Liana held Lillian until her emotions had stabilised. Robyn, Ruby and Liz were standing at the side quietly and when they saw Liana release Lillian, Robyn walked over to them and placed a hand on the small of Lillian's back. She smiled over Lillian's shoulder at Liana, silently thanking her. Liana nodded, smiling slightly.
Liana only knew the emotions Lillian was feeling and some of her thoughts, but she didn't know the exact reason for Lillian's break down. Robyn knew why Lillian had reacted like that, but she had never seen her in such a state since her parents had died. She remembered when they first met eight years prior, a year after she had become chief:
(Recollection) "Robyn, we want you to go to the Loyal Eagle Clan to assist the new Chief. We'll take care of things here for at least a year. You are not to come back before a year's end. You may extend the time, but you must inform us prior to the year's end. Chief Landon Lera and his wife, Lady Grace, have died with honour in battle, leaving their seven-year-old daughter, now Chief Lillian Lera to lead in their place."
Nineteen-year-old Robyn Adkin nodded, a serious look on her face.
"Is there anything I need to take note of when I get there? Customs?"
Russel, the previous Chief of the Copper Blades Clan and Robyn's father, smiled as he heard his daughter ask just one question, not complaining or trying to fight their decision.
"The Loyal Eagle Clan is a very secretive Clan, so there isn't much information on their cultures. You'll have to go there and find out. The Elders only requested for our help, as you are the youngest Chieftess in history yet, until Chief Lillian came into the picture."
Five days later, Robyn arrived at the Loyal Eagle Clan. Black flags were flown at the top of the walls, indicating the Clan's state of mourning. When she got to the walls, the guards asked for her identity. She told them her name and they instantly let her in, one escorting her to the great hall. When she got in, there was a small girl, who couldn't have been taller than Robyn's chest if she stood next to her, sitting on the seat in the middle of the room. The girl had silver-white hair and deep ocean blue eyes. When she got in, the girl simply stood up and walked towards her.
"Chief Lillian Lera, right?"
The girl nodded, a blank expression on her face. Robyn's heart hurt at the thought that she had to hide her mourning and take the place of her parents. 'No one should have to hide their emotions', she thought.
"I'm Chief Robyn Adkin, I came here to give you assistance should you so need it."
The girl nodded again, speaking softly, for the first time since Robyn had entered the room.
"I'll show you to where you'll be staying."
Lillian's voice, though soft, did not lose the coldness that was written on her face. As they exited the great hall, a smaller girl that resembled Lillian came running up to her.
"Sis! Sis!"
Robyn noticed the corners of Lillian's lips curve upwards as she took her younger sister in her arms. It was then that six-year-old Liz noticed Robyn.
"Pretty lady, who are you?"
Robyn chuckled softly as she said,
"I'm Robyn, but you can call me Robbie."
"…Robbie…? Will you play with me?"
"Liz… Chief Robyn can't play with you at the moment, okay? Maybe later on."
"Okay!"
Liz was… intelligent for a six-year-old, and more cheerful that Robyn would have expected. 'Does she not know what happened to her parents?'
"Robbie is sad? Why is Robbie sad?"
The small girl reached over and tried to put her hands onto Robyn's face. Lillian quickly pulled her back and chastised Liz:
"Liz, you can't do that without permission."
Liz frowned and pouted slightly, while Robyn was trying to figure out what she meant. 'Wait… how did she know what I was feeling?' Lillian seemed to have read Robyn's thoughts as she said softly while pinching Liz's cheek lightly,
"Liz has the ability to sense people's emotions, along with the ability to change them. But she needs skin to skin contact for that at the moment, since it's not fully developed yet."
Robyn's eyes widened as she realised what Lillian meant.
"If you're wondering why she isn't as upset that you'd expect, she cried for days when she found out, but she's much better now, trying to cheer everyone up, since she really doesn't like crying."
Liz touched her older sister's face and said,
"I cheer sissy up."
Lillian smiled at her sister and said softly,
"Yes, but you don't need to do that, Liz. You know it doesn't work on me."
Liz pouted cutely and said indignantly,
"I cheer sissy up!"
Lillian laughed softly and pinched Liz's nose as she continued walking.
"Yes, you're already cheering me up."
Robyn's heart melted at the two sisters interacting. 'It's not fair that their parents had to be taken away from them so early in their lives. Lillian won't get a chance to grow up like a normal kid.'
"That may be the case, but I'm going to make sure Liz is able to live her childhood out as much as possible, other than training her to defend herself."
It was only now that Robyn realised Lillian was actually reading her thoughts. Lillian spoke again, this time with a hint of humour in her voice,
"Oh, and if you haven't already figured it out, I passively read people's minds."
'She actually made a joke.' Robyn thought, still not quite grasping the fact that Lillian could literally hear every thought that went through her head.
"Yes, I did just make a joke."
Liz laughed and giggled in her sister's arms, a laugh that anyone who heard it would want to protect. Robyn finally seemed to catch onto the fact that Lillian could read her mind and did so passively but made no action to try to stop it or attempt to stop thinking so that Lillian wouldn't hear anything. Instead, she used it to communicate with Lillian, so that her younger sister wouldn't hear.
'How is your sister holding up since…?'
Using a spell to reply Robyn, Lillian spoke straight into her mind.
"I had to leave for a few months to complete my training, during which I wasn't able to monitor her the whole time, but it seems like she figured out how to use her skill on herself. Liz is an intelligent girl, and even if I can't grow up properly, I am going to make sure she can."
She repeated what she had told Robyn earlier, stressing that she was serious about it. 'Why did they send me here if you can already handle yourself?' Robyn didn't know why her parents had sent her here when Lillian so clearly knew what she was doing. 'It can't be just because of your age, can it?'
Lillian's face darkened slightly.
"I'm afraid it is. I'm only seven, and not many know much about me or my skills. I'm only not bothering to hide it from you because I know you can see right through it anyway."
Robyn blinked. That information about her was not something many people knew. It was never publicly stated, and she had never specifically told anyone about it either. So how did Lillian know about it and say it so casually as well? It's definitely not her mind-reading, so it has to be something else.
"This is a new development, so it may not have been in the report, and actually, even if they had known about it, they probably wouldn't have included it inside."
She paused, and Robyn tilted her head to the side, wondering why she had stopped. She didn't even realise that Lillian had stopped in front of a building, and they weren't walking anymore. In fact, they had stopped for a few minutes now, but Lillian didn't think to mention it to Robyn, playing with Liz absentmindedly.
"I mastered my magic while I was away."
Liz giggled softly and Lillian rubbed her cheek lightly with her hand.
"Sissy's feeling funny."
Lillian smiled, but Robyn was too preoccupied with the revelation to register what was going on.
"I know, Lizzy. It'll just be a short while more then I can play with you later, okay?"
"And Robbie?"
Lillian chuckled lightly.
"If she's willing to, then sure."
Liz giggled lightly and wriggled out of Lillian's arms and ran over to Robyn, hugging her legs tightly before looking up at Robyn and asking,
"Robbie! Robbie! Will you play with me?"
Robyn quickly snapped out of her daze, turning her attention to the six-year-old.
"Sure, but I have to unpack first, okay?"
Liz giggled and nodded, then ran back over to her sister. It was then that Robyn fully registered just how young both girls were. She knew how young they were, but with the way they acted, she didn't quite match their ages to their faces. A couple of hours later, they went out to play again.
END OF RECOLLECTION
Robyn broke out of her memories, although it seemed like a long time, it really had only been a few seconds outside her thoughts. Because of one of her skills, she knew that Liana's intentions were all pure, and she would never hurt Lillian intentionally.
(Robyn's thoughts) 'It seems she has finally found someone.'
She knew for a fact that Lillian hadn't known Liana personally for two months yet, and she already trusted her enough to let her see her when she broke down, let alone hold her. She remembered the first time she had seen Lillian break down or even cry was six or seven months after she had first met her.
(Recollection) It was the nineteenth day of April the year after Lillian had become chief and the black flags were still flying outside the clan walls. Robyn was looking for Lillian, but she couldn't seem to find her no matter where she looked. She wasn't in the great hall, nor in the training hall, nor in the healers' hall, nor in her house. She asked around, but it seemed that no one knew where she had gone. Though none were too worried. They all had come to terms with the fact that they had gotten a seven-year-old girl as a chief, with a nineteen-year-old girl as her mentor. As a matter of fact, the majority already supported her more than openly. Many had expressed that they thought that Lillian was a worthy heir of her parents, though in not so many words.
She finally used a tracking spell to look for her and followed it to a fenced off place, not with wood, but with magic. Robyn placed her hand on the barrier, and when she wasn't sent flying a great distance away, she hesitantly stepped forward. She walked right through it and disabled her tracking spell. From what Robyn could sense when she was outside, this protective bubble spanned a very large area, but she had a feeling that even if she followed the spell it would have led her not to her target, but somewhere far away from her.
She wandered around the enclosed space until her ears picked up something unusual. Robyn's eyes narrowed lightly as she slowly walked towards the direction of the sound. When she finally arrived at the place, her heart broke at the sight. Lillian was kneeling in front of two large stones, what Robyn guessed were either Lillian's parents' gravestones or memorials for them. Lillian's hands were placed on her thighs and she had her head tilted downwards, but the sound Robyn had heard was not crying, but… laughter. Lillian's entire frame was shaking with laughter and Robyn was confused. Lillian's laughter sent chills down Robyn's spine, what with the lack of humour in it.
"Sissy is sad. But she doesn't want to show it and I can't help her."
Robyn jumped at the sound of Liz's voice. She hadn't even realised she was there.
"Why is she sad?"
Robyn picked Liz up and hugged her close to her body even as Liz continued,
"Today a year ago our parents died in battle, although everyone else thinks they died a few days later. When they died, Lil was fighting in their place, not wanting everyone to panic."
Robyn was startled at the mature sound of Liz's voice. Liz was almost seven, but she sounded older, especially with what she was saying.
"I know Lil wants me to grow up naturally, but it's impossible, and I'm pretty sure she knows it too. I just like acting like my age to make her happy, even if she's said multiple times that I don't need to act like that."
Robyn had no idea Liz was actually faking it when she acted like a six-year-old.
"Don't feel sad or pity us. I can feel exactly what you're feeling, which you already know. I just never told you that my mental age is definitely older than my body, as it was really fun to just kick back and relax since you've arrived. I can tell you that Lil really enjoys your company, like I enjoy Ruby's."
Robyn's younger sister had come a few times in the past months to visit, having missed her older sister terribly. During her visits, she and Liz had become pretty attached.
"But I think she needs you today, although she would never admit it, not wanting to make you worry."
Liz made no move to get out of Robyn's arms, as if she was standing on her own feet, she'd be only at about Robyn's stomach. She turned slightly so that she was facing Robyn fully.
"I'm asking you, because I can't do it myself. Please. Make her feel better. Do what my skill is incapable of doing. Do what I myself am unable to do."
Robyn had never asked why Liz's skill didn't work on Lillian, and would have asked, or said something to encourage Liz, if Liz didn't vanish from her arms. Due to the weight suddenly disappearing, Robyn stumbled slightly but quickly caught herself. She knew that that was Liz's way of telling her to do it now. Approaching Lillian cautiously, Robyn dropped to her knees next to Lillian, nodding towards the large stones with the names Landon Lera and Grace Lera engraved into them. Lillian didn't react or make a move, now just kneeling with her palms on her thighs and her head held low.
A few minutes passed and Lillian still hadn't spoken or moved from her spot. Robyn knew she had to do something. Cautiously, she moved closer to Lillian. When she placed her arms around Lillian's tense shoulders, Lillian finally looked up at her with grief-filled but tear free eyes. Robyn's heart broke again, but she hugged Lillian tighter, rubbing her back in slow, circle, comforting motions while whispering into Lillian's ear.
"It's going to be okay. I'm here for you. You can let it all out."
Robyn repeated the words over and over again, never stopping her hand's motions. Eventually Lillian's shoulders relaxed and she buried her face into Robyn's shoulder. Lillian's sobs wracked her whole body and she cried her heart out, Robyn holding her the whole time. Lillian gripped onto Robyn as if she was worried that she'd go away. Lillian cried until there was nothing left to cry, then just lay in Robyn's arms for a few minutes more before looking up at her with a tear-streaked face and red, puffy eyes. Robyn smiled slightly as she cupped the side of Lillian's face, activating a simple spell, removing the puffiness and all evidence of Lillian's breakdown.
"Thank you."
Robyn shook her head, a gentle, genuine smile on her face.
"Will you tell me about them?"
She had never asked before, thinking that asking would be insensitive and just reminding them about the sad events, but she knew that talking about them now would make Lillian feel better. Lillian smiled slightly as she said,
"My dad was always the one who'd let us get away with fooling around the whole day, while my mum was the one who'd insist on us finishing our training before we were allowed to play. Although that was the case, my father still was the Chief of the Tribe and my mother respected and understood, unless someone got on her bad side and got her angry. Then even dad wouldn't be able to stop her. Other than insisting that we finish our training, mum would spoil us to death. Dad, well, he'd never go against my mum. They never fought and even if they disagreed on something, one would back down quickly. Usually my dad."
As Lillian continued telling Robyn more about her parents, she could see Lillian's love for them written all over her face.
"No, I don't hate them or blame them for dying. I guess I already knew that something bad would happen during that war, but I just didn't realise that that night was the last one I'd have with them. They'd just put Lizzie to bed and had come over to say goodnight. I said goodnight to them, but not without telling them about how I felt something was of. They just laughed lightly, even though I knew they took me seriously, and the next day…"
Robyn hugged Lillian again.
"It all just happened so fast. When they died, I immediately knew I couldn't let the Clan know or there would be a Clan wide panic. To do that, I created clones of my parents and linked them together before making them fight, occasionally going in myself to avoid suspicion."
Robyn nodded, understanding why Lillian had to do what she did. If she were in her position, she would have done the same. That is, if she could think fast enough to do it.
"You know you can ask anything you want to, right?"
Robyn nodded her head.
"I just didn't want to ask yet."
Lillian nodded.
"Well, to answer your question, I do, and I'm sure Liz does as well. She just pretends and is much better at hiding it than I am."
Robyn chuckled.
"You really should make your mind-reading not passive."
Lillian shrugged.
"This way it's quite useful."
Robyn laughed, shaking her head.
"I guess that's true."
Robyn stood up, then offered a hand to Lillian, which she took. She pulled Lillian up and into a hug again.
"I want you to know that you'll always be able to depend on me."
Lillian nodded, resting her head on Robyn's chest and letting her hold her, giving her a sense of protection.
END OF RECOLLECTION
(Robyn's thoughts) 'Looks like I can't always be the one Lillian turns to for comfort.'
Robyn had always seen Lillian and Liz as younger sisters, and as a result, was slightly overprotective of them. But now as she saw Lillian take so much comfort to a level Robyn was never able to achieve from Liana, she knew she could rest easy, knowing that she was in good hands.