Chapter 3: Chapter 3
"Hanna, wait up! Please come back!" Kisa called after her. Hanna ran; ran till she reached the room that was given to them for the time being. She entered it and slammed the door behind her and flopped on the bed and cried. Kisa entered shortly after her and followed her to the bed she was on.
"Hanna what has gotten into you? Why have you shown Ethan and the Mother Song Maiden such disrespect? Ethan is our friend and the Mother Song Maiden has shown us nothing but kindness. I am your friend too and I wish to help you through your sorrow." Kisa comforted her as Hanna shook from the tears.
"I have no sorrow! I am enraged that she came all the way out of her castle to choose the one guardian that an average Song Maiden dared to fall in love with. It's killing me to see him with that Song Mistress, that harlot. All his small friendly gestures to us made me fall for him even more, made me think more; that a Song Maiden could have a life and not just a profession." Hanna muffled through the pillow she was hugging then threw it against the wall.
"I love him too Hanna, he has shown us great kindness with all the times we shared together. But he clearly has strong feelings for Shira and they seem extremely happy together. I will give him all the love I have for him and be happy that he is happy. I cannot waste my energy on something that will never be; I will wave to him and smile and always hope that he smiles back. Too truly love someone is to put there feeling before your own, let them be who they are and not change them, because if you don't then you would be selfish and truly didn't love them in the first place." Kisa backed away from Hanna afraid of whom she was and if she even really knew to begin with.
"Why don't you see it, Kisa it's her spell she has over him! Makes everyone believe that they were made for each other. I don't believe it for a minute and you shouldn't either! Everyone is blinded but me so I will save him because I am not blind, I see right through her masquerade." Hanna gloated as she stormed out of the room.
Shira let out a deep breath as she entered her living quarters relaxing a bit, the role as Mother Song Maiden to so many she was not aware of took a toll on her. She was saddened yet so relieved but knew that there was more to come still, she would have to play the role more often. Shira also knew that she had to stay sharp not like yesterday when she was almost assassinated like her sister. Thankfully she had Ethan; she smiled knowing he would always be by her side. He placed his hands on her shoulders and began to rub the stiffness out of them from the weight that she carried on them.
"You no longer need to carry such weight on your shoulders, I am here now. We shall carry the weight equally. I will shelter you with my wings." He caressed her ear with his soft voice, Shira smiled again.
"I'm just so used to carrying the responsibility alone, I will try to let you take some of that weight for me," confessing to him. They made their way to her royal quarters finding Dedrick waiting for them in the sitting room.
"Shira you look weary, are you well?" Dedrick asked standing to greet them. In her quarters he was never formal with her and he assumed as much with Ethan as well, with the length of time that they have known each other.
"Just the length of the day and all that has happened. I just need some rest and I will be fine." She smiled at him, with the special smile that was only for him.
"Was there something in particular you were here for Dedrick?" Ethan asked, attempting to remove the coat he wore, getting his arm stuck and a wing folded in. Both laughed at him all twisted up. Shira went over and helped him out of it.
"Yes, we've found out that most of the teachers knew nothing of the improper bonding of the Song Maidens. There were three who did and one of them decided he was going to keep his eyes. He told us that they came from Thornton with orders years ago. Apparently there were midwives in place to let the royal house know of the birth of Song Maidens, they took advantage of the slow birth rate and relieved them of their duties. Not informing the royal house of the growing population of Song Maidens and intended to teach them other then the ways of truth. We were able to locate a census from the school, some are crossed out. I'm assuming that they have died due to this scam they tried to pull on us." Dedrick paused sensing something was wrong he and Ethan turned to Shira, who stood next to the open window.
She had her hands over her ears shaking her head, the sorrow of all of her kind crepe into her. How could she let things get so bad? She was tied to her people and her land, she felt if she cried to her, called for her assistance. She let a shrilling sound out unable to hold it in, holding her torso and falling to the floor. As the sound came out so did shadow-like people. Three drifted out of her mouth, shimmered to form then back to smoke they looked at Ethan then to Dedrick studying him for a bit then moved to the door and slipped through a crack and were gone.
"I'm sorry," Shira rasped her face wet with trails of tears. "I could not hold the sound in." Ethan moved her to a nearby chair.
"Do I even want to know what those were?" Ethan asked playfully knowing anything created by her would not harm anything that was pure of heart, as he wiped the tears from her eyes.
"I was so angry, so angry at myself. I am the last of the royal family only I am capable of knowing the tradition that is needed to hold this land and its people together. How could I have been so ignorant and not have checked on the Isano Women? My body is linked to the land and its maidens; it has eaten away at me because I feel my land being gnawed upon. The sounds I make are magic; some are pleasant and make happiness. Others are dark and wreak havoc, when I become extremely emotional it comes out and I am unable to control it. Senka Dieter is created from a sound of anguish and they are the assassins of what had caused the anguish." Shira explained looking even weary then before.
"So those shadows.. Senka Dieter is going to attack the imposter teachers who were sent here from Thornton?" Dedrick asked intrigued at what he just saw, he had never seen a Song Maiden sing magic before. She could only shake her head in acknowledgment. "I should wait to tell you the rest in the morning then, you are exhausted, get some rest." He bowed to both of them and then turned Ethan. "I know you will make sure that she dose." He stated then he walked out the door.
Dedrick exited the royal chambers to find Hanna arguing with two royal guards that blocked her way in. He chuckled at how she fought so fiercely, and then pondered at her intentions. She is filled with a dark turmoil that he thought might be because she needed a guardian so desperately. For a moment he let himself think he could heal her swirling emotions, that just maybe he could somewhat feel whole, true. She was like he was, halves of a whole that would never be. That's why Dedrick felt so drawn to her, then reality sank in and he knew that there would never be a maiden for him but his Shira.
"May I be of some assistance Songstress Hanna?" Dedrick inquired as he interrupted her rant on why she should be let past. The guards moved aside to let him pass when they noticed him.
"I'm sorry, have we met before?" She asked noticing that they moved aside for him but not for her? She was almost about to use a lullaby.
"No, Madam we have not been introduced. I am Dedrick Von Loran, General of the Royal Guard. I was present while Leora was Naming Guardians. You were told that you did not have one right? He asked after he introduced himself.
"Unfortunately, but I do not believe what she said and will continue to look for my Guardian. Dedrick it is imperil that I speak with Ethan, I must." She pleaded with him; perhaps he will be useful to her as an ally.
"I cannot Hanna they have retired for the night and cannot be disturbed, if you need to talk with Ethan I can make arrangements for you to speak with him first thing in the morning." He replied to her request wondering what could be so important that she would disturb Shira and Ethan. Hanna sighed, took a deep breath and let out soft sounds as she sang a lullaby.
♪ "Go to sleep, close your eyes.
Tomorrow is a new day.
Go to sleep, close your eyes.
Tomorrow we shall play." ♪
Hanna hummed the tune the guards nearby swayed so slumped to the ground and began to snore. Dedrick felt tired as his vision blurred a bit as he looked at her, then she left past him. Realizing that she just spelled them he shook it off. Her spell wasn't powerful enough to make him fall asleep; he was an Aurickan and his blood rushed through his veins Dedrick turned and chased after her. Around the corner he saw her at the end of the hall deciding where to go.
"Hanna, Stop! Come back!" He called after her as she ran down another corridor. She busted into the room, Ethan and Shira where holding each other in their arms only enraged her even more. Shira held back from slapping her for such disrespect for her title as well as the order she blatantly disobeyed. Ethan's brow furrowed from confusion as to why she felt it necessary to enter unannounced.
"I must speak with you Ethan. It is of the utmost important information," Hanna blurted out glaring at Shira with malice. The air was thick with tension; both women eyed each other vigilantly watching for one small mistake on either one of their behalf.
"I'm sorry My Lord, she got passed the guards." Dedrick explained out of breath as he rushed in after her. Ethan waved him away and turned to Hanna; Dedrick happily obliged him and moved out into the hall.
"What important information do you have that would benefit me?" Ethan asked annoyed with her, his emotions came to him readily. Always used to hiding them away, reminding himself that he must work at controlling them once more.
"We must speak in private, just the two of us." Requesting she gave a small smile hoping on a thin thread that she would get to be alone with him again once more, she took a few steps towards him.
"Hanna, Shira and I are one. What needs to be spoken to me I cannot deny, she will hear." He responded candidly placing a hand on her shoulder in friendship. Hanna's eyes pleaded for a moment alone with him.
"My love, she is infatuated with you, can you not see it in her eyes? That is why she has been acting so strange, she is threatened by me. I will allow her moment alone with you but you must let her know that you only hold friendship for her. If she continues to hold resentment towards me I will have to reprimand her behavior, if she wants to act like a child she shall be treated like one." Shira told him telepathically as they held each other's gaze over his shoulder. He nodded and Hanna knew that they were conversing another way. Shira left the room paying no attention to Hanna because that was what she wanted, attention.
"You were using your eyes to talk with her weren't you?" Hanna asked moving away from him even more enraged that they had a secret language.
"Yes, it is the link that binds us. I could easily have a conversation with her now while she is in the other room. What is it that you needed to speak to me about that could not wait till tomorrow?" Ethan asked, keeping distance between them.
"I…I…L…Care very deeply…No, I love you and you must love me in return. I cannot go another day of living knowing you are that sorceresses Guardian, is it because you are an Aurickan? Do you fear that I am afraid of your true form? Do you not remember your promise to protect me?" Hanna declared clutching to him desperately trying to cage the bird he was, only to end up pushing him away. A calm demeanor came over him as he glared at her with his black eyes.
"When did you come to be so selfish? You don't love me. To love is to understand one's feelings and respect their decisions, and you do neither. You know not of the feelings I have for Shira and my decision is to be by her side. It pains me to hear that you would take me away from my life. I apologize if I ever gave you the wrong impression. I only wanted your friendship nothing more or less. My promise was to protect you, not be with you. Shira has been destined for me since I was young; I was unable to tell you because I had to protect her. I locked my childhood memories away because they were so painful for me. Shira reminded me, because I had to remember, I had to accept the pain and anger was apart of me, like she is." Ethan pushed her away and turned from her. She wept, how could he be so blind? She could sense no magic on him except his usual aura.
"I am thoroughly disappointed with you, you have disrespected Shira and me and if you continue to do so you will be punished accordingly, understand?" Ethan said in a stern voice over his shoulder then moved to the door and opened it. Hanna slowly moved to the door utterly defeated and hopeless, but she decided that she would not give up no matter what, even if she had to kill that witch herself.
The door slammed behind her and she flinched then fell to the floor and continued to sob. How could she ever be able to save him all by herself? Kisa could not be trusted as she was spelled as well. Perhaps this Dedrick could help her? But she knew not where his loyalties were.
"Songstress Hanna, it would be my pleasure to show you back to your room." Dedrick said, extending his hand to help her up.
"Why? Why are you helping me after what I did? You didn't tell them I sang a spell on you and the guards. How is it that you didn't fall asleep like the guards?" She asked, avoiding his eyes.
"I am an Aurickan negative song spells do not affect me the same as humans, plus it was not a very strong spell. In a way we are the same, you and I. You do not have a Guardian and I do not have a Maiden. You are struggling like I had, trying to find your way, your reason." He responded and she grew a bit more accepting to him and allowed him to help her up. An Aurickan Hanna thought, and so many of thoughts went through the tiny head with the thick skull that she had.
"Now do you want to tell me why you felt you had to disturb My Lord and Lady?" Dedrick asked as he handed her a handkerchief. She shook her head no and accepted the tissue.
"Why do you not have a Maiden Dedrick?" Hanna asked wiping the tears away as he led her out of the royal corridors.
"My Maiden was killed many years ago before I even knew of her." Dedrick replied as he led Hanna back to her room the rest of the way in silence.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone