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rainbowfic2020-09-18 08:55 pm
thisbluespirit) wrote in rainbowfic2020-09-18 08:55 pm
Cloudy Grey #10, Ecru #7 [Divide & Rule]
Name: only light
Story: Divide & Rule/Heroes of the Revolution
Colors: Cloudy Grey #10 (empty); Ecru #7 (examine)
Supplies and Styles: Eraser + Novelty Beads ("When there's only the dark, you are always the light in my eyes." - 'Just Here to the Left of You,' Adam Pascal) + Pastels (allbingo February Flowers square “Rose (White) – Secrecy & Silence.”)
Word Count: 1051
Rating: PG
Warnings: None, really.
Notes: High Fantasy AU; Edward Iveson/Julia Graves. (Another one off the giant AU list.)
Summary: Julia doesn’t want to stay in the dark, but light can be too revealing...
***
Julia hitched up her skirt with one hand and raised the lantern higher with the other. She descended the staircase alone in a bubble of light. The old house was eerily silent around her. Edward was somewhere upstairs, but he was presumably asleep. Julia couldn’t rest.
Evening had already been drawing in when they’d arrived at Edward’s house in the eastern hills. It had been built years ago by his grandfather, a wealthy guildsman. It was alien to Julia; its unlived in state oppressed her. Tomorrow, she might begin to alter that and make it her own, but tonight she was lost in its shadows.
Coming here was an escape, she reminded herself as she reached the landing, but that only made her wonder all the harder if it had been a mistake.
Taking up Edward’s offer of marriage had meant that she would finally be free of her entanglement with the Friends of the Alliance. She supported the continuance of the Alliance of Kingdoms – indeed, so did Edward. It must not be ended only because the war was over. There was much to be mended, and who knew if the Elven-folk might threaten them again? But the Friends had done things in that cause that Julia could not live with, and so she’d agreed to Edward’s odd bargain instead.
Julia turned around on the landing, the lantern’s light revealing closed doorways, leading to chambers and hallways unknown. She closed her eyes. She’d been lying so long, she even lied to herself now. There had been another reason why it had been imperative that she find a place of safety.
She hadn’t thought hard enough about arriving as well as leaving, that was the trouble. She shivered in a draught and opened one of the doors to look inside. The chamber within held very little, only a desk and chair under a dust covering – and on the wall a mirror.
She caught sight of her face in the glass a bare moment before it flared with a cold light that had nothing to do with the lantern in her hand.
“Oh, no,” she said backing away. That would have to go. It must be true-silver and she couldn’t have it betraying her secret to Edward.
Julia was not elven. It was complicated; it was not even precisely true to say that her mother had been. Her grandfather had left those realms and forfeited his heritage; a scholar drawn by his fascination with mortal ways. When the fighting had started, she had buried her secret ever deeper, yet never deep enough. She had lost friends, good work in good houses, and more than once, very nearly her life.
“What are you doing?” said a voice behind her.
Julia swung around and dropped the lantern in her alarm. Its light died, and all would have been darkness but for the wretched mirror which shimmered again with its tell-tale starlight glow.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said, and knelt down, her skirts pooling on the floorboards as she scrabbled around for the lantern. She refused to mention the treacherous looking-glass.
Edward strode forward. His hair was ruffled and he was wearing a red robe over his nightshirt. She must have woken him. “Julia, don’t. If it’s broken, you don’t want to cut yourself.”
She lowered her head and stopped where she was, afraid almost to breathe, because any moment now, he would ask and she couldn’t lie to his face. A lump in her throat threatened to choke her.
He stopped beside her and she could feel him looking down at her, but he coughed awkwardly and then said, quite calmly, “I’d forgotten that was there. It didn’t startle you, did it?”
“Don’t you understand?” said Julia, raising her head. She was almost angry at him for not raging at her. “You must know what it means!”
The mirror shone once more, casting light enough for her to see Edward run a hand through his hair, a blank baffled look on his face, before his forehead creased in some sort of understanding. “Julia,” he said, sounding wary, “you must have known that I knew. I told you at the start I knew your mother. I discovered the truth of the incident with your brother – the very reason you could not remain with those people.” He stopped, and she couldn’t see his face, but she could hear the puzzled lift in his voice. “How could I not know?”
Julia made herself stand, seeing only his unreadable silhouette before her. She couldn’t keep her voice steady. “What do you want with me?”
“What I told you,” he said, and now he only sounded tired. “Nothing more. Our bargain stands, unless you choose to alter it.”
Julia swallowed, fighting tears. She had grown too used to keeping her secret; too used to expecting the worst to believe that Edward had understood all along, even though he was right; she should have known.
“I won’t mention that you, however, clearly wished to keep me in the dark,” Edward continued.
Julia let herself move nearer to him. “Well, now you are a liar, for you just did.”
“True,” he agreed, and she could hear the smile in his voice. He put out a hand to her arm and slid it down to grasp her fingers. “You’re cold.” He hesitated again, before saying, “Could you not trust me?”
“I haven’t been able to trust anyone for so long.” She hoped he would understand. Maybe he did; he squeezed her hand.
Edward led the way out of the empty chamber and they sat down together on the lowest steps of the staircase.
“If we’re sharing secrets,” he said, “I suppose I haven’t been completely honest, either. I proposed a marriage of convenience; nothing more, not yet, but that’s not –”
Julia lent her head against his shoulder. The robe was thick enough to make it a less bony resting place than usual. She smiled into the gloom. One day she’d like to hear him say the words, but she wasn’t ready tonight. “I knew that,” she said, forestalling him. “You would never have asked otherwise. I knew all along.”
“Julia,” he said, but he put his arm around her and kissed her hair, and somehow nothing seemed quite so dark any more.
***
Story: Divide & Rule/Heroes of the Revolution
Colors: Cloudy Grey #10 (empty); Ecru #7 (examine)
Supplies and Styles: Eraser + Novelty Beads ("When there's only the dark, you are always the light in my eyes." - 'Just Here to the Left of You,' Adam Pascal) + Pastels (
allbingo February Flowers square “Rose (White) – Secrecy & Silence.”)Word Count: 1051
Rating: PG
Warnings: None, really.
Notes: High Fantasy AU; Edward Iveson/Julia Graves. (Another one off the giant AU list.)
Summary: Julia doesn’t want to stay in the dark, but light can be too revealing...
***
Julia hitched up her skirt with one hand and raised the lantern higher with the other. She descended the staircase alone in a bubble of light. The old house was eerily silent around her. Edward was somewhere upstairs, but he was presumably asleep. Julia couldn’t rest.
Evening had already been drawing in when they’d arrived at Edward’s house in the eastern hills. It had been built years ago by his grandfather, a wealthy guildsman. It was alien to Julia; its unlived in state oppressed her. Tomorrow, she might begin to alter that and make it her own, but tonight she was lost in its shadows.
Coming here was an escape, she reminded herself as she reached the landing, but that only made her wonder all the harder if it had been a mistake.
Taking up Edward’s offer of marriage had meant that she would finally be free of her entanglement with the Friends of the Alliance. She supported the continuance of the Alliance of Kingdoms – indeed, so did Edward. It must not be ended only because the war was over. There was much to be mended, and who knew if the Elven-folk might threaten them again? But the Friends had done things in that cause that Julia could not live with, and so she’d agreed to Edward’s odd bargain instead.
Julia turned around on the landing, the lantern’s light revealing closed doorways, leading to chambers and hallways unknown. She closed her eyes. She’d been lying so long, she even lied to herself now. There had been another reason why it had been imperative that she find a place of safety.
She hadn’t thought hard enough about arriving as well as leaving, that was the trouble. She shivered in a draught and opened one of the doors to look inside. The chamber within held very little, only a desk and chair under a dust covering – and on the wall a mirror.
She caught sight of her face in the glass a bare moment before it flared with a cold light that had nothing to do with the lantern in her hand.
“Oh, no,” she said backing away. That would have to go. It must be true-silver and she couldn’t have it betraying her secret to Edward.
Julia was not elven. It was complicated; it was not even precisely true to say that her mother had been. Her grandfather had left those realms and forfeited his heritage; a scholar drawn by his fascination with mortal ways. When the fighting had started, she had buried her secret ever deeper, yet never deep enough. She had lost friends, good work in good houses, and more than once, very nearly her life.
“What are you doing?” said a voice behind her.
Julia swung around and dropped the lantern in her alarm. Its light died, and all would have been darkness but for the wretched mirror which shimmered again with its tell-tale starlight glow.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said, and knelt down, her skirts pooling on the floorboards as she scrabbled around for the lantern. She refused to mention the treacherous looking-glass.
Edward strode forward. His hair was ruffled and he was wearing a red robe over his nightshirt. She must have woken him. “Julia, don’t. If it’s broken, you don’t want to cut yourself.”
She lowered her head and stopped where she was, afraid almost to breathe, because any moment now, he would ask and she couldn’t lie to his face. A lump in her throat threatened to choke her.
He stopped beside her and she could feel him looking down at her, but he coughed awkwardly and then said, quite calmly, “I’d forgotten that was there. It didn’t startle you, did it?”
“Don’t you understand?” said Julia, raising her head. She was almost angry at him for not raging at her. “You must know what it means!”
The mirror shone once more, casting light enough for her to see Edward run a hand through his hair, a blank baffled look on his face, before his forehead creased in some sort of understanding. “Julia,” he said, sounding wary, “you must have known that I knew. I told you at the start I knew your mother. I discovered the truth of the incident with your brother – the very reason you could not remain with those people.” He stopped, and she couldn’t see his face, but she could hear the puzzled lift in his voice. “How could I not know?”
Julia made herself stand, seeing only his unreadable silhouette before her. She couldn’t keep her voice steady. “What do you want with me?”
“What I told you,” he said, and now he only sounded tired. “Nothing more. Our bargain stands, unless you choose to alter it.”
Julia swallowed, fighting tears. She had grown too used to keeping her secret; too used to expecting the worst to believe that Edward had understood all along, even though he was right; she should have known.
“I won’t mention that you, however, clearly wished to keep me in the dark,” Edward continued.
Julia let herself move nearer to him. “Well, now you are a liar, for you just did.”
“True,” he agreed, and she could hear the smile in his voice. He put out a hand to her arm and slid it down to grasp her fingers. “You’re cold.” He hesitated again, before saying, “Could you not trust me?”
“I haven’t been able to trust anyone for so long.” She hoped he would understand. Maybe he did; he squeezed her hand.
Edward led the way out of the empty chamber and they sat down together on the lowest steps of the staircase.
“If we’re sharing secrets,” he said, “I suppose I haven’t been completely honest, either. I proposed a marriage of convenience; nothing more, not yet, but that’s not –”
Julia lent her head against his shoulder. The robe was thick enough to make it a less bony resting place than usual. She smiled into the gloom. One day she’d like to hear him say the words, but she wasn’t ready tonight. “I knew that,” she said, forestalling him. “You would never have asked otherwise. I knew all along.”
“Julia,” he said, but he put his arm around her and kissed her hair, and somehow nothing seemed quite so dark any more.
***
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