[IC] Happy family post!

[hopeisblind]

I'm a good girl , lying here all alone in my bed. All I can hear is the sound of rustling leaves caressed by the wind outside, and an occasional night bird ruffling its feathers at the moon. I don't know why, but suddenly this confusion, this feeling of displacement I've woken up with is replaced by this overwhelming foreboding sensation that has

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[breakanelm]

[That somebody is beside her bed an instant after, reaching a hand to brush back her bangs, unfelt but for the lightest chill, a whispered meanace chased quickly away by a booming voice, still strong though lowered, that fills the space after.]

There you are, my daughter.

[Shouldn't you feel his breath, close as he sounds? Or is that detail lost to the familiar address?]

[hopeisblind]

[omg, not only am I feeling it, I'm also seeing it, as white mist in the freezing bedroom. And that's the first thing I see in a long time.]

F-father? FATHER!

[And my eyes are locked on yours, and like a child, I can't look away.]

[breakanelm]

[Oh good. Can you also see how it sharpens and rises at her response, just like the shift in Charles's expression? And is it getting colder?]

Of course! There it is, the will of my blood, of Britannian blood. The overcoming of the power of kings.

[Leans closer, his stare now penetrating that of his daughter's, the mists now circling them.]

Yes, it was inevitable. What did it take you to break those bonds?

[hopeisblind]

[Yes, I'm shivering. :( ]

I-I don't know. It's just...

Are you here to take us back?

[this sounds more hopeful than she has intended, because she knows big brother would be sad if he knew how much she has wished for this. It's not for her, not for her, she tells herself - sincerely so - if it was just a misunderstanding, big brother won't need to deal with all those things he has]

I-I won't tell anybody. You don't need to hurt him anymore. Please.

[breakanelm]

Take you back? Any child of mine who cannot return on their own has no place in Pendragon.

[hopeisblind]

[shakes head violently]

But the only way for big brother to come back on his own is dying inside!

[breakanelm]

[Do you see the mists thinning as they move around you, swirling gently through the room? They carry summer's breeze now, and the smell of the Aries gardens with... what is that? The smell of his hair? Of metal and sweet perfumes and musky cologne? What is that from? Him, as he is here now? Or is it... yes. Don't you remember how you used to get in the way while your mother brushed your father's hair? Hiding behind strands twice, thrice your size? So playful and full of life you were back then. So full of laughter and mischief. It must be such a conflicting feeling

[hopeisblind]

[Do you even have to ask? orz]

How can you say that? That's not true! If somebody has to perish, if somebody has to be punished for dragging him down, that person is me! Big brother is strong and noble. He has always done the best he could, always with his beloved ones' best interest in mind. He has never abando-

[ Now I pause, terrified at my own selfishness. What if he has wished to leave all the time and I am the one who clings to him like a leech? What if father is right and that's the best way of dealing with everything? What if love is nothing but weakness, but cruel duty?]

[I scream almost hysterically, reaching for the mists]

NO! We were happy back then. We certainly were. This is not a lie, I'm sure of it.

[I try to reach for those happy memories, but of course I can't move too far, and I roll off the bed, screaming like a hurt animal, my elbows and knees hitting the floorboard with a dead thud]

[breakanelm]

[:)

Steps so that he's looming over her now, as imposing as he has ever been. He draws out his voice as he calls her name.]

Nunnally. This is unfortunate. Disappointing. You are as blind now as you were with your eyes forced shut. I once thought it would give you strength and lead you down the path of truth but it seems I have overestimated you. Another blight on our family's proud name.

[hopeisblind]

[Okay, that hurt. And all that carefully build strength - real strength actually - is collapsing quickly. It is not the rejection. I'm used to that. It is just the ultimate fear that I've never known any of you at all, that nothing we have ever had was real.]

[And that's why I reach out for your cape, clinging to it, eyes wide open as I desperately search for any sign of humanity in your violet eyes.]

Please, please, WAIT!

[breakanelm]

[The mists pick up around her once again, the smells of family now interspersed with those of gunpowder and burning, as the ghost of her father stands firm. She'll find no humanity in his eyes but perhaps some in his honouring of her request. If she squints.]

Very well.

[hopeisblind]

[My heart beats so hard I have to force the words out of my lips. It is like a nightmare. My voice is gone, a simple whisper in the mists.]

You don't need to push us away, father. Can't you see that it is our connections that make us stronger? Big brother would take every single chance you gave him. He would be grateful for every act of gentleness. And he would give much more in return. He is this kind of person.

You've got to understand.

[breakanelm]

[His face twists in repulsion and arrogance and he silently regards her long enough for the mists to chill to sub-zero.]

You are the one who lacks comprehension, my foolish daughter.

[He turns and is gone as quickly as he arrived. A whisper of a familiar lullaby teases the sudden quiet in wake of his departure.]

[hopeisblind]

NO, PLEASE DON'T!

[Okay, I guess will just go hysterical now. o/]

[ascendthethorns]

[Which means it's time for me to barge in, right?]

Nunnally?!

[Rushes and crouches beside; give me a moment to realize that YOUR EYES ARE OPEN please. ;o;b]

What's wrong? A nightmare? What happened?

[hopeisblind]

[I'm pushing you away, flailing my arms like a crazy child]

FATHER WAS HERE! PLEASE, HELP BIG BROTHER, PLEASE!