Chapter 5. King's Kindness

Chapter 5. King's Kindness   

   Sephora had stormed out of her sister's room and chambers entirely, and gone back to her own.

   Both of the girls were mostly dressed at this point, even though she was wearing less makeup than usual. Due to this, Sephora looked far more stern than usual. Unfitting for her and contrary to her usual demeanor, which all the servants of the house knew her for.

   Instead, right now, icy blue eyes burned with a fidged and cold fury; with the force of a midwinter's blizzard behind her.

   While the twin sisters were nothing like their mother, in terms of her cold and collected cruelty, they did share with her a fiery temperament.  While one of the house servants flinched out of Sephora’s way as they met her piercing gaze; like a sharpened icicle. The servant was Lyla, one that Sephora was quite familiar with and even liked. They were of similar ages and for a servant girl, found Lyla very pretty and easy to talk to.  

    Lyla knew in her heart that neither Sephora nor Seraphina would ever lay a hand on any of the staff. After watching Queen Nox; both strike and mark a new servant girl… Branwen… Layla thought, trying to confirm the name of the girl she watched blood trickle from the lines of the 3 talons which made contact with her cheek.  Even with the best healers in the Raven Harpy Clan, those would be left as a mark for the rest of that poor girl's life. It was this type of behaviour that the twins couldn’t dare rebel at.

   Certainly, they would never dream of lashing out at them… at Lyla…unthinkingly like that. They didn’t have it in them to strike at them in the same fashion that their mother sees fit… but, who would ever be so bold as to tell the Raven Queen what to do? Lyla signed at her own thought.

   “Young miss,” Layla approached professionally. She was confident that she and the rest of the staff could do this with the twins. Certainly not Queen Nox, as poor Brenwen had found out this morning, “Are you alright, young miss?”

   Usually, Princess Sephora would have answered. Instead, the young Harpy heir stormed off and past her. Saying not a word in response. Almost as if she never heard Layla at all.

   It was easy to tell that Princess Sephora was as upset as she was angry. All harpies folded wings could droop or be perky depending on their mood. Someone excited and confident would have more upright folded wings. Where one who was more saddened would droop... Princess Sephora's wings now currently drooped, from her posture to the point that more than the ends of her tips slugged along the ground, dragging behind her. 

   This was as rare a sight, as much as it was concerning. 

   While feeling slightly desponded at the young raven harpy, it was nowhere near as disastrous as another staff member's encounter this morning.  

   Layla had successfully shown all of the current visitors to their respective chambers in the guest quarters. Queen Nox's inconspicuous threat had resonated clearly and fully. It wasn't required to instill fear in Lyla to encourage her to do her job... but that was how the Raven Queen had always seemed to go about "Inspiring", others. 

   The other servants had been readying the guest rooms in what was considered the spare wing of the manner. It had taken some time and effort, over the last two, to four days; dusting the cobwebs away, buffing the marble and polishing the wood... and not least, opening windows into rooms that hadn’t seen light in… whoever knew, just how long?

   Either way, Queen Nox had seemed eager to leave after the Older and largest owl had spoken to her after the blood wine was served, introductions were made, and toasted. Then she was off and poor Lyla was seemingly, to follow suit and take guests group by group to their living quarters. Attending to all of their needs while they were there. She was only one raven harpy and a common born at that.

   Queen Nox's notion was that this servant should be honored and feel lucky to have such a prestigious part in history at all. 

   It had taken the servan at least an hour and a half to settle all the guests into their rooms and was just on her way back from delivering the last of the luggage. Stopping even for a moment of concern, allowed her to gain some rest, to be able to catch her breath. However, it wasn't pleasant when that coincided with concern for the young heiress, right now, - Sephora. 

  

   Lyla watched her, as she stomped out of her own room and over towards the center of the house, where the stairs lay.

   The young miss, was clearly upset, but what more could Lyla possibly do if the young miss didn’t want to talk about it? She could not force her and did not want to. Especially having seen the result earlier from getting in her mother's way, who had only been minorly interrupted, and not in a bad mood. The hair on the servant girl's neck prickled with fear at the notion of, even attempting, to stop Princess Sephora at the moment. With that icy look in her piercing eyes, no servant in the house would dare chance it... over the years of raising the girls, even the cook - who had worked for the Royal household the longest - had perhaps only seen this twice in either of the girls, the entire time he had worked here.

   Sephora had walked right past Layla as if she were a cloud in the sky. Even, more like she was entirely invisible to her.  

   Instead, the servant girl began to think of how, more often than not, the twins would show kindness to the staff in various ways. Trying to remind herself, that despite how similar the girls could seem to their mother at times, they were not Queen Nox and would never dare treat them as cruely, or coldly as the Raven Queen.

   The twins... It was just something about the pair of them.

   They could never speak up directly against the Raven Queen, or they would risk the redirection of her wrath back toward themselves. The twins quickly learned that their kindness was best received behind the Raven Queen’s back. As the Queen referred to house staff as, “the help,” she never made a point to even learn their names, so never got to know any of them the way that the twins had. Definitely not enough to know how and when her daughters’ had given any aid or assistance.

   Once Seraphina and Sephora found out about Brenwen, they would work together to ensure she was well cared for if she chooses to no longer serve their household. The girls were very generous like that. Something they didn’t take from the Raven Queen, but from their long passed father.

   It was odd that  Nox almost never spoke of him; the young servant girl, Lyla, thought some more about this. 

   About how strange it was, that the old raven king was almost entirely forgotten. A recent memory... no, he was worse... the old and most recent king. He was a ghost in his own kingdom.

   Many had even forgotten he married, then Queen Nox, initially and that she was not of royal... or even noble blood. Despite being one of the fiercest generals in the Raven Harpy's army and one of his most trusted advisors. The old king had loved Queen Nox with all his heart.

   Not only this, Lyla continued in her reverie, he was loved and well-respected by almost all of the harpy clans.

   They say he had been especially close to the hawks, eagle, and falcon clans. He had two sisters that had hatched from his same clutch, Princess Aurora and Princess Pandora. Princess Pandora was married to an eagle clan member and Princess Aurora the peregrine falcons – the latter is the Harpy clan known for the fastest speed among all, despite their smaller stature in size.  

   Perhaps it was that very reason that there had been no eagle or falcon harpy clan suitors arrived, ready to woo the twins and the Queen, into signing over her daughter's hands in marriage. One thing was certain; whichever two would have to negotiate with the Raven Queen on terms of contractual agreement regarding a political union with her daughters, were the ones to be pitied.

   No fool in the whole of the Raven Harpies’ mountainous, Kingdom would dare suggest that those two heirs would ever be allowed to marry for love, overpower.

   Their mother… the Raven Queen… simply would never tolerate it. Those girls were as valuable as her best political instruments, as the house staff was just servants. All of the house staff knew it.

 

   Both sisters, Princess Pandora, and Princess Aurora, had never once visited after their brother’s death, though they had written to their nieces many times in an exchange of letters and scrolls.

   No one could be certain what truly killed him. What was made clear, was that it was in relation to some turf war between Clans that never quite made it into a full-blown, and official war.   

   Either way, the twins' could definitely be said to have the King's Kindness. Something the Raven Queen seemed to entirely lack.  

   If she ever found out that her daughter had been helping, “the help,” she would be most displeased with both Seraphina and Sephora alike. Who knew what would happen if she were to find out such a thing?

“Lyla?” Another voice called, light but authoritative.

    The servant girl looked back in the direction Sephora had walked from. Seraphina was peeping her head out from her room looking rather upset. “I thought I had heard you outside.” The older sister of the two was the most level-headed among them, so seeing her upset was more abnormal and concerning.

   “Young miss, is everything alright? Your sisters just passed me in the hall and-” Before Lyla could finish, Seraphina had raised her hand out of the doorway for her to stop.

   The older twin grinned sheepishly and then began, “I am still to finish getting ready. Would you assist me with my hair?”

    Lyla knew this was code for the girls wanting to talk. She nodded and walked into the room, happily obliging.