A young woman was standing in the pantry; her shoulder-length red hair was ablaze from the dawn of the new day.
Louvan stood by the open window, breathing in the fresh but frigid air, not yet warmed by the dawn of the morning sun. Holding in the cool feeling inside of her chest, her green eyes stared off into the open field.
As the rain droplets from the night before began to glisten on the blades of grass, like tears from the heavens, they sparkled in every direction.
A wave of calm fell over her. Her mind still thought of Amelia, but she needed to escape from the nightmare gone past, even if it was just for a moment.
She put her hands on top of her chest and breathed out.
A soft, warm breath poured over the now-half-open pane of glass, coming into view as a stream of smoke.
She was now holding onto the circular end of the necklace, closing her eyes. What felt like seconds turned into minutes in the red-hazed chasm of her mind.
-Lightly feeling the pendant with the tips of her fingers and reciting a small prayer
Louvan: Let the guiding light watch over her; let the shadow be behind her; and let the darkness run away from her. Let this new day wash away all the sins of the past night, Var Rem!
She made a circular gesture with her left hand, placing it on her head, and repeated the prayer once more.
(I fell back into thought when the prayer ended.)
She may have closed herself off to the world, but the light of the rising sun still pierced into her closed eyes. The cold breeze trickled across her neck, dancing around the open window pane, just as her breath did just moments ago.
The glow of the new day veiled the goose pimples like raindrops on the grass.
(The sound of light footsteps came from behind the woman in a sea of calm, and then a soft voice rocked her gently into the land of the living.)
Voice: It is beautiful... Isn't it? (sounding happy.)
The maid turned from the half-open pane, now facing the familiar tone, the gentle breeze brushing past the back of her neck. Opening her eyes, the man she knew as Hyrne was now in front of her.
Louvan: It makes you nearly forget. How the darkness of last night has now become this... (She turned from the man and proceeded to look outside once more, still blushing from his words.)
He was no taller than Louvan, but his deep brown eyes and slicked-back brown hair always made her look up and into them whenever they were alone like this.
She wasn't sure if he was looking at her from the start or if he moved his gaze from the outside to her. Either way, the eyes of a man—no, this man in particular—made her feel wanted and warm.
Hyrne: Where there is darkness, the light will eventually follow. We just have to brave the shadows in between.
Louvan: So you have been listening to the sermons? (Her face is blushing.)
Hyrne: When he gets going, it is hard not to. Somewhere in all those words he likes to spout, maybe some sliver of hidden truth is in them.
The woman turned around and faced the man standing behind her once more, still holding onto the pendant in her clasped hands.
Louvan: Please be respectful of the Luminarum Priest; it is my faith. If he hears you... (sounding worried with a partial scowl.)
He hugged the woman with a childlike pout, comforting her in his embrace.
Hyrne: I am sorry. I will be sure to repent... after we get the food, that is. Luckily for me, he is with Amelia, giving his prayers.
A flurry of questions was now in the air, falling into the ears of the butler.
Louvan: Is she any better? Is she awake? Is she... (her thoughts drifting in her head)
A hand went up, signalling her to stop the barrage.
Hyrne: She is fine. Eral says her breathing is normal and the sweating has subsided. She will wake up when she is ready. It could be now, later, or tomorrow. All we can do is wait.
Releasing her gold pendant from her grasped hands, she put it back under her black maid's dress. Wedged between her heart and uniform, her duty and faith were intertwined.
Louvan: Oh no... I almost forgot. The guards will be starving! (panicking.)
- She began to frantically look around. Grabbing wildly at meats and spices in her vicinity,
The man who had stood like a statue since he entered the room came to life. Pulling Louvan towards him, he placed his hands on top of hers, asking her to turn them over. Without hesitation, she followed his instructions.
The man looked over the palms of the small woman attentively.
Hyrne: I am glad they are much better. You banged on that door really hard, and the slaps you gave Eral, that woke him up (squinting his eyes in a childish manner). You nearly woke up the village of Droll. Luckily, the yarrow ointment really works wonders. Good thing we have Eral on hand; just don't let him know I said that. (jokingly)
Turning her head away
Louvan: Don't tease me... (sheepishly)
- She looked at the empty wooden box on the counter. The butler caught her eye, worrying about the chores at hand.
Hyrne: We will both look for the food together. It has been a rough night for all of us. More so for our lord and Rubern. The guards are also running on empty; a long day is ahead of us.
Louvan looked at Hyrne with a puzzled look.
Hyrne: You don't know? The lord is heading out to the forest in search of the cara; if it's nearby, they will dispatch it.
Louvan: Now I am even more stressed, those men will be in danger; there is so much to do. Tristyn, he should be here helping me; where is he? He should be here in prayer. (questioning soft tone.)
Both of them are still holding each other's hands.
Hyrne: I haven't seen him. I bumped into Yurn last night, and he told me that the lord had some words with him about taking Lady Amelia into the forest. I couldn't get much from him, though, he wanted to see Eral in a hurry. I think it was something about potions for the hunt. For now, just leave him be; you know how the Lord gets with him. It is better that he keeps out of everyone's way.
Louvan: I don't believe that. Tristyn would never endanger Amelia like that. (firm tone)
The warm embrace that was between them was now as cold as the breeze from outside.
The butler thought upon his words before speaking again.
Hyrne: I don't believe he meant to hurt Amelia. The forest is a dangerous place, especially now with winter around the corner. We both know that she would never go into the forest on her own, and this isn't the first time it has happened. Also Rubern...
Louvan pulled her hands away from Hyrne, startling him. A firm voice cut through the small room.
Louvan: NO! That boy would never hurt Amelia, directly or indirectly. Why does everyone look down on him? It was the Cara, not him. There must be a reason!
She put her arms to her sides and put her head down—not out of shame but out of disgust.
Hyrne: I didn't mean...
Once again, he was cut off before he could finish.
Louvan: NO… I know what you meant. You all look down on him because he is the illegitimate bastard of the family; he gets blamed for everything that goes wrong (now her eyes were locked with Hyrne's). Only I and Amelia really talk to him. He is kind, sweet, and caring; he helps me a lot; he helps us all.
-She was the one being cut into, the once calm demeanour of the butler turned into an annoyed retort.
Hyrne: Well, if you like him that much and have such high praise, why did you move away from that hollow shack and come into the manor? You left him! Don't berate me for treating an illegitimate son the way I do; I serve the Vayreban's; The Lord, Rubern and Amelia. Tristyn... is not a Vayreban and never will be. Rubern said he saw him leaving the forest! Anything that goes wrong is always the cause of it in one way or another, and this time is no different.
The small woman didn't raise her head; she was still slumped, and disgust fell into confusion.
Hyrne: He was with her, she would never go in there alone. Amelia only entertains the boy due to her boredom. Don't look into things much deeper than they are. When she gets older and leaves the manor, he will just be a distant memory. When you leave the manor, it will be the same for us.
She curled up into herself and let out a weak voice.
Louvan: He wouldn't hurt her...
Hyrne tried to stop himself from pushing the matter any further.
Hyrne: Please don't be naive, he put her in danger. (Pausing). We have a duty to uphold. (letting out a sigh) It has been a long night; we are all at wits end. Let's keep this ship sailing until the guards deal with the Cara. I will speak to you later, when we have both cooled our heads. Before you go running off to that illegitimate bastard, it is best to leave him alone in that shack; the lord will not be pleased if he is roaming around the manor. I doubt that after last night's antics, he will be living here much longer. (A part of him regretted the words he blurted in the spur of the moment.)
His kind affection faded away; now all he had was one of emptiness as he headed away from the pantry, filled with regret in his words and actions, but what was said couldn't be taken back, he emptied his mind and headed back to his Lord.
Echoes from the night rippled into the new morning.
Louvan walked towards the door, slamming it shut, placing her back on it, and sliding to the floor, rubbing against the rough wood.
Louvan: Why were you with her? (in a defeated tone) Please don't let it be true. Please, my lord!
-Outside
The tears from the heavens sitting on the grass began to fall, and so did the tears from Louvan, both in tandem.
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"The morning of a new day does not chase away the nightmares of the night; all it does is blind us to them, as they are still lurking in the shadows, waiting for us to stumble upon them once more." The Book of the Discarnum Eppotet
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