will you be my legacy? - linhiana (the legacies series 2)

7

biana highly disliked councillor alina.

okay, that was an understatement. more like, she desperately hated the elf & had no shame in saying that she wished her dead. especially right now. because alina was looking at her like she wanted to kill her.

&, you know. the feeling was mutual.

& what in the lost cities gave you the impression you could just waltz into a meeting with the council & change the entire matchmaking system? alina asked stiffly. her brown hair was piled back in a bun, with its caramel highlights tucked primly behind her ears. biana imagined alina as an elder & stifled a snicker; the elf's ears were such a prominent part of her appearance.

alina, enough, councillor terik said tiredly. biana hadn't seen him much since he'd lost his leg, & he was looking rather worse for wear. his brown hair had lost its shine, & his cobalt blue eyes had a strange, distant expression. biana was struck with the sudden fear that he would step down from his position as councillor.

she really hoped that wasn't the case.

let the children speak, he continued. you can criticise them later. for now, i want to hear what they have to say.

as do i, oralie said quietly. her blonde locks rested untouched around her shoulders, & her azure eyes looked oddly mournful. biana didn't know what had happened to oralie, but she was glad the elf remained on her side.

enough of this sympathetic nonsense, bronte said crankily. just let them talk.

biana eyed the councillors, reminding herself that linh was right beside her. she made eye contact with her girlfriend for a moment, & felt a wave of calm roll over her. i love you, linh mouthed.

biana smiled. & then she spoke.

linh & i think the system is wrong, she said firmly. we think it shouldn't just be male elves matched with female elves & female elves matched with male elves.

but she could already feel her composure slipping, as she peered a peek at each councillor's face. some of them, like emery, had expressions which were impossible to read. some, like bronte, looked mildly interested. but the vast majority of the councillors looked disgusted.

alina, clarette, the black-haired councillor who she was pretty sure was a vociferator. their faces varied from shocked to horrified to repulsed, & some seemed just plain confused, like the idea of homosexual relationships had never occured to them. liora, darek, the charger who almost killed fitz. there were a few who biana knew nothing about, & still they judged her.

linh gripped her hand, & she tried to stay standing strong.

the matchmaking system is highly flawed, biana said, & to her horror she could feel her voice quiver. she couldn't back down. she was biana vacker. she never backed down. she never did what was expected of her. keep going, she told herself.

& she did. although she wasn't sure who was listening.

it doesn't even recognize homosexual relationships as existing, she said.

excuse me, alina said sourly. i have a question.

let them state their case first, terik said irritably. we've already gone over this.

alina is allowed to speak, emery said sternly, flashing terik a look that screamed 'i am your senior'. councillors may ask clarifying questions during a meeting.

apologies, terik said resignedly.

alina opened her mouth, & biana's gut sank.

the matchmaking system has been carefully designed to accompany the needs of the elvin world: progress, prosperity, permanence, & proliferation. she smoothed out her impeccable hair & continued speaking. she sounded rehearsed. with a start, biana realized that she probably was rehearsed: constantly preparing for biana's demise. homosexual wedlock is not only unnatural, but also impractical. it threatens permanence: if elves only married elves of the same sex, the species would die out.

linh stiffened next to biana. i respectfully object, she said clearly, almost forcefully. elves have indefinite lifespans. even if we stopped reproducing, which wouldn't happen, elves would still grow to be ancient, & the species would continue.

it's unnatural, alina went on, as if linh had never spoken. it's not normal. surely you see the danger in letting elves live this way? these people could be happily married to elves of the other sex, & instead we allow them to live in this squalor? it's blasphemous!

somehow, linh remained calm. councillor alina, pardon my interruption, but i don't believe you entirely understand the nature of same-sex relationships & the people involved in them.

immediately, biana understood. glancing at linh, she continued, many elves who are attracted to elves of the same sex cannot possibly be attracted to members of the other sex. it's not just a deluded way to rebel. it's who we are.

alina gave a short, condescending laugh. but have you really tried anything different? she shook her head. even if this is true, which i doubt, you people have never objected to this. why should it change now?

because it's unfair, & we are standing up for ourselves, biana said, trying her best to be formal. she was pretty sure she was failing.

do you have anything more to say? emery asked.

yes. yes, biana did. she wanted to surprise all the stuffy councillors in that tiny, maroon-tiled room. to shock them, or rather to shock the sense into them. but she didn't know what to say.

she looked to linh for guidance, but linh's silvery eyes seemed just as confused. um, she said slowly. i... no, i guess not.

& yes, she was probably doing the wrong thing.

but she didn't know what else to do.

bronte clucked his tongue disapprovingly.

in the tense, silent minutes that followed, biana tried to read the councillors' faces, to figure out what was going on in their mental conversation. what she saw didn't give her peace of mind. terik looked hopeless, which wasn't a good sign. but worse than that, alina was smiling.

honestly, biana knew what the decision would be before they even said it.

the council draws to a close, emery said finally, & biana thought she could detect the slightest happiness in his tone. ass. eight to four, in favor of disregarding the complaints & leaving the system unchanged.

it took a moment for biana's brain to process what he was saying. disregarding the complaints, leaving the system unchanged...oh.

oh.

she got it now.

they'd lost.

a/n: welp, school's been cancelled because of coronavirus, so there's a lot more time for me to write. (correction: not actually cancelled. there's still online classes.) also, spring break starts super soon, depending on when i post this. so, expect more updates & possibly the end of this installment in 'the legacies series' coming up soon. which sucks omg. i used to think kam was the best, but reading over this, linhiana is obviously superior. i wonder if i'll feel the same way about fedex when i start writing it? thing is, fitz is legit satan right now, and not gay satan. homophobic satan. but pffft i'll write my way out of that one.

as always, please vote & comment, & recommend this story to your friends. what do you think the title of its fedex sequel will be? (hint: the word 'legacy' is in the title.) anyway, have a great day xx