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Of the Antonis sisters, it was no secret that the two middle sisters were the closest: of similar mind and a love of books and learning, they had bonded far more than Evi could claim was true with either the oldest or the youngest. That was not to say that she didn’t love them: all four were close, to an extent. But the oldest, by nature of her position as the firstborn, was destined for higher things than the younger three.
And the younger sister... well Evi loved her but it drive her insane with how easy Hebe had it. For some reason, she was able to recall information after seeing a page in a book only once. It wasn’t even like she was traditionally intelligent, but she had this... gift of retaining information, and it irked Evi to no end. It was an ability Hebe didn’t deserve. It was something Evi had spent much of her youth trying to learn, to no avail. Even now, she barely accepted it, and she was hard pressed not to be angered when she witnessed Hebe ‘learning’: she even acted like it was a burden, and pretended like her head hurt with all the information in it. Hebe had no respect for what must be a God-given gift.
All the same, there were many other things that Hebe was better at than Evi. With a nose buried in a book for the majority of her childhood, Evi had not bothered with learning other arts that their tutors had taught. It was only now, now that Evi was out in society and learning how much she enjoyed being paraded about by her parents, that she wished she had paid closer attention to other lessons. One such skill Evi was yet to master was dancing.
Most of Evi’s days were sat hunched over at a table, either at home or in the library, large tome in hand and parchment and quill poised to write down anything of import. But booksmarts would only take her so far in the world. For a woman to be truly accomplished in Athenian culture, they had to be able to write, draw, paint, dance... they had to be able to do it all, and do it well. She could dance, but she couldn’t do it with the finesse her sister managed it with.
Having agreed to meet in the gardens, Evi headed out to meet her sister. The small bushes lined the perfect lawn in their wooden boxes, and weed-free flowerbeds brightened the whole space with reds and pinks and yellows. Off to the right was a small pond with flowering lily pads, and ivy cascade over the walls in unnatural yet beautiful patterns.
“Sister,” she murmured, extending her hands and pulling the younger of the girls in to kiss her two cheeks as she did every morning when they first saw each other, “How did you sleep? Thank you for agreeing to help with my dancing.”
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This character is currently a work in progress.
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Of the Antonis sisters, it was no secret that the two middle sisters were the closest: of similar mind and a love of books and learning, they had bonded far more than Evi could claim was true with either the oldest or the youngest. That was not to say that she didn’t love them: all four were close, to an extent. But the oldest, by nature of her position as the firstborn, was destined for higher things than the younger three.
And the younger sister... well Evi loved her but it drive her insane with how easy Hebe had it. For some reason, she was able to recall information after seeing a page in a book only once. It wasn’t even like she was traditionally intelligent, but she had this... gift of retaining information, and it irked Evi to no end. It was an ability Hebe didn’t deserve. It was something Evi had spent much of her youth trying to learn, to no avail. Even now, she barely accepted it, and she was hard pressed not to be angered when she witnessed Hebe ‘learning’: she even acted like it was a burden, and pretended like her head hurt with all the information in it. Hebe had no respect for what must be a God-given gift.
All the same, there were many other things that Hebe was better at than Evi. With a nose buried in a book for the majority of her childhood, Evi had not bothered with learning other arts that their tutors had taught. It was only now, now that Evi was out in society and learning how much she enjoyed being paraded about by her parents, that she wished she had paid closer attention to other lessons. One such skill Evi was yet to master was dancing.
Most of Evi’s days were sat hunched over at a table, either at home or in the library, large tome in hand and parchment and quill poised to write down anything of import. But booksmarts would only take her so far in the world. For a woman to be truly accomplished in Athenian culture, they had to be able to write, draw, paint, dance... they had to be able to do it all, and do it well. She could dance, but she couldn’t do it with the finesse her sister managed it with.
Having agreed to meet in the gardens, Evi headed out to meet her sister. The small bushes lined the perfect lawn in their wooden boxes, and weed-free flowerbeds brightened the whole space with reds and pinks and yellows. Off to the right was a small pond with flowering lily pads, and ivy cascade over the walls in unnatural yet beautiful patterns.
“Sister,” she murmured, extending her hands and pulling the younger of the girls in to kiss her two cheeks as she did every morning when they first saw each other, “How did you sleep? Thank you for agreeing to help with my dancing.”
Of the Antonis sisters, it was no secret that the two middle sisters were the closest: of similar mind and a love of books and learning, they had bonded far more than Evi could claim was true with either the oldest or the youngest. That was not to say that she didn’t love them: all four were close, to an extent. But the oldest, by nature of her position as the firstborn, was destined for higher things than the younger three.
And the younger sister... well Evi loved her but it drive her insane with how easy Hebe had it. For some reason, she was able to recall information after seeing a page in a book only once. It wasn’t even like she was traditionally intelligent, but she had this... gift of retaining information, and it irked Evi to no end. It was an ability Hebe didn’t deserve. It was something Evi had spent much of her youth trying to learn, to no avail. Even now, she barely accepted it, and she was hard pressed not to be angered when she witnessed Hebe ‘learning’: she even acted like it was a burden, and pretended like her head hurt with all the information in it. Hebe had no respect for what must be a God-given gift.
All the same, there were many other things that Hebe was better at than Evi. With a nose buried in a book for the majority of her childhood, Evi had not bothered with learning other arts that their tutors had taught. It was only now, now that Evi was out in society and learning how much she enjoyed being paraded about by her parents, that she wished she had paid closer attention to other lessons. One such skill Evi was yet to master was dancing.
Most of Evi’s days were sat hunched over at a table, either at home or in the library, large tome in hand and parchment and quill poised to write down anything of import. But booksmarts would only take her so far in the world. For a woman to be truly accomplished in Athenian culture, they had to be able to write, draw, paint, dance... they had to be able to do it all, and do it well. She could dance, but she couldn’t do it with the finesse her sister managed it with.
Having agreed to meet in the gardens, Evi headed out to meet her sister. The small bushes lined the perfect lawn in their wooden boxes, and weed-free flowerbeds brightened the whole space with reds and pinks and yellows. Off to the right was a small pond with flowering lily pads, and ivy cascade over the walls in unnatural yet beautiful patterns.
“Sister,” she murmured, extending her hands and pulling the younger of the girls in to kiss her two cheeks as she did every morning when they first saw each other, “How did you sleep? Thank you for agreeing to help with my dancing.”
With Helios prancing at her heels, Hebe twirled around the garden, humming a lively tune that she had danced to at a recent event. She remembered every note of it and she sung it with perfect pitch. She had been told that if she dedicated time to it and practiced diligently, she could become a fine singer. While the possibility intrigued her, she would then have songs playing in her mind all the time, warring for dominance with the thoughts that already careened through it.
That would give her more headaches. For the last two days, she had been unable to leave her bed because of the pain pulsing in her head. All she could do was lay there. The things one often did while sick, such as read, only made the headaches worse. Nor could she sleep well when she was in so much agony.
Perhaps that was why she was so exuberant today. The pain was finally gone. She was also happy because Evi had asked her to help her improve her dancing skills. Hebe always felt inadequate next to her elder sisters. She loved them all, but they were much more accomplished than she. Sanasa was the heir to House Antonis and had a bright future ahead of her. She was bossy, but a ruler needed a commanding presence. Perhaps she was practicing on her sisters. Marietta and Evi were scholars and knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects. They would always be respected for their intelligence and sought out when others needed to low about a specific topic.
But Hebe … nothing was special about her except that she could dance well. Where would that get her in life? Absolutely nowhere. Nor would it be important to men who were looking for wives. Inheritance and intelligence were valuable, but dancing was just a frivolous activity that anyone could do. Nobody cared how spectacularly you could dance.
She loved it anyway. While dancing, she was able to calm her mind so that those baffling thoughts wouldn’t overwhelm her. Hebe supposed that her eidetic memory was a gift, but it seemed more like a curse. It was the cause of her headaches and her disinterest in learning. If only she could learn to control it. Maybe she would be able to do that when she was older. Perhaps the ability to push knowledge she didn’t need to the back of her mind would come with experience. Nothing she had tried had worked and sometimes she feared that her memories would drive her mad.
But she would not think of those things now. Plucking a bright red bloom from a bush, she tucked it behind her ear and continued to dance. Hearing footsteps approaching, she stopped and turned toward the entrance, nearly tripping over the lion cub who had halted beside his mistress. The young girl hoped that Evi wouldn’t mind the presence of Helios. If she did, Hebe could send him away. As her sister came into view, the younger girl smiled and kissed Evi on both cheeks in return.
“I’m fine she replied. “My headache went away last night and I hope I don’t get any more for a long while.” Helios bounded over to Evi and rubbed against her legs. “I’m glad you asked for my assistance. I have a lot of energy to expend today. I hope you do too because dancing takes a lot of it. Is there anything in particular you want me to help you with?”
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With Helios prancing at her heels, Hebe twirled around the garden, humming a lively tune that she had danced to at a recent event. She remembered every note of it and she sung it with perfect pitch. She had been told that if she dedicated time to it and practiced diligently, she could become a fine singer. While the possibility intrigued her, she would then have songs playing in her mind all the time, warring for dominance with the thoughts that already careened through it.
That would give her more headaches. For the last two days, she had been unable to leave her bed because of the pain pulsing in her head. All she could do was lay there. The things one often did while sick, such as read, only made the headaches worse. Nor could she sleep well when she was in so much agony.
Perhaps that was why she was so exuberant today. The pain was finally gone. She was also happy because Evi had asked her to help her improve her dancing skills. Hebe always felt inadequate next to her elder sisters. She loved them all, but they were much more accomplished than she. Sanasa was the heir to House Antonis and had a bright future ahead of her. She was bossy, but a ruler needed a commanding presence. Perhaps she was practicing on her sisters. Marietta and Evi were scholars and knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects. They would always be respected for their intelligence and sought out when others needed to low about a specific topic.
But Hebe … nothing was special about her except that she could dance well. Where would that get her in life? Absolutely nowhere. Nor would it be important to men who were looking for wives. Inheritance and intelligence were valuable, but dancing was just a frivolous activity that anyone could do. Nobody cared how spectacularly you could dance.
She loved it anyway. While dancing, she was able to calm her mind so that those baffling thoughts wouldn’t overwhelm her. Hebe supposed that her eidetic memory was a gift, but it seemed more like a curse. It was the cause of her headaches and her disinterest in learning. If only she could learn to control it. Maybe she would be able to do that when she was older. Perhaps the ability to push knowledge she didn’t need to the back of her mind would come with experience. Nothing she had tried had worked and sometimes she feared that her memories would drive her mad.
But she would not think of those things now. Plucking a bright red bloom from a bush, she tucked it behind her ear and continued to dance. Hearing footsteps approaching, she stopped and turned toward the entrance, nearly tripping over the lion cub who had halted beside his mistress. The young girl hoped that Evi wouldn’t mind the presence of Helios. If she did, Hebe could send him away. As her sister came into view, the younger girl smiled and kissed Evi on both cheeks in return.
“I’m fine she replied. “My headache went away last night and I hope I don’t get any more for a long while.” Helios bounded over to Evi and rubbed against her legs. “I’m glad you asked for my assistance. I have a lot of energy to expend today. I hope you do too because dancing takes a lot of it. Is there anything in particular you want me to help you with?”
With Helios prancing at her heels, Hebe twirled around the garden, humming a lively tune that she had danced to at a recent event. She remembered every note of it and she sung it with perfect pitch. She had been told that if she dedicated time to it and practiced diligently, she could become a fine singer. While the possibility intrigued her, she would then have songs playing in her mind all the time, warring for dominance with the thoughts that already careened through it.
That would give her more headaches. For the last two days, she had been unable to leave her bed because of the pain pulsing in her head. All she could do was lay there. The things one often did while sick, such as read, only made the headaches worse. Nor could she sleep well when she was in so much agony.
Perhaps that was why she was so exuberant today. The pain was finally gone. She was also happy because Evi had asked her to help her improve her dancing skills. Hebe always felt inadequate next to her elder sisters. She loved them all, but they were much more accomplished than she. Sanasa was the heir to House Antonis and had a bright future ahead of her. She was bossy, but a ruler needed a commanding presence. Perhaps she was practicing on her sisters. Marietta and Evi were scholars and knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects. They would always be respected for their intelligence and sought out when others needed to low about a specific topic.
But Hebe … nothing was special about her except that she could dance well. Where would that get her in life? Absolutely nowhere. Nor would it be important to men who were looking for wives. Inheritance and intelligence were valuable, but dancing was just a frivolous activity that anyone could do. Nobody cared how spectacularly you could dance.
She loved it anyway. While dancing, she was able to calm her mind so that those baffling thoughts wouldn’t overwhelm her. Hebe supposed that her eidetic memory was a gift, but it seemed more like a curse. It was the cause of her headaches and her disinterest in learning. If only she could learn to control it. Maybe she would be able to do that when she was older. Perhaps the ability to push knowledge she didn’t need to the back of her mind would come with experience. Nothing she had tried had worked and sometimes she feared that her memories would drive her mad.
But she would not think of those things now. Plucking a bright red bloom from a bush, she tucked it behind her ear and continued to dance. Hearing footsteps approaching, she stopped and turned toward the entrance, nearly tripping over the lion cub who had halted beside his mistress. The young girl hoped that Evi wouldn’t mind the presence of Helios. If she did, Hebe could send him away. As her sister came into view, the younger girl smiled and kissed Evi on both cheeks in return.
“I’m fine she replied. “My headache went away last night and I hope I don’t get any more for a long while.” Helios bounded over to Evi and rubbed against her legs. “I’m glad you asked for my assistance. I have a lot of energy to expend today. I hope you do too because dancing takes a lot of it. Is there anything in particular you want me to help you with?”
Ah yes, a headache. Of course. Hebe was plagued by them so often and… well it wasn’t that Evi disbelieved her sister’s complaints… not entirely at least. But there was something so convenient about them that they seemed to be not real. Hebe wasn’t dramatic about them by any stretch of the imagination - she didn’t always run around sharing her woes and complaining about them, but they were frequent, and she blamed her eidetic memory for them. It was just so unfair, how she was able to look at a page in a book and instantly recall it. Not that she could always make sense of it, of course.
But it was… unfair.
“I’m glad that it has passed, sister,” was all she said, instead of the other thoughts about the girl running through her mind. “Exercise helps, doesn’t it… dancing with me won’t bring on another one, I hope?” Evi already knew the answer to her question, of course. Hebe was forever seeking other pursuits, and it was well known that the youngest of the Antonis girls adored dancing.
And Evi genuinely wanted to learn how to dance properly. She had been taught how to dance as a child, like all noble children were. But she had never the mind for it, preferring books and classroom based learning in favour of the more physical arts. It was the same with drawing and other creative pursuits - Evi was… well maybe not good, but adequate at each of them. Now grown and in society, she felt she must learn to be better than simply adequate.
And dancing in particular. Gods forbid Elias of Stravos should one day ask her to dance and she make a fool of herself. It just wouldn’t do.
She bent down to stroke at behind the ears of the little cub who had all but pounced over to say hello. Evi liked the little thing, but Evi was not a particularly animal person, and she hoped the cub was not going to demand too much more of her attention. “Good. Energy is what you’ll need to teach me! That and a fair amount of patience. I fear I have forgotten all we were taught as children.” It wasn’t entirely true, but Evi was a people-pleaser at heart, and it meant something to her that she could feign complete ignorance in the hopes that Hebe felt truly like she was better at something.
So often was the youngest Antonis sister overshadowed by her siblings. This was especially true with Evi, who boasted not only a love of books and learning, but who also so often liked to be the life and soul of any event. She thrived under both conditions. Evi loved to be talked about, and she made it the case.
“I think a couple’s dance,” the elder sister replied after a moment’s consideration, thinking mainly of Elias and what would benefit her possibly in the near future. It was too much to hope that he would actually ask her. They had shared a secret kiss, and Evi had her reservations about what that actually meant, of course (she wasn’t such a romantic that she believes anything could come of it). But hope she did all the same. “Something… something that is a crowd favourite to start, you know better than I that which people love to dance.”
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Ah yes, a headache. Of course. Hebe was plagued by them so often and… well it wasn’t that Evi disbelieved her sister’s complaints… not entirely at least. But there was something so convenient about them that they seemed to be not real. Hebe wasn’t dramatic about them by any stretch of the imagination - she didn’t always run around sharing her woes and complaining about them, but they were frequent, and she blamed her eidetic memory for them. It was just so unfair, how she was able to look at a page in a book and instantly recall it. Not that she could always make sense of it, of course.
But it was… unfair.
“I’m glad that it has passed, sister,” was all she said, instead of the other thoughts about the girl running through her mind. “Exercise helps, doesn’t it… dancing with me won’t bring on another one, I hope?” Evi already knew the answer to her question, of course. Hebe was forever seeking other pursuits, and it was well known that the youngest of the Antonis girls adored dancing.
And Evi genuinely wanted to learn how to dance properly. She had been taught how to dance as a child, like all noble children were. But she had never the mind for it, preferring books and classroom based learning in favour of the more physical arts. It was the same with drawing and other creative pursuits - Evi was… well maybe not good, but adequate at each of them. Now grown and in society, she felt she must learn to be better than simply adequate.
And dancing in particular. Gods forbid Elias of Stravos should one day ask her to dance and she make a fool of herself. It just wouldn’t do.
She bent down to stroke at behind the ears of the little cub who had all but pounced over to say hello. Evi liked the little thing, but Evi was not a particularly animal person, and she hoped the cub was not going to demand too much more of her attention. “Good. Energy is what you’ll need to teach me! That and a fair amount of patience. I fear I have forgotten all we were taught as children.” It wasn’t entirely true, but Evi was a people-pleaser at heart, and it meant something to her that she could feign complete ignorance in the hopes that Hebe felt truly like she was better at something.
So often was the youngest Antonis sister overshadowed by her siblings. This was especially true with Evi, who boasted not only a love of books and learning, but who also so often liked to be the life and soul of any event. She thrived under both conditions. Evi loved to be talked about, and she made it the case.
“I think a couple’s dance,” the elder sister replied after a moment’s consideration, thinking mainly of Elias and what would benefit her possibly in the near future. It was too much to hope that he would actually ask her. They had shared a secret kiss, and Evi had her reservations about what that actually meant, of course (she wasn’t such a romantic that she believes anything could come of it). But hope she did all the same. “Something… something that is a crowd favourite to start, you know better than I that which people love to dance.”
Ah yes, a headache. Of course. Hebe was plagued by them so often and… well it wasn’t that Evi disbelieved her sister’s complaints… not entirely at least. But there was something so convenient about them that they seemed to be not real. Hebe wasn’t dramatic about them by any stretch of the imagination - she didn’t always run around sharing her woes and complaining about them, but they were frequent, and she blamed her eidetic memory for them. It was just so unfair, how she was able to look at a page in a book and instantly recall it. Not that she could always make sense of it, of course.
But it was… unfair.
“I’m glad that it has passed, sister,” was all she said, instead of the other thoughts about the girl running through her mind. “Exercise helps, doesn’t it… dancing with me won’t bring on another one, I hope?” Evi already knew the answer to her question, of course. Hebe was forever seeking other pursuits, and it was well known that the youngest of the Antonis girls adored dancing.
And Evi genuinely wanted to learn how to dance properly. She had been taught how to dance as a child, like all noble children were. But she had never the mind for it, preferring books and classroom based learning in favour of the more physical arts. It was the same with drawing and other creative pursuits - Evi was… well maybe not good, but adequate at each of them. Now grown and in society, she felt she must learn to be better than simply adequate.
And dancing in particular. Gods forbid Elias of Stravos should one day ask her to dance and she make a fool of herself. It just wouldn’t do.
She bent down to stroke at behind the ears of the little cub who had all but pounced over to say hello. Evi liked the little thing, but Evi was not a particularly animal person, and she hoped the cub was not going to demand too much more of her attention. “Good. Energy is what you’ll need to teach me! That and a fair amount of patience. I fear I have forgotten all we were taught as children.” It wasn’t entirely true, but Evi was a people-pleaser at heart, and it meant something to her that she could feign complete ignorance in the hopes that Hebe felt truly like she was better at something.
So often was the youngest Antonis sister overshadowed by her siblings. This was especially true with Evi, who boasted not only a love of books and learning, but who also so often liked to be the life and soul of any event. She thrived under both conditions. Evi loved to be talked about, and she made it the case.
“I think a couple’s dance,” the elder sister replied after a moment’s consideration, thinking mainly of Elias and what would benefit her possibly in the near future. It was too much to hope that he would actually ask her. They had shared a secret kiss, and Evi had her reservations about what that actually meant, of course (she wasn’t such a romantic that she believes anything could come of it). But hope she did all the same. “Something… something that is a crowd favourite to start, you know better than I that which people love to dance.”
Hebe knew that Evi was sincere. Her entire family was aware how she much she suffered when she was plagued by headaches. None of her sisters were allowed to visit her because she needed complete silence in order to recover. Her mother had been the one who had discovered that. She had been reading to her and Hebe’s headache had worsened to the point that she was screaming in pain. After that, only her maids could attend her and they had to promise to be quiet. The only relief she got was when she slept and that was difficult with agony shooting through her brain.
“Dancing helps a lot,” she affirmed. “It allows my mind to relax. And no, it won’t give me another one. Instead, it will keep them at bay.” She sighed wistfully. “I wish I could dance all the time.” Hebe was glad that she was old enough to attend court balls and parties where she would be able to show off her skills as soon as all the unrest was over. She was going to teach Evi how to dance well, just not quite as well as she. Her sister had so much going for her already and she was better at Hebe at most everything else, except maybe singing.
Evi scratched Helios behind the ears. The lion cub looked quite happy. A cat had only one expression on its face but its eyes showed its emotions. Helios loved to be admired and petted. Seemingly satisfied with the other girl's greeting, he trotted over to Hebe and stood on his hind legs with his front paws on her thighs. Leaning over, she stroked him under his chin. He closed his eyes and rumbled, which was the closest a big cat could come to a purr.
“I can’t teach you energy,” Hebe laughed. “You either have it or you don’t. You will need patience because we will be practicing the steps over and over until you get them right. I promise to have patience with you too. If I get frustrated, just kick me.”
Hebe remembered every dancing lesson she had ever taken and all of the steps were fresh in her mind. Considering the upheaval at court, she had not been able to put her knowledge of couples dances into practice yet. Evi was three years older and had more experience with such things. That was yet something else she envied all of her sisters for. She wondered if Evi was interested in a particular boy and wanted to impress him. Did she really want to know? Probably not.
“I haven’t been to a ball yet so I don’t know which ones are popular. Let’s try an easy one first.” With Helios bouncing behind her, she strolled to the center of the garden. “Stand opposite me. Since you need to learn the woman’s part, I’ll take the role of the man. The first thing we do is move toward each other like this.” She performed a series of graceful steps and hops until she had covered half the short distance between them. “Now you try.”
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Hebe knew that Evi was sincere. Her entire family was aware how she much she suffered when she was plagued by headaches. None of her sisters were allowed to visit her because she needed complete silence in order to recover. Her mother had been the one who had discovered that. She had been reading to her and Hebe’s headache had worsened to the point that she was screaming in pain. After that, only her maids could attend her and they had to promise to be quiet. The only relief she got was when she slept and that was difficult with agony shooting through her brain.
“Dancing helps a lot,” she affirmed. “It allows my mind to relax. And no, it won’t give me another one. Instead, it will keep them at bay.” She sighed wistfully. “I wish I could dance all the time.” Hebe was glad that she was old enough to attend court balls and parties where she would be able to show off her skills as soon as all the unrest was over. She was going to teach Evi how to dance well, just not quite as well as she. Her sister had so much going for her already and she was better at Hebe at most everything else, except maybe singing.
Evi scratched Helios behind the ears. The lion cub looked quite happy. A cat had only one expression on its face but its eyes showed its emotions. Helios loved to be admired and petted. Seemingly satisfied with the other girl's greeting, he trotted over to Hebe and stood on his hind legs with his front paws on her thighs. Leaning over, she stroked him under his chin. He closed his eyes and rumbled, which was the closest a big cat could come to a purr.
“I can’t teach you energy,” Hebe laughed. “You either have it or you don’t. You will need patience because we will be practicing the steps over and over until you get them right. I promise to have patience with you too. If I get frustrated, just kick me.”
Hebe remembered every dancing lesson she had ever taken and all of the steps were fresh in her mind. Considering the upheaval at court, she had not been able to put her knowledge of couples dances into practice yet. Evi was three years older and had more experience with such things. That was yet something else she envied all of her sisters for. She wondered if Evi was interested in a particular boy and wanted to impress him. Did she really want to know? Probably not.
“I haven’t been to a ball yet so I don’t know which ones are popular. Let’s try an easy one first.” With Helios bouncing behind her, she strolled to the center of the garden. “Stand opposite me. Since you need to learn the woman’s part, I’ll take the role of the man. The first thing we do is move toward each other like this.” She performed a series of graceful steps and hops until she had covered half the short distance between them. “Now you try.”
Hebe knew that Evi was sincere. Her entire family was aware how she much she suffered when she was plagued by headaches. None of her sisters were allowed to visit her because she needed complete silence in order to recover. Her mother had been the one who had discovered that. She had been reading to her and Hebe’s headache had worsened to the point that she was screaming in pain. After that, only her maids could attend her and they had to promise to be quiet. The only relief she got was when she slept and that was difficult with agony shooting through her brain.
“Dancing helps a lot,” she affirmed. “It allows my mind to relax. And no, it won’t give me another one. Instead, it will keep them at bay.” She sighed wistfully. “I wish I could dance all the time.” Hebe was glad that she was old enough to attend court balls and parties where she would be able to show off her skills as soon as all the unrest was over. She was going to teach Evi how to dance well, just not quite as well as she. Her sister had so much going for her already and she was better at Hebe at most everything else, except maybe singing.
Evi scratched Helios behind the ears. The lion cub looked quite happy. A cat had only one expression on its face but its eyes showed its emotions. Helios loved to be admired and petted. Seemingly satisfied with the other girl's greeting, he trotted over to Hebe and stood on his hind legs with his front paws on her thighs. Leaning over, she stroked him under his chin. He closed his eyes and rumbled, which was the closest a big cat could come to a purr.
“I can’t teach you energy,” Hebe laughed. “You either have it or you don’t. You will need patience because we will be practicing the steps over and over until you get them right. I promise to have patience with you too. If I get frustrated, just kick me.”
Hebe remembered every dancing lesson she had ever taken and all of the steps were fresh in her mind. Considering the upheaval at court, she had not been able to put her knowledge of couples dances into practice yet. Evi was three years older and had more experience with such things. That was yet something else she envied all of her sisters for. She wondered if Evi was interested in a particular boy and wanted to impress him. Did she really want to know? Probably not.
“I haven’t been to a ball yet so I don’t know which ones are popular. Let’s try an easy one first.” With Helios bouncing behind her, she strolled to the center of the garden. “Stand opposite me. Since you need to learn the woman’s part, I’ll take the role of the man. The first thing we do is move toward each other like this.” She performed a series of graceful steps and hops until she had covered half the short distance between them. “Now you try.”
The elder of the sisters smiled at such a whimsical, fanciful statement such as wishing to be able to dance all the time. What a ridiculous notion. If that were the case, she would start complaining about how her feet hurt all the time. The smile was more than a little condescending, but she tried to hide it behind something more natural. “Wouldn’t that be something, eh?” was all she managed to say in response with a straight face.
She loved her beautiful baby sister dearly… but sometimes she came out with the most ridiculous things. Not that she wasn’t clever, she was an Antonis, after all, but she had her moments.
“I never said anything about teaching me energy, sister!” the older of the two giggled, reaching out to rub her sister’s arm with her hand. “I have plenty of energy… I hope! I’ve already been out for a walk this morning so I feel invigorated and ready for the day.” Now patience… well that was another matter entirely. Evi had never been one for patience. It was a weird dichotomy, she could stay still for hours on end while reading a good book: exercising her mind but not her body. Other times, the girl could not be sedentary for very long at all. Especially around other people, she was so busy, she needed to be busy.
No, patience was a lesson the girl still had yet to learn. Evi rarely got things wrong after one or two attempts. He absolutely detested being told that she had done something wrong… and despised that happening multiple times. The idea of being drilled and drilled until she knew the dance back to front was not really how Evi wanted to spend her time… but she knew that Hebe meant well when she had agreed to teach Evi how to dance. The older sibling would just have to deal with her intolerance for being told she was wrong. She definitely didn’t want to take it out on her sister.
“Yes I forget. You are surely going to love your first ball, the music, the sights… it’s absolutely magical. And I have no doubt that you will steal the show with your beauty and your grace.” It would be a hard thing to swallow, when the pair of them attended a courtly function together. The idea of having to share the spotlight with yet another of her sisters wasn’t something Evi looked forward to. Sanasa and Marietta had been out for a while before Evi came onto the scene, and it was hard enough sometimes contending with them.
“Okay, that seems simple enough…” Evi attempted to copy her sister’s steps, but failed to meet one of them properly, “No, I can do this, let me try again…” and try again she did, pushing her whole body into the motions, rather than just her feet, that made it much easier, and the movement came together. “Great, and if I remember rightly, the next bit goes a little something like this?” She extended an arm in front of her whilst her feet continued through the movements of how she thought the next part went. The whole time, she wore an expression of questioning concentration, and she hoped - nay, prayed to any God who would listen - that she hadn’t just made up a dance move and embarrassed herself in front of her sister. Beyond that, she couldn’t remember anymore.
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The elder of the sisters smiled at such a whimsical, fanciful statement such as wishing to be able to dance all the time. What a ridiculous notion. If that were the case, she would start complaining about how her feet hurt all the time. The smile was more than a little condescending, but she tried to hide it behind something more natural. “Wouldn’t that be something, eh?” was all she managed to say in response with a straight face.
She loved her beautiful baby sister dearly… but sometimes she came out with the most ridiculous things. Not that she wasn’t clever, she was an Antonis, after all, but she had her moments.
“I never said anything about teaching me energy, sister!” the older of the two giggled, reaching out to rub her sister’s arm with her hand. “I have plenty of energy… I hope! I’ve already been out for a walk this morning so I feel invigorated and ready for the day.” Now patience… well that was another matter entirely. Evi had never been one for patience. It was a weird dichotomy, she could stay still for hours on end while reading a good book: exercising her mind but not her body. Other times, the girl could not be sedentary for very long at all. Especially around other people, she was so busy, she needed to be busy.
No, patience was a lesson the girl still had yet to learn. Evi rarely got things wrong after one or two attempts. He absolutely detested being told that she had done something wrong… and despised that happening multiple times. The idea of being drilled and drilled until she knew the dance back to front was not really how Evi wanted to spend her time… but she knew that Hebe meant well when she had agreed to teach Evi how to dance. The older sibling would just have to deal with her intolerance for being told she was wrong. She definitely didn’t want to take it out on her sister.
“Yes I forget. You are surely going to love your first ball, the music, the sights… it’s absolutely magical. And I have no doubt that you will steal the show with your beauty and your grace.” It would be a hard thing to swallow, when the pair of them attended a courtly function together. The idea of having to share the spotlight with yet another of her sisters wasn’t something Evi looked forward to. Sanasa and Marietta had been out for a while before Evi came onto the scene, and it was hard enough sometimes contending with them.
“Okay, that seems simple enough…” Evi attempted to copy her sister’s steps, but failed to meet one of them properly, “No, I can do this, let me try again…” and try again she did, pushing her whole body into the motions, rather than just her feet, that made it much easier, and the movement came together. “Great, and if I remember rightly, the next bit goes a little something like this?” She extended an arm in front of her whilst her feet continued through the movements of how she thought the next part went. The whole time, she wore an expression of questioning concentration, and she hoped - nay, prayed to any God who would listen - that she hadn’t just made up a dance move and embarrassed herself in front of her sister. Beyond that, she couldn’t remember anymore.
The elder of the sisters smiled at such a whimsical, fanciful statement such as wishing to be able to dance all the time. What a ridiculous notion. If that were the case, she would start complaining about how her feet hurt all the time. The smile was more than a little condescending, but she tried to hide it behind something more natural. “Wouldn’t that be something, eh?” was all she managed to say in response with a straight face.
She loved her beautiful baby sister dearly… but sometimes she came out with the most ridiculous things. Not that she wasn’t clever, she was an Antonis, after all, but she had her moments.
“I never said anything about teaching me energy, sister!” the older of the two giggled, reaching out to rub her sister’s arm with her hand. “I have plenty of energy… I hope! I’ve already been out for a walk this morning so I feel invigorated and ready for the day.” Now patience… well that was another matter entirely. Evi had never been one for patience. It was a weird dichotomy, she could stay still for hours on end while reading a good book: exercising her mind but not her body. Other times, the girl could not be sedentary for very long at all. Especially around other people, she was so busy, she needed to be busy.
No, patience was a lesson the girl still had yet to learn. Evi rarely got things wrong after one or two attempts. He absolutely detested being told that she had done something wrong… and despised that happening multiple times. The idea of being drilled and drilled until she knew the dance back to front was not really how Evi wanted to spend her time… but she knew that Hebe meant well when she had agreed to teach Evi how to dance. The older sibling would just have to deal with her intolerance for being told she was wrong. She definitely didn’t want to take it out on her sister.
“Yes I forget. You are surely going to love your first ball, the music, the sights… it’s absolutely magical. And I have no doubt that you will steal the show with your beauty and your grace.” It would be a hard thing to swallow, when the pair of them attended a courtly function together. The idea of having to share the spotlight with yet another of her sisters wasn’t something Evi looked forward to. Sanasa and Marietta had been out for a while before Evi came onto the scene, and it was hard enough sometimes contending with them.
“Okay, that seems simple enough…” Evi attempted to copy her sister’s steps, but failed to meet one of them properly, “No, I can do this, let me try again…” and try again she did, pushing her whole body into the motions, rather than just her feet, that made it much easier, and the movement came together. “Great, and if I remember rightly, the next bit goes a little something like this?” She extended an arm in front of her whilst her feet continued through the movements of how she thought the next part went. The whole time, she wore an expression of questioning concentration, and she hoped - nay, prayed to any God who would listen - that she hadn’t just made up a dance move and embarrassed herself in front of her sister. Beyond that, she couldn’t remember anymore.
Hebe stifled the urge to roll her eyes at Evi’s patronizing smile and what she erroneously took to be a sarcastic comment. She love her sisters but they all treated her like a child. Or that was how she saw it anyway. She was fourteen now and no longer a silly little girl. How could she prove it to them, though? Would they always see her as a child? Maybe that was the fate of the youngest of every family.
Evi also didn’t understand what she went through every second of every day. She had not been cursed with an eidetic memory and unwanted knowledge didn’t tumble constantly through her mind. Her sister had the luxury to pick and choose her thoughts, something that Hebe envied her for. The only relief she got was when she danced or when she slept. If her ability to recollect had been ordinary, maybe she could have been a scholar like Evi and Marietta.
That sort of life didn’t really appeal to the energetic young girl, but it would be nice to have the option. Her tutors still berated her for her lack of attention, but they didn’t understand her thought processes either. Occasionally she was able to focus on one thing, although those moments of clarity were few and far between. She had no trouble learning and could sift through her mind to provide correct answers to questions; the problem was that she didn’t always understand what she said.
She could forget all that today and simply enjoy teaching her sister how to dance. “You said and I quote: ‘Good. Energy is what you’ll need to teach me! That and a fair amount of patience. I fear I have forgotten all we were taught as children.’ But maybe you meant something else by that comment?” Hebe was fairly certain that nobody she spoke to liked her throwing their words back in their faces, but she couldn’t help it. Once they said something, it was engraved upon her mind. Forever.
Evi’s description of court balls made her younger sister long to attend one with all her heart. She hoped that Queen Persephone returned soon to take back her throne so that there could be balls and banquets and parties again. Or maybe Emilia would become Queen and then Hebe would hold a more important position herself, as lady-in-waiting to the Queen. She also hoped that Evi was telling the truth and she would be showered with attention. The young girl was a social creature and loved being in the spotlight. In her own biased opinion, she was the prettiest of her sisters but the least graceful. When she wasn’t dancing, she had the unfortunate tendency to run into things, fall down, and trip over her own two feet.
Her sister was awkward at first when performing the steps, but she improved quickly. She even knew what came next. “That’s right,” Hebe said, proud of Evi’s efforts. “Now let’s go through the rest.” She led Evi through the entire dance several times until her performance was proficient if not perfect. The youngest Antonis sibling didn’t want to be outshone. Deciding they needed a break before tackling the next dance, she motioned the slaves standing nearby to pour two glasses of fruit juice.
Carrying hers over to a bench, she sat down, leaving plenty of room for Evi to join her if she wished. “So why did you want to learn a couples dance first?” She grinned teasingly. “So you want to impress somebody?”
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Hebe stifled the urge to roll her eyes at Evi’s patronizing smile and what she erroneously took to be a sarcastic comment. She love her sisters but they all treated her like a child. Or that was how she saw it anyway. She was fourteen now and no longer a silly little girl. How could she prove it to them, though? Would they always see her as a child? Maybe that was the fate of the youngest of every family.
Evi also didn’t understand what she went through every second of every day. She had not been cursed with an eidetic memory and unwanted knowledge didn’t tumble constantly through her mind. Her sister had the luxury to pick and choose her thoughts, something that Hebe envied her for. The only relief she got was when she danced or when she slept. If her ability to recollect had been ordinary, maybe she could have been a scholar like Evi and Marietta.
That sort of life didn’t really appeal to the energetic young girl, but it would be nice to have the option. Her tutors still berated her for her lack of attention, but they didn’t understand her thought processes either. Occasionally she was able to focus on one thing, although those moments of clarity were few and far between. She had no trouble learning and could sift through her mind to provide correct answers to questions; the problem was that she didn’t always understand what she said.
She could forget all that today and simply enjoy teaching her sister how to dance. “You said and I quote: ‘Good. Energy is what you’ll need to teach me! That and a fair amount of patience. I fear I have forgotten all we were taught as children.’ But maybe you meant something else by that comment?” Hebe was fairly certain that nobody she spoke to liked her throwing their words back in their faces, but she couldn’t help it. Once they said something, it was engraved upon her mind. Forever.
Evi’s description of court balls made her younger sister long to attend one with all her heart. She hoped that Queen Persephone returned soon to take back her throne so that there could be balls and banquets and parties again. Or maybe Emilia would become Queen and then Hebe would hold a more important position herself, as lady-in-waiting to the Queen. She also hoped that Evi was telling the truth and she would be showered with attention. The young girl was a social creature and loved being in the spotlight. In her own biased opinion, she was the prettiest of her sisters but the least graceful. When she wasn’t dancing, she had the unfortunate tendency to run into things, fall down, and trip over her own two feet.
Her sister was awkward at first when performing the steps, but she improved quickly. She even knew what came next. “That’s right,” Hebe said, proud of Evi’s efforts. “Now let’s go through the rest.” She led Evi through the entire dance several times until her performance was proficient if not perfect. The youngest Antonis sibling didn’t want to be outshone. Deciding they needed a break before tackling the next dance, she motioned the slaves standing nearby to pour two glasses of fruit juice.
Carrying hers over to a bench, she sat down, leaving plenty of room for Evi to join her if she wished. “So why did you want to learn a couples dance first?” She grinned teasingly. “So you want to impress somebody?”
Hebe stifled the urge to roll her eyes at Evi’s patronizing smile and what she erroneously took to be a sarcastic comment. She love her sisters but they all treated her like a child. Or that was how she saw it anyway. She was fourteen now and no longer a silly little girl. How could she prove it to them, though? Would they always see her as a child? Maybe that was the fate of the youngest of every family.
Evi also didn’t understand what she went through every second of every day. She had not been cursed with an eidetic memory and unwanted knowledge didn’t tumble constantly through her mind. Her sister had the luxury to pick and choose her thoughts, something that Hebe envied her for. The only relief she got was when she danced or when she slept. If her ability to recollect had been ordinary, maybe she could have been a scholar like Evi and Marietta.
That sort of life didn’t really appeal to the energetic young girl, but it would be nice to have the option. Her tutors still berated her for her lack of attention, but they didn’t understand her thought processes either. Occasionally she was able to focus on one thing, although those moments of clarity were few and far between. She had no trouble learning and could sift through her mind to provide correct answers to questions; the problem was that she didn’t always understand what she said.
She could forget all that today and simply enjoy teaching her sister how to dance. “You said and I quote: ‘Good. Energy is what you’ll need to teach me! That and a fair amount of patience. I fear I have forgotten all we were taught as children.’ But maybe you meant something else by that comment?” Hebe was fairly certain that nobody she spoke to liked her throwing their words back in their faces, but she couldn’t help it. Once they said something, it was engraved upon her mind. Forever.
Evi’s description of court balls made her younger sister long to attend one with all her heart. She hoped that Queen Persephone returned soon to take back her throne so that there could be balls and banquets and parties again. Or maybe Emilia would become Queen and then Hebe would hold a more important position herself, as lady-in-waiting to the Queen. She also hoped that Evi was telling the truth and she would be showered with attention. The young girl was a social creature and loved being in the spotlight. In her own biased opinion, she was the prettiest of her sisters but the least graceful. When she wasn’t dancing, she had the unfortunate tendency to run into things, fall down, and trip over her own two feet.
Her sister was awkward at first when performing the steps, but she improved quickly. She even knew what came next. “That’s right,” Hebe said, proud of Evi’s efforts. “Now let’s go through the rest.” She led Evi through the entire dance several times until her performance was proficient if not perfect. The youngest Antonis sibling didn’t want to be outshone. Deciding they needed a break before tackling the next dance, she motioned the slaves standing nearby to pour two glasses of fruit juice.
Carrying hers over to a bench, she sat down, leaving plenty of room for Evi to join her if she wished. “So why did you want to learn a couples dance first?” She grinned teasingly. “So you want to impress somebody?”
Evi loved her sister, but aside from her ability to instantly recall information from any book she read, she also had an uncanny ability to recall perfectly what someone else had said around her. It was rather off-putting, to have her comments thrown back at her when she had already forgotten what she had said. “I…” the girl stumbled over her words in a rare moment of conversational confusion. “I… no, I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Evi had a habit of just making conversation for the sake of making conversation sometimes. She liked to think of herself as a little socialite, competent at talking to a myriad of people about a range of things: from close friends in an emotionally deeper conversation, to talking to a near-stranger about the weather. She could be a flash friend, able to strike up a conversation with anyone she meets. Often, to get the conversation flowing, she would talk for the sake of it, and she had said what she said to make Hebe feel more confident in teaching her how to dance. Her sister had so many things going for her but Hebe just sometimes struggled to see that about herself. All she wanted was to make the youngest of the Antonis sisters feel good about her specific gifts, rather than feel bad about struggles she had with her learning.
The pair continued to dance, and Hebe had her repeat the steps a number of times, which Evi found frustrating, but she supposed that was what dancing was, practice, practice practice. You do not stop when you get it perfect for the first time. You only stop when it is impossible for you to make mistakes.
The message was clear: keep going, try harder, be better.
And she wanted to be better, at so many things. This just felt like another session in the library, learning and working through something that she found difficult to really understand. It was muscle memory, really, she just had to work at it to truly master the skill. Though she doubted she would ever be as good at her sister, no matter how hard she worked at it. But that was okay, she didn’t need to be the best at everything… no matter how much she wanted to. Hebe would certainly shine if they ever attended a ball together. And that was fine.
The pair stopped dancing, and Evi greedily drank down her own glass of fruit juice before handing it back to the slave for it to be refilled again. The second glass she drank slower, if only to give herself time to ruminate over Hebe’s question. Of course there was someone: she was irrevocably in love with Elias of Stravos. The two had been spending more and more time together, catching brief moments whenever they thought they could be alone. They weren’t sneaking around as such, but the pair were both trying to hide their relationship from the general public as well as their respective families.
And it wasn’t that she didn’t trust Hebe - she knew Hebe’s tongue was unlikely to wag if she did come clean, but she was so used to keeping it private that she didn’t want to tell her sister. “So what if there is someone?” Evi responded with her own question, her own smile growing as if the subject matter was a bit of a joke. “There might be… there might not be. We’ll have to see if your excellent dancing training scoops me up the man and then you’ll be able to see for yourself!”
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Evi loved her sister, but aside from her ability to instantly recall information from any book she read, she also had an uncanny ability to recall perfectly what someone else had said around her. It was rather off-putting, to have her comments thrown back at her when she had already forgotten what she had said. “I…” the girl stumbled over her words in a rare moment of conversational confusion. “I… no, I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Evi had a habit of just making conversation for the sake of making conversation sometimes. She liked to think of herself as a little socialite, competent at talking to a myriad of people about a range of things: from close friends in an emotionally deeper conversation, to talking to a near-stranger about the weather. She could be a flash friend, able to strike up a conversation with anyone she meets. Often, to get the conversation flowing, she would talk for the sake of it, and she had said what she said to make Hebe feel more confident in teaching her how to dance. Her sister had so many things going for her but Hebe just sometimes struggled to see that about herself. All she wanted was to make the youngest of the Antonis sisters feel good about her specific gifts, rather than feel bad about struggles she had with her learning.
The pair continued to dance, and Hebe had her repeat the steps a number of times, which Evi found frustrating, but she supposed that was what dancing was, practice, practice practice. You do not stop when you get it perfect for the first time. You only stop when it is impossible for you to make mistakes.
The message was clear: keep going, try harder, be better.
And she wanted to be better, at so many things. This just felt like another session in the library, learning and working through something that she found difficult to really understand. It was muscle memory, really, she just had to work at it to truly master the skill. Though she doubted she would ever be as good at her sister, no matter how hard she worked at it. But that was okay, she didn’t need to be the best at everything… no matter how much she wanted to. Hebe would certainly shine if they ever attended a ball together. And that was fine.
The pair stopped dancing, and Evi greedily drank down her own glass of fruit juice before handing it back to the slave for it to be refilled again. The second glass she drank slower, if only to give herself time to ruminate over Hebe’s question. Of course there was someone: she was irrevocably in love with Elias of Stravos. The two had been spending more and more time together, catching brief moments whenever they thought they could be alone. They weren’t sneaking around as such, but the pair were both trying to hide their relationship from the general public as well as their respective families.
And it wasn’t that she didn’t trust Hebe - she knew Hebe’s tongue was unlikely to wag if she did come clean, but she was so used to keeping it private that she didn’t want to tell her sister. “So what if there is someone?” Evi responded with her own question, her own smile growing as if the subject matter was a bit of a joke. “There might be… there might not be. We’ll have to see if your excellent dancing training scoops me up the man and then you’ll be able to see for yourself!”
Evi loved her sister, but aside from her ability to instantly recall information from any book she read, she also had an uncanny ability to recall perfectly what someone else had said around her. It was rather off-putting, to have her comments thrown back at her when she had already forgotten what she had said. “I…” the girl stumbled over her words in a rare moment of conversational confusion. “I… no, I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Evi had a habit of just making conversation for the sake of making conversation sometimes. She liked to think of herself as a little socialite, competent at talking to a myriad of people about a range of things: from close friends in an emotionally deeper conversation, to talking to a near-stranger about the weather. She could be a flash friend, able to strike up a conversation with anyone she meets. Often, to get the conversation flowing, she would talk for the sake of it, and she had said what she said to make Hebe feel more confident in teaching her how to dance. Her sister had so many things going for her but Hebe just sometimes struggled to see that about herself. All she wanted was to make the youngest of the Antonis sisters feel good about her specific gifts, rather than feel bad about struggles she had with her learning.
The pair continued to dance, and Hebe had her repeat the steps a number of times, which Evi found frustrating, but she supposed that was what dancing was, practice, practice practice. You do not stop when you get it perfect for the first time. You only stop when it is impossible for you to make mistakes.
The message was clear: keep going, try harder, be better.
And she wanted to be better, at so many things. This just felt like another session in the library, learning and working through something that she found difficult to really understand. It was muscle memory, really, she just had to work at it to truly master the skill. Though she doubted she would ever be as good at her sister, no matter how hard she worked at it. But that was okay, she didn’t need to be the best at everything… no matter how much she wanted to. Hebe would certainly shine if they ever attended a ball together. And that was fine.
The pair stopped dancing, and Evi greedily drank down her own glass of fruit juice before handing it back to the slave for it to be refilled again. The second glass she drank slower, if only to give herself time to ruminate over Hebe’s question. Of course there was someone: she was irrevocably in love with Elias of Stravos. The two had been spending more and more time together, catching brief moments whenever they thought they could be alone. They weren’t sneaking around as such, but the pair were both trying to hide their relationship from the general public as well as their respective families.
And it wasn’t that she didn’t trust Hebe - she knew Hebe’s tongue was unlikely to wag if she did come clean, but she was so used to keeping it private that she didn’t want to tell her sister. “So what if there is someone?” Evi responded with her own question, her own smile growing as if the subject matter was a bit of a joke. “There might be… there might not be. We’ll have to see if your excellent dancing training scoops me up the man and then you’ll be able to see for yourself!”
Hebe frowned as Evi stumbled over her words. If she didn’t mean anything by her comment, then why had she made it? The petite brunette was unaware that she sometimes made people uncomfortable by repeating their words back to them. At only fourteen, she had not yet learned how to be tactful. She said whatever popped into her mind with no consideration about the way it made others feel. Many reacted similarly to her sister, which completely baffled her.
She let it go, not wishing to upset or anger Evi. The four Antonis sisters were close, but occasionally they got on each other’s nerves, as all siblings did from time to time. Hebe was looking forward to teaching Evi to dance and didn’t want to run her off. Dancing was what she did best and she had a lot of energy of her own to expend. She was also pleased that her sister wanted to learn something from her. Usually it was the other way around … the younger being taught by the older.
Hebe had never performed a couple’s dance with anyone other than her private dance master, who had made her learn the male part as well as the female part. According to him, you couldn’t perfectly understand your own role without experiencing what your partner was doing. That was why she had no trouble at all pretending to be a man so that Evi could practice the female part. It was a bit awkward, considering that Hebe was quite a bit shorter, but they managed.
Her sister did quite well. In the back of her mind, she worried that Evi would become a better dancer than her, thanks to her own instruction. No, I practice more and I have more experience. I have been encouraged to add my own flourishes to the steps and I know dances from foreign lands. If a ball is thrown for visitors from another kingdom, I will be able to impress them by performing a dance from their homeland. Assuming I’m allowed to go.
Because of her expertise, maybe she would get to dance with an attractive prince. Her sisters would be sooooo jealous, especially if she charmed him and he wanted to marry her. She would be the first Antonis girl to wed, and to a member of a royal family!
She had to push those fantasies to the back of her mind in order to concentrate on making sure that Evi got the steps right. To her credit, her sister did not complain when directed to repeat each movement many times. Hebe sensed that she was becoming a bit frustrated. She must desperately want to impress somebody.
As soon as she announced a break and sat down, Helios trotted over to her and lay down at her feet. She could feel the lynx's soft fur against her ankles. Her first glass of juice was drained quickly, and she sipped at her second while waiting for Evi’s answer. Unfortunately, she didn’t give her a name.
“You just admitted that your interested in someone in particular because you said that you want to scoop uptheman instead ofaman. Why won’t you tell me?” Her blue eyes widened innocently. “If you can’t trust your own sister, you can’t trust anyone.” Hebe grinned and then shrugged. “If you don’t, I’ll just find out anyway. People talk and I always remember what they say.”
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Hebe frowned as Evi stumbled over her words. If she didn’t mean anything by her comment, then why had she made it? The petite brunette was unaware that she sometimes made people uncomfortable by repeating their words back to them. At only fourteen, she had not yet learned how to be tactful. She said whatever popped into her mind with no consideration about the way it made others feel. Many reacted similarly to her sister, which completely baffled her.
She let it go, not wishing to upset or anger Evi. The four Antonis sisters were close, but occasionally they got on each other’s nerves, as all siblings did from time to time. Hebe was looking forward to teaching Evi to dance and didn’t want to run her off. Dancing was what she did best and she had a lot of energy of her own to expend. She was also pleased that her sister wanted to learn something from her. Usually it was the other way around … the younger being taught by the older.
Hebe had never performed a couple’s dance with anyone other than her private dance master, who had made her learn the male part as well as the female part. According to him, you couldn’t perfectly understand your own role without experiencing what your partner was doing. That was why she had no trouble at all pretending to be a man so that Evi could practice the female part. It was a bit awkward, considering that Hebe was quite a bit shorter, but they managed.
Her sister did quite well. In the back of her mind, she worried that Evi would become a better dancer than her, thanks to her own instruction. No, I practice more and I have more experience. I have been encouraged to add my own flourishes to the steps and I know dances from foreign lands. If a ball is thrown for visitors from another kingdom, I will be able to impress them by performing a dance from their homeland. Assuming I’m allowed to go.
Because of her expertise, maybe she would get to dance with an attractive prince. Her sisters would be sooooo jealous, especially if she charmed him and he wanted to marry her. She would be the first Antonis girl to wed, and to a member of a royal family!
She had to push those fantasies to the back of her mind in order to concentrate on making sure that Evi got the steps right. To her credit, her sister did not complain when directed to repeat each movement many times. Hebe sensed that she was becoming a bit frustrated. She must desperately want to impress somebody.
As soon as she announced a break and sat down, Helios trotted over to her and lay down at her feet. She could feel the lynx's soft fur against her ankles. Her first glass of juice was drained quickly, and she sipped at her second while waiting for Evi’s answer. Unfortunately, she didn’t give her a name.
“You just admitted that your interested in someone in particular because you said that you want to scoop uptheman instead ofaman. Why won’t you tell me?” Her blue eyes widened innocently. “If you can’t trust your own sister, you can’t trust anyone.” Hebe grinned and then shrugged. “If you don’t, I’ll just find out anyway. People talk and I always remember what they say.”
Hebe frowned as Evi stumbled over her words. If she didn’t mean anything by her comment, then why had she made it? The petite brunette was unaware that she sometimes made people uncomfortable by repeating their words back to them. At only fourteen, she had not yet learned how to be tactful. She said whatever popped into her mind with no consideration about the way it made others feel. Many reacted similarly to her sister, which completely baffled her.
She let it go, not wishing to upset or anger Evi. The four Antonis sisters were close, but occasionally they got on each other’s nerves, as all siblings did from time to time. Hebe was looking forward to teaching Evi to dance and didn’t want to run her off. Dancing was what she did best and she had a lot of energy of her own to expend. She was also pleased that her sister wanted to learn something from her. Usually it was the other way around … the younger being taught by the older.
Hebe had never performed a couple’s dance with anyone other than her private dance master, who had made her learn the male part as well as the female part. According to him, you couldn’t perfectly understand your own role without experiencing what your partner was doing. That was why she had no trouble at all pretending to be a man so that Evi could practice the female part. It was a bit awkward, considering that Hebe was quite a bit shorter, but they managed.
Her sister did quite well. In the back of her mind, she worried that Evi would become a better dancer than her, thanks to her own instruction. No, I practice more and I have more experience. I have been encouraged to add my own flourishes to the steps and I know dances from foreign lands. If a ball is thrown for visitors from another kingdom, I will be able to impress them by performing a dance from their homeland. Assuming I’m allowed to go.
Because of her expertise, maybe she would get to dance with an attractive prince. Her sisters would be sooooo jealous, especially if she charmed him and he wanted to marry her. She would be the first Antonis girl to wed, and to a member of a royal family!
She had to push those fantasies to the back of her mind in order to concentrate on making sure that Evi got the steps right. To her credit, her sister did not complain when directed to repeat each movement many times. Hebe sensed that she was becoming a bit frustrated. She must desperately want to impress somebody.
As soon as she announced a break and sat down, Helios trotted over to her and lay down at her feet. She could feel the lynx's soft fur against her ankles. Her first glass of juice was drained quickly, and she sipped at her second while waiting for Evi’s answer. Unfortunately, she didn’t give her a name.
“You just admitted that your interested in someone in particular because you said that you want to scoop uptheman instead ofaman. Why won’t you tell me?” Her blue eyes widened innocently. “If you can’t trust your own sister, you can’t trust anyone.” Hebe grinned and then shrugged. “If you don’t, I’ll just find out anyway. People talk and I always remember what they say.”
Evi was surprised at the amount of energy it took to dance - expending it not only from her legs but from her arms, which were to be held in a certain way against her dance partner depending on the dance they were practicing. Hebe made her go through drills of dance moves over and over until it became second nature - she would probably be prancing around the house practicing these movements over the next couple of days without even realising it.
The hardest part wasn’t the arms though, it was the footwork. Each foot had to be placed precisely. Back. Forward. To either side. More than once, Evi found herself stepping on Hebe’s foot and the dance was halted as Evi gushed her sincere apologies to her sister, hoping she wasn’t hurting Hebe at all. She started looking down, staring at her feet as they moved back and forth, so that she could watch Hebe’s feet and do the opposite of whatever her sister was doing. But the more they practiced, the less that seemed to happen, and Evi grew more confident in her feet positions. She raised her head again and smiled brightly at her sister as, by the end of the dance, they were moving fluidly in tandem… well Evi was a little stiff but she was sure with more practice she would master the dance. Maybe not as well as Hebe, but she wouldn’t make a fool of herself at a formal function.
Pausing for a break, Evi remained standing for a little longer, jumping on her feet and shaking her arms out, before joining Hebe on the bench. She too took a glass from the table and sipped at the drink, using her thirst as an excuse to not answer her sister immediately. Eventually, she said, “Fine, you win, little sister.”
She returned Hebe’s grin, putting on an air of being completely at ease as she finally said, “It’s Lord Elias.” Evi admitted as she took another sip of the juice. “You know, Marietta’s friend. We met a little while back in the library…. and… I guess we just clicked. He’s very intelligent, I don’t quite know what he sees in me, but he invited me to tour his province Lyncestia with him a few months ago. He was very gracious.”
Evi didn’t mention that they had slept together. It wasn’t a secret, enough people in the kingdom had probably worked it out. And Marietta knew - she definitely hadn’t been impressed. But Hebe was younger, more innocent. Evi didn’t want to share the details of their liaison just yet. Evi was supposed to be a good role model for her younger sister after all. “How about you… anyone caught your eye?” She returned, lightly teasing and keen to move the conversation away from Elias.
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Evi was surprised at the amount of energy it took to dance - expending it not only from her legs but from her arms, which were to be held in a certain way against her dance partner depending on the dance they were practicing. Hebe made her go through drills of dance moves over and over until it became second nature - she would probably be prancing around the house practicing these movements over the next couple of days without even realising it.
The hardest part wasn’t the arms though, it was the footwork. Each foot had to be placed precisely. Back. Forward. To either side. More than once, Evi found herself stepping on Hebe’s foot and the dance was halted as Evi gushed her sincere apologies to her sister, hoping she wasn’t hurting Hebe at all. She started looking down, staring at her feet as they moved back and forth, so that she could watch Hebe’s feet and do the opposite of whatever her sister was doing. But the more they practiced, the less that seemed to happen, and Evi grew more confident in her feet positions. She raised her head again and smiled brightly at her sister as, by the end of the dance, they were moving fluidly in tandem… well Evi was a little stiff but she was sure with more practice she would master the dance. Maybe not as well as Hebe, but she wouldn’t make a fool of herself at a formal function.
Pausing for a break, Evi remained standing for a little longer, jumping on her feet and shaking her arms out, before joining Hebe on the bench. She too took a glass from the table and sipped at the drink, using her thirst as an excuse to not answer her sister immediately. Eventually, she said, “Fine, you win, little sister.”
She returned Hebe’s grin, putting on an air of being completely at ease as she finally said, “It’s Lord Elias.” Evi admitted as she took another sip of the juice. “You know, Marietta’s friend. We met a little while back in the library…. and… I guess we just clicked. He’s very intelligent, I don’t quite know what he sees in me, but he invited me to tour his province Lyncestia with him a few months ago. He was very gracious.”
Evi didn’t mention that they had slept together. It wasn’t a secret, enough people in the kingdom had probably worked it out. And Marietta knew - she definitely hadn’t been impressed. But Hebe was younger, more innocent. Evi didn’t want to share the details of their liaison just yet. Evi was supposed to be a good role model for her younger sister after all. “How about you… anyone caught your eye?” She returned, lightly teasing and keen to move the conversation away from Elias.
Evi was surprised at the amount of energy it took to dance - expending it not only from her legs but from her arms, which were to be held in a certain way against her dance partner depending on the dance they were practicing. Hebe made her go through drills of dance moves over and over until it became second nature - she would probably be prancing around the house practicing these movements over the next couple of days without even realising it.
The hardest part wasn’t the arms though, it was the footwork. Each foot had to be placed precisely. Back. Forward. To either side. More than once, Evi found herself stepping on Hebe’s foot and the dance was halted as Evi gushed her sincere apologies to her sister, hoping she wasn’t hurting Hebe at all. She started looking down, staring at her feet as they moved back and forth, so that she could watch Hebe’s feet and do the opposite of whatever her sister was doing. But the more they practiced, the less that seemed to happen, and Evi grew more confident in her feet positions. She raised her head again and smiled brightly at her sister as, by the end of the dance, they were moving fluidly in tandem… well Evi was a little stiff but she was sure with more practice she would master the dance. Maybe not as well as Hebe, but she wouldn’t make a fool of herself at a formal function.
Pausing for a break, Evi remained standing for a little longer, jumping on her feet and shaking her arms out, before joining Hebe on the bench. She too took a glass from the table and sipped at the drink, using her thirst as an excuse to not answer her sister immediately. Eventually, she said, “Fine, you win, little sister.”
She returned Hebe’s grin, putting on an air of being completely at ease as she finally said, “It’s Lord Elias.” Evi admitted as she took another sip of the juice. “You know, Marietta’s friend. We met a little while back in the library…. and… I guess we just clicked. He’s very intelligent, I don’t quite know what he sees in me, but he invited me to tour his province Lyncestia with him a few months ago. He was very gracious.”
Evi didn’t mention that they had slept together. It wasn’t a secret, enough people in the kingdom had probably worked it out. And Marietta knew - she definitely hadn’t been impressed. But Hebe was younger, more innocent. Evi didn’t want to share the details of their liaison just yet. Evi was supposed to be a good role model for her younger sister after all. “How about you… anyone caught your eye?” She returned, lightly teasing and keen to move the conversation away from Elias.
Hebe taught Evi how to dance the same way her dance master had taught her, since she recalled every single lesson in vivid detail. She remembered how annoyed she had been at having to repeat, repeat, and repeat again. That was, however the best way to train your mind and body to remember the steps until they became almost second nature.
Her sister was more patient than she had been at first, but she was much older than Hebe had been when she started. There was also the matter of motivation. Evi wanted to learn so that she could impress some man. She couldn’t do that until there was a ball at court. Hebe’s reason had been more urgent … to calm the knowledge that kept running through her head so that she could avoid the awful headaches they caused.
Evi did the same things that she had done while learning, including stepping on Hebe’s feet She winced, but she didn’t cry out, not wanting to discourage her sister into stopping. Evi always apologized profusely, and Hebe lied and said that it hadn’t hurt at all. In truth, her feet ached terribly. Pain, too, gave her relief from her churning thoughts, though it wasn’t her favorite way to soothe them. She had often wondered if her mind’s natural way to be free of them was to give her headaches.
Her sister’s eyes remained on the ground until she became confident enough to raise her head and look into Hebe’s eyes while she danced. This was important because if you avoided looking at your partner, he would think you didn’t care anything for him and he would never ask you to dance again. By the time they stopped, the two girls were moving completely in rhythm with each other.
Hebe was glad for the break, if for no reason than to rest her aching feet. She didn’t think that Evi was going to tell her the name of the man she fancied, but the youngest Antonis’ logic must have convinced her that it was better if she heard it from her than from somebody else whose opinion might be less flattering.
She was in love with Lord Elias? Hebe wrinkled her nose. She had never liked Marietta’s friend. He was far too full of himself and was not nearly as remarkable as he thought he was. His handsomeness paled next to his arrogance. She had no idea what Evi saw in him. Also … “Isn’t he a bit old for you? If he marries you, he will treat you like a child forever.” Hebe sighed. “Believe me, I know how that feels.”
She ignored Evi’s question about her own thankfully nonexistent love life. Boys were more annoying than attractive. Her governess told her that her attitude would change when she grew older. Would she fall in love when she was seventeen too? Eeeuuww.
“Are you sure Lord Elias cares for you? Almost every time I’ve seen him, he’s been surrounded by beautiful women trying to get his attention. Maybe he invites them all to his province.” Hebe didn’t want her sister to get hurt by falling in love with somebody who didn’t return her affections.
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Hebe taught Evi how to dance the same way her dance master had taught her, since she recalled every single lesson in vivid detail. She remembered how annoyed she had been at having to repeat, repeat, and repeat again. That was, however the best way to train your mind and body to remember the steps until they became almost second nature.
Her sister was more patient than she had been at first, but she was much older than Hebe had been when she started. There was also the matter of motivation. Evi wanted to learn so that she could impress some man. She couldn’t do that until there was a ball at court. Hebe’s reason had been more urgent … to calm the knowledge that kept running through her head so that she could avoid the awful headaches they caused.
Evi did the same things that she had done while learning, including stepping on Hebe’s feet She winced, but she didn’t cry out, not wanting to discourage her sister into stopping. Evi always apologized profusely, and Hebe lied and said that it hadn’t hurt at all. In truth, her feet ached terribly. Pain, too, gave her relief from her churning thoughts, though it wasn’t her favorite way to soothe them. She had often wondered if her mind’s natural way to be free of them was to give her headaches.
Her sister’s eyes remained on the ground until she became confident enough to raise her head and look into Hebe’s eyes while she danced. This was important because if you avoided looking at your partner, he would think you didn’t care anything for him and he would never ask you to dance again. By the time they stopped, the two girls were moving completely in rhythm with each other.
Hebe was glad for the break, if for no reason than to rest her aching feet. She didn’t think that Evi was going to tell her the name of the man she fancied, but the youngest Antonis’ logic must have convinced her that it was better if she heard it from her than from somebody else whose opinion might be less flattering.
She was in love with Lord Elias? Hebe wrinkled her nose. She had never liked Marietta’s friend. He was far too full of himself and was not nearly as remarkable as he thought he was. His handsomeness paled next to his arrogance. She had no idea what Evi saw in him. Also … “Isn’t he a bit old for you? If he marries you, he will treat you like a child forever.” Hebe sighed. “Believe me, I know how that feels.”
She ignored Evi’s question about her own thankfully nonexistent love life. Boys were more annoying than attractive. Her governess told her that her attitude would change when she grew older. Would she fall in love when she was seventeen too? Eeeuuww.
“Are you sure Lord Elias cares for you? Almost every time I’ve seen him, he’s been surrounded by beautiful women trying to get his attention. Maybe he invites them all to his province.” Hebe didn’t want her sister to get hurt by falling in love with somebody who didn’t return her affections.
Hebe taught Evi how to dance the same way her dance master had taught her, since she recalled every single lesson in vivid detail. She remembered how annoyed she had been at having to repeat, repeat, and repeat again. That was, however the best way to train your mind and body to remember the steps until they became almost second nature.
Her sister was more patient than she had been at first, but she was much older than Hebe had been when she started. There was also the matter of motivation. Evi wanted to learn so that she could impress some man. She couldn’t do that until there was a ball at court. Hebe’s reason had been more urgent … to calm the knowledge that kept running through her head so that she could avoid the awful headaches they caused.
Evi did the same things that she had done while learning, including stepping on Hebe’s feet She winced, but she didn’t cry out, not wanting to discourage her sister into stopping. Evi always apologized profusely, and Hebe lied and said that it hadn’t hurt at all. In truth, her feet ached terribly. Pain, too, gave her relief from her churning thoughts, though it wasn’t her favorite way to soothe them. She had often wondered if her mind’s natural way to be free of them was to give her headaches.
Her sister’s eyes remained on the ground until she became confident enough to raise her head and look into Hebe’s eyes while she danced. This was important because if you avoided looking at your partner, he would think you didn’t care anything for him and he would never ask you to dance again. By the time they stopped, the two girls were moving completely in rhythm with each other.
Hebe was glad for the break, if for no reason than to rest her aching feet. She didn’t think that Evi was going to tell her the name of the man she fancied, but the youngest Antonis’ logic must have convinced her that it was better if she heard it from her than from somebody else whose opinion might be less flattering.
She was in love with Lord Elias? Hebe wrinkled her nose. She had never liked Marietta’s friend. He was far too full of himself and was not nearly as remarkable as he thought he was. His handsomeness paled next to his arrogance. She had no idea what Evi saw in him. Also … “Isn’t he a bit old for you? If he marries you, he will treat you like a child forever.” Hebe sighed. “Believe me, I know how that feels.”
She ignored Evi’s question about her own thankfully nonexistent love life. Boys were more annoying than attractive. Her governess told her that her attitude would change when she grew older. Would she fall in love when she was seventeen too? Eeeuuww.
“Are you sure Lord Elias cares for you? Almost every time I’ve seen him, he’s been surrounded by beautiful women trying to get his attention. Maybe he invites them all to his province.” Hebe didn’t want her sister to get hurt by falling in love with somebody who didn’t return her affections.
Evi couldn’t help but blink as her younger sister asked if Elias was to old for her. There was a certain amount of… derision? Disappointment? Well, something in Hebe’s voice that Evi didn’t particularly like. “I.. uh,” Evi tool another sip of her juice, using the moment to think about what she should say in response to her sister. “He’s not that old.” she replied when she had gulped down the cool juice. “I mean, yes, he’s older. But everybody knows it takes men a lot longer to mature than women, so in that regard, we’re almost the same age.”
She could be talking complete rubbish of course, but it sounded like it could be a thing so she said it anyway. It sounded clever and grown up and all the things she was trying to be. Of course, Hebe with her eidetic memory had probably once read something to the contrary and was probably about to correct her, but Evi hoped she would let this one go. Evi couldn’t help how she felt about Elias after all, and he had shown her interest back in kind.
Or so she thought, until Hebe brought up all the other women Elias paid attention to. Evi wasn’t blind. Ever since being old enough to join court properly, she had watched Elias from a distance, never brave enough to approach him directly. She had seen how he interacted with those of the fairer sex. “He’s just nice to them, as a Lord should be…” she replied, though there was a quiver in her voice that would tell Hebe that Evi wasn’t so sure of what she was saying.
“Anyway, even if he takes all the girls in Athenia to Lyncestia, he is only a man who should be rightly proud of his province and wants to show it off.” It was a pretty lie she was telling herself. One she desperately wanted to believe. A part of her knew there could be no future between the pair of them. He was heir to the throne of Athenia, while Evi was the third daughter of the man who was abdicating the throne. If anyone were to marry Elias, it would be Sanasa… and even then, it would be more appropriate for Elias to marry a princess from a different nation to cement stronger alliances.
Evi had even thought about the option of remaining as his… paramour, for lack of a better word. She would never admit it out loud, but she thought she would be okay with that outcome, if it came to it.
Finishing off her glass of juice, Evi slapped her thighs as a sign that she was ready to continue their dancing lesson. “Maybe we could try a new dance now?” Evi asked, feeling like she had at least mastered the basic steps of one dance, and she wanted to be able to take part in more than one. It never hurt to be prepared, after all. “What do you suggest, little sis?”
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Evi couldn’t help but blink as her younger sister asked if Elias was to old for her. There was a certain amount of… derision? Disappointment? Well, something in Hebe’s voice that Evi didn’t particularly like. “I.. uh,” Evi tool another sip of her juice, using the moment to think about what she should say in response to her sister. “He’s not that old.” she replied when she had gulped down the cool juice. “I mean, yes, he’s older. But everybody knows it takes men a lot longer to mature than women, so in that regard, we’re almost the same age.”
She could be talking complete rubbish of course, but it sounded like it could be a thing so she said it anyway. It sounded clever and grown up and all the things she was trying to be. Of course, Hebe with her eidetic memory had probably once read something to the contrary and was probably about to correct her, but Evi hoped she would let this one go. Evi couldn’t help how she felt about Elias after all, and he had shown her interest back in kind.
Or so she thought, until Hebe brought up all the other women Elias paid attention to. Evi wasn’t blind. Ever since being old enough to join court properly, she had watched Elias from a distance, never brave enough to approach him directly. She had seen how he interacted with those of the fairer sex. “He’s just nice to them, as a Lord should be…” she replied, though there was a quiver in her voice that would tell Hebe that Evi wasn’t so sure of what she was saying.
“Anyway, even if he takes all the girls in Athenia to Lyncestia, he is only a man who should be rightly proud of his province and wants to show it off.” It was a pretty lie she was telling herself. One she desperately wanted to believe. A part of her knew there could be no future between the pair of them. He was heir to the throne of Athenia, while Evi was the third daughter of the man who was abdicating the throne. If anyone were to marry Elias, it would be Sanasa… and even then, it would be more appropriate for Elias to marry a princess from a different nation to cement stronger alliances.
Evi had even thought about the option of remaining as his… paramour, for lack of a better word. She would never admit it out loud, but she thought she would be okay with that outcome, if it came to it.
Finishing off her glass of juice, Evi slapped her thighs as a sign that she was ready to continue their dancing lesson. “Maybe we could try a new dance now?” Evi asked, feeling like she had at least mastered the basic steps of one dance, and she wanted to be able to take part in more than one. It never hurt to be prepared, after all. “What do you suggest, little sis?”
Evi couldn’t help but blink as her younger sister asked if Elias was to old for her. There was a certain amount of… derision? Disappointment? Well, something in Hebe’s voice that Evi didn’t particularly like. “I.. uh,” Evi tool another sip of her juice, using the moment to think about what she should say in response to her sister. “He’s not that old.” she replied when she had gulped down the cool juice. “I mean, yes, he’s older. But everybody knows it takes men a lot longer to mature than women, so in that regard, we’re almost the same age.”
She could be talking complete rubbish of course, but it sounded like it could be a thing so she said it anyway. It sounded clever and grown up and all the things she was trying to be. Of course, Hebe with her eidetic memory had probably once read something to the contrary and was probably about to correct her, but Evi hoped she would let this one go. Evi couldn’t help how she felt about Elias after all, and he had shown her interest back in kind.
Or so she thought, until Hebe brought up all the other women Elias paid attention to. Evi wasn’t blind. Ever since being old enough to join court properly, she had watched Elias from a distance, never brave enough to approach him directly. She had seen how he interacted with those of the fairer sex. “He’s just nice to them, as a Lord should be…” she replied, though there was a quiver in her voice that would tell Hebe that Evi wasn’t so sure of what she was saying.
“Anyway, even if he takes all the girls in Athenia to Lyncestia, he is only a man who should be rightly proud of his province and wants to show it off.” It was a pretty lie she was telling herself. One she desperately wanted to believe. A part of her knew there could be no future between the pair of them. He was heir to the throne of Athenia, while Evi was the third daughter of the man who was abdicating the throne. If anyone were to marry Elias, it would be Sanasa… and even then, it would be more appropriate for Elias to marry a princess from a different nation to cement stronger alliances.
Evi had even thought about the option of remaining as his… paramour, for lack of a better word. She would never admit it out loud, but she thought she would be okay with that outcome, if it came to it.
Finishing off her glass of juice, Evi slapped her thighs as a sign that she was ready to continue their dancing lesson. “Maybe we could try a new dance now?” Evi asked, feeling like she had at least mastered the basic steps of one dance, and she wanted to be able to take part in more than one. It never hurt to be prepared, after all. “What do you suggest, little sis?”
