A Field of Butterflies

[TaraJess 2854]

 

 

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Crackling embers. A chilly spring breeze could not be fully kept out of Aurelian’s room, no matter how hard she tried. New the keep was, yes, but creaking of doorframes still manifested, lingering chills seeped into every opening. She had taken to pushing a blanket up to the door frame of her balcony on nights that were simply a touch too windy. That oversized dog of hers resigned to his spot on the floor next to the hearth. She had shooed that Tawantinsuyin from her chambers after their evening talk, for the hour grew late and slumber began to lull behind her eyes. The stairs creak too, new as they were. Another mental note was made of things to be improved around the keep. 

 

After a while of nightly routine, Aurelian took a moment to set out that silver gown of hers. Tomorrow was a busy day, a ball, a coronation, a wedding. Precious shoe clips gifted from a princess were placed upon her table, two pairs of shoes at the foot of her bed… she couldn’t make up her mind on which to wear. She searched for a while for those earrings of Lunarite and diamonds she once possessed, saddened when she remembered the trade she made of them to secure a gift for her brother. Suppose she could wear her hair down, it was getting rather long again finally. 

 

It did not take long for sleep to find her, a good ten to fifteen minutes after she sank under the furs, she drifted off. Chilly winds battled by layers of blankets melted into warm autumn sunlight, in a field of natural decay where all the leaves had turned a million shades of red and gold. Two horses prodded about at the edge of that field, their reigns held by Kusi who watched over the girls in their study. Two littles, Eirene and Neasa, squatted over a crimson butterfly. The girls giggled and took notes, behind them Aurelian sketched the general shape of the wings, and made to quickly put down paint on the drawing, roughly color matching the insect. 

 

She set the parchment to dry, watercolor dried rather fast. Her silver gaze wandered back to him and the horses. He stood in silence, scanning that field, ensuring the girls would have no worry in their merriment born of butterflies. Take a guard, Aurelian, always take a guard. He counted as one. Andromede dubbed it fact the very day when they were little and had him follow her around to protect her. After a while, he let the horses wander the field, and made his way to the girls to see the butterfly they found. Eirene and Neasa had been insistent on his inclusion. To Aurelian’s surprise, the joy radiated from him when they searched for butterflies. Such a simple thing it was, far from the slaughter of fellspawn or bad men, yet still that joy was ever present.

 

Aurelian’s head tilted to the tree line, an echo of giggle from the pair of girls as Kusi entertained them in some way or another. Crimson caught her eye. The scent of tippens root lingered, as well the distant sound of a crackle of fire… though she could not see a flame anywhere. She made to wander away from Kusi and the girls, tall grasses tugging at her skirts as she waded through the field. Tippens root, some rotting corpse, the usual. That rotting stench was not present, no, it was iron, and ink, the scent of pastries from a city bakery, herbs and alcohol from a hospital. Below that rotting corpse, fresh blood pooled, an expanding puddle of crimson creeping to her boots. Kusi’s shout echoed behind her, Aury, Aury! 

 

A bone splitting crunch.

 

Aurelian jolted awake, that crunching sound engrained in her mind. It had her heart racing, though night had made its way for day, as it always had, and always will. A splitting headache brought a brief wave of nausea to her, and for a moment she thought she’d lose her stomach right there in her bed. What an odd dream. She pulled herself out of bed, her feet resting upon brand new wood floors that had yet to wear and splinter. After a while, she caught her breath, her silver gaze searching out the jewelry box that sat on her desk. Her hands still trembled as she reached for the box, opening it and searched for a certain set of earrings. Those bones made earrings clacked together as they were removed. No, they were no sparkle of lunarite, this was true. She had stopped wearing them, people were calling her a pagan, calling those earrings grim, for they were once a person. For those earrings were the result of a deep rage, they were a person and a bloodline who shed the ichor of her own family. 

 

Those earrings were placed next to the shoe clips from the night before. Bone did not shine, no, but Greyes had always been good at making a statement, one way or another.

 

 

 

Spoiler

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