Sibling Rivalry
Marnys looked up at the sky, squinting her eyes to
see the wonder of a Drak flying by. She waved, feeling a bit of the magic of
Knighthood as she closed her eyes and felt the wind in her face.
"What ya doing?" her brother Meryk asked.
"Riding. Be quiet!" she said.
"I don't have to listen to you! I'm the oldest!" he yelled at her
stamping his feet on the ground.
Marnys turned round and looked mad at her brother. He was only five minutes
older than her, but he always used that silly argument.
"You made me loose the feeling!" she yelled back and ran towards him
faster than a gazelle, or so she thought, and tackled him. They both rolled
down the grassy field, pushing and pulling.
Suddenly two big hands lifted them and held them apart.
"I swear, you two are going to kill each other one day. Why can't you be
more like your sister?" their father asked them.
"Because Myan's a sissy." Mernyk yelled.
"That's no way to talk about your sister, son. I'll have to tell your
mother about your behaviour." their father threatened.
"Marnys? Where are you?" Myan asked.
"Here!" she said.
"What are you doing?"
"Do you remember the day daddy took us to the field for the first time?
We were about eight." Marnys asked looking up at her sister.
"Yeah, you and Meryk made it quite a day to remember."
"Aye." she said and laughed.
They were triplets. There father had been so proud of his wife for giving
him two healthy girls and a strong boy after her first pregnancy. He hadn't
know what he was getting into. Marnys and Meryk especially had been trouble
with a capital T.
"How come you were always so good, Myan?" Marnys asked.
"Why were you always so curious?" she asked back.
"ok, I get it. Don't ask silly questions."
"You know there's another reason I remembered that day for."
"The oath?"
"Yeah."
"Meryk!" Myan whispered, entering her brother's
room.
"I'm bringing you food." she tried.
"I don't need it. Besides, dad would punish you too if he knew and you don't
want that." a voice from a dark corner replied.
"No, but I can't let you starve to death either." she said.
"One night won't kill me." Meryk sighed, girls could be so
naive.
"It won't? But doesn't your stomach hurt?"
As if it knew what they were talking about his stomach started to make
hungry noises and he felt saliva dripping into his mouth.
"You should be more quiet if you want daddy to sleep through
this." Marnys' sleepy voice commented from the doorway, "I'm
hungry too."
"I've brought enough for the three of us." Myan said and
opened the basket, revealing bread, butter and honey. After the midnight
snack all three 8-year olds got into a philosophical discussion about life
and Fate, like all 8-year olds on a sugar rush.
"Do you guys sometimes wonder what you're going to do when you are
older?" Meryk asked.
"Become a Knight." Myan said.
"Ride a Drak." Marnys whispered.
"No, that's what I'm going to do! We can't all do the same
thing!" Meryk said.
"Why not? I bet I can pair a Drak faster than you." Marnys
said loudly.
"Shhh, you'll wake mom and dad." Myan urged.
"Let's bet for real." Mernyk said.
"You don't have anything I need." Marnys said, "You'd
lose anyway."
"I wouldn't. Myan, are you in?"
"Yes."
"ok, the first one to pair a Drak gets...what?" Meryk asked.
"I don't know." Marnys said, wrinkling her forehead.
"Well, we could wait till we're old enough to pair one and then set
the reward." Myan argumented.
"Sounds good." Meryk said, "But don't try to fool
me, I'll know."
"We won't." Marnys said.
All three siblings raised their hands and grabbed the hands of the two
others.
"It's a pact!"
10 years later Marnys turned to Myan.
"Did we ever talk about that oath again?"
"No, it was like sacred." Myan answered, "I could sure
use some adventure right now though."
"Me too."
Both girls ran down the stairs of the attic where Marnys had been
remembering their father. He would have loved to see them all growing up and
most of all, becoming friends rather than siblings.
"Meryk!" Marnys shouted, "Where are you?"
Finally they saw Meryk appear from the barn, where he had been for
mysterious reasons. The same mysterious reasons that had caused his hair to
be full of straw. Marnys and Myan giggled when they saw him and yelled
mockingly:
"Who did you have in the barn, oh brother dear?"
Meryk just darkened his expression and made it real clear he didn't like
being disturbed. Marnys laughed again, seeing right through him.
"I bet he was milking a cow rather than kissing some girl."
she said.
Meryk laughed and tried to remain standing as he said:
"Please, sis, I'm trying to keep a little bit of dignancy
here!"
"You'll like this much better than milking cows." Myan said.
"What?"
"Me and Marnys were talking about our oath, you know about becoming
Knights and we thought this was just the right time to start setting rules
and rewards." Myan said.
Meryk's eyes lit: "So you guys didn't forget about it?"
"Me forget a pledge about becoming a Knight? Never!" Marnys
shouted, holding her hand over her heart.
"So, Myan, I bet you have the rules already figured out in that big
head of you." Meryk said.
"As a matter of fact I do. We get a map, each of us can choose a
castle and whoever pairs first wins."
"Sounds good, when do we leave?" Marnys asked.
"Tomorrow morning at dawn."
"Woah girls," Meryk said, "what about the farm and the
cows?"
"Uncle Derk would love to take care of it, that or one of his sons will
finally start a family here. All we need is the afternoon to get provisions
and choose a castle." Myan said.
"What does the winner get? I still don't know." Marnys
said.
"I know." Meryk shouted! "The winner will get the
right to mock his sisters when they pair later than him."
"That's not going to happen, but I take you upon your offer."
Marnys agreed.
"Fine with me." Myan said.
Meryk shouted as he jumped up and turned, running back toward the house.
Both girls shrugged.
"We need to give him this little starting time."
"Yeah, he's a terrible packer."
They giggled and starting running for themselves.
Four hours later, as darkness was
covering the world of Icarus, the three gathered again.
"So where are we all going?" Meryk asked.
"I'm going to Lav'intay." Marnys said.
"I've got my heart set on Dun Keiba." Myan said.
"Good choices both, but I will still beat you two. I'm going to Mi'ihen."
"But Meryk, that castle is about half a world away." Marnys said.
"And you need to cross water to get to it, why not try DesCas or Tsvoid
if you are going that way?"
"Because Mi'ihen is where I want to go."
"It's your choice." Marnys said.
Follow Marnys to Lav'intay
Follow Myan to Dun Keiba
Follow Meryk to Mi'ihen