♛
Lavion ~ la-vee-awn
Philondria ~ fahy-lawn-dree-ah
Pelandiar ~ pel-an-dee-ahr-s
♛

HEAVY silence blanketed them in a thick veil of confusion as the atmosphere turned frigid, chilled by the frosty mist swirling from the ice wall. The silence lingered, broken only by the sound of Zack's footsteps crushing on shards of glass when he moved, angled toward the window Karyn had just fled through.

"I'll go check on her," he said.

"You seem to have a disregard for rules, young man," Lady Minerva said, her cool voice stopping his progression. Aside from his sharp turn, nothing would have made her think her question stunned him. His face gave away nothing.

"Gemannua must have told you of my rules and yet—"

"With all due respect, are we having this conversation when Karyn—"

Lady Minerva flashed a pleasant smile, catching Zack off guard and leaving him speechless. "My mansion, my rules. I do not sit well with people moving around the mansion, especially when they go to places they have no business with. You, as I have noticed, have been doing just that. Should we catch you wandering around again, it would force me to remove you from the premises."

Having said all she needed, she turned and exited the room through the door. His first impression left her with little to nothing to form an opinion about him, but when one of the mansion workers had reported seeing him venture near The Corr Room—where she nurtured her connection with the mansion—she instructed them to keep a close eye on him.

Then came his reaction to Ares at the ball and her antennas peaked in curiosity. What could make him have such a reaction to a man like Ares?

Despite her knowledge of his troubled past, when Ares came seeking shelter for a few days, she had given him without question. She knew him for his shady deals and that he had chosen the path against magic. A path that came with a grave and visible cost for him.

She had overlooked his past in exchange that he didn't trouble or recruit anyone. The Mansion served as a sanctuary for any of Wlerden's citizens in dire need, regardless of their origin or background. That was the first rule she had made when she opened up the Mansion's doors.

If Zack had some business with Ares, that triggered warning bells and now he was inching closer to the Silverein, fluttering around her like a bee sucking on nectar. After Jamie's words, she couldn't help but question his intentions.

When she got to the landing, she placed her hand on the wall, using her mystical connection to the mansion to track Karyn's movement, the same way she had tracked the source of the rumble. The wall became her ears, capturing the distant sounds of footsteps echoing through various corridors. She took it on as her skin, becoming one with the roughness and moving with the earth until she got as close to Karyn as she could.

Only when she reached the garden wall did her body emerge. Out here, there were no walls, floors, or ceilings for her to connect to, leaving her with no choice but to walk the rest of the way.

A gentle breeze whispered through the rustling leaves, tickling the delicate petals of the vibrant flowers. The air carried with it the sweet scent of blooming roses, mingling with the earthy fragrance of the grass beneath. It didn't take long for her to find the princess, her shoulders slumped and her gaze fixed on the sculpture some steps ahead.

Lady Minerva's eyes strayed forward toward the sculpture itself. A magnificent sight of a graceful lady, adorned in a flowing ball gown with a multitude of petals dotting it. As the water trickled from every petal, clutched in her hand was a pristine white rose from which the most abundant stream flowed.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?"

As if she'd just woken up from a trance, Karyn jerked in alarm, her eyes wide as her head turned sharply with the upper half of her torso twisting along.

"Not to worry, it's only me," she said and Karyn shifted on the bench, even though there was enough space to fit at least four people.

The trickling of water resounded around them, a calming symphony the lady wished would ease the princess' nerves, which were evident in the incessant tremble that raked through Karyn's hands. With her eyes on the fountain, following the stream of water from the white rose, Lady Minerva reached out and placed her hands over Karyn's, stilling the tremble at once.

Lady Minerva could only connect to solid earth, but even if Karyn was made of stone, the lady was sure it would have crumbled because of the trembling. The look in Karyn's eyes, even as they rested on the white rose, was enough to tell the lady that Karyn was reliving the entire ordeal. An ordeal that had brought a memory of Karyn's early years to the forefront of Lady Minerva's mind.

It was one solemn night, a few days after Karyn's seventh birthday, and weeks before the Royal Family mysteriously vanished. It felt as if a switch had turned on in the little girl.

One moment she was reciting The Tale of Regions with the passion of someone who had studied so hard, the next moment, a chaotic racket of objects crashing and clattering replaced the princess' soft voice. The room became a mess as Karyn's little fists feverishly seized anything within her reach and hurled them at the bewildered lady.

A current of adrenaline, fear, and shock sparked in the air of the chambers. The princess used to create silver flowers and roses as presents for the lady but that night anything silver took the smile away from the lady.

Roses became knives. Toys became balls with sharp pins jutting out from them. Anything the princess deemed a weapon, she skillfully sculpted. For the first time, the princess used her gifts to cause harm.

Ever the picture of peace and grace, the unexpected shift in Karyn's behavior left the lady baffled, but she swiftly recovered from her shock to tackle the princess to a slumber. A feat that had proven much tougher than she had expected.

The king and queen were away on a visit, only to be back the next morning, so Lady Minerva had resolved she would share this incident with them upon their return. However, when Karyn woke up the next morning, entirely ignorant and incapable of recollecting any fragment of the strange encounter, the Lady held back in her decision. If it occurred again, then she wouldn't hesitate to let the king and queen know. But it never did. Karyn remained her usual self without a tick of aggression, and then the princess fell ill.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lady Minerva asked.

"I... don't know what to say."

The tremble that had just dissipated in Karyn's hands had transported to her voice. Lady Minerva's brows creased in curiosity, enough of a gesture to make Karyn go on.

"I woke up frustrated. I thought I needed some rest, but I kept getting angrier. Then I... blacked out. One moment I was sparring with Marcela and the next, she... transformed."

"Transformed?"

"I... every time I try to think, I can't remember what she became, but..."

Karyn's unspoken words hung heavy over them, and Lady Minerva could see her internal battle manifesting in the crease of her brows and the puzzled look in her eyes.

"But what?" Lady Minerva urged.

"I remember... I wanted to... kill it." Karyn breathed out the last two words and both their eyes widened, with fear shining on every inch of Karyn's face, a testament that the words came as a shock to both of them.

The trickling of water no longer brought as much peace as the weight of those two words was enough to overpower any speck of serenity the fountain brought.

With a whip of her head, Karyn looked at the lady with eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Will Marcela be alright?"

"I'm sure she will be. Doctor Wesl is on his way. He's also from Wlerden and would have a better understanding of what to do."

At her words, Lady Minerva saw the slight drop in Karyn's tight shoulders and caught the look of immense guilt before Karyn cast her eyes back to the fountain. Despite her glossy eyes, not a single tear fell from Karyn's eyes. The sight of the princess' face full of distraught forced her to pull Karyn in for a side hug before guiding Karyn's head to rest on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, my dear, Marcela's a warrior. She'll pull through," Lady Minerva said. She heard Karyn sniff, and it brought a small smile to her lips.

"You know," Lady Minerva started, with her smile in place. "You just reminded me of your father. He cared so much for every one of his subjects, carrying their pains and struggles and placing them on his broad shoulders, until he solved them."

Karyn sniffed again before she raised her head and set her eyes on Lady Minerva.

While Karyn's gaze remained on Lady Minerva's side profile, the lady's eyes wandered far out to the trees and the bursting colorful flowers ahead of them.

"What...? What were they like? My parents."

"They were wonderful. Your father was a king like no other. He was like a son to me, and I saw you as my granddaughter. I had lost my sons to a terrible fire before either of them had found love or birthed an offspring. It wasn't a straightforward journey dealing with the loss and to this day I don't know how he found me, but he did and he offered me a post to be your nanny. It was at the perfect time. I had almost given up, you see. What more was my life without my sons, my pride? But he gave me you, and you became my purpose. So I put in everything, training you as I trained my sons, or even better. I knew you had everything, but I taught you to value every single thing you had."

Lady Minerva's soft eyes glanced at Karyn, but the look of unfamiliarity within Karyn's forced her gaze back to the flowers. At least, if they had minds, they would never forget the number of times she had watered and tended to them until they bloomed.

She hated how Karyn couldn't remember anything. Not the love her parents and everyone at the White Castle showed her, or the excitement that coursed through Wlerden after the king and queen announced they had given birth to a girl. After a long line of kings, the people of Wlerden were finally going to have a queen. The first in their history.

At Wlerden, everyone respected women. Men weren't equal to women and women weren't equal to men. The people understood the two had advantages over each other, advantages one would overlook should one see them as equals. They understood their differences and made the most of their strengths while trying to minimize the impact of their weaknesses.

But Earth told a different story. It had taken her a while to understand that for some forsaken reason unbeknownst to her, some men here saw women as inferiors. Whatever sickness did they have to make them think so? Despite that, she never settled for less and made sure she showed the worth of a woman to anyone who had doubts wherever she went.

"You know, I never believed in Turunds. I thought they were just a farce. I never would have believed magic went to such extents had I not seen you as you are now," she paused. "Oh, how it pains me you can't remember any of it. But I digress," she said, remembering Karyn's earlier question.

"Your mother had a lovely soul. She was the daughter I never had, and she took me so dearly as her mother."

"What of her parents? My maternal grandparents?"

"I don't know of them. No one did. Your father had brought her and declared her his wife before they wed. No parents or guardians came for her, and she had to tie her Lavion herself."

"Lavion?"

"It's a tangled web of crawling Philondria plants. Only the females in the bride's family can tie it around the bride's waist and up to her neck, after which they let it fall in a curtain of flowers over her dress. Once they've done this, the commitment ceremony can begin. But she had to do this by herself. Regardless of that, she was one of the best queens in the history of Wlerden. Together, they did what no one else had ever done for Wlerden, which was why their disappearance shook the entire land."

Lady Minerva's words lingered in the air until she continued. "I remember some weeks before that. You had fallen terribly ill."

Karyn's lips parted slightly beside her. "Me?"

"Yes. Your parents were so worried. They tried the best doctors, but none of what they gave seemed to work. Then they just stopped calling on them. I figured they were planning something with the former Golder Olwyn because they started talking in hushed tones whenever I was around. I admit, it hurt seeing them hide whatever was wrong with you from me, but I believed they did it for good."

"How did things change?"

"Even to this day, it will always be a shock at how fast things happened. The previous king had already cast Avnars out from the land and after your parents left..." She sighed. "Creatures rose from the ground. And then they formed The Red Guard. They committed crimes against magic, yet those in power did nothing."

The Lady soon forgot Karyn remained by her side as her free hand clenched in her lap. "I'm sure Terrwyn had a hand in all of it because there was no way all that could have happened without her knowing. She wasn't the one in power, but she used the Roveñya to do her bidding. Poor Dovelyn."

The Lady Minerva turned to Karyn. Not an inch of her face sparked with recognition upon hearing the name of someone she had cherished and held in so much esteem.

She let out a sigh, heavy with sadness, as she looked away. "You know, you and Dovelyn had a bond like no other. The maids and servants always admired your friendship, and we used to say that if there was a bond thicker than blood, it was what you both had. You weren't sisters, but you both cared for each other more than sisters would. It was astounding seeing two young girls like you care for each other in such a way. Whenever you were apart, you would ask about the other. Almost as if you were two halves of a coin that couldn't bear to be away from each other."

"What happened to her, Dovelyn?"

"It's sad what people say she became."

"The Roveñya?" Karyn asked.

Lady Minerva nodded. "She was neither king nor queen, but she ruled without a choice. Yes, the Court of Pelandiars guided her decisions, but it remained too much power for someone as young as she was. Which was why it came as no surprise how she turned out."

"Who are those? The court?"

"A group of previous Wielders. Some alive, some dead. I heard from Gema that Dovelyn changed. She became stoic and cold. I'm sure if I met her, I wouldn't be able to recognize her now."

"But," Lady Minerva's smile matched the lightness in her tone when she turned to set her eyes on Karyn. "I'm sure when you get back and get your memories... well, I hope you both share that bond again. So many things have changed since then, but if there's anyone who can bridge the gap between you two, it's the two of you."

Her smile radiated across her face, and it was enough to make Karyn's lips crack a small smile.

"Have you had a bath yet?" she asked to divert the topic and Karyn shook her head no. "C'mon now. You should have one and rest." Then she cupped Karyn's cheeks. "Really rest. I don't know what you all were thinking, training after yesterday's ball. And don't worry about Marcela, she will come out strong as usual. I have faith in her. You should too."

Her hands fell to Karyn's shoulders, squeezing them lightly. "We will find an explanation for what happened today, but I know you wouldn't have wanted to harm Marcela, not if you're feeling this much remorse. I can tell you're finding it hard to explain, but don't let confusion and misery eat you up. Come now," she said, rising to her feet and pulling Karyn gently with her. "How about we do something you always loved? I know you're grown now, but I'm sure you'll still love it."

Lady Minerva led the silent trip to Karyn's room. If the lady had been alone, she would have merged with the walls instead and reappeared where she wanted to be, but given how much Karyn had spent herself on magic, Lady Minerva concluded on a walk instead.

"How do you see your room?" she asked once they crossed the threshold.

"It's... beautiful. Nothing like my room at Emerfield."

"Wait till you see your room in the castle."

She assisted Karyn in getting ready for a bath. When Karyn settled in the bathtub and agreed, Lady Minerva began massaging Karyn's shoulders.

"I loved to do this back then while you played with your toy ducks and blats," she said as she poured water gently on Karyn's head, watching as it flowed down her shoulders.

"Blats?"

Siting behind Karyn and on the rim of the bathtub, Lady Minerva couldn't see Karyn's face, but she knew there would be a frown marring her features.

"An animal the size of a cat with golden fur and green seraph wings. I never knew why you loved them until Morrigan told me you admired them after you'd been to a flying competition for the animals."

As the Lady's fingers massaged Karyn's shoulders, Lady Minerva could feel Karyn's shoulders getting lighter with each stroke and she smiled. It had always worked, even now when the princess didn't recall how cold water, combined with Lady Minerva's gentle massages and the rich scent of rosemary, had been Karyn's recipe for relief.

"Your hair is longer and fuller, like your mother's. Your father used to be jealous back then about how you had taken so much after your mother, so he decided that in exchange for that, he would spend one whole day of the week with you."

A light chuckle escaped Karyn's lips. "In exchange for me looking like my mother?"

"Yes. Only he knew his reason for coming to that conclusion."

"What did we do in those days?"

"It was always whatever you wanted. But the thing was, since he was so busy for the rest of the week, you looked up to that day with so much excitement that once it came, you would want to do everything at once."

The sound of their joint chuckles drifted around them as the only sound in the room.

"When he would finally draft a list, you would always want to rush to the next one feeling there was no time. There were some days and months even when this wouldn't be the case, as he would be so deep in affairs. Sometimes he would have traveled, occupied with duties expected of a king. That was when Dovelyn would whisk you away and make sure you never felt saddened by his absence," she finished as she rinsed Karyn's hair.

"Okay now, finish up and I'll sing you a song after that."

"A song?"

"Yes!" Lady Minerva rose to her feet with a warm smile. "You may be older and so am I, but my skills are still as sharp as ever, and in no time, you'll be sound asleep. You'll see."

Lady Minerva stepped out to give the princess the privacy to finish up. With a wistful smile in place, she recalled many nights she'd catered to the Princess. Many tables they'd shared. Many days they'd spent at the park.

Oh, how she wished for those blissful times.

But wishes were nothing but a cry lost in the wind of turmoil that raked through their lives ever since the Royal family disappeared that sober night.

♛
*A/N*

This was quite a chapter to write. I just came back from a mini but necessary break and at first I had written this chapter in Lady Minerva and Karyn's POV, but when I came back to it, I decided to leave it only in Lady Minerva's POV and it was sort of a task to try and show Karyn's thoughts and emotions through another person's eyes.

I hope you're loving the story so far. If you do, your votes would mean a lot to me and I would love to hear your comments and know just what you think so far!

♛

ITNC: Karyn learns more about her parents and questions the connection between her dreams and the past that is locked in memories she has no way of accessing.

♛

~
The Sparkling Authoress,
Mis. A
❤️