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rainbowfic2012-02-29 09:52 pm
shadowsong26) wrote in rainbowfic2012-02-29 09:52 pm
Nacre #11
Name: shadowsong26
Story: Humanity
'Verse: Feredar
Colors: Nacre #11. Sub Rosa
Supplies and Materials: canvas (964 FY), seed beads, modeling clay,
Word Count: 594
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Princess Deva, Lady Rema
Warnings: References to the nonviolent death of two young children, and an attempt to take advantage of the subsequent grief
Notes: Constructive criticism welcome, as always.
Deva sat on the bench in the courtyard, eyes closed, face tilted to the sunlight. She hadn't especially wanted to leave and meet with her aunt, but had felt she had little choice in the matter. Gods alone knew what Rema would do unchecked.
"Deva?"
She opened her eyes, but didn't stand. She outranked her aunt by a significant degree, and damned if she was going to let her forget it. "What do you want?"
Rema looked a little hurt. "I wanted to extend my condolences."
Deva flushed, feeling a little guilty now. Her mother and aunt hadn't spoken in twelve years, and this was...well, not a good time, but...there was a reason to attempt to renew contact. Maybe Rema was genuinely trying to bridge the gap. "Thank you," she finally said, after a brief silence.
"I wish I could have known them."
Deva toyed with the end of one of her sleeves. She hadn't been close to Mada or Rela, exactly--she was so much older than they--but they were still her sisters, and losing them... "They were...Mada was very quiet. Rela...was three. I'm sure you can imagine. She ran all over the place, and got into everything. But she liked to cuddle, and..."
Rema sat next to her on the bench and took her hand. Deva squeezed it lightly, and closed her eyes again, taking a deep breath. "Thank you."
Rema squeezed back. "I know you must be trying to help your mother, but if you ever need to talk to someone for yourself, you can come find me. You know that, right?"
Deva nodded.
They sat in silence for few minutes, then Rema spoke again. "I'd like to extend my personal condolences to your mother, as well. Do you think she'd agree to see me?"
Deva bit her lip. "I...I don't know." Mother hadn't given her details about the fight she and Rema had had, but Deva knew it had been particularly awful.
Rema nodded. "Could you at least give her this letter from me?" She pressed it into Deva's free hand.
She glanced down at it, turning it over and over in her hand, wondering exactly what Rema might say in it in apology for whatever it was she'd done. It had her mother's name on it, neatly handwritten, and was sealed, with--
Deva felt a jolt of anger when the crest finally sank in. Not Rema's personal crest, or even the family one. The one her mother had drawn for her and had her memorize, once she was old enough to be trusted with such an important--and dangerous--secret. "How dare you," she whispered.
"I want to--"
"You want to pull my mother back into whatever you've been planning."
She felt Rema jerk. "You know about...?"
"Mother doesn't keep secrets from me," Deva snapped. She stood and dropped the letter back into Rema's lap. "I don't know what you wanted her to do all those years ago, but she told me that she couldn't do it, couldn't sacrifice her own humanity, no matter how important the cause is. And you...you want to use my sisters'--her daughters' deaths to try and drag her back into it?"
Rema looked up and met her eyes. "The work we do is too important."
Deva stared at her for a long moment, then said, with as much ice as she could muster, "Please excuse me. I need to be with my family." She spun on her heel and left Rema there with her damned letter.
Story: Humanity
'Verse: Feredar
Colors: Nacre #11. Sub Rosa
Supplies and Materials: canvas (964 FY), seed beads, modeling clay,
Word Count: 594
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Princess Deva, Lady Rema
Warnings: References to the nonviolent death of two young children, and an attempt to take advantage of the subsequent grief
Notes: Constructive criticism welcome, as always.
Deva sat on the bench in the courtyard, eyes closed, face tilted to the sunlight. She hadn't especially wanted to leave and meet with her aunt, but had felt she had little choice in the matter. Gods alone knew what Rema would do unchecked.
"Deva?"
She opened her eyes, but didn't stand. She outranked her aunt by a significant degree, and damned if she was going to let her forget it. "What do you want?"
Rema looked a little hurt. "I wanted to extend my condolences."
Deva flushed, feeling a little guilty now. Her mother and aunt hadn't spoken in twelve years, and this was...well, not a good time, but...there was a reason to attempt to renew contact. Maybe Rema was genuinely trying to bridge the gap. "Thank you," she finally said, after a brief silence.
"I wish I could have known them."
Deva toyed with the end of one of her sleeves. She hadn't been close to Mada or Rela, exactly--she was so much older than they--but they were still her sisters, and losing them... "They were...Mada was very quiet. Rela...was three. I'm sure you can imagine. She ran all over the place, and got into everything. But she liked to cuddle, and..."
Rema sat next to her on the bench and took her hand. Deva squeezed it lightly, and closed her eyes again, taking a deep breath. "Thank you."
Rema squeezed back. "I know you must be trying to help your mother, but if you ever need to talk to someone for yourself, you can come find me. You know that, right?"
Deva nodded.
They sat in silence for few minutes, then Rema spoke again. "I'd like to extend my personal condolences to your mother, as well. Do you think she'd agree to see me?"
Deva bit her lip. "I...I don't know." Mother hadn't given her details about the fight she and Rema had had, but Deva knew it had been particularly awful.
Rema nodded. "Could you at least give her this letter from me?" She pressed it into Deva's free hand.
She glanced down at it, turning it over and over in her hand, wondering exactly what Rema might say in it in apology for whatever it was she'd done. It had her mother's name on it, neatly handwritten, and was sealed, with--
Deva felt a jolt of anger when the crest finally sank in. Not Rema's personal crest, or even the family one. The one her mother had drawn for her and had her memorize, once she was old enough to be trusted with such an important--and dangerous--secret. "How dare you," she whispered.
"I want to--"
"You want to pull my mother back into whatever you've been planning."
She felt Rema jerk. "You know about...?"
"Mother doesn't keep secrets from me," Deva snapped. She stood and dropped the letter back into Rema's lap. "I don't know what you wanted her to do all those years ago, but she told me that she couldn't do it, couldn't sacrifice her own humanity, no matter how important the cause is. And you...you want to use my sisters'--her daughters' deaths to try and drag her back into it?"
Rema looked up and met her eyes. "The work we do is too important."
Deva stared at her for a long moment, then said, with as much ice as she could muster, "Please excuse me. I need to be with my family." She spun on her heel and left Rema there with her damned letter.
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Thank you.
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Do we ever get to learn about that fight?
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You do, yes.
Thank you.
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In the way the internet uses that word. I mean just... you actually had my thinking this would be a sweet story about reconciliation in the end.
Natch.
Whacked your readers upside the head, you did.
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Yeah, Deva wasn't happy about being misled like that, either.
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Fanaticism even for a good cause is a bad thing, as Rema ably demonstrates.