News Delivery to the Twins
POV: Alexandra
“Now…are you ready for what’s next?” I looked up at her confused, “What’s next?” She looked at me sadly, “You’ll see.” We walked out the door and into a dark corridor where the light was illuminating a door at the end of the corridor. The door looked familiar because carved on the top of the doorway was a panther. This was the animal symbol of our house and the head of the family occupied the room with the panther and that was my grandfather. My father may have had the title of a duke but so long as my grandfather was alive, he was not the head of the family. We stepped through into the dimmed light of my grandfather’s room. The room always smells of vanilla and lavender and the scent hit me first mixed with something else I couldn’t place. It was a different scent that was strange to his room. I looked around for him at his desk which was where he normally was when he was in his room. The chair which was pushed out at an angle was empty, there was a paper with writing on it and a pen sitting on top. It was odd he would leave something half-written here. Nystasia tapped my shoulder and pointed at the bed, “You'll find that Darren is in bed.” He was laying in his bed and he was very pale. I gasped and ran over to him and picked up his hand but it was cold. I looked up at Nystasia, “Is my grandfather dead here?” Nystasia nodded, “The smell you are smelling is death.” Tears started to fall down my eyes, “Did this happen already in reality?” She shook her head, “I’m just showing you the reality of your near future. We all agreed it might be best for your body if we deliver this news to you this way.” I stared down at my grandfather, “Do we know how long we have with him?” Nystasia said, “No but Reggie was told soon.”
I pulled in a sharp breath and looked up at her defiantly, “Then I guess I need to recover the quickest I can. I don’t want to stay reverted but I need to fix myself quickly to go spend time with him.” She smiled and nodded, “There it is.” I looked at her confused, “There what is?” She picked up my hand and kissed the back of it, “That strength that you are going to need for what’s to come. Vellum needs that of you. We don’t know what The Order is up to but it seems they really need you to be out of the way for them to achieve their means.” She looked up, “I think it is time for me to go.” She pointed at the door, “You will need to walk out of the door so you aren’t trapped here when Theodore wakes you.” She faded away from the room so I turned to my grandfather one last time and kissed his cheek, “I will get better for you, gramps. Hold on for me.” I turned to the door and walked out of it and into the light. I heard Theodore’s voice, “Alexandra? Are you awake?” I opened my eyes as he was dabbing my face with a handkerchief. He smiled down at me, “You were crying in your sleep. How do you feel?” I breathed in deeply and felt a small pinch in my stomach, “A little better. It still hurts but not nearly as bad.” He nodded, “I will need to do the examination again to see what needs to be done to properly heal you. Are you going to be okay with that?” I nodded at him, “I know what to expect this time so I have no fear.”
Theodore walked over and prepared the water as he had before and after he sent the water through my mouth. This time, since I knew what was going to happen, it didn’t hurt nearly as much. A short time later, clear water came out of me and started to scroll on the magic paper. The water was finished writing and returned to the bowl. He lifted the paper and his eyes widened, “This is…unexpected.” He looked at me, “You won’t need to fully revert. We can just give you another weak potion and have you drink a little blood.” He scratched his chin and adjusted the reading glasses he was wearing, “I don’t understand how you lost even more blood since surgery but need less after surgery. It’s fascinating. You truly are very different, Alexandra.” He looked at me and smiled, “Would you like me to send in your friends and family?” I nodded at him, “Theodore, don’t forget though, I consider you as a friend as well.” He reached over to me and patted my face, “Of course, my friend.” He turned to the cart and started to wheel it out, “I’ll send them in and come back to talk to you.” The door closed and I sighed as the dreams I had just experienced came to mind. I was wondering why Nystasia brought me to the past and explained all of the stuff I knew about my grandfather already. The only question was who the boy was that he took from Seely, he never brought him up. I had wondered if it was a painful memory for him. Perhaps this was another way for Nystasia to ask me to find out for her. It didn’t matter what she wanted at this point because I wanted to know this for myself. I would have to finish getting better and go to see my grandfather. Hopefully, I could ask him about Panshad’s brother.
POV: Ashton
Derek and I stepped out of the carriage the Citadel supplied for us to use when we had investigations. Derek was still wearing the clothing he had worn when he took Alexandra to the castle, I turned to him, “We need to get you changed. You wearing my sister’s blood is really upsetting to me. I have a change of clothing in my locker if you need some. Please change before we meet with the General.” Derek looked down at the red stains on his shirt and nodded, “It’s just as upsetting to wear it, trust me. I think I have some clothes in my locker but thanks, man. I’ll promptly change when we get inside.” We stepped into the building and one of the scribes in the front handed me an envelope, the seal was gold. I looked up at him, “Is this from the castle?” The scribe nodded, “Yes, sir. They ask that you wait to open it until after you report to the General on your investigation.” I looked down at the envelope and wondered what it could be that Lucien sent a letter to me here, “Thank you for your delivery and message.” I smiled at the scribe who smiled back and he walked back to his desk. I waited for Derek outside of the locker room, leaning on the wall next to the door. After a short time, Derek emerged and we proceeded to the General’s office. I knocked on the General’s door and he asked us to enter the room. We entered and knocked our left fist to our right peck. He looked up at us sternly as he so often did when something really serious happened in Vellum, “Sit and report.”
I pulled the black bag out of my pocket, “The assassin dropped this trinket at the scene. Derek and I had a hunch that Alexandra might know what it is. We went to the castle to see if she was conscious enough to identify it.” The General clenched his jaw, “Did His Majesty admonish you?” Derek shook his head, “He did ask why we were there but when we explained he relaxed a little.” The General relaxed a little which meant he was afraid that Lucien would be upset and send a reprimand order to him. The General was a leader who had to punish where necessary but he hated to do so. If it came from Lucien that we needed to be punished, his hands were tied and he would have to faithfully carry out the King’s recommended punishment. He was at liberty to carry out what punishments he saw fit when it came from the Council and the Church. He leaned back in his chair, “So was Her Grace awake?” I nodded and smiled, “Thankfully, yes. She knew exactly what it was.” I placed the bag on his desk and he picked it up and took the item out of the bag. He draped the necklace across his hands, “Is it human in nature?” Derek nodded, “Yes, sir. Alexandra explained this had a religious meaning to humans. It symbolizes human Christianity. I remember reading about it once in the study at Batiste manor. They believe in a messiah named Jesus, who redeemed them in the eyes of their God. Alexandra explained that they worshiped only All Mighty in that religion. The cross was a sort of symbol of their messiah and, by extension, their God.” The General looked me in the eye, “Do you think this was someone from Terre coming after your sister? Is there anyone from their realm that hates her?” I sighed, “All of them essentially but I have laid eyes on the assassin and he has a blue hue to his skin which isn’t very human-like.” He nodded, “What of the Seely realm then?” I shook my head, “We spoke with Princess Sylphia and when I described him to her, she said the night elves don’t match the description. She suggested that he could be a hybrid race to a human, perhaps.” He nodded and then tapped on his desk, “Okay, is there anything else?” Derek shook his head, “This is all we know for now.” The General rose from his seat which caused us to have to rise and he looked at us, “I will discuss with His Majesty when he is available and I will give orders after that. You are dismissed.” We both thumped our chests with our fists again and left the room.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the envelope, I heard Derek, “His Majesty sent this to you? Is it about you know who? Complications? What’s going on?” Clearly, Derek was just as worried about my sister as I had been but I had to calm him down, “Calm down friend, I’m sure she’s fine. She seemed very well when we were there earlier. I’m sure he’s just updating us on her condition after Theodore did his examination.” I pulled the letter out of the envelope and read:
“Dear Ashton,
Theodore examined Alexandra after you left. He determined that she still had a small tear in her stomach and would need another surgery. He also determined that she would need to revert and a pint of blood. She has not decided as of yet whether she will revert and take the blood or go through the long and hard process of rehabilitating naturally. Before she went into surgery, your parents had mentioned that they had news they needed to share with her.
Your parents have asked me to share this news with you. Your father said that around the time Alexandra was injured, your grandfather had a heart attack. They brought in the family doctor who has told them that he doesn’t have long to live. In light of this news, I am going to direct the General to send official ‘orders' to the Maigny house that you will be sent to Mesha to investigate my brother as a front to allow you to visit with your grandfather until his death. I’m putting this together right now and plan on visiting the Citadel once I am sure that Alexandra is well after her surgery. Please be ready to leave Maigny house at a moment’s notice as he will send the Citadel carriage.
Your friend,
Lucien”
After I read the letter, I tucked it back into the envelope and found the nearest chair, and plopped down. I buried my head in my hands and wept.
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