Chapter Text
Malenia had never enjoyed social encounters, yet, as if to spite this quality of hers, Elphael, the great city beneath the Haligtree, danced in a night of celebration.
Just two days prior, an almighty dragon had been spotted beyond the neighbouring town of Ordina where, after a hard fought and bloody duel of arrow and flame, the beast was finally slain by the Haligtree’s finest knight, Loretta. Upon the return of the ex-Carian and her retinue, Lord Miquella had insisted on a feast to honour the event, taking her hand in his whilst moving his other across the air as he sold his vision of the celebration to the knight.
Usually, Loretta was a very solitary individual and tended to keep to her own needs, be it writing poetry or practising her archery (which the previous battle had shown to be a vital talent of hers), and so she would often refuse to attend such events, much to the dismay of those who organised them. Yet upon observing the golden individual beneath her, the passion and loving smile of the little lord as he described his dream to her led the knight to accept his terms with a smile of her own. However, although she would never admit it, the looming presence of Melania behind him made it appear like this was the only option, she wouldn’t dare insult Miquella like that in her presence.
“Then it’s settled” smiled Miquella, now holding one of her hands with both of his “I’ll remind the chefs to cook your favourite, lamb was it not? ”
Her lord's memory of her favourite food generated an intense warmth within Loretta’s heart. Despite only ever mentioning it once a few years ago, Miquella had never forgotten.
“Yes my lord” returned the knight with a smile now nearly as wide as Miquella’s own “I cannot wait”
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The great hall of the Haligtree truly was “great”. Located at the edge of Miquella’s palace, the hall shared the pleasure of being directly beside Elphael’s crisp blue sea, providing a nice ambience to the hall as Malenia watched whilst it was decorated.
Draped across every wall lay the vibrant banners of the city and its associated noble houses, ranging from the yellow and gold of Miquella’s own to the fresh blues and whites of the albinaurics, leaving the once bare stonework of the hall in a delightful rainbow of colours. Within lay five great tables, each one of them intricately detailed with flat carvings of flowers and trees representing both the haligree and its twin demigods.
Lastly, at the head of the hall lay the table which belonged to the twins and those close to them, giving the twin prodigies an overview of those attending the tables beneath whilst being ideally sized so all those seated could converse. The table itself was a personal project of Miquella’s, he claimed the old one was less than ideal to him as its size made it difficult for him to converse with those sat at the far ends, and though Melania quietly preferred it that way, seeing her brother so enthralled within a new hobby brought a rare smile to her face.
Melania remained in the hall for what felt like hour after the decorations had been set, and
once the day reached its midpoint, guests were welcomed into the hall and the celebrations were soon underway. Those who had embarked on the recent expedition were seated at the twins table, with Loretta beside Miquella and the cleanrot knights who accompanied her amongst the other spaces.
Like usual, Miquella started the feast with a small toast, raising his cup and speaking to the room with a loving smile.
In his speech, the little lord addressed the recent dragon attack in exciting colours, purposefully implementing every detail he could think of in order to highlight the perils which his beloved knights had bravely overcome. Throughout, Miquella wasted no time in expressing his pride and gratitude to the knights for their efforts, generating spontaneous and quiet laughter from the dragonslayers as their names and feats were announced to the court.
Melania’s mind soon drifted off. Despite it’s importance, she could now only remember certain parts of the speech, such as how it was Loretta’s arrow which had finished the beast and that the light-minded Kaya was the knight who was responsible for drawing up their triumphant strategy. Internally, the Demi-goddess scolded herself for this accidental neglect of her knights, reminding herself that they had put their lives on the line to save thousands and yet here she was unwilling to even listen to a telling of their story.
However, whilst most of the knights and their actions were eventually forgotten by her in the passing minutes, Malenia nearly jumped when she heard of the young captain Finlay’s contribution. To help train her soldiers, Melania would often spar with the cleanrot knights, honing their skills in combat and offering the demi-god a rare opportunity to get to know her soldiers. Notably, whilst Finlay had a brilliant mind, Melania noticed that the young captain would often flinch or jump back unnecessarily during their duels, disappointing her and often paving the way for laborious lectures about discipline. In her eyes Finlay was a coward, a masterfully smart coward, but a coward nonetheless. And so, when it was finally Miquella’s turn to announce that it was Finlay who had volunteered to act as bait for the beast, Melania couldn’t help but gasp beneath her breath.
Melania looked over to the knight to see that her face was now the same colour as her scarlet hair, clearly the now-embarrassed warrior would have wished to stay anonymous, yet the smiles she shared through the sisterly hugs off of the warriors beside her could suggest otherwise. Nonetheless, Finlay was a curious thing thought Melania, she was awkward and distant in the presence of others yet fearless and decisive on the battlefield, much like the demi-god herself. And now, following this realisation, a genuine smile now adorned Melania’s proud face. Clearly, the Finlay she saw in training was not the Finlay she knew, sat in front of her was a knight who earned their position as a captain and dragonslayer.
Suddenly, a sea of applause erupted within the hall, soon followed by a chorus of cheers and chants as, much to Melania’s surprise, Miquella’s speech had ended. Every other time, Melania would watch and listen to her brother’s speeches like a child beneath a Lucarian firework, yet this time she had fallen so deep into a trance that she had missed it’s uproarious end. Luckily, her and Finlay’s eyes had never met during her trance as Melania noted that Finlay seemed far more interested in twiddling her own thumbs than exploring the room, thankfully avoiding Finlay’s acknowledgement of the awkward length of Melania’s stare.
Following this, servants soon came forth with trays and trolleys of every food the court could imagine, routinely and elegantly placing the platters before each guest. Loretta was the first to act, it was well known that she got hungry quickly, and soon her plate was decorated with the finest lamb the knight had seen in years which she swiftly thanked Miquella for.
“Please it’s the least I could do” he returned with a chuckle before reaching out for his own assortment of food. Miquella himself was a vegetarian, a rare case in the lands between, though Melania suspected it was simply to do with his nature, he could never harm anything, not even his food.
Melania on the other hand was quite the opposite, her heart lay in the hunt. Most weekends Melania would lead a small retinue of squires and knights to the neighbouring forests, developing her archery skills to exceptional levels whilst constructing an admirable knowledge of precisely where to hit her prey so that their meat would remain as prime as possible. Admittedly, this frightened Miquella to a small extent, to know that his sister possessed such capabilities, but comforted him more as he knew that he and his people would be safe as long as Melania stood close. And yet, despite her trained senses and experience, the huntress found her hand ambushed by another above the Venison.
In an awkward overlapping of action, Malenia and Finlay had both reached for the venison at the same time
“My lady- I- please, after you” uttered Finlay, quickly shooting her hand back against her chest whilst trying to lay out a smile amongst her reddening face
Melania let out an inaudible chuckle “No Finlay, I think you at least deserve the first servings for your recent service”
Miquella shot a harmless glance at his sister, was she telling a joke? No, he reassured himself, laughing a laugh which only he heard. Notably, the quality of said-joke further reinforced his thought that this wasn’t the case, Melania never told jokes.
After saying a quick thank you, Finlay quickly got to work cutting her piece, strategically avoiding any eye contact with her lady during the process, before gently gesturing to the plate with a smile as she watched Melania pounce towards her desired main course.
…
Naturally, the sky outside began to darken to a warm orange as the feast continued, generating a comforting glow through large ornate windows of the hall which would soon accompany the servants as they brought out dessert.
Although he had the mentality of an adult, the little lord would still often fall to various childish tendencies, and dessert was evidently one of them as he began to almost bounce in his seat as a cheesecake was laid in front of him. It must be noted that, to compensate for his awkward height, both to the table and his sibling, Miquella had requested so that his seat could be lowered and raised via a small mechanism, obviously increasing its weight, but making up for giving him the ability to easily access his favourite part of the feast. Though only a minor piece of furniture, it always indirectly triggered Melania’s fond memories of her half-sister Ranni and the other Carian Royals as she too struggled with her small stature in a similar manner.
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Ranni was like Melania in many ways, quiet, but adventurous where, much against their parents' wishes, Ranni, Miquella and Melania would often sneak out alongside Ranni’s childhood friend Blaidd to gaze at the stars, spending hours on the emerald grass whilst trying to guess the various constellations. Although it was very rare that the two families met, as they were almost always politically focused, Melania never forgot her time with her half-sister and still continues to wear the Glintstone necklace which Ranni had gifted to her after so many years, not to mention her fond memories with Blaidd as well whose expert swordsmanship always led to an unforgettable duel whenever the two met.
Rykard interacted with Melania the least out of the three siblings. Usually, he was always hidden within a book whenever she visited, though she remembered fondly his manners and familial nature whenever they did speak to one-another which always made him enjoyable to be around. However, although he and Melania rarely ever interacted, Rykard and Miquella were nearly inseparable whenever they met, often spending hours atop trees where they would discuss the various animals and creatures they had both seen in their months apart.
Lastly, but certainly not least, was Radahn. Both an exceptional horse rider and swordsman, Radahn was the embodiment of the perfect warrior, even at a young age, and it was this perfection which inspired Melania to become who she was today as, though she would never admit it, Radahn was the only individual who Melania considered her equal. While Rykard and Miquella would go on their so-called “adventures”, Melania and Radahn would be found dancing and wrestling within the barn with their wooden swords, pretending to be knights and warriors of old as they lovingly fought each other as siblings. When he and Melania were not sparring, Radahn would often be found teaching Miquella how to ride a horse, consequently generating further jealousy within Melania as this was one of the few things which she had failed to teach her beloved brother, despite his insistence otherwise.
Thankfully, yet unfortunately, Radahn is the only of the three Carian children who still visits the twins of the Haligtree, making his presence known through his colossal laughter before even stepping into the city. Currently, Melania is two victories over the starscourge in their duels, a fact she enjoys rubbing in whenever she is given the chance, and it is these duels which are often found to be the unofficial main event at the festivals they conduct. Hundreds of spectators would gather in the old fencing grounds as the two demi-gods went against one-another, betting and cheering the names of their favoured lord whilst cheering regardless of the victor.
However, even with the abundance of happy memories Malenia shared with her half-brother , an itching sadness still gnaws at her whenever she thinks of him. Once the rot first took hold of her, Melania felt altmost completely alone. Besides Miquella, nobody dared interact with her, even the servants and knights she had thought to be her friends had avoided her. It was here in these moments that Melania had felt her lowest, everyone she knew, everything she had built, had been destroyed by this sudden curse.
Yet, despite the comments about her rot and his blindness to the existence of Miquella’s needle, Radahn fearlessly approached his sister the same way he had always done, scooping her up in his arms with the young redmane’s signature bear hug. It had felt the same as it always did; loving and warm, reminding Malenia that, despite her curse, she was still loved.
They held each other for nearly ten minutes before speaking. Even with Miquella’s needle, Malenia struggled to speak any words at all.
“Thank you” she cried, placing her head deeper into Radahn’s shoulder.
Radahn knew she was suffering, but he was determined to make sure that she would not suffer alone, half-sibling or not, she was his family and he wanted her to know that. Over the following months Radahn ventured far with his Redmanes to find whatever Miquella needed to cure Melania’s curse, and though her limbs decayed and her mind broke, it was the efforts of the Starscourge which gave Miquella the precious materials he needed to save Melania’s life, and to this day, Radahn is the only individual besides Miquella who Melania truly loves.
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“Malenia?” A voice lingered
Malenia soon realised she had drifted off again.
With wide eyes and her hands in his, Miquella quietly spoke to his sister
“Do you need some sedatives again, dear sister?” assuming that this was another one of her usual rot-born nightmares “I can walk you to your room if you need”
Malenia awoke with fluttering eyes “No, I’ll be fine, I just didn’t get much sleep is all” though her dream was harmless this time, she was grateful for her brother’s concern. “the party’s nearly over anyways”
Miquella gave her hand a playful squeeze before turning back to the knight across from him. On her lap was a child, and after eavesdropping for a moment, Malenia gathered that it was the knight’s own, Mera she was called.
“My mummy thinks that I can’t be a knight” spoke the child, triggering a laugh from those around her
Mera’s eyes told that she clearly wanted her child to pursue their dreams, yet, each knight knew that the reason she held her back from this was that Death was common amongst the ranks of the cleanrot knights. Burying your fellow sisters-in-arms was hard enough, nevermind your daughter.
Quick to act, the knight opposite the child spoke up, Kaya was her name.
“Being a knight’s dangerous you know? Besides, the pay’s rubbish!” she joked, garnering laughter from those around and a smile from Mera.
Luckily, the naive child was too young to realise that the formal attire of the knights made it clear that the second half of her comment was an obvious lie.
“How’s about you go and check on your father Elizabeth?” Spoke Mera, turning slightly so she had room to move from the table
“Wait, before you go” Spoke Miquella, taking a flower from his hair and placing it in the hand of the child “I’d like you to look after this for me, can you do that?”
Immediately the child’s face lit up as they observed the white flower within their hands, looking from their hand to Miquella repeatedly before speaking
“Thank you!” She spoke with a gleaming smile before sliding off of her mother’s knee and walking off to find their father.
By this point in time, most of the guests had begun to leave for home and their later shifts, finally giving Malenia the eagerly awaited opportunity to leave.
Taking his sister’s hand, the twins walked to their rooms together, it was an unofficial tradition by this point.
“Malenia, you barely said a word tonight” spoke Miquella in a concerned yet mildly annoyed tone, he was still trying to help her socialise more since the rot had destroyed her confidence those years ago
“I know, I just found myself consumed in thought” Sighed Malenia in a downwards tone “better times…”
“You speak as if you’ve already hit your peak in life sister” He returned “How do you know that you’ve reached it if you haven’t seen all that is to come?”
The two stared at one-another, one from above and the other below, yet the one above began to worry as soon Miquella’s private mischievous smile began to reveal itself.
“Finlay was awfully nervous around you today,... my lady” joked Miquella, elbowing his sister in a playful manner
“She just struggles with social encounters is all, …my lord” Returned Malenia, her voice trailing slightly
“Her dress was quite pretty too, don’t you think?” Miquella’s grin widened
“She wasn’t wearing a dress though, dear brother”
“How could I forget?” Miquella began to laugh, he was testing her, she never usually remembered these kinds of details.
“Tomorrow afternoon would you like to go to the gardens with me? I have something I would like to show you” he asked, giving Malenia a sense of temporary relief as his mischievous smile began to fade.
Now holding both of his hands in hers, Malenia looked down at her brother with a smile “Ofcourse, I will see you at our usual meeting place I presume?”
Miquella smiled and nodded to his sister, embracing her with a loving waist high hug
“Beneath the tree and besides the old chair”
They then departed to their rooms for the evening, exhausted and ready for a good night’s sleep.
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Soon, night settled upon the Haligtree, dragging away the sun’s welcomed rays and replacing it with the natural darkness of the sky.
Calmly resting his arms and face atop the edge of the balcony, Miquella closed his eyes and let the slow wind dance across his face. The sound of the sea was comforting to the little lord, and in a world of stress and fear, its constant familiar motions helped calm his mind.
A day before, Miquella had received a letter from his mother, Queen Marika. Despite being his own mother, Miquella was never loved by her, for in traditional monarchical fashion, the children of the crown were simply just tools in the eyes of the monarch. And so, in a subtle rebellion against her, Miquella did everything in his power to avoid the politics of the outer world, and thus, the letter remained unopened on his desk. The people under his protection were safe here beneath the Haligtree, he had no need to change anything as of yet for, as far as things went, life was perfect within this ideal and peaceful seaside city.
With a yawn, Miquella stepped away from the balcony and moved back into his room, eclipsing the moonlight rays as he entered.
Leaning onto his tiptoes, the tired lord reached for the small lantern which lay above his bed, blowing out its flame with a relaxed breath before placing it back onto its hook. Silently he clambered into his crisp white covers, making sure to bring a knitted red wolf into his arms as he began to sleep.
The wolf was created by his father, Radagon, before he was born and was then the first gift the lord had received. Melania was also given something similar, a knitted rabbit, though she lost it after only a few years. As Miquella matured, he stopped caring for the wolf as much as he had as a child, choosing for it to stay beneath his bed rather than on it. However, after Radagon’s mysterious disappearance, the soft toy would soon begin to find its way within Miquella’s arms once more, he missed his father deeply, unaware that he and Marika had now become the same being.
And now, drifting inside his golden dream, Miquella fell into a deep sleep, now completely blind to the environment around him.
Unbeknownst to the sleeping deity, a phantasmal rift had silently manifested itself at the edge of the chamber after he slept, eminitating a thin purple light as it began to shift and open.
One by one, the portals surface was breached by four black-clad figures. The lead, who was taller than the rest, made a motion with his hand to signal their intended movement.
Slowly and carefully the four creeped towards Miquella’s bed, and though their boots were masked by noise cancelling magic, they instinctively kept to the carpet to avoid any noise they could.
Once the lead was roughly a metre from the bed, Miquella turned from his side and onto his back. Though he was still asleep, Miquella looked as if he knew something was off as his breath began to quicken slightly.
Acting on this change in form, the four black hoods quickened their pace before finally reaching the bed, and after a countdown of the leader’s hand, the four intruders leapt into action.
In a flash, the first two grabbed Each arm, the third his legs, whilst the fourth wrapped a cloth around Miquella’s mouth, silencing his screams before he could even begin. At first, the young lord barely even realised he was in danger, Malenia had always made sure that whatever could possibly threaten him was dealt with before he set foot in a location, yet here, where he was always safest, Miquella was alone.
Frantically, Miquella tried to kick and shove his attackers away with every fibre of strength he could muster, placing a few hits on the figure at his legs, yet due to his under-developed form, he did little more than knock a button off of his assailant's coat. And now in a staggering realisation that he could not escape, Miquella screamed his sister's name.
But Malenia never heard Miquella’s cries that night.