The Heirs

Chapter 9- The Soft Chatter of False Nature

dark is the forest and deep, and overhead
hang stars like seeds of light in vain,
though not since they were sown was bred
anything more bright.

and evermore mighty multitudes ride about, nor enter in;
of the other multitudes that dwell inside
never yet was one seen.
the forest foxglove is
-

“S-Sel!” Seraphina rushed off her seat, and crushed her sister in a hug- she hadn’t properly seen her in over two months! “You finally came out!”

“Well, it is my birthday.” Selene replied, gently pushing her sister away- it was rare that Sera got overexcited but when she did become so, her embraces became physically painful. “And-”
Honestly? She hadn’t expected to find anyone in the Library at this hour- it was quite early, and hardly anyone spent time in the Library, except for she. She’d been sneaking out of her room at lonely hours ever since her talk with that dratted soldier, after realising that she had grown sick and tired of staring at the same walls and furniture. But she wasn’t about to tell her little sister that. “And I wanted to be with my family.”

“Well, as part of your family, I’m very happy. Happy Birthday, my darling sister.” Seraphina beamed, stepping back- the tide truly was changing. She thought less and less about Cleo, found out more and more about her father, and trained better and better under Orieus's guidance. “Are you feeling better, then? I’m really sorry your Birthday Ball was cancelled-”

“We can have a belated one, if I feel up to it. And as for my health- yes, much better.” Oh, she really needed to tell her the true reason of her confinement. “But what are you doing here, Sera? Aren’t you usually asleep now?”

She shrugged, “Couldn’t sleep- and it’s too cold in the mornings to go into the training fields, and so I came here.”
Seraphina, like the other Reza-Pevensie children, adored reading.
The sight of the Cair Library was practically orgasmic to any bookworm. It was enormous, with shelves covering the walls and towering above them all, books and maps and papers stuffed fit to bursting. The bookcases were so high, that one needed a step-stool or a ladder to reach the topmost shelves. You could find books on any topic you needed- battle strategy, to history, to romance, to mythology- and sitting curled up on an armchair or a sofa, deeply engrossed in a book, with the perfume of old and new books wafting in the air, it was quite akin to paradise.

“It is cold, isn’t it?” Selene didn’t mind the cold much- she’d gotten used to it, and she was born in the coldest month, after all, she couldn’t very well hate her own season. But Seraphina didn’t fare well in the cold, and she was shivering, despite the thick dupatta and sweater she’d donned over her gown. She herself only had a thin shawl over her shoulders. “I wonder if the Kitchens are open...”

“They are.” She’d crossed them on her way here. “They were making coffee and hot chocolate for themselves- I think they don’t start on breakfast until the sun’s fully up.”

“Why didn’t you ask for a hot chocolate for yourself?” She asked, her mouth pursing. “You love them, and it would keep you warm.”

“I- er-” She didn’t like asking for things- and especially when she was on her own. Stupid as it was, it frightened her, and gave her undue anxiety. Having Erielle by her side helped- but not much. “I didn’t want to bother them.”

“You’re the Princess, Sera. Their job is to be bothered by you.” She shook her head at her sister. She’d pop into the Kitchens on her way to breakfast, then. “You really need to learn to face people. And where is that infernal cat? Don’t tell me you let it loose in the Library-”