Leaving the Butterfly Canopy, we walked back up those very same hallways, until finally, we had arrived at my bedroom. I had many thoughts running through my mind then, barely noticing the map Denver had placed as per my request earlier in the day until I was all but stepping onto it.

The large sheet of paper was ragged and yellow with age; it was beautiful to see and I could not help but breathe in the smell of ancient paper, desperate for a scent other than the Wisteria outside. It reminded me of those long evenings spent in the library, with Father sitting in the armchair and recounting stories to me, of wars and forests and burning flesh, all while I sat on his knee and watched the fireplace dance in its comforting heat.

The map covered seventeen horsetails lengthwise and thirteen widthwise, taking up a large part of my floor. As I sat down, I traced the landmarks with my eyes, studying each distinct feature.

In the centre lay Valia, a beautiful pale red, spreading out considerably into the West, the South and the East, with the northern border near the Snowy Wastelands touching the edge of the paper. To the west, I could see Isaphet, the second largest kingdom coloured in a muted salmon pink, while to east lay the Eurelian Plains, with Kepra not far beyond, shaded in a dull green.

Kepra…

I touched the green, watching my fingers travel along the lines of the kingdom. The paper crinkled underneath and a small shot of satisfaction warmed me as I wondered of the worlds beyond my home.

I thought it thrilling to see a different land altogether, to go beyond the bounds of these four walls and perhaps see what I could never have seen before, but Adrianne had a different idea.

“Thank Oberon we will not travel to Kepra. I would sooner choke on my own tongue than face those barbarians; even Isaphet isn’t as bad as that place.”

I glanced up at her from the floor, trailing my fingers over the sheet and relishing in the touch of paper. I did not realise then that I would eat my own words, but at that moment I felt it unfair of her to judge so harshly without ever visiting.

“Adri, you’ve met Keprans before… Kihara was a decent one, although she taunted Marcus before. She would even give us dango from time to time, remember? Personally, I find her music and cuisine quite delightful, nevermind the Kepran disposition.”

Kihara was also a student attending that school and, despite sharing the sweet dough balls with us, she frequently ran into Marcus during their lessons together. I recall her mocking him once before in the year prior to my expulsion, but she did not last very long after that. I heard from Adri that another scheme was employed and, soon after, she had left in an effort to save face.

It really is too bad; she was a lovely child and I truly enjoyed conversing with her. The dango was pretty delicious too.

Adri snapped me back into the present, muttering, “Keprans will always be Keprans, Liz; whether they like it or not, Valia will always be leagues better and I will not pretend to care one bit for their dying breed. We should have wiped them out during the wars…”

“The Silver Wars were decades ago, you imp! They were over and done with long before our birth and I say it’s high time we set our differences aside.”

She glared at me, sitting down beside and crossing her legs. The paper rustled from the air current, suddenly lifting up near a worn tear and I took that moment to smooth it over before she began to berate me once more.

“You stupid toad! You’re a fool to even consider an amicable relationship with them!” She fumed, getting in my face with a surprising passion, “There were seven sequential Silver Wars against Kepra and we even needed Isaphet and the Southern Isles to aid us to win against them, even with us being the largest of the empires. Father nearly died several times along with Lord Alucard, for crying out loud! And for what? For what?!”

She paused, panting for lack of breath. Apparently she required an answer.

“I don’t know. What for?”

“For the Sylvan Mirage, that’s what! That stupid forest in Trihabar, that’s what!”

I stopped, blinking; what she said made no sense.

The Sylvan Mirage was an old, nearly ancient forest, with a special breed of birch trees. They typically bore greyish fruit on silvery branches and yielded the sturdiest wood known to man.

To my knowledge, it had long since been destroyed before Grandfather’s birth due to overharvesting and was now as useful as mud. Those trees had disappeared decades ago, vanishing with the wind and all that remained were odd decrepit paintings in art galleries, where those whimsical brush strokes seemed to fade into nothingness with pale Imitation paints.

I traced the lines of the map, following the creases, until I reached a whitish land mass on one of the Southern Isles. It was an odd shape, resembling an apple and covered in thick mountains and forested areas. Curiously, I noticed a faint little X, drawn in pencil and nearly faded out altogether.

In fact, the map held similar ‘X’s scattered all over Valia, with one in Isaphet and two in Kepra. Despite how whimsical they appeared, I noticed they were all either famous historical locations, tourist attractions or important areas of commercial interest.

How queer… Perhaps Father was planning a honeymoon or another conquest, although I doubt the Harpy would ever consider going to Trihabar at all.

“Trihabar is… long gone by now. Kepra had no reason to fight for the fruit and the land is too mountainous to even be considered arable. For what it’s worth, I do recall a few of my lessons with Sir Phineas and he described it as another one of the wastelands and the alderston forests cannot bear much use either; the trees are too soft to be of value.”

She shook her head, distraught, “You’re missing the point; they say there is a secret garden hidden on the island, a miniature Sylvan Mirage. The fruit is not yet gone, on the tip of the ridge and that was what the King of those wretched Keprans sought, enough to incite several wars for it!”

I sighed, rubbing my brow. It is never wise to let Adri speak of history or geography at all, for she would often ramble for so long that I would fall asleep halfway through. By the time I wake up, she would still not be done talking and it would be well nigh dawn by the time she was finished.

“Adrianne, as much as I adore the expositional interludes, we really ought to plan our journey now. The Emperor is not someone we make wait, no matter how we think of it.”

With a flick of her hair and a twist of her wrist, Adrianne shimmied herself over to the centre of the map, sitting over Skarabeck, the capital of Valia. She pointed to the Hestion Manor.

“We are here, right?”

“Yes.”

“Since we are to pick up Mori and Lady Valkyrie, let’s do this; we’ll travel up to Lady Valkyrie first, as she is the closest to Hestion.”

She drew a long, winding line west of Hestion, trailing the road all the way northwest to the Triyaer Spring villa near the Devienne territory.

“You were not there for it, but during the recess, Lady Valkyrie mentioned how she would spend her spring break here with Lloyd and Dahlia.” She tapped the spot three times, then continued to follow the river, “Once we pick her up, we’ll follow the Rosan river home and pick up Mori, then make our way to Skarabeck and the Gold Throne Palace.”

I frowned, concentrating, “That still leaves one other person. The Order called for five people and so far, we only have you, me, Mori and Valkyrie.”

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She shrugged, leaning back onto her elbow.

“Perhaps His Majesty might give us a guide to help; we are, after all, merely children.”

“Shut up, you imp. Moriarty has already passed his coming of age and you will have it in two years’ time. I won’t be that far behind you either, and that turkey will probably share my ceremony with me, undeserving as she is.”

Adri laughed at that, “Ha! I’ll never get over that little insult; I dare you say it to Valkyrie’s face!”

She smirked, giggling behind her hand.

“Why would I? I will not associate with the likes of her,” I said, scrunching my nose, “that aside, it sounds like a good plan. Let’s get started then.”

We began packing up our things and fairly soon, we stood in the foyer with all our bags packed. According to Denver, it would be wiser to pack light and carry only the necessities on our way to Devienne: a few snacks, toiletries, a towel, a change of commoner clothes, some light medicines, bandages and finally, money.

In all, it took roughly two hours to pack everything for the both of us and by the time we were finished, it had long since stopped raining, with the sun peeking through the trees to throw its shafts down through the glass.

Mother and Marcus stood in front of us at the door as we waited for the carriage, the fairly hefty rucksacks laying on the floor.

“Now then, my ladies,” Denver began, “you must take the side route to Cheverton to reach the Triyaer villa. The direct route is blocked from the rain and the road is not stable. It will take a few days to reach there - I have already arranged for a room there for your stay - and then another week to finally reach the villa. From there-”

Adrianne interrupted him, “From there, it will take around two weeks by carriage to reach the Devienne Manor and another four to reach Skarabeck. Yes, Denver, we know. Thank you for the help.”

By then, Mother was shaking her head and Marcus had tears in his eyes.

“Do you really have to go, dear Sister?”

I looked back at him and instantly my heart melted a little more. He had grown slightly above me in height now and the Marcus who I had seen fighting in the grounds earlier was nowhere to be found.

Such a sweet boy, although not as little as I’d like him to be…

“Yes Marcus, I must. Make sure to take care of Mother and Father for me.” I reached up to pet his head and planted a kiss on his cheek.

He gave me a hug, his eyes laden with tears and his hair an awfully dark shade of brown. Mother did not seem to notice that and in all this time, I still do not know how he manages to do it.

Am I seeing things?

“I will miss you dearly, Sister. Come home safely and don’t you dare stay out long, or I might go mad from waiting.”

I smiled. This was my sweet little brother, the one I loved so much and would burn the entire world for. My precious and precocious little brother…

“I’ll be back soon, I promise.” I squeezed him tight, arching my back slightly to accommodate his height. The blasted boy would grow far taller than I in the coming years and I was absolutely sure that fairly soon, I would have to crane my neck to look him in the eye.

That would have been a touching moment and I would have been content if that was all that occurred during our farewell, but I was not so lucky that day. Ahavet appeared to enjoy her tricks particularly well.

He seemed to whisper in my ear, but I was only able to make out part of his words ever so slightly.

“Oh, my dear, dear Sister… You really should clean up after yourself. We still have so many more games to play and so little time… I do hope you survive.”

My blood froze and his cryptic words lingered in my mind. I should have known what he meant, but at that moment I had been left flabbergasted.

The little snake… What is he planning this time?

I looked him in the eye, drawing back but all that I saw was his crystal clear eyes and his honey brown hair, an innocent smile playing on his face. I was not even sure I had heard him correctly the first time.

“Sister?”

“Ah, it’s… it’s nothing, Marcus. Just-” I paused, pulling back, “behave yourself… please…”

“Of course.”

I turned to Mother, flinching slightly as my skin crawled. I felt like I had centipedes wriggling underneath, with their little pitter-patter legs digging in between the muscle fibres to slither around uncomfortably, like miniature snakes. I shivered.

“Mother…”

“Eliza.”

She took my hand, surprising me yet again.

“Leave us.”

Adrianne and Marcus, along with Denver and the maids, left the foyer.

It was then that I noticed her harsh eyes, so icy blue in that moment, fade once more into that peculiar shade and once again, I was left conflicted.

For all my years of living, that moment was one of the most significant ones I will ever recall; I had never felt so loved, nor so horrified, of Mother and she seemed to age in front of my eyes.

“Love… I know I have not been as good a mother to you as Alucard would like me to. I know I focused on Marcus, but this is a dangerous trip. I worry for you. Please, take care of yourself.”

Another round of unfamiliar tears reached her eyes. I was more stunned on another note; she was focused on me. Not Marcus, but the me in front of her.

That surreal emotion did not last for very long, before Fear raised its ugly head and muttered into my heart.

She is lying, Eliza. She only has the desire to make you cry again, like when she made you do squats with buckets on your shoulders. You could not get out of bed for days after that. Or when you picked up broken glass with nails, or ran barefoot through the forest with the knights. It is all her fault - she does not love you.

I shoved the rising panic down, gulping around the fear. I watched as she dropped a small object into my hand, glinting in the sunlight. I looked back up at her, swallowing Fear down into my subconscious and fully focused on her this time.

Her eyes did not appear as frigid, nor was her demeanour terrifying like before. Here, in front of me, stood a completely different being, one who caused me to feel at odds with myself. Looking back on it now, I realise that moment was the one I recalled most when I try to explain why I felt so bitter towards Marcus after his birth; he had stolen her love from me and I was desperate to get it back.

I glanced down at the object she placed in my hand; it was a necklace, about half a foxtail in length, with a rose gold chain and a small heart shaped stone dangling from the middle. The pink diamond felt old, incredibly old, to the touch and I could see faint scratches in the metal from how much it had been passed down. It felt oh so precious, even to me.

“I may not be able to protect you, my precious little lady, but as long as you keep this, you will be safe. I swear it to you by the heavens above, but you must promise me to never lose it.”

I stared back in shock.

Surely she does not mean to give this to me, does she?

“Promise me.” She urged.

“I promise…” I muttered, looking back at the diamond in my hand. She gingerly placed it around my neck and instantly I felt the panic, the fear and the nausea dissipate all at once, in a fantastical nature that I cannot quite describe, even to this day.

Fear did not speak to me at that moment, but I felt it fade away as waves of love radiated from Mother’s hands on mine. It was as if all the grief, all the strife and all the anxiety I had ever felt around her had vanished into dust and the foyer felt all the brighter than before.

For whatever reason, this gift felt priceless, practically absolute in its nature; I did not realise what kind of gift Mother had given me, nor the power it held.

Seeing the tears in her eyes and finally seeing that sweet cerulean, I became aware and saw her for who I remembered her to be: my mother, a gentle woman, kind, fiercely loyal and full of grace.

In that moment, without anyone else present, I finally felt loved. My mother loved me, not Marcus, but the person who I was before her.

“Eliza, I am sorry. I just wanted the best for you.” Mother brushed my hair aside, placing a sweet kiss on my forehead, “my perfect little girl.”

“I’ll be alright, Mother. I… I’m sorry, too.”

Her response was instantaneous and I was left reeling.

“I love you, my little one.”

I smiled, giving her a hug, a real one this time, as the clip-clop of the carriage filtered through the doors outside.

“I love you too.”

Sighing, she pried me off her and gave me a small smile, maintaining her perfect posture. Looking back, I realised that Mother was someone who, despite her emphasis on protocol, loved much; that love had gotten spread thin after Marcus and my constant bitterness distorted everything she did. Even in the midst of her discipline, I did not realise how heavy her heart was.

It was not until I received the Order that she realised what it meant for her daughter to be sent off and I was thankful we managed to reconcile. If only I could see her face one last time…

I waved goodbye to her, walking out the door and up to the carriage where Adrianne awaited me.

Soon enough, we were riding down past the gates, up the trail over the hill and off into the distance, leaving the manor behind. As I watched my home fade away, in that moment, I felt complete and I kept fiddling with the gem around my neck, relishing in the comfortable weight.

“What’s that?” Adri asked, glancing at it curiously.

I smiled fondly, looking down at it in the palm of my hand, “A gift.”

“Ah, I see. So you made up with the old Harpy?” She grinned, kicking my shin.

I rolled my eyes, unable to hide the chuckle.

“Shut up.”