The Fifth Constellation

Chapter 2

"Mm-ish sreally delishus." Aura grunted, continuously shovelling food into her mouth.

"Mother, I think my sister has turned into an ogre." Sighed Azelie in her usual monotone. Aura stuck out her tongue, followed by a piece of stray cabbage, causing her mother to grimace.

"Honestly, if you weren't so top heavy, I'd quite easily believe you if you told me I'd been raising a boy for eighteen years." She looked her daughter up and down, hoping to find at least a speck of femininity.

"Why are you wearing you archery cuffs?" She asked, spotting the well-worn leather around her wrists.

Shite. "I... was planning to get some squirrel or maybe dear meat to trade in the village after breakfast. You know, get myself a bit of birthday spending money. " Aura was almost as bad at lying as she was cooking.

Her mother eyed her suspiciously before turning to Azelie and nodding. Without saying a word, her little sister stood up and headed out of the door and into the front yard. Aura raised an eyebrow.

"Wow Jolanna, you've really got that mind control thing down, haven't you?"

Her mother scowled. "Don't call me by my first name so often, it's disrespectful you know."

"I know." Aura smiled at her mother sweetly.

At that moment, her sister re-entered, walking awkwardly with her hands behind her back.

"We thought you might want to have your birthday present before you went out." Her mother grinned and beckoned Azelie forwards. Moving closer, she revealed to her what she was hiding behind her back. Aura gasped.

In her sister's hands was the most beautiful bow she had ever seen. Removing it from her sister's delicate hands, she traced the tips of her fingers over the swirling leaf patterns intricately carved into the wood. She held it in one hand, checking the balance and weight, before expertly twirling it into the proper position and testing the string.

"Don't use that thing in here you stupid girl, someone could get killed!"

She relaxed and let the bow in her hand drop to her thigh, before turning to her mother.

"Mother. Seriously. There isn't even a single arrow in this room."

Her sister giggled and her mother's face became less tense. Aura's tore her gaze back to the bow, before placing it gently on the table.

"Seriously though, I love it!" She exclaimed, letting out a girlish squeal and pulling her sister and mother into a tight embrace.

"Au-raah. Can't. Breathe." Azelie breathed in her ear.

"What are you talking about sis, I can breathe perfectly fine!" The frequent use of sarcasm was one of Aura's few talents.

She released them from the headlock and they both breathed a sigh of relief. Aura pouted.

"Well sorry for wanting to show affection."

Her mother grinned. "You're lucky everyone in the village likes you so much, we couldn't even have afforded half of what that bow should have cost!"

A surprised look flashed across Aura's face, quickly replaced by suspicion. "You didn't steal it, did you?"

"Of course not! No, we just happened to go into the weapon's shop yesterday, and Marco's son Julian was there!"

Aura's eyes widened. "Really? I thought he wasn't coming back from Olaria for at least another month!"

Julian and Aura had been best friends since childhood, and they used to do everything together. They used to pull pranks together, climb trees together, and they even had their first kiss together. Julian had always been more interested in the art of creating weapons rather than wielding them, in fact he was the second best blacksmith as far north as Ironstone. After his father Marco that is.