Speech = ``...´´
Thoughts = [... ]
ºº
Alexia bit her lips, her jaws clenching more and more with the ever building frustration that was burning her up from inside out, like a furnace that someone had forgotten to snuff out its flames. Her face contorted into a grimace of fury and disappointment, that did not seemed in any hurry to leave her soft, gracious features...
An expression that would have been considered nowhere expected or wanted in the face of the youngest of the two Midgard royal siblings. Ignored as she was she was still burdened to carry her duties and act the part. Much to her chagrin...
But here..? inside the premises of her sisters own room and with any door and window closed and shut tight? She could easily shed the mask of civility she bore day and day out...
That simple, naive and abhorrent smile she had plastered around her lips as she trod the palace like a child her age would instead of showing the more darker and deeper machinations that delved behind her youthful appearance.
And that was good, for she was furious and she doubted she would have been able to call out any ounce of will to control herself from breaking down.
No one had wanted to tell her anything! Not what had happened, not what had taken place in the capital and the amount of destruction that had taken place through streets she had walked days by time and time again days prior to this whole debacle.
And of course no one had even attempted to explain or share the smallest titbits of information of what had happened to her sister either..
Her fist clenched tightly, nails digging into her exposed palms.
How dared they…!?
How dared they do this to her...!?
They were treating her like a child.., or worse! A complete strange in her own home! Completely ignoring the fact that she was far from one, or if they knew they had not given signs of doing so.
She felt the warm, burning ache of biles raising through her throat.
To be pushed aside with not even a second thought while the world around her started to change into something she had troubled recognising.
It was so infuriating…to be insulted so openly and not be able to lash out in a proper manner.
Always having to smile…
Always playing the role of the second, naive fiddle….
And so instead of waiting for things to fall in her lap she took action. It was just as they said, if the mountain could not move closer to you...you moved towards the mountain.
And moved she did…, not caring whether it was a desirable outcome by her father whims or not.
The servants had refused to answer the most important questions of what happened, the gossip between the menials though colourful could not be taken for granted. The knights were either recuperating from their wounds and were too heavily guarded by nurses who took no shits from her and shushed her away or had no idea of what had actually happened.
Not even her father had deigned to share with her, her own daughter what happened to the place that had saw her been born..
That she already knew...
So she had chosen than instead of asking, she would demand the answers she sought for from the true and only source that had been at the centre of it all.
Not her father..
Not the Knights..
And clearly not the higher echelons of the kingdom who came and went by in their own merry way within the palaces corridors for whatever scheme they were plotting.
Her target was far easier to find, given that she had known her for all her life, though not necessary any easier.
Yes, she would start with her sister to finally unravel this mystery...
Her father did not know of her intentions, nor she had saw fit to inform him of them. He would have probably tried to dissuade her with his one sided rants and empty hard lessons. He would still try to punish her for intruding in her sisters room for some weak reason though once he learned about her intrusion.
But that would only cement the belief that she was in the right path...
The servants and guards that had been guarding her sisters room could do little to deter her from getting inside. Threats and her status were still awfully effective and they were too meek to actually risk to see whether she was willing to go that far.
Fear did seem to open more doors for her than kind words ever did, she would have to write that down for later use.
After all, gentleness was overrated.
Still, that had been the easy part much to her surprise. For after getting inside, things started to go sour rather quick.
Not because Iris had been startled to find her inside without her consent and tried to kick her out for it, or had welcome her and invited her for a cup of tea while they tried to stir a conversation under the cool breeze of morning.
No…not at all, that would have been a welcome sight compared to what actually took place.
Or what in this case...didn't happen.
Silent and barely paying her any attention Iris remained inside her room clad in a lithe pink bathrobe that fit her quite nicely, which was a surprise given her painfully lack of any fashion sense, but that was the end of the good things she could say about her sister.
With half her body still hiding under the cover of the mattress only her upper half was visible.
Her hair was messy and unkempt, making it look more like a crimson shaded nest than the proud, scarlet mane she wore as it fell over her shoulders and behind her back.
Her wine eyes were puffy, unfocused.., with dark circles under them from what could only be from either crying or restlessness that had stubbornly kept her awake through the nights.
Her hands wrapped with bandages...
To say that she had not been expecting that would have been an understatement. Iris had always looked so full with life, so regal, so strong…
Not any-more.
It was both a refreshing sight as much as it was dreadful.
What could have done that to her..?
Baffled, she had lost the ability to speak at first. Too captivated by the state her red haired sibling was to put it to words what she was thinking even then, worry creeping into every corner of her being the more she took in her form. Even if it was a spontaneous feeling rather than a willing one.
Still, to see Iris like this...it felt wrong in so many levels.
Her sister was-...she was like a rock. Strong, sturdy, unmovable.
To see her transformation into..that, it left a bitter taste in her mouth.
She bit her lip, balling her hands into fists. Those sisterly feelings did not last long as she steeled herself and reminded why she was there to begin with…
And so she moved forward. She had to, she had not come this far just to turn back like a little girl.
She. Would. Push. Forward…..
Still, it had been a while since she had entered her sisters own domains...and so she had allowed herself to take in her surroundings before trying to partake in the conversation in earnest. Though by the looks of it not much had changed. It remained the same as the image in her memory.
All but the mirror though…and the amount of things that had being dropped on the floor. Be either chairs or pillows among other things.
Speaking of the mirror, the thing was the same as the other..., but the glass that now reflected her image felt different, bereft of dust or any marks that the mirror that had been there for as long as she was aware should have.
Such a tiny little detail, and yet it had made her wonder, perhaps some of the stories she had heard were true? Or had they been measly exaggeration always?
She didn't know yet, but there had to be a kernel of truth in there..and the way her sisters hands were wrapped in bandages were not exactly a good way to dispel such thoughts.
Now that she thought about it….she had never saw her sister wearing any sort of medical cloth. Let alone getting hurt.
She shook her head internally, right now was not the time to get lost in thought. Now it was the time to fucking get things done.
But if answers were what she sought, then she would find none.
Just more questions….and a lot of built up frustration.
After more than twenty minutes failing to stir up the attention of her sister more than a few minutes before she went back to that self imposed and senseless silent, depressed state ignoring her sisters pitiful stares or pleads for her to leave and let it be she was growing sick of it.
Who wouldn't...!?
It was like she was talking to someone else and not her sister..! Hell, even a rock would have been able to maintain a better conversation with her in a minute than Iris had in almost half an hour.
In fact.., it felt wrong to compare the first heir to the throne with a rock right now.
In fact, that would be degrading to the damn thing...
``What is wrong with you! You stand proud one day and the next you are fucking wreck!? I don't understand..´´
What could have done this?
She knew that Iris was not exactly superb when it came to hold long conversations, even with her before that fateful day, she still tried, this was not however the case.
Alexias eyes squinted with a pang of doubt. What on earth had she saw to make her such a recluse of her own mind..?
She bite her lip for what could have been the fifth time already that day, the ache of the chewed flesh starting to rear its ugly head yet it was blocked and shoved into a different compartment by the annoyance she felt at the way her sister tried to squirm her eyes away from hers.
This was clearly not working as intended. So how did she fix this and get things moving again..?
[Think Alexia, think….what do you do to break a shell?]
She didn't have a hammer..and she doubted that the servants would do such task for her. It would defeat the attempt to keep this between sisters after all. That, and she doubted that she would get far enough to actually use one in her sister obnoxiously thick skull. Who knew, perhaps it would shatter the hammer anyway.
She sighed, feeling her shoulders slumping down for a moment at the sight of this roadblock before an idea came by in her head.
It wasn't much, it was in fact rather absurd...but it may just be crazy enough to work. May being the key word.
[Well, to strange situations...weird methods...]
And with that thought she walked by, picking a teddy bear that had fallen from the sheets into the floor below.
Holstering the fluffy thing into the air as she held it by its short, stubby arms. The thing was rather cute, which was surprising that someone like her sister would even still have something like it in the first place.
``Irrrrrrrriiiiiissss...look what I found´´
Her singsong like voice echoed through the room, and though her sister did not respond verbally she picked on the way those wine red eyes, so much like hers started to follow the plushy before Iris rose her head and stared right at her.
Her eyes were still puffy and the shadows underneath them were marring what some called a pretty face, and though there was still a dullness to them, a more lively glimmer had appeared in their depths.
Even if such light came from the shreds of confusion her sister had about what she was on about. She also didn't know what she was suppose to do, but well...she supposed that some improvisation could do her no harm.
And so, putting her best behaviour she started dancing around, making sure Iris eyes were always either on her or the plushy. Only stopping from time to time to not lose her balance..
``Alexia..?´´
``Isn't this fun, sis?´´
``Fun..?´´
Iris parroted, almost as if the word tasted strange in her mouth.
Yeah, she would have done that too. This was way too embarrassing! But alas, sacrifices had to be made for one to reach their goals...
``Yes, so much fun..´´
``I... didn't know you liked plushes..´´
She fought down a grimace, instead beaming a broad smile towards her crimson haired sibling. What was going on in her head could not have been any more different.
[Me? Liking plushes? Urgh, goddess knows I don't..]
She preferred swords though…
``The same could be said for you, don't you think sister?´´
Iris blinked, little patches of red starting to colour her sisters cheeks as more and more life started to come and break out from the dullness that had taking over her..
``I..I don't understand..´´
[I know you don't..]
``Are you sure? I mean, of course you do, though is it not a bit strange?´´
``Strange? I-I dont understand..´´
``Does a royal princess need a plushy?´´
The answer was no, though there were nuances to it.
They could have everything they wanted, under a set of rational parameters...but people of their station were supposed to held themselves a little higher than the rest of the common folk.
In other words, you could only have and show to others what others thought of you. And for a figure of authority and power...having a teddy bear was not very useful to built such reputation.
If people were to hear that the heir to the throne was still playing with dolls and toys would create a lot of problems down the line. Servants chimed, while nobles barked...and though noise alone was not enough to cause worry, when the sheep were given reasons to become embolden…
They could become a certain and peculiar problem to deal with.
And Iris knew that too…, which was why she had done her best to hide her..childishness where most would not dare intrude..except by those of her own blood.
It was something she had teased her about so many times. Finally she would finally be able to put that to better use than for mere amusement.
``Soooooo….if you don't want me to take it away, and tell father about it in front of the court which by the way..must be full by now with whatever query's and messed up idiots come to grovel and cry thunder, you should tell me what happened a few days ago. It sounds easy, right..?´´
``You can have it..´´
``Ah, see I knew you would cave in to my-wait a second. What did you say just now..!?´´
She stammered mid sentence, still not sure whether she had heard right. But the sheer seriousness wrapped around her sisters features gave pause to such notion.
``You can have mr paws..´´
``But...inst he your favourite?´´
Iris blinked, glancing at the teddy bear still in her arms before switching back to look at her. Granting a weak nod.
``He is..´´
``Then..why give it up..!?´´
She asked out loud, not knowing yet whether she did out of amusement or still reeling shock at this turn of events.
Iris did not answered right away, she paused...biting her lips with clear apprehension as a shadow waltzed behind the depths of her eyes. Making her look...older, bitter much to her surprise.
An expression that...as far as she was aware she had not witness in her blood kins face.
Ever…
Which perhaps explained why she was, even if she tried to deny it...deep down a bit more interested on what she was about to say.
``I was childish..´´
Alexias eyes squinted, narrowing as they contemplated the emotions coursing through her sister.
``I should have been more vigilant….more...focused. If I had, it may not have happened...´´
``Not that I don't like hearing you mutter more than two words at a time, but I don't think I understand..´´
``If you want it...you can have it´´
When she heard the response her sister had given her Alexia found herself restraining an eye-roll. This...was not the way she envisioned things working out.
She had slammed her way into another wall. Again,…
Curse the goddess and all the angels that had led to this..!
[Ok, plan B...]
She dropped the teddy bear on the floor and climbed on the bed before it even hit the ground. Clinging onto her sisters right arm and wrapping her arms around it much to the surprise and embarrassment of Iris.
Dishevelled as she was and with parts of her red hair covering sections of her face at times, that was not enough to hide the redness spreading over her sisters cheeks.
The first princess could have tried to shake her off, or just push her away, She knew she had the strength to do so with ease. Luckily the fluster spreading through her sisters body as by product of the close contact between them and the tight grip Alexia was keeping her sisters limb pressed against her own chest would have made that a little bit too difficult.
``Iris, what do you say we go out for a walk…´´
She cooed into her ear, her words soft, honey to hear...making Iris shudder.
Perhaps that way she could rip her sister from whatever hole she had dug for herself here, pushing her into the daylight of the palaces gardens would more than probably loosen her tongue while she could make it look by worry for her sisters health. And if she didn't want to she could just appeal to fake hurt to get the same results.
If one stopped to think about it, it was a rather clever scheme...
``A walk..? With who..?´´
She patted Iris shoulder, beaming a wide toothy smile at her sister. Her fingers gracing the pink, lithe fabric. Hearing the soft humming the soft silk did under her touch.
``With me, duh..? Who else..? Besides, its been a while, hasn't it..?´´
She wasn't lying. After that day at the tournament, the two of them had literally parted ways.
They lived in the same place, but they rarely do anything together any-more. Not like she had wanted to do so in the first place. If more ridicule had to come her way, she would rather bear that pain when it came from the lips of nobodies and fools that thought that she was not listening, rather than her own sister.
Iris nodded at her.
``It has…, it really has´´
``Soooo…..what do you have to say..?´´
``Sister I.. I would love to..´´
Alexia leaned just a little closer, her grip becoming a little more tighter, her silver hair falling down around her the sisters exposed shoulders. She could feel the red haired princess heart beat starting to sky rocked as she closed in the distance between the two. Only to stop when her lips were but a whisper away from her ears.
``You don't sound very convinced about it..´´
The way her sister started to squirm at the way her breath brushed against her skin would have been funny if her purpose had been more menial in nature.
``I-it is not like that!´´
``Then what is it..?´´
``I.., its just not the right time. I would make for bad company anyway...´´
Alexias glare slightly softened, her lips curling downwards as more and more she struggled to keep her expression bright. After a few seconds she shook her head internally. Right now it was not the time for unnecessary feelings.
She still pushed herself away from her sister, playing with a loose strand of white hair. Something that she tended to do when she felt a bit displeased.
``You have been stuck in this room for days on end.., when would be that right time as you say, sis...?´´
``I..don't know´´´´
At least Iris had the decency to look ashamed by it. Still, that did not diminish by much the sting of the dismissal.
She was not about to claim she was an expert on what went pass her sisters head, but it felt as if she really had no intention to do anything with her life at this given moment.
She had made her room like her escape-world from reality.
She felt safe here…
She felt warm and comfortable here…
Where was the girl who had stood proud over seasoned knights who had given their all and yet lost so easily..?
``You seem to not know an awful bunch of things, don't you..?´´
Iris opened her mouth, perhaps trying to further deny what she had made all too clear to her, or perhaps she was about to grow a spine and shush her away.
But nothing came out.
In the end Iris hung her head low...
She pouted. ``You are not gonna do it? Even if it makes your sister sad?´´
``Sister.., just...leave me. I need time to gather my thoughts´´
``I think you are doing none of that…´´
``Alexia...´´
She ignored the way her name was uttered with a little more steel to it.
``Father doesn't know that I am here and perhaps I shouldn't be, but I wanted to know what had happened to my sister.´´
Regret warped around Iris face at that.
``You shouldn't have done that, father doesn't take kindly to be ignored..´´
Alexia shrugged. ``He kind of does..´´
``Still, that was...nice of you, sis. Thank you..´´
``Well, then wouldn't it be nicer to share what burdens you? I am asking from the bottom of my heart..´´
Fingers crossed, of course...
Iris rose her head, her eyes staring at hers...but this time with a resilience that would have caught even their father by surprise.
She could see it, the flames licking at the corners.
How the old Iris was starting to break from the shell, how her hands started to clench into fist. How her sister face frowned into a grimace that had nothing to do with her, but rather something that had happened before…
As if she was mentally both in the present and past simultaneously. Only now deciding which one she preferred to stay.
With out a word her sister stood out from her bed, blasting away the sheets that had been covering her until then and started walking through the room. One fist clenched and pressed against her chest. The other holding her arm tightly as she ignored her and went towards the balcony. Opening it and allowing the soft morning breeze to intrude inside.
Her face trapped into a mixture of grimacing bitterness and righteous anger that seemed carved into her very flesh like stone. Her dishevelled, unkempt scarlet mane pushed and left floating in the air behind her back as the wind brushed against her with its ethereal touch.
Giving off the appearance of a wounded lioness raging against anyone fool enough to come any closer.
That had made Alexia pause in her approach, still trying to understand the suddenness of her reaction.
But whatever fire had lit up inside her sister would not last. And after the minutes passed by unmourned with nothing else to show off for it she realized that was not what it was going to happen.
``Ok, I give up...I just feel my sanity waver the more I try to entertain the thought that I will get to the bottom of this mess like this..
``I.. I am sorry sis, it was not my intention to make things harder for you...´´
``Well, your good intentions are not stopping me from having a headache that may last a lifetime, so you can spare me your excuses..´´
She pinched the bridge of her nose as she fought back another groan from slipping by her lips.
``I just, I just don't understand why it is so damn hard for you to tell me what happened to the city, to you! Why cant you? And don't tell me because you don't know, because that is some serious bullshit..´´
She snarled, raising her voice like a whip. Iris flinched at that, but she merely looked away.
Oh, how much she wanted to yank her own hair at this impossible roadblock she had landed herself in.
The only thing keeping her from doing so the fact that she respected herself and her hair enough to know that would be a rather poor choice.
``Fine! You can keep your secrets to yourself Iris..., I get it, I get the message alright!´´
She turned around on her heels ready to leave, the room. She had wasted enough time as it was in this fools errand.
What had she been thinking...!? If she could go back in time she would slap the idea to come here out from her head and waste her time in a more useful manner.
Now, she had to think of a way to make her father think she had either not come to her sisters room, or had just wanted to give some uplifting words of encouragement.
The latter seemed the most possible of the two given that a certain amount of people had saw her already walking in here.
But that would be a problem for her to deal later o-
``It was too fast….´´
Alexia stopped in her tracks, somehow her feet refusing to move an inch when she heard that voice seethe out through the air like cold mist in a rainy day.
It was hoarse, weak...and yet so extremely guttural that reminded her of a throat that was struggling to push out the words stuck in a throat. Which almost made her think she was imagining, rather than actually hearing her sister own voice.
And how could she? When this was akin to a broken toy rather than the strong and steadfast first princess?
``Iris..?´´
She mumbled, turning around yet not moving from her position, staring at her sister who was now looking at her, her head cast low as she leaned against the railings of her balcony. Sweat trickling down her skin, which for some reason was loosing colour, real fast...
``The chaos, the danger, there was blood everywhere sister…., I could smell in the air. The scent of death and madness bathing and wrapping around me. Culling my senses with the sheer strength of the stench...to the point I could barely breath´´
Iris rose then her head. Her skin was glistening by the sweat that trickled down into her pink robe and made it to stuck even more tightly to her body. Her chest was heaving up and down as if she was having trouble to breath,
She looked pathetic, sick even...but the look in her eyes was enough to derail anyone from stating those thoughts out loud.
``People were dying, the storm struck like a hammer and before we knew everything was upside down. Left was right, and sanity was madness...´´
The first princess jaw clenched, teeth grinding against one another, plastering a feral look in her face...
``And we could barely see anything, hear even less as we threw ourselves into the protection of our city with courage in our hearts…, not knowing it would be a slaughter...´´
``Surely it could not have been that bad..´´
Alexia heard herself say. She heard herself lie…
Because she knew that the amount of tombs dug in the ground for black-knights had sky-rocked since that incident a few days ago. Something she had witnessed with her own eyes, given that corpses were a lot harder to hide from prying eyes when no one seemed to care where they left the bodies before the time of burial came around.
Still, she needed to get a hold of the situation. No matter how much she liked to finally get a glimpse of what was going on. She felt that this was...derailing in a not desirable direction.
A sensation that only worsened when much to her surprise, her sister started to laugh.
A bitter, mirthless laugh..one that seemed to edge more and more the fires burning behind her sister wine red eyes.
``Oh, but it was...Alexia. It was and more., still back then we didn't know that. So looking at the initial situation and judging it wrong we didn't let that stop us. We had a duty, an oath to full fill...´´
``So you went out with the Knights to fight I gather...´´
It was also the most sensible and expected thing to happen. For if that was not what had occurred then she could not explain herself what was happening with her sister.
Iris stared at her blankly before she weakly nodded. Unsure at first, before growing in confidence.
``We tried to do our best, to put a stop to the chaos, put the people to safety….´´
She then halted, her eyes becoming unfocused, her lips stiff. Bandaged hands clasping on the railings as if she was trying to hold to dear life.
`` But we were not alone…´´
``Who was there with you..?´´
``Monsters, cultist madmen…and death.´´
``Eh..?´´
``Abominations of nature, monsters wearing human skin and madmen with the only desire to cause death to anything in the path´´
Her sisters voice grew heavier on her lips, her protestations evoking horrid memories within her mind. Filling the darkness behind her unfocused eyes..
`` They attacked us over and over again. They preyed on the living, they bathed their blades and teeth in our blood.´´
Alexia started to move towards her sister.
`` My knights fought, they stood their ground…. and then they started to die one by one..until I was the last one left´´
``But the black-knights are suppose to be better than mere common guards, monster I understand, but thugs doing the same damage? Pardon me, but I am bit sceptical..´´
She knew that black knights were not the all in end all of the threats inside and outside the kingdom, and that there was more than just fair judging of their skills to become one given that politics had a strong grip over that institute.
But surely they had not been lacking off that much to be bested so easily. The death of a few nobodies would be forgotten in the blink of an eye, for such was their society.
But if some of those were related to the higher echelons of the nobility, it would no doubt cause an uproar that would splash further than she would have liked..
In fact, people were already talking about it.., in hushed tones for now, but who knew when they would grew louder and bolder with time..?
Iris nodded her head. ``Against me...perhaps, but to the common black knight they showed to be far sturdier than expected. For every ten men we downed, one of us was either wounded or fell...´´
[Not a bad for an attrition rate..] ``Their casualties must have been in the hundreds if not thousand's, weren't they..?´´
``It didn't matter..´´
``Why..?´´
``Because they just kept on coming…, again, and again..and again´´
Alexias eyes narrowed in contemplation. ``Are you telling me that there was a criminal organization with more muscle than the capitals own black Knight force?´´
She knew that there were criminal gangs and syndicates here and there….but one that could muster such a force, and then use it so openly was a different tale.
Still, everything had been so sudden...so perhaps it had played well on the attackers interest, Making them appear far larger in number than they actually were.
``And what if I am..?´´
``….´´
``Still, that was nothing compared to what happened next…..and who came to join the fray´´
Alexia could not help but feel herself edge with each word, closing in the distance, leaving by now just a few breaths away from her sister.
``Who?´´
Alexia asked, but her sister merely shook her head, her body trembling...almost as if fearful to even have the thought cross pass her mind.
``Who was it, sister..? Who did you fight?´´
Iris clenched her jaw again. Her hands clenched into fists, nails digging into the white cloth of the bandages and into the flesh below.
Cracks appearing underneath those eyes that had been set aflame. Blood starting to slip pass her fingers and fall into the ground.
``We were not prepared..´´
``What..?´´
``We were not ready for any of this! I was NOT ready for any of this..!´´
Screamed Iris, her face wrapped in a mask of pain and madness as she brought her hands over her head, trying to hold it only to violently swing her arms to the sides as if she had just struck an invisible foe.
Only for those crimson eyes to flicker with a dangerous glint when they found her.
Alexia took a step back.
Her sister took one step forward.
``Do you want to know what the fuck happened Alexia? Do you want to hear it..!?´´
``Iris, calm yourself-´´
``Isn't that what you wanted to know, sister...!? What you came here looking for..!?´´
Alexia felt the cool, hard touch of a wall in her back. Telling her that she could not move further away from the crazed looks her sister had just develop.
Not that she could have run away as her sister almost threw herself at her, pinning her to the wall.
`` I came to blows with a power so overwhelming that you would not belief it to be true. Only to be shown that I was merely scratching the edges of an ocean so immensely deep and dark that I doubt in my wildest dreams I will be able to understand the disparity of force and power between us…. ´´
The vitriol in her words, the self loathing, the rage, the anger..the hopelessness. Alexia did not needed to hear it to know her sister was not faking it.
This was pure, raw emotion thrown out at her face at point blank range. And this only meant one thing. That her sister believed that to be true.
The absolute truth..
One so terrible that had shook her sister to the core. One in which There were people so strong that her own imagination would ran short to grasp at the answer.
Alexia felt her stomach being tied into knots.
Her sister was not lying, she was incapable of it. And yet she could accept that. No human being, elf or Thearintrope should be able to install such fear. To wield so much power…
It was not logical..
It just wasn't biologically feasible or even in the realms of possibility. What her sister was asking of her to believe was akin to think that fairy tales were real.
``Iris, you are in shock. No one can wield such power. It had to be some sort of arte-..´´
``You are not listening...!´´
Iris screamed, cutting her off in an instant and throwing whatever thoughts Alexia had in disarray by the sheer booming sound of her sister voice, not that it would have mattered if she had whispered those words as the first heir grabbed her by the shoulders and almost lifted her up in the air.
Pain, anger, frustration and regret flashing in her sisters eyes.
All at once.
All fighting for dominance.
``Iris what are yo-!´´
``I fought, and I lost. It wasn't even a fight..bur rather a one sided slaughter. Nothing I did worked, it didn't even slow it down...´´
Alexia was starting to think that she had made a mistake in poking at her sister.
Weaken as she was, her grip was still rather monstrous.
Yeah, those fingers were going to leave a mark.
``Don't you understand!? I was nothing but a frog swimming in a small pond, spared….by pity or luck. One that may not happen again.
``...´´
``One that I can not wait or expect to occur again..´´
After a few more seconds, the tension in her sister slackened as the strength of her outburst died out, the fire in her veins vanishing and leaving only weakness behind.
Her shoulders sagged as she took a long deep breath before she released her hold over her shoulders. Her sisters arms falling limp to her sides. Numb, almost as if they were part of a puppet which strings had been cut without warning...
``Now you know my shame.., what keeps me awake at night. I failed the city, I failed my knights…everyone´´
Iris voice broke into a whimper, her eyes glassy, yet unfocused...as she was clearly being drag away back to her memories before she managed to snap out of it. Albeit, regaining that dull look in her eyes.
Though this time.., with a pang of shame and frustration behind their depths before she pursed her lips to speak one final time.
``I...lost´´
Iris muttered at last, finally ending her quarrel with herself. Her voice ending in a sorrowful note.
Alexia did not know what to do. This...had not been part of her plan, not at all. This...was worse than she had expected.
And to see her sister admit to it so openly, well….
Alexia bit her lip.
A distant part of her would have stretched her hand forward and cup her sisters bleeding hand with hers. Muttering words of encouragement to mend the wound in Iris heart and mind which had seem to fester as she basked in her solitude.
To show that she was there for her.
That she had done her best.
That she had at least tried to do what had to do be done...
…
Instead, a new sensation came over her…
Rage.
Alexia clenched her jaw. Her white brows furrowing as her eyes narrowed into thin slits. As the fire started to climb up from her insides, touching everything around her.
The Alexia before the festival would have tried to be a kind sister…, but she was not that person any more.
``So you think you are doing them justice by mopping around..?´´
Iris blinked at her, confusing drawing in her features.
``What….?´´
``I mean, nothing important was lost anyway. Wasn't it?´´
``What are you-´´
`` Buildings can be rebuilt, and more often than not lives are lost in the line of duty so worrying about that is meaningless. You working yourself over that is meaningless...´´
Finally realization struck her sister, that silly expression finally wiped out from her face as it became creased with shock and outrage.
``Alexia, how could you- ´´
``But that is not what I have heard here today, is it..? This is all about you…, it was always about you..´´
She took a step forward, then another...
The reason you decided to hole yourself up here and becoming a recluse in your own room wasn't because a quarter of the city became a hole in the ground, or that more than two thirds of it became so damaged that we may need years to repair it all..´´
She then pointed an accusatory finger at Iris.
``This is not because a bunch of knights died under your care, you would feel sorry for them, perhaps grief for them, but not lose your god-dam mind about that..´´
``You are acting like a child because you lost...and that is what truly matters to you. What actually bothers you..´´
``Alexia...you-´´
Iris tried to say, her voice no longer faltering or rotten with weakness as it became harsher and colder, but Alexia would not have it.
For far too long she had been considered untalented, not worthy to stay under her sisters shadow.
No matter how much she tried, it was not enough, it was never enough. Her people did not thought highly of her, her father did not considered to put the effort in even talking to her about it.
And her sister had only made everything worse..
And now she had the gall to crawl up in a ball because she lost? When she had never been allowed to do the same?
Fuck that..!
``It stings doesn't it? To know that you are not the strongest around, isn't it? To be like the rest of us..´´
Her voice broke down further as emotions started to flare up from her.
Her sister had been considered a genius, a vessel of limitless talent, someone who could never taste defeat no matter how hard fate tried.
She was lauded by that. She was honoured by what seemed her birth right instead of the product of any training. While the rest were either ignored or shunned for their lack of "talent".
And now this bump broke her down? That was not infuriating. It was insulting!
``You know what? Is not as bad as you make it sound like! And why do you get the chance to mop while the rest have to swallow our pride and go on..!? Is not fair, but it is not like you would know about that, would you?´´
The strong never cared for the opinion of the weak.
The sheep could make all the racket they wanted, the lions above would not care.
That was life.
So why did she felt bitter about that?
Her lips quivered slightly as flashes of the past came by. The two playing together in the snow until they became sick, beaming smiles as they blew up candles of their birthdays. Counting the stars in the starry skies at night, or resting over the shadows in the palace gardens..
They were not bad memories….
And yet they all ended in that sorrowful day, underneath the arena grounds after her lost in the tournament.
"Sister, I saw your fight."
"You did your best.."
"I like your sword style..."
The words tasted now sour in her mouth, the acrid memories of that day coming back to life before her eyes distorted and ugly, corrupted by the passing of time. Their sting painful enough to bring her to the point of tears.
But she had made a promise to never cry again.
To not be weak.
And so her face creased with lines, transforming her expression from what should have been a mildly aggressive one to a fully hostile facade.
She liked her sword style...? Bullshit! No one like it, not even herself.
She had been lying to her face back then, she had to be...and who knew how long she had been doing it for.
Seeking her out that day merely to spare her empty words, thinking that she would be too stupid to not disbelief her intent.
Blood thicker than water? Another lie, for fucks sake...everything was filled with them to the point that it wasn't funny any more.
`` You just lost a fight and got away with your life, is not a big deal. So fucking grow up!´´
Alexia never saw the crestfallen look of her sister become enraptured by a spark of anger turned madness...
She never saw her sisters arm pull back and then fly through the air in search of her face.
She didn't saw the ground grow closer to her as her body became wrapped by the burning sting plastered on her skin.
…
…
What she saw afterwards as she laid down on the floor while involuntary raising a hand to soothe out the spreading, burning pain now carved into the left side of her face was the stare her sister had plastered all over her face.
Staring down, not at her...but rather at the offending hand still suspended in the air with such horror and dread in her eyes as if that very limb had caused the worst of atrocities in all reality.
It may just have...
ºº
A/N
If Cid/Claire one sided relation was comically called Alabama. Then what is Alexia/Iris relationship called? I am not implying anything though, I just find a bit strange how….passive Iris is in the true canon with her sisters shenanigans.