~ Amber ~

10/23/391

Today was fine, I suppose. Apparently, we’ll be having guests over in a couple of weeks. Nobody really important to either of us, just some of Vulga’s old friends. Speaking of Vulga, she seemed pretty tense today. I could tell she was looking at us with a sort of nervous anticipation, as if there was something she desperately wanted to tell us but she didn’t know how to break the news.

We’ll be going over to Lily’s for dinner tomorrow evening. It’s been several months since we’ve been able to talk to her, which is strange given how close we used to be. I know that Rubus leaving home was difficult for her, but she’s been distant with us ever since it happened. Ruby doesn’t seem to know why, though I have my own ideas. I think that she was trying to fill the role that Ribes played in Rubus’ life. The two of them were inseparable, and Lily really wanted that kind of relationship with him. I don’t think he ever saw it that way, though, and Lily never realized it until he left to join the Kingdom Guard.

I hope Rubus is doing okay. Since he can’t be there tomorrow night, all we can do is try and help his sister. She’s nearly as precious to me as my own, after all.

Sighing, Amber put down her journal on the desk near her bed. She had written that entry the previous night, and with what was happening that evening she had no choice but to emotionally prepare herself. She was under no delusions that the inevitable conversations would be easy, but she did know that they were necessary.

Forcing herself out of bed, she observed that the other bed in the room was already empty and remade. She smiled at how diligent Ruby had become. After the trauma that came from her experience with Opuntia, it wouldn’t have surprised Amber if Ruby had become afraid of such menial tasks, given how they seemed to hurt her before. Of course, the opposite had happened, and to this day Ruby was still one of the most diligent and thorough people she knew.

Not wanting to keep her sister waiting, Amber swiftly dressed and made her way downstairs. Ever since being taken in by Vulga three years prior, they had been staying in this two-story farmhouse on the edge of Clove City. It had a quaint atmosphere, which the twins immediately appreciated following the chaotic urban atmosphere of the Sanctuary. Vulga had sold much of the property to the surrounding farms, as she had no interest in farm life, leaving only the home and a small garden in the front, doubling as both an aesthetic choice and a recreational activity for the residents.

When she reached the bottom of the somewhat creaky wooden stairs, she noticed that Ruby had already begun working on breakfast. It took a long time for Amber to get used to Ruby cooking, as it wasn’t a skill any of their family members possessed, but she eventually did get used to seeing her sister in the kitchen. She had come a long way in her cooking since coming to Clove City, and had even developed some specialty dishes in her time.

“Good morning,” Ruby greeted.

Over the years, Ruby’s hair had grown from the shorter hair that she had possessed as a preteen into long, flowing locks that cascaded down her back. While she initially experimented with keeping the hair loose and simply working to straighten it a lot, she quickly discovered that hair care in Aurem was far behind the world that she had grown up in. Thus, she was now seen every morning with one long braid running down her back. Thankfully, it didn’t seem to hurt her image; on the contrary, Amber figured that it made her even more beautiful than she already was.

Amber herself had gone through many changes as well, many of which began to separate her from her sister visually. Ruby had begun to develop a curvier figure shortly after escaping the orphanage, but Amber, likely due to her greater efforts to exercise following her migration to Clove City, had remained rather slim in comparison. She still wore her hair in a ponytail, but her face had sharpened slightly in comparison to Ruby’s. The two could still be easily identified as sisters, of course, but their rapidly diverging lifestyles were beginning to show in different ways as the years had gone on.

“What are you making this morning?” Amber inquired.

“Vulga got some eggs from the local market yesterday. I just figured I’d scramble them for us,” Ruby replied.

“Where is Vulga, now that you mention it? She’s usually awake by now.”

Ruby frowned slightly.

“She headed out, didn’t tell me where she was going.”

Amber nodded, and took a seat at the kitchen table.

“You up to join me for my mid-morning run after this?” she offered.

Ruby laughed once at that.

“You know better than anyone I wouldn’t be able to keep up with you. Now, if you would dial it back just a little bit…”

“You know I can’t do that,” Amber protested, “I’ve been telling you for three years-“

“Yeah, yeah, you want to go find our brother,” Ruby finished, her smile dropping, “I told you before, but I can’t bring myself to believe he’s still alive, not after all this time.”

“He is,” Amber insisted, “He wouldn’t have let himself die. He was…I mean he is…he’s too strong for that.”

Ruby lowered her head, keeping her eyes trained directly on the pan in front of her.

“I would have thought so too,” she quietly agreed, “But I don’t see how he could be alive. I don’t have your optimism, sis, I can’t see beyond him falling off.”

“I know,” Amber stated, “I don’t have any evidence either. It’s a gut feeling. I feel like he didn’t die. I feel like I would have known if he had.”

A quiet moment followed her statement, before Ruby broke the silence.

“For your sake, I hope you are right,” she said, though Amber couldn’t tell if she was the one being spoken to or not.

Ruby quickly finished the eggs and brought them to the table. While the two of them were eating, the front door opened, and a middle-aged woman could be seen entering the house.

“Morning, Vulga,” Amber greeted half-heartedly.

“Good morning,” the older woman replied, “Is something wrong?”

Amber shook her head.

“Just heavy conversations this morning, don’t worry too much about it.”

“Well, okay. Speaking of heavy conversations, I need to tell you two something,” she informed, “I’ve been meaning to tell you for a few days now, but I hadn’t got the chance.”

“I had a feeling,” Amber replied, “What’s going on?”

Vulga sat down at the table uncomfortably. Hesitation was obvious in her eyes.

“Well, what’s going on?” Ruby asked, her tone even.

“I know you two aren’t from around here,” Vulga began, “So you probably don’t understand some of the traditions in the capital.”

Both twins nodded, unsure where their guardian was going with this.

“Since the Royal family lives in the capital, it happens to be the first place they look when needing to select Royal consorts,” Vulga explained, “which is what this is all about.”

“Consorts?” Ruby questioned.

“Spouses, in other words,” Vulga answered, “Husbands and/or wives.”

Both girls gulped at this. Amber swore the temperature in the room had dropped several degrees after this declaration.

“Historically, the royal heirs have selected their consorts through a ceremony, which has been aptly named the ‘Consort Selection Ceremony’. It involves the young prince or princess introducing their consort-to-be to the Kingdom, and it serves to make the Royal engagement official.”

“How are the consorts selected?” Amber asked.

“There’s a process involved, but it mainly consists of young women, fifteen or older, presenting themselves to the Royal in question, and the Royal choosing from among those women.”

“So, you’re telling us we’re being forced to join this ‘selection’ process?” Amber guessed, afraid of the answer.

“No, oh god no,” Vulga quickly swore, “The process is voluntary. Any of-age girls in the kingdom are eligible to enter themselves. It’s all consensual.”

“So why does this matter to us?” Ruby wondered, “Neither of us are in any rush to get engaged, here.”

“I wanted to bring it up because there is an upcoming Selection Ceremony, for the Third Prince of Aurem,” Vulga explained, “It’s going to occur in one month’s time, meaning the selection process is beginning. I wanted to inform you in case you wanted to enter yourselves.”

“What would be in it for us?” Amber interrupted, “As she said, we’re not in any rush to get married.”

“Firstly, many girls want to marry into the Royal family,” Vulga said, “Often the family members of the one chosen are raised to nobility should their daughter or son be chosen. It’s not uncommon, either, for family members to put their children up to it themselves. While it’s supposed to be the choice of the person offering themselves, sometimes pressure is all that is needed to get them in. I don’t intend on doing that to you.

“However, there is a monetary reward just for joining the process. In order to sway some of the poorer families that can’t always afford to send their children in, a rather large amount of money is given to the families of those who join, even if they aren’t chosen. It’s a way of making sure that no stone is left unturned in the process, as it is illegal for the Royal to select a consort that did not join the process.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Amber sat back in her chair, processing this new information. While it was true that she had no intention of getting engaged, the cash reward from the Royal family was nothing to scoff at, either. While Vulga had always chosen to hide it, Amber was completely aware that she was struggling to make ends meet. The home they lived in was the property of her family for generations, but ever since her husband had passed away she mainly got by from selling the land that she owned in bits and pieces, until nothing was left but the house. Amber knew it might not be much longer until their caretaker was unable to fully care for them.

“Do you mind if I talk with my sister about this for a little bit?” Amber requested, her tone cheerless.

Vulga nodded. Amber motioned toward the stairs, to which Ruby nodded, and the two of them made their way up to their room. Once they reached the top, the twins sat on their respective beds, unable to meet each other’s eyes.

“So, what do you think?” Amber started.

“I’m not sure,” Ruby replied, “It’s really scary, you know? The idea that we could be engaged in a month to a prince we barely know.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Amber agreed, “I’m not sure how I’d feel about it either. But the money…”

“Yeah, that’s the problem. Vulga can’t go on much longer without more money. She’s been too busy taking care of us to find work.”

“I mean, what are the odds we would be chosen at all, right?” Amber laughed humorlessly, “We’d be up against rich girls with tons of makeup and pretty dresses, and we’re just…normal. At best.”

“You’re right, I don’t see how we’d be chosen,” Ruby admitted, “But I don’t want to be wrong. I can’t be married to some prince who probably wouldn’t care about me at all and would rather ignore me when he’s not trying to get me pregnant.”

“It’s scary, but Vulga…” Amber murmured.

“I know,” Ruby snapped, “I know we should do it. It would be selfish of us not to. I’m just afraid of the outcome.”

Finally looking up, Amber walked over to Ruby and wrapped her arms around her.

“We’ll be fine, okay? We can apply, get through the selection process, and someone else will be chosen. Then we can move on with our life and put our effort toward more noble pursuits.”

“Like finding Jasper?” Ruby joked.

“Like finding Jasper,” Amber replied, completely serious.

The girls hugged for another minute or so before heading downstairs.

“Vulga,” Amber began, nervous, “We talked it over, and I think the two of us will enter.”

The woman stood up slowly, her face not betraying any emotions.

“What brought about your change of heart?” she inquired.

“We think that the money we can get from entering will be worth the low chance that either of us is chosen,” Amber explained, “So we’ll take our chances.”

“You’ve never seemed all that interested in money before,” Vulga observed.

“It’s not for us,” Ruby admitted, “It’s for you.”

“Girls, I don’t need…”

“No, you do,” Amber interrupted, “Don’t try to pretend otherwise. You’re out of land to sell. You’re almost out of what little money you have left. We’re going to enter and give you the proceeds, and that’s final.”

Vulga didn’t respond for a moment, then she looked up with a smile.

“Thank you,” she whispered, tears visible in her eyes, “Thank you so much.”

The rest of the day was spent either doing chores or preparing for dinner with Lily and her family. Along with the young girl, the formerly frequent visits had allowed the twins to grow quite close to Allium and his wife Lamina. Allium in particular had become like the father they never had growing up, while Lamina was the kind aunt they always wished for. It was another reason Lily’s recent isolation had been difficult on the two of them; she was usually the one that initiated the requests to meet. This time, however, it was Lamina, who was clearly worried for her adoptive daughter’s emotional health.

Once the two girls were ready, they set off from their abode and made their way into the city. Allium’s residence was far closer to the palace at the center, due to his work with the Kingdom Guard. It was a small two-story unit that, in Amber’s mind, resembled a modern condominium. It was smaller than Vulga’s farmhouse, though not by much, and lacked any organic aesthetic, instead going for a stony urban look that was common in the inner city. The walk took around forty-five minutes, which was why the girls didn’t visit more often.

Upon reaching the entrance to the abode, they were immediately greeted by a smiling Lamina out front, her short brown hair seemingly glistening despite the low light levels.

“Hi!” the taller woman exclaimed, rushing forward, “It’s been so long!”

Amber caught Lamina in a hug, before passing her off to Ruby. Every time they visited, Amber would note how tight the woman hugged, sometimes resembling a smothering as much as a hug. She often noticed how Ruby would tense slightly at such a motion, though over time it was less and less noticeable.

“Well, let’s get you inside,” Lamina offered, “Allium will be done cooking in a few minutes.”

The girls followed their surrogate aunt inside, eager to try something new from Allium. They had quickly learned that Allium, despite being a member of the army, was one of the best amateur cooks in Clove City, with a nearly endless range of culinary skills. Every time they visited the family, it seemed like he had something new to present, and it was almost inspiring despite neither twin showing a natural affinity for the art of cooking.

“Good evening, girls,” Allium greeted from the kitchen, “The trip was safe, I hope?”

Both girls nodded.

“Yup, no trouble,” Amber confirmed, “Where’s Lily?”

Lamina and Allium shared a pensive look, their smiles quickly vanishing.

“She’s in her room,” Lamina slowly answered, “She’s been spending a lot of time up there, recently.”

“Since Rubus left?” Amber inquired.

Lamina nodded.

“It breaks my heart to see her this way. She was so joyful when we first took her in, and it seemed like she brought a new light to this home just from living here. But when Rubus left, something changed in her.”

“Do you know what it might be?” Amber asked, “Normally ‘missing someone’ doesn’t last this long, and as far as I know it isn’t ever this severe. We were separated from my older brother a few years ago, and we were back on our feet in a few days at most.”

“Jasper, right?” Lamina clarified, “You’re right, though your situation was somewhat special, based on what you told me.”

“What do you think the problem is?” Ruby pressed.

Lamina looked away, her face betraying a slight look of shame.

“I’m not quite sure myself,” she admitted, “And neither is Allium. You have to understand, we don’t have any biological children. When we took Rubus and Lily in, it was our first experience with children. And they were hardly blank slates, either. We had to contend with all of their past experiences on top of learning how to parent. It’s been wonderful, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but…”

“But you don’t have the experience, right?” Amber finished.

Lamina nodded sadly, a slight frown gracing her features.

“Let me talk to her,” Amber offered, “I don’t know whether I’ll be able to snap her out of it, but she’s always been like a second sister to me. Maybe she’ll at least open up to me about whatever’s going on with her. Besides, I have my own guess as to what’s going on in her own head.”

Amber didn’t wait for a reply, instead immediately standing up and walking over to the stairs. Once she reached the second floor, she knocked on the second door from the stairs.

“Lily? Are you there?” Amber called, “This is Amber, I’m coming in.”

Without waiting for a response, she opened the door and walked inside.

Lily’s room was small and cozy, but it was clearly well taken care of. It wasn’t painted, which wasn’t a surprise as few rooms were in smaller homes like these, but it did have the necessities: a small twin-size bed that was slightly longer than it needed to be, a desk for writing in the corner, and a small bookshelf that bookended the bed with the wall.

The girl in question was sitting on her bed, her legs barely touching the ground, and her face looking quite vacant. She had grown somewhat, though was still shorter than the average ten-year-old, and her hair was now kept in a ponytail just like Amber’s. With everything that was supposedly going on, Amber found it strange that the younger girl even took the time to tie her hair back, given she was barely leaving her room.

“Lily?” Amber softly addressed.

The young girl looked up, her expression lightening very slightly, though still keeping a downtrodden look overall.

“Amber,” Lily returned, “It’s good to see you.”

Before saying anything else, Amber wrapped Lily in a comforting hug. There was no returning embrace, but Amber did feel Lily relax a little bit in her arms.

“I didn’t realize you were coming today,” Lily’s muffled voice could be heard saying.

“Your mom didn’t tell you?” Amber recognized.

Lily shook her head. Amber began rubbing the girl’s back.

“I think she’s upset with me,” Lily confessed.

“I think I see why,” Amber joked, “You’ve been holed up in here for months, only leaving when necessary. I think she’s hurt by you ignoring her.”

“I’m sorry,” Lily responded.

Amber smiled down at her.

“It’s not me you should be apologizing to,” she instructed.

A brief silence came over the room while Amber pondered where she should take the conversation next.

“Have you been practicing your fire magic at all?”

Lily shrugged, not raising her head.

“A little bit, I guess,” she informed, “I’m still not very good at it.”

Amber nodded absently, not fully paying attention. Instead, she was wracking her brain with how to approach what was clearly a very sensitive topic. She knew that in the years since their escape, Lily had grown quite close to Rubus, and now he was gone, just like that. In the end, Amber decided to take the direct approach.

“Lily, you haven’t been yourself since Rubus left,” Amber stated, “Would you mind telling me what’s wrong?”

The younger girl’s body immediately tensed when Rubus’ name was mentioned.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she muttered.

“Lily,” Amber sternly addressed, “We’re all worried about you. Your mom, your dad, Ruby, me, everyone. And I’m sure Rubus wouldn’t want to see you like this either. So please, let us know how we can help you.”

A short silent moment passed, before Lily began quietly sobbing. Amber simply held her for a minute, letting her get it all out.

“Why?” Lily choked out, “Why do they always leave me?”

“Who do you mean?” Amber asked.

“Am I not good enough?” Lily asked, tears flowing down her face, “Am I such a bad sister that everyone feels the need to throw me away like trash?”

“Lily, you’re amazing.”

“Don’t lie to me!” Lily screamed, “If I was so amazing, why did my brother leave me? Why was I sent off by those bad people? Why did Prun and Ginger and the others leave us behind? Why did Rubus leave me and go to fight bad guys? Wasn’t I enough for them? I tried so hard to be everyone’s favorite! I wanted to show them that they should keep me! And they keep throwing me away!”

Lily buried her face even deeper into Amber’s shirt, her sobs even louder than before. Amber continued to rub her back, her own tears beginning to fall as she contemplated Lily’s outburst.

Amber had never considered what it was like to live Lily’s life. All her life, she was the youngest of a group. She was the one meant to be taken care of by others, and the one supposed to rely on others. But she kept losing them. Every time she would look up to someone, get close to them, they would go away, whether by choice or by fate. She had just never considered that Lily had begun to blame herself for the actions and choices of others.

“You are amazing, and I think they all know it too,” Amber reassured, “You make us happy even when there’s nothing to be happy about. You smile even when there’s no reason to smile. And as people from where I come from say, ‘smiles are contagious.’ I don’t think anyone wanted to throw you away. I don’t think your brother did, and I don’t think Rubus did.”

“Then why did they leave?”

“I don’t know,” Amber answered truthfully, “But I promise that I won’t ever leave you like they did.”

“You do? You really promise?” Lily repeated, her tear-stained eyes filled with hope.

Amber smiled as widely as she could to reassure her.

“Of course. I told you I would be your sister, right? Sisters don’t leave sisters behind.”

Lily tightened her grip on Amber even more, and the two remained hugging, neither of them wanting to be the one who let go. After several minutes that felt like hours, a knock came from Lily’s door.

“Amber? Lily?” Ruby’s voice could be heard from the other side, “It’s time for dinner!”

Amber drew back from the hug and observed the girl in front of her. She still wasn’t smiling, but the tears had mostly stopped, and the haunted look in her eyes from before had faded slightly.

“Promise me something, Lily,” Amber ordered.

“What?” Lily replied.

“Please try and be brave for me, okay? Your family loves you, and doesn’t want to see you broken like this, okay? You don’t need to feel better yet, I know as well as anyone how hard it is to be separated from an older brother, and that’s not something you get over in a day. But remember that Ruby and I are here for you.”

Lily reluctantly nodded. Amber smiled and took her hand, ready to go downstairs.

“Amber?” Lily suddenly addressed.

Amber turned to look at the girl.

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

Amber’s smile grew as she wrapped Lily in another hug. After a moment, she let go and brought her honorary sister downstairs. Upon reaching the kitchen, they noticed that everyone was already seated. Lamina and Allium immediately stood up.

“How are you two? Everything okay?” Allium asked.

Amber looked at Lily, who for the first time was beginning to show signs of a smile.

“I don’t think we’re quite there yet,” she admitted, “But I think, soon enough, everything’s going to be okay.”