Artemisia Evergreen's Story

Code ~ #0B610B

The rustling of papers could be heard through the empty halls of the university as Althea made her way out of the Student Council room, sliding papers into her messenger bag She was more than flattered and while she generally didn’t really grow overly-excited about anything, being able to help out with the university’s affairs gave her a giddiness she couldn’t explain. The opportunities that the position would give her were unimaginable and she couldn’t wait to lock down the position. She was confident with having the grades and extracurriculars to back her recruitment and was only a little worried about getting the current members to like her. It wasn’t that she was unlikeable - far from it - but she generally liked to keep to herself, which is not how student council members were supposed to be. They were supposed to be outgoing and boisterous, while she was organized and well-kempt.

Puffing out a sigh, Althea paused once she was outside. She inhaled deeply, her hand subconsciously slipping the emerald pendant from underneath her shirt and thumbing across it - the only item that she had from wherever and whoever she came from - and she immediately felt a tad less frazzled as the fresh air cleansed her of her anxiety. Relaxing as she exhaled, she adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder as well as her simple jacket that she wore to fight off the slight chill to the air that was brought with the breeze. A quick glance at her phone told her she had about twenty to thirty minutes before she had to be in class, so with a soft smile, she started in the direction of the university’s cafe.

A quick dash in and out, and Althea was happily sipping on a hot Chai Tea Latte. Her soft smile moved into a slightly more prominent one as the deliciously hot tea began to warm her up. Making her way down one of the many paths leading from building to building, she found a bench that was on a path a bit less traversed but still in the direction of her first class, plopped her bag on it and then dropped down beside her things to enjoy her tea. Her eyes roamed over the few students and faculty members strewn about the area that she was in - a group of three of art majors that she recognized from her art electives, as well as young couple obviously meeting to have a small breakfast date before their classes, and finally a group of three women, one of whom was clearly a teacher. As they spoke and moved slightly, Althea recognized the older woman as the Professor of English, Ms. Evers. One of Althea’s classes was with her and thankfully she was able to sit near the back of the class without much of a problem, but Ms. Evers still would attempt to include her on things so as not to allow her to feel left out. It was a nice little change to the other professors, who either completely ignored her or would go out of their way to single her out, either out of the wish to be nice and include her yet resulting in nervousness on her part, or contempt for her loner status, she did not know. Thankfully, Ms. Evers had somehow found a neutral ground in between the two where Althea was comfortable, and for that she was grateful.

The other two with the professor she didn’t know the names of, which was unusual for her seeing as she had a fairly good memory and rarely forgot names to face, but she did recognize them. Or at least she thought she did; she wasn’t quite sure. Something about them felt familiar, and a strange itching sensation began at the back of her head as she thought about it more. Finally, she shook it off as nothing and turned to her back, withdrawing the portfolio that she was currently working on. She had to pick one of her best abstract works and was debating between two different watercolor pieces that she had made. It was difficult for her to choose, so it was taking some time, especially since it had to be the perfect choice. It wasn't necessarily her future riding on this particular competition, but it was one of the many stepping stones that was needed for her to be able to actually make a career out of her art. The only reason why she was pursuing the degrees that she was was because of her parents pushing her to do so. She definitely held a certain degree of passion for teaching others as well as getting to understand how people function mentally, but it wasn't what she wanted to actually do with her life. Althea let out a frustrated groan, taking another sip of her delicious hot tea to try and level herself once more. She knew her parents loved her and only wanted what was best for her, but what they would think was best for her wasn't what made her the happiest and for some reason, they just couldn't seem to understand that. Closing her eyes for a moment, she drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly before reopening them and steadying her gaze on the two paintings.

---

Code ~ #088A29

Dead leaves and twigs crunched underneath Ryder’s feet as he made his way back through the dense forest surrounding the kingdom. Tree branches and fresh leaves brushed across his skin, his bow bumping gently against his back, quiver sliding across his thigh with each step. The wild boar that was his fresh kill slid behind him on his hand-made sled, rattling slightly with each bump in the ground it glided over. As he broke through the trees and fresh sunlight assaulted his eyes, he squinted slightly, taking in the kingdom before him. A strange itching at the back of his brain made him furrow his brows even more and he absentmindedly scratched the back of his head. It did nothing to alleviate the itch that was deeper, accompanied by a slight pain, but it was worth a shot.

Stifling a yawn, he nodded at the guards stationed at the entrance to the kingdom that was closest to the actual castle itself, so as to avoid any of the common-folk. He’d love to people-watch, don’t get him wrong; it was just that his presence tended to make a majority of the commoners more than uncomfortable. Although he himself had done nothing to directly hurt them, he had seen more than his fair share of the actions of his fellow servants at the direction of their queen, so he couldn’t quite blame them for their distrust and hate.They parted ways, allowing his entry as he was fairly easy to recognize, and he felt himself relax a bit once he was back within the city walls. It’s not that he was comfortable there, just less uncomfortable than being out in the forest. He didn’t know what it was, but something about the dense trees and strong scents of the earth made him feel a type of homesickness and a sense of sorrow that he couldn’t place the reasoning behind.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Ryder straightened a bit as he reached the front doors to the castle. Throwing them open, he strode inside, kill still dragging behind him, his ever present dark green cloak billowing slightly in the sudden gust of wind. Narrowing his eyes slightly in the direction of the murmuring servants who had paused at his entrance, he made his way towards the kitchen and dining area. He pulled the sled through the door to the kitchen, stopping only when it reached the feet of the Head Butcher. While he himself could have skinned the boar, it wasn’t necessary and he’d rather pass on the duty and leave it to those whose job it actually was to do so.

With only a nod in greeting and no words uttered, Ryder continued on his way, ignoring the annoyed looks that the kitchen staff were giving him. It wasn’t really his fault that the queen ‘requested’ that all meals be freshly caught on the day-of, so he wasn’t going to get his own ego hurt by a few irked servants.

When he reached the throne room, he rapped a passive knock on the large doors and when he was permitted, he pushed open the right door, the wind taking up his cloak ever-so-slightly. Approaching the throne, he avoided eye contact with the Queen, simply dropping to a knee before her, head bowed and cape gathered in hand and drawn over his side.

“I have caught a wild boar for your royal highness, if you would honor me by tasting it once the Royal Butcher and Chef have prepared it for you, My Queen,” he said, his voice coming out softly, soothing like honey to the ears. “I have also located the traitor Rune as per your request.” Looking slightly to each side, he notated the fact that they were not alone, and before simply handing over the information to the Queen in front of others without her request for more detail, he turned his gaze downwards once more. “Their location is to be delivered to the General upon your orders, My Queen.”

Dual Code ~ #04B486
Trinity/Khorra's Code ~ #8904B1
Serenity/Kierra's Code ~ #0431B4

Khorra'seyes scanned the page that she was on in her Forensics textbook, taking in the words and absorbing them as she did. She had a major test coming up and couldn't afford to get anything less than a 95% if she wanted to keep her scholarship, and the current chapter that they were studying was something that she was having difficulty grasping for some reason. She had already studied it for several hours over the last week and was still confused in some areas. More than likely she was going to need to ask the professor for further clarification which she hated to do, not only because it was relying on another person, but also because the Forensics Professor was a horrible old man who was stuck in the past believing that women did not need a higher education and should stay at home producing babies.

Stifling a sigh, Khorra slipped her bookmark into the spot that she stopped at, snapping the book closed and sliding it into her backpack beside her. She was currently sitting outside of the university pool building; it was nice outside for so early in the morning, not too chilly, and she was more than comfortable waiting for her sister outside. Her eyes grazed over the area that she was sitting in. It was fairly empty as it was still quite early with only a scattering of a few students here and there and one or two professors. A couple sat underneath a tree on a blanket, clearly having a breakfast date before their classes, and several feet away there was a small group of three students that she recognized but didn't know. A young girl with light orange hair sat a little further down on a bench holding what seemed to be a coffee and a folder filled with papers of some kind. A little further away from her stood a group of three women, the two younger ones she didn't know but seemed familiar and the older one being her English Professor, Ms. Evers.

Leaning back on the bench, she turned her violet gaze upwards peering through the leaves into the azure sky above. It reminded her of a beautiful ocean gently rippling in a breeze and she felt a calmness settle over her. Her hand absentmindedly reached up to grip the Kunzite pendant that hung from her neck, the only remnant of her former, forgotten life that she had. Her sister had an identical one, only it was set with an Aquamarine stone, and it was all they had to go off of for where they came from and who their former family may have been. The pendants brought them comfort for some reason and neither one of them had gone a single day without wearing it.

Meanwhile, Kierra was toweling off inside the girl's locker room. Swim practice had just concluded - they start at five am - and she had finally beaten her former PR for her Freestyle. If she could only shave off a few more seconds from her Butterfly Stroke now, she would be golden for the next swim meet, which was also the qualifier for the national tournaments.

Stifling a sigh, Kierra patted her short purple hair until it was only slightly damp before tugging a fresh set of clothes from her locker. After quickly slipping on a pair of leggings and a sweater with a shawl, she tugged a beanie over her wet hair to keep her from catching a cold. She plucked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder, striding to the door to the girl's locker room, past the swimming pool where she gave a wave and a gentle smile to her teammates who were in the process of leaving as well and made her way through the front door of the building.

She wasn't surprised at all to see her sister waiting for her. Undoubtedly Khorra had been studying the entire time that Kierra was practicing and the younger sister felt a small warmth inside of her at the knowledge that her sister cared for her that much. With a soft smile on her face, Kierraapproached the identical girl, their only distinguishable features being Khorra's longer hair and their different eye colors, and dropped her bag at her feet as she sat down beside the other girl.

"Hey sis, how's your morning been going?" she inquired, accepting the bottle of water the slightly older girl offered her.

Khorra glanced up as her sister approached and gave her a smile that was identical to the other girl's, only not quite as innocent. "It's been going alright, I guess. It could be better. I'm having a difficult time grasping the current chapter that our next test will be on in my Forensics class and it's kind of stressing me out," she sighed, stretching her arms out and in front of her. She offered her sister a bottle of cool water, fresh from the canteen, and gave her an inquisitive look. "How about you? How are your times coming along?"

Kierra shrugged and took a swig from the bottle. "They could be going better, but I did shave off a few seconds on my Freestyle, which will be enough to qualify in the section for nationals. I need to drop down my Butterfly though before I'll be less nervous about the qualifiers. It's basically my deal-breaker on whether or not I'll be participating, so it's not an option for me to not improve it."

Dropping a hand on her sister's shoulder, Khorra gave her a confident smile. "If anyone can do it, you can, Era. I know you have the skills and the drive, you just need to get there. You've got this!" she boasted, giving her a thumbs up. Kierra gave her a small smile in response, clearly grateful for the uplifting message. "Thanks sis ... I know I can always count on you," she said softly, leaning a bit and resting her head on her slightly-older sister's shoulder. Closing her eyes, her hand moved up to subconsciously thumb over her pendant. A moment of silence passed between them before Kierra suddenly spoke once more, her voice holding a somber tone to it.

"Hey sis?" She paused for a moment as if to gather her courage before speaking once more. "Do you ever wonder ... Why we weren't good enough for our parents to keep? Why they had to abandon us on a front step of a building to strangers? How they managed to make us forget them?" When she was met by silence on her sister's end, Kierra opened her eyes and sat up, her gaze downcast. "I wonder about it a lot, that's all ... It makes me wonder if there's something wrong with us ... Something that we don't know about and that's why we can't remember. What if ... What if we did something bad?" Tears pricked at her eyes and she lifted her hand to rub at the liquid as it formed. "Why did we get abandoned? Why did we get so unlucky to have parents who hated us so much they'd want to throw us away?"

Khorra looked over at her sister helplessly. She knew it wouldn't matter what she said, because she herself had had the same thoughts time and time again. They both had issues of feeling inadequate and that was most of the reason why they were both so determined to excel and not disappoint their adoptive parents. They were both so afraid of being abandoned again that they strived for perfection even though they both knew logically that perfection was unachievable. Stifling a sigh, Khorra lifted her hand and dropped it on her sister's head, patting it gently. Kierra's tears slowed at the comforting touch and when she was a bit more calm Khorra spoke.

"There's nothing wrong with us. We're never going to rid ourselves of these feelings of not being good enough, no matter how illogical they are, because we're ingrained with that poison of not feeling good enough. We just need to remind ourselves that no matter what might have happened, we were young children at the time. We weren't responsible for our actions as we more than likely didn't even know what we were doing. Whatever reason our parents had to abandon us, that was their problems, not ours. We weren't the problems; they were. They were the ones who weren't good enough for us, and that's what we need to remember when we're having thoughts like that." Giving her sister a small smile, she tilted her head. "Now, why don't we stop by the canteen and get a couple of sandwiches to eat on the way to class, hm?" Kierra gave her sister a sad smile in response before nodding. "Yeah ... I'd like that. I'm really hungry from practice anyway," she laughed softly.

Code ~ #0B610B

A soft clunk was heard as Althea’s Chai Tea cup was tossed into the trash bin beside her bench. Leaning her head back, she looked up at the sky, her frustration evident on her features. It shouldn’t be so difficult for her to choose a piece to submit, but the pressure of ensuring that she chose the right one was causing a blockage in her submission process. She turned her face back down the portfolio in her lap, eyes darting between the two different pieces that she was stuck between. One was a beautiful work portraying a faceless woman wearing what seemed to be an extravagant dress; the other was a breathless landscape of a range of hills bordering what seemed to be a spaceless yet glorious spanse of water.

Caught off-guard by the sudden approach of Professor Evers, Althea jumped, nearly scattering her papers in the process. She managed to keep from spilling them and quickly slid them all back into the portfolio. Holding the folder on her lap, she turned a small yet kind smile up to the woman before her, the sweetness reaching her eyes.

“Good morning to you too, Professor Evers. How has the beginning of your day been?” she asked. At the mention of her pieces, she turned her gaze back down to the folder and reopened it, the two works that she was debating between the first ones on the stack. Holding them side-by-side, she frowned slightly, obviously uncertain. “Thank you for the compliment, I really do appreciate it, but I’m not so sure that I agree,” she sighed out, her brows slightly furrowed. “I’m supposed to submit my choice for the Abstract Division II section of the upcoming exhibit, but I can’t decide which one I want to go with. They’re both some of my best works for the Watercolor category, but they also have their flaws, and I’m not certain which one’s pros outweigh the cons, you know?” she asked, her lips pursed in thought.

Turning her sight back up the professor, an uncertain smile crossed her lips. “Sorry, I don’t mean to bother you with my indecisiveness. What do you think? If it were you, which one would you choose? I definitely could use some impartial advice and opinions,” she laughed out, her cheeks tinged a light pink in embarrassment to be asking her professor for her viewpoint.

---

Code ~ #088A29

At the input of the General, Ryder felt his normally placate expression turn slightly sour, a small scowl crossing his lips. His generally passive eyes turned dark and a bit cold, his displeasure at the other man’s words evident on his face. He kept his head down, however, and chose to ignore the Demon. It was in his best interest to not allow any of the other men of the court to see his true feelings and nature, so instead he chose to come off as the indifferent servant, completely and wholly loyal to their queen. If any of the other court-appointed servants sniffed out even a pinch of his wavering loyalty and distrust, they would immediately inform the queen, which would not result in anything good for him or the people of the kingdom.

When his queen acknowledged his information, he gave a small nod of his head before rising to his feet once more. He watched as she left the throne room for a moment before returning with two glasses of an unknown liquid. At the sight of the cups, he felt an odd feeling in his bones, something that he only ever felt when out hunting or tracking and was being watched or in immediate danger. The odd tickling sensation returned to the back of his head and he absentmindedly itched the spot yet found himself unable to be rid of the feeling.

Reaching out, Ryder accepted the cup from his queen yet hesitated to drink it. Under her scrutinizing gaze, however, he knocked it back in one gulp. Immediately he felt off, almost different and unlike himself, and a small cloud came over his thoughts. All he could think was of his beautiful and magnificent queen, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Only moments before he remembered doubting her and her intentions, but now he couldn’t recall as to why he would ever question her. Something wasn’t right and he knew it, but couldn’t tell what it was.

Once she had left, he turned to face the Demon, his disdain for the other man hidden behind a monotonous expression. The General was one of the few men that got under his skin with his heartless and dark nature. He seemed to care naught for the citizens of the kingdom and only for the queen’s happiness, and despite Ryder wanting the same, he couldn’t help but feel something deep within him that found everything to be odd and unnatural in the kingdom’s court. However, if he wanted to keep his position and not be punished for treason, he would have to play nice with the other man, no matter how little he disliked the thought of it.

“Rune is currently hiding near the southern border of the kingdom in a small shack with an unregistered bunker beneath it. After further investigation, it seems that a majority of the leaders of their resistance force has set up home in said bunker, which will make it easier for them all to be taken into custody in one fell swoop, if you plan correctly,” he said, the last bit coming off a bit condescending. Turning his back to the other man, he drew his cloak entirely around him and made his way towards the doors, pausing when he reached them to give the General another look over his shoulder. “Try not to mess this one up, would you? I would hate for all of my hard work retrieving this information to go to waste,” he tilted his head slightly to the side, a small, cocky smirk on his lips, and left the throne room. While he was usually not one for many words, If the General wanted to play war with his words, then Ryder would respond in kind.

Once he was in the massive halls outside of the room, Ryder felt himself relax once more. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right, especially following the intake of that strange liquid that the queen gave him, but at least he wasn’t trapped in that room with all of those dark faces looking at him any longer. Their scrutinizingly glaring faces gave him the underlying sense of something evil and that bothered him almost as much as the feeling that something wasn’t right with the queen that he had been idolizing for as long as he could remember. It was almost as though the image that he had of her was cracking, like glass did when broken.

At the thought, a piercing pain darted through his head. He cringed, hand pressed to his forehead, and leaned against the wall next to the doors to the room he had just left. Forcing himself to take in slow, deep breaths, Ryder fought back the pain through gritted teeth. He wa right; something was very wrong with everything. Although everything had seemed dark before, in the last couple of days, especially today in particular, things had seemed so much darker than before. Almost as though some sort of an illusion had been cast and only just now was starting to fade away, splintering as it went. There was only one person that he could trust to talk to about this, and that was the Kingdom's Physician with whom he was training under. While there was a Royal Physician specifically for the Queen with whom he could have studied beneath, he had opted for the Kingdom’s Physician, who saw only civilians. The only reason why the Queen had agreed to this was because the Kingdom’s Physician would have a more broad expertise instead of having spent the last decade or so caring for only one individual.

Pushing himself away from the walk with determination in his features, he set off at a brisk walk, jaw clenched as he fought against the pain in his head.

Ryder needed to pay him a visit, and he needed to do it today.

---

Dual Code ~ #04B486
Trinity/Khorra's Code ~ #8904B1
Serenity/Kierra's Code ~ #0431B4

Khorra rose and retrieved her bag from the ground by her feet, slinging it over her shoulder as she turned her eyes down to her sister. Kierra quickly joined her, grabbing her backpack and swimming bag and doing the same as her sister. Khorra bent over and retrieved her large cello case, but before they could take a step they were approached by a girl that they recognized from one of their classes. She easily stood out with her vibrant green hair, but they both compelled themselves not to stare. They knew better than most people how it felt to be scrutinized just because of their appearances - twins with natural purple hair, of all things, yet strikingly different-colored irises. Although she was generally wary of people they didn’t know, Khorra felt an odd familiarity with the girl that went beyond having a simple class together. She had felt it before when her gaze would happen to slide over her, and she’d be lying if she said it was a bad familiarity. Kierra stood slightly behind her sister and could almost read her sister’s mind. They both felt the same; wary of strangers, yet this girl didn’t seem to be oh-so-strange.

Ever-the-kind-and-welcoming girl, despite her generally shy nature, Kierra allowed a gentle smile to reach her lips as she moved to her sister’s side, effectively taking the lead so as to alleviate any type of stand-offishness her sister could possibly decide to throw at the innocent girl who was simply trying to say hello.

“Good morning to you too! It’s so nice to meet one of our new classmates,” Kierra said cheerfully, holding out a hand in greeting. She laughed a little at the girl’s question as both she and her sister were more than used to being on the receiving end of that question. Although they thought that they looked pretty different, it was understandable how people could be confused. ”It’s okay, it happens a lot actually. We just appreciate you asking and not just assuming that you know which of us is which,” she laughed out. Casting a smile over at her sister, she motioned to herself and then the identical girl beside her. ”My name is Kierra, and this is my sister-” she began, but was cut off by her sister mid sentence, ”-Older sister, Khorra,” Khorra finished, stepping slightly around her sister to introduce herself. She was a lot more awkward with first meetings with others in comparison to her sister, but once they could get past the little bump that was their introductions, she knew she would be able to relax a bit. Besides, Kierra was always telling her she needed to try and make more friends. With a small sigh of indignation, she forced a friendly smile to her face, wanting to at least try and be friends with the girl. She seemed harmless enough.

”Your name is Cassie, right? I like that; it’s nice,” she said, awkwardly rubbing the back of her head. ”I’ve seen you run track before and I’d have to say that I’m impressed. You’re one fast girl,” she laughed out. ”I’ve also seen you watching the swim meets. Thanks for the support; I’m sure my sister and her friends appreciate you cheering them on,” she smiled. Kierra stepped forward once more, not wanting to be shut out of the conversation. ”Oh! Now that she mentions it, I do remember seeing you in the spectator seats. We really do appreciate the support a lot, especially if you enjoy watching. If you want, I could reserve you some good seats at the front with Khorra for next week’s national qualifiers. It’s going to be intense!” she hurried out excitedly, almost shining with her giddiness. Clearly passionate about her sport, Kierra couldn’t contain herself when talking about the competitions. Khorra rolled her eyes a little at her sister’s energy before turning back to the girl before them. ”Anyway, we were just on our way to the canteen to grab a couple of prepackaged sandwiches. If you’d like to join, you’re more than welcome,” she offered with a quick glance at a nearby clock. ”We have just enough time to eat before the next round of classes begin.”

”To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

---

“...And Paris, too. Come, I’ll dispose of thee Among a sisterhood of holy nuns. Stay not to question, for the watch is coming. Come, go, good Juliet. I dare no longer stay.”

Silence rang heavily in the air as the remnants of the man’s voice faded from the outdoor amphitheater. The quiet quickly grew uncomfortable, and was marred by the clearing of a throat and the soft shuffling of a chair. A young woman knelt on the stage, seemingly staring off into the unknown, and it was clear that her mind was elsewhere instead of focused on the play at hand.

“Miss Regàlé, do you need your line read to you?”

When the director’s question was met with further silence, he pushed back his chair, shuffling the script papers before him before placing them in a neat stack on the table. Moving out from behind the desk, he approached the stage and lithely hopped up onto it, swiftly made his way across the floor, before placing a hand on the young woman’s shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise, having quite obviously been off in her own little world and not paying attention in any form.She blinked up at him with a blank expression for a moment before light dawned on her expression and a bright pink hue rose into her cheeks.

”I’m so sorry, Mr. Heinry. I suppose I was lost in my train of thought. There is little excuse for my behavior and I apologize - sincerely, sir. It will not happen again,” she scrambled out, bowing her head to him. ”I don’t require my lines, I remember them. Please, allow us to return to rehearsal.”

With a questionable look down at James, the young man currently pretending to be a dead Romeo, Mr. Heinry nodded in answer to Althea and strode back across the stage, hopping down and returning to the director’s seat behind his table.

“Alright, let’s take it from Friar Lawrence’s line beginning with, ‘I hear some noise.’” He spun his hand in the air, and following the cue, the young man playing Friar Lawrence cleared his throat and spoke his lines anew, this time with Althea paying attention.

“Go, get thee hence, for I will not away!” The man playing Friar Lawrence nodded and exited the stage, leaving Althea alone with her partner. Tears streamed down her face in rivlets, streaking her cheeks with stains. Her eyes moved to James’ hand and she grasped his wrist, raising it swiftly. “What’s here? A cup closed in my true love’s hand? Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end.— O churl, drunk all, and left no friendly drop To help me after! I will kiss thy lips. Haply some poison yet doth hang on them, To make me die with a restorative.” She leaned down and pressed her lips gently to his own, and when she retreated, a soft sob escaped her. “Thy lips are warm! Lead, boy. Which way? Yea, noise? Then I’ll be brief. O, happy dagger, This is thy sheath. There rust, and let me die.” With that final line, Althea brought her hands into the air, raising the false dagger that shimmered as though real in the bright morning light, and brought it down quickly towards her chest. She let out a cry of pain and slowly slumped over James, the dagger lodged between them and her arm sprawled across his body.

The applause of their fellow castmates drew them up, and as she rose, Althea held out a hand to James, which he took gratefully as he allowed her to help him stand. She gave him a sweet smile, prompting his cheeks to turn pink, but she didn’t notice.

”Great work today, James. Keep it up and we might even make it to finals!” she encouraged, patting him on the shoulder. His cheeks turned brighter and he rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish smile on his lips. “Thanks a lot, Althea; but if it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have even made it to sectionals. You’re the one who brought the whole thing together. Not only did you direct the set building, but with you playing Juliet, there’s no way we can fail,” he gushed, looking down at her with shimmering puppy dog eyes.

Althea, ever the dense and naive when it came to recognizing clues and hints in the regards of romance, simply beamed in return. ”Ah, thank you so much, James! I appreciate the compliment, but we never would’ve made it this far if it weren’t for everyone involved,” she insisted. Turning and striding across the stage, she grabbed her messenger bag from behind the curtains and made her way down the stairs on the side of the platform. Casting a gentle smile at people as she passed and they congratulated her on her performance, she called farewells to everyone on her way out of the amphitheater.

She would be lying if she said it wasn’t nice to be rehearsing outside, when the weather was as lovely as it was. Inhaling deeply, she reveled in the fresh air as the breeze brushed around her, almost whispering in her ears. The chitter of a chipmunk could be heard as it skittered up a nearby tree, and the small mew of one of the campus cats traveled from a bush that she strode by. Pausing, Althea withdrew a small pouch from her bag, made her way over to the bushes, and crouched down. Almost immediately a black and white face peeped out, as though excited, and she let out of a soft giggle in response.

”Don’t worry, I brought you food,” she reassured it, popping open the pouch of wet cat food. Emptying it out onto the sidewalk right next to the grass lining the bushes, she watched as the cat scurried out and basically inhaled the food, gently stroking it behind its ear as it did. ”I’m sure someone will come and take you home real soon, okay?” she murmured softly, wishing that she herself could adopt the feline. Once it had finished eating and receiving attention, it returned to its nesting spot inside the bushes for what she assumed was a much-needed food nap, and Althea returned on her way, glancing at her smart watch as she did so, noting the time to be 10:15am. That gave her fifteen minutes to get to Professor Evers home, if she decided to go.


Her stomach churned at the thought. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe the woman; quite the contrary, actually. It was the fact that she had so much here, a life and a family and the animals that she helped care for as well as the children that she helped to teach. She had responsibilities that she couldn’t just abandon, and she was anything if responsible.

Pausing as she reached her Ford Mustang Bullitt, she pressed her forehead against the side of it and let out a breath, her eyes closed as she attempted to process her thoughts, hand clenching the strap of her bag. In all of her life, she had never been asked to make a decision as difficult as this one. Straightening, she unlocked her car and got inside, locking it immediately and leaning her head back against the seat, staring up at the interior of her car as she mulled over the previous day's events.

~’.’~’.’~’.’~’.’~’.’~’.’~

The day began as any other, with Althea readying herself at her off-campus apartment. Except today would be different, as it was the day of the Spring Festival and all classes were cancelled so everyone could either enjoy their day or attend to their assigned class duties. For Althea, all that she had to worry about was the play that they would be putting on at 1:00pm, and then ensuring that if anything were to happen, as Junior Class President, she was present to attend to any matters that arose.

She attended the festival wearing a simple yet elegant green dress that she had designed and enlisted the assistance of the fashion department’s help in creating. It was a dress that she was to wear in the play, and the director had requested she wear it at the festival to draw in people to buy tickets and attend the performance. Paired with a simple lavender flower crown she made and pretty iridescent green fairy wings she found online for a fairly decent price, she looked the perfect picture of a fairy princess and would undoubtedly draw eyes and therefore a fair amount of theater goers. Not to mention the splash of shimmering glitter she added to make the fairy look more realistic.

Excited to bring in people to watch her performance, she spent a majority of the day traversing the festival, pausing to chat with those who wanted pictures with her and who had questions about her costume. Little girls would run up and excitedly tug on her skirts, exclaiming that they had found a real-life fairy princess and they wanted to be just like her, and little boys professed that they would save her should she ever be kidnapped by a big, mean bad guy and need rescuing. This would draw laughs from their parents who would snap pictures for the memories, a bright smile on Althea’s face, and when the time came for her performance, it went off without a hitch, the show sold-out, much to her pleasure. A majority of the theater-goers were those who had stopped to take pictures with her, the little ones wanting to watch the pretty fairy princess’s show, and the parents intrigued on how well she could perform in a practiced situation. Needless to say, they were not disappointed, and they congratulated her after the show as they all left the theater, shaking the hands of the cast as they awaited them at the exit.

It was as the cast and she were on their way back to the changing rooms that it happened. Falling behind the group a bit to bend down and adjust her shoe, Althea straightened to catch up with them, when she noticed an odd warmth against her chest. Reaching up, she touched the emerald pendant that rested between the dip of her breasts, her brows furrowing, but before she could do anything further, an odd force slammed into her, knocking the breath from her body and causing her to lose her balance. She fell back, landing directly on her tailbone with a wince, but did not have time to focus on the pain as she was assaulted with a barrage of images before her eyes.

~’.’~’.’~’.’~’.’~’.’~’.’~

”Come on, Artemisia! You have to keep up!”

Panting, the small girl struggled to climb the steep hill, her little legs only able to reach so far. ”I am trying, Aurora! Slow down!” she begged, attempting to use her hands as well to pull herself up in an effort to speed up the process. The blonde bob of hair that shone brightly in the sunlight ahead of her moved, and beautiful shimmering blue eyes focused on her.

“Hurry up, or we’ll miss it!” The other girl insisted, turning back and getting further away from little Artemisia. Tears gathered in her large green eyes, but before they could spill, she felt a gentle push from behind that helped boost her up a bit further and more quickly. Glancing back, she met a green and orange gaze that held a kind and loving tone to them. Orange hair that was only slightly lighter than her own glinted under the rays of the sun, and the smile that beamed up at her was calming and steadying.

“Don’t worry, Sia; I’ll always be here to help you,” the boy reassured her, his voice soft and holding a lilting tone to it. She felt happiness swell within her and she giggled and smile back at him, using the back of her hand to wipe away her tears before they could fall.

”Thank you, Appy - I know I can always count on you!”

~’.’~’.’~’.’~’.’~’.’~’.’~

“... ay, Althea? Althea, do we need to call an ambulance?”

Althea came to with a gasp, her hand clenched in the fabric at her chest. The worried gaze of Reina, one of the stage-hands, loomed over her, with Mr. Heinry looking down at her from the other side. She shot up quickly, breathing heavily, her hand moving to her face. Only then did she notice the tears streaking down her cheeks, and using the sleeves of her dress, she attempted to rub away the warm liquid.

“Althea, do you need us to call an ambulance? Or your family? Or just anyone, really?”

Turning her attention to Mr. Heinry, Althea shook her head, taking the hand of Reina as she offered to help her up.

”No, I-I’m okay. I think it’s because I haven’t eaten today, I was just feeling a bit lightheaded is all,” she breathed out, accepting the water that Mr. Heinry offered to her. After drinking almost all of it, she let out a sigh and fanned herself with her hand. ”I think … I think I need to go home for the day,” she said softly, and they both nodded, worry etched across their features.

“If that’s what you think is best, please travel safe. We’ll see you tomorrow at eight am sharp for rehearsal, and please contact me if anything else happens.” With that, Mr. Heinry and Reina turned and made their way back towards the back of the amphitheater, with Reina casting one last worrying glance back at Althea, who waved her off reassuringly.

After she left the amphitheater, Althea made her way towards the exit of the festival, her head ringing as more images filtered from behind her eyes. It was hard to organize them in the order that they happened, and they were a jumbled mess right now, but one face in them she recognized as soon as it entered her mind - Professor Evers. If she was in these images, then she had to know something about why Althea was seeing them, and Althea also knew that Professor Evers had a stand at the festival today as well. Before she could go home, she had to see her.

Before she could get to her, however, she paused. A rather large group of women around her own age stood crowded around Ms. Evers, and never the one for confrontation, Althea stood back a few feet, but just close enough to overhear the conversation. She pretended to be looking at one of the stalls goods, some dream catchers, while her ears twitched as she listened to everything that happened between the group. When they finally dispersed, she smiled at the woman at the stall, gave her some money, and left with a pretty dreamcatcher in hand.

Was it really possible? Was she from another realm, and a princess at that, as well as those other girls? It all seemed so unreal and farfetched, but then again, it would explain how she didn’t remember anything before she was eight, as well as who her birth family was and why they abandoned her, and why she always felt so out of place.

Clutching the dreamcatcher in hand, Althea left the festival, jaw clenched and her thoughts a muddled mess.

What was she supposed to do now?

~’.’~’.’~’.’~’.’~’.’~’.’~

Opening her eyes, Althea groaned. Fine, she internally grumbled, throwing her car into reverse and screeching out of her parking spot with determination.

It didn’t take long for her to reach the address. She knew exactly where she was going without having to pop it into her GPS - having a great memory came in handy sometimes - and as she pulled up, noted the motorcycle and grouping of vehicles sitting outside the front of the building. Pausing before getting out of her car, she took in a deep breath and exited it. A soft beep noise echoed on the street as she made her way across it, glancing both ways beforehand, and strode up the steps to stand beside a girl with silver hair and pretty features, but a not-so-pretty expression on her face as she yelled into her cell phone. After she racked her newfound memories for the name of the girl, she gave her a gentle smile.

”Hello, it’s nice to meet you again. I’m not sure what you would prefer that I call you, so I’ll introduce myself; I’m Althea Regàlé, and would prefer to go by Lucie or Justice?” she asked kindly, her hand moving forward to rap gently on the front door. She could hear several voices inside, so instead of waiting for a response, she tried to doorknob and found it unlocked, and gently turned and nudged the door open.

”Ahm, hello?” she called out shyly, her voice uncertain. ”I-I hope we aren’t intruding, but … the door was unlocked, so I figured that we would save you all the trip of opening it for us, and … Just let ourselves in?” she said, phrasing it almost as though it were a question. She left the door open for Justice to let herself in, making her way towards the voices and pausing in the doorway of the room that they were in, clearly nervous and uncertain. ”I apologize for the intrusion, and I’m also sorry for being late. I had rehearsal, and it ran a little later than we expected,” she rambled out, her voice quiet and but her eyes forward and meeting each of their gazes. Despite her nervous nature, she was capable of holding eye contact, as it was deemed the respectable way to speak to people and the only way that she would have passed her etiquette classes back at her boarding school. As much as she wanted to shuffle her feet in angst, the classes had managed to knock that nervous habit out of her, so instead she wrung her hands antsily behind her back where no one except Justice could see, her anxiousness getting the better of her. ”Ah, I’m Althea Regàlé, or, well, I guess I’m actually Artemisia Evergreen, but … I don’t know anymore, so … Please just call me Althea or whatever is easiest for now,” she introduced herself, biting her lower lip. Turning her attention to Professor Evers, her expression wavered a bit. "Miss Evers, I have something that I have a question about. Something happened last night, after I got home from the festival, and I'm not sure what to make of it, but I thought that maybe you might have an answer, given everything that you said yesterday?"

Glancing around the room, her gaze centered on a vase of petunias situated on the floor. Quickly moving towards it, she grabbed the vase and placed it in the center of the room where everyone could see, and then stood behind it. Althea paused, glancing around at each person before settling on Miss Evers once more. "This freaked me out, so please don't freak out, okay?" she practically begged. With that, she inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, her fingers gently playing across the petals and leaves of the flowers inside of the vase. A soft, beautiful shimmer of green and orange began to appear where her fingers touched, and her ears twitched as the song of the flowers filtered into them. Before their very eyes, the flowers began to bloom bigger and more vibrantly than before, and more flowers began to bud along the leaves and stems, exploding with their beauty and fragrance. By the time she pulled her hands away, it was almost as though it were an entirely new plant. Pressing her hands together before her, she looked at Miss Evers uncertainly once more, her expression nervous. "Can you explain this to me please?" she practically begged.

”The fears we cannot conquer become barriers to our happiness. Karen Salmohnson.”
Code ~ #0B610B

---

It was shortly thereafter that Lilith gathered everyone into a room not too far away from the area that they had all been congregating in. This one was cozier, definitely smaller and not designed for large groups, but the design was cute. Books and trinkets lined the various surfaces, be they shelves or tables, and unknown liquids and masses sat in differently sized jars throughout the space. After taking in her surroundings, Althea stood off slightly to the side, her arms wrapped around her abdomen in a comforting manner and her gaze settling on the large cauldron that was situated in the center of the room.

When Lilith began her incantation, an almost rhythmic thrum settled throughout the air. It was warm - a warmth attributed only to magic - but her warmth was different from Althea’s. Instead of a warm hug, it was more like warm sunlight on her skin. The warmth began to waver a bit, causing Althea to glance towards Lilith, who seemed to be struggling slightly, then to Aurora when she noticed their brief exchange. After putting one and two together, she realized what they were doing, and with a bit of concentration on her part, began to send out her own magical essence.

The Fairy Queen appeared before them in a beautiful array of lights and colors, and when Althea studied her features, a wave of familiarity came over her, yet she knew not from where. It was undoubtedly from her past life in Rhindeval, the part that she had yet to recall due to being so young, and pushing herself would get her nowhere. When the Queen began to list the kingdoms that were safe, Althea queued into the conversation, her interest piqued, but felt her heart plummet when her own kingdom was not provided. ”Mon peuple,” she whispered, blinking back tears. She turned her head slightly to hide her face and cleared her throat quietly, discreetly rubbing her eyes in the process. At the change of topic to the princes, Althea tuned back in, listening intently as the Queen began to go down the list of the boys, her main concern being her brother. Luckily, she didn’t have to wait very long, as he was the second one that she listed. The fact that he was the royal advisor was something that gave her a bit of pride, but it was undermined entirely by the reminder that it was to Ivelda and that he was under a spell and a potion that led him to believe who-knew-what and kept him loyal only to her.

Crossing over to a nearby table, Althea snatched up a pen and blank pad from it, scribbling down the information that the Queen was providing them as she gave it, on both the princes and the kingdoms. Who knew when they were going to need it, and if they would remember it all offhandedly? Staring down at the information on the notepad, pen held idly in her hand, Althea tightened her grip slightly on the items that she held. Memories of her parents, of the other princes and princesses when they were all young, and of her brother - they whirled in her mind, difficult to place in order yet a beautifully chaotic mess nonetheless. ”Putain de merde,” she muttered under her breath, slapping the pen back down on the table and tearing the paper from the notepad before doing the same with the pad. Folding the paper, she tucked it into her pocket for later use. After a few moments of processing all of the information that the Queen had provided for them and mentally steeling herself, Althea took in a deep breath and rolled her shoulders.

”It would be irresponsible and immature of me not to go. My people - my brother - they need me. All of our people need all of us,” she said softly. Glancing up at the Queen, she took a small step forward, her expression sad. ”I want to know …” Althea paused, glancing around at the face of the other princesses before finally settling back on the Queen. Inhaling deeply, she met her gaze. ”I want to know how badly my parents suffered; and I want to know how badly my brother has suffered, to your knowledge. I don’t know if they want to hear about their parents, but I want- no, I have to know.”

”Some things cannot be fixed … They can only be carried.”
Code ~ #0B610B

---

The response that she garnered while not what she wanted was interesting, to say the least. Euphemia - or rather, she was known as Reese now - seemed to have been in some way triggered by Althea’s question of the Queen and had snapped, immediately attentive to their conversation and interjecting herself. While older than she was by a year at most, the other woman was only a few inches at most taller than she, and seemed to be attempting to use her outer persona to intimidate Althea in some way.

Observing the dark look that had settled deeply within Reese’s eyes, Althea tilted her head slightly to the side, her expression curious yet holding a softness to it that could only be explained as patience and understanding, if it were to be put into simple words. Althea did not interject, allowing Reese to continue her outburst, as it was clear that this was a serious and sore topic for her still. The anger that she saw, and the abrasive cruelty that she attempted to give off, did little to mask the underlying sadness that Althea could quite easily read within her. Once Reese had finished, Althea took a moment to absorb what she had said, vaguely taking in what the Queen had said in response to her question as well as the inquiries and reactions of those also within the room, but noting it nonetheless.

It was clear that all of their parents had perished in horrible and graphic ways, but in almost seemed as though, in some way or another, their deaths had been quick and at least not torturous. For that, Althea drew a bit of comfort, knowing that they did not suffer for very long. Adding to that the knowledge that her brother was otherwise healthy for what they knew, she felt a bit better about the situation, although was still deeply sorrowful and mournful over the loss of her family and potential life, and not to mention completely and utterly enraged. Her expression tightened a bit as she processed everything that Reese had said and she turned her face slightly towards the ground. The nice thing about her was her ability to keep her emotions in check for the most part, so pushing back the anger that boiled within her chest, she swallowed thickly and shook her head a bit.

It took a few moments for all of these thoughts to flash through Althea, but by the time that she had sorted her mind, she was calm once more, her features relaxed. Lifting her head, Althea took in a small breath and let it out in a soft sigh, her gaze fixating on Reese. A few steps took her to her side once more, and Althea never once wavered her eyes on the other girl. Reaching out, she laid her hand gently on her upper arm, near her shoulder but not quite atop it, both in order to get her attention as it had been drawn towards the Queen, but also in a movement of comfort.

”The reason why I wanted to know how much they suffered, is because now that I know, I can be comforted by the fact that their deaths were quick. It does little to lessen the pain, but it does bring me some comfort, nonetheless,” she said softly, her expression holding that gentle understanding to it once more. After a moment, she spoke again, her voice holding a small bit of conviction to it, yet still quiet. ”Bansky once said, ‘They say that you die twice; once when you stop breathing, and then a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time’.” Glancing around at the other women in the room briefly, she returned her gaze to Reese once more, a sadness held in her features now.

”Reese, we all lost our parents and the lives that we were supposed to have lived. I know it isn’t fair that we had to grow up the way that we did, with some suffering more so than others, but we cannot compare pains at a time like this. We cannot change the past, but only the future. If anyone, in either this world or Rhindeval, can even come close to understanding what you have been through, it’s the people in this room,” she motioned a bit to the room as she spoke, her eyes pleading with Reese to understand. When she met her gaze again, Althea gently took her hand in hers, that look of plea remaining on her face. ”Not only do I need you, but we need you - and so do the princes and your people. You heard the Queen - the dragon of Emperia is missing, and your people are frozen in an endless blizzard. I cannot speak for your parents, but I know that mine would want me to do everything that I can to save my brother and my people.” Searching her gaze, Althea gripped her hand a bit tighter, yet not painfully so. ”'There comes a point where it all becomes too much. When we get too tired to fight anymore - so we give up. That's when the real work begins. To find hope where there seems to be absolutely none at all.'" Althea paused and bit her lower lip before she continued. "Christina Yang said that. Our hope is the fact that not only are we still alive, but so are the princes and the people of our kingdoms. That has to mean something. For us to win this fight, though, we have to be a team, and to operate as a team, we need everyone that is a part fo that team. At this point, all that any of us has is each other, and I frankly could not care less if any of you feel the opposing way, but to me ... I consider you all family. Reese ... We need you.” After another moment, Althea gently released Reese’s hand, taking a step back from her and rubbing her own elbow. At this point, there wasn’t much else that she could do to help the situation - it was out of her hands.