Asteria's hand stopped dead on the door knob. *Something's wrong* a whisper inside her head said. Indeed, something felt wrong. Her eyes scouted the area from the stony path leading to her house from the side of the road, the bushes on their lawn and up to the windows on the second level of her house but she saw nothing.
The thought nagged her as she pushed the door open and went straight to the kitchen where chattering came from.
And indeed something was wrong because Aris is seated on one of the stools while chatting with her mother.
"Get out of my house before I melt your bones, Winser," Asteria growled, her fire crackling inside her as she beheld the man before her. With a few breaths, she calmed herself, calmed the fire roaring inside her and itching to burn him.
Aris Winser, a ghost from the past that came back to haunt her. As if she didn't have enough ghosts to deal with, metaphorically or literally. The aloof child is no longer there, instead, a handsome young man is staring back at her. His golden hair is a stark contrast against the warm colors of the house, his sensuous lips opened and closed as if to say something and the ocean blue eyes that she once looked for in times she needed comfort stared back at her, mixed emotions dancing in them.
She didn't let herself read or identify those and analyze what it meant. She put the thoughts aside and replaced it with anger that she leashed inside her for so long and released a fraction of it.
"I won't repeat myself," she said, a little bit too calm but meant nothing better, only worse. Ice now coated her veins, not much better than the fire earlier.
"Asteria!" her mother reprimanded, oblivious to the fact that her daughter is already devising million ways to ensure Aris's demise.
"Leave." Asteria ignored her mother and stared back at those ocean-blue eyes.
"Marguerite," Aris breathed. "I'm sorry--"
"I don't want to hear your apologies and excuses. I want you to leave this house now."
"I don't want him here," Asteria said, her eyes not leaving his face, trying so hard not to let my mask fall. The mask of cold fury, hatred and hurt.
"Marguerite! Don't talk to Aris like that!" her mother reprimanded but Asteria threw her a glare and she flinched. No one would want to be at the receiving end of that glare.
"I am not Marguerite," Asteria snapped. "If I see him next morning, I will kick him out myself," she said and stormed out of the kitchen, the heels of her boots hitting the floor loudly.
"Marguerite---"
"Call me Marguerite again and you will never see the sun again," she threatened, voice as cold as ice and the railings froze under her fingers. Aris just watched her take the remaining steps and walk away from him.
Thirteen years ago, she met Aris. In a muddy dress and mud covered boots, boots because she has ruined many pairs of pretty shoes while playing with Pyp and Mer near their barn, she walked back home with a grin. Markus, her father is supposed to arrive any minute now from his two month trip. Just as she took a step into the foyer, a carriage arrived in front of their manor. Marguerite didn't waste time and went out, almost stumbling on the steps as she ran.
"Father!!" Markus went out of his carriage and opened his arms for Asteria.
"Well, what else should I have expected from my dear Marguerite but to be covered in mud and hay and be soaking wet?" he grinned and scooped her up into his arms as little Marguerite giggled.
"Cerise! France! " her mother appeared at the porch, her coffee brown hair tied up, wearing a green dress that reached the floor. France followed behind, looking beautiful at seven years old, wearing a pink dress that reached her knees and cute shoes.
"Markus!!"
Marguerite watched them in the sidelines as they embraced each other. She never felt out of place like she did now. They're a picture of a perfect family, wearing the best and beautiful clothes, wearing smiles and so happy with each other. Marguerite played in the mud with the children in the nearby farms, played fight with them, fed the horses, watched the cattle, rolled on the ground, didn't like the rich people, their parties, banquets and music.
A small boy was escorted out of her father's carriage, he looks like he's no more than seven and has seen better days. The kid could be handsome if he isn't too skinny and dirty but that wasn't the first thing she noticed, his eyes were. As a child, Marguerite was interested in painting and is mesmerized by his blue eyes, blue as the ocean that she tried to paint before, blue so deep she thought she might drown in them.
With him, Marguerite did not feel out of place because he carved out a place for them. They read books together in the library, escaped the parties together, played with Pyp and Mer, studied history together, stargazed together, they did everything together, learned how to hunt and fight together while France learned how to sew pretty dresses and pretty flowers, not that she's discriminating because Marguerite would really rather poke needles into her enemies than do pretty flowers, she learned how to dance in parties while Marguerite learned how to dance the dance of death and France mastered the art of curtsy while Marguerite mastered the art of archery. All of it with Aris until one day.
Even on a cold day, Marguerite woke up with a grin on her face. Other than having similar interests, Aris and Marguerite has their birthdays within the same week, only a day apart. Marguerite turned seven that day and next day, Aris will turn nine. She opened the door with a huge grin on her face and noise welcomed her but it wasn't the noise of servants preparing for the party, it was chaos. Her world fell apart when a servant answered her question.
"Aris is missing."
Marguerite's birthdays after that is just another day.
Asteria changed into an elegant white nightgown with silver embroidery on the neckline and wrapped an exquisite black robe with gold flowers embroidered on her shoulders, both as expensive as the tunics she always wore. It has been Asteria's principle to be dressed to the nines—even though she doesn't like dresses—in every waking moment of her life. If she's to be killed in her sleep, she will make sure she'll go down in style. It was well after midnight when Asteria finished a book that intended to lull her to sleep but even after two hours, sleep seemed to be far away so she walked in the dark to the study.
The study isn't really big, it just has the same size of all the bedrooms in the house. Shelves line up the wall from floor to ceiling, the floor, made of the same wood as downstairs, a table is on the left side of the room, strewn with maps and parchment, on the wall opposite the door is the window, two armchairs and a small table between it. She made her way to the shelves to the left and picked up a book, the book of mythologies that Essy gave her and sat on one of the armchairs. The window showed nothing special, just the woods and mountains in the distance but she admired the colors even in the night. The sky is a mixture of black, blues, violets and stars seemed to wink at her as if telling a secret.
"Asteria," she must've slept in the study for the sun is already shining on her when she woke up because of her mother's voice. Asteria closed the book and rubbed sleep off her eyes before looking up at her mother. "You should've given Aris a better welcome."
"Should I throw a party for him?" Asteria asked, sarcastically, not looking up at her mother who winced at her tone.
"I thought you'd be happy when he came back."
"Then you are wrong," Asteria said, looking out of the window.
"Please," she pleaded and Asteria had to stop herself from burning the book in her hands. "Try to be civil with him."
"Breakfast will be served in five minutes."
While heading downstairs, Asteria heard her mother talk to Aris while they're waiting for her because of her sharper hearing.
"She changed a lot." she heard Aris said and she almost snorted.
"She did. Sometimes I feel like I'm living with a stranger in my own home," her mother replied, sadness evident in her voice. "But I cannot really blame her. A big part of her childhood is snatched away from her because of all the unfortunate things that happened to us and I wasn't there for her. I was lying in my bed, sick and she had to find money to keep the three of us alive."
"Where is she working?"
"Where her service is needed. A babysitter, maid, hunter, gardener, farmer, whatever work is offered to her." she said, her tone a little bit lighter.
Not wanting Aris to know more about her, she strode into the kitchen and served herself some chicken and vegetables. Aris was there, silent and occasionally throwing glances at Asteria.
"Why don't you take Aris on a tour here in Siege?" her mother suggested and Asteria frowned at her and looked at Aris who's obviously trying to sink into his seat. He's tall, at least a head taller than her and with his lean and muscular body, he looks like he can handle himself.
"He's a grown man. He can tour himself," she said, standing up to put the plate on the sink and throwing Aris a side eye.
"Asteria---"
"I said no and that is final." She walked out of the kitchen and never looked back.