A Snake, a Star, and a Fox

by Maelie Arsenault

To my dearest Chloe,

I hope you never have need of this compartment but I know if you do, you will be clever enough to look. I have kept two items here. The first is information you may find important. The second, this letter, is to tell you how proud your aunt and I are of you. If we are not there to tell you, fate must have finally turned on us but you should know that you are the daughter of our heart and our lives and we love you like our own and always have. Your vibrance, your energy, your intelligence - and your hunger for discovery and love are all we could have asked for in this life or any other. If we have been separated or are gone, please know, dearest little fox, you are in our hearts forever and we pray you will find love and happiness.

Love always,
Mika

I don't like walking around this old and empty house
So hold my hand, I'll walk with you my dear
The stairs creak as you sleep
It's keeping me awake
It's the house telling you to close your eyes
And some days I can't even dress myself
It's killing me to see you this way
'Cause though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore

Dearest Chloe,

I am writing this because he cannot - or never will. It was a disastrous night and one that has come back to haunt us. You must remember that we did not intend or plan for it go such. It was all a terrible accident. Mika would never hurt anyone so on purpose - nevermind kill anyone. You must know that and not lose faith in him. It was a subterfuge gone wrong, a chance to steal some jewels from the Castillian palace with the help of some of the staff. You know Castille - all old money and no sense.

A young man found him on the way out. He tried to stop Mika from leaving and was knocked from the window in the process. It was bad, Chloe, but we didn't realize how bad until days later.
His name was Raphael de Aragon de Castille. The nephew of the king. The king was also not the problem. The boy's mother was.

Chloe, I think she's following us. And I don't think she will give up. Please know we didn't intend this. There's no time. I hope you never read this,

my love.
Kallie

There's an old voice in my head
That's holding me back
Well, tell her that I miss our little talks
Soon it will be over and buried with our past
We used to play outside when we were young
And full of life and full of love
Some days I don't know if I am wrong or right
Your mind is playing tricks on you, my dear
'Cause though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore

Deep in the night, Fox was sitting atop the aeroport towers by herself, looking at the objects in her hands. Her eyes drifted between the letters and the holy symbols of her aunt and uncle. Their words, their devotion, their love. All that she had left of them was two sheets of paper and these amulets. She didn’t want to think about why Leonessa had kept the holy symbols, what twisted concept of a trophy she had considered the badges of Sephira and Steyfano’s clerics. Instead, she just let herself hold them and be thankful that she at least had these as mementos.

Don't listen to a word I say
(Hey)
The screams all sound the same
(Hey)
And though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore

Seventeen out of thirty-one years they’d watched over her. Seen her grow from a scared little girl that couldn’t see colour to a carefree, risk-taking, young woman. They’d taken her out into the world and given her freedom and love. From Nicodemus’ doorstep they took her and brought her out under the stars and given her so much, including their very lives, to keep her safe.

She blinked back tears again. “Why?” She asks into the wind. “Why did you do all that for me? You didn’t know me. You just… showed up and picked me up… I don’t know… if I can believe that… I gave you near enough back…”

You're gone, gone, gone away
I watched you disappear
All that's left is a ghost of you
Now we're torn, torn, torn apart
There's nothing we can do
Just let me go, we'll meet again soon

She’d held it back after the duel when she found the amulets, but now that she was alone, it all came out. A year and a half of grief, bottled up so that the fox could run, hide, and escape the lioness chasing her. She’d run into the thicket that was Novandria’s underworld and worked to outwit her pursuers for months now, always narrowly escaping where they couldn’t find her. But finally, when cornered, she’d stopped being Maelie or Fox for a moment, and she was somebody else… someone who could fight, who could be ruthless, who had had enough.

And now… she wasn’t sure what came next. She clutched the symbols of Sephira and Steyfano as if letting go of them meant losing a part of her soul.

Now wait, wait, wait for me, please hang around
I'll see you when I fall asleep
Don't listen to a word I say
(Hey)
The screams all sound the same
(Hey)
Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore

False dawn started to brighten the eastern sky as she finally wiped away the tears. She shivers in the cold autumn breeze, the same one that had ushered her into Novandria almost exactly a year ago. Standing up and stepping to the edge, she looked down, absentmindedly resting her hand on the pouch with the feather fall scroll. Her fingers ran over the mementos a few more times before she looped them around her neck and tucked them into her blouse.

“I’ll… I’ll be alright, okay? You taught me so many things but… mostly, you taught me that I can decide my own path. You broke down the walls I lived in and you got me out. I… I love you both so much and I always will. Please, rest… I’ll see you again someday.”

Don't listen to a word I say
(Hey)
The screams all sound the same
(Hey)
Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore
Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore
Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore

Continue reading...

The Last Rule
November 27th, 1882, - Novandria

The Den

Am I losing?

A Close Call

Plans

New Toys

Mistakes were made

Too close to home

Not like you.

This City is Mine.
February 6th, 1883

Aimless?
March 5, 1883 - Novandria

The Game Begins
February 13th, 1883

Too much like You
March 13, 1883

Safer in Shadows
April 3, 1883

New Beginnings
April 7th, 1883

Ready to Run
April 17th, 1883

Home
April 25, 1883

Can you steal a heart?
May 8th, 1883

Trouble
11th of May, 1883

Heartbreak
14th of May, 1883

Hunter or Prey?
16th of May, 1883

Guilt
19th of May, 1883

Untrustworthy
21st of May, 1883

Why am I like this?
25th of May, 1883

Worthy
8th of June, 1883

The One She Left Behind
13th June, 1883

Annnd it's back...
July 1st, 1883

Learning to Fly
July 4th, 1883

Thrill of the Hunt
July 29th, 1883

From the Embers
21st of August, 1883 // 1867

Mother Knows Best
16th of September, 1883

A Snake, a Star, and a Fox
25th of September, 1883, Novandria

It wasn't him.
28th of September, 1883, Novandria

The New Blade
13th of September, 1883

Something Good
October 31, 1883 - Novandria

The wound that won't close
18th of December, 1883 - Novandria

Promise
25th of December, 1883 - Novandria

Fallen through the cracks
6th of January, 1884 - Novandria

Day to Night
7th of January, 1884

What's Left to the Shadows
22nd of January, 1884, Novandria

The World without Colour
18th of February, 1884, Bellancourt, Montaigne,

Seventeen Roofs
26th of February, Novandria, Eisen

Crossing the Board
4th of March, 1884, Novandria, Eisen

New Freedom
May 4th, 1884

Saved
5th of May, 1884/16th of July, 1858

A Snake, a Star, and a Fox

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