❝𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒕, 𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒕.❞
(the stars incline us, they do not bind us.)
━━━━━━━━━━
𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔
Born as twins, yet one of them had everything, and the other ha...
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Thethia: Heather Palace, Elianna's Bedchamber.
• Elianna •
"Lylia!" she exclaimed when she saw Lylia's lifeless body lay not far away from her.
"Hold her down." the Temple Keepers said, his voice was cold as ice.
She struggled but to no avail. She tried to scream but it was muffled by a strong hand covering her mouth. Please let go of me. Tears of desperation poured down, dampening her cheeks.
The familiar feeling of helplessness surfaced when she felt her arms being lifted slightly off the ground. Cold metal blades were pressed against each of her wrists and her heart raced when she heard, "Just make sure she doesn't die."
The pressure on her wrists increased, forcing its way into her wrists and the pain flared up from both arms. Her vision flooded red before her throat felt like being dragged against sandpaper. The last thing Elianna remembered was a sudden plunge into the darkness and she jerked awake with an ear-piercing scream.
The child sat in her bed as she panted and wheezed, feeling her entire self drenched in cold sweat. Her body was shaking so violently and she couldn't help but whimper and sob helplessly.
"Princess Elianna!"
Elianna turned towards the voice and saw Lylia's horror-stricken face when she slammed open the doors leading to her bedchamber. The fear that overwhelmed her had confused her between a dream and reality as she scurried out of her blanket and got off the bed in a hurry to run towards Lylia. Elianna cried, "Lylia, Lylia!"
Lylia lowered herself to level her gaze with her. Using her sleeve to dab away the sweat from her forehead, she looked towards her with so much sadness brimming in her eyes. Lylia pulled her tight into her embrace and patted her back gently, whispering softly, "Don't be afraid, my princess, I'm here now. Don't be afraid, no one will ever hurt you again."
Elianna wasn't sure what Lylia meant. There was fleeting sadness in her voice. The kind of sadness that was easily masked over with a smile.
Before the child had the chance to ask Lylia if something was bothering her, Lylia held onto her hand and guided her back to the bed. She adjusted her blanket to tuck her in and started humming a sweet lullaby — the usual song that she would sing to her whenever she cooed her to sleep.
Following Lylia's voice, Elianna fell back into a deep slumber with no more nightmares haunted her for the rest of the night.
※
• Lylia •
Since that night when Elianna was frightened awake by her nightmare, Lylia decided to stay with her in her bedchamber. She sat beside her bed for a few nights before Elianna pestered her to simply share the bed together. In normal circumstances, it would've been inappropriate for a maidservant like her to audaciously treat her master casually but the child seemed more than happy to have her company. The bed was also big enough for both of them, sharing the warmth during cold Thethian nights.
