Every morning, Isla headed to the sea. In the solitude of the gentle rolling waves, she could hear her god. The Sea God has been kind and generous these past two decades, contrary to the decades of declining fish catch and shipwrecked ships that had come before. These days, the sea was serene, at peace with its awakened god. It had been a struggle at first to keep it hushed, but the people knew and kept their secret. In the silence of their homes, in the secrecy of their family altars and in the quiet of the sea, they worshipped their god. The empire needn't know. Etienne needn't know, he didn't even know his own goddess was awake. It was safer that way.
Isla had never envied her brother. Not even when five years back he'd been confirmed Duke of Lusine. How could she when the emperor kept him from his birthright until he wed his daughter? How could she when he didn't even know that his goddess - their ancestress, a voice whispered in her mind- has awakened, that his sacrifices and prayers did not go unheeded? No, Isla could not envy her brother, trapped as he was by a princess who kept jealous guard over him. She chuckled softly recalling what Aine had told her about Giselle threatening the knight. 'You should have been my knight instead,' she had teased. Idly, Isla thought of asking Etienne to allow her to keep Aine in Ilvaine once he and his princess settle in Lusine.
Closing her eyes, Isla continued to walk into the sea until she was completely submerged in the water. To anyone else, it would have been dangerous, suicidal, but Isla was the heiress to Ilvaine, the only priestess to her god besides her grandmother, for the time being. Her grandmother had become too old to do it so it had become her duty instead.
"My lord," said Isla, her voice still sounding oddly in her ears underwater. Even after years of doing this, she had never gotten used to the sound of her own voice.
"You are distracted today Isla," said her god, their voice familial and gentle. "Is it your brother again?"
"Forgive me my lord," she replied, in a voice as contrite as she could muster. "My brother's betrothal was last night."
"How unfortunate, Lusine would be either displeased or pleased," the god mused. "I could never pinpoint exactly what she's thinking." If she could see them, she believed she'd see a smile on their lips.
Isla nodded and continued on with the ritual. Gently, she placed the pieces of sea glass atop the altar and gutted the fish offering, letting the blood flow around her. When her grandmother had first taught her how to do it, she had been disgusted, wrinkling her nose until grandmother told her she might have been offending their god. She had gotten used to it since then.
"Well then, my loyal priestess, is there anything you need?" asked the god.
"No, my lord. I am merely here to give thanks for our gentle weather and your bounty."
To her surprise, the god of the sea decided to materialize, their long hair flowing in the waves and their robes billowing around them. They laughed.
"I am sorry Isla for startling you," they said, "However, I believe I must tell you this- I've told you before that Lusine was awakened, yes?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Then, another war is coming. The goddess of war does not sit idly for long."
"Why wait for so long?"
"Lusine is very patient when it comes to warfare. A true predator in search of prey."
"My ancestress is also the goddess of peace, is she not?"
The god shook their head. "Yes, but peace achieved through blood on her altar. I am not one for mortal politics Isla, but I advise you to be prepared. Lusine's balance was upset when we were put to sleep and I've no doubt she'd seek to correct it."
"But there was a war, twenty years ago."
"I'm afraid your mother's rebellion never blossomed into the kind of war Lusine had hoped for."
"Ilvaine isn't ready for war."
"Then you'll have to protect it in the meantime."
"Of course, I'll do my duty."
The god smiled, a wariness in their eyes. "I have no doubt you will Isla. But I wonder...no, let's talk again another time. There are many secrets you have yet to uncover. Perhaps one day, I'll tell you."
"I would be honored when that time comes."
The god gave her a searching look, pity in his eyes. "I know you'd do your duty Isla and I know you love this land. However, let go of Lusine. It would be better for you."
Isla emerged from the water shaken, but resolute. The prospect of war unnerved her- she had always been a peacemaker, conflict wasn't her strong suit. It simply wasn't in her nature, despite having descended from the goddess of war. She resolved to avoid it if she could help it. The people of Ilvaine have suffered enough when the sea god still slumbered. Grandmother had always made sure to tell her that. Her duty was to protect them, to ensure they don't have to suffer as they did and to stand between Ilvaine and the empire. Isla shivered. By awakening their god, they were already traitors. If a war would truly come, their lot have been cast before it started.
The god's last words stirred at her heart. Her god knew. Of course they knew. She'd always asked herself why. Why Etienne was chosen to be her mother's heir and not her. No. She had to let go. One day, Isla would be the duchess of Ilvaine. Ilvaine was more important at the moment. Isla had never even been to Lusine, while Ilvaine was her home.
Still, Isla kept walking, her head high. She had no reason to fear. Wasn't this the reason Etienne is marrying Giselle? In order to prevent a repeat of what happened to their parents, so that a war wouldn't be necessary. Yes, she thought. A peaceful solution would be easier than ever with Etienne as Giselle's consort. It wouldn't satisfy the goddess' balance but it would have to do. A figure by the beach caught her eye.
Aine. She'd never waited for Isla by the beach after her morning ritual before. It wasn't her habit to go to the seaside, saying the sea made her feel ill. Yet, here she was without that trademark red-and-white armor. Instead, Aine was clad simply in a knee-length tunic and a linen blanket for the morning cold. Isla stopped and stared at her for a moment, unused to seeing her like that. A pensive expression adorned her face and she hadn't even looked at Isla's direction.
"Aine?" Her voice came out in a whisper and she chided herself for ruining the peaceful scene. Immediately, Aine turned to her, a confused expression on her face. So she wasn't there for her after all. A part of Isla sank.
"Isla, hello." said Aine. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt your ritual?"
Isla shook her head. "No, I just finished. What are you doing here?"
"I need to think," she replied, biting her lip. "Something's wrong- or something will go wrong. I can feel it."
"Why do you say so? Is it the wedding?" Isla moved closer to her and together, they sat side-by-side on the sand. Aine rested her head against her shoulder as she sighed.
"It's not just the wedding- it's everything. I'm afraid my lord duke has made a mistake."
Isla closed her eyes. This has been a frequent topic between the two of them since the emperor started bringing up the possibility of her brother wedding the princess. It should have been settled when Etienne signed the betrothal contract. She opened her eyes again and cupped Aine's cheek.
She forced a smile on her lips. "You worry too much," she said, trying to keep her tone light. "They'll be alright, they're already devoted to each other. A loving couple."
If Isla were being honest, she'd admit she did not like the princess. She hasn't liked Giselle from the first time she'd seen her. She looked at Etienne and treated him like he was her own personal property. It was uncomfortable to behold. At times, Isla wasn't certain if Giselle even loved her brother or loved the idea of owning him. If Etienne's path leads him to where Isla suspects, marrying Giselle would pose a problem.
"He avoided her last night. At the feast celebrating their betrothal."
"Couples fight."
Aine looked up at her and frowned, her brown eyes darkening. "We don't."
"We're the exception then." Isla laced her fingers with Aine's. "It's Lusine isn't it?"
Aine turned her gaze to the sea. "I'm afraid I haven't been entirely honest with my lord duke. The High Priestess is furious."
"Furious?" That was a first. Usually, the High Priestess of Lusine would be patient with her brother, always sending him letters and news of home. For her to be angry with him was surprising.
"First time I'd seen it. She even wrote that it should have been you instead. 'What was the queen thinking?' she'd written."
Her heart pounded on her chest. It should have been you. Those words stirred an alien emotion within her, something she probably shouldn't be feeling. Was it envy? Once, when she was younger, she had asked her grandmother why mother insisted that she be baptized and dedicated to the sea god when the goddess prefers her female descendants. Grandmother hadn't been able to answer that question, but said that her mother must have had a reason for doing so. As a child, she'd pondered over possible reasons numerous times until she began her training as a priestess and put it aside.
"Mother must have had her reasons," she said, echoing what her grandmother had told her all those years ago.
Aine nodded. "Of course, I would never speak ill of the dead, but it was strange and still controversial in Lusine."
"Even after twenty years?"
"Especially now," said Aine. "The people don't like it, but they'll put up with it only because Etienne is the goddess' own blood."
"I'm not sure Etienne regrets anything really."
"Well, the princess is beautiful."
"Not as beautiful as you." Pettily, Isla didn't like to think of Giselle as pretty. Beautiful she might be, but she reminded Isla of a viper always waiting to strike. She hoped her brother would be able to deal with the woman but Giselle was slippery as a snake. Etienne thought of her as spoiled, somewhat harmless, but Isla knew better. Giselle was the most dangerous woman in the world. Isla feared the day she becomes empress might soon come.
"I'm a little worried," Aine confessed. "My lord would have to be stronger if he's to go against his wife."
"Why would you ask him to do that?"
"He is the blood of the goddess. He would have too."
You're her blood too, said that faint whisper at the back of her mind. She was the goddess of war and peace's descendant too, the blood of Lusine. By tradition, her and Etienne's roles should have been reversed, with he as Duke of Ilvaine and the Sea God's priest, and her Duchess of Lusine. She would have been named Lusine like all of her ancestresses but her mother insisted she be named Isla. Before he died, her father only spoke of her mother's will once. He'd said that she was stubborn and had a plan she wouldn't tell anyone about, that it was a secret of her bloodline, and she died before she could tell them. Isla sank her feet deeper into the sand, wishing that there was a way for her to gain those answers she'd long sought. Instead, she continued to sit with Aine for a while, the sound of waves crashing into the shore mingling with the sound of their hearts beating.
Comments (0)
See all