There was a certain folktale of a young, traveling woman. One day she’d gone to a village and asked if the townsfolk would help her make a grand feast. They all loved the idea of a feast, so they agreed. But some of them didn’t show up to actually help, others failed to follow directions, and several snuck a few bites in for themselves without offering anything in return. She was, of course, aware of everything but she didn’t say anything until the very end. With the feast—that she’d ultimately prepared all by herself—laid out in front of them, she then, depending on the version, either destroyed it by hand, with magic, or with the help of a manticore or dragon. She’d say, “Since none of you helped me, none of you will eat.” It was meant to convince children that, if they want something, they need to be willing to help make it happen.
Elena always thought of that folktale, then looked around the estate, and confidently decided, Yeah, that definitely wouldn’t work for us.
It seemed the Stones were nothing if not driven by their own desires, precious few looking back to make sure there was someone cleaning up their messes.
Perhaps it didn’t matter as much because she honestly didn’t care. After all, to her, keeping track of over a dozen kids and sometimes their irresponsible parents was enough of an adventure for her. She’d definitely rather be here, at the estate, than gods-know-where on one trip or another like Andrew or Lydia.
And, while Adrian never liked how she did it, Elena always found herself more comfortable shoving all the attention on to one of her more capable siblings or family members.
“I think Lydia’s been doing some traveling,” she remarked casually as she sat a batch of freshly-baked goods on another table. Clare was helping her, of course, but there was still a lot to do. “I’m… not really sure. She’s definitely not been here in a while.”
“I’ll have to ask her myself,” Clare decided. “You said she was coming, right? I assume you must’ve included it in the invite. My kids certainly didn’t show up so early because they wanted to see me.” She gave a dark glare to several of Elena’s cousins.
“She pretty much always comes to these, so she’s definitely coming tonight. She’d told me she was coming, but not when. Definitely soon, though—I don’t expect her to miss out on any of the drinks that are”—she bit back the word unfortunately, imagining the mess afterwards—“going to be served tonight.”
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Clare gave a wise nod. “Did she say she was bringing her son? Feels like I haven’t seen the boy in years. I’d like to give him something so he remembers his amazing Aunt Clare when he’s older.”
“I… don’t remember her mentioning anything in her letter. I doubt she’s going to bring him.”
“You think so?”
“He’s honestly only familiar with Lewis and I and I don’t think he’d like the crowd, even if we are all family. Besides, he and Muriel… don’t exactly get along.” Elena, of course, knew the reason why. But her fear of Clare’s reaction aside, she’d made a promise to Imre to keep it between them, and that mattered more to her than what her family would think.
“Muriel’s that newest one you adopted, right?”
“Mhm, it’s been about two years now.”
“And… how many does that make it?”
“Eleven.”
“It must keep you busy, taking care of all of them! But I suppose you have, ah, uhm—“
“Lustris.”
“—Lustris to help! I’m sure Diana’s happy, though. Plenty of heirs to choose from, I suppose, with no competition from your siblings.” Clare shrugged to show she, at least, didn’t share the idea. “At least your kids are here! Plenty of presents for my favorite Elena’s adorable children!”
Elena gave a weak smile, so that Clare knew she appreciated the thought, then brought the rest of her attention to baking. Between that, yelling at almost every kid there for one reason or another, and getting dragged into conversations with other family members, she hadn’t kept track of the time.
It was rather obvious, though, when Lydia came—things got a lot louder almost too quickly. She didn’t have Tavin with her for more or less the same reasons Elena had given Clare. But, since she was here, everyone flocked to talk with her. Elena took the time to quickly finish up everything they’d need for the night.
When she knew everything was ready, she walked into the living room where most of the family rested and announced, “Dinner’s ready. Let the older ones go first and take your time—the food isn’t going anywhere.”
Surprisingly, most of them listened; the older family members went first in a more or less orderly fashion… then all the kids practically rushed into the kitchen at once. Elena, seeing Lustris and several other servants heading inside, decided that they’d be able to handle it. She wandered to a spot no one had been sitting at before and allowed herself the moment to relax.
“You want me to get yours?” Adrian asked gently, as the first wave of family members came back into the living room. “You’ve done a lot today, you deserve the night off.”
She smiled and nodded. “Thank you.” He leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek.
And she told herself she’d imagined that quick flash of shadow across the floor.