Unterralym

Unterralym (3)

Chapter 3

Carter froze, seemingly unblinking. He thought back to that girl, and compared her with Erin. There wasn't a significant resemblance between the two, aside from the wavy hair, though not exactly the same colour, and their pale skin, although slightly different complexions. "Don't lie to me, Erin."

She shook her head. "I'm not lying."

"I see no resemblance!" 

"She's my half sister; we both take after our fathers."

He raised his eyebrows. "So whatever happened to both your fathers?" He would've at least expected one of them to be in the household with the three, but he was never seen.

She gave him a weary look, then turned around and faced the door, and strode over, leaving the shed. Had he brought up a topic sensitive to her? Through the open door, he could see a purple fabric flapping at the side. It probably wasn't as touchy as he thought then. 

He walked outside, bumping on the doorframe with his shoulder, which made Erin turn around to face him, hair whipping in front of her face with the wind. He was walking slowly enough that it didn't cause too much pain for him. He looked over at his shoulder and massaged it. He looked back at Erin, who tucked in some of her flying hair behind her ears. "Did I ask something I wasn't supposed to?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. I just don't like the thought of never getting to see my father. Ever." 

He gave her a blank look. "I've never seen my mother. It's never bothered me," he said with a shrug. He's heard the reason why his mother wasn't with him anymore many times; from his father, the maids, his father's assistants, but the stories were never the same. A story he heard from one of the assistants was that she died upon giving birth to him. Another was how she ran away from his father, abandonning the child with him. Prison. Asylum. Wanted criminal. But the story that his dad would tell him was that she got sucked into the void that is Unterralym. 

She bit her lip. "Well... I guess it's just because..." She took a long pause thinking through her answer before saying, "I've only had very vague memories about him. I remember him picking me up and swinging me around." She smiled. "Those were one of my most favourite memories." She suddenly frowned, and lowered her gaze. "He died abruptly, and his body was never found. I was only two years old at that time." 

He felt her pain, though he didn't quite understand it. He's never felt an emotion so strong for anybody before. Not even his own father attained his love. Of course, that was to be expected with his father making him do his own dirty work for him. Sometimes, Carter never even had the time to practice sword fighting because of this. Now he was making him go through a marriage for mere money. 

One day, he will execute his death. One day, he'll finally be free. One day. But that day wasn't anytime soon. 

"I do apologize, but I'm unable to express my sympathy," he said with a bow.

"You don't need to bow to me," she said rather quickly. "Think of me as your equal. We are to be wed in a few years."

He nodded. At that same moment, the front door opened, catching Carter's attention, and a shrill voice sounded, calling for Carter. It was Amira's fraternal twin sister, Ramyre. They both cringed at the sound of her voice. Although she was the more sullen and dull twin, she had quite the voice. He looked over at Erin and gestered for her to wait. She nodded and he quickly paced towards Ramyre. 

Ramyre was about the same height as Amira, but instead of having long, flowing hair like her twin, she cut it in a short bob, usually messy with knots and tangles. Her cheeks were also slightly chubbier than Amira's, but it wasn't noticeable unless you compared the two. She also wore thin framed glasses that would constantly slide down her nose. Amira always said that her sister could be prettier than her if she tried, but Carter couldn't quite see that.