Post by Elvensmith on Aug 16, 2010 11:14:40 GMT 10
Title: Twins
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,319
Prompt: #31 Found
Summary: As far as everyone else knew, they were identical in every way.
Twins
The twin girls had twin magic and twin faces. They were alike in every possible way and no one but they themselves could tell them apart. They rarely objected if one of their parents mixed them up—after all, it made no difference. Beside their different names, they were the same person.
Kel was often concerned about her daughters. They were so indifferent, so stony. She was their mother, but she didn’t know what their favorite color was, or their favorite food. She didn’t know if they wanted to be ladies or knights. They spent much of their time reading, but she didn’t know what kind of books they liked.
It never occurred to her that they would like or want different things. But when they were both 10 years old, she had to ask what kind of future they hope to have.
“Girls,” she said at dinner one evening. “You’re both 10. What do you want to do?”
Dom took her hand and gripped it warmly. She smiled at him gratefully.
“We don’t know,” said the older twin, Kaireth.
“We’ve thought about it, but we still aren’t quite sure,” said the younger one, Miriam.
Kel studied their identical faces. She wasn’t sure either. They weren’t social girls, always spending their time sitting in corners and reading books. No one was their friend. “Think about it,” she said. “You don’t have to decide now.”
“You could be court ladies, join the Queen’s Riders, become knights… There are a lot of options to consider. You’d be good at all of them,” Dom said with a grin. He loved his daughters and he wished they’d be more open with Kel and him. They were beautiful and smart and strong, but they didn’t talk to anyone but themselves. He was sure that they weren’t as identical as they appeared to people, and he wanted them to do things separately. Kel had talked him out of sending one to live in Mindelan and the other in Queenscove. He hoped that they would choose different futures, though.
The girls were far more different than Dom thought. They even had different eye colors. Kaireth’s were blue and Miriam’s were a stormy grey. But no one noticed. No one tried to make them out as different people. So they didn’t make them. They could be different when they were alone, and no one would ever know. It was like a game for them.
But now they had to choose what they would do with their life, and they each wanted something else. That meant that the game was over. Each one went to a different parent, the night after that dinner discussion. Miriam decided to speak with her father while Kaireth spoke with her mother.
Dom stared at his daughter, putting down the boot he was shining. He had never seen Miriam by herself, and he had never noticed how determined and bright-faced she was. She looked so much like her mother, her eyes shining with determination.
“Dad, I’m sure of what I want to do now,” she said, kneeling before him.
“You do, huh?” he murmured. “And Kaireth?”
Miriam thought about her sister. She was sad that she wasn’t there with her, but both of them wanted something else. “She’s speaking with ma. Dad, I want to join the King’s Own.”
Her father raised his eyebrows. This was an unusual request. “You’re a girl,” he said simply.
“But—why shouldn’t girls get to be in the King’s Own? There are no rules that say they can’t.”
“All the girls go to the Riders—they’re almost the almost the same. There’s no reason to go the King’s Own,” he shrugged.
“Boys are allowed in the Riders,” she pointed out quickly. “And I don’t want that. I want to be in the Own.”
Her father thought about it. “With all those men? Away from your sister?”
Miriam faltered. “Miriam wants something else. And both ma and Lady Alanna survived with only boys. I know I can do it.”
“Maybe if I spoke to Lord Raoul…” Dom mused. “But, regardless, they’re not recruiting now.”
“And when they are, can I go? Please?” she said in a passionate whisper.
Dom had not the heart to refuse her, but he had to discuss it with Kel first. After a moment, he sighed. “I think it’s fine, but you have to ask your mother.”
“Thank you!” she cried immediately. “Thank you.”
He watched her curiously. Except for if she’d been hurt, his daughter had never said anything above normal volume, nor lower. But now—now he saw the fire blazing in her eyes. It made his heart burn with joy, for it seemed that they had finally found themselves.
Kaireth watched her mother practicing her glaive for a while, nervous without her twin. She could feel that her sister was happy. Kaireth knew that Miriam had chosen a difficult path, but she was relieved that her father supported her. Kaireth felt as though she was shirking her duty. Miriam would surely need her, but instead she was going off in pursuit of a simpler life.
“Did you want to say something?” Kel asked, turning to her daughter. She kept the shock she felt at seeing Kaireth alone from her voice and face. “Is Miriam okay?”
“She’s fine, ma,” Kaireth replied. “I wanted to talk about what I’m going to do.”
Kel nodded. She had suspected this. “Do you already know?”
“Well, I would like to be one of the Queen’s Ladies, but I hear you have to be chosen. So I want to be a priestess for the Mother Goddess.”
Kel’s eyebrows shot up. She had never imagined that the daughter of a Sergeant from the King’s Own and a lady knight would want to be a priestess. “Really? Why?”
“I- I want to serve Tortall in a different way. I want to pray for my people and be with the Goddess. It’s the way I want to live—for the Goddess, not for me,” Kaireth said quietly, blushing. She felt lame. “And I’ll learn to use my Gift.”
“That’s true…” Kel said slowly. There was nothing wrong with her wish but it was a huge commitment. And she couldn’t really go at her age. “Maybe you should do something else first. Many women go to the convent before they join the priesthood. And you never know if you might change your mind. You can also learn magic there.”
Kaireth thought about it. She’d already decided she would be a priestess, but it was possible that she would change her mind. And she had always liked magic. “If I go to the convent, do I have to go to Court?” she asked skeptically.
“Probably for a little, and they may ask you to be one of the Queen’s Ladies. Speaking of them, why don’t you just join the Riders? “ her mother asked, leaning on her glaive.
“It’s… hard, and muddy… and I’m afraid that I can’t do it,” Kaireth replied sheepishly.
“But it’s the same with the Queen’s Ladies. And priestesses must learn to fight as well,” Kel informed her.
“Yes, but I can still change my mind then, when I’m older. I’ll be sure when I’m older. When I’m 15, I may be wrong—and I may not like the Riders,” Kaireth said.
“You can always quit.”
“I’m not a quitter,” Kaireth informed her mother tartly. “If I make a decision, I’m sticking with it.”
“And what if you don’t like the convent?” Kel asked.
“Then… I’ll just have to put up with it.”
Kel smiled, seeing the stubborn look in her daughter’s eyes. “I see. And what does Kai—I mean, Miriam—want to do?”
“She wants to be in the King’s Own,” she told her.
“The King’s Own,” Kel repeated in astonishment. “That’s never been done before,” she laughed. “I suppose the changes aren’t over yet.”
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,319
Prompt: #31 Found
Summary: As far as everyone else knew, they were identical in every way.
Twins
The twin girls had twin magic and twin faces. They were alike in every possible way and no one but they themselves could tell them apart. They rarely objected if one of their parents mixed them up—after all, it made no difference. Beside their different names, they were the same person.
Kel was often concerned about her daughters. They were so indifferent, so stony. She was their mother, but she didn’t know what their favorite color was, or their favorite food. She didn’t know if they wanted to be ladies or knights. They spent much of their time reading, but she didn’t know what kind of books they liked.
It never occurred to her that they would like or want different things. But when they were both 10 years old, she had to ask what kind of future they hope to have.
“Girls,” she said at dinner one evening. “You’re both 10. What do you want to do?”
Dom took her hand and gripped it warmly. She smiled at him gratefully.
“We don’t know,” said the older twin, Kaireth.
“We’ve thought about it, but we still aren’t quite sure,” said the younger one, Miriam.
Kel studied their identical faces. She wasn’t sure either. They weren’t social girls, always spending their time sitting in corners and reading books. No one was their friend. “Think about it,” she said. “You don’t have to decide now.”
“You could be court ladies, join the Queen’s Riders, become knights… There are a lot of options to consider. You’d be good at all of them,” Dom said with a grin. He loved his daughters and he wished they’d be more open with Kel and him. They were beautiful and smart and strong, but they didn’t talk to anyone but themselves. He was sure that they weren’t as identical as they appeared to people, and he wanted them to do things separately. Kel had talked him out of sending one to live in Mindelan and the other in Queenscove. He hoped that they would choose different futures, though.
The girls were far more different than Dom thought. They even had different eye colors. Kaireth’s were blue and Miriam’s were a stormy grey. But no one noticed. No one tried to make them out as different people. So they didn’t make them. They could be different when they were alone, and no one would ever know. It was like a game for them.
But now they had to choose what they would do with their life, and they each wanted something else. That meant that the game was over. Each one went to a different parent, the night after that dinner discussion. Miriam decided to speak with her father while Kaireth spoke with her mother.
Dom stared at his daughter, putting down the boot he was shining. He had never seen Miriam by herself, and he had never noticed how determined and bright-faced she was. She looked so much like her mother, her eyes shining with determination.
“Dad, I’m sure of what I want to do now,” she said, kneeling before him.
“You do, huh?” he murmured. “And Kaireth?”
Miriam thought about her sister. She was sad that she wasn’t there with her, but both of them wanted something else. “She’s speaking with ma. Dad, I want to join the King’s Own.”
Her father raised his eyebrows. This was an unusual request. “You’re a girl,” he said simply.
“But—why shouldn’t girls get to be in the King’s Own? There are no rules that say they can’t.”
“All the girls go to the Riders—they’re almost the almost the same. There’s no reason to go the King’s Own,” he shrugged.
“Boys are allowed in the Riders,” she pointed out quickly. “And I don’t want that. I want to be in the Own.”
Her father thought about it. “With all those men? Away from your sister?”
Miriam faltered. “Miriam wants something else. And both ma and Lady Alanna survived with only boys. I know I can do it.”
“Maybe if I spoke to Lord Raoul…” Dom mused. “But, regardless, they’re not recruiting now.”
“And when they are, can I go? Please?” she said in a passionate whisper.
Dom had not the heart to refuse her, but he had to discuss it with Kel first. After a moment, he sighed. “I think it’s fine, but you have to ask your mother.”
“Thank you!” she cried immediately. “Thank you.”
He watched her curiously. Except for if she’d been hurt, his daughter had never said anything above normal volume, nor lower. But now—now he saw the fire blazing in her eyes. It made his heart burn with joy, for it seemed that they had finally found themselves.
Kaireth watched her mother practicing her glaive for a while, nervous without her twin. She could feel that her sister was happy. Kaireth knew that Miriam had chosen a difficult path, but she was relieved that her father supported her. Kaireth felt as though she was shirking her duty. Miriam would surely need her, but instead she was going off in pursuit of a simpler life.
“Did you want to say something?” Kel asked, turning to her daughter. She kept the shock she felt at seeing Kaireth alone from her voice and face. “Is Miriam okay?”
“She’s fine, ma,” Kaireth replied. “I wanted to talk about what I’m going to do.”
Kel nodded. She had suspected this. “Do you already know?”
“Well, I would like to be one of the Queen’s Ladies, but I hear you have to be chosen. So I want to be a priestess for the Mother Goddess.”
Kel’s eyebrows shot up. She had never imagined that the daughter of a Sergeant from the King’s Own and a lady knight would want to be a priestess. “Really? Why?”
“I- I want to serve Tortall in a different way. I want to pray for my people and be with the Goddess. It’s the way I want to live—for the Goddess, not for me,” Kaireth said quietly, blushing. She felt lame. “And I’ll learn to use my Gift.”
“That’s true…” Kel said slowly. There was nothing wrong with her wish but it was a huge commitment. And she couldn’t really go at her age. “Maybe you should do something else first. Many women go to the convent before they join the priesthood. And you never know if you might change your mind. You can also learn magic there.”
Kaireth thought about it. She’d already decided she would be a priestess, but it was possible that she would change her mind. And she had always liked magic. “If I go to the convent, do I have to go to Court?” she asked skeptically.
“Probably for a little, and they may ask you to be one of the Queen’s Ladies. Speaking of them, why don’t you just join the Riders? “ her mother asked, leaning on her glaive.
“It’s… hard, and muddy… and I’m afraid that I can’t do it,” Kaireth replied sheepishly.
“But it’s the same with the Queen’s Ladies. And priestesses must learn to fight as well,” Kel informed her.
“Yes, but I can still change my mind then, when I’m older. I’ll be sure when I’m older. When I’m 15, I may be wrong—and I may not like the Riders,” Kaireth said.
“You can always quit.”
“I’m not a quitter,” Kaireth informed her mother tartly. “If I make a decision, I’m sticking with it.”
“And what if you don’t like the convent?” Kel asked.
“Then… I’ll just have to put up with it.”
Kel smiled, seeing the stubborn look in her daughter’s eyes. “I see. And what does Kai—I mean, Miriam—want to do?”
“She wants to be in the King’s Own,” she told her.
“The King’s Own,” Kel repeated in astonishment. “That’s never been done before,” she laughed. “I suppose the changes aren’t over yet.”