"Please, Jayson, " Alise begged. "Trust me."
I looked down at my half sister. Her eyes were wide with terror and hope, her clothes were torn, leaves were hanging half-heartedly in her hair. I'd never seen perfect Alise look like such a wreck.
"Come in," I said.
She looked both ways and darted inside.
I closed the door behind her and locked it tightly.
In the living room, she had already started pulling the curtains closed. I felt self-conscious about Alise being in my house. She'd always seemed so... Perfect. And rich. And my shabby apartment seemed so tiny and insignificant.
"What's wrong?" I asked finally, breaking the silence.
She sank into one of my faded armchairs.
"It's a long story. The short version is, I found this." She reached into her bag and drew out a book. It was thick, with a faded leather cover. The title was etched into it and dyed blood red. I leaned forward to read it.
"The Amber Seal," I whispered. "But, that's..."
"The illegal book that the former King wrote," Alise said matter-of-factly.
I recoiled from the book, as though I had been stung."The Amber Seal," I whispered. "But, that's..."
"The illegal book that the former King wrote," Alise said matter-of-factly.
"The former king of Legend," I pointed out. "No one really believes he was the real king."
"Then why is the journal illegal? Why does the emperor work so hard to extinguish any mention of him? Jayson, he is the real king. Trust me, the journal says everything."
"It's a fairytale, Alise. The king wasn't real and if he was, he's long dead. And I'd rather not die for treason, so please stop," My voice was sharper than I meant it to be.
"But-" she started.
I reached for the book, fully intending to throw it into the fire. She clutched it to her chest.
"If you won't help me, I'll leave. I only thought you would want to overthrow the Emperor, you hate him so."
I was silent as Alise tucked the book back into her bag. She smoothed down her ragged skirt and marched toward the door.
"Aren't you going to stay?" I asked, startled.
She turned back to me. "No, Jayson. I have work to do. Good-bye, brother."
Part of me wondered if I should explain, confide in her the truth. No, Sevan's men were watching me already.
"Farewell, sister. Be safe."
That is the last I ever see of Alise Eryndaughter.
Ehhh. That was rough. Ah, well.
You always write the most beautiful freewrites, Addi. x) So open to symbolism... and epicness and x)ness anddddd.... Kingdom stuff in general. x)!!! May have been rough to write, but it definitely wasn't rough to read! I love the interaction between the brother and sister, and the insight we get into his thoughts. It... it gives me the impression that she is in a higher social status than he is, somehow, either through marriage or through their different parent or whatnot. I also got the impression that she was older than him, almost as if... I don't know. I could easily imagine them growing up in the same community, but not really together. Like both living within the walls of the fortress, but she as a lady and he as a commoner. That's what my mind imagines because of the distance you described between them, and the way she was always so perfect, and the shabbiness of his apartment. Very well done, very open to interpretation! And then the book... and the King! Ahhh!!! x) I love stories about a King. And the emperor trying to destroy even the credibility of his existence! Ahh! It's so perfect. And then the dynamics between the two of them, the way he may have wanted to help but felt far too hemmed in to be able to... how she didn't know that, and simply felt like he was denying her... how he thought about telling her, but didn't, and never saw her again... though I don't really believe that last sentence. Especially since it's in present tense. Of course he's sure to see her again! U_U xD Well. At least that's the way I imagine it. Once he's on the run from Sevan's men and ready to join in the rebellion and shhtufff. U_U xD If that were to end up happening, of course. But yeah, I love the whole tone you created here, and I love the delightful and deepening phrases you make, like "The Amber Seal", and "The former king of Legend", and "Alise Eryndaughter". =') It's all so lovely.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jamie!! :D
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