Elden Ring: Putrefaction of Gold

The Sun and the Moon

"Who is she that cometh forth as the rising dawn, fair as the moon?" At. fugiens, emblema XXIIII (M. Merian). Jong, pp 181-186. (Fabricius, 138)

"Thank you for coming. It's been one of her bad days," said Tricia.

Tricia was one of the few "mortals" permitted in the royal chambers where Marika's children resided. She knocked on Godwyn's door first, as he was Malenia's guardian. When Godwyn's man-servant advised he was not there, Tricia moved on to Rykard's door, and still no response. She finally knocked on Ranni's and the lady in waiting let her in. When Ranni inquired about the meaning of their interruption, Tricia told her and Ranni agreed to come at once.

"Of course. She is my sister too," said Ranni.

Ranni never showed affection to the twin Empyreans, hence why it was a surprise she came. When they went for walks out on the Altus Plateau, Ranni remained a silent observer while Godwyn minded them. It was hard to look at the children and not think about the state Radagon left Rennala. It was hard to watch Godwyn have to provide them with support and attention in the absence of their parents.

None of this was the twin's fault, of course. They didn't ask to be born under such circumstances. They were victims of "two-fingered schemes" as Rykard called it and deserved nothing short of support from all of them.

When they arrived at the door, Ranni noticed the wilted lily that was trampled on as physicians came and went. Miquella had been there. She picked it up and with a frown, she placed the lily on the table.

When Tricia opened the door, the first thing noticed was the horrid smell. It made the air seem thick and oddly warm. The source of the odor was putrid blood drained from Malenia to control a fever. Once they removed the soiled cloths, the miasma eased and allowed Ranni to breathe again, at least through her mouth. She avoided shedding a tear at the pathetic sight.

Malenia was curled up in a trembling heap on the bed with her thumb in her mouth. She was too old for that, but given the circumstances, no one was about to stop her. The curtains were closed as the light tended to bother the girl's inflamed eyes and to avoid the glances of passersby.

Malenia was born with a rare congenial version of the vile and ancient disease called the Scarlet Rot that started eating at her the moment she was born. Some believed it was a sign that the young empyrean had become a vassal for an outergod, but people said a lot of things. Either way, all the perfumer's floundering about with various concoctions only further served to prove the widespread ignorance of the condition.

At least Tricia was better than those arrogant Golden Order fundamentalists. Those fools acted as though Malenia stepped in some contaminated water, which was nothing a few preserving boluses or a cleansing spell couldn't handle. Part of Malenia's condition as it was, was a result of their arrogance.

Fire was the only effective weakness of the disease. Much of the stench came from the burned flesh of the cauterizing agents they applied to her open wounds. The bandages on her arms and legs were already soaked through with serum. But the perfumers didn't pretend that it was about to stop anything.

"Sweetie? Your big sister's here," said Tricia.

The moment Tricia laid a hand on Malenia, the girl went into a panic and let out a blood-curdling scream. "No! No!" she cried in fear of more cauterization.

When Ranni called her name, Malenia immediately cowarded into her sister's arms. She began begging for her mother.

"Hush little culver," whispered Ranni as she lifted Malenia out of bed. Malenia clung to Ranni for dear life as her frail, tiny body trembled in fear. Ranni sat in the nearby chair and rubbed Malenia's back to soothe her baby sister with a lullaby.