2Swaying Star, Windy Night
Rumor had it that there was once a painting of the young Queen and her short-lived consort, the man erased from the history of the Queen's Knights' Commander. Some treasure hunter searched high and low, for such an antique would fetch a high price on the market. Its existence was part of the myth surrounding the ancient ruling family of Falenas.
"You want me to do WHAT?"
It was almost comical, but Lymsleia Falenas was fuming. What kind of scheme she was up against this time?
"I said it clearly, Your Highness. A painting. Of the royal couple."
The war was waging out there and the one taking her hostage in her own home wanted her to pose with him. In a picture. If that was how the coming months would look like, her entertaining Gizel's random whims, she would go insane. Or maybe that was part of the plot to keep her resigned.
"A painting would inspire the people. Their leaders, dignified, strong, charismatic. It is what the public need in this dire times. They draw their hope from the royalty. Looking at the authority as the picture of an ideal family sends more message to the household than any speech would. Isn't it a tradition for a royal marriage?"
"Gizel Godwin." That was it. She was seething. "We are hardly a picture of an ideal family. You killed my family!" That aside, why would he want a picture now, of all times? He had just exacted a coup, for Feitas' sake.
Gizel quirked an eyebrow. "I expect you to be more cooperative, Princess. Wouldn't want you hurt, would we?"
"Gizel had a point."
"Miakis, what do you -Ouch!" Lym turned her head around, inadvertently yanking her own hair that Miakis was braiding.
"Careful, Princess." Miakis tied the dangling end, soothingly caressing Lym's scalp where the hairstrings were pulled. Her tone went more somber afterwards. "He had a point. By showing the people an image of a proper royal family, he seeks validation from the citizen that your ascension is legitimate. The coup isn't known much outside, people got the news of the Queen and the Commander passing... that was about it."
"What would he gain then? He'd just make it seem like he's getting it properly, which as we know he isn't, and it's not like the Armes is going to call him out for it. Who else is going to -oh. OH." Lym looked at her attendant in horror.
"Exactly."
"It's Brother, isn't it? Gizel wants to make it so when Brother tries to free us, he would be seen as the one initiating a coup..."
"Toward a valid reign. That's what I thought," finished Miakis.
"But he was also right?"
"That it will calm the populace? The reasoning is sound." Not that she knew much of political stunt...
"Do I have to do this?" asked Lym, voice quivering.
"I wish you don't."
Lym couldn't stop the tears escaping her eyes. She buried her face in Miakis' shoulders. What else would be there after this?
Miakis clenched her fist, but she too was devastated to see her liege crumbling. "Princess... I will... One day I will make him pay for this..."
"WHY DO I HAVE TO DO THIS?"
"Pardon me, Your Highness, pardon me, but would you... would you sit a little straighter?" The old painter creaked, his shoulder slouched as he tried his best to calm Lym. Apprehensive chambermaids distressedly exchanged meaningful gazes with each other. Meanwhile, Gizel stood gallantly taking his place as the Queen's Knights' Commander. It was an amusing scene, he supposed. Had it not for the painter, Gizel would consider getting the Princess riled further. Despite the fun, however, that would be counterproductive.
"Your Highness, my dear, a Queen possesses grace. An… unflailing demeanor. Would you like the citizen to hear their Queen screech like a Dragon Horse?"
It was effective, as Lym did stop. Her eyes bored into him with hatred.
"Now, I believe this simple task would not burden you long, My Queen."
Curse him and his deceptively cool mask. In front of him, Lym would only make herself look like a fool. How dare he!
Days, weeks. The idea was as bad as it was in the fourth sitting as it was when he first proposed (coerced) her into this. Lym hated every second of it, hated having to pretend she had a shred of care for this vicious man. Hated to replace the picture of her parents.
"What are you doing here?" She could go somewhere else without him noticing, but his presence, here, definitely couldn't be forgiven.
She half-expected him to call the guards, but Gizel plucked some vegetation from the ground instead, oddly weaving them into a garland. Calm. Very calm.
"Oh, I am prospecting. This place looks like a good backdrop for our painting, no? And you, Your Highness, should be in your room, right now."
"I exercise my liberty to roam about my castle."
He handed her the flower crown.
Blue-silver petals, each tear-shaped forming small suns all over. Winds gently rolling over a landscape greener than her old picture book of the Grasslands. Smaller yellow buds here and there. That proud ancient tree she used to study under.
Lym tried hard not to scream.
"It's mother's favorite garden."
"That was what your aunt told me."
It was said in a nonchalant tone, with a slight shrug of shoulders and dismissive face. But was that regret she heard there, a split-second feeling? Did she make a mistake? Her anger subsided.
Taken aback, Lym examined the man's face closely, getting past her abhorrence.
One second, two. It was ridiculous.
"You had never gotten over her."
No answer.
"That was why you picked the place, no? Bet you have some kind of memory here with aunt Sialeeds."
Still no answer.
"Don't you think you are pitiful, Gizel, to hold onto what you can't? Make amends with her ten-year-old nephew?"
Gizel looked at Lym, vivid amidst the blooming flowers, silent challenge laid in her gaze. He wondered whether he and Sialeeds could've gotten through the marriage, whether their child would look anything like this headstrong princess. "Never."
It was a futile effort to venture where one never was.
"I suppose that would make me pitiful, Princess, but it hurts me that you don't think I love Falena as much as you do."
It was Lym's turn to fall silent.
"This country is troubled. It faces great adversary, from inside and outside. The whole system is poisonous. Queen Arshtat was a respectable Queen, but with her Falena couldn't show its strength. Even the Queen herself lost her will to a Rune."
"Mother did what was right!"
"So did I."
"She'd never kill people like you!"
"How old were you when Lordlake was decimated, Your Highness?"
"I-I..." She stomped her feet, face flushed red. "My brother will return! He will return and free me and you will have to atone everything you've done, every disgraceful thing you say to my face!"
Gizel's smile was sickly vague, evidently mocking. "He'd return for you. But then what? What would Falena do with its strength crumbling, and all they could hope for is a ten year old girl playing Queen? How could you succeed where the great beloved Queen failed?"
Lym couldn't take it anymore, and ran. Surprisingly Gizel didn't call the guards on her even after then.
"He'd return for you. But then what? What would Falena do with its strength crumbling, and all they could hope for is a ten year old girl playing Queen? How could you succeed where the great beloved Queen failed?"
His words earlier that day echoed back in her conscience. The heaviness must be evident on her somehow, because for once even Gizel's posted soldiers didn't pester her, instead letting her to be alone with her thoughts all the way to her chamber. Miakis wasn't there waiting by the entrance, yet Lym decided it might be for good. For now, she'd prefer to keep to herself.
She reached for the doorknob, determined to shut her mind off everything that happened that day, but not before she threw one last glance to the hallways of his room, and certainly not before catching his back walking away.
She hated that, she knew Miakis would too. Lym thought Gizel Godwin was a pitiful person, and for all the wrath she could draw from the sun, she couldn't bring herself to hate Gizel with the intensity she had before. There was white and there was black. She wanted to hate him all the more because right then, few months after her life turned upside down, the distinction didn't seem as clear cut.
Miakis returned when the sun stood mightily above, its radiance bursting through the castle's stained-glasses. Lym idly studied the sigil made on the floor by the play of light, admiring the symbol of strength carved within the very core of her family emblem, waiting for the chambermaid with her morning tea.
"Princess!" Miakis threw Lym a hug, her smile wide and infectious, something that would only mean the news were grim these days. Lym steeled herself.
"Where were you?" asked Miakis, concern apparent.
"Could've asked you the same thing," replied Lym, flashing her a reassuring beam. Miakis didn't seem convinced. "Oh, you know. Gizel and the painting."
Miakis' expression went downcast. "He made you go through it again?"
"It's alright. He– he didn't force me. Not so much, anyway, and it'd end soon." There must something in her voice, thought Lym, because Miakis searched her quizzically. "I'm really alright, Miakis. Really. I'd tell you if there's any problem."
"Promise?"
"Promise. So now, how's it on the front?"
The heat's scorching by then, so Lym went for the drapery. A flick and a swish, and they were shrouded under cold shadows. There, so much better. The fabric for her chamber were thicker, heavier than everywhere else in the castle. Definitely a considerate detail. Had she noticed this before?
Miakis waited for her to return to the side of the bed. When Lym was once again seated comfortably, Miakis sighed. She tossed her upper body to a nearby pillow. "I met him. The prince, I mean."
Lym's eyes went wider. "Is my brother okay?"
"... He is."
"That is a relief."
It was getting difficult to say anything more lately. They had spent many nights together in the first months talking, crying, screaming, scheming, cursing, praying, but now the hysterics were long gone. Lym scooted closer and Miakis gave her a pat on the head.
"It will be alright. The prince will come. He is strong, he will come to get you out of this cage and help us all, Princess."
Lym nodded. "I believe in him. I do."
His brother was out there, doing his best. She had her place. Here too, there must be a purpose for her, her part in this war, other than being the Godwins' pretty doll. She would find it and do it well. The time to just sit around and wait had to be over. Security loosened a bit since that day in the garden. Gizel clearly believed she wouldn't run away. Ironically, her newfound will did wipe away her thoughts to escape. They didn't make a fuss over Miakis' visit today; she'd have enough patience to stay obedient for a while.
With that, she made a resolve in her heart, and mustered the courage to walk confidently when Gizel's henchmen came to fetch her later that evening. She wore her most dignified expression, waved Miakis goodbye, and went away.
She was the Queen.
Behind her, Miakis swallowed the dread in her chest. The princess had grown so much, she thought. Miakis peered to the window, covered by drapery quilted of intricate ancient patterns.
"Miakis, it's too bright! Shut the blinds!"
"Why don't you do it yourself, Princess? It's closer to you."
"It's heavy! I don't want to waste my strength on this, I have classes till noon!"
Miakis rolled her eyes. "Don't complain if you go all mushy for the lack of workout."
Now, she didn't even ask for help. Soon, the princess might not need her for comfort anymore. Somehow, the idea made her sad.
She had gotten used to this, Lym delightfully realized. Chin high, eyes straight. All the perfect mannerisms. Gizel didn't chide her much, and the painter seemed pleased. Or perhaps the poor chap had gotten beyond exasperated and accepted that the young Queen was not the ideal model of grace. Either way, the later posing sessions weren't as much pain as they had been in the beginning. She was certain the painter could work on it somehow in any case. While she did not intend to make this one shabby, they would have to replace the picture once the fakery was over, which might be as soon as next month. This man had worked hard, she'd see to it that he be compensated richly for the commission. Perhaps they could order a new picture of her, her brother, Miakis, and Lyon. Yes, it would be apt.
One early noon Gizel himself paid her a visit and she knew that was it. The completed picture, when she unveiled it, was exquisite. She'd have been enamored with all the details and the amount of craft put into it, had it not been for her immense loathing towards the man beside her. Her expression in that rendition was wistful, the wisdom in her eyes went beyond the depth she could find in herself. Looking at herself in the whole Queen ensemble felt surreal, out-of-place, as if she was playing pretend of her mother. She could definitely feel 'Queen Arshtat' exuded from the image.
"It's done quite nicely, I believe, Your Majesty?"
"It is. It shall make a grand spectacle."
If Gizel was amused by the remark, he didn't show it. "I'm glad you think so."
The sun was setting, familiar colors spread like a wildfire dancing, creeping through nooks and crannies of the dying castle. What an excellent moment. The last rays shot through the ceiling, flooding her face in the picture with light, hiding it from view. She shifted between the painting and Gizel, who was now staring intently at the window looking out Sol Falena. She wondered whether he saw her aunt there instead of her.
"It's ending, Gizel. It's ending."
Gizel closed his eyes and said nothing, his hand toying with a glinting ring. He never wore their ring after the hymeneal rites. She didn't ask whose ring it was.
Lym welcomed her brother with such glee her embrace might be bone-crushing. Her brother didn't seem to mind, even sharing the same ecstatic smile. Miakis, a teaser as always, was grateful to point that out, earning Lym's grimace. The reunion was a glimmering one, everything she could have hoped for, even if darkness still loomed for them in the horizon. Finally, it was time to make things right.
She swept across the room, noting the powerful warriors her brother had brought with him, and gave him one last hug. "It's alright, brother. Finish what you should do."
He nodded.
She would do her own part. She was the Queen.
There was a castle to tend (with hundreds of refugees from the army) and a country to manage, but first she had to prepare proper burials.
A mad man he might be, but his heart was always to Falena (and a certain Falenas). She, as one of the three surviving Falenas, would ensure he be given respect, even if he wouldn't be able to pay for the death of countless people brought by his hands with it. He couldn't even be detained for war crime, she bitterly thought.
The castle needed much cleaning up. The painting was taken down at once.
Rumor had it that there was once a painting of the young Queen and her short-lived consort, the man erased from the history of the Queen's Knights' Commander. Some treasure hunter searched high and low, for such an antique would fetch high price on the market. Its existence was part of the myth surrounding the ancient ruling family of Falenas.
Deep, deep down, out of curious people's sight, snuck within a hidden corner in the Queen's chamber, a plain-looking box lay. In it were the painting, and a dried, withered flower crown.
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A/N: A couple of notes here. First, this is an idea percolating in my mind for a long time, perhaps three or four years, ever since I read the SV Manga Anthology. Some readers might correctly guess that the garden scene was heavily inspired from 'The Secret' by Mizuki Fuuju (Anthology v1c14). Before that, Gizel was not really interesting to me. I wrote and rewrote and rewrote until I lost count of it over the last two years, but prior versions I found lacking. I personally like this one, and that's it. It ended up matching the image in my mind closer than my other related work, 'Dancing Moon'. If you haven't read the anthology, you should. It's awesome. Rin translated the whole volume a few months back.
