Closed Expedition Reunited with a Purpose [Ark & Mercy]

[Angel of Mercy]

It had been a lovely ceremony up to this point. The deceased had been a Knight of the Realm, a good man, by all accounts and a favorite of the rulers. He was believed to have been a man of great honour and achievements. A decorated veteran of many battles and a champion for the poor and weak. So, when the news came that he had been found dead along the road, a day's ride from the city with no apparent wounds, it had come as a shock to many, and word had quickly travelled to most settlements within a week's ride, in places he was known to frequent.

Many from those settlements had decided to make the long trek to Tethis to pay their respect. The large church was filled, with standing room only. The nobles, of course were seated in the front sections and the balconies overhead, the more middleclass folk, including craftsmen sat near to the middle and the remaining peasantry occupied the rear most sections. The knight's coffin sat at the front and the priest spoke loudly and clearly as the ceremony had come to its natural conclusion. All that remained was the placement of the rose on the coffin by the love of the man's life.

It was at this point that things had gotten a little confusing. As the Priest declared that the woman he loved should step forward and place the rose upon the ornate coffin, the Knight's wife slowly rose, but among the throng that had gathered, several other women stood as well… The large church became filled with murmurs and whispers. In total there were seven women standing, including the wife… The Knight's wife was shocked that these women would stand, unaware that her 'noble' husband had six mistresses… The other women looked around the room, some with equal shock, while others seemed unsurprised by the sudden revelation.

Some folk started to shout out… "Whore! Homewrecker! Liar!" The rest of the crowd stood to either try and calm the people or to accuse these other women, and the Priest started to try and regain control of the scene. Many started to head for the door with disbelief plastered upon their faces. Some of the men who knew the late knight best, and some of his rivals laughed openly and others snickered, until their own wives shot them disapproving looks…

 

[Angel of Mercy]

Elenore had been one of those women, and as she gazed upon the other six women who had stood, her eyes met with a familiar set, ones that had been so very familiar to her back in her youth, "Evitha", she muttered. But then the throng of people were on their feet, and the gathering turned into a chaotic mess. She realized then the danger she was in; some might take offence to the Knight's reputation being slighted upon his funeral, while others might simply be looking for a reason to do harm… She tried to cut through the crowd towards those familiar eyes, but before long she was caught up in a wave that forced her to exit the church…

Once outside she tried to look for that woman among the throng, but again, the crowd was chaotic, pushing and shoving in all directions, and the guards were beginning to force the crowd to break apart and leave the church grounds, to send folk on their way, and to possibly arrest the more offensive. In that moment, because wearing a black funerary gown and boots with heels that made rapid movement difficult, she decided to follow the throng towards her home, where she would quickly change into something more appropriate for what she had in mind… First, she would need closure, and then she would find that woman, Evitha, her biological sister…

---

Later that Evening
Later that evening, as the sun started to set, Elenore began to don clothing more appropriate for skulking about at night, black leather pants, boots and a dark coloured coat over a red shirt. She braided her hair into one long ponytail and slipped her belt about her waist, the belt that held a few pouches and the shortsword given her by her father. Taking up the red rose she exited her the house she shared with her father, and she made her way back towards sacred ground, where she knew her knight would lay in state for one more night, before he was to be buried the following morn.

Her thoughts returned to her knight, this wonderful man that had always seemed to be as being too perfect… He had promised that soon he would take her with him to court and asked the king his permission for them to marry. Of course, his entire life with her had been a lie. She should be angry with him, and yet her heart tightened, and she felt a lump at her throat whenever her memory recalled one of the many tender moments they had shared. She had truly loved him, and now he was dead, killed by some unknown assailant. And it seemed to her, that the sister she hadn't seen in, was it eight, or perhaps ten years…? Had also fallen in love with the same man… It certainly seemed like a hell of a coincidence…

She found herself climbing the stairs that led to the side entrance of the large church. She had her hood up, her long, thick blonde braid hung from the hood's opening down one side of her body. The guard only gave her a passing glance before eh nodded for her to enter… The large main hall seemed empty, though it was illuminated by thousands of candles along the walls and hanging form braziers. A few clerics moved about, lighting or relighting more and all was very quiet… She moved towards the altar where the coffin holding her beloved rested and she moved to it, whispering a prayer as she set the rose upon the lid…

 

[Ark]

With a heavy heart Evitha had stood up with a rose in hand. She took a deep sigh, ready to bring a conclusion to her love. She vaguely noticed several other women stand up, and thought there must have been some confusion. But then she noticed one of them, in the front row, was a noble woman, far more beautiful than herself and in such high standing than herself. To a simple girl raised by the edge of the woods, that woman was glowing with power. It gave her pause, and a bit of panic and doubt crept in her mind. Did the priest not say for the knight's love to step forward? Did Evitha misunderstand?
She took another step forward, then realized that each of the others, all six of them, were holding a rose. Then she heard the murmurs and the gasps. She looked at the priest for some guidance, but he wasn't looking at her. Then she looked around again, and briefly locked eyes with a familiar face. It was her sister, little Elenore, also holding a rose. "What..." Evitha whispered, then began to sit down. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to disappear, to hide somewhere.

Evitha pushed her way through the crowd toward what she thought was a back exit. Tears were quickly building up in he eyes as she clutched the rose, her last reminder of the loving memories and dreams she had with that man. People were moving around and yelling all around her. Some were laughing and snickering. They knew... how did they know? What did they know? What happened? Why was her sister here? That was Elenore, right? Suddenly how and why the knight had died became the least of her concerns.

Evitha finally broke out of the crowd and turned a corner around a stone wall towards the gardens. She felt confused, cheated, and betrayed by the whole world. All of her dreams for a family had been a lie and all this time she spent waiting and hoping had been wasted. She'd been fooled by some conspiracy, too naive to realize that something was off, and apparently too insignificant for anyone to tell her. She should've known that her love had no power over such a man. He could do whatever he wants, be with whoever he wants, and pick from a thousand women better than her. She felt ashamed and humiliated, and just wanted to sit in a corner and cry for a while.

But Evitha still had the rose. And her love was still real, even if his wasn't. She still had to bring a conclusion to it. So Evitha would wait all night if she had to, until all the important people left and she could sneak by and place her rose by the coffin unnoticed. She'd already brought too much attention to herself from people who were much smarter, more powerful, and very dangerous. None of them could be trusted, she thought, none except one. She had to find her sister and make sure she's okay too.

---

Later that Evening

She'd been mostly alone in the back gardens for hours, silently crying and thinking. She still couldn't shake that sinking feeling of seeing six others stand up as if she didn't exist, as if the life she thought she had laid out in front of her was all a lie. A few people passed through the garden during those hours, but she made an effort to stay away from the crowd and the noise. Whoever saw her gave her a curious look, so she tried to hide the rose, not wanting them to know she was one of the seven. She'd simply say that she doesn't want to talk about it if someone did try to start a conversation, and she hoped they'd be respectful enough to leave her alone.

Only after the sun had set, the church began to return to its usual peaceful silence. Mostly everyone had left, except for a few guards. Evitha finally left the shadow of the tree which had given her comfort for a while. There were so few trees here in the city. All she wanted now was to return home, but her little village was so far away. She was still in her funeral gown with the rose in hand, and it was time to get rid of it.

Evitha quietly climbed up the stairs, careful not to let her heels make too much of a noise. She felt like she was sneaking into a place she didn't belong in, but the guard at the door nodded and let her pass. But then she paused when she saw another figure by the coffin. It was a hooded woman with her face concealed, but that blonde hair, the way she walked, her slender frame, and everything about her was unmistakable. Even after all these years Evitha had recognized her sister's eyes. She took a step back feeling ashamed and guilty for falling for this sick game and for allowing her her little sister to fall for it as well.
Then with a deep breath she moved forward.
"What did he tell you? That you'd get married soon... that he will keep coming back to see you with every chance he had... that he was oh so busy. That he'd love you until his last day. Did he tell you that too?" Evitha stopped next to her sister. She had grown and changed in many ways, but in many ways she was still the same.
"May I?" She reached to place her rose down on the coffin, all the way to the side. "I'm sorry, Elenore."

 

[Angel of Mercy]

Elenore heard the footsteps approaching, but she offered no reaction, she only stood by the coffin with her head bowed. For the first time since she'd heard her Knight had been killed did a tear run down her cheek. She prided herself on being strong, like her father, and she'd always felt weeping was a sign of weakness. It wasn't always easy, but it was how she'd been raised with no mother figure around… And so, when she heard someone approaching, she moved her arm up and she used the sleep of her coat to wipe the tear away…

When she heard the familiar voice that she hadn't heard for so many years she froze. There was no doubt it was her sister. As she went on speaking, stopping only once they stood side by side, Elenore turned her head to look at her sister, still dressed in her funerary gown. She could see she'd been weeping. She offered no reply, though she nodded when she spoke next, her eyes watching as Evitha moved to place the rose onto the coffin…

She sighed deeply when her sister said she was sorry. "He did… Promise me all those same things… He made me feel special. I was such a fool" she said, her voice holding a bit of an angry edge to it. "I should have seen it coming…" she added as she heard shifting at the back and she turned to watch one of the guards moving from one side of the hall to the other… She turned her attention back to her sister. "He was very convincing, I wonder how long this had all been going on, this second life of his" she said, her voice growing a bit softer.

 

[Ark]

Evitha took one more long look at the coffin, then turned her back on it to get a better look at her sister. "No... you're not the fool. He was." She gave her a sad smile. She didn't want Elenore to blame herself like Evitha blamed herself. "You've always been the smart one." And maybe she still was, since Elenore had the foresight to go home and change into a more practical outfit. "Still, I hope his soul to be blessed. Let's not forget the good things because of the bad. He had two sides, but he only let the world see his good side until the very end." She wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. It was too late to change it now either way.

"Six years, for me." Evitha still remembered the day they first met. "I was trading some gems at the marketplace, and he walked by and offered me this pair of perfect white marbles. They were literally glowing! At first I thought he was trying to play a trick on me. But then we got to talking, I told him about my mushroom garden at home, and the next thing I know he showed up at my doorstep on this beautiful white horse, holding a bouquet of roses." Evitha was lost in her sad dreamy thoughts for a bit, then suddenly looked at Elenore. "Sorry, it doesn't matter. That's all over now. It never was real anyway."

Evitha watched another guard walk up to the one by the door, and they exchanged a few quiet words. They briefly glanced at the girls, then both took a spot by the door.
"I think we've stayed here long enough." Evitha suggested. "I have a room at the tavern, by the south city gate..."

 

[Angel of Mercy]

As the younger of the two sisters, one might have expected her to be the more emotional, but such was not the case. She'd always been more forward, forceful, stubborn, and hotheaded, or at least that's what her father had always claimed. She turned to look at Evitha when she turned her back on the man they had both loved, and she suggested the man had been the fool… Exactly the kind of thing she would have expected an older sister to say…

She was attentive to what her sister was suggesting, and she nodded as she looked back to the casket. She wasn't going to argue the fact that she was smarter (she had a good-sized ego, after all), just like her sister had always been the more sensitive and emotional. She made a simple grunting sound at the suggestion that he'd been a good man till the end. "The gods will decide if his soul deserves to be blessed…" she whispered, "part of me hopes he burns in hell…" she added, then a grin touched her lips… "And yet another part of me will miss him dearly" she suggested as she cast her eyes down to the tiled floor.

When she started to talk more on her life with him, she cringed, and she finally held up her hand when she was done… "I don't want to hear it… Please, spare me" she said rather curtly as she turned her back on her knight. "Six years… Really?" She asked with more than a hint of surprise. Her eyes lifted and she looked at the guards just as her sister did, and she nodded in agreement that they had stayed long enough. She was about to simply excuse herself and leave when her sister mentioned having a room at the tavern. "I'd invite you to see father… Oh, but the questions…" she said closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"I could use a cup of… Did you say the south gate?" She asked in surprise… "That stuff can barely be called wine, but I suppose it'll do" she muttered, referring to what was a rather 'budget' section of the city. She started to walk for the exit, looking to make certain Evitha was following. It was incredible how seeing her sister again for the first time in so many years left her feeling awkward and uncomfortable… Of course, the circumstances of their reunion didn't help matters… The mere idea of her sister in bed with her knight was… Disturbing, to say the least.

"You have to admit, it's a hell of a coincidence…" She offered as they reached the exit archway.

 

[Ark]

Evitha winced slightly as Elenore mentioned hell. "No, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I just wish... I wish to know what happened. Why it happened, why he did that. What happened to him... I just want to understand. It seems we've both been living too long sheltered in the dark." She did miss him a lot, but she also missed the truth, and she missed her sister. They hadn't seen each other every since she started seeing the knight.
"Sorry! I just... never mind, sorry for bringing it up." She felt a pin of guilt for letting her emotions and good memories talk. Evitha was sure her sister had equally lovely memories with him, which shouldn't be shared.

"Oh yes! I'd love to see dad. It's been so long..." Evitha realized she hadn't seen him in years either. It was like their family was split in two. "I meant to come visit you last summer. I asked him to give me a ride to the city, but he suggested we go visit the coast instead. Those beaches... never mind." Evitha hadn't realized how that man had a way of always keeping them apart, knowing the truth would come out if they ever met. He'd disguised his moves so well within his fun and loving charm.

"Aw come on, the wine there has... character. And the people are nice!" She didn't mention the regular drunken fights at that tavern, however. "Well you don't have to come with me. Maybe I'll spare a few coins and stay an extra night or two, then come see you in the morning so we can remember each other. I need a distraction!" Since they were little, Evitha had learned not to push her sister around. She didn't like being told what to do, and it seemed that hadn't changed. Elenore had the strength to stand up for herself, and Evitha envied her for it.
"Well, I believe coincidences happen for a reason. Perhaps this is god's way of bringing us closer now. Everything is a lesson..." She sighed as a wave of sadness passed through her heart the moment they left the church. Evitha let her emotions linger and just walked in silence through the well kept pathways around the church and around the gardens to the south of it. At least she was lucky to have family here. Some of the other girls who were tricked likely weren't so lucky. They'd be left alone in the dark knowing they'd never find another man like him.

 

[Angel of Mercy]

Elenore certainly agreed with her sister when she said she wanted to know the truth; to know how this could have happened, why it did and how it ended the way it did. The man, a trained knight, one of the realm's best, had been found dead along the roadside without so much as a scratch. It defied reality.

A lot had happened since her father had taken her and moved to the city, though as she looked at her sister, she could still feel that bond only sister's can possibly feel. And she partially disliked herself for feeling it…

She did have her own sweet, tender memories of her Knight. Memories of dance halls and picnics… And of her being mounted like a… she cringed at those memories. She needed to push such thoughts aside. When Evitha then admitted she wanted to see their father, Elenore wasn't certain that was such a good idea. "Perhaps tomorrow, you could stop by our home and see him… But you can't speak of…" She paused, glancing back over her shoulder at the casket near the dais. "Not a word" she insisted.

"That's not character… It's probably… mold or something icky" she offered in reply to the wine having character. "Sure, they're nice… If you like that, dirty peasant look, yeah… Real nice" she suggested with a tilt of her head. Elenore and her father had lived in the Noble Quarter of the city, sponsored by an old, retired knight who had hired their father all those years ago. The man was such a craftsman that he was soon working for many other knights and nobles… She barely remembered what being a peasant was like. Other than always being dirty and smelly.

"Father doesn't like me drinking wine alone… It projects the wrong image he claims" she offered with a shrug… "So I'm coming with you… If I've ever needed a drink in my life, it's now… In fact, I feel as though I may need many" she suggested as they stepped outside and made their way down the long steps to the road that led south. When Evitha suggested perhaps this whole event was to bring them together she let out a surprised peel of laughter. "So… You're suggesting the Gods have killed a favoured knight, so you and I could spend a bit of quality time together?" she said it out loud, and couldn't help but chuckle, as it sounded even funnier out loud than it had inside her head…

"Not that kind of coincidence…" She said… "I think he knew we were sisters; I know it. I can feel it" She added. "I can't accept that he was just a sick pervert of a knight who enjoyed spreading his seed around like… Well, like 'character' wine" she offered with a shake of her head… "There has to be more to it than that" she said.