And the Sunlight Clasps the Earth (Chaelisa)

xiii

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It was the surprising weight of Remi's bag which threw Alissa off, the strap accidentally slipping from her grasp. Some of the contents stumbled out, and she let out an annoyed curse. At first, she didn't even realize what she was seeing, as she was subconsciously so sure of the fact that Remi would never be someone she ought to be wary of. But, alas, the unusual dagger which, in all the haste, had fallen to the ground suddenly caught Alissa's attention. The world stopped spinning for a second, as she studied the beautiful, cursive letter 'L' which had been masterfully engraved on the hilt of the blade.

It... couldn't be.

With trembling fingers, Alissa reached for it, all the while more and more certain that she'd seen a weapon like it before, in the hands of her father's greatest enemy, King Leopold. She would recognize the crest of the House of Leopold anywhere. Bitterness and dread overtook her heart as Alissa realized how utterly gullible she'd been, believing that gods would, for once, be on her side. Obviously, Remi had been sent to manipulate and capture her, to take her hostage, so that King Leopold could use her as a piece in the ridiculous power game between the two kingdoms.

Fear and humiliation bubbled within Alissa as she quickly threw the dagger to the ground, collected the few things she owned, and started running to the opposite direction of where Remi had gone hunting a while earlier. She would get as far away from the other woman as she possibly could. She would be nobody's pawn.

---

By the time Lisa had scrambled out of the shop, jumped in her bug and sped to Roseanne's house, she'd worked herself in such a frenzy of rage that her hands were shaking. She felt so utterly betrayed and humiliated that it was threatening to swallow her whole. She parked haphazardly, partly on the edge of the sidewalk, and snatched the godforsaken briefcase from the seat next to her before storming towards the front door.

Roseanne opened after two aggressive knocks, a frown on her face.

"Lisa?" Her voice was laced with confusion. "I told you the briefcase can be left at the door."

"You're such a hypocrite," Lisa nearly spat out, eyes blazing.

There was a moment of silence.

"Excuse me?" Roseanne demanded, sudden anger flashing in her eyes. It significantly dissipated when she spotted the damaged briefcase in Lisa's hand.

"News flash," Lisa stated sarcastically, thrusting the briefcase into Roseanne's hands. "The locking mechanism is faulty, so maybe consider putting less important papers in it."

Roseanne took an involuntary step forward. "Lisa," she began, her voice tinted with something akin to desperation and fear. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no more words came out.

"I don't want anything to do with you, Roseanne." Lisa practically felt her blood boil, and the words simply stumbled out, unrehearsed. "I can't believe I let myself be such a pushover, but, I suppose, I shouldn't be surprised, since you've had the upper hand from the beginning. I honestly thought you were different, that there was something real between us. I'm such a fucking idiot." In utter humiliation, she felt her eyes moisten. "I've been through some difficult stuff in my life, but no one's ever hurt me the way you did, Roseanne. I hope you're happy."

"Lisa, please let me explain. I-," Roseanne's pleading was cut short by Mason who suddenly stumped down the stairs and ran to the brunette, wrapping her arms around her.

"Lisa!"

"Hey, buddy." Hastily wiping her eyes, Lisa tried to smile reassuringly, but it fell flat. Luckily, Mason didn't seem to notice.