Disclaimer: includes physical violence and suicide/self-harm ________________________

The carriage was simple and slightly worn down. Irwin had made sure to leave it on the edge of town so that it wouldn’t be easily seen by the villagers. It was black, inconspicuous with ripped fabric in some places and rusted metal in others. Irwin opened the door and held a hand out to assist Sae inside. When it was Aris’s turn, he dropped his hand and walked to the driver’s seat. 

"Weren’t you taught to help women and children get inside?" She asked indignantly.

"When you start acting like a woman I'll treat you like one.” He let out a small chuckle.

She grumbled something inaudible under her breath and stepped up the stairs, slamming the door behind her and causing the carriage to rock slightly. Sitting down across from Sae, she watched as her sister readjusted herself onto her knees. "You still haven't told me where we're going."

"The capital," Aris said.

"The capital?!" Sae cried, eyes wide in excitement. "Really? Are you serious?"

The girl nodded her head and ushered for her sister to sit down correctly. The carriage started moving as the ‘clip-clop’ of horseshoes pounded against the dirt trail. As if a switch had been turned on, Aris realized how exhausted she had really been.

"Sir Irwin, are there really big castles in the capital?” She turned around to talk to him through the opening in the interior. “How about princes and princesses? Can we really eat what we want there? How much ice cream will I be allowed to eat?" 

"There is a big castle in the capital. But there are a lot of other big mansions,” he started, not taking his eyes off of the road. “There’s indeed a prince and a princess, and a king and queen. And I'll buy you as much ice cream as you want when we get there."

The eleven-year-old bounced around in her seat excitedly as she stared out the window, her curious eyes taking in the new surroundings. The route from the village to the capital would take a little less than a day by carriage but the scenery on the way was splendid, even at night. At some point during the journey, Aris fell asleep leaning against the hand that was perched on the windowsill. The carriage hit a rock and her head jolted against the glass. Sae carefully moved from her seat behind Irwin to the one next to her sister. Despite being much taller than her, she tried to ease her head onto her small lap. She examined her face and listened to her gentle breathing as she fell asleep to her heartbeat.

________________________

Irwin’s grandfather had been a low-profile man all of his life. He was one of the only few nobles who could not tolerate an arranged marriage with someone he didn't love. A carriage accident on the outskirts of a small village outside of the capital left him unconscious and almost crippled. Bandits had killed his guards and left him for dead. A kind woman had found him and brought him back to her home. After nursing him back to health the young noble decided to stay with her out of love. They secretly married as soon as possible and she quickly bore him a child. Their happiness however did not last long as the marquess's people went looking for him. In a struggle to get him back to the capital, he declared that his newlywed wife must be allowed to come with him or he’ll end his life right there. The guards had no choice but to agree, and yet, everyone had failed to ask the young woman what she wanted.

Within the cold walls of the manor, she gave birth to their child alone while he was away at the palace. Despite their whirlwind romance and passionate weeks together, she came to acknowledge that she didn’t really know the man she married. In name, she was the marchioness, but the servants had treated her no better than the florist she had worked as. Days bled into weeks before she would see the man she had loved, breaking promises of an everlasting love. It wasn’t as if he wanted to leave her alone for so long but his near-death situation opened investigations and created paperwork. The final time he had seen his wife was before he left Nereys for a three-day trip. What had welcomed him home was his crying son and golden eyes that had closed forever. 

The servants had found her hanging from the chandelier, a chair tipped over after hours of silence. While no one had been thrilled by someone of her status as marchioness, she was a meek and quiet woman. She was more of someone who you’d forget was there than someone deserving of such disdain. Some maids had blamed themselves for not noticing the signs; others were wracked with guilt over their behavior when she was alive. Had they been the reason she did this? The simple answer was no. No matter what they did, no knife cut deeper than the one her husband inadvertently drove into her chest. Depressed, the marquess carried his newborn baby with him through the funeral service, not letting him down once as he buried his love on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Verin Crosen Basileus. A generous knight and royal guard despite the tragedy of his first few months of life. His home, the Basileus manor had been designed based on the dreams of the mother he never knew.

The sun shone on Aris's face as she slowly woke up. She looked up to find the face of Irwin, staring at her through the carriage window with calm, shining eyes. 

She blinked once. Twice. 

“What a sight it is to be greeted by a reclusive woodland creature,” she remarked while straightening up. “Must’ve wandered away from its cave.” 

It was doubtful Irwin had heard her clearly but even so, he rolled his eyes as if he did and opened the carriage door. He had his hand out for Sae to grab but let Aris walk down by herself. The sun seemed close to setting with the moon showing its faint presence in the opposite direction. The journey had indeed taken almost a full day.

He really didn’t sleep, she observed. It shows. 

It seemed like she was the only one who slept the whole way. When she woke up, she noticed Sae’s eyes transfixed on something outside. Aris now followed her gaze to see the beautiful mansion that stood at the center of the vast estate grounds. In all her years of being friends with Irwin, she's only been here once; when Sir Verin first introduced her and Sae to his son. When they had first stepped foot into the manor with Verin’s hand on the older’s back as she carried Sae, the-then Marchioness thought that the siblings were his bastards. She then spent the next fifteen minutes accusing and attacking him with a fan until he was finally given the chance to explain. Though the woman had been glad to give her son a new friend, she was worried and displeased at the danger that came along with them. The manor hadn't changed much from her memories but there was a small emptiness knowing just how much had changed.

Irwin had stopped the carriage in front of the main doors to the manor right at the bottom of the white concrete stairs. A woman in her mid-forties rushed out from the tall wooden doors. Her ginger hair was in a low updo with a gold leaf hairpin adorned in the back. She wore a light purple dress with embroidery a shade duller than Irwin’s eyes. She rushed down the stairs and grabbed Irwin as soon as he noticed her. Aris and Sae stood off to the side and watched their interaction.

"Mother, you didn't have to come out to greet me," Irwin said, pulling out of the hug. "What if you get a cold again?"

"Oh, you mean the cold that I always get from worrying about you," she sassed back, putting her hands on her hips.

Her son awkwardly scratched the back of his head while the sisters choked back their laughs. The dowager marchioness's attention was redirected towards them as her angry demeanor softened. Aris took the sides of her skirt and curtseyed, as she ushered Sae to do the same. Dowager Marchioness Rivona Basileus walked over and grabbed Aris's hands to squeeze them reassuringly. She bent down to look at Sae and pushed a few stray strands of hair out of her face.

"You’ve grown up a lot, Saelith." She smiled. 

The girl regarded with a toothy smile of her own. “Thank you, but… do you know me?”

The dowager marchioness continued to smile. “A matter of speaking, yes. But you were just a small baby then.” 

Before Sae could ask further, she turned back towards Irwin. "You have a mountain of papers to read and sign off on. Orland's been trying to sort through them but unfortunately, he refuses to forge your signature. Go back to the office and I'll take care of the girls." 

The older woman took Sae by the hand and led the way into the manor as Aris jogged to catch up. Irwin let out a heavy sigh and trudged behind them.

Aris followed the former marchioness through the halls of Basileus Manor. There were flower vases filled with Neptunias in front of every room and all of the doors were open. Portraits of sceneries from local and foreign landscapes hung on elegant frames every few yards from each other. The staircase that led to the second floor was made out of marble, so polished that Aris could see her face on the steps. The four of them stopped at a room not long after the ascension from the first floor. Marchioness Basileus let go of Sae’s hand and ushered one of the two maids who were following them to take care of her. The maid, Leta, couldn't be more excited about taking care of ‘such an adorable child.’ Before the two of them went inside, the marchioness informed them that we were to get cleaned up, changed, and then head to the dining room for dinner. 

She continued walking, not turning to see if Aris was following her. Stopping only a few feet from Sae’s door, she introduced it as Aris’s room. The other maid, Solin, stayed with her as the older woman waved a small goodbye and descended the stairs.

Aris slowly walked into the room and took in her surroundings. There was a grand bed to the left of the room. On either side were porcelain lamps on wooden nightstands. Straight ahead of the entrance were three long windows with half-circular window seats with white, embroidered pillows. Most of the light in the room seemed to be coming from those windows alone. 

I’ll have to make use of those curtains, she noted mentally.

A couch sat at the foot of the bed with a mahogany coffee table and two sofa chairs on each end. Opposite from the bed on the other side of the room held the vanity, a full-body mirror, and two wardrobes.

"Miss?" A voice meekly called.

Aris turned around and looked at Solin. "Her Grace would like you to be ready in an hour. Would you like me to draw you a bath?"

It took a few seconds for Aris to register what she had just said. She was going to have some getting used to.

"Yes, thank you," Aris replied. Solin looked at her with surprise, smiled, and went towards the white door.

While she waited for the bath, the girl walked over to look at herself in the full-length mirror. Her everyday attire was simple; a white blouse with a navy skirt. She wore black boots that were plain and old-fashioned, perfect for running or kicking, if needed. The servants of the manor had not laughed or gossiped about her since she entered. Maybe staying at the Basileus estate would allow her to relax sometimes.

"Miss!" Solin called from the bathroom.

Aris met her at the entrance near the windows and walked inside. "Thank you, Solin. Do you perhaps have a change of clothes I could borrow?"

"Yes, miss. What would you like to wear?" Solin asked, head slightly bent.

"You can choose what you think would look best."

"No, miss! I wouldn't dare-!"

"Why not? It’s a simple dinner," she reassured, smiling softly at her. “And I have faith in your judgment.”

Solin's eyes went wide as she bowed once more at the new guest. Then she exited quickly and closed the door behind her.