kissed my penny and threw it in
prayed to keep my soul
U
pon waking, she tried to stretch her fingers around the globe. They didn’t even come close to touching.
She is in Night, they came to visit her papa, her starry, starry papa. The only papa she knows about, because she has never looked so far into the shadows to find her real father. She likes Night, she thinks, not ask much as Dusk, not as much as Dawn. She has never been to Day, she thinks it sounds like the beach, no matter how many times her mom tells her it is not. But sand is sand, and Elliana believes it means and oceans, even if that ocean in Day is just made of rolling dunes instead of crashing waves.
The cobblestone streets are busy already in the morning hours. At first, Elliana had not been able to wander so freely. Elena had been fretful, worrying over her tiny, beautiful daughter, keeping her close. Too much had happened to Elena as a child, too much had scarred her heart and she was anxious that the same would happen to Elli. That little girl was too beautiful to ever be marred. Too spirited to ever be broken. She couldn’t bear the thought of it.
But Elena too knows how she cannot keep a butterfly trapped within her palms forever.
She’s grown calmer, more stable, giving Elliana the chance to wander their home and Denocte when they are there, like today. She allows her to explore the books and crannies of Terrastella, trusting some of the residents to keep an eye out for the court children, trusting in the court’s security. She feels similar to Denocte. So today she lets Elli free, those hands falling open. She presses a kiss to the top of her head. “Be safe, Elli B. Come back with a story to tell me.”
Elliana never failed to find her one.
Today she tramps through the the court’s streets, knowing to stay away from the side alleyways. She has a few coins in case she wishes to buy a treat or two. Her tiny lungs expanding with the joy of it, her blue eyes look brighter in the winter landscape.
GET OUT! Someone screams down the street and Elliana turns those eyes just in time to see a little creature with a long ring tail scampering down the street and right towards the castle. He dashes inside as two guards take off chasing him. Just kill the thing, they say, in which Elliana’s entire heart crumbles in her chest, she may not be an empath, but her mother’s compassion ran like fire in her veins.
Quick to move her feet, the little filly rushes to the gates. Where do you think you are going? Another asks her. Elliana fidgets beneath his gaze, but blue eyes are scanning out ahead to where the little creature had ran off to, to where he could be hurt. This is when she spots another little girl. “Visiting my friend,” she says confidently before heading inside. Elliana reaches Maeve’s shoulder and blue eyes are wide with concern. “Can you pretend to be my friend?” She asks her quietly, Elliana blinks once, twice. “There is someone in here that I have to save.” And she cant explain why it is so important that she does. To spare a life—but it feels like something more.
It's not something I feel often, but when I do, it hits me pretty hard. I'm looking out the castle window at the Court world below. It took what felt like ages for me to be tall enough to see over the wall, but now I just make it where my eyes can see some things. I find myself scanning the crowd below for Momma Zahra again, but I know I won't find her.
I don't think anyone will.
Momma Morr was very mad when I came back from Dawn with someone else. He was a nice man and told me all kinds of stories on the way back, but it wasn't Momma and that was the problem. I don't really understand why she left, but I just knew that it made Momma Morr very angry (and sad, though I know she wouldn't appreciate me telling her I've seen her sad too). Momma's avoided the subject and just said that she was different. I have a feeling in my gut that she didn't love us anymore and that was that.
So, I'm sad because of that and because we can't be a complete family. I guess nothing can be perfect and I should be grateful of what I do have. This Court is my family and I know that, but something feels incomplete.
Rory rests on my shoulder and I manage a small smile. I know he doesn't like to be here and prefers the world out there, or perched on a tall tree somewhere. He could tell I was feeling troubled though and wanted to spend some time with me. I really appreciate having him around now. He makes a good companion for sure.
He nudges me forward. "Let's go out and have fun," he suggests and I nod. He knows sitting here getting lost in my thoughts won't do me any good, so I won't argue with him.
Right before we get outside, I'm greeted by a girl I don't know. She's young, maybe a little younger than me. She tells me to pretend to be her friend and there's someone in the castle she needs to save. My eyes grow wide and, before I can say anything, two guards storm in with annoyed looks on their faces.
"Maeve, do you know this girl?" one of them asks me. I recognize him as someone Momma yells at a lot, so I stand up straight and speak confidently. "Yeah! She's visiting me from one of the Courts." I keep it vague since I don't know which Court she's from. Thankfully, the guards don't ask, although they do stare at us for a moment as if they don't entirely believe me.
"Very well. Don't get into trouble you two or I'll fetch your mother," the same guard says. I look at him with a smirk on my face and call out as they leave down a hallway, "I don't think Momma would appreciate being 'fetched'." I know how she can be and am starting to think this might be why she doesn't like him.
I turn to the girl then with so many questions in my head. "Well, I'm Maeve. Who are you? And what's going on?" I can feel all my sadness and worries from before fading away. Now I'm just seeking an adventure. I can tell Rory is even a bit interested too.
kissed my penny and threw it in
prayed to keep my soul
S
he was a good girl. Maybe a bit distant, her head in the clouds, but with enough of Elena's deep love to make her life so meaningful. She is a good girl. That is why she is here now, beside a stranger, using any ounce of charm and wit that can get her into the castle and to the little creature who needed her help. A little creature who was innocent of anything except perhaps a moment of mischief, or maybe just a rebellious act. If that were the case, if he should be punished, then perhaps every child from Dusk to Day should be punished too. Maybe Elliana should be locked behind the bars along with this strange creature that she has already determined would be her friend. Perhaps.
Her eyes are wide, and Elliana watches her with the bright blue of her own, waiting to see what she would say. “Please,” she mimics the way her own mother stares up underneath long, dark lashes. Elliana flashes a smile in the guard’s direction before she mimics Elena again, touching Maeve on the shoulder, the same way Elena had her so many times before. “Thank you,” she says, soft and uncertain, shy and silver and soaked in starlight. Then, again, “Thank you,” softer, lighter, with a note of warmth confidence her mother would be proud of.
A white leg strikes itself forward as she starts to move off, sleek, slender, young body moving through the halls of the unfamiliar place, hoping the girl would keep up with her. “Elliana,” she says quietly, as if she were to say it too loud the entire plan she was constructing would fall away into nothing. This plan she builds step by step, when she doesn't know what to do next, is so unsure so she just keeps walking.
“I told you,” she says with whispers ribboned in her words. “We are saving my friend.” Her friend she has never met, a friend she know she is supposed to save because it means more than just his innocence, there is something to this story. Their story. “I just don't know where he is,” she says and stops, halts in her steps for the first time. Her mother always told her if she was lost to stay where you are. But what about when you are not the one who is lost, if you are not the one who is trouble. What then?
And then she hears it, from the back of her mind it crawls over her head and rests there behind her eyes, inside her ears. A scream. Crying. From not too far away, the lemur emerges, running on three legs, a dinner roll held firmly in his remaining paw. Kitchen workers chase him, arms with pots and pan, one with a wooden spoon. There was no forgiveness in their eyes, there was no kindness in their hearts. They were empty in their compassion and the empath’s daughter nearly breaks apart, but she turns to Maeve with a single glance, asking for a promise of help, another please. “Come on!” She yelps and leaps forward. And she mimics not her mother in this moment, but she looks entirely herself. Entirely Elliana.
So, we are moving. To where, I'm not sure, but I follow the girl anyway.
She calls herself Elliana and it's such a pretty name. I haven't seen her around before, so I wonder if she's new here or from somewhere else. I also don't know who her friend could be or why they might be in danger.
"Saving him from what, exactly?" Of course, I don't usually say no to an adventure, but I'd like to know what I'm getting myself into. That way I can try to figure out a plan first and maybe who we might have to avoid in the castle if it comes to it.
Then, it seems my question gets answered for me after a cry rings out, echoing along the stone walls. A lemur pops out of nowhere clutching a dinner roll while a bunch of workers from the kitchen chase after him. There's yelling and waving of objects, it's all chaotic. "Oh," is all I say, although it probably gets drowned out by all the noise in front of us. Without much more hesitation, Elliana runs off and I follow. I guess now the plan is clear, try to save the lemur? (How did he even get in here?)
"How are we supposed to catch him?" I call out to Elliana, hoping she'll hear me. The lemur is so fast, I'm not even sure if anyone will be able to catch up to him.
kissed my penny and threw it in
prayed to keep my soul
B
ut you can call me Elli,” she says as if it is a special secret. And they are off. Had they been human, Elliana would have taken Maeve’s hand in her own, as if she were some child guide for wild adventures. She takes her instead by the blue of her eyes and leads her on their way.
Elli runs ahead, there is still a sound echoing in the back of her mind, urging her on, pushing her forward. “There are people who want to hurt him,” she says. “He’s scared.” She says and she doesn't know how she knows this, that he is frightened, that he needs her, she just knows.
And there he is, paws the ground, running as fast as he can, just as Elli does. Her heart lurches inside her chest, for the fear in his eyes, the urgency in his steps, and the cry that still echoes inside her head, rolling around torturously. She can feel the girl behind her as they keep running towards him and the cooks and kitchen workers that chase him around the castle. “We don’t need to catch him,” she calls back to her as an idea pops into her head. “We only need to hide him,” she says, this time quieter as she darts down a hallway.
She hopes she is right, that this place is a square with lines darting throughout, and Elliana does to the end of hallway where she can hear the shouting getting louder as they round a corner. She is quiet now as she stands there, and then she sees him. “Jack!” She calls out him and he turns to her, and for the first time their eyes meet and he knows and she knows. “Help me hide him,” she turns to Maeve when the lemur comes close enough. How she knows his name, how he listened to her, Elliana is too young to question, she only just believes it to be what it is. With Maeve’s help, she stages him behind a piece of castle artwork just as the kitchen workers approach them.
“Hello ladies…have either of you seen a lemur?”
Elli swallows the truth and turns to Maeve with something like a prayer in her eyes.
I start to wonder just how Elli knows so much about this lemur and what he's feeling, but then it hits me- he must be Elli's bonded. It's the only thing that makes sense, I mean, how else would she know that he's scared? It reminds me of how Elena and I helped Rory when he had been hurt. I could feel how hurt he was and I could see it on his face. I couldn't really explain it, but then I realized we were bonded. Just like Momma and Bram are. So, if anything, this just makes me even more determined to help my new friend. I know how important bondeds can be.
We are still running through the halls and I wonder just how long it's going to take to catch this guy. He's super fast, so I'm not even sure if the Court people will have any luck getting him. But then, Elli has a different idea - we could hide him.
"Good idea!" I tell her, although I hope she might have a plan. The lemur is still really fast, so unless he stops any time soon somewhere, we might have to corner him first. Luckily, it's not too long after we round a corner that we get to him. Elli seems to already know his name and he comes over to us. I breathe a sigh of relief.
I nod to Elli as we work to place a picture in front of the little guy. It's big enough to cover him and more, so we're pretty proud of ourselves. It's just in time too because a kitchen worker comes over to us wondering if we've seen him.
"A lemur? Are you crazy? They don't live in castles!" I say, laughing and brushing it off like the worker is crazy. Thankfully, they believe me and I don't have to do too much more lying.
"Oh, very well then. If you see one, please catch him and let us know, will you?" they ask. I just nod, but then wink to Elli once they turn away. Before I help her check on him, I first look all around to make sure no one else is coming.
"The coast is clear! Wow, you're both really lucky," I say, feeling really out of breath all of a sudden. "Hey, how did you know his name? Is he your bonded?" Although I'm pretty sure I'm right, I figure I'd ask her anyway.
Rory, who I didn't realize had gone off to perch somewhere during all of the chaos, comes back to join us. He makes a bit of a disgruntled noise, but lands back on my shoulder. I nuzzle him with my nose and turn back to Elli. "Rory is mine. A lady named Elena helped me heal his wing so he can fly again. Then we just kind of… knew? I guess. It's pretty cool." He doesn't always stay by my side, but I know he's always watching over me from the skies while I go out to explore.
kissed my penny and threw it in
prayed to keep my soul
E
lli and Maeve stand side by side, and it is in only this moment that Elliana deems her a friend. She was not so quick to give such things as her mother was (why would she be? When she can paint anything that friendship can offer her?) Elli looks to Maeve as the kitchen worker speaks, and her heart broadens to accompany the girl inside it. “Yeah, we didn’t see anything,” she says innocently enough, her lips set in a thin line. She nods in unison with Maeve as they take their leave, and it is only then that Elliana feels her soul unclench.
“Come on out,” she says to the lemur and he leaps out and onto her back, a spot he will come to call his own, claim, and be seen more often than not. “I…” she is not sure how to answer as she turns her small face around to look at him. He falls against her neck in an exhausted hug and shuts his eyes, entirely comfortable with Elli watching out for him. “I think he might be,” she says and smiles gently as she turns to Maeve. “Elena?” She says then, recognizing her mother’s name. She doesn't say anything for a moment in response. She recalls a story of her mother fixing an injured bird, and the girl that helped her. Elli then moves close to Maeve and plants her lips against her cheek in something less than a kiss. “That’s my mother,” she admits. “I will see you again soon, Maeve,” she says and like the ghosts that whisper to her—she is gone.
When the lemur jumps onto Elli's back, it's as if he had been there all along. I can tell he's comfortable there and with her, so there's no doubt in my mind that they're bonded. It's the same way Rory will perch on my shoulder when he's not flying above me. I'm glad that we saved him and they've finally found each other.
I'm surprised to hear that Elena is Elli's mother, but I've been told by some that the universe works in funny ways. Maybe this is just one of those and now at least I've done Elena a favor by helping her daughter. Either way, I'm glad that I've made another new friend.
Before I can say much more, Elli has to go and I smile until she's left, then it turns to a frown. It's just Rory and I again, so I'm not totally alone but that was more fun than I've had for as long as I can remember. She said she would see me again, so I hope she's right.
"Come on Rory, let's go get a victory snack!" I tell him and skip off to the kitchen where I know they'll spare me some fresh baked bread or a pastry (or two).
