Maren sat in a corner of the new Forsyth library, though there was nothing truly new about it. It was two stories with high, vaulted ceilings and dark wood paneling that ran across every inch of the room, except the bare stone of the walls.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, setting her nerves on end.
The weather had been near perfect all week — sunny, even.
Why now? She thought. Why now of all times?
A storm was rolling in, bringing with it the cold of winter. Maren gazed out the window, anxiety curling in her gut. The sky only seemed to get darker by the minute and her friends were out there, braving the elements and some ancient horror set up by the royals.
She tried to focus on the book in her hand — the one Selma had given her — but nothing would take her mind off the incessant unease that pulled at her mind.
The book was difficult to read. Not because it was a children's story, but because of its contents. The story was dark and reminded Maren of a book of dark tales she'd read as a young adult. She'd sifted through the other chapters, each of them as terrifying as the one before, but she kept her focus on the chapter that described the current horror, labelled 'Parasitos: The One Who Eats At Another's Table.'[1]
Then, a knock came behind her.
Maren turned suddenly with a sharp gasp.
"Scared you, did I?" Twelve asked with a chuckle.
"That's not funny," Maren pouted, turning back in her seat. "I'm really on edge right now."
"I understand," Twelve replied as she moved past Maren to sit in the chair across from her.
Maren held the book firmly in her hands, listening to the sounds of light rain drops pattering the windows.
She hadn't spoken to Twelve or any of the other court members about the Dreamstone. Maren understood Twelve's action. She knew that seeing her there like that after being woken in the dead of night couldn't have been easy. She was sure Twelve did it out of care.
Still, Maren thought to herself. I hope I haven't betrayed Twelve's trust. I didn't tell her because I wasn't ready to give up the freedom that came with lying about it. For once, we were able to make decisions for ourselves.
"Any word on the candidates?" Maren asked, her tone light and easy, pretending she wasn't completely a ball of nerves.
"Nothing as of now," Twelve replied, gazing out the window as she tapped her nails against the wood table. "But I imagine we'll hear something soon."
Maren's lips tightened slightly.
She knew that would be the case, but she couldn't help the dread that clawed at her heart.
"That aside, I believe you and I have something to sort out," Twelve began, her tone soft and easy. "Why don't you start by telling me what you saw in your dreams?"
Maren looked away, lifting her arm to scratch her neck in discomfort. She knew that question was coming. She knew Twelve would be direct in her questioning. Yet, she hadn't prepared herself in the slightest.
"I'm sorry," Maren replied. "I didn't mean to keep it from you. I just- "
"Maren," Twelve interrupted, an amused look on her face. "I didn't ask why you kept it from me. You're not a child anymore and one day you'll be Empress and I won't always be here to guide your every move. I knew one day you'd rebel. It's good. It's healthy. It means you're stretching your wings and practicing flying on your own. I simply hoped you would be honest with me. This matter is something nobody should hold on their own."
Maren straightened awkwardly. She hadn't been expecting that from Twelve. Cora had said they were angry that night. Since their discussion, she'd been preparing herself for a good, long scolding.
Twelve leaned back calmly in her seat, waiting for her to explain.
Her lips parted and she let everything loose. The Dreamstone, what they'd seen in the garden and even her evolving relationship with Cora.
"That's enough information to write an entire book," Twelve chuckled.[2] She was silent for a moment, considering her words and then she spoke. "I appreciate you telling me."
Then, Maren watched as the wrinkles in her face contorted into a grim expression. "I wish I could say I'm surprised about you and Cora since you both went to such lengths to hide it, but I can't say I am. You two have always been like magnets — both with a positive and negative side. Sometimes you repel the other, and sometimes you click."
Twelve leaned forward, her voice lowering to a hushed whisper. "Are you certain you're alright with the way things have progressed? It sounds to me like you've become quite intimate with her, without any real…confession."
"W-well…" Maren blinked, fumbling over her words, "Cora and I — we have said…things."
But as Maren wracked her mind for an answer, she realized she wasn't looking for an answer at all.
She was looking for an excuse.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized they hadn't solidified the status of their feelings at all, let alone their relationship. The last Cora said to her about it was that she was curious — not in love.
Maren's gaze fell, her heart heavy. "I suppose you're right. I know she…likes me in that way but I don't think she's ready to admit…"
She trailed off, hating every word that slipped from her lips.
Twelve gazed at Maren, her eyes soft. "But are you okay with that?
Maren's gut twisted in a way she resented.
No. She thought, I'm not okay with it…am I?
Still, her mind nagged at her, refuting her feelings with all the complexities of the situation.
The trials.
Cora's parents.
The Dreamstone.
The seemingly never-ending cracks in the pillars of their empire that they never made yet still inevitably falls on their shoulders.
Yeah.
It was a lot.
And yet, Maren couldn't help but yearn for Cora to say the words. To confirm her feelings.
"It's hard, isn't it?" Twelve said, more a statement than a question. "Love, I mean. People like to say that love comes easy but that isn't entirely true. When we're flawed in so many ways, love can feel like a burden. It forces you to consider someone other than yourself — forces you to be responsible for someone other than yourself."
Maren didn't meet her eyes.
She felt as though she couldn't. Her body was rigid in place, listening to Twelve's somber wisdom.
But something nagged at her as she listened to Twelve's voice. Her advice was melancholy, but it was more than that. It was like she was getting at something. And that dread that pulled at Maren's insides told her it was something she really did not want to hear.
"But in life, the things we want aren't usually the easiest," Twelve continued. "It's the moments in between where light shines through and we reap the rewards of all we've done to earn that light."
Twelve shut her eyes tight and shook her head.
Raindrops began to patter lightly against the glass, in a soft way that felt eerily like an omen.
"Maren, there's something you must know," she said in a whisper. "I didn't want to say it now — I didn't want to say it at all, really. I thought perhaps we could shield you from it. Shield you both from it."
Maren didn't look up. She gazed at the floor, staring at this spot, unable to lift her gaze to Twelve's. Something welled up inside her. A pressure of sorts and she wondered if this is how Cora felt when it all became too much to handle.
It was like dread, but quieter and lonelier.
"It's been taught to you both throughout your years of training but never discussed directly," Twelve said, thunder rumbling in the distance. "Cora might even be aware of it but hasn't spoken up for fear of the truth."
Maren's fists tightened in her lap as she listened to Twelve's words. Shivers ran down her body, containing the slew of emotions that churned within her.
"There are certain patterns with the Starblessed. Consistencies. We'd like to avoid calling it fate but…they're difficult to look past when they keep happening. The Sapphire Princesses are known for heralding an era of peace in the world. They are the longest lived out of all the others, likely due their choices that bring a lifetime of peace. And they are always born after a Ruby Princess, Twelve paused, gazing at Maren. "I imagine you've memorized the meaning of a Ruby Era."
Maren swallowed hard.
"Innovation and action," she responded flatly.
"Yes," Twelve confirmed, her words tight and filled with emotion. "But that is another way of saying their actions bring war."
Maren turned her head, not wanting to hear anything more.
"Ruby Princesses often make choices that herald war," Twelve repeated, ensuring it stuck into Maren's mind.
But she didn't want to know.
"And with all that we've learned of the state of the empire, I cannot in good faith let you go on thinking everything will be alright," Twelve continued. "So, I've decided to tell you."
She didn't want to understand.
She'd had enough and the feelings that were brewing, had finally begun to pour out of her.
"Enough!" Maren cried out, meeting Twelve's eyes as angry tears spilled down her face. "Say what you mean..."
Twelve flinched at her outburst but quickly corrected herself.
"Ruby Princesses die young, Maren," Twelve answered, her eyes pleading. "Cora is more level than the others, based on the knowledge my predecessors passed down to me. They either die during battle or by their own magic. But always far younger than the others."
Her words sliced Maren like a thousand knives. Maren remembered the countless, thoughtless, selfish bad decisions Cora had made in the past. And how her own magic resulted in a pressure that built inside her. It made sense. So much sense that the dread that had built inside her, now thrashed like swords at her heart.
"But before now," Twelve continued. "No Ruby Princess has ever had a Sapphire by her side. Everyone questioned the Goddess and her decision for two vessels to enter our world. But with the state of our empire, and the knowledge that we have, we now know the truth."
Twelve gazed at her with a harsh, intense stare. "We have reason to believe that an uprising is coming, Maren. And Cora being a trueborn Princess, will likely be caught up in it all. And to make matters worse, the power she was blessed with is volatile. But then you were born --- with the ability to heal. You've always wondered why the goddess sent you here, but the answer is clear. It's why we made the decision to keep you both as rulers. You were born because Cora cannot do this without you."
Maren held Twelve's gaze with wide eyes as lightning split the sky in two, closer now.
"Cora is the sword," Twelve said, her voice low and grave. "And you are the shield."
[1] Fun Fact: This is true in real life!
[2] I couldn't help myself lol.