The Bonds That Tie Us

[Maeriel]

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Braedon. The sprawling city was one of the largest ones in the southern kingdom of Lorr. Lorrites were a people full of laws and strict social structures. Elise Gale just loved playing with those. Lying, stealing, manipulating. She was a con artist and a good one at that. The laws were hers to break and bend. At least in her own little world of Braedon. Elise had dreamed all her life of seeing the world. Well... maybe not the orc infested northlands, but maybe other Lorrite cities, the mountains, the elven forests... That all had been set aside when they came for Ara, her sister.​

Elise, or Lis, only longed to find her. The law in Lorr was clear. Magic users were to be properly trained and registered, otherwise branded criminals and deviants, sent to local "Mage Towers" to be kept away from society. The woman had no idea what went on in the towers themselves, but she knew it couldn't be pretty... That was the last place she wanted her baby sister to be, yet their own father had called the Mage Hunters to their doorstep. Now older, Elise remembered that fateful night, when Ara's powers grew so out of control it engulfed their home in flames, a little differently. To start, much more enraged at her father. Guilty over her mother's death... and wondering if Ara's wild powers could ever be controlled...

Lis shook her head to try and banish the sickening feeling that night would bring to the pit of her stomach. Today was a day that always brought it to the fore, even if she never could truly forget it. She had walked out of the city walls and to the beaten path to the graveyard. She carried with her a few wildflowers she collected just out the garden which laid behind her now burned down old home. At her hip, a flask with water for the flowers that she had already planted at her mother's grave. It was Agnes' birthday, and her daughter wouldn't miss this moment to remember her for anything.

The day was grey with heavy clouds carpeting the skies, the smell of rain hung in the air and promised a wet, drab day, as if it knew today was a day of mourning, and the skies themselves would cry their pain over an unjust death. Elise bit her lower lip and closed her honey-colored eyes for a second. The blow was meant for her. It was her fault her mother was no more. The shadow of that guilt was always powerful on this day, as well as on the day of her mother's death. Tonight, Elise would drown her sorrows at one of the many taverns of Braedon, but now, out of respect, the flask full of mead remained untouched at her hip. Now was a time to pay her respects, and Elise made her way through the many graves and tombs to where Agnes Gale had been buried to do just that.

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@AJPhips​

 

[AJPhips]

Ara was free now. She had left the Mage Tower earlier this same day and made her shaky way towards town; towards home. She had walked down the now barely familiar streets toward her childhood home. There were awful memories there of course. The fire, the anger and sadness in her Father’s eyes, her mother’s grief and her sister’s panic but she hoped that now that she was fixed, she could re-join her family and have the life she had always wanted. No more hiding, no more fear, no more mage tower. She could be herself and her father would accept her.

What she had found in her home's place however, was a burned out shell of what it once was. Was this… could this be what she had done that night? She remembered the bright heat of the flames but the overwhelming power burning inside had blinded her to most of her surroundings that night. She could remember the sound of her screams in her own ears, sounding unfamiliar like they had come from someone else, something else.
Now that she stood before the flame ravaged building, the thoughts she had refused to acknowledge struck her hard.
Did…did I kill them?
She had walked numb after that, her feet taking her to the town’s graveyard without the command of her brain. Ara’s vision remained unfocused until she found herself stopped before a simple gravestone. Blinking several times her double vision became one once more and she realised where she stood.

“No.”

And her knees were jelly and her stomach stone and she could no longer hold her own weight. Her knees dug holes into the soil as she fell. She wanted this not to be true, she wanted it to be a nightmare, she wanted out. And suddenly her stomach wanted out too and she was retching before she could think to move. The soil before the grave tainted with the bile from inside her.
“I did this” She whispered leaning her head on the cool stone, “I killed you.”
And now that she had said it, she couldn’t stop.
“It’s my fault” Her nails dug into the flesh of her palms.
“I did it” Her forehead crashed against the stone.
“I killed you” Her tears joined the earth below her.
She could feel the magic inside her ready to bubble over and another force pushing it back down. It hurt. It hurt so much. She could no longer tell what hurt more; the death or the pain but she knew deserved it. She had murdered her family. She was free but they were dead.

 

[Maeriel]

Every time she had come to visit, it had been the same. The closer she came up the path which led to her mother's grave, the heavier her feet felt and the slower Elise moved. This time was no different. That is, until she noticed someone else at her mother's headstone. Rain started pattering the dirt ground slowly as Elise paused at the presence by her mother's grave. It hadn't been the first time it happened...

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The first thing Lis did when returning to Braedon was follow the hill to the graveyard, taking the back way paths to avoid sentinels or other mourners. She needed to be with her mom, and dreaded the possibility she'd not only have their Nana to her left any more, but Ara to her right as well. Instead, she was regaled with her father's presence. The man was laying yellow carnations at her grave. Agnes hated carnations, she said they reminded her of Nana's death. Her father couldn't even do that right. Rage boiled up in Elise's stomach, heat rising up her throat. She could feel it coursing in her veins, the surge of magic, its blueish tendrils swirling, coiling around her arms and legs, sensing the increasing of her strength, the lightening of her motions, making her faster, her strikes more powerful, just like the day she had failed to help her baby sister. Letting the anger out in a resounding scream, Lis charged her father, tackling him clumsily to the ground. She didn't know how to fight. She also didn't know how to control her magic yet.

It wasn't necessary, not for the punch which broke the man's nose painfully, red splattering out as his eyes teared up and he yelped in pain. He wasn't her father anymore, he was the cause of her grief, the loss of her loved ones, of her home, of a normal life... "GUARDS!!" The man yelled. He had brought an escort of two city guards, apparently in giving away his own blood to the Mage Hunters he was promoted to Sergeant, as the stripes on his epaulets indicated. The call halted Elise's flailing, untrained attacks. Her honey-colored eyes darted around looking for the ones who would respond to the call. She couldn't be arrested, not until she found Ara... or what happened to her. Pushing off with an enraged growl, as if she was the beast her father viewed her as, she scrambled to run away from her pursuers. Live to fight another day... or at least skulk in the shadows...

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There was this tingling over her skin, fluttering in her stomach as she took careful, silent steps forward to the shaggy, weeping person at her mother's grave. There was something about the figure, Elise's hand moved to the ornate hilt of her saber all the same... and then she heard the figures feminine voice, broken by emotion, speaking softly. “It’s my fault” “I did it” “I killed you”

The sound wasn't exactly familiar, but the content implied much. It was like being hit by cold water. Her face blanched. It couldn't be. Her heartbeat quickening in her chest, Lis' lips parted in shallow breaths and the hairs on her body stood on end. "A-Ara?" She tried calling but emotion robbed her of her voice and it came as just mouthed words. Elise cleared her throat and called out more solidly this time around, her pleasant voice more mature now, but far more familiar to the girl than her post-puberty voice had been to Elise. "Ara? Is that you?"

 

[AJPhips]

It took a moment for the voice to penetrate her inward spiral but when it did everything seemed to mute, to stop.

“Ara? Is that you?”

Ara… Ara … the name was so familiar. It had been so long since she had heard it. Years. But it belonged to her. Her name.
Her eyes shot to the person who had known her name, intent on studying her as she scuttled away in self-preservation.
The voice, the face, this was a person she knew, or once knew... Her eyes widened as she realised who it was that stood before her. She wasn’t dead, she was alive!
Ara uncurled herself slowly from her defensive position.
“L-Lis?” The more she looked the more she was positive of who this person was, “sister? You-you’re alive?”
Now standing, Ara took a hesitant step forward unsure of how to proceed. She hadn’t seen her sister in 11 long years. She was only a child then and her sister was her world. She knew no one else, always kept inside in case someone saw her lose control. Her sister, who promised to always protect her. But she hadn’t, Ara had been taken and locked away like a monster. She was a monster.

Finally, unable to make eye contact, she managed to croak out a barely audible and vulnerable,
“Why didn’t you come?”

 

[Maeriel]

The person recoiled, looking at Elise with suspicion, and that is when she became sure it was her baby sister. Those green eyes, like sparkling emeralds, they couldn't be anyone else's... even if now they seemed to have lost their shine. Trying to seem more harmless, Elise slowly raised her hands to show she meant no harm. What did they do to her in there?! How is she here? What happened? Elise had so many questions... and as she spotted recognition in her sister's eyes, she was sure Ara had many questions of her own.

“L-Lis?” The more she looked the more she was positive of who this person was, “sister? You-you’re alive?”

The confirmation was there and it was like a warm wave washed over her so strong was her relief. No one knew her for Elise these days, no one called her Lis. It was her sister, she was still in there, behind the frightened, scarred surface. She could sense something on those etched marks poking out of the crude clothes she wore. Had she been hiding too? Imprisoned? The tentative step nearly made Lis launch and embrace her tightly, that was her wish anyway, she did take an almost hasty step forward, but Ara looked so scared... so hurt.

Finally, unable to make eye contact, she managed to croak out a barely audible and vulnerable,
“Why didn’t you come?”

The question hit her like a sharp blade and Elise shut her honey eyes tightly, hanging her head in shame. "I'm so sorry, Ara... the guards were after me. They are the ones who killed mom, not you... when I tried to find you... they said you weren't there in the tower. I thought they had killed you. I stayed here... I always hoped you weren't gone... I always hoped you'd come back. And you're here. You're here!" Her speech was broken by emotion, guilt, grief, anger... all the way to the end, until it built into elation. She looked up again, eyes stinging from tears she'd not dare shed, Elise needed to be strong. Needed to be strong for her sister. Someone hurt her... someone marked her, and that someone... would pay. "Forgive me... I wasn't strong enough to stop them, I tried... I tried so hard..." And it cost us our mother.

 

[AJPhips]

Ara rooted her feet to the ground fighting the urge to step back as her sister came towards her. She was safe. This was Lis. Lis had always loved her even with her dangerous powers. She squeezed her eyes closed, head bowed as she listened to her sister’s desperate speech. She had come for her then. Lis had cared. So why did Ara still feel so hurt?
It wasn’t until her sister’s speech had ended that she really heard the words.
“They are the ones who killed mom, not you.”

Not me…

“Mum… the fire? It wasn’t me?”
She gazed at her sister, eyes wide, needing the confirmation to believe it. She braved another step towards her sister.
“I thought,” She whispered sorrowfully, “I thought now I’m out, we could be a family again. Dad would accept me now… but she’s gone.” her gaze slid back down to the grave and suddenly something else filled her mind and it seemed so important.

Flicking her eyes back to Elise in panic, tears obscuring her vision, she let out a wail,
“I’m so sorry! I was sick on her grave, oh lord! I’m so sorry Lis!”
And then she was on her knees sobbing as she leant against the legs of her sister, her faced buried against the warmth of another human being.

 

[Maeriel]

Ara looked so hurt... how could she not? Living all those years thinking she had been orphaned or cast aside. She had a long time to imagine all sorts of horrible scenarios... much like Lis did wondering what might have happened to her baby sister. She allowed Ara a moment to collect herself, hell, Elise could use one herself. Her sister lived, and they were here, reunited. For a moment, the more pragmatic side of the woman came forth and she wondered if this was a ploy of the Mage Hunters to get both of them, hoping Ara would lead them straight to Elise. Her sister's words jolted her from her paranoia, however.

“Mum… the fire? It wasn’t me?”

"No no." Elise was quick to answer. "It only got the house, we were all safe..." she stopped midway as her sister continued to speak about their father, about being a family again. The mere mention of the man got her hairs on end and the heat of rage up her throat. Like she would EVER put Ara in his hands EVER again. It hit her just then... if Ara dreamed for all of them to be together as a family again... did she not remember he had been the one to send her into that awful place? Or was Ara's sweet heart so innocent she had forgiven him?

“I’m so sorry! I was sick on her grave, oh lord! I’m so sorry Lis!”

Elise was so struck by the sudden wail she took a second to process what she meant, what had happened. By then she was more worried about her sister collapsing at her feet, remorseful and hurt. It broke her heart. Elise knelt down and embraced her sister gently, but in a firm manner, offering comfort she herself needed at the moment, a bittersweet sensation of having Ara in her life again and feeling so guilty for losing her in the first place. Her tears were no longer contained and Lis felt the warm trail as they ran down her cheeks. Elise shooshed Ara softly, saying. "It's alright, it's fine... don't worry, it just needs some water and it rinses away, she wouldn't care and I don't either. I'm here, ladybug, I'm not going anywhere..." The mention of her childhood nickname for her sister came so naturally she didn't even notice. Elise would tease Ara, who brought the little colorful insects inside as if they were pets. They'd escape and lay eggs inside the house and you could always find them flying here and there. Drove their father mad...

 

[AJPhips]

Ara felt a small wet giggle escape her as she heard the name that only her sister had ever called her. It felt so good to be wrapped up in the arms of another human and she felt a warmth inside of her that she hadn’t felt in 11 long years.
“It’s been so long” She mumbled, nestling her head against her sister.
Ara would have remained in the moment forever if she could. Sisters reunited, together once more. It was never going to last though, nothing good ever did.
The sound of heavy footsteps reached Ara’s ears and she tore herself away from Liz in panic.

Footsteps

Thud… Thud… Thud…
The mage guards was coming. It was a new day new, a new trial. Her skin still ached from the last. They would ask her permission of course, it was law to have consent but she would always agree and they had ways to make you. Anything to make her normal, to rid her of this monster inside. They said they could help her, but so far each trial they brought with them had failed. She knelt, her face against the hard stone wall and her hands on her head as was the custom when they entered her room. This one would hurt, they had warned her it would and as usual the fear coursed through her and her heart thundered and she longed to run.


The memory was in her head now, though she knew this was not the Mage Tower. She was safe, she was with her sister but still the fear controlled her and she could feel the magic inside her wanting to burst out but for the force that held it there. The footsteps could not be the men that would hurt her in her cell and yet she couldn’t shake the memory. She scrambled away from the direction of the footsteps. Half crouched behind her sister and another grave stone. Ready to flee, but she wouldn’t leave without Liz, not now.

 

[Maeriel]

Her sister's giggle was a wave of warmth and she once again was the little rascal with scraped knees from climbing the tree in the backyard to pass the boredom, being locked up all day. Was that what the runes meant? Nothing had happened, Ara didn't have any power surge, any wild magic, despite the strong emotions she'd experienced. Elise needed answers, but her protective instincts had taken hold like old habits one would never shake, and her sister needed her now, not an interrogation. Lis ran her fingers through Ara's shaggy short hair. That won't do... I'm going to have to do something about that. Lis opened her mouth to say something, but instead, snapped to attention at the sound of approaching footsteps.

She beat herself up for being so careless. Elise, or 'Viola' as she has been calling herself for years, would have heard the movement before it got as close as it did. Once whoever approached made the turn past the large mausoleum they'd come straight within sight of the two. There was a smell of ionization and some dirt slowly rose up to hover under her feet as Lis raised her hand up, holding onto Ara. A faint swirling of silver light coiled around her hand and fingertips and the air around them shimmered in a cocoon. A guard came into view his eyes look directly at the two sisters. Lis' free hand clamped onto Ara's mouth, trembling lightly in the effort. Never had she done this for two people and the energy required was costing her dearly, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

The guard saw nothing, whether or not it had been interested in finding them was not clear, but Elise was extremely glad when he disappeared behind a another age old mausoleum, decorated with weeping angels just ahead. With a gasp, Elise dropped her hand and all at once the magical effects were gone. Looking back at her baby sister she let go of her mouth and winced. Her voice was low, to avoid calling attention. "I'm sorry, sis. Let's get out of here, don't worry about mom, she'd be happy to see us together. Come with me?" She got to her feet, wiping her forehead with the back of a hand and offering the other to help her up.

 

[AJPhips]

Ara almost panicked when she felt the hand clamped around her mouth, until she felt the energy pouring out of her sister. She couldn’t help but watch in awe as her sister performed her magic. Such control. She saw the guard look straight at them, straight through them and she knew what her sister was doing, but why was she afraid of the guard? They had told Ara she was free so he shouldn’t be after her and Lis was an ordinary citizen… wasn’t she?

"I'm sorry, sis. Let's get out of here, don't worry about mom, she'd be happy to see us together. Come with me?" She got to her feet, wiping her forehead with the back of a hand and offering the other to help her up.

Instinctively Ara grabbed the hand of her sister taking another quick glance at her mother’s grave as she was pulled away. The rain was harder now, steady, warning them of the downpour soon to follow.
“Where are we going?” She managed as she was pulled along with her sister, “Where do you live?”

 

[Maeriel]

Elise was more than a little relieved that Ara hadn't panicked and remained quiet during the tense moment. The spell being cast on two people, even if momentarily, took a lot from Lis and she reached for her flask and took a swig from the mead before putting it back, the liquid bringing a soothing burn down her throat. The woman held her sister's hand gently, guiding her out of the cemetery not through the way they had come, but a path that led to a broken part of the metallic fence which surrounded it. "I'm taking you home, you look like you could use a little peace and quiet and I think we should get out of sight for a bit. Don't worry, it's not too far."

And it wasn't, although it took them a little to arrive due to the sinuous, out of the way paths into the city Elise took. When Ara got her bearings, she realized she was at the edges of the Trade District, where most taverns and brothels could be found. It was a rowdy area and not one to usually have residences, yet, Elise took her into an alley, going into a door hidden from the street view behind barrels and crates, and up a flight of stairs. 'Viola' lived above a shoe store, next to a brothel called The Sighing Maiden and a tavern called The Black Flagon. For her, it had always been a very convenient location, but now that she was bringing Ara over, she felt it was a highly inappropriate place to keep her baby sister.

Unlocking the door, Lis let her sister in. The place was not too large, but it was cozy and well decorated, perhaps oddly so. Some very luxurious items decorated the walls, the furniture and the mantle of the large hearth. Golden figurines, lavish jeweled boxes, odd paintings, fur rugs... They all looked out of place in the small apartment. The whole place had no dividing walls, though a decorated wooden folding screen concealed the bed from the door and the sitting area. Next to the comfortable looking double bed, there was a small desk with some stacks of books and disorganized papers. By the smoldering hearth, there was a red velvet loveseat and matching armchair with a side-table in-between. By the window there was a round table with three wooden chairs. The place smelled of the stew still warm in a cauldron in the hearth. "Please, sis. Take a seat. I'm going to make us something warm to drink."

They were both damp with the rain that had been slowly starting to thicken into a heavier downpour, the smell of it drifting between the slightly ajar window. Elise brought her sister a woolen blanket and then put a kettle to heat, stirring the smouldering fire into flames once again. "Are you hungry? You must have many questions..."

 

[AJPhips]

Ara let her sister guide her through town, as they reached the more seedy parts of town she screwed her face up in confusion. When they were children Lis would sneak her out of the house and occasionally they would dare each other to enter this part of town, see who could get further before chickening out. When their mother found out she was furious. “This was not the place for children” She has said “nor decent adults”. But Lis lived here.

As they entered the apartment Ara’s eyes were wide, the fancy furniture… her sister must have a decent job or husband, which was even more reason to question why she had chosen to settle here. Ara, still uncomfortable and nervous, slowly took her sister’s advice and made herself comfortable on the velvet love seat, crossing her bare feet beneath her.
“It’s nice” She said brightly, looking around.

"Are you hungry? You must have many questions..."

Ara blushed looking anywhere but at her sister, “kind of” She muttered before rushing out “But it’s okay you don’t have to-” She trailed off uncertainly.
Of course the timing was just so that her stomach made a loud grumble at that moment. Ara jumped, before quickly hugging her stomach, her pale face filling with colour.
“Sorry, I’m fine, I swear.”

You were not to ask for food in the Mage Tower, they would feed you when and if they wanted to. Ara sat in her cell hugging her stomach trying to stop the painful pangs of hunger from stabbing her. They had told her it would help control her, help keep the magic at bay but she could feel it rising now in her desperation. She crawled over to the bars trying to hold onto herself.
“Please, can I eat? Please it hurts.”
That was when he came in. She knew not to ask but she did anyway. The pain that followed was excruciating but it was the guard that left worse off than she. The lashings had made her lose the last tendrils of control and the power within her revolted. Ara did not know whether he had lived.

“I’m sorry, sorry, m’sorry” She muttered, trying to shake the images out of her head.

 

[Maeriel]

Elise gave a sideways smile at her sister's compliment to her house, not knowing exactly in what way she'd explain how she got all that. Before that fateful day when their family had been torn apart, Lis had always tried to set a good example for her baby sister. 'You have to take care of her' their mother would say 'she will follow your example, you are older, you have to be responsible.' It had worked, for the most part, Lis had still been a kid after all.

As she put the kettle to boil to make them some fennel and mint herbal tea, her mother's own recipe, Ara rambled almost scared that she was fine even though her stomach growled loudly. Her sister grew pale and her remarkable green eyes distant, haunted. Lis frowned deeply and slowly reached for her sister's hand, only to be startled by her stricken look and pleading apology.

"Ara, ladybug, it's fine, it's alright. You're home. I got you, sis. I'm never going to let anyone hurt you ever again, you hear?" Lis started the speech very soothing, but her last sentence was a stoic promise tinged with a darker tone. She meant it... And she'd make whoever hurt Ara pay. Carefully she wrapped her poorly dressed sister in the woolen blanket as the warmth started spreading from the hearth into the small apartment.

Going quickly to the table, Elise pulled a clean rag covering a wooden board with a small wheel of hard yellow cheese and a loaf of bread, her breakfast that morning. She cut Ara a few slices and took a shiny red apple from a bowl and brought it on a dish. Lis had never taken to cooking. "Here. This will do for now. We'll get you into better clothes and go get a proper meal next door a little later. I ought to have something that fits you." She gave a gentle stroke to her shaggy hair. Ara looked so thin...

 

[AJPhips]

Ara felt calm wash over from the touch and voice of her sister. Her constant protector. Once fully back in the present she tugged the blanket tighter around herself, looking up at her sister through her lashes,
“Sorry” She smiled softly

She accepted the plate Elise offered her and her smile grew at the sight. She poked at the bread; not stale, and the apple, well she hadn’t had an apple in years. She looked to her sister trying to show how much it meant to her to be reunited and cared for.
“Thank you, Lis.”

She grabbed a slice of cheese and pushed it hungrily into her mouth, followed quickly by some bread. Finally taking breath from the food she took another look around the room.
“Lis, are you married?”

And suddenly she hoped that it would not be so. What if the man did not approve of her or wanted to kick her out, or maybe he’d simply mean more to Lis than Ara did. Being surrounded by men so often in the tower she did not wish for more of their company.
Trying to hide her own anxiety at the question she took a large bite of the apple, savouring the gloriously sweet taste as a distraction.

 

[Maeriel]

"You don't need to apologize at all..." Her tone was soft and Lis sighed a bit once Ara seemed a little more at ease. What had they done to her? Elise felt that old rage boiling in her throat again, as raw as the day they ripped her sister, barely conscious, from her mother's arms. There was a darkness to the emotions she felt. A need to seek retribution. To let out all the rage, frustration, fear, guilt... on some worthy target. Maybe once Ara was settled... maybe then she'd follow the comings and goings of the Mage Tower again. Maybe all the way to each of their homes, in the dark of night... Absent-minded, Lis put in the herbs to boil in the kettle for their mother's tea, though all she wanted right now was mead and ale...

Elise was stirred from her dark thoughts when she realized her sister was asking if she was married. Blinking her honey eyes to refocus, she frowned and shook her head, wondering where had that come from. It made her think of the men who crossed her life from time to time, it wouldn't be that simple now with Ara around. "Me? No no... I don't think I'm the marrying kind after watching mom and dad for so long, how he lorded over her. No... I had enough of following orders. My home is mine. I live alone, so you're safe in here, don't worry."

The woman took a deep breath while Ara munched the food happily, going for two delicate tea cups to pour the tea in. She rinsed them a little on the basin of water, she hadn't made tea in a long while. Returning and sitting on the armchair, Lis looked at Ara a little seriously, the tea starting to boil and the room now nice and warm despite the pouring weather outside. "Sis, I need to talk to you about some things... No one calls me Elise any longer. I'm known as Viola... Viola Hayes..." Well, that was as good as any a place to start... "A lot has happened since I had to run from the Mage Hunters that came for you. Dad... helped them put a search for me, there were Wanted posters with my name. For the guards I attacked when they took you that day. I live a... less... lawful life, you could say?" I could probably have worded that better...

 

[AJPhips]

“Viola” Ara tried, studying the sound of the name “I don’t like it.” She added flatly.

It was a lot to take in and Ara barely knew where to start. Their father had been after Lis too? But she had control, she wasn’t a monster like Ara was, why were they after Lis?

“Father… but why?” She frowned tossing the information over in her head.
She had managed to reach an understanding during her stay in the Mage Tower. Their father needed to protect the family from her, she could have burnt them alive after all. He had no choice, she understood that, but to go after Lis… She could not forgive him for that.
It was then she remembered the words her sister had told her in the graveyard.
“The guards killed mum… it was his fault.”
Her food now forgotten, Ara could feel the rage brewing inside her.
“How could he do that to her, to you?!” Her harsh whisper shot through her throat as the magic bubbled bound below the surface and she found herself standing though she didn’t remember the act. The forgotten plate of food scattered along the floor. Her eyes were locked on the hearth, the image of fire in direct parallel with the fire she felt inside. He had killed her mother and targeted her sister and Ara had spent so long craving the acceptance of this man. She had even felt sorry that she had put him in the position he was in.

 

[Maeriel]

Elise shrugged her shoulders and added with a sheepish smile. "Most call me Vi. It was a necessary change." It had been... Overtime, the decrees on magical usage around Lorr had grown stricter and stricter and now they marked their magic users with a sigil, a magical sign on the back of their hands revealed by a wand every Mage Hunter carried. The different colors marked what kind of access they had, everyday use, combat permit, high-rank military mages... If you were caught doing something beyond your mark's access permitted you were sent to the Mage Tower to be tried in accordance with the transgression, the most severe punishments were stripping one of magic and exiling, life imprisonment or death.

Her old identity, Elise Gale, was sought already. She had no manner of gaining such a mark legally and was at risk of being found and punished. The memory of how she got the mark was not her fondest. Seducing one of the mages responsible for inscribing the mark had been overly easy. 'Viola Hayes' was the identity she managed to purchase beforehand by a forger she had been sent to. The mage agent willingly inscribed her hand with a combat permit after enough flirting and drinks in his home. The process hadn't been painless, but she had been advised. The right drug in his next cup made sure he was so hammered everything about the previous night was mostly forgotten or too fuzzy in his memory. Lis just made sure never to cross paths with him to avoid sparking any remembrance. Not a story to share with your baby sister...

Lis could feel it coming, the bubbling emotions the rise in anger. She'd seen if before and with Ara it never ended well. Yet, there was no effect. She rose and the platter clattered against the floorboards scattering pieces of nibbled cheese and bread and a half eaten apple across the ground and bear pelt rug. Raising her hands slowly, quietly, Elise approached her sister, caring little for the mess, even if mentally making a note to be thorough when cleaning to avoid the mice coming back. A tentative hand reached for Ara's face, green eyes reflecting the crackling flames of the hearth as she stared intently into it, and slowly tried to make her look into her honey-colored eyes.

"Ladybug? Calm down... everything is going to be alright, I'll make sure of it. Our father called the guards, the guards took you from mom by force, I fought them, my magic surged and I hurt one pretty badly. One of them aimed their wand on me, but it hit mom, it was too much for a mundane. It's my fault... I fought. It would never have happened if he hadn't called them on you. So he will pay... pay for what happened to you... to mom... to me..." Her voice started calm, but ended with a rather razor-sharpness, the dark promise of retribution in her features.

 

[AJPhips]

Ara’s strength and anger slowly faded as she met the eyes of her sister. Lis had always had a way of calming her down, keeping her from the brink of losing control and 11 years hadn’t changed that. Her obstinance failed and she visibly slumped, once more becoming just Ara, rather than possessed by emotion. After a moment she brushed the hair out of her eyes and leant against her sister.
“I miss her” she whispered as if it was a shared secret between them.

Then Ara moved on. She bent down picking up the plate and the scattered food, popping some into her mouth as she did so. Without looking at her sister, still busy retrieving the food, Ara commented as if it were the most obvious thing in the world;

“It’s not your fault, Lis.”

 

[Maeriel]

"Me too, sis..." Lis answered quietly as well, stroking her sister's hair. She did everyday, miss their mom, but it was always worse around her birthday and the day of her death. She was taken to the memories of that day, of her death... The flash and crackling of magic, her body falling, never to get up again...

“It’s not your fault, Lis.”

The simple words, stated so matter-of-factly, meant a great deal to Elise, Ara being one of the victims of her brash action. It wasn't quite as liberating as she thought they'd be, however. Maybe it was her need for retribution, maybe a debt she felt that she owed her mother. The realisation was a bit underwhelming. Only then did she realise that Ara was cleaning the mess... And eating off the floor. She crouched to help and chuckled. "I think we should take you to the Black Flagon for a decent meal instead of floor cheese. But first we should definitely do something about your hair and clothes. Why don't you go through my chest and dresser and pick something you like? I'll get a few things to wash and cut your hair, make you feel fresh and new. Does that sound good? " Lis smiled, focusing on her sister, on what mattered. She wasn't alone any longer.

In the sturdy oak chest at the end of Elise's bed there was an assortment of dresses. and a few waisted coats. In her dresser she kept blouses, shirts, bodices, ladies unmentionables, skirts and pants. Next to it she had a few boxes with lady-like slippers and a couple of leather boots. The assortment was so great it was like several different women, with different tastes, lived in that apartment. Ara had the freedom to choose whatever she liked, though she was a little thinner than Elise, their height was rather matched.

 

[AJPhips]

Ara face lit up at the offer of new clothes. She touched her hair absently, having no idea what she looked like these days. When they were young, Ara had always wanted to wear what her sister wore and she was often found sneaking into Lis’ room and trying on her clothes and shoes, though far too big for her.

Smiling, Ara skipped over to the trunk, with a thanks to her sister from over her shoulder.
Opening the trunk, her eyes widened. There was a ridiculous amount of clothing for one woman and in so many different styles. It was overwhelming, Ara hadn’t dressed herself since she was 8 years old, at least not with any choice involved. She knelt staring into the trunk for a good minute, with no idea where to begin and feeling a sort of reverence over the clothing.
“Wow Lis” She managed finally, “I don’t even know where to start.”

Finally she started pulling the clothing items out for a good look, half of them she didn’t even know what they were nor how they were supposed to be worn. Where did she begin? How did one decide something so important? Her thoughts slipped back to her mother. Ara remembered the green gowns and dresses she had loved to wear on special occasions. Ara had always envied them, thinking her mother the most beautiful woman in the land.

“I want green.” She decided, pulling out and making a pile of the green clothing she managed to find.
Some far too fancy for a tavern, some far too risqué and some simply incomplete outfits. Ara certainly hadn’t added any underthings to her pile, her excited brain forgetting all about them. She was a like a child choosing her first outfit unaware of social standards and conformities.
She held up some dresses to her small, messy frame, dancing and spinning like she would as a child when playing dress up in Lis’ clothes. She hummed the music, giddy. She was free and she was with her sister.