Cassandra took her sister by the hand and guided her out to the garden. It was large enough where they could walk to the opposite side and be far enough away so that the other’s couldn’t eavesdrop, even with their enhanced hearing.
Once she felt they were an acceptable distance, Cassandra gently released Missandra’s hand and faced her.
“Missandra, I understand your doubts, but…”
“No, you don’t understand.Hinue… We only just found each other. We missed almost ten years together, and now you’re…you’re almost one of them.”
“How so?”
“You act like them, you speak like them. I don’t know, I just thought things would be different when we reunited. I dreamed about it so many times! But now, you’re carrying a baby and you’re talking about getting married to some Prince… to the… the War God. I feel like I’m going to lose my sister all over again. I don’t like these people involving you in their schemes and everything.”
Cassandra sighed.
She often acted more mature than her age, but Missandra was only sixteen. She had experienced so many hardships since she was seven, being sold to one brothel after another. She didn’t have a good childhood or grow up with family, and she probably only made a few friends, if any. Typical girls her age in the Dragon Empire were all about meeting boys and having fun, but no matter how she had grown up, Missandra had always been different.
The only thing she likely held onto was their past, the memories she had from her early childhood with the Rain Tribe. It was probably the best way she had found to deal with all the craziness going on around her. Holding on to the idea that, maybe, she would find a way to get back there again. That idea had probably been ingrained deep inside her, along with the memories of her older sister. Cassandra could tell how much Missandra still missed the Rain Tribe, even after all these years, by the way she held on to a language she had learned when she was so young and hadn’t even had anyone to speak it with.
Cassandra sighed and gently took her younger sister’s hands.
“Missandra, I am not going to leave you alone again.”
Her sister seemed relieved by her words, looking at her with wide eyes. After a few seconds of silence, something in her expression changed and tears slowly appeared. Her little emerald eyes grew awfully red and watery before Missandra broke down into heart-wrenching sobs.
Cassandra drew her into a tender embrace, letting her younger sister cry against her shoulder and gently caressed her hair, soothing and whispering to her. She must have been holding it all in for a long time.
“I promise we won’t be separated again. Just because I will become a mother or someone’s partner, doesn’t mean I won’t still love you. I’ll be by your side, anytime you need me, I promise Missandra. We’ll always be together.”
Her sister kept sobbing, showing her weakness for the first time in years, and the flow of tears didn’t show any signs of stopping. Eventually, Cassandra drew back and put her hands on her sister’s shoulders as she was met with her sister’s emotional, green eyes.
“Missandra, I am sorry, but our tribe is gone. What you remember from our childhood… It’s fine to hold on to those memories, but you also have to let your anger go. What happened to us was a tragedy, but you can’t keep blaming everyone for it. You have to grieve, and let it go. Our mother, Paba, all our friends…they are gone, Missandra. I am really sorry, butLinue, you need to accept it now.”
Missandra cried some more, but despite her runny nose and puffy eyes, she nodded, as she tried to calm herself down.
“I know...I know it won’t…won’t be like before, but…” she stuttered. “I just…hoped…I don’t know… I was afraid… You had left it all… And forgotten… and didn’t care…”
“I haven’t forgotten anything,Linue. I carry them all with me in my heart, and I treasure each fond memory. I have sung our people’s old prayers many times in my head. I’m still happy when I feel the water on my body, I still eat as we ate in our childhood. I couldn’t forget all of that. But I won’t be able to enjoy the present if I still hold onto too much of the past.”
Her sister nodded again, clumsily wiping her tears. It was a bit embarrassing for a teenage girl to cry so much, but it was time she let it out. Cassandra gently helped her get rid of her tears and brushed her hair behind her ear.
“We need to look forward to the future. You’re no longer a prostitute and I’m no longer a slave… The future won’t be all bad. It’s alright to remember our past but think about where you want to go from now on. I know I want to have a healthy baby, this baby, and be with the man I love.”
Missandra begrudgingly accepted.
“He’d better treat you well.”
“Do you think he doesn’t?”
Both sisters glanced quickly at the breakfast area. Shareen and Kareen were chatting, but Kairen had his eyes on them, watching them from afar like a hawk. Missandra sighed.
“I’ll admit, he’s doing fine so far.”
Cassandra chuckled. Her younger sister was as stubborn as ever.
“You can keep an eye on him too, alright? But please, try to go a bit easier on him, and his sister and mother, too. They… He saved my life, Missandra. For real. And since I met him, I’m happier than I’ve been in a very, very long time. I want to keep it that way, and I would be happier if you could be happy with me.”
Her younger sister nodded again, grabbing Cassandra’s hands with a bit of a sorry expression.
“Hinue, I’m sorry… I should have congratulated you on your baby. But I just was too upset. I really am happy you’re pregnant, though. I’m so excited for you to become a mom.”
