Ariana sat herself down in front of her vanity. Her eyes moved towards her reflection but she couldn't focus on the image. Words circled inside her head as she tried to process what she was told. She tried to shake out the words her mother told her before she started to retreat back to her room. "Vasu, your pink deer friend... he told me to tell you not to be sad. This was the only way to save you."
"No! Ariana pull yourself together!" She shouted as she pounded her fists against the countertop as she looked at her reflection. She grabbed a hair tie and started to pull her hair back into a ponytail. She no longer had her bangs, so she was able to pull everything back neatly. She turned her head slightly and looked at the jewel like stones on her ear lobes.
With a heavy sigh she stood up and pulled off her nightgown. She kept her gaze on the mirror as she slightly turned her body. Her eyes grew wide in horror, never in her life had she gotten a scar but the vivid red slash against her porcelain white skin was nothing short of disgusting. Though it was still healing, the damage was done.
"We tried everything to break the garnet chrysalis you were in, including the dragon slayer blade but it didn't work.... So when Roland attacked we thought... we thought your tail would have blocked it. We never thought that this would have happened... I'm so sorry."
The Countess's apology resonated in Ariana's mind but it wasn't their body that would be scarred, it was hers. She bitterly brushed tears away and moved away from the mirror. She laid on the bed and stared at the canopy. The pain on her back was bad but she just laid there, ignoring the pain. She needed to process everything she was told before she was given Vasu's final message.
"Vasu said to save you they had to give you a majority of their life force... something about absorbing your blood let them become more stable. They couldn't let you die, so instead they chose to hibernate... I don't know when they'll wake up."
It hurt, she always had them beside her. It didn't matter to her that they were silently watching, playing or conversing, their existence was comforting. Now that they were gone she felt her heart ache. She could feel tears starting to well up again but she quickly sat up, wincing as she did.
Ariana had no time to feel sad. Her Lumas gave her a chance to keep going, it was foolish of her to think she was so powerful, she should have conceded when she became blind. Never again was she going to become a victim of her own pride.
She walked over to her closet and pulled out a simple, light green, colonial dress. It had a white ruffles underneath her waistline and spread out in ruffles, capped short sleeves and was fastened with a green sash in the front. She, pulled out her hair tie, walked over to the mirror and did a slow spin.
Ariana groaned when she noticed her hair was also uneven but felt relief that the wound across her back was properly covered. It was ugly, it looked like it was two inches wide and started at her left shoulder and went across her back to her right hip. She placed a hand on her left shoulder and clenched it tightly. She steeled her nerves, let herself go and walked over to the bedroom door.
Ariana quietly walked down the hall and headed towards the kitchen. Everyone else had already gone and a hunched figure stood in front of the sink. Roland's back looked miserable as the veins in his arms emerged as he clutched the countertop. "I'm sorry..." He announced into the air as he tossed his head back, eyes now glued to the ceiling.
"For what?" Ariana asked in a mocking tone as she slowly walked up to Roland's back. "It's not your fault is it? My back is now completely disfigured... it's not your fault that my Lumas are now hibernating and I know feel utterly alone... it's not your fault that I was too prideful to stand down when I became blind after Tillie's attack." Ariana continued.
Roland spun around so fast that Ariana was sure he would have given himself wipe lash but she kept her poker face in place. "You were blind?!" He shouted in disbelief as his face paled. Ariana slowly nodded her head and stopped a foot away from him.
"How can you be so stupid?! You fought so differently... you adjusted your fighting style to make up for your lack of sight.... no! That's not the point! Ariana you could have died!" Roland continued to shout. Ariana smiled wickedly causing Roland to shut his mouth and swallow his saliva.
"That's right... I was stupid! I was inexperienced! I could have lost my life and what did you all do?! You ganged up on me! Saw me as your play thing! Your blood must have been boiling with excitement because it had been so long since you last saw battle but it didn't matter!"
"It didn't matter that I had no idea how to take the three of you on!" Ariana shouted furiously breaking her poker face, showing how vulnerable she really felt. Roland shook his head no vigorously. "No! Tillie tried to stop us! She -?!"
"Shut up!" Ariana yelled into his face as she grabbed his neck scarf. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You can't make up excuses for what happened! That's not fair to me!" She kept yelling as her face twisted with pain and agony.
"So what if Tillie tried to stop you?! She joined in afterwards because I was a challenge! Your all hypocrites! Every single one of you.... sob... now I can't live a normal life! My path has been closed off because everyone thinks they have my best interests at heart! No! Everyone wants to ease their guilty conscience and keep the monster locked away!" She cried as she slowly released Roland's scarf.
"I should really be thanking you... now I know my blood is normal when I'm in my true form." She started to say but Roland grabbed her shoulders causing her to wince. His face paled and he quickly let her go, letting his hands drop to the sides of his body and clenching his fists. "That is not your true form! Lidia... I mean we all love you and want to keep you safe." Roland stated firmly.
Ariana let out a sarcastic laugh and took a step back as she hugged herself. "Keep me safe or the citizens? One valuable thing everyone learnt is I can be killed... I am not invincible. So rejoice, if the church ever got their hands on me... you can have the honour and finish what you started."
"Enough!" Roland shouted and started to swipe his arm over the countertop, knocking everything onto the floor. It wasn't enough to settle his rage. "Enough! Enough! Enough!" He shouted as he pounded the countertop until his face turned red and his hands started to bleed.
"What's the matter Roland? Can't take the truth? You couldn't even look at me this morning so why get so angry now? Get your act together because your little show... it bores me." Ariana said coldly as she glared at him.
Roland gritted his teeth and turned to face Ariana, he stomped towards her, extended a bloody hand forward and grabbed her arm. He pulled her against his chest and started to tremble.
"I almost killed you! How can I ever look at you the same way? I'm afraid." He started to cry but Ariana's body became stiff under his embrace. "So you do see me differently now..." She said as she sucked in her breath, the pain was bad but she wanted to endure.
"No! I'm afraid you would see me differently! I'm afraid to lose your smile, I see you as my own daughter but I did something so traumatizing... I couldn't bare thinking about your cold gaze! I'm a coward!" Roland cried out. Ariana let out a sigh of relief. Her mission was a success and she wrapped her arms around Roland as she burried her face into his chest.
"I will never turn my back away from my family..." She mumbled loudly. Roland let out another round of sobbing and held her tightly. Ariana bit her bottom lip, stopping herself from crying out in pain.
"So am I forgiven too?" A pathetic voice called out from the entry way. Roland looked up with tracks of tears running down his face. "Tillie..." Ariana tried to get out of Roland's embrace but he refused to let her go. She turned her face and breathlessly shouted "Yes! Now please Roland let me go!"
Roland turned bright red and released Ariana. She dropped onto the floor, her face was flushed and covered in sweat. Tears were brimming her eyes and Tillie ran over to inspect her. "Are you okay?!" She shouted as her and Roland extended a hand to help her off the ground.
"No... I need help." She said as she grabbed their hands. She was gently pulled up but she couldn't stop a pained cry from leaving her lips. "Anything!" They both said and Ariana gave them a shaky smile.
"I need to get ingredients to make sure the wound on my back doesn't scar too bad and.... and I need a tutor to help me ace the exam." Ariana asked. Roland and Tillie looked uneasy but reluctantly agreed to her request. "Thank you... huff... sorry it really hurts. Huff... I need to go grocery shopping. Can you please take me?"
.....
Roland and Ariana didn't take too long at the market. They quickly returned with a brown paper bag of ingredients that Ariana wished she had access too in Stella Amora. Tillie was patiently waiting for them in the foyer and hurried them along once they walked through the door.
Ariana quickly reinstructed Roland on his task and he quickly got to work to gathering seeds and collecting oils. Ariana then followed Tillie to the study and saw that she had pulled out a wide range of books. "You won't find a better tutor them me but I will warn you... I'm a tad.... enthusiastic about people learning properly." Tillie said awkwardly.
Ariana smiled broadly at Tillie, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "That's what I need!" She said excitedly. Tillie handed her a book and pen before cracking the first book. "Alright let's begin."
Ariana groaned by the time she was released for dinner. She dragged her drained body towards the kitchen as she hugged her rumbling stomach.
"Roland, I'm so hungry! Tell me there's still food left over!" She complained dramatically as she laid half her body onto the countertop. "Interesting... I didn't think you would patch things up with Roland so quickly." Ariana lazily turned her head to face the Countess's remark.
"We hugged, we kissed, he's making me food, all better now." Ariana answered nonchalantly as she stretched her arms out further onto the countertop. "Foooooood please!" She moaned as Roland busied himself with the plating.
"I also hear that Tillie is now tutoring you too... don't tell me you're going to move forward with that little plan of yours?" The Countess asked. Ariana peeled herself off the countertop the moment she heard the plate make contact.
Ariana winced as she straightened up and looked at the Countess pitifully. "Food first, then talk." Ariana said as she grabbed her fork. She inhaled her food in a rather unladylike manner while the Countess watched her take every bite. Roland nervously placed a glass of milk by her and hoped that she wouldn't choke while she sucked up her fried rice and chicken.
"Alright, this is what is happening and you can't stop me from doing it. First, Tillie will be tutoring me so that she can feel better about what happened, second Roland has made me a wonderful oil that will help with my healing. If I'm lucky I won't scar but it all comes down to how well I take care of my body."
"Third, I'll be moving forward with my innovative idea. Even if it doesn't secure my spot in the Academy at least it'll solve the drought and food shortage problem." Ariana explained then grabbed the glass of milk and chugged it back. The Countess looked at her in disbelief and Ariana rolled her eyes.
"Don't you dare say there's no drought or food shortage problem. I had Roland take me to the market. The prices for simple produce was astronomical while onions were cheap, huge and abundant. So drought and food shortage. So my question is, are you with me or against me?" Ariana asked with conviction.
The Countess couldn't hold her stern face anymore and started to laugh. "I honestly thought that you would have broken down because of what had happened! Instead you blew my worries away and started a coup d'état!" Ariana furrowed her brows and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well if I want to have control of my life what else can I do?"
The Countess started to laugh harder. To Roland surprise, the Countess started wiping away tears. "Well said! I honestly see so much of your mother in you but that attitude is definitely your father's." Ariana's jaw dropped and her arms fell to the sides of her body.
"Don't be so surprised! I'm on the High Council, oh excuse me! As of today's meeting the Grand Council" The Countess said as she rolled her eyes.
"So of course I have met your parents! Let me tell you something though, that last line was already said to me by your father when he ripped the throne away from his uncle. The best part is you have your mother's face but that look! That furrowed look is so your father!" The Countess said with a wink after she had another round of laughter.
"I-I-I," Was all Ariana could say as her eyes grew wide. The Countess walked over to Roland and grabbed the jar of lotion and a small pouch of seeds from his hands. "Honestly Ariana stop gawking and start moving. I want to hear about this innovative idea as I apply this onto your wound." The Countess said in a cheerful tone.
A completely stunned Ariana walked robotically out of the kitchen. As Ariana made her way towards her room as the Countess tried to muffle her laughing as she followed closely behind. While Roland was left behind completely bewildered.
"Grandmother, do you know how long my Lumas will be asleep for?" Ariana asked as she laid face down into her bed. "No, they lost energy and probably need a bit more time to build it back up. So maybe a few more days, maybe weeks, maybe months. Or you could try to jump start them but I don't recommend jumping into the cursed river again. Not with this wound." The Countess said as she applied more oil on Ariana back.
"Right.... grandmother, do you think my plan will work?" The Countess finished up and got off the bed. She closed the jar, walked over to the vanity and placed it on top of the countertop. "It's quite impressive, I don't know how the board of directors may react to it, you know competition and all but if its refused there are other ways to make it happen."
Ariana carefully pulled down her nightgown and sat on the bed. She looked down at her hands. "If I get into the Academy... will I be okay?" The Countess couldn't help but smirk as she raised her eyebrow. "If?" Ariana brought her gaze upwards. "When." She corrected herself with conviction. "Easy, it'll be war everyday. So the question should be will everyone else be okay?"