[IRP] The Letter

[Aida]

"And if I thought I would be meeting my own sister from whom we share both parents, I'd have thought them mad... I never realised. I thought I was the only one, for all this time."

She let herself fall into a companionable silence for a while, listening to the birds twittering, the boughs swaying in the wind. She had received many letters when she taken over as the head of House Grimstad, pleas from distant cousins and aunts and great-aunts, begging her to send money or give them the right use this name, or these arms. Most of them had been false, as the sergeant-at-law she had employed to research them had informed her stoicly. But this had been different. Something real and genuine and a person so kind and intelligent... and Mages help her, she thought she might actually start to cry.

Aida pulled herself together at the question her sister posed, nodding thoughtfully.

"Well, I have really no idea. You know my home is always open to you, and my estate too, if you ever fancy travelling the moors. It can be bleak up there, but quite beautiful. And the ancient hall we took over is quite something to see." She paused to collect her thoughts.

"But us, personally, right now? Perhaps we should... take it one step at a time. Get to know one another. Perhaps we could go out on the lake together, I can bring some food. Or the woods, if you prefer. Or we could simply walk through town... I, well, anything you like. I have many questions, although I do not want to pry, or uncover anything you don't want to talk about."

[Lexi]

Lexi pondered her sisters words. While she was curious about the ancestral home, she was not ready to face that, not yet. She knew it would be too much too soon, so she was happy to hear Aida had a home close by. The most important thing to her at this moment was her relationship with Aida. The truth of it was they were virtual strangers, and although they had begun to develop a genuine bond of friendship, the dynamic of that had been irrevocably changed. "I do have a fondness for the lake," she said with a wry smile. "I try to swim there as often as time allows. It's a beautiful location for a picnic."

"You must feel free to ask me anything you wish to know, how else are we to get properly acquainted," she said with a chuckle. "I cannot think of anything I would not wish to discuss but, should a subject arise that I was not comfortable with, I feel you would not be offended if I were to say so, just as I hope you would do the same."

[Aida]

Aida stood, giving Lexi a smile, "The lake it is then. Do you want to go now? We could take a boat out to the little island in the middle, there's something quite fascinating on it I could show you."

She offered her sister - that would take some getting used to - her arm and adjusted her skirts. It was lucky the day was warm, she had left her cloak in her hurry to rush down here. As they walked past honking geese and neat smallholdings, she let the wind run through her dark tresses, enjoying the breeze. The lake was only a short walk down a steep, winding path and she paused to allow an old man with a couple of prancing goats to walk past. He tipped his hat at the ladies and they continued down towards the clear waters of the lake.

Her sailing boat was moored to one of the jetties, its red sunburst sails bright in the sunlight. She stepped aboard, beginning the busywork of untying knots. The whistling dockmaster strolled down to assist, giving Lexi a respectful bow.

"Let's see if I remember how to do this... it's been a while. Normally I just row out, but as we've a nice breeze... ah, there we go."

She offered her her hand again to pull her aboard, lifting up the anchor with the help of the dockmaster, who nodded and wandered away, still whistiling.

They set off slowly, with Aida busy adjusting the sails, trying to catch the wind. When they caught and they began to move briskly across the water, she ventured her first question.

"Let's see... how about we begin at the start? Where did you grow up?"

[Lexi]

There was definitely no time like the present, and Lexi had no other plans for the day. Even if she had, it was unlikely she would have had the concentration to accomplish anything, given the news she had just been delivered.

She linked her arm through the one offered to her by Aida, and allowed the younger of the pair to lead the way. The heat from the sun warmed her skin, her arms exposed in the cap-sleeved cotton dress she wore. They passed an old man guiding his goats, and Lexi nodded to him and smiled, returning the greeting offered them by the tip of his hat.

As they approached the lake, Lexi could not help but remember her last visit there and the events that had occurred, and try as she might, she could not suppress the blush that crept up over her face, staining her cheeks pink. With her eyes low, she took Aida's hand and stepped aboard the boat. "Thank you," she mumbled, shaking the images from her mind lest her skin be the colour of beets for the remainder of the day.

Once boarded, Lexi let Aida take charge. She had never sailed before. Her own experiences on the lake had only ever been going out in her row boat to fish, so she had little knowledge of boats with sails, and the ease with which her sister handled the vessel, adjusting the sails until the wind caught them, billowing the canvas and propelling them forwards across the surface of the water, proved to Lexi that keeping out of the way was the safest option!

"Begin at the start," she said, repeating Aida's words. "I grew up not far from here" she began. "It's strange to think that at one time you were with me there, yet neither of us have any memory of it." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I had always known my parents were not biologically mine. That had never been kept a secret, but they would never go into any detail about how I came to be with them. I used to ask of course. For a period I think I drove them a little insane about it, but I eventually accepted it was not something they were ever going to reveal to me so I had to let it go." She would always remember the couple who raised her with genuine fondness and love. They had been infinitely patient with her, teaching her and guiding her as she learned life's lessons. Their passing had been the most difficult period of her life thus far, and there were times it still stung to think of them.

"I suppose some would say I had a rather mundane upbringing, but it was safe and happy, so I have no complaints."

[Aida]

She felt a pang of jealousy as her sister spoke of a happy, or at least contented upbringing. If there had been difficulty, she had not said it, and Aida preferred to think of the best. She would have been there, brought up the same way, had things not taken a dire turn.

"I'm happy you were so lucky... it was not so for me. I spent most of my life an apprentice to a woods witch. Some of them are quite benign, you know? But my mistress was very cruel." She paused to put on a smile, "It wasn't all bad. I had some friends, and learnt a trade that's served me well. Now I use my skills to help heal people, where I can."

She fell silent, letting the wind blow her hair this way and that.

"And of course, coming to Fenia City has been the best thing that's happened to me. I've made so many friends, united with family. Helped serve my town for a long time, now. I hope you'll be as happy here as I've been."

[Lexi]

The knowledge of her sister's difficult upbringing saddened Lexi. She had truly been the luck one. She had heard tales of the Woods Witches and their practices, and had always been intrigued by their talents, but she had also heard the stories of their cruelty too. Hearing Aida speak of the life she had lead as a child growing into adulthood, Lexi was in awe of the wonderful strong woman her sister had become in spite of that. "You are an inspiration," she said. "If I can become half the Lady you have, I will be happy."

The gentle breeze tugged at her softly curling hair, strands blowing across her face to obscure her vision. She swept them back absently, gazing out across the water, rippling as the boat cut through it. "I am happy here," she said. "More so than I ever thought I would be, and now I have found you sister dear, I am not sure things could get any better."

[Aida]

"An inspiration!" She laughed suddenly, feeling a swelling of pride. "That's very kind of you. Truly, most of what I've acheived has been by happenstance... I have no doubt you'll do great things here, too."

They pulled up to the island slowly, Aida steering carefully to make sure no rocks scraped the bottom of the sailing boat. A small hill covered in trees, it rose out of the lake covered in pines which swayed in the breeze. A good sailor made sure to watch the direction of the wind from those pines, and so the hill had gained it's name of the Windcatcher.

According to the townspeople, it was good luck for every new sailor on the lake to touch the Windcatcher at least once, and so there was already a muddy slope to pull up to with a stake hit into the ground for mooring. She hopped out with a splash and a squelch, and hoped Lexi didn't mind a bit of mud as she tied the boat down with a flourish and held out her hand to assist.

"They call this island the Windcatcher, because of these tall thin pines. You can see the wind direction on the lake, which helps sailors and fishers. They sometimes come here to check the water level too... nevermind about that though, I'm sure you don't want to listen to me rambling on. There is a reason I brought you here - and not just because it's supposed to be good luck - there's something I want to show you."

She climbed the small hillock, treading carefully on ferns and moss, heading to the centre of the ring of tall, swaying pines. There were rocks here, big ones, which lay strewn in a rough circle. Aida ran her hands over one, running her fingers over worn symbols carved millenia ago.

"It was a stone circle, once. I suppose it still is, built by dragging these old stones here and digging for them a foundation in the earth. In the old days, you see, before they drained the fens for agriculture, the lake was much smaller. The ancients used to walk in procession up here and ask for the blessings of the Mages. Then the lake grew and the land disappeared, but the this circle still survives... "

She paused to rub her thumb over a symbol, "I'm not entirely sure what I'm trying to say, only, this place and these stones have weathered the changes of the land, the passing of seasons. And... I think perhaps that we can do the same."

[Lexi]

The small island was quite beautiful, and peaceful. Arching her neck, she looked up to the tops of the tall trees, watching them move together like a leafy wave blown by the breeze. She took her sister's hand and pulled up the hem of her skirt above her ankle, then jumped down onto the muddy bank, laughing at the squelching sound of her boots as they made contact with the soggy earth. Stepping onto firmer ground, she let her skirt fall, and followed Aida up the hill through the trees. The path, though well defined, was still covered with vines, moss and wild grasses, and she took care not to become tangled.

At the top of the hillock, the two women came to a halt. Around them, large stones sat in random places on the ground, a hint of a circular formation still apparent, and ancient carvings marked their surface. Lexi eyed them curiously as Aida recounted the story of how they came to be. She smiled. Her sister was using them as a metaphor for their relationship, and it was heartwarming. "I am certain whatever our future holds and whatever challenges we may face, we will always have each other from now on," she said gently. Although it had been mere hours since their discovery, Lexi could already feel the bond between them had strengthened.

"The witches," she asked suddenly, her voice soft and quiet. "What did they teach you?" She had been curious about this since Aida had first mentioned it at the beginning of their meeting, drawn by an inexplicable desire to know more..to learn.

[Aida]

She smiled and nodded as Lexi considered the stones, looking out across the glittering waters as she spoke. Drawn to some hanging bloodmoss from a nearby tree, she took her knife from its sheath on her belt to cut some off, wringing out some of the water which dripped onto green ferns below. How strange this little island such be so lush in the middle of this expanse of water. Perhaps there was still some old magic here, after all.

The question from her sister, however, caught her off guard as she nearly dropped both the knife and the bundle of moss. Collecting herself, she bit her lip, resheathed the knife and set about folding the moss into the pouch at her hip.

"Many things," she began, simply. Where could she even start with such a thing? Pity was not an option, nor did she want sympathy or the kind of survivor's guilt that people sometimes had over these things.

"They could be cruel," she continued, walking over to pick some more foliage, "they liked to take orphans or stray girls as apprentices... it happens all over Fenia. Some are kind, some covens seek only to preserve the ancient traditions of the forest dwellers. But there are many strange things deep in the forest of great power, and some cannot resist toying with that which they do not fully understand..."

She turned, putting on a brave smile, "But I learnt many good things too. How to sharpen a kitchen knife with a gesture, which berries can send you to sleep and which might send you to death. How to make a flagon of ale pour itself for your guests, what the crow says to the raven on its midnight flight. And now I'm free to take those skills in any way I wish, to learn to heal even the most mortal of injuries, magic to stop a building from crumbling. I can make a difference here. And I hope that you will, too."

[Lexi]

The expressions playing across Aida's face spoke volumes to Lexi, and she wished she could rewind the clock and snatch back the words before she spoke them. Still, it was done, so instead she listened. Aida had hinted at a difficult upbringing at the hands of the witches in the wood, but it seemed it was so much more than that. Lexi would not press, but hoped her sister would come to know that she if she ever needed to talk about anything, she could talk to Lexi.

"Are those magical skills something you can just learn, or do you think it was already something that was within you, that they saw and took advantage of?" she asked, wondering if it was biology that allowed Aida to do the things she spoke of. She wondered fleetingly, if that was the case, whether such an ability resided within herself. They shared the same parents, their DNA was closely bound. She considered whether their mother, or indeed their mysterious poet father had had such ability, and whether they had known about it. So many questions rattled around her mind, but she did not ask them, not yet.