Darling Soul

Chapter Eight

The greatest gift our parents gave us was each other.

"Astra, dance with me? A last time?", Atlas faced his sister, his heart breaking. He knew Eiran would keep her safe, he was the one who called Atlas home when he got word of Astra's possible marriage candidates and Atlas quickly rushed home. He sent her that note while he was already travelling home, hoping to know if she was angry or upset with him before he saw her. He knew she would be okay, but it's his twin and, even though he thought of Astra marrying one day and moving away from home, it's different when it becomes reality.

"Make rain for me? A last time?", she grabbed his hand and smiled sadly. Rain was their thing, they loved playing in the rain together when they were kids, but the Queen quickly grabbed Astra and hid her inside every time they tried, so they started playing inside instead.

Atlas' powers came from the elements, while Astra's came from emotions but she was still trying to figure out what kind of powers she possessed due to poor training. This meant Atlas could make rain and could create powerful winds, he could create an earthquake and light a forest on fire.

"Of course.", she stared at the window while they danced. They were a blur of purple and dark blue in the ballroom, lost in their own world, dancing while the rain fell. "Rain will be your reminder."

"Reminder?", she turned to face him and saw how his eyes were a more vivid shade of green with tears forming.

"That you won't ever be alone. As long as it rains, I'm with you.", they stopped dancing. Mixed feelings passed in their minds, happiness and sadness, joy and grief, gratitude.

"I know.", she simply said.

"I'm sorry for... everything." She knew very well what he was referring to, she shook her head again and again with tears streaming down her face.

"It wasn't your fault, any of it!", she grabbed his head to make him look at her, but he brushed her away.

"He will keep you safe.", he added, caressing her cheek and staring at mismatched eyes with softness. The next time he would see his sister, she would be older he was sure, so he tried to memorise everything about her now. Astra would be moving far away, travelling to see her would be difficult, not impossible, and it would take a lot of time until he could be out of his parents hands, but he would still try.

"Atlas, you also kept me safe.", she grabbed his hand that rested on her cheek and he sighed

"But not enough."

"You did."

"Then why doesn't it feel like it? Why do I still feel guilty?"

"You need to heal, Atlas.", she hugged him and he hugged her back. Eiran and a couple of other guests watched the royal twins, while they were in their little bubble.

"Have you? Healed, I mean.", he asked and her breath caught in her mouth.

"I...", she trailed off and looked at their parents who still stared angrily at her, she turned to her twin and smiled, "not yet, no. But I will."

"If anything happens, I will know so don't you dare pretend you are okay.", he said with a serious look on his face.

"I won't, I promise."

"I'm sorry I wasn't here... I felt it.", he confessed, and her mind went to the incident of a few nights ago.

Her parents came into her room late at night, while she was in bed reading a romance novel. She remembered being startled when the door opened, how furious her father's eyes were.

"How could you embarrass me that way in front of the servants?!", he yelled. She noticed her mother carrying a silver tray behind her father and how she couldn't face her own daughter. There, she realised what would happen again.

"Morgana, give it to me.", he ordered and she passed him the whip that laid in the tray. "Get out of bed, Astra."

She complied. It was of no use saying "no" because her father wasn't familiar with the word. When she was seven years old, she kept saying no and begging but he kept going, all because she dropped a fork while they were having dinner with another royal family.

Astra got out of bed and stood in the middle of the room, her back faced the king. He whipped her once and she felt the fabric of her nightgown being ripped. He whipped her again and she felt her skin instead of the dress being ripped. He whipped her ten more times and her back was a mess, her nightgown was no longer white but dark red from the blood that left her new injuries.

"You don't deserve anything we gave you.", the Queen said. It was so repetitive that it hurt her head. The King would inflict physical pain and the Queen would break her spirit with her words. "We gave you everything there was to give. You had the best tutors, the best handmaidens, the best books and dresses, but you are still so ungrateful, so hateful."

"Your mother spent all of her life teaching you and you still haven't learned anything.", her father said.

"Let's go. She will be out of our sight soon.", the queen said and they left.

Astra stood in the middle of the room, broken. Her back was bleeding and ugly and her mind was broken and hurting. She fell on her knees exhausted and praying for better days, for better nights. Nights were so hard on her. She barely slept because nightmares and insomnias kept her awake.

After what looked so much time on the floor, she managed to get up and get into the shower, her back was burning, but she did it anyway. She managed to dress her wounds on her own, like she had done so many times, and she went to bed. That night she barely slept.

"I'm so sorry.", her brother apologised again.

"It's not your fault.", she replied.

"I should have been here. I shouldn't have left."

"That didn't stop them before... they always found a way.", she confessed and he nodded.

"I will do it, you know? I will get revenge for you one day.", she smiled at that and thanked him. "Now go, he is waiting for you.", and he pushed her away.