𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐝'𝐄𝐭𝐫𝐞ᴼʳⁱᵍⁱⁿᵃˡ

𝒊. 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒇 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆

Her sword whipped in the air in front of her and clanged against another. Sweat dripped down her copper skin as she lifted her sword to counter the move of her opponent.

The clanging of swords echoed through the room as the two continued their fierce battle. A blunt blade against a razor-sharp one, a seasoned warrior against one who was just starting to learn.

Lillian smiled leisurely as her sister's sword came at her. She gave a twirl to dodge the oncoming attack and lifted her sword in a quick move to disarm her little sister. In a flash, she was behind her, her arm wrapped around her younger counterpart's torso with the tip of her blade pointed at her neck.

Her little sister groaned as she pulled away, and whined, "How come you always win?"

Lillian smiled, "It comes with practice, sweetie. You'll get there too."

"I sure hope so, because like hell can I live life without knowing how to fight! I need to learn!"

"And you will." Lillian bopped her on the nose and smiled at how it scrunched up.

Her little sister's eyes dug into her face, noticing that her sister's smile had a hint of sadness to it.

That was usual. Ever since the disappearance... Well, Lillian hadn't been doing well.

She was forever locked up in the library with various scholars, pouring over maps and trying to decipher the precise location where he could be held captive. She barely took a break, and when she did it was either to eat food, use the washroom, or practice with her little sister, who could see that this mattered a lot to her.

But that didn't stop her from wishing that things were the way they used to be before they had to deal with so much.

Lillian handed her little sister her water bottle and got into her fighting stance again.

She was crouched slightly, her sword held out in front of her. Her almond skin shone with a sheen of sweat, her under-eyes were adorned with bags, and her hair was pulled back into a bun.

She could see the tiredness in her older sister's eyes, and the weariness in her posture. She felt a pang in her heart, seeing Lillian like this.

A Lillian who had let go, in a way.

No one but Lillian's family knew the real her. And that too, not truly. Lillian had been veiled by masks too long for anyone to truly recognize her. The Cold Princess was too shielding of herself to let it all go.

She neglected to think about the fact that she knew the real Lillian. The fragile Lillian who loved her little sister more than anything in the whole world.

But apart from her, no one knew her older sister, for Lillian pushed them away when they tried to.

Lillian caught her sister's intent gaze on her, and she raised herself up and walked to her little sister.

"What are you thinking, D?"

She looked away. "Nothing, just that I hardly ever see you these days. You're always in the library."

Another sad smile broke out across her older sister's face as she crouched down and looked at her little sister.

She was 8 years younger than her, and yet she looked so much like her. The same nose, the same eyes, and the same bone structure. The only way that they differed was their skin tones and hair.

While Lillian had a darker, almond brown skin, her little sister's was more of a copper color that seemed to glow if subjected to the right amount of light. Lillian's hair was long and wavy, while her younger sister's hair was slightly shorter and curly.