The Exiled Gem

Concern for Diana

331 B.C. - 329 B.C. - Losiane

'You are magical.' Was all Fannel had with him, to tell Alexandra. Just as she'd sat down on the rocking chair, beside the bed, and given him her brilliant grin, he completed his one sentence and fell silent.

'I know right,' Alexandra told him, 'Either that, or it's just my luck.'

'I don't know what to say, Mabel. I don't know how to thank yo-'

'You don't have to,' Alexandra cut him short, 'I didn't thank you for taking my fall on yourself. If thanking is what we're going to do, we rather not talk, Brother.'

Fannel laughed, 'Little sisters are cute- until they grow up and start talking big-big philosophies,'

'Thank you,'

'Not a compliment.'

'You never give me any. I've begun taking some of your taunts as compliments- just to feel good about myself.'

'That is nice, because like a responsible brother, I'm going to tell you for once and for all- you are never ever doing something so foolish, again.' He replied, in a we're having real business now tone, 'There was NO need to return to that cursed tower. You didn't have to be so heroic- Master George would have got a heart attack hearing about your EXTREME foolishness. Diana told me- everything. And I am NOT happy at all.'

'I had to do it- you know.' Alexandra replied, stoutly. She was sure she hadn't done anything wrong. She was sure this had to happen..

Fannel stared at her for a second, he then looked down.

'Maybe you did,' He said, 'I have something to do too. I have to confess.'

Alexandra stopped rocking the chair, 'It's nothing like Diana's not your sister and I got an impostor into the house, right?!'

Fannel laughed weakly, 'No! You have an unusual imagination, but NO. And I, have to confess something else- I - I thought I could fill Diana's gap- her space, with you, Mabel.'

Alexandra didn't reply, urging him to speak on,

'I thought I could heal myself with you- I thought I could move on, forget the past. I thought I would make you- treat you like- see in you- Diana.' He stopped again. Alexandra wasn't surprised, she'd known this all along. 'But - Mabel, I forgot or rather- I didn't realize that we could NOT replace anybody. You never occupied Diana's place, Mabel.'

'You mean,' Alexandra said, her own voice sounding alien to her, her head was feeling hotter- some part of the brain which sensed extreme unhappiness seemed to be getting overactive, 'That now that Diana's here- now that she's here, I no longer matter? That I should forget about our whole br-'

'Mabel!' Fannel interjected, frowning, 'Which wrong carriage have you boarded?! Come back down. I didn't imply anything like that! Look, Mabel- you DID heal me. You did make me - if only partially - but, you did make me get over Diana. Mabel, you never occupied Diana's place- you made your own place! And what I want to confess is- in the past nineteen years- If I've learnt anything, realized anything- it's that, I can live without Diana, Mabel. But without you- it's impossible.'

Alexandra had a tough choice between cry, hug or reply.

Crying- she didn't want to.

Hugging- would probably not be very good for an injured person.

So she chose replying.

'And?' Was all she asked.

'And, and Diana has done so much for me- Diana means a LOT to me, Mabel- but, guilty as I feel saying it- I do love one sister over the other. I thought about it- had I had a three hundred feet fall in front of me to make with - Diana - I would... not take that impact on myself. I see everybody writing poetry- I see whole genres around us that talk about a Man and Woman in love. I see their immense popularity. Nobody realizes that there does exist another- an even stronger, even greater love. They say infatuation, that love - is complicated. I'll tell you how complicated our relation is- the triangle that you, Diana and I form... The bond we share- Mabel, you know, a man who's stuck between two women? He feels so relieved finding out he loves one more than the other. He feels his problems are over. What do I tell you, Sister? Finding out that you love one Sister more than the other- it only makes you guilty. But have you ever come across a book which dares to talk of this? Watson - he's the perfect example of today's society - if a man and woman are close, they must like each other that way. He thought, without knowing anything, he thought we were... leave it.' Fannel finally said, shutting his eyes, 'There's too much on my mind.'