First Drafts - An Ensemble

| 4 | Castles.

It was a dark, autumn evening. Inside the cottage, a lantern flickered, lighting the place up dimly. The window above the pair was cracked open just enough for them to hear the wind chime's pleasant ring as a breeze blew past outside. Meanwhile, in the glow of the lantern, Sybil sat with her legs folded upon the bed, combing her daughter's hair out. The girl in question was on the floor with her dress sprawled around her, looking at pictures in a book her father had given her two nights ago. For a while, everything was silent. Then, Andra was piping up.

"Mummy? Why can't I go see the castles?"

Sybil looked up, pausing carefully at the question and putting the comb down. She knew where this had come from, of course. Ever since her husband had told Andra the story of the fair-headed princess trapped in a tower, the little girl had not stopped talking about it. She might have only been nine, but stars above, Andra could talk.

One day, it would be "Mummy, are witches real?", and the next, "Papa, can dragons breathe fire?" Despite the couple's tireless explanations, despite their constant claims that "no, those are just stories", the questions had never stopped. Sybil didn't expect them to, not anytime soon. Why, for Andra, it was a whole new world. Yet, Sybil knew that one day, one day Andra would find out the truth. One day, she would find out what she really was, what the world around her could be. But today was not that day.

"It's dangerous out there, darling." The woman sighed at last, a laugh- albeit slightly strained- leaving her lips when Andra turned her small head to look up at her mother, excitement shining clear in her wide eyes. Sybil remembered the first time she'd said those words to her, tried to explain their meaning. She also remembered how unsurprised she'd been when Andra had only grinned, passed it off as just another word for 'an adventure', and repeated another one of her absurd questions to her. "And you are too young."

"But mum! It will be fun!" Andra protested at once, getting to her feet with a pout. The expression made Sybil's heart melt, made her want to envelope the girl in her arms and never let her go, keep her hidden away, safe from whatever her fate was to be. Yet, she merely smiled, reaching out to tuck away a blonde strand behind her ear, pulling Andra close to her chest. "It will be... it will be just me and papa and you, and we can meet the princess and have dinner together!"

When Sybil laughed this time, it was louder, more genuine. Cupping Andra's cheeks in both her hands, she felt her heart swell with both love and regret, as stormy eyes met startlingly blue ones, innocent curiosity lighting the latter up. "Listen to me, Andromeda." She whispered, knowing full well that Andra would remember none of this afterwards. "I will take you there one day. Papa and I will take you to the... to the castles, and they will be better and prettier than all of those pictures you're always looking at."

"Really, mummy?"

"Mhm, I promise." Her eyes softened around the edges, and Sybil tightly wrapped her arms around Andra's form.

'One day, with or without me...'

"I promise."

'...you will see it all.'