there in silence for a few seconds.
"I want you to have this," he then said, handing a small cloth that was wrapped around something. "Maybe it can help you..."
Lily slowly took it and curiously unwrapped it. She tilted her head when she found a small shard inside. As she looked at it, she saw her own reflection.
"Is... Is this from the mirror?" she asked, staring at it as if it was enchanting her.
Rowan nodded.
"I thought that maybe it could help you on your journey..." he answered. "It could at least help you identify the maker or they could tell you more about it. I don't know anything about the mirror... But I'm sure it must have been magic. Perhaps there is still a trace of it in there."
Lily blinked, staring at the shard and inspecting her own reflection. It wasn't something new to see her reflection of course, but it was more than just a usual mirror. The shard drew itself to her and she could feel a sense of magic. Familiar magic... Perhaps it was the fact that she had been in the mirror for years. Or there was something else... She looked back at Rowan, dropping the shard back into her lap.
"Thank you," she softly said. "This might be useful..."
She fell silent again, not sure what else to say. It was clear to her he still didn't want her to go, but at least he wasn't trying to stop her anymore. But that didn't mean she would forget about her time with him, and everything he ever did for her. She thought of how he had taken her in without any hesitation even after he had seen her magic out of control... As she thought of the memory, something came back into her mind and her eyes widened. The lilies that were there from the first time she got there, and he always kept refreshing... She always thought he just liked the flowers, but now she remembered that sad look on his face when she had chosen her name. Why had she not realized it before?
"Rowan..." she carefully asked, finally realizing what she should have seen ages ago. "Who was the other Lily?"
Rowan's head snapped up and he looked at her in surprise.
"What?" he asked. "Well I... It's no one, really..."
He looked down, and Lily didn't have to guess weather he was telling the truth or not. He had never been a good liar either way, but his expression now was an open book for everyone to read.
"No one?" Lily asked, narrowing her eyes. "I doubt that when I hear Alice tell you that you can't replace her and you can't keep me here no matter how much I remind you of her."
Rowan shifted uncomfortably and started to stare into nothing. He was silent for a few seconds, but it felt like minutes to Lily before he finally spoke up again.
"My sister..." he then said. "Lily was my sister..."
Lily's eyes widened. She didn't know what she had expected his answer to be, but this still shocked and surprised her. She bit her lip, hesitating, but now she had to know.
"What happened to her?" she softly asked.
There was more silence from Rowan.
"The queen killed her..." she then said. "I used to work as a huntsman for her and she was obsessed with beauty... When she found out the princess was more beautiful then her she ordered me to kill her. I didn't... And when the queen found out, she ordered the guards to kill Lily. Killing me would have been to easy, she said."
Lily's eyes filled with tears as he spoke. Oh no... She had taken the name of his dead sister... And he had been kind enough to let her even though it clearly hurt him.
"Why didn't you tell me this before," she whispered. "That's why you always have Lilies on the table..."
"I didn't want to put more pressure on you back then," Rowan sighed, looking back at Lily. "I thought it would break you if I told you. I figured just letting you have that name would be better..."
Lily bit her lip. He was right. Back then it would have been hard for her... But that didn't mean that what she did was right. She would have taken another name if he had told her... She would have been able to understand eventually.
"Is that why you don't want me to go?" she asked, her voice breaking. "Because I remind you of your sister."
"You are a lot like her," Rowan said, glancing back at her with a soft sigh. "You have the same spirit and determination as she always had. My sister was not someone you could tell no whenever she wanted something."
Lily let out a soft laugh as he explained their resemblance. She then sighed, running her hand through her hair.
"I wish I had known before..." she told him, but Rowan shook his head.
"You were almost like a second chance," he said. "Someone I could protect... Like I couldn't protect my sister... I know it's selfish, but I guess I enjoyed not being alone anymore. That's why I don't want you to go. I don't want to lose you too."
Lily blinked, tears slowly crawling down her cheeks as she listened to his words.
"I'm not leaving forever..." she said, her voice trembling. "I just... I just need to find Layla and then I will come back. I promise."
"You don't owe me anything," Rowan answered, shaking his head and looking away from Lily. "Whatever happens, I just hope you will be happy."
Lily sighed softly. She hesitated a moment, but then moved closer and hugged him.
"I will come back," she told him again. "And when I do, I will hopefully be able to tell you more about my past."
She let out a soft chuckle, already looking forward to telling him everything she went through and telling him everything about the past they had been looking for for so long. He would be able to really know her. She would be able to really know herself... And she would never hurt him again.
Rowan froze, but then hugged her back.
"I'd be happy to hear everything about that," he told her also with a soft chuckle.
Lily pushed herself back and looked up at him with a faint smile.
"Also... Even if I leave you are not alone anymore," she said. She waited a few seconds but her smile never faded. "You will take care of him, won't you Alice?"
There was a silence, but then Alice appeared from the side into the doorway, having an innocent but awkward look on her face, knowing she had been caught eavesdropping.
"I try to," she then said.
Lily nodded, content with that answer for now. That was good enough. Rowan and Alice hadn't been together for long, but she knew they cared about each other. And she knew that Alice could take care of him while she was gone. Well... Probably she could take care of him forever. If anything were to happen to her, she knew her best friend was safe.
Lily wrapped the cloth back around the shard and put it on the nightstand.
"I guess this is it then..." she softly said, still not fully realizing she was actually doing it. She wanted to do it, but she still felt uneasy. "I wonder what the fairies have in store for me, honestly... They never told me what they were going to do."
Alice joined Lily on her other side.
"Well I suppose there is only one way to find out," she said. "Whatever it is, I am sure that it will all be fine. You will have your powers under control in no time and then you can find Layla.
Lily smiled, feeling the warmth of the two she loved around her. She hadn't felt this feeling before. Sometimes, the feelings would be familiar, as if they were tied to her past. But this... It was lightly familiar, but not that much. Not like this... Did she even have someone she loved like this in her past?
"Do you want us to come with you?" Rowan suddenly asked.
Lily bit her lip. The thought had crossed her mind... But still she shook her head.
"No, I don't think you should," she answered with a sigh. "I don't know what's out there or what I am going to find. It could be dangerous and I don't want either one of you getting hurt. It's something I will have to do on my own. But you don't have to worry about me. I'm sure the fairies won't sent me on my way before I'm ready, right?"
Rowan nodded slowly, but she could see the look of doubt in his eyes. He still didn't trust them because of their magic. He had his reasons for it and of course she couldn't blame him. But she believed that not all magic was as bad as she thought it was. The queen was clearly a bad person, with or without magic. But that didn't mean she would fall into darkness as well. Or that the fairies were the same. She would never do anything to hurt someone. Not purposely...
As she thought about it she felt a tug at her heart and her eyes widened. The tug felt familiar, but dark... As if someone was trying to tell her not to be so sure about what she thought.
"Lily?" Alice asked, looking at her worried. "Are you alright?"
"Yes..." Lily softly said as the feeling of darkness ebbed away. "I'm fine... Just tired I think..."
"You should et some rest," Rowan said, standing up from the bed.
Lily nodded as the two left her room. She got dressed into her nightgown and crawled into her bed. But she was wide awake and didn't dare to close her eyes. Her dream from before still lingered in her mind.
"You have always been mine... Just like her..."
His words echoed through her mind. She couldn't stop wondering what they had meant...
Author's note:
Had to do another Lily Chapter instead of Layla. But don't worry, we will follow Layla's journey as well. I have to say, this was an emotional chapter to write. Personally, I love sibling dynamics. Sometimes even more than romance. What do you guys think of sibling relationships?
Hope you liked this chapter. Stay tuned for more next week. We will see if Layla is going through with kidnapping Charlotte or not.