Prelinsa opened her eyes to find herself lying down on something comfortable. She sluggishly sat up, looking around. She was on a bed and under a blanket – the softest and nicest bed she’d ever laid on in her life. While she had been unconscious, someone had dressed her in some kind of light gown. The room she was in had white walls, and a big window with a nice view. A nice painting of some fruits was hung on on one of the walls. Outside were some trees of various sorts, touched with snow, but she couldn’t make out much else from where she was.
A lady in a nurse uniform sat on a chair nearby.
“Oh good, you’re awake!” She said.
“Urgh.” Prelinsa said, stretching. “Where am I?” She felt oddly refreshed – it was a weird, but pleasant feeling. Even her lungs felt calmer than they had in years.
“You’re in a hospital run by House Silvermoon, in the city of Cydonia, East Realm,” the nurse replied.
“House Silvermoon…” Prelinsa frowned. She remembered being rescued on the slavers’ ship. “I have a lot of questions right now.”
“I’m sorry, I’m just a nurse. But someone will meet with you soon to answer any questions you may have.”
“Hmm.”
Suddenly, Prelinsa’s stomach growled. Her face reddened and she pulled the blanket up to cover it.
The nurse smiled. “Shall I get you something to eat?”
“Uh. Yes, please,” Prelinsa said.
The nurse nodded. “Please stay here for now,” she said, as she got up and left the room. After the nurse left, Prelinsa noted that her whole body was clean – cleaner than she could remember. She sniffed her left arm, and there was a faint smell of something fragrant and soapy. Wondering if this was some kind of dream, she pinched her cheek. It hurt, so it probably wasn’t.
Prelinsa lay back down on the comfy bed, finding the whole situation surreal. The Silvermoons hadn’t done anything for the slums or about slavers before, and had in fact actively made things worse for them in a number of ways. But now, all of a sudden, they were being nice and giving her the best treatment she’d ever had. She hugged a pillow tightly, wishing her mother and Missus B. could be here too. She wondered what had happened to Missus B. The ailuran Commune leader had probably been captured by the slavers, but maybe she’d been rescued afterwards, or escaped somehow. That was something she would have to ask about.
The nurse returned with a tray of food, which smelled delicious and made Prelinsa’s mouth water. “Be careful, it’s still a bit hot,” she warned. She pulled over an overhanging table, which she placed the tray onto. On the tray were a cup of orange juice, and a spinach omelette, breakfast sausages, and a hash brown. The eggs and sausages were a rare sight back in the slums. You had to grow those in labs, so they weren’t the cheapest and people rarely threw them out.
To the sides were metal utensils, which Prelinsa just stared blankly at for a moment, before taking the fork and stabbing an entire sausage with it. She blew on the sausage hastily a few times, before ripping off a bite of it. It was savory, with a mix of light seasoning – not overwhelming, just right. She quickly shoveled more food into her mouth, but had to slow down due to the heat, taking a gulp of the orange juice to cool it off.
“Are you alright?” The nurse asked. “You can take it slowly. Nobody will take the food away from you.”
Prelinsa swallowed what was in her mouth. “…I’m fine. Thanks.”
“After you finish eating, I can bring in the person who you can ask questions to. Would you like that?”
“Yes, please,” Prelinsa nodded.
----------------------------------------
The door opened and the nurse entered again, this time with a silvery-haired woman with fox ears and a sweeping, bushy tail. A pokkit, just like Marianne. She wore white robes, and her face was entirely covered by an oriental-looking fox mask. She carried a big wooden staff in her left hand, with a fiery red crystal attached at one end that shimmered internally with yellow sparks. It seemed to draw Prelinsa in with its mesmerizing appearance, yet it was also a bit scary – as if it was an actual fire that was burning. The pokkit made a gesture to the nurse, who nodded and left, the door closing behind her.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” the pokkit said, not taking a seat, but instead continuing to stand. “My name is Kirith Silvermoon. I am the Matriarch, and leader, of House Silvermoon.”
Prelinsa nodded, a bit surprised and intimidated by such a big presence being here. “My name is Prelinsa,” she said, stiffly. “No last name… that I know of.”
“You may speak informally, if it makes you more comfortable,” the Matriarch said, noting Prelinsa’s discomfort.
“Hmm. Uh… alright, then.”
The Matriarch bowed deeply. “Prelinsa. On behalf of House Silvermoon, I would like to apologize for what you went through. Allowing such suffering to happen, to you and so many others, was an inexcusable failing on my part.”
Prelinsa scowled, her nervousness rapidly melting as she looked down and away. There’s no way someone so important and well-off could understand anything. “What good is that now? My mom’s already dead.”
“I’m deeply sorry for your loss. Perhaps if we had gotten involved sooner-”
“Then why didn’t you get involved sooner?” Prelinsa snapped, turning back to face the masked Matriarch. “Why did you let us suffer all those years? Why did you wait until my mom died?!” Angry tears welled up in her eyes.
The Matriarch raised herself and removed her mask, revealing a woman with soft features and ruby red eyes. She appeared to be in her mid twenties, yet seemed weary and experienced far beyond her age. Rather than appearing attacked by Prelinsa’s outburst, she looked and smelled genuinely apologetic, and Prelinsa immediately felt a bit guilty for going off on her.
“I will do my best to explain,” the older woman said softly.
Prelinsa took deep breaths to calm down, surprised that she hadn’t had a coughing fit yet. She wiped the tears from her face. “…Alright. I’m listening,” she said, still wary and distrustful. Politicians would do anything to save face, after all.
“Clan Silvermoon is divided into several Houses, each with their own rules and territory across the Silvermoon Empire,” the Matriarch began. “I am the leader of House Silvermoon, the dominant faction for which the Clan and Empire are both named. A separate faction, House Crimsonstar, was in charge of governing the North Realm. Due to their despicable actions, the North Realm suffered greatly, leading to tragic lives for countless people. They burned up countless mana streams, destroying the environment and leading to energy shortages across the North Realm. Once I came to understand the situation, I ordered House Silvermoon to take action in the North Realm and seize it from House Crimsonstar.”
She bowed again, deeply and solemnly.
“But I did not act quickly enough. Therefore, I cannot apologize enough to you, nor to the other victims. I am truly sorry and can only ask for your forgiveness.”
Prelinsa sat there as all of this new information sunk in. It seemed that the politics of Clan Silvermoon were more complicated than she thought. And years of life on the streets told her that this Matriarch did seem to actually be sorry, even though it seemed like the problems in the North Realm weren’t entirely her fault. She scratched her human ear. “Alright. I guess I’ll accept your apology for now,” she said, begrudgingly. “But I don’t trust you completely yet.”
The Matriarch released her bow. She smiled sadly, with a mix of emotions. “Thank you, Prelinsa. You’re a strong girl,” she said, seemingly reminiscing about something.
“I’m not… strong. I’m weak, and always getting sick,” Prelinsa muttered.
The Matriarch shook her head.
“It is your character that is strong.” She rested a hand on Prelinsa’s shoulder. It felt warm and comforting. “I must go visit the other victims now. But I believe we will meet again soon.” She removed her hand. “In about two weeks’ time, House Silvermoon will hold a meeting where all of the victims we rescued will be gathered. There, we will formally announce what comes next for everyone,” she said. “I will be a speaker at that meeting. I request that you attend, so that you know what is in store for you. You will be given more details about the time and location soon.”
With that, she turned around, putting her mask back on as she headed for the door, her silvery tail slowly swishing behind her. Prelinsa watched her leave until the door closed, before lying down with her hands behind her head, sighing in thought.
Also, that was a tail to die for. She was envious.
----------------------------------------
Later that day, a doctor came in to give Prelinsa an overview of her current health. She gave the best descriptions that she could, but Prelinsa wasn’t familiar with some of the words, and had to ask her to repeat things in simpler terms.
“…So, considering what you’ve been through, you are remarkably healthy. You had anemia from recent blood loss, which has been addressed with a blood transfusion. Apart from that, you’re small for your age, and have some vitamin deficiencies, but you’re still growing. With proper nutrition, you should be able to reach a normal height. Do you have any more questions for me?”
“That part about being healthy is a lie to make me feel better, right? I’m actually sick and I’m going to die young,” Prelinsa said, bluntly.
The doctor was taken aback, clearly not having been ready for a young teen to ask that question. She had a very uncomfortable look on her face.
“You don’t have to hide it from me. I knew someone who was the same,” Prelinsa continued. “He was a half, too. First he coughed up blood, then his skin started peeling off and he said his insides hurt a lot. Then he just kept getting sicker and sicker until he killed himself, because he couldn’t take the pain anymore. He was like 28, I think.”
The doctor sighed, putting a hand to her forehead.
“…Are you sure you want to hear this?” She asked.
Prelinsa nodded.
“Alright, I won’t hide it from you then,” the doctor said solemnly. “You have a severe variant of lupus called systemic hybrid autoimmune syndrome, SHAS. It’s a rare and fatal disease that can affect interspecies hybrids – especially chimeras like yourself.”
“Chimeras?”
“It means… that your body is not the same everywhere. That’s why you have a human ear and a pokkit ear. The cells in your ears are different from each other.”
“Hmm, okay. I think I get it.”
“Your human and pokkit halves are in conflict with each other, which causes your body to attack itself,” the doctor continued. “Right now, it’s still mild and only affecting parts of your lungs. But as you grow up, it will spread throughout your body and cause total organ failure, ultimately leading to death. The usual treatment involves a regimen of strong immuno-” She paused, catching herself from using another unfamiliar word. “Strong medicine that helps prevent your body from attacking itself. We’ve given you some already to reduce the inflammation and bleeding in your lungs. The medicine will make you more likely to get sick from other things, like colds, but otherwise you can live a mostly normal life until about 30 to 40 years old.”
“What happens after that?” Prelinsa asked.
“After that… the medicine will quickly lose its effectiveness. Eventually, you will still be in pain, and won’t be able to move at all. It’s likely that you will be bedridden in the hospital until the day you die.”
“Is there a cure? I heard that medicine can’t cure it, but learning legendary magic can,” Prelinsa said, hoping for a positive answer.
“That’s right,” the doctor agreed. “Even growing new body parts in a lab cannot cure you, because your cells are much too intertwined with each other. There would be a severe risk of rejection that would cause your immune system to enter a hyperactive state, making your condition worse.” She paused. “It’s possible that a medical cure will arrive in the future, with major breakthroughs in gene therapy. But right now, you can only cure SHAS by learning advanced paths of bodily reconstitution magic,” she continued. “However, they are all difficult, and dangerous to learn.”
“Yeah, I know,” said Prelinsa. “But you’re working for House Silvermoon, right? I heard they know magic like that, so I want to see if I can learn it too.”
The doctor paused again, adjusting her glasses. “…The Matriarch, and a few of the Elders, have mastered the Path of the Phoenix, which is one such magic. I don’t know if they’re taking new disciples, but I can ask someone for you. But are you sure you know how dangerous it is?”
Prelinsa shook her head. “I’ve only heard stories,” she admitted. “But they all sound really bad. Like I could burn myself to death, or explode, or become cursed with dark phoenixfire and burn in pain for the rest of my life. But I’m going to die painfully anyway, so that sounds better to me than sitting around waiting.”
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Hmm.” The doctor thought for a moment. “Well, I will ask someone if you can meet the Matriarch again, or one of the Elders,” she said. “I can’t promise you anything, though.”
“Thanks.” Prelinsa recalled the Matriarch’s young appearance, yet old manner of speech and demeanor. If the Matriarch followed the Path of the Phoenix, then it all made sense. She was probably much older than she looked. Prelinsa still didn’t completely trust the old fox, but an opportunity like this might never come again. Getting to meet an important figure from one of the Great Clans was incredibly lucky, let alone learning from them. She wished the Matriarch had stuck around longer, so she could ask more questions. But it seemed like they would meet again soon. She could ask her questions then.
“…We went off track,” the doctor said, interrupting Prelinsa’s thoughts. “I will have notes written down for you about what you should do with your diet, medicine, and other things.”
“I… can’t read very well,” Prelinsa admitted, feeling a bit ashamed.
“That’s alright, I understand your circumstances. Since you’re a minor, we have tentatively assigned a guardian for you, who can also read on your behalf. Someone from the North Realm who says she knows you very well.”
Prelinsa’s eyes widened. “Missus B?”
“Is that what you call her? Her full name is Heather Anne Brunswick. She’s an ailuran woman with dark skin and black hair, in her mid 40s. Does that sound familiar?”
“That sounds like Missus B.” A wave of relief spread over Prelinsa. Missus B. was alive and had been rescued. “Can I see her?”
“You can. Shall I bring her now?”
----------------------------------------
“Prelinsa!” Missus B. exclaimed, running over to Prelinsa. The two embraced each other tightly, the older woman patting Prelinsa on the back as Prelinsa’s stubby tail wagged. “Prelinsa. Am I glad to see you safe.”
“I’m glad to see you’re okay too, Missus B,” Prelinsa replied.
Missus B. hugged her even more tightly. “…Ya poor, poor thing. Ya didn’t deserve any of that slaver bullshit happening. I’m so sorry about Marianne. She was a great mother to the very end.”
“She really was.”
Prelinsa closed her eyes, taking in the hug for longer before the two separated.
“…But what happened to you, Missus B? How did you get away?”
“Ah. That’s a funny story. The slavers thought they killed me, so I played along. Ha! They really thought ol’ Missus B. would go down so easy. Once they all left, I wandered around, looking for you and Marianne, and the other Communers. I met up with others who escaped, but we never found ya guys. So we wandered around the slums for days, until we ran into those House Silvermoon soldiers. I recognized their crest, and we were gonna get into a fight, but they said they were here to rescue us. They’re fighting in the North Realm as we speak.”
She scoffed.
“Guess not all Silvermoons’re so rotten. This place is pretty nice, too. Lotta trees and stuff, nothing like Kalmia or the slums. I think the air here will do you a whole lotta good, kiddo.”
“The doctor said I could leave the hospital soon. They’re just finishing up some things before I can go.”
Missus B. gave Prelinsa a gentle slap on the back, grinning. “Well, you’re looking great, kiddo! Way better than I’ve ever seen you. They really fixed ya up, huh? Didn’t think it could be done.”
“Well, about that…”
Prelinsa explained the details of her disease to Missus B, in as much detail as she could. She also explained what she was planning to do about it. Missus B. nodded along, her expression turning serious.
“…So you’re gonna learn the Path of the Phoenix, huh? Some dangerous stuff you’re looking into.”
“I’m going to try at least. I don’t know if they’ll teach me, but I don’t want to keep being a burden, and I’m tired of being sick all the time.” Prelinsa clenched one of her hands into a fist. “If they end up teaching me, then I want to use magic to help other people like us.”
“Mmm.” Missus B. put her hands on her hips, shaking her head. “Marianne would chew me out if she were still alive. She definitely wouldn’t want ya ta do something like that.”
“Are you going to stop me, then?”
“Well, I won’t lie – I’m worried for ya. But I won’t stop ya. I think it’s a good goal to have. Ya wanna live, then ya gotta work for it. And you’re even doing it with a good cause in mind. Plus, you’re headstrong, Prelinsa. I know how ya get. I couldn’t stop ya even if I wanted, haha!” She laughed.
Prelinsa smiled. “Thanks, Missus B.”
“Thank you, Prelinsa. I know it can’t’ve been easy talking about all that stuff. Well, I gotta run for now. Those Silvermoons wanna talk to me about things. Important things. If all goes well, I’ll be your proper guardian soon enough!”
She stretched, then walked away. Then paused, turning around.
“…Oh, yeah. The Silvermoons wanna consult me about conditions in the North Realm. They want my advice on some things. Can ya believe it? Sheesh! This ol’ cat lady isn’t cut out for that kinda stuff.” Her tail flicked in annoyance, but deep down, she didn’t seem bothered by it. “Okay, I gotta go for real now. They’re waiting on me.”
“Bye, Missus B!”
Prelinsa waved her hand. The “ol’ cat lady” waved back, and headed out of the room, and Prelinsa sat back down on the bed, both nervous and excited about what was to come.