Anastasia Colline could never bear children, so she raised Romane as her own. She showered her young niece with a mother's selfless love and care. Romane was pretty too; with her pale skin contrasting her hair - a motley of deep red and white.
After the war with Vindelori Sebastian moved his family from the south to the capital: Bel Terra. The city was in the shape of two circles - Bellanue and Terroire - separated by the Erere river. With Kallisto's money and the name that his daughter bore they were able to purchase a villa in Bellanue with other nobility and wealthy merchants. Sebastian used the Montrouge treasury to begin an enterprise that dealt with exotic furs and pelt from Nuru, in the far North, and Apelburg in the far South and West. It proved to be a very lucrative business in such a fashionable section of such a fashionable city as Bel Terra.
Young Romane grew up without wanting for anything. As a Countess she was technically the most senior in the household, and the servants especially treated her accordingly. It was with a firm hand that Ana kept Lady Romane from swelling with hubris.
Like most things in life, raising a child has its own ups and downs. Romane proved to be quite the headache for Anastasia. She was too smart for her own good. And the questions, always asking questions. 'How does water get from the river to our house? How come we have seasons, but Northerners don't? Where did the Semme come from? Why can't you have children of your own?' That last question particularly stung Anastasia. Instead of answering she had Sebastian buy all the books they could afford to shut Romane up; and it worked.
Another problem sprouted from their solution though. Romane preferred books to other children her age. "Why," Ana had asked. "They're dumb and uninteresting," was the nonchalant answer. Ana and her husband sat down Romane and sternly explained that a young lady must learn to socialize with others in this world they lived in. She protested of course, whining about how she was only six years old. Sebastian softened but Anastasia refused to back down. The dutiful husband caved to his wife and Romane pouted for a day and a half. Begrudgingly she left the villa to play with the other highborn children at the steps of the palace every other day.
She turned out to be quite popular, and a bit of a bully, but no one ever stayed mad at her. The Collines never received any complaints for inflicted bruises and hurt egos. Everyone was charmed by the little countess and her easy smiles. They marveled at her red and white hair and she reveled in the attention, away from her aunt of course.
Romane did not completely abandon books however. Instead she spent late nights by her window reading in the moonlight or candlelight. Anastasia was hardly surprised when she discovered this. At least Romane was no wallflower, that was good enough for Ana.
When she was eight Romane eventually took to a thick black grimoire Sebastian had got from a travelling merchant from Rearen. It was a black leather bound book as thick as a candle was tall. Romane could hardly carry the monstrosity, so Sebastian let her keep it on his desk where it would not be moved. He had an office in his warehouse down at the docks, and he was hardly seen at home during the daylight hours.
Initially, Ana thought it was a waste of time, children only show magical aptitude at age 12, and very very few at 11. Romane shocked everybody by conjuring rivulets of water and tiny tongues of flame at the tips of her fingers four years early. Soon she was obsessed with this new power. It did not last very long though. In her eagerness to test her abilities Romane flooded the entire third floor, blasted a giant hole in the floor, and sprouted ivy and moss in cracks in the floor and the walls. The Collines flew to do damage control. Ana forbade Romane from practicing magic at home or anywhere for that matter until further notice. She made all the servants swear silence lest she make their lives hell. None wanted to be on her bad side and word of Romane's abilities never reached agents of the crown. Sebastian meanwhile discreetly managed the repairs. He also repossessed his faceless black grimoire.
For a fortnight after Romane was sullen. Her sorrowful disposition tugged at Ana's heart. She discussed with her husband how Romane could explore her powers. Mages were a rarity, even in the Kingdom of the Semme. Only about 1 in 10000 had the gift. Though their strengths varied, all mages were drafted into the king's army regardless of circumstance. Mages were usually discovered during The Vigil; an annual event every Summer solstice where youths aged 12 would spend the entire night in the Semme. Come morning University officials would look for those chosen by the great forest. The only restrictions for who could participate in the Vigil was a minimum age of 12. Otherwise lowborn and highborn youths all camped up in the big sturdy branches of the ancient trees of the Semme.
A magic user younger than 12 was unheard of. Even Nonna gained her powers at age 12. The University of Bel Terra kept an iron grip on all youth mages. They were cold men of logic. Undoubtedly they would have whisked Romane away to perform unholy experiments on her in the bowels of the Tower. Ana shuddered at the thought. However if Romane turned out to be as powerful as her mother it would do wonders for the Collines' social standing.
"Think about it," whispered Ana to her husband. They were in bed, discussing Romane in the late hours of the night. "We could actually move into the nobles quarter. Think about what that would mean for your business. All those new clientele. Not to mention more luxury." Ana's eyes were sparkling, but Sebastian frowned.
"It's not about the money," he answered, in a measured tone. Sebastian was easily swayed on a lot of issues. He had a tendency not to ponder too much. But this time Ana could see gears grinding in his head. "I made a promise to Kallisto, I told him I'd keep Romane safe. What if the University men find out, and snatch her away and take her to a cold dungeon to prod her with all manner of tools. I'm not comfortable taking the risk."
Cold dungeons didn't sound appealing to Ana either. "We won't let them catch her."
"You saw what she can do. We can't hide that forever if it were a daily occurrence. The king has spies, capable one's. King Guitart distrusts mages after that whole Vindelori betrayal. And Romane is of Southern blood, he'd have her in chains if she's lucky, a silent execution if not."
"Okay first of all you don't know that. You speak of the King as if you were lifelong mates."
"I have friends who tell me these things, nobles. The king is weary of Southerners and mages; even though it has been a decade. Some say he wants to attack Sebovl and retake Vindelori after breaking their alliance. He won't even let southerners be in the same room as him, lest they be spies."
"But Romane has spent her whole life in the capital." Ana argued. "She is no more southerner than you and I. It doesn't even matter because I won't let them catch her."
Sebastian scoffed. "And how will you do that? You and I were born commoners. The crown can kick us back to the mud - stripping me of my knighthood. What will you do then? Without servants to pamper you while Romane dies a slow death in a dungeon."
That hurt, Ana lashed back, "you're just a blind mole, unable to see the big picture. A merchant without foresight; it's a wonder how you haven't managed to bankrupt us." In the early days of his business Sebastian heavily relied on his wife who had had a basic education and was a merchant's daughter.
Sebastian's frown deepened. "Well at least I care for Romane more than my wealth or my social standing." He spat out those last words dripping with contempt. Ana raised her hand and slapped him as hard as she could.
"How dare you? How dare you? Romane is like my daughter." Tears were stinging her eyes. Sebastian always knew what words would hurt her the most.
His face softened, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." He pulled her close. Ana was trying and failing to blink away her tears. "I would never doubt your love. Hush hush. Why don't we sleep on it? Talk about it tomorrow over breakfast."
They never ate breakfast together. Ana bit her lip and said nothing. Sleep enveloped her soon after, and she fell into a deep dreamless sleep. Warm Spring sunshine woke her up to an empty bed. As usual Sebastian had woken up before her. He might not have been the smartest merchant that lived but he more than made up for it in determination and consistency. Ana smiled at the thought of her husband reading his business reports, face knotted in serious concentration like the world depended on them.
Her smile faded and bile rose in her throat when she recalled the fight they had. Sebastian brought her immense joy but he could cut her down like nobody else could. Warm humid air from the sea caressed her face when she opened the wide double windows. The city contrasted sharply from her mood. In the Merchant's Quarter of Terroire where she grew up the noise was incessant; it forced you to get used to it and it drowned out everything else. In Bellanue however, you could hear the sound of the dawn: a dozen birds singing, a dog happily barking on a walk with its owner, leaves softly rustling to the wind. The sounds always made Ana appreciate herself more - seeing as how far she had come. Crossing the Erere was no small feat. That cheered her up a bit and she turned from the window to go have her breakfast.
Waiting for her at the Dining table was a demure looking Romane, miserably poking at her sausages, and her husband. She did not bother hiding her surprise. She raised an eyebrow at Sebastian. He responded by nodding sagely, like a wise old man burdened by age.
A servant pulled out a seat for Ana and left once she was seated. Sebastian cleared his throat. "Romane, your aunt and I have been talking," he said.
"What a shocker," Romane said sarcastically.
Sebastian opened his mouth to say something but Ana swooped in, "Tone, Romane. Tone."
"Right, sorry Nan, Uncle." she didn't raise her eyes from her plate.
Sebastian cleared his throat again. "As I was saying," he continued. "We've been talking about your magic, and how we'd like to let you practice it…" Romane instantly lit up, "Discreetly." His tone was steel.
Ana was smiling on the inside, acting like she knew this was going to happen. Sebastian had always been easy to sway.
"Really? You're going to let me practise again?" Romane asked breathlessly. Ana quietly wondered whether Romane's obsession with magic was healthy. "You're going to give me back my book?"
"The book is mine, I was just letting you borrow it," Sebastian was magically inept, but it was wise not to feed a shark. "And I said Discreetly. I haven't explained that part yet. Listen closely." Romane shut her mouth, still beaming a huge smile. "You know Isidro right? Sure you do. Well, he knows the Semme better than anyone I know. South of here, outside the walls, about 6 kilometers away there's a shallow cave. A forest bear hibernates there every winter so it should be empty in the Spring. Isidro will take you there every other day starting tomorrow. Jean will accompany you." Sebastian leaned forward, he emphasized his next words, "Listen to Jean, Romane. If he reports any misbehavior on your part you can kiss your magic practice goodbye."
Romane was unfazed. "Follow Isidro, listen to Jean, got it. I can't wait." Sebastian stern words of warning went in one ear and out the other. It seemed she was confident in talking her way out of trouble with her uncle. Ana sighed. Sebastian had always been easy to sway.
"Romane," Ana called out softly as she rose to kneel by Romane's seat. "I need you to understand. If the wrong people found out about your gift, they'll take you away, and experiment on you; terrifying experiments. Then they'll hang us for hiding you, accusing us of being Vindelori sympathizers, or worse, spies." Ana paused for effect as reality set in for the young Countess. Now for the killing blow. "You wouldn't want that would you?"
"No I wouldn't," Romane said, with a great deal less energy. She hardly argued with Ana. Anastasia had always been hard to sway. "I promise I'll be careful"
"That's exactly what we wanted to hear," Sebastian said. He looked relieved.
"Uncle, I've been meaning to ask you for a while." She swallowed. "Did my mother become adept before she was 12 too?"
"Not to my knowledge, no." Sebastian suddenly smiled. "Maybe someday you'll grow to surpass her."
"Now, now, Seb, don't go giving her ideas. Her head might pop," Ana chimed in. Romane was back to grinning ear to ear.
"I think I've lost my appetite, may I be excused?" Romane asked. Her food had scarcely been touched. Ana and Seb both knew avoiding waste was a virtue worth cultivating, but they made an exception, just this once.
Sebastian nodded and Romane bounced happily out of the room. The Collines were alone now. "I never would have thought she was being literal," Sebastian said out of the blue.
Ana did not catch his meaning. "What?"
"Nonna's last words were about Romane being destined for greatness." Ana strolled across the room to her husband and sat on his lap.
Sebastian was big on being a man of his word. Ana offered him some genuine reassurance, "We're doing right by them. You always keep your promises."
Sebastian smiled and the couple kissed happily.