the Star

Untitled Part 1

To Lord Rhodanthe, the most noble of all swans in our great kingdom,

I'm pleased to write this letter informing you that my wife has successfully birthed my daughter. But I am even more pleased to share with you that our first-born daughter has a birthmark of a four-pointed star situated at the base of her neck.

As a humble and eager subject of your highness, I will arrive for an audience at your leisure to discuss the future of your kingdom, and the future of my new daughter, Eudora, so that we can most effectively use the blessing the Goddess Tree has bestowed upon us,

Lord De Le Ciel

...

If there is one word I could use to describe my older sister Eudora, it would be "clever".

It's true that her kindness is like a waterfall, she is intelligent like the Sphinx, and very talented in any pursuit she attempts- but it takes a different set of skills to be as fruitful in one's business as my sister is. She slithers and stalks her quarry as though she's the serpents of legend that swallow men and battle dragons, carefully striking and squeezing to get her prize. And if I were to give you an example of my sister's "skill," as we affectionately call it, I would have to recount the time she swindled me out of the best gift during the Founding Holiday party a few years back.

As the De Le Ciel family who, "birthed a star into the nation'' our influence has nearly tripled since my sisters birth- meaning I've grown up in enhanced comfortability by reason of being two years younger than Eudora, and of course we have been invited to every event ever hosted in this country- but back to the story of Founding Holiday, the box I chose at the party hosted by the royal family contained a gorgeous pearl necklace with an azure sapphire centerpiece. I was giddy, as all fourteen-spring fillies would be at the spectacle of winning such a patriotic boon. The blue luster of that sapphire almost perfectly compared to the rich fabrics the family of Rhodanthe were wearing that night. 

Five figures dressed from head to toe in a blue so deep the glittering room didn't seem to affect the cloth. The queen and empress each wore sheer veils, as all Rhodanthian noblewomen do, but theirs are obviously of finer and a more delicate quality. The king, a stoic man, always matches his eldest son, Damir, in that they wear quite thick vests and are constantly cloaked in the finest furs. I haven't made up my mind about the eldest prince, but I do think he's quite handsome and respectable and to this day I wouldn't oppose his company. Gaining a gift that placed me so close to such high standing nobility made me feel a dash important, even though I already was a young lady of considerable station, I couldn't help but feel quite pompous.

My sister, on the other hand, selected a box which contained a small gold ring with a light green stone- quite cheap and unimpressive, even to my young eyes. I teased her immensely; how could my magnificent sister Eudora draw such an unlucky parcel? At my snickering, Eudora drew a frown and her eyes turned wet, in a quiet tone to me alone she said,

"I thought this ring was quite lovely and reminded me of your likeness. You are my sweet little sister Lukaya, praised by many for her beautiful gold silk hair and lovely peridot eyes. Are you telling me you didn't recognize the similarity between your features and my new ring? I honestly think it would suit you well."

Now if you would, please put yourself in my position as a young, naive girl whose elder sister supposedly believed this ring to be a better prize than your envy-of-all necklace. Wouldn't you begin to believe that perhaps the ring was more valuable? I certainly did, and immediately begged to switch my sister gifts, since her ring obviously suited me better. Thus, with just a few simple words of praise to me, my sister Eudora obtained a priceless treasure, and I obtained perhaps my most beloved keepsake- even if I immediately regretted my decision in that moment as we stood amongst the sparkling party goers.

The point of this story, in particular, is to show Eudora is not forceful in her tactics and needs not to raise a fuss or threaten to get her way. The power bestowed to my sister by the Goddess Tree is one of business and people, and I've been the unfortunate victim of the honing of her trade.

Lukaya

...

The birthmark that sits on the dip of my shoulder, wrapping from clavicle to shoulder blade has set my path on one predestined by the Goddess- and one I would never change.

I wonder sometimes, am I proud of my role out of my own free will, or if it was imbued in me from birth- as if part of my immortal soul that continuously comes back after each generation in hopes to of be of service to humanity once more. Not that the answer truly matters to me, it's all just food to the swans in my brain I suppose.

Speaking of swans, the Rhodanthe family has decided to take charge of the celebration of my twentieth year- also in honor of my upcoming bonding ceremony with the Goddess Tree. All these events are mildly exciting for those around me, but I've been more preoccupied with another matter.

My entanglement, Nikita, has been quite cold toward me recently. My letters simply don't seem to reach him- which is unusual, my sweet lily has been so capricious as of late, I'm going to have to ask around to see if anyone has seen him.

Eudora

...

Eudora has been inquiring after me, but I am not ready to see her yet. I've too many preparations to complete before we meet again, but I hope she doesn't take this as disinterest. I'm very serious in my affections for her and I simply cannot wait until father passes from his complications, so that my plans all come to fruition. But until then, I must stay away. "Surprises are best when they are well prepared and well executed," as my sister says.