One Drop Essense of Gods

3. The Goodbye They Never Had. #2

About the same time at the Ivory Palace, Yvanna is curling on the bed, feeling her heart aching to see how pitiful the princess seemed when she begged the Aeltyre emperor. The pictures are rather vague, but she still can see it. Those cold eyes, and demeanour.

            ‘Ugh… what was it? What was really going on?!’ Yvanna turns and tosses, trying to figures out. The memories are incomplete, unlike the others. Like a watching movie with no sounds, she can see it, but didn’t hear anything. But from what she saw, the emperor was indeed seemed agreed to something what the princess said, before he left her there.

            And only after feeling how sad the princess was when losing the bangle, Yvanna finally knows that it was precious.

            ‘Did I reacting wrong? What does he want? Why didn’t he say anything about this?’

            This young King is so cunning, Yvanna thought. ‘Yep. Handsome man are always cunning. Never be deceive by his look. Heh!’

***

The anxiety made it seem like the time fly too slowly, and the aching heart which wasn’t belongs to her was too suffocating. ‘No… I can’t be so idle, or my mind will wandering around wildly!’

Yvanna wait and await, until she fell asleep, and in her sleep, Yvanna frowned, looking for the distance voices which calling out her name.

“Lyn? Is that you??”

At the mention of the name, Yvanna found herself in Lyn’s bedroom. The room is dark. There, Lyn is curling under the blanket, trembling and as pale as a ghost. “Lyn!” Yvanna rushing.

She slipped under the blanket, and hugged Lyn very tightly. It made her cry seeing Lyn mumbling, calling out her name in her sleep in such pitiful tones. “…Don’t cry, it doesn’t suit you. Come on, stop it. I’m here. Open your eyes. Lyn!”

            “Lyn… Evelyn, are you there? Are you asleep?”

            Yvanna glances at the door. ‘Is that... Heinley? Heinley!’ Yvanna jumped off herself in that instant, rushing there. But then she’s awake, along when the door opened.

“Milady, did I surprised you?”

“Ah, Layla…” Yvanna whispers disappointedly.

***

Outside, Elion is waiting, ready with his glove and cape. He brings Yvanna walk through the passage which one of the side is dominantly green. It is the Pond garden which was built to separate the Ivory Palace and the Queen’s Palace that’s still empty.

“Shouldn’t you be married by now? At least concubines?” Yvanna asks unconsciously as some pictures appeared in her mind, then feeling very awkward when she realized.

Elion smiles, “Why, feeling lonely now? I thought I heard someone making so much fusses for not wanting to bother by some noisy woman fighting over my night visits.”

“Ah, that’s—”

“It saving me from the troubles, though. Else, the court would’ve forced me to marry someone that year.”

            “… It was a blackmailed. You knew it.” Yvanna lowered her voices, thinking that Elion might not knowing it.

            “Even so.”

            ‘What, he knew?’ Yvanna glances up. Meeting those warm stares and smiles made her envied the princess for having such caring brother.

            This kind of feeling is new for Yvanna and she likes how it felt being pampered and acting spoiled, although she’s only borrowing it from the memories.

Comparing to herself, she’s always been lonely in that huge house, and her only cousin was oversea most of the rime around the time she was living in her uncle’s house. But Elion, even without this princess blackmailing him, he would’ve granted anything the princess asked for and she’s aware of it.

***

At the end of the staircase of the Ivory Palace main entrance, a handsome silver stallion awaited.

“Crown!” Yvanna jumped to give him a big hug.

            Elion brought this stout-strong silver horse after the first victory of the great battle many years ago, the princess said she wanted to name him Crown.

            “Why crown?”

            “Because it’s yours. Aren’t you the crown prince of Elea, brother?”

            “You heard it, Crown? That is your name from now on.”

            *

            “My, my… She didn’t even give me a hug after such a long time. But look at you.” Elion sneered at his horse, and his voices brought Yvanna back again, realizing that her body reacting uncontrollably again.

            Elion hopped on the horse first, then reach out his hand to lift her up. Actually she—and this princess can ride a horse really well. Now she wondered why they ended up ride together like a couple instead.

            “Why not racing?” Says Yvanna unconsciously again as another pictures of memory appeared in her mind.

            The last time, the two went out to town racing and the princess won. She was asking for his presence at her birthday as a reward, but Elion didn’t make it in the end.

            “You just recovered. I don’t want to hear Lance’s scolding.”

            “I was thinking that your majesty is afraid of losing again like last time, though?”

            Yvanna making a small―mocking smile. It kind of made Elion caught in a dazed. Thinking that he was seeing his real sister for a second back there. He then scoffs. “I was letting you win, last time― hold tight. We’re going.”

***

The road is bumpy as it getting uphill, yet Elion not slowing down and just keep going. Yvanna feels a little nervous and uncomfortable by the heat although it’s almost sunset.  

            “Are you all right?” There, he finally asked.

            “Hum… my thighs sores.” Yvanna whines. Elion then chuckles. “You should’ve yelled at me ages ago.”

            Yvanna glances back, “Pardon?”

“My sister, she would’ve definitely make a ruckus to ride on her own. You were being too obedient, my lady.”

            After sometimes of silence, they finally get to a very vast grassland with nothing around. One who stood there can see the whole Elea along with its sky. It’s a nice place with a nice view―perfect to kill someone, Yvanna thought.

‘The night is much better, I’d really love to see it with my own eyes, if only I survived another couple of hours.’ Sigh.

            Elion brought his sister to the very edge of the hill. Yvanna couldn’t tell whether the winds blowing a bit too rough or was it her who’s shaking so badly when she found that the array is very deep.

            She glances back. The guards are staying a little afar there, and Crown is grassing around. ‘We really are alone now. Come on, lord… take a pity on me.’

            Yvanna joining Elion sitting on the boulder as she was told to. It feels like sitting in the sky. Too high and he only need one little pushed than she died.

            This place is the brother-sister’s favourite place. They were here, also sitting next to each other like this, and looking at that the same sky the last time. ‘They were really closed to each other. Then why? Just what happened between them?’

            These thoughts, in fact, has been lingering around her mind for quite a while, but it was buried by another fact that she didn’t know anything about it while she can see the other memories.

“I heard your name is also Yvanna, my lady?”

            “Ah, yes.” Yvanna back to herself again.

            “Then, Anna. That is how I will call you.”

            “Anna?” Yvanna glances. “Well, my friends called me Ivy though―but, better to keep things the way it was, right?”

            “I’m glad to find you understands the situation well.”

            “… Master Isaac told me so.”

            “I bet he is. Then you call me Elion, or brother if you will.”

            Elion then takes Yvanna’s hand. He put it around his arms, made sure she holds it firmly. “I’m unarmed, and I do not possess any ill intentions as to bring you here. Now, I will fall too, if you fell. Rest your mind.”

“Ah, right.” Yvanna smiles awkwardly.

“So I’ve heard you have my sister’s memories.”

            “Yes. But not all―and not the ability.”

            “What do you mean not all?”

“Well, I know your majesty and the princess often spent times here, or racing on the horses—and the day when your father died was also here. I can even feel how sad the princess was that it hurts me. But I don’t know why am I end up being here, or how.

There is no such a thing as a coincidence, for everything happened for a reason, yet the reason wasn’t here, in my mind. Isn’t it funny?”

            “Not to me. I suppose it goes the same to you, since you already aware that my sister is no ordinary person.”

            “She is. But I’m just a normal human being. Uhm, Master Isaac told me that some behaviours change is normal for people who just awoken from serious illness. What about you, your highness. If you hadn’t been told, could you recognized that I’m not your sister?”

            “What do you think? My sister… She like sweets, and she never bowed down to me—not in any casual occasions.”

            Yvanna startled, remembering what happened during the breakfast. “Did they noticed?”

            “Perhaps?” Elion shrugs. “She’s careless, yet very obedient.  Except one time, she has never denied me. So even if you did bow earlier, they must’ve thought that you did it out of guilt―anyhow, talk to me casually, like I said. My sister rarely call me by my title. We don’t want to raise any suspicion, right?”

            “I… Sorry. I will try.”

“Honestly, you and my sister aren’t much different somehow, so just behave as you are. I noticed the carelessness in you are similarly the same. But since you are after all still a princess, I still need to remind you, that there are certain events where you have to behave accordingly.”

“Yes… I will certainly remember it.”

            Elion chuckles, “You still scared, aren’t you, Anna? It was my lacking for forgetting to tell as to why I brought you here though. You see, I’ve lost my only sister―my one and only family I have left. But here you are. Perhaps you already know that she hasn’t been in a great shape. Those eyes, they said it was a miracle, but for my sister, it was her shade of death.”

            “It has been glowing several times… they said it was because the body is still unstable.”

            “Yes, I’ve heard it too. Are you alright? When those eyes aglow, my often hear things, see things… she was frustrated. We’ve found her about to kill herself many times, but I couldn’t be much help. I think no one could.”

            “I didn’t see anything, not hearing anything too.”

            “Which we found it odd, actually. Through those eyes, my sister can see what the future hides. What she predicts would come true as if she came from that period of times, and through those eyes she saw things we couldn’t see―there beyond the rock gate, she said there is a world as beautiful as Elea, and beyond our layers of sights is the world of souls. You’ve seen them, yes?”

Yvanna is hesitating. All of thing that was said about these eyes, she didn’t experience any of it. Though the name Isse is popping out in her mind, she still says no. ”I don’t see any of them. Only that rock gate, and nothing else.”

            “That is truly odd, I say. Are you sure?”

            “You should’ve received many reports that I’ve been being all freaked out if did, right?”

            “You’re right. Even my sister still sometimes freaked out.” Elion chuckles, but seems a bit disappointed, that all of the airs around him turned into a curiosity. “Then… what about dreams?”

“Dreams?” Yvanna glances.

“Although I couldn’t tell if you and my sister are physically twin, I know that your souls are. Did you know that too?”

“Yes, I think I knew it. I woke up knowing that. But I don’t know if I could believe it. I mean…”

“That is indeed hard to believe, but you might find it even harder to believe that your arrival here was expected.”

“Pardon??”

“One day, my sister told me that she found her twin sister. I thought she was speaking nonsense as she was just a child back then. How about you? Have you meet her too—in your dreams, perhaps?”

            “No. I don’t think so. I was thinking about it just earlier actually, but I doubt that I’ve ever seen her―I mean, I’ve known her existence. But never met her in person.”

“Oh, that is quite a news. I’d like to hear it more, do you mind?” Elion’s eyes widen, sparks with curiosity, while Yvanna’s mind conflicted, wondering if she just spilled something she shouldn’t.

“That’s… Well, I often came here―to Elea, in my dream, sitting on the wooden bench near the bread shop by the marketplace to enjoy the city. So, I think I’m quite familiar with the surrounding, because I’ve been doing it since I was a child. I’ve known some big names. The late king and queen, you, the princess, the emperor… also the conflicts, I knew it too. But that’s that. I’ve never met any of them in person.”

            “That’s explain why you didn’t seem very much surprised, hm? But still, I was expecting that you two were actually meet each other before.”

            “I was surprised, to the point that I got frustrated when I found myself awake here, in this body. Because I thought, all of these supposed to be only my imaginations.”

            “But, didn’t you ever wonder why I didn’t seem surprised by your existence here? I was just curious though, who knows you two were in such situation. Like… you know, sisters kind of things. I knew you’ve been visiting our world since a long time ago, because she often talks about you.”

“She… your sister did?”

As far as she remember, the only person who ever interact with her is Isse. ‘Did he knew the princess? Was he the one who told her?’

            Yvanna search her mind in case she missed something. Starting from the very bottom shelves of her memories of her childhood which full of nightmares, until she was awake here. But that was all what she had.

            She only had that nightmares when she was a child. Nothing much to say about and if it has to be a girl that she saw, then she has never seen one. But, in the princess’ memories, she saw the princess watching Yvanna at the street side by the dock. It was during her first journey to Elea.

            It spread fears when she realized. She may not have the memories of the princess, but the princess has many memories of her.