It was a busy afternoon in the bustling labyrinthine streets of Envie. Towering stone spires erected through the cloudy hazed sky, and stone alleyways connected one building to another, intricately designed for quick and easy passage. The scent of burning coal mixed with freshly baked bread sent a ripeness through the air. Vendors would frequent their wares to the influx of civilians of all classes, wishing to make a living as well. Music spilled from open windows with opera singers and musicians brimming the streets.
Envie was a city state comprised of gothic themed architecture, home to the people who valued order and tradition for their laws. Many of their people believed in the values of all voices and wished that they would be traditionally governed through individual freedom. Yet it stood in complete stark contrast to its twin city-state neighbored beside it.
Desir. Although the two city-states shared the same home, Desir valued rule with an iron fist, wanting dictatorship among all. Both Envie and Desir waged a cold war with one another from their discernable differences in governing rights. This tension would result in one deigning superiority over the other, and battles were fought on both soil.
Borders from the city states were patrolled by powerful guards from both entries, yearning to keep law and order. It was not the only issue that brought fear and trauma into its civilians, but it also waged war with its own class.
Those who were poor were looked down upon with pure distaste. It ruined the image of whichever city-state they populated, and strong thinkers believed that the poor devalued the strength of their homes. Therefore, they were shunned upon and rejected from society in public. Others knew of their existence, but they were ignored unless provoked.
Elise was one out of many of these individuals. During this cloudy night, Elise and her family disguised themselves as the middle class for a small shopping spree. She was joined by her father, mother, and little sister whom all walked in an elegant manner to appear of equal standing.
"Envie is looking much more lively today," Elise's mother stated. "I wonder what's gotten everyone so riled up."
"Parsnips," Elise's father muttered, glancing at a notepad in his jacket pocket. "Onions and cheese. Nia, darling, is that vegetable stand still open? I was wondering if you could take Rinnie and Elise there while I go trade for some pottage tonight."
"I can take Rinnie," Elise's mother, who was named Nia, said, kneeling toward Elise's little sister. She had brown hair similar to Elise herself. She held Rinnie's hand and looked over at Elise. "Elise, stay with your papa. And push your glasses up. They're about to fall out."
"Okay, mama." Elise said, nodding and pushing up her spectacles with her index finger.
"Bye, Erise." Rinnie mispronounced. She was only six years old and could barely speak normally.
As Elise's mother and sister departed, she followed her father near the end of a market where all manners of poor folk were crowding over the stalls begging for scraps. Not wanting to coincide with the common folk, Elise followed her father toward the pottage stall, which seemed strangely empty for how lively it was.
"Erik!" Elise's father's voice boomed through the potage shop as if he was greeting a decade old friend.
"Ah, Frederick!" The potage owner, named Erik, was a chubby man with a belly as wide as a beast. He approached the two, clutching a frothy glass of aged beer.
Elise stood beside them, stiff as a board as her hands clasped in front of her. She glanced between the two men and was unsure whether to speak or remain silent. Yet that moment of doubt caused an issue from her father. Her silence drew a sharp glance from him.
"Elise, show some manners," he said, his voice low and cold.
She straightened herself immediately.
"Hi, Uncle Erik," she said, her tone changed, seemingly rehearsed.
"No need for pleasantries, young one!" Erik chuckled, waving his beer. "We're all family here!" He turned back to Frederick, eyes twinkling. "We've got weeks to catch up on. Why don't you grab a crumpet and wait outside? On the house!"
"Okay."
Elise moved toward the platter of crumpets, but her father's voice stopped her mid-step.
"Elise."
She froze. His eyes stared on her like a ghost would haunt a helpless victim.
"I'm sorry. Thank you, Uncle Erik," she said, bowing stiffly. The words tasted like ash as she regretfully choked on it. Such forced family relations were under false pretense for her.
She snatched a crumpet from the wooden platter and shoved it into her mouth, chewing mechanically as she pushed through the door to respect her father's time.
The very second her feet hit the ground outside as the door shut, a shadow came by her side and gripped her forearm tightly. It was Astra au Claire, who had been trailing her this entire time. She dragged Elise out of sight, forcing the crumpet out of her mouth as it became nothing but litter on the streets.
"Finally found you, Elise!" Astra's hushed voice immediately flustered Elise's cheeks.
"Astra!" Elise gasped, crumbs spilling from her lips. "What are you doing here!?"
"Come with me," Astra hissed, dragging her into the narrow alleyway across the street. They dodged several wheelbarrows and carts on the roads, causing a mild disturbance for those crossing. "I need to show you something!"
"Papa's going to get mad-"
"It'll only be for a short while, I promise!"
"Astra..." Elise whispered, looking uncertain to her.
"Come on!" Astra denied, dragging her through the alleyway.
Elise could have sworn her arm was about to be torn from its socket with the force Astra was using to drag her along. Everything seemed like a blur as the two rushed from alleyway to alleyway through the labyrinthine walls through Envie. The lack of parental guidance gradually made Elise more tense as she worried of the punishment that would follow if she was caught.
He's going to be furious.
The thought struck her like a slap. She knew of the consequences of disobedience. But all she could do was wait as she was strung along like a reluctant dog.
At last, they reached their destination; the border of Desir, a neighboring street that felt like a world apart. Elise could have sworn the air shifted and seemed cleaner from all of the perfumed rich folk populating the area. All of the men and women were of the same height and wore overly gaudy and lavishly tight outfits and dresses. They stood in a mob, glued and frozen to whatever they were focused on in front of them.
Their behavior was unusual. They seemed to be crowding over a message board dimly illuminated by a streetlight that was voluntarily turned on.
"Astra, we're not supposed to be here." Elise hissed, attempting to release her hand off. "Desir's dangerous for us!"
"Just come here!" Astra spat, dragging Elise toward the message board.
Their short heights managed to unveil easily what the rich folk were gossiping of. Elise heard briefly what they were saying.
"I've never seen something so elegantly detailed." A rich man with an accent spoke to his family. "And... what's this? An anonymous artist. Someone of such amazing talent's hiding in Desir!"
"The person looks oddly sad," Another rich woman spoke as well. "But there lies the mystery in it. It's difficult to tell the truth of it all."
"The shape of his face is perfect."
"Her eyes are so detailed!"
Elise could not believe what she was hearing.
As the crowd of perfumed Desir citizens paved the way for the two of them, her gaze locked onto a wide glass display nestled between two boutique storefronts. Behind the pane bathed in a golden radiance of lamp lights which hung three portraits.
They were her portraits.
She stopped cold. The world around her seemed to hush entirely. The sketches were unmistakable. It was her exact art style with two men and one woman all rendered in ink with the raw intimacy only that Elise's talented hand could conjure.
Every line, every shadow, every subtle expression was made by her from memory, and it was torn straight from the pages of her sketchbook.
She stood frozen. Her limbs were numb, and her thoughts were tangled. A storm of emotion churned inside her. It was a mixture of pride, fear, and sorrow. Because this was Desir. Her art was finally seen. But not on her terms.
Her own work, born in the solitude of Envie, now hung in the heart of the city that had always looked down on her class and kind. It was an unmistakable paralleled idea of beauty that would remain on Desir territory. A wave of embarrassment overtook her happiness.
Astra stepped beside her as her face grew joyous at the amount of publicity it was getting. She didn't seem to understand Elise's feelings.
"See, Elise? I told you!" Astra exclaimed, grabbing Elise's palms and holding them tightly. "I told you they would love it! I've been here all morning watching so many of them admire your works. They even made donations inside the storefront!"
"Astra." Elise could only utter one word.
"Elise?" Astra curtly tilted her head to the side, confused of her bitter reaction. "What's wrong? I thought you would be more excited than this!"
"You're a Desir, aren't you?" She asked, coldly staring into her eyes.
"Yeah, but-"
"I'm an Envie," Elise's voice harbored malice. "And you put my art on Desir territory. Don't you know how serious this is!? I'm going to be executed for this. If they find out that an Envie made that-"
"No one's going to know," Astra reaffirmed. "You're an anonymous artist. And I don't give a damn if you're an Envie. Girls stick together. Jeez. The least you could do is say thank you. I had to bribe the store owner to stick your portraits up there."
"No one said you had to put them up there," Elise continued pressuring her. "No one but you asked for this. What do you really want out of this, Astra? Money? To make me a public nuisance? To watch another Envie get their head chopped off for all to see? Is that your definition of art?"
"Hey, I made you so much more money than your family could ever make in a single day," Astra spat. "And I was the first one to actually admire your art!"
"Astra!?" Frederick's voice rang through the alleyway in which they previously stumbled through.
Elise turned immediately around and caught her father glaring at her in pure intensity. He stared down at her with bloodlust in his eyes, almost intending to murder her for trailing off on Desir territory. As he started up his terrifyingly haunting walk toward her, Elise broke down into tears, going limp from low blood pressure. Her spectacles dropped on the dirt below her.
"Elise, who is that!?" Astra whispered.
"Papa..." Elise sobbed, envisioning the punishment she would receive.
Without a word, Astra spun and bolted, dragging Elise behind her like a corpse. They plunged into the nearest alleyway. Elise felt the world narrowing her vision. Possibilities of being whipped, bled, or disowned came through her wake. The situation began to grow worse.
A Desir was helping an Envie escape, and no one knew it!
Elise stumbled, her shoulder slamming into a damp wall. Her legs struggled to keep up and nearly dragged and flailed beneath her as Astra sprinted through the labyrinthine walls of Desir to escape.
The city was just a blur. They darted through puddles and over broken crates, past startled beggars and muttering vendors. Elise's breath came in ragged gasps as her chest began to burn from the shame she had. Not only of her father's disappointment, but her mother and sister's as well.
It only took several minutes to lose Elise's father in the crowd. They found themselves in a soot-covered back street with beggars surrounding the neighborhood. Both of them were covered in smoke and ash from the mindless running.
Elise's face was weak without hope. All signs of life seemed to escape from her body. She could also barely see from her loss of vision.
Astra kneeled down and pressed her fingertips against her cheeks, rubbing them to massage them. Elise looked down at her with a confuddled and tangled mess of feelings surging through her body. She couldn't even make out what was in store for her.
"Elise," Astra whispered. "Listen to me. I know someone who will take care of you. You deserve a better home where you can show your talents."
"No... no..." Elise repeated. "I want to go home."
"No, you can't go home," Astra insisted. "Listen. We need to go a few more miles down in Desir, and your papa won't be able to find you. There's a curator for a popular museum that everyone frequents. He's my papa. He'll take you in and you can make your art for him. He can display it for everyone to see! You'll be rich!"
"I don't want to be rich. I don't want to be a Desir. I want to go home. I want to see my little sister Rinnie." Elise repeated once more.
"But why? Your parents don't care about what you do. And she's too young to know! You can come with us. We can give you a life that matters! Aren't you tired of thinking about punishments? Aren't you tired of living like some nobody without a voice?"
"I..." she began, but the rest caught in her chest. Because Astra was right. And that truth hurt more than any punishment her father could give.
She was tired. Tired of the silence at dinner. Tired of the way her sketches were hidden under her floorboards. Tired of the way her father's approval felt like a locked door she didn't have the key to. Tired of pretending that obedience was the same as love.
But still, she thought of Rinnie. Her little sister's laugh, the way she clutched Elise's hand when the nights were cold, the way she looked up at her like she hung the stars.
Elise's eyes burned.
"I just... I don't know," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the wind. "I want to be there for her. I'm not ready for this, Astra."
Astra leaned in, her forehead nearly brushing Elise's.
"I'll make you a deal, okay?" she whispered, her tone softening. "We go see my papa. He looks at you and your work and then you can get the chance decide. If he can't convince you, or if none of it feels right, then you can go. No questions. No pressure."
She paused, searching Elise's eyes for something. Trust, maybe. Maybe the passion that was once there.
"And if you still want me to leave you alone forever..." Her voice faltered for the first time, barely audible. "I will. I swear it."
Elise didn't answer right away. Her face puckered, brows knitting together in a tangle of confusion and disbelief. The offer was so sudden. It didn't match the chaos of the last few minutes that passed. All of the fear of being dragged through alleys, and the ache in her wrist made it all the more worse. Even the image of her father's glare burned into her memory.
She blinked, trying to process. Her heart thudded.
"Why... why do you care so much?" Elise asked.
Astra paused with her grip loosening as she looked into Elise's eyes. The tension between them softened. Then, she smiled with sincereness. It held something tender, almost vulnerable, like a silent promise. Elise felt her breath catch, unsure what to say, but unable to look away.
"Because I see potential in you," Astra said. "And I'm not going to let anyone take that away from you. If you really want to know why, it's because it's the first time I've ever felt this way. Your drawings and talent only gave me life, Elise. You give me life."
The answer was so unexpected that Elise didn't know how to react. It left her stunned, but it reassured her that Astra's intentions were more than genuine. So she nodded, and accepted it.
"Okay." Elise accepted.
"Thank you, Elise!" Astra cheered, grabbing her hands and keeping them close. "I left your sketchbook back home. Let's go!"
Hours passed as they walked, leaving Envie behind. The roads grew smoother, the air cleaner, and the city quieter. Each step made Elise even more regretful, but all of that was already blown out of proportion. If she were to return, it would have already been too late.
The two shared brief stories about their lives as they moved, but they kept them quiet. It gave Elise inspiration to write.
At last, in the middle of the night, torches vibrantly lit the museum like a masterpiece. Its marble spires were glowing under the moonlight. It was purely awe inspiring for Elise; her dream was to visit a museum to gain inspiration for her own art. However, there were no museums in Envie, nor did she ever dream of the opportunity to leave to Desir for it. In that brief moment of illumination, Elise believed she did make the right choice. She felt evil for it.
"Papa's probably finishing up his sculptures with Dion," Astra whispered as she moved the two of them to the back of the museum. "We'll have to sneak to the top from the back."
"Dion?" Elise asked.
"Dion Desir. He's around our age, actually. He's helping Papa with modeling for sculptures. You'll probably meet him. You nervous?"
"Models... just sounds a bit intimidating." Elise admitted.
Astra led the way through a hidden ladder behind the museum, climbing the gilded spires. Elise's hands were trembling in the cold. Knowing this, Astra held her hand and reassured her of their safety.
The coldness completely dissipated as they embarked inside on the warm front. Astra's room was plain and bare, as if it was newly furnished with a singular bed and vanity. Elise watched as she grabbed the sketchbook she had underneath the bed. She then moved toward the opened entrance of her door, which held light lightly illuminated through.
Astra pushed open the door and yelped in surprise. Her father stood inside, a large man like the potage shop owner, shaping stone from a distance with practiced ease. Beside him stood Dion Desir a short, pale-haired boy of only fourteen years of age. His posture was regal, and his expression calm and composed, as if the world revolved around him. Yet Astra's father dropped everything at the sight of Elise, and Dion lost his composure and focus on his modeling technique.
"Astra, darling!?" Her father interrupted. "How many times have I told you not to interrupt me and Mr. Desir's work?"
"Typical Astra." Dion's voice was elegant as his eyes rolled away.
"Sorry, Papa," Astra said, stepping aside with urgency. Her voice echoed faintly in the hallway as she gestured toward Elise, who lingered just behind her, uncertain and wide-eyed. "This was an emergency," she continued, her tone softening. "I'd like you to meet Elise."
Elise shifted forward with her hands glued to her back in nervousness.
Astra turned slightly, nodding toward the poised boy beside her father. "Elise, this is my father. And that's Dion Desir."
Dion gave a subtle nod with his pale hair gleaming like frost under the chandelier above the hallway. His quiet expression passed inevitable judgment toward Elise.
Astra's father shot upright, dropping the stone casting with a thud. He rushed over and gripped Elise's hand, shaking it vigorously. His eyes sparkled with excitement. "So you're the artist?" he asked, beaming with life. "You're the one my daughter's been talking about?"
Elise exchanged glances with Astra to seek approval. After Astra nodded with a smile, Elise nodded back. "Yes. I am." She said.
"Wow, amazing! A Desir as young as you, with talent like this?" he said. "We need a plan to feature your artwork as fast as possible.
But the word Desir hit Elise like a slap. Her heart sank. She was a terrible liar.
"Curator, if I may," Dion said, his voice calm and precise. "Art should never be rushed. Poor Elise must feel overwhelmed. Show her the same kindness you once showed me."
Astra's father paused, then nodded. "Ah, you're certainly right..."
Elise glanced at Dion, surprised by his grace. Their eyes met briefly, and a soft blush rose to her cheeks.
"Well, such talent can't be contained! Apologies, Elise. Your art is absolutely majestic. Self-taught at such a young age..." Astra's father continued to praise. "What's your pen name?"
"Ah, actually, Elise prefers to be anonymous," Astra corrected. "She'd rather write or draw when inspiration hits her. So give her some time. In the meantime, she needs a place to stay, right, Papa?"
"Oh, yes!" Astra's father exclaimed, hurrying to a wall of finely carved wooden drawers. He opened them one by one, each packed with brushes, inks, and forgotten tools, muttering as he searched. At the fifth drawer, he finally pulled out a set of iron keys and turned to Elise, jingling them with a grin. "Here. Take the second-floor room. My old equipment's up there, so maybe you'll find something useful, eh?"
Elise's eyes lit up, shimmering with surprise and quiet joy. "You're giving me my own room? With your art equipment?"
Astra's father chuckled, already turning back toward his drawers. "Why not? A prodigy like you deserves nothing less!"
Holding Elise closely as she fawned over the thought of her own establishment, Astra nodded at her father and Dion. "Thank you, Papa. And thank you, Dion. We'll see you tomorrow morning, then?"
"Aye," Astra's father said, returning to his post. "I'm excited to get to know you, Elise."
"Same." Dion's cold voice said.
"Come on, Elise. Let's go downstairs and check out your new room." Astra said.
As Elise reached for Astra's hand, ready to descend the stairs, she glanced back to Dion for a short moment.
Dion began modeling once more, but this time, his usual gaze wasn't quite piercing. It was soft and open. Not a gaze of mystery or from a rival's viewpoint, but from a place of care.
Their eyes met only for a brief moment, and something passed between Elise that was unspoken and warm. Her fingers curled tighter around Astra's, but her mind was somewhere else, mindlessly wandering in the space Dion had left behind. She looked away, cheeks flushed, unsure if what she felt was fear or the beginning of something tender.
As the two descended the museum, several portraits and artworks hung on the walls to provide decoration. Elise was quickly drawn to it, as her mind resonated all with art. It took her a while to reach the second floor room.
"Do the honors!" Astra requested, looking at the keys in her hand.
After unlocking it, her eyes were stunned. The room was unlike anything Elise had ever stepped into. It wasn't large, but it was the perfect size for her purpose.
The walls were paneled in walnut colored wood. Warm light sprang through shafts of moonlight that spilled in from a tall, arched window, with its glass warped with age and rimmed in iron.
A massive drafting table dominated the center with its surface worn smooth by years of use. Scattered across it was Astra's father's legacy being put to work: half-used jars of ink and paint, curled and tattered pages of old sketches, and a stained porcelain cup indicated how hard her father truly worked.
Nearby, a rack of paintbrushes, both old and new, hung with their bristles stiff with dried paint. The frivolous scent of linseed oil and old paper rose in the air.
There was a narrow balcony barely wide enough for one person overlooking the museum's inner courtyard. From there, Elise could see the tops of Envie's buildings, their rooftops glowing under the moon. Although they were small, it made Elise think of home momentarily.
After turning back around, she noticed that there was no bed. There was only a low bench with a folded wool blanket and a pillow that smelled faintly of cedar and clay. But Elise didn't mind. This was already good enough for her.
This was a gift.
"So?" Astra asked, confident in Elise's reaction. "Are you going to stay, or not?"
Without uttering a single word, Elise dove into Astra's arms and embraced her warmly. Even though they had only knew each other for a week, Elise felt as if it was longer.
"Hey, come on. Don't get sappy on me for that, Elise." Astra chuckled.
"Sorry, I just can't help it," Elise denied. "In moments like these, I've learned to appreciate the littler things, like this. It's impossible to ignore just what you've done for me."
"It's impossible to ignore your antics," Astra said, nudging her shoulder in a loving manner. "You can thank me once this is all over. We're close than ever before, aren't we? We're literal roommates, now!"
"Dion's kind too." Elise said, swerving her body side to side.
"Ooh, Elise jumping from boy to boy. Actually, he looked at you kinda funny. He looked at you in a way that I only ever see when he's remotely interested in someone."
"Really...?"
"Maybe! You'll just have to see!" Astra laughed, her voice ringing like a bell as she tugged Elise forward.
They darted through the room, hand in hand, their footsteps echoing against the wooden floor. Astra's father's loose paper fluttered in their wake and laid on the floor. Elise's heart raced as she struggled to keep up with her brief dance.
Astra twirled around with her black hair whipping behind her, and Elise followed, laughing endlessly. Dion watched from the doorway, silent and still, but Elise barely noticed. She was too caught in the moment.
The room pulsed with life and promise. It was the start of something anew.
After the two stopped dancing, Astra headed for the door. "I'm going to get some sleep, Elise," She said. "You should too. It's been a long day."
"Wait," Elise said, holding up her palm to stop her for a brief moment. "I have an idea. A super crazy idea that you've inspired me for."
"Okay Miss Desir, let's hear it." She fibbed for laughs.
"I want to write a story about us," Elise said, her voice glowing with excitement. "Not just the words, but I want to draw it too. I want to savor this moment and every feeling I've felt tonight. And… to be as descriptive as I possibly can. Something to remember tonight by to make it all worthwhile."
"Ooh, is the black-haired huntress going to be in it?" Astra teased. "Then you better make me look even cooler. Give me... a sword or something that I fight with. Maybe... longer hair? Beautiful looking eyes? Some cool looking armor? Ooh, fighting against bandits and thieves!"
"Of course." Elise giggled.