Issues.~ a crow duo sibling story {Ira and Saphora}

Golden Robes, Golden Time.~chapter seven

Ira sat on the ground crying. Not a sad cry, a confused cry. They were confused about where they were. Confused about who they were. Confused about why they were there. The subtle cries filled the silent room. They wiped their face and looked at their hands. Shaking. The tears were not clear and staining. They were golden and shimmery. Upon seeing the colors they cried more.

"Dear?" Death called. Ira had gotten to know Death for a bit, they became friends and Death seemed like a mother figure for them.

Ira, sniffling, said

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah..I just miss-"
Death appeared next to them. Ira had always admired the purple raw silk robes Death was bound to wear.

"You miss them?" Death asked.

"No.." Ira said, truthfully.

"I miss having a childhood."
The words made Death take an imaginary step back.

"You didn't get a childhood?"

Ira shook their head.

"How?.."

"When I was..5 to 8" Ira began to explain, quietly. "I was forced into royalty at the palace with Saphora. We both are against it and hate the people. But I was second-in-line so I couldn't do the things I wanted to do as a child."
Ira said whilst they walked closer to the window in the room. "I never got to skin my knee while running across the field and put plasters (I'm using the British term for Band-aids because band-aid is a brand and they don't have American brands in purgatory) in an 'X' shape on the wound. I never got to make flower crowns underneath the willow tree in the middle of the backyard. I never got to braid flowers into my hair..because I was stuck with a Tiara and a dumb title. 'Princess Ira, full of the land and time'"

A silence arose. The two looked at each other as the words settled into silence. They didn't need to speak. They didn't need to talk. They just stood there. They were reading each other's eyes. They stood there, existing.

The silence was broken, finally, when Death apologized for asking.

Ira chuckled and they said "no worries"

Nyx walked in and saw Ira's tear-stained face, still having a hint of gold.

Ira examined Nyx's robes. They seemed more...formal than usual. Nyx usually wore a specific white gown with gold lace and a pearl necklace. These were pure gold and had a crimson under-gown with newly-stiched edges

"Ira, you have to return to the main room. Your break is over"

"of course.." Ira had earned a break from the stress of dead people. Especially with homesickness, they couldn't function without an hour break each day.

Ira pushed past Nyx with a hint of attitude. Mostly because they wanted to be away for centuries, however, they couldn't.

After walking down the halls, they got to the place they were called to.

Tall pillars stood around a seat Ira was instructed to sit on while judging. Ira never did. The marble on the floor was being polished at the time so it wasn't as glossy as Ira hoped it would be at this point. They stood next to the throne. Flashes of their life as a princess went by. They had to close their eyes for it would trigger something inside Ira.

Something that Ira hoped to never be unleashed.