We are led into an eloquent room and told to sit. Iris lowers herself onto the seat making not so much as a single sound. She sits entirely straight, her hands crossed on her lap, head held up high and a practiced smile playing on her lips. She is entirely unlike Elis who plops down on the sofa slouched over and frowning so much it makes the maids uncomfortable.

“L-Lady Elis-” one of them attempts to get through to her.

She shakes her head, “Don’t call me that. It’s simply Elis.”

“B-but…”

“If you have to add something before it, Miss is fine. Just like how it used to be. If I’m asking to be called by my given name then it should be fine, shouldn’t it?”

“Y-yes,” the maid bows, “Is there anything bothering you? Is the furniture not to your liking?”

“No, that’s not the problem. I’m okay so you can go.”

The maid bows again and slips away. “I shall tell your father you’re here.”

“I’d rather you not…” she mutters, sinking deeper into the sofa. “How come it always has to be like this? I wish my dad would stop telling everyone to treat me like I’m the next heir or something. That’s for my brother, not me.”

Iris is called Miss by her guard and Elis is called Lady by her servants. Iris’ guard is the captain, so he’s trusted and has been around for a long time so does that give him the right to refer to her as Miss instead of Lady?

Iris gives me an awkward smile, “Are you wondering about the honorifics?”

Is it that obvious? Am I showing everything on my face? Maybe I should just start hiding behind my scarf more when I think, but that would be obvious too…

She laughs and Elis groans, “It’s a rather simple concept with only slight differences between the surrounding nations but Miss is usually used to refer to those younger than oneself or a woman who isn’t yet wed. Lady is more formal. It’s used when speaking to a woman of position or married to someone of high birth. Another use for it is for the eldest daughter.”

“Then shouldn’t ‘Lady’ fit for Elis?” She's the only daughter making her also the eldest.

“It can but neither are wrong. These are just general uses. It’s up to each person to decide which to use. Elis has been called Miss for the longest time so it makes sense she’d prefer it that way. Once her mom-”

Elis stomps the ground and I jump, “That’s enough Iris. El doesn’t need to be involved, you don’t either.” she takes a deep breath, “He’s here.”

The doorknob turns for what seems like an eternity. The servants in the room stiffen. Elis’ stare slowly turns into a fierce glare while Iris is the only one who maintains her composure. The door opens and the servants all perform a waist-deep bow.

Elis’ father, with his long and silent strides, draws all attention to him. He sits down on the sofa across from us and crosses his legs. By the time he does so, a maid arrives with a tray of tea. She asks us if we want any before pouring him a cup.

Mr. Annar reaches out, picks up the cup, and takes a drink. Once finished he nods, gesturing at the servants who, one by one, leave the room save for two who stand opposite of each other, one attending us, and the other attending him.

He slides a handkerchief out from his breast pocket and dabs his clean shaven face. Confirming there’s no longer any tea lingering on his lips, he folds the handkerchief and places it on the tray. “Are you girls sure you are not interested in any tea? I can guarantee its quality." He looks to Iris," Iris, if I remember correctly, you did enjoy tea did you not?”

“I do,” she says, never breaking her smile, “But I will pass on this occasion. I thank you for the offer Lord Annar.”

He shrugs, “I understand, however, you do not need to call me Lord Annar. Mr. Annar works perfectly well. It was how you addressed me for the longest time.”

“Ugh,” Elis turns her head, crossing her arms and scrunching her nose so hard it looks like she’s in pain. Her nostrils flare, “Mr. Annar…”

“Elis, it is nice to see you again. I have not heard back from you in months. Despite the volume of letters I sent and my plea to the teachers of Reynard Academy, I was in the dark about your time in the Academy. It is reassuring, and at the same time annoyin, how the staff refused to answer any questions about my own child without going through a series of checks. So, how was it?”

“It was absolutely wonderful and I can’t wait to go back. Truthfully, father, I believe I can mature wonderfully there. People of all different kinds of backgrounds gather there. Who knows, maybe your dream will come true and I'll find some noble there that I'll fall for. The entire school is filled with them. Iris also keeps notes on all of them.”

I catch his eyes but he throws them back onto Elis. He just ignored me… Is he… No, Elis isn’t like that. If she’s not like that, and if neither of them said anything about him, then I’m probably just imagining dumb things.

“Is that so,” he says, “Well, we can discuss this at another time. From what I have heard, there was an incident in which you were involved? How come you did not inform me the moment this incident passed?”

“All three of us were involved,” Iris interjects, “Elis and I came out with little to no injuries while our friend, Ellar, was bedridden for a few days.”

“Bedridden?” I watch him but he doesn’t spare me another glance, “My, my. That sounds very dangerous. Perhaps the academy is not a place where you should be. You know your mother would turn in her grave if she heard you were going to such an unprotected place. Yes, from what I have gathered, that academy was a mistake-”

“Shut up!” Elis silences the room. Her hands are curled into fists. Her teeth are showing, clenched like a snarling animal’s. She leans forward focusing all her attention on her father. I flinch as a flame sparks in the air.

Iris, breaking from her earlier calm state says, “Elis, calm down. Now’s not the time for this. We came to talk to your dad, not to fight or anything else. Besides, the academy’s closed for now. We won’t be going back anytime soon.”

His expression changes, “Closed? Well now, how convenient. Now you can stay here and fulfill your duties as the eldest daughter of this household. This is certainly the best for all of us,” he picks up the cup and takes another drink.

Elis, her fists shaking, says, “The best for all of us? Don’t try to sell me this crap!”

The maids both look at each other, wondering what to do. I glance at Iris who’s covering her mouth.

“Elis, watch your language!”

“No, you need to watch yours. Don’t ever try to use mom to make me feel guilty! Don’t ever try to lie to me that what you’re doing is best for all of us. It’s what’s best for you, not me,” Elis stands, “Why do I have to be treated so differently? How come none of my brothers are treated like I am? Do you love your sons more than your daughter?”

“Do not cross that line,” he says, “I am doing what is best for you and this house.”

She shakes her head, “Right, there you go again with half truths. You’re doing this for the house, not for me. You know what father? I wish that I was never born into this hellish, controlling, insensitive, family that cares nothing for its own."

“That’s enough,” Iris grabs Elis’ shoulder and pulls her back, “We’ll be leaving now Mr. Annar. Thank you for your time. Elis will be staying at my house for the time being if you don’t mind.”

He watches as Iris pulls a brooding Elis away. I watch too, trying to process the events that just happened.

“Come on El,” Iris says, once she opens the door.

“Ah,” right, I don’t want to stay here either after that. I stand, bow slightly to Elis’ father, and run out after them.

“Hold on,” he stands up and walks over.

I freeze. Although Elis and her father are fighting, they should share some similarities. If he’s anything like her, then I should be okay. I just hope this won’t take long so I can catch up to them.

“You are a roluk, yes?”

I nod, “E-Ellar s-sir.” Calm down El! You have to stop stuttering. It leaves a bad impression. It’s just like with Iris’ guard. I don’t need to try so hard, just try to go with the flow. Do what Miss Ein said, be like water. Feel the power, instead of fearing it. Feel the conversation instead of worrying so much. I can just keep my answers short.

“Well, Ellar, I do hope you are a good influence to Elis. Despite being from a different race, you do understand the importance of upholding a family’s name don’t you?”

“I-I do s-sir. F-family names are representative of the hard w-work and care of the previous heads and their children. F-family names a-also show status and accomplishment i-if well known,” I stutter out. So much for keeping short answers.

“Good, I hoped Elis’ friends at the academy would not drag her down. Even though you may not be of noble birth, you can sympathize with what it is I am trying to do. This is what is best for her and the Annar name.”

“Y-Yessir,” I turn on my heel and begin hurrying out the door.

“It is fortunate you are a smart girl. I do not know what I would have done if you turned out to be a negative influence in my daughter’s life. Please continue to convince Elis as her friend, to return to this household.”

I run after Iris and Elis, finding them waiting for me by the gate. Elis looks behind me and frowns. She pulls me close and asks if her father said anything to me. I tell her the truth, but only enough so that she’s satisfied while withholding a few details. If I told her everything, she’d go storming back in and demand something like an apology.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

She would definitely say something along the lines of, ‘Don’t threaten my friends.’ I tighten the scarf around my neck. “Yeah, I’d like to hear that,” I whisper quietly.

The three of us walk down the sidewalk with no particular destination. We hop from building to building, stand to stand, looking for things to keep our minds occupied. Elis finds comfort in a sewing kit. She pretends to be looking at something else but her eyes always wander back over. Iris’ interest falls on her ears. She closes her eyes and listens to a young man singing in the marketplace.

I break away from the two but keep them within eyesight. I go ahead of them, looking through some store windows and scanning the stands. Sometimes there’s someone selling the odd book or two. Maybe if I’m lucky I can find one. This has probably been the longest I’ve been without reading a book. I haven’t touched one since leaving Aurora and it feels like I’m missing something. It’s as if without a book, I can’t live life as normal.

I glaze over items keeping to myself as much as possible. Whenever they initiate conversation, I tell them I’m only looking which usually leads to me leaving soon after. I just can’t seem to find anything that I want…

A distinct, familiar, sound reaches my ears. It’s like a hard ball rolling across the ground, accompanied by something akin to chalk streaking across a board or pencil on paper, a wispy scrape. As I focus more and more on it, children's’ laughter rises and fills the space.

I look at my boots. Covered in snow and cold by the toes, I imagine sliding on land, moving faster and faster as cool air blows past. I snap back into reality before the picture can form and I dig my boots into the snow, confirming the soft crunch despite the loud and undefined voices.

A man holding a bouquet of flowers bumps into me, “Excuse me, Miss,” he walks on by, taking great care not to bump into another person.

Flowers in the winter? That’s strange. They stand out a lot. I wonder if we missed them while we were looking around. I stare at the bright pink flowers as the man goes further and further away, fading into the crowd.

“I guess they didn’t have flowers in the winter where you were from El?”

I jump back, “E-Elis!”

“Sorry, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you that much, only just a little bit,” Elis stand on her toes and searches through the crowd, “Hmm, I think I knew which store those flowers were from. Iris visited it a shop a while back the also sold a bunch of pink flowers.”

“Ummm, Elis?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you know what types of flowers those were?” I know very few flowers by their names despite seeing many by the lake where my village is. I only visited the lake when a village elder came to escort me.

“No clue,” she shrugs, “They weren’t carnations, that’s for sure, but flowers are flowers right? The only store I know is a little bit behind from where we came. It was on the other road that led into this one. Come on, I’ll take you there. There’s also something I wanna get too.”

Elis leads me by the hand, running through a few masses of people, somehow picking Iris along the way. In no time at all, we reach a shop filled to the brim with various flowers, colors from the entire rainbow present.

“Why did you take us here,” Iris asks, annoyed but still looking around.

“I did it because Ellar wanted to see,” Elis responds, throwing her chin up .

Iris glares at her, “Oh, in that case, it’s fine.”

“S-sorry Iris, I know you were listening pretty intently to that one performer,” I lower my head in shame for interrupting my friend’s enjoyment.

“I already said it was fine El. While I’m here, I might as well get some new flowers too just in case mom or dad hasn’t had anyone replace the ones in my room.” Iris heads into the shop along with Elis and I. A bell rings as we enter.

A mixed aroma of flowers bombards us as soon as we enter. The smell is fresh and light but strong enough to get through the effects winter has on a nose. Iris takes a deep breath as if visiting a place from her memories and Elis’ mood rises too as she wanders down a section by herself.

“Look around El. If there are any flowers you like, I’ll buy them for you. We’ll probably be staying at my house for a bit so the guest rooms as much as you want. On another note, It’ll help me get a better feel of you in general. I’m not a florist or anything of the sort like Elis’ mom was but she always told me that you can learn a lot from a person’s favorite flower.” With that, Iris goes down her own aisle.

Ah, now I’m going to look for flowers with that in mind… I know Iris didn’t mean for it to have a negative effect but I can’t help but worry my choice will change her opinion of me.

As I examine the flowers, the bell rings. My heart drops when I see who entered.

“I didn’t know you liked flowers.”

“I can’t say I don’t like flowers but I’m wondering if I can find it…”

“The flower in your dreams?”

“Yeah, that one. Although you could also call it a vision since that was the first time I saw it.”

I lift up the back of my shirt, push my hair in, and pull up my scarf. With this, maybe I can escape without being seen. I hug the round display of flowers and walk as calmly as possible to the other side.

How come they’re here? The odds of us going to the same city and the same story has to be next to impossible. I just have to hope again that we don’t run into each other now. Maybe they’re only browsing and will leave in a second.

“They looked like these- Blue Hair?”

For what seems like the thousandth time today, I freeze. Slowly I turn to him, “H-hi.” Rainen rubs his eyes.

“Blue Hair?” Rainen’s sister stand next to him and follows his gaze to me. “Ellar?” Aisha looks back to her brother.

“W-well, anyway, these were the flowers I was talking about.” Rainen kneels down and lifts a red flower up, “Do you have any idea what they’re called Aisha?”

“No,” she says, leaning closer to him and covering her mouth with her hand. She whispers a few inaudible things before turning around. “So what bring you here to the Green City Ellar? I don’t recall you ever saying anything about living here.”

“I-I don’t,” I respond, “I-I came here with some friends.”

“Oh, well I was just about the leave the store,” Rainen tries to stand up but Aisha holds his shoulder down, “My brother was still looking so help him out if you can.”

Please don’t leave little sister! I don’t know if I can handle this alone.

“Hello, did you need some help with the flowers?” a middle-aged woman with bobbed hair and a short nose comes over. Iris accompanies her, giving me a knowing smile.

“Yeah, I’d like to know what these flowers are called. I’ve been having a few weird dreams about them,” Rainen says, holding up the pot for her to look at.

“Those are called hurricane lilies, also known as red spider lilies. Dreams of flowers are usually a good thing. Is there a reason why you’re looking for those in particular? Did they stick out the most in your dream?”

“Yes, in fact, they were the only flower in my dream. Could you tell me what they mean?”

“Interesting,” the woman mutters, “That since ancient times has been associated with death and sorrowful legends. Some people call them corpse flowers as well, due to many blooming near cemeteries and their poisonous bulbs.”

He had a dream about those flowers? Did he pass by a lot of them on the way here and that’s how they got into his dreams?

“Thank you,” he says, “I’m about done here now. Let’s go Aisha.”

Rainen turns to leave without a goodbye. Aisha also thanks the woman and says, “Ellar, we’ll be here for a while so do come over some time if you want someone else to show you around too. Our mom was a member of the nobility so look for the Yurfray house if you want to find us.”

Aisha chases after Rainen and Iris helps me off the ground.

“Hiding from your partner?”

“N-no! I-I was looking at t-this flower.”

“Which one?”

“T-this one.” I point to a couple of white ones.

“Oh El, I didn’t know you liked death so much.”

“Huh?” I look back at the flowers, “T-Those represent death? W-Well, I-I was just looking. I didn’t decide on any yet…”

“It’s very obvious to tell when you’re lying El, you should stick with the truth,” Iris says while comforting me.

“I will…”

“On another note, how well do you know Rainen and his sister?”

I frown, “How well do I know them? Well, you and Elis already know that Rainen and I aren’t very close… he calls me ‘Blue Hair’ after all. His sister and I, I can’t say we know each other very much either. She and I talked a little bit but she usually left me and Rainen alone.”

“Is that so,” Iris holds her chin, looking out the window after them.

“Is something wrong,” I ask.

“They’re part of the Yurfray family El.”

My eyes widen, as recollections of the talk with the Iris’ guard, Reggie, comes flooding back.

“I don’t think they know that the Yurfray house is under arrest.”