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Apr 25, 2025

PRINCESS RAINBOW WOZNIAK

i used to move into the future, bring it all back, let it bleed through my fingers, a treasure in my hands. now i creep out when there's no one about 'cause they put crosses on the doors to try and keep me out. the garden's overgrown and i run in the middle of the road. well, can you see me? i cannot see you. everything i thought i knew has fallen out of view, in this blindness i'm condemned to. well, can you hear me? i cannot hear you. every song i thought i knew, i've been deafened to, and there's no one left to sing to.

there's a certain style in death; it is all-knowing and all-consuming in the way a waltz encompasses your whole body. at least, that's what rainbow has found every time she's fought with it. she spins and twirls and dances in tandem with every tachycardic pulse of a dying heart, gliding through the steps as she would across a ballroom floor, sewing them back together with a song stuck beneath her tongue while she works. this is why she does it - it makes her feel more than alive. it makes her transcend.

there is much to do in narsis aside from healing. still, nothing catches rainbow's fleeting eye half as well as an injury or illness; she doesn't delight in its existence, but she does delight in helping those who are already sick. her mother persists in calling her strange because of it, and she isn't of the mind to disagree. she knows she does not fit the mold. has she ever? it isn't even a thought in her dreams, which, given by her name dreamweaver, would signify a lot if it was.

what she does like to do in narsis, aside from study at the arcanaeum, is scour the wilderness for plants and fungi as well as insects. although, she much prefers them live so she can feed them to her ravenous tarantula, aptly named 'animal' for his ferocious appetite. crossing the city lines and delving into the nearby mushroom fields are what keep her from going insane taking on so many cases at home. she is careful to keep intact all of the roots, mostly so she can safely replant them in her planters outside her bedroom window, and she clutches them close to her chest as she skips home.

waiting for her is a bite sized little sister, moonbeam, and their mother, amihan. their mother is a pure-blooded servant of house hlaalu and has a driven heart like much of their kin, though their neighbors all remain more opportunistic and morally gray than the small family amihan has cultivated. while rainbow and moonbeam's peers focus on success and monetary gain, the two sisters are much more concerned with helping others first.

if it were possible, they would have transferred their allegiance from house hlaalu to a place more fitting for gentle souls. alas, loyalty is the most prized possession among the great houses, so, their lives are forever tied to the strength emanating from the hlaalu's roots.

rainbow hops up the front steps of their home, located off the beaten path and more isolated from others in the area. she taps her shoes against the doorway and watches the dirt shake off, kicking them aside once they're clean and elbowing her way inside. "moony," she calls out. "i bought a sweetcake off of avrus in the market. have you readied the other ingredients?"

rather than a squeaky voice confirming the inquiry, all rainbow can hear from their mother's bedside is muffled cries. halting in place, she isn't sure what to do at first. she swallows and drops her satchel at her feet, staring ahead with vacant ruby red eyes. as moonbeam's cries intensify, rainbow walks forward slowly, step by step, until she finds herself kneeling beside her sister.

in bed lay amihan. rather than retaining her greyish-blue tint, her cheeks are flushed a stark white and her once glowing eyes that match her daughters' are lightless and empty. as moonbeam sobs, rainbow begins preparing the body. she doesn't have time to mourn - she's the eldest sister, the eldest person in their household. that makes her in charge - she can't afford emotion now.

amihan is buried in the ashen meadow outside the city limits. rainbow is the one that wields the shovel, while moonbeam cries at her mother's shallow grave. as a prayer is uttered from rainbow's lips, a soft request that azura keep amihan's soul, the rumble of red mountain in the distance signals her ascension from nirn.

two years come to pass. fourteen and ten years old respectively, the sisters live in lonesome, and amihan is forgotten by their neighbors rather quickly. rainbow makes better use of herself by volunteering in the small city center, where she finds many trauma cases flooding in from experiments gone wrong or wayfaring travelers narrowly escaping a bandit gang. one of the few in narsis to treasure life over opportunity, it doesn't take long before she attracts a mentor to her side.

medresi is a higher ranking cleric in house hlaalu, despite being only sixteen years of age. she's a full - blooded dunmer, unlike rainbow, whose skin shimmers an iridescent, greyish-tawny color in the sunlight rather than the solid greys and blues of her fellow dark elves, and she is routinely well - dressed and possesses a spirit of resilience that she finds mirrored in her young apprentice.

"you have been alone for a long time, yes?" medresi asks rainbow as they traverse the rough landscape bordering narsis, currently in search of a supposedly haunted cave.

rainbow's eyes glance up at her mentor, a blush encompassing her cheeks. "i have," she replies quietly. "two years this spring."

"it is difficult," her mentor supplies, which catches rainbow off guard. a small chuckle erupts from medresi's throat. "i lost both my parents as a girl. ataxia. i could not save them, which is why i try and save everyone else. is that why you are interested in becoming a cleric?"

the younger dunmer trails behind medresi, who doesn't seem to notice at first. she hasn't thought about her mother in a long time - correction, she does not allow herself to think about her mother. it's a spiral that she knows if she ventures down it, she'll never be capable of climbing back out.

"not precisely," rainbow finally answers.

medresi starts, unexpecting of her apprentice's answer. "no?" she hums, kneeling in the middle of the path so she can collect a few mushroom samples. "i apologize for the assumption, then."

a silence follows. it doesn't click for rainbow that she's now meant to tell the truth until they've reached the mouth of the cave.

"i actually-" she begins, before medresi shushes her.

"ghosts are far more sensitive to the senses than the zombies and skeletons you find in caves like these," medresi whispers. she unsheathes a dagger and grabs rainbow's wrist, drawing out her arm and placing the blade in her palm. "stay close at my side and remain vigilant. understood?"

with wide eyes, rainbow nods along. medresi advances, gaze flickering from the left side of the cave to the right. as they creep through the decrepit corridors, rainbow can hear the moaning of the spirits still residing inside. she gulps, clutching the dagger close to her chest. she's never fought anything before, much less something that's already died once.

medresi remains at the helm while rainbow trails behind. after traversing through a small tunnel system, they emerge in a burial chamber where multiple apparitions hang still in the air. holding her breath, rainbow keeps her eyes peeled as she watches medresi gently creep around the pool of ghosts that have gathered in the center of the room.

but, just before medresi can wield her sword over her head and strike, rainbow hears an all too familiar voice sound in her ears: what are you doing all the way out here, bo? you need to come home. she shudders as she registers the cocky cadence always present in her mother's voice, then jerks forward and stumbles, catching herself on a rock pillar that begins crumbling as soon as she leans against it.

"rainbow!" medresi hisses at a low volume when debris filters down from above. the ghosts begin to stir, a distinct moaning emanating by where they lurk. "what in oblivion are you—"

bowie, her mother sings, the sound of it resonating in her bones. bowie, where are you? she pushes herself away from medresi, her breath caught in her throat. there you are. i've been looking for you. i'm always looking for you. her hands crawl up her shoulders and neck, cupping over her ears in a fruitless attempt to deafen herself. where's moony? what did i tell you about her? you keep your eyes on her always. she's quick like you were. before rainbow can swallow the urge, she lets out a petrified scream. are you taking care of her, bowie? are you taking care of our girl?

when she awakens, she realizes she's laying in a cot in medresi's spare bedroom. she's spent the night involuntarily here once before, when she had one too many cups of spiced wine and couldn't think or walk straight. this time, though, feels much less jovial. she doesn't feel ill, not physically, but she does feel... heavy.

she can't think of why before medresi enters. her mentor carries a tray with an assortment of fruit alongside a goblet of what rainbow can smell is a floral tea. it's a strange gesture, especially considering how standoffish medresi was in the beginning - though, she'd softened a bit by the time of their first quest.

well, what was meant to be their first quest.

"i'm glad you are awake," medresi says as she lowers the tray onto the side table. "i was worried for a moment you'd been possessed and stolen to oblivion somehow. you never really know what kind of curses you'll get in crypts."

while medresi laughs at herself, rainbow eyes the tray. her hand reaches out feebly, grasping the goblet first as she raises it to her lips and begins drinking in loud gulps. medresi looks on, impressed, and rainbow only lowers the goblet when almost half of it is drained.

"... what was it?" her mentor then asks. she's never really been much for smooth introductions. really, none of their kind are. dunmer don't generally believe in cutting around the point of the matter, which is something rainbow's had to adapt to over time. her mother was like that. rainbow never quite had the guts, unlike moonbeam, who is well-intentioned with her bluntness. it's a wonder rainbow could ever call herself amihan's daughter.

"i... i think i was merely afraid," rainbow tries excusing. "i have never seen ghosts before."

medresi narrows her gaze at rainbow, who sinks a little where she sits. "it is more than that. when you - when you screamed, you were calling for your mother. i could not get you to stop. you insisted on seeing her. that is when you blacked out."

"my mother is dead," rainbow says.

medresi nods. "i know. but you saw her anyway?"

"i heard her," rainbow doesn't know what's compelling her to be so truthful in this moment - it's humiliating enough having to relieve it at all. "i have not seen her."

her mentor doesn't seem impressed. "have you heard her before?" she then asks, and rainbow knows this is a trap. it must be - why else would medresi care so deeply? perhaps because she inadvertently sabotaged their mission, but in rainbow's quickly fracturing psyche, she isn't so convinced of that reality. it's a strange feeling; she doesn't trust herself, and yet she also neglects trust for those around her as well. what is it that's possessing her so adamantly?

"... perhaps once or twice," rainbow admits when the silence draws on for a second too long. she tries recalling when last she heard her mother's voice, her real voice, to no avail. she doesn't even appear in her dreams. only when she is most vulnerable. "i-i do not understand it. have i - have i gone mad?"

tears gather on rainbow's lashes as she looks upon a pitying medresi. by azura, she absolutely despises the expression on her mentor's face. she hates to be coddled or fretted over. she diverts her attention elsewhere, to the paintings hung up on the wall. in the certain light of candle flames, they appear dreamlike, and rainbow wishes she would wake up already.

"i cannot say for certain," medresi tells her. hesitantly, she outstretches her hand, folding it atop rainbow's and giving a gentle squeeze. "but you are my ward now, which means i will guide you through this."

"no," rainbow denies at first. "i cannot burden you with that. i can take care of myself."

"until it happens again and you burden your sister with the role," medresi says calmly, ignoring the frustration evident in the crinkle of rainbow's nose and downward twitch in the corner of her mouth. "let me help, reina."

rainbow's eyebrows pull together. she glances up at medresi. "reina?" she echoes.

medresi locks up, retreating from their warm touch. "i apologize. i simply - said it as a term of endearment," she says quickly. "and, well, i find it regal, much like you act. but i should not have. you prefer rainbow-"

"i do not," rainbow returns, her voice as soft as the black sands coating their homeland. "i-i never have. it makes me feel... silly. or, well, no. it makes other people think i'm silly. but... my mother always called me bo, or bowie."

"would you like that instead?"

"i... i would like for it to remain buried with her," rainbow fixes her posture, then slowly, she begins to smile. "i prefer reina, i think."

medresi pushes the tray of food closer to rainbow - now reina - and pats her knee. "reina it is. you should eat and rest more. when you wake up, i can teach you that journeyman's fortify magicka potion."

suddenly, reina's eyes illuminate. "you got the ectoplasm?"

"you are good for more than carting around my supplies, you know," medresi offers a wicked grin as she lifts herself off of the cot. "your fainting actually did wonders. those ghosts were too distracted by you to even notice my initial attack."

"well, in that case," reina picks up a bite of pickled pumpkin. "you are very welcome." she pauses for a moment. "wait - you think i act regal?"

medresi begins laughing again. "oh, sweet reina. with all that fainting, you are a natural born princess."

it's not often that reina can say she doesn't like someone - she's very much so in tuned with others' emotions, which makes it difficult for her not to empathize, even if it doesn't benefit her.

that being said, she does not like sir knight drulis hlaalu.

he is a chivalrous and widely beloved ex - knight of house hlaalu, which elevates his station by way of his persevering bravery and nobility in battle ( not to mention his commonly noted handsome features ); far outweighing the relatively boring and tragic life that renders reina's own status utterly irrelevant in comparison. but she still clings on to a silver thread of hope that perhaps medresi will dance with him and see nothing worth forsaking her current life and aspirations for.

reina can't quite remember when she first realized she very much so liked medresi's company, all she can think about is how medresi has always understood her - well, her intentions, at least. and that makes things all the more wonderful, because reina knows she cannot be understood, that she doesn't even understand herself yet.

it is not a romantic endeavor, dripping in beads of passion and blood; that much reina knows will never come to pass in her own life. it is a kinship, and perhaps slight obsession, that drives her, as she has spent more time with medresi in the past few years than she ever had her deceased mother when she still yet lived. she isn't ready to share medresi and her brilliance with others yet, and certainly not with a snobbish man that will do no good, that will only steal her away to fulfill a lesser purpose in life.

as medresi and drulis sweep across the dance floor inside the palace that crests lake hlaalu, reina is sipping from a wine goblet and fighting the deeply rooted instinct to pour it down the front of drulis' jacket. if any men have their eyes on her, she's none the wiser, her own gaze stuck on medresi as she flies through the room in swift, fluid movements.

she's only pulled away from the sight when someone obstructs her view. she pouts, thinking to skirt around them before they make it evident they're here for her attention.

"excuse me," she tries to say, attempting another escape. an arm unfolds, blocking her by the waist, and she's quick to shove them away. "excuse me. i must speak with my friend. may i?"

"you're a strange bird," the older elf hums. his breath has the stench of alcohol on it, which makes reina recoil. "off staring into the distance while everyone else is dancing. what has you so preoccupied, little thing?"

reina clutches her wine goblet close. another swig would be too risky - if this elf sticks around, she'll like better to be sober. "is there anything else?" she asks, impatience dripping from her tone. however, his slurred words are quickly washed out from reina's ears as a different voice separates her from reality: he's distracting you. he's here to help that n'wah drulis steal medresi away. are you going to let him?

she shifts her weight from one foot to the other as she winces to herself. this catches the elf's eye, and as he continues speaking, so does the disembodied voice behind reina's eyes: don't trust him. don't look at him. don't speak to him. he's only here to hurt you. she drops her wine goblet without realizing, her hands pressing up against her ears in a fruitless attempt at shutting out all sound. all of these people are here to hurt you. they're all hired by drulis, the conniving bastard - you need to leave. you need to find medresi. now. now. now!

as the elf begins expressing concern for her, reina pushes him away and flees. she stumbles through the crowd, every face a blur. when she reaches the very center and still cannot find medresi, she feels panic flood her veins. where could she have run off to in such a short amount of time? just as the elf approaches her and goes to grab her elbow, she jerks it backward, slamming it square in the middle of his face. when he yelps and lets go, she sprints full speed ahead.

"medresi?" reina calls out, sounding desperate as she grips onto the cobblestone walls. "medresi, where are you?" her voice echoes endlessly, and it's starting to feel like a helpless endeavor until she cuts a corner and sees it: medresi, pressed against the wall, her leg hitched up onto drulis' waist and her arms secure around his neck as their mouths interlock.

reina's heart stills in her chest. she wants to sink into the floor and disappear, but instead, she cowers backwards, hurrying back to the door while holding her breath. she doesn't exhale until she's broken into the fresh night air, where she pants hungrily and falls to her knees. look what happened! you give one man the time of day and you lose her! what is wrong with you?

she knows it more than ever now. it's the beginning of the end.

two months later, medresi marries drulis. eight months after that, she's carrying his child.

reina doesn't know what she thinks about it. she notices how uncomfortable her mentor is, as the child stirring within her is always craving more. when she was younger, reina thought she could be a good mother - she was very adept at handling moonbeam whenever her mother was otherwise preoccupied. she likes seeing babies in the town square and certain events, but as she grows older, and as she watches medresi deteriorate from her pregnancy, she second guesses the confidence she has in herself.

"does it hurt badly?" reina speaks up suddenly one evening. they remain in medresi's old study in her previous home for sessions, but at the end of the night, medresi departs and returns to the home she shares with drulis while reina stays in the main bedroom of that old house.

mindlessly, medresi's fingertips dance over the risen belly that crests the tabletop. "it does," she answers after a moment of percolation. "but it is pain that is worth it."

reina shuffles in place. "... do you truly mean that?"

"why wouldn't i?"

"i don't know. it just seems like a rudimentary answer, is all."

medresi can't resist chuckling at her apprentice. she readjusts herself in her seat to where she's hunched over the table, hands clasped together. "i know you think this isn't what i was meant for," she says, looking at reina knowingly. "and it isn't. i was made for what we do, but this - this is just something that must happen. i have to contribute to our society in more than one way. maybe one day, you'll do the same."

"i'm not sure about that," reina murmurs. "i'm too mad to be a good mother."

"don't say that," medresi frowns at her, reaching across the table so she can scoop up reina's hands and cradle them in her own. "you would make a very good mother; you're attentive, caring, understanding. but i'd be lying if i didn't say you should focus on what you're passionate about first."

reina's brows twitch together, ruby eyes meeting medresi's. "and yet the same does not apply to you?"

"our stations are wildly different, reina," medresi denies as she squeezes reina's hands gently. "you don't have the expectations others do for me. which makes you a very lucky girl. don't throw that away for just anyone. when you're ready, you must be certain it's with someone that's right. like i have with drulis."

swallowing harshly, reina nods along. "i will. i promise."

"good," medresi releases a strained sigh as she collapses back into her seat. "now. help me to bed? i think we are long overdue for a sleepover."

the deadness of winter hangs low in the sky whenever evening star arrives. in narsis, the people have boarded up their windows and locked themselves inside the warmth of their homes. meanwhile, reina is sprinting through the streets, her cape nearly falling off her shoulders as she makes haste toward medresi and drulis' residence. one of their servants had rushed to where reina was and alerted her of medresi's labor - which, of course, is all reina needed to hear before she was out the door.

she's only ever seen animal birth, so, she can't deny the deep curiosity nesting within her. still, at the same time, she's frightened for medresi. she says an extra prayer for her as she runs, and by the time she reaches the steps of their home, she's out of breath and out of fortune from azura.

"medresi, it is me," reina calls out in a silvery voice whenever she's let inside. searching throughout the house, she immediately picks up the distinct lack of noise, and a pit quickly forms in her stomach. "medresi?"

"in here," drulis' grating voice returns - however, it's clearly forced out of him, concerning the young cleric more as she hurries upstairs and glances around until she noticed a door left ajar. she feels her mouth go dry. slowly, she tiptoes towards the door, heartbeat hammering against her chest when she pushes it open ever so slightly.

she observes medresi splayed out on a mattress, blood staining her white linen shift and her face deathly pale, and she feels like she may just be sick at the sight.

"oh, medresi," reina gasps, flocking to her side and sweeping up one of her clammy hands to hold. "what has happened to you?"

medresi gulps down a mouthful of air, her lungs too stiff to inhale it properly. "the babe came," she whispers in a raspy voice. "beautiful girl. it - it seems azura has sent her to take my place."

"no, no," reina denies with the frantic shaking of her head. "you are not leaving me. we need you. your baby needs you."

"reina," medresi's dim lit eyes meet reina's, which are now obscured by tears. "it's okay. i'll be okay. i'm going to meet our goddess of dawn and dusk. isn't that wonderful?"

"it's terrible," reina cries.

medresi manages a weak chuckle, her hand lifting so she can wipe away the tears that roll down reina's cheek. "it was worth it," she says, her voice losing momentum due to the lack of breath. "it was so worth it, reina. i promise. come here." whenever reina leans down, medresi presses a dry kiss against the back of her hand. "remember what i told you."

"i remember everything you have ever said to me," reina whispers back to her. "everything, medresi."

with a flickering smile on her lips, medresi releases reina's hand, the little light left behind her eyes evaporating completely as she goes limp against the mattress.

reina lets out a sob and buries her face into her mentor's neck, and she can hear drulis in the corner, crying. she turns around, her eyes blood red as her gaze moves to where the babe is rested in her father's arms.

sniffling, reina presses herself off of her knees and walks away from medresi's bedside. she approaches drulis, who seems inconsolable, and on instinct she reaches for the babe. "may i?" she asks quietly. without resisting, drulis thrusts the babe into her arms.

wide eyes stare down at the babe, who has blueish-grey skin and the blackest tufts of hair stuck to the top of her head. "... what is her name?" reina asks, her eyes unmoving from where they're focused on the babe.

"d-dresi, she - she liked the name indiana. indie." drulis tells her.

reina can feel herself begin to smile. "i like that," she whispers as she leans in and leaves a kiss on the babe's cheek. "i will bring her back for you, indiana."

when medresi's body is brought into the crypt, reina is close behind the guards. she doesn't really know what she's doing - all she knows is that this must be done. not only for her own sake, but for indiana's. no girl should live her life without a mother, she knows this very well.

necromancy is banned in places like cyrodiil. the synods made certain of that a few years back. however, in morrowind, there are no strict laws on its practice. so, reina uses this to her advantage. she purchased all of the books on necromancy she could locate and she poured over them until each spell was ingrained deep in her memory - she is not letting medresi go so easily. even if her sacrifice was worth it in the end, reina can't bear the thought of a world without her..

they lower her body inside a concrete grave. as they leave, reina sneaks in behind them, and she kneels beside medresi's resting place with a book splayed open in her lap. she closes her eyes and begins chanting.

hours later, when reina can feel each individual nerve being lit aflame from the amount of magicka she's exerting into the ritual, when she finally feels all her limbs give out, she slumps over the grave, groaning in murmurs for a while before she feels movement from beneath her.

her head lifts and she sees medresi stir. her heart flips. she reaches out, her fingers dragging across the cold skin encompassing medresi's face. she speaks her name lowly, but all that escapes the body is a slew of pained moans, muffled by her unused vocal chords.

"m-medresi? it is me, reina." reina says, rubbing her thumb in circles against her cheek. no warmth gathers there like reina expects, which only worsens her anxiety. "medresi?"

one withered hand lifts up, grasping onto the collar of reina's tunic. with all the breath stolen from her lungs, wide ruby eyes stare into the holes in medresi's skull where her own once were. gasping in horror, reina clutches tighter onto the other. continuing to moan, medresi begins shaking reina, gargling something that sounds like 'why?'

"i-i am sorry. i'm sorry. i had to. i can't be without you, medresi," reina pleads as she continues holding medresi close, even when she's being fought against. "i'm sorry. but you must come back. i can heal you, i can-"

"kill," medresi begs. "me."

reina can feel her world crumble whenever she hears those two words, beginning to shake her head as she squeezes medresi. "what of indiana? what of drulis? of me? we still need you."

rather than reply, medresi continues choking on her words, clearly unaware of who she's speaking to.

"who goes there?" a guard's voice echoes from the stairwell.

reina does not cower, but in that moment, she only has two options: remain and be caught, still in the cold embrace of her beloved mentor, or stick a dagger through her heart and kill her all over again and flee. she gulps as she stares at medresi, who isn't really medresi, and she brandishes the dagger she keeps on her belt.

she lifts the dagger to medresi's neck. medresi feels the coolness of the blade and relaxes slightly where she's writhing around in insurmountable pain.

"i thought i could heal you," reina whispers against her. "i cannot. i am sorry. forgive me."

as the blade slices into medresi's neck, she gargles on her tongue and falls once more into the stark grave. when the guards make it to the ground, reina is already gone.

she slinks home, feeling defeated as she tosses the dagger into the bushes, wishing never to see it again. but as she ascends the steps to what was once her and medresi's home, she notices a group of men clad in imperial armor approach her.

"rainbow seleth?" one of the men ask once they stand in front of her.

reina's brows come together and she questions whether or not she should be honest. she's never trusted the guards of house hlaalu, so, how is she meant to feel comfortable around imperial soldiers? "... yes," she eventually relents, too exhausted to form a proper lie. "am - am i in trouble?"

"no, of course not. we come on behalf of his excellency emperor walter wozniak," the man says, a grin on his face that leaves reina uneasy. "your father. we've come to bring you home, princess rainbow."

she can remember it all so clearly when she's in the tower. in the pitch darkness, where she has but the occasional flicker of passing moonlight as it eclipses across her single window, she can close her eyes and imagine the scent of her sister's perfume clinging to her while she sobs, begging her big sister to stay with her. she can feel the deadness of medresi's skin as she caresses it in her grave. she can hear those men speak to her, explain how it is only she who walter wishes to summon to the capital. she still recalls how hard she fought against them, her limbs resisting every pull they made at her, a fight she ultimately lost.

when her stomach begins rising, she expects a feeling of dread to overcome her. she saw what happened to medresi - she should be terrified, shouldn't she?

in the darkness, though, there is little she can cling to.

she's only visited when the guards let in summer to tend to her. reina can hardly speak - it seems to be a symptom of her madness; her words all jumbled, like her mind's forgotten how to string sentences together. summer's patient. she's never not been. and once she notices reina's belly, she smiles at the princess.

"you have been blessed," summer says softly.

reina's tired eyes reach summer's. she gives her a small smile. "it will be worth it," summer then assures her. "all of this. don't you think so?"

the princess' gaze shifts to where the moons are hung high in the night sky. around them, she observes the stars twinkling in the shape of the constellation she was born under, and in that moment it feels like a sign.

"if i yet live," reina murmurs, hands smoothing over her belly as a second heartbeat echoes inside her. you know not what you say, she thinks to herself, that rational voice that's always beaten out by the rest. but in that moment, she tries to believe it. she tries to cling onto hope, even if she has this deep-seated fear of what may happen to her - the exact same thing that befell upon medresi.

when summer cuts away the mats that have formed in her five feet of thick purple-black hair, reina feels as if she's shedding her skin. by the time her nurse is done, there's but a few scraggly curls left behind on her head, and she's surrounded by a lifetime of growth.

"dream sweet tonight, my girl," summer whispers against her feverish flesh. "i will see you tomorrow."

summer leaves her room and reina is left alone again. she pivots her head toward the window, letting the moonlight bathe her, and she falls into yet another dreamless sleep.

#━━ ✦ 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄 * THE ELDER SCROLLS ‚ what is better - to be born good or to overcome your evil nature through great effort ?#self para.#5.2k words

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