“Damion.”
Tep.
“Damion.”
Tep.
Celest Rowanoak was draped across her bed on her back, her head off the mattress and her hair brushing the floor. She had a small pile of berries on the bed next to her. She glared at the silent figure sitting in the chair across from her. They were hunched over a desk and the only sounds of the room came from their quill hurriedly scratching across parchment.
The lanky girl felt around the bed and picked up a berry. She lined it up with the back of their head “Damion.” She threw the berry forcefully and missed his head. It bounced off the window with a soft tep. Celest let out a huff and swung herself up into a sitting position. She whirled around to look at Damion, who had hardly shifted from his studies. She narrowed her eyes and picked up her floppy wide-brimmed hat from the nightstand.
“Damion!”
Thwack!
The hat hit the boy squarely in the back of his head and caused him to lurch forward. He slowed turned around and stared at his sister with dull grey eyes. “What in Ixra did you do that for?” He snapped.
“You didn’t answer the first thousand times! I had to resort to desperate measures.” Celest was kneeling on the bed, arms crossed in front of her.
“Yes, because I was ignoring you. Something you still do not seem to understand.” The boy turned back around and began to attend to his work again.
Celest scoffed in loud, false indignation. “Oh no you don’t!” She heaved herself off the bed and grabbed her twin brother by the shoulders, spinning him back around. “You promised me that you would go to town with me today.”
He stared blankly at the face identical to his.
Celest stared back, hoping he would remember, “It’s the first day of the Xylia Festival? It’s tradition that we go together every year?”
Realization slowly began to dawn in Damion’s eyes. He sighed and searched Celest face in hope that she would allow him to get out of this promise. No such luck. “Fine. Yes, I forgot, but I suppose we can go.”
His sister’s freckled face lit up with joy, “Ha-ha! You bet your books we’re going! C’mon! It’s already midday and we’ve missed a lot. If we hurry, we can grab some of the buns and sweet rolls before they’re all sold out. Here! I packed you a bag and got your cloak.” She threw a satchel and worn cloak at her brother and hurriedly gathered up her own supplies. With skill and ease, she pulled back her chestnut hair into a simple braid and then haphazardly put on her hat. “Let’s go, Damion!” She tugged his long hair and started for the door.
“Celest, calm down. For Ixra’s sake you are acting like a child.” He rolled his eyes as he began to pull his own hair back, but smiled softly. Despite her overwhelming manner, Damion was happy to spend the day with his sister.
Celest dragged them both through the house, yelling as she went, “Bye, Da! We’re going to the festival!” Without waiting for a reply, she and her brother were out the front door. Even through the shut door, you could hear their jokes and peals of laughter echoing off the street.
†
The town of Coriff was bustling. There were booths on every corner and a friendly face on every street. Savory smells mixed and mingled with the happy chatter that filled the air. The Festival of Xylia was a time of celebration and preparation. The villagers had just faced another harsh winter and due to a plentiful harvest from the following year, they were able to survive the elements. Now, with the weather growing warmer and the soil becoming softer, the villagers were ready to start planting their next crops. To show their gratitude and need for more plentiful crops, they spent three days offering their blessing to Xylia, the patron Caretaker of prosperity. Food and wares were displayed and sold during the day while performances and specials meals were held in the evenings. The villagers saw this time as a period of revival and beginnings. For others it was a time to try again and hope for success. No matter what their viewpoint may be, each villager found joy in the celebration.
Celest scurried from booth to booth, looking at the fantastic wares and talking briefly with the people attending it. Damion lingered in the back, watching his sister rush around and admired her bravery. He smiled and trailed behind her at his own pace, study each item carefully.
“Damion! Look!” Damion looked up and saw his sister across the street. She was wearing a hat as equally as floppy as hers and had a gaudy arrangement of flowers on it. She pointed at it excitedly, “We can match!”
The boy stifled a laugh with his hand and tried to stay mature. He set down the journal he had been looking at and walked over to his sister. Celest was bursting with excitement and shoved it on his head. “Oh, Damion. You look absolutely gorgeous.” She draped a hand across her forehead and swooned, “You put the royal princess to shame.”
“Hm, if I am the royal princess, then you may be my lady-in-waiting.” He mused. He delicately set out his hand and Celest grabbed it. She dipped into a deep curtsy, kissing invisible rings on his fingers. “My lady.” She said.
There was a moment of silence between them when they suddenly burst into laughter. Celest giggled uncontrollably, “If only Da could see you now! I don’t think he could handle two daughters.”
“Oi! What in the Seven Realms are you doing?”
Their mirth was cut short by a burly shop owner storming over. He stared down at the twins disapprovingly and crossed his arms, “Tell me, sir, do you actually play on buying that hat you’ve been manhandling?”
Damion inhaled deeply and straightened his stance as he removed the hat, “My apologies, sir. It appears that we took things a little too far and for that I am deeply sorry.” Celest rolled her eyes. Again, Damion was being the mature one in the situation. “However, I did notice a slight flaw in the hat.”
“Nonsense. All those hats are imported from Diviet. Their perfection is guaranteed.” The merchant sniffed.
“No, no! I assure you. Something is wrong with this hat. Please put it on to see for yourself.” Celest looked at her brother, confused. What was he going on about?
The merchant seemed to be reluctant to put on a woman’s hat but he complied. He shifted uncomfortably, “Well will you tell me what’s wrong with it?”
Damion studied the man closely. “It is just as I thought. This hat looks just as awful on someone as ugly as you.” He suddenly grabbed Celest’s hand and started running.
“Wha-! Hey! You get back here!” The shop owner ran after them, pushing villagers aside roughly. “You little urchins!”
As Celest ran behind her brother, she searched the crowd for the angry shopkeeper, “Damion! Why did you do that?”
Damion turned back to look at her briefly, “I don’t know! It just seemed like something you would do. I thought it would be funny!”
“It was!”
The twins dove into a quiet side street and hide behind empty crates. They breathed heavily and tried to calm their nerves. Damion peaked out from behind the boxes to make sure they hadn’t been followed and slid back down. “I think we lost him.”
Celest stared at him as she panted hard and started to laugh. She jabbed her fist into Damion’s upper arm. “Ow! What was that for?” He gasped in pain and fatigue.
“Don’t EVER do that again.” Celest laughed
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