She held their hands as the Queen's body was borne forth, her own eyes glistening with unshed tears-the same tears reflected in the eyes of the people of the kingdom. Gently, she squeezed the small, trembling hands of her nine-year-old twin nieces. The soft thundering of rain hit the ground. The black clouds loomed above-like a predator towering over its prey. The raindrops felt like a swarm of knives cutting through her.
But it wasn't her body being pierced... It was her heart. "Where is Mommy, Aunty?" Annalyss, the soft and delicate one of the twins, asked. "Is she alright?" Ammeryss, the more mature of the two, added.
Ravana couldn't answer their innocent questions-she had also lost her sister. She could only stay quiet, covering the twins' eyes as the cover was lifted and swayed off their mother's body. A single tear dripped from her eye and onto the ground.
The Palace of Evendell, once bright and vibrant, felt joyless now. A heavy sorrow hung in the air, thick and unmoving. It was still raining. The raindrops that had once brought Ravana joy now felt like tiny daggers of pain. The rain brought with it both losses and promises.
The promise Ravana had made to her elder sister. That day, the scent of blood had suffocated Ravana. But the one truly suffocated was Evangelin. Evangelin had been unwell for days. Her once-vibrant, pearly skin had ashened, her complexion almost translucent, with veins faintly visible beneath the surface.
Ravana remembered sitting by her sister's bed as she coughed up blood. She remembered how her sister's hands had felt when she made her promise. She would never let her nieces feel the reality that their mother had taken her last breath. She had known Evangelin wouldn't live much longer. But… why did it have to happen today? The day her nieces turned nine years old.
The girls were too young to comprehend that their mother was no more-and so was her sister. Ravana sighed, pushing her tears back. She sat down on the armchair that once belonged to her sister. She had to be strong. If not for herself, then for her nieces. Evangelin wouldn't want Ravana to break down.
She had felt this broken only twice before-once when her husband and unborn baby perished, and now, for her sister, who had been with her through every storm. "Aunty…?" a soft, gentle voice came from the slightly ajar door.
Ravana looked up quickly, wiping away her tears. Then, with a forced smile, she said, "Lissy? Come on in." Nine-year-old Annalyss walked past the threshold, slowly making her way to Ravana. Her small, delicate feet pitter-pattered softly against the floor
Ravana picked her up and cradled her to her chest. "Why aren't you asleep, my sweet?" Ravana asked, trying not to tear up in front of her niece. She had to be strong. "I'm scared, Aunty." Annalyss's small lips trembled as she leaned her head against Ravana's chest. "Scared of what, sweet one?" Ravana's voice was no more than a whisper.
"The thunder… The sky is so loud, Aunty. It feels like it's coming to get me," she murmured, nuzzling deeper into Ravana's warmth.
"Aww, my love," Ravana sighed. "Let me tell you something!" She rose from the armchair and walked toward her bed with Annalyss in her arms. Her slippers flapped against the marble floor.
"You know, thunder is scared of me," Ravana said as she laid the little girl down, tucking her in. "Really?!" Annalyss's eyes widened in surprise. A smile lit up her lips."Yes," Ravana said as she lay down beside her. "Then please tell it to go away," Annalyss whispered. "It's scary…"
Ravana chuckled. "I will," she said, then frowned playfully. "But it won't listen to me…" She looked into her niece's eyes. "Unless you close your eyes and think of something good." "Does it really work?" Annalyss asked. Ravana nodded softly. "Okay, I'll try." Annalyss closed her eyes. Ravana gently patted her chest. Annalyss's breathing evened out as she slipped into a land of no sorrow, no pain-just dreams. Free from the harshness of reality.
"Aunty…?" another voice came, this time from the other twin-Ammeryss. "Oh, my sweet… What's wrong, dear?" Ravana slowly sat up without waking Annalyss. "I can't sleep," Ammeryss said, averting her gaze. "Can I sleep with you?" "Aww, darling, come."
Ravana smiled and gently lifted the edge of the blanket, making room for her. She patted the space beside her. Another clap of thunder roared like a feral beast. Ammeryss flinched and hurried to the bed, her pattering feet trying to make as little noise as possible.
She climbed into bed, and Ravana tucked the blanket around her. Ravana lay down between the two girls. "It's okay, dear," she whispered, kissing Ammeryss's forehead.
Ammeryss closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of her aunt. She nuzzled closer to Ravana, who smiled and gently rubbed her back until she too was asleep. Ravana then closed her own eyes, trying to find sleep herself. She knew her sister had wanted only the best for her daughters. And she would make that happen.
She would not let them feel……the pain of losing a mother. Beneath a sky that still wept for them, the night passed-and time moved forward. The Palace of Evendell would one day laugh again-but not tonight.
Tonight belonged to the rain, the thunder, and the quiet promise of an aunt who would shelter her nieces from the storm.
And so begins the story of two little girls-walking a path of royal duty, chasing the memory of their mother, and learning, one day, to carve a path of their own.
(To be continued…)
