Wanderess

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

She was here.

She was alive.

Fayre couldn't process the sight before her.

Her sister- Isa, stood before her. The same sister who whispered lullabies into her ear until she fell asleep on the really bad days. The same sister who played Guard with her to distract her from the reality of their mother's death.

Her hair was black as midnight, so different to the ash blonde that it once was...years ago. Her eyes however, they remained unchanged- so bright, so extraordinary. The golden hues of her iris' mimicking that of their mother's eyes. Her features remain soft, yet older- more withered with age. She looked more serious, more calculated- like every move she made was intended with a cause and an effect.

Fayre was frozen. She could not move her body once her hand fell down to her side. Her brain was running a thousand miles per hour, yet she couldn't even manage to bring a hand up to cover her mouth as a choked sob escaped her lips.

Isa looked just as baffled, eyeing the Princess up and down once, twice, four times. Like she couldn't believe her younger sister was really standing before her, like she had to convince her brain of the fact that the two sisters are reunited after years of not knowing.

The Princess didn't even register as Adrian came up behind her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder to steady her- to keep her balanced. Blood flow finally returned slowly to Fayre as she leaned back into Adrian's chest, grateful for the weight and the steadiness of the Prince behind her.

"Fayre? Is that really you?"

She may have limited movement once again, but Fayre couldn't bring herself to open her mouth and speak for fear of another embarrassing sound escaping her lips. Nodding once, she watched as her elder sisters eyes clouded and the beautiful gold became muted. Unlike Adrian, her sister never has been- nor will she ever be a beautiful crier.

Oh no, Isa Ayer was an ugly crier and that fact became apparent as she launched herself at her younger sister, pushing Adrian back, letting him stumble with a look of confusion on his face. She did not care, Fayre was here, with her and she couldn't control herself as she wrapped her younger sister in a death tight grip, as if she would disappear at any given moment .

Fayre responded in kind, gripping the back of Isa's shirt so tightly her knuckles screamed in protest- not that it mattered.

Isa smelt like firewood and fresh air, different from the lily smell she used to carry around at the palace. Still, the Princess inhaled deeply, burying her head in Isa's neck, refusing to let go. She could hear Isa choking on her own tears and she could feel her back racking itself with sobs. A large sniff was the reason Fayre pulled back- she loved Isa but she could not have mucus on her clothing or she might throw up on the side of the road where they were currently standing.

"I-I don't understand. How are you here? How are you alive? What have you been doing these years? Are you well? Have you been taking care of yourself? What happened?"
The rapid fire of questions didn't so much a cause Isa to blink, only smile as she wiped the snot dripping from her nose, and attempted to clean up the dark smudges under her eyes that were definitely not there a minute ago.

"Oh Fay, you haven't changed one bit. Still a million questions and even more beautiful than ever." Isa reached a hand out to cup Fayre's cheek, the tears threatening to return at the drop of a hat.

Despite her best efforts to calm down, Fayre couldn't make herself relax- she was still trying to process the image before her eyes. The scene she had dreamt of often after her sister first left. She reached her hand to the palm cupping her cheek and gently took it into her own, holding Isa's hand as if it were a ceramic dove, so fragile. "Isa...what happened?"