Renalanda gazed at the moonlight and smiled,her body shaking ....she was still up in the air looking when a heavy wind blew pushing her off. Her knees hit the floor hard as she fell . She bent to check her floored self when she noticed another aura in the realm...she turned fearfully only to meet a tall ,blue eyed , dark haired with blue edges, a royal mark on his neck ,her voice hitched realizing it was .....
She gulped slowly yet timidly as he bent before her,his magnetic voice sending chills ...
" Rena?
" Your majesty"
He stretched his hand forth and helped her up , touched her face,dusted it and smiled.
" How'd you get lost here? He asked
" I...".
" You were walking ,running and you fell ?
She raised her head to face him..
" You... How'd you? .
He smiled ever charmingly," I know ...just know"
She bowed her head .
He snapped his hand and the swing came to get them , sitting above the world ,he raised a question.
" Why'd you avoid me Rena? Am I not your brother anymore or I never was?
She looked away.."You never noticed me much so I faded to the background"
" Says who ? I watch out for you every now and then and..... I came here for you after noticing you left ,I came here to prepare you ramen and things because...
" Because?
" Because I knew you'd find here . Just like I did too . It's been years.... I never knew I will have a chance to talk to you again,ever actually... , you always avoided me growing up and....all I did was fade into the background in your world".
" You always fit in everywhere,it's always Arian ..... never Renalanda....just Arian"
Arian eyes dimmed " Yet I never fit into yours did I ? Do you think you are better off alone?
"That's the only feeling I grew up having....thanks to you" .
" What exactly happened and is happening Rena ?
"You !
Arian looked taken back ... " ME?
"Yes....You !.. because of you I never had a home , I never existed...I was the one that always faded into the background,the non existent one ...I hurt! It hurts..... It does... I .."
Her voice cracked,she choked on her own tears yet she tried to smile as always,to prove she wasn't weak and that she was alright. Yet it was in that moment she recollected a quote " it's not painful when you cry..but it is when you smile admist the tears " and at this moment all her walls broke,it shattered.
" Why don't I know what a home feels like ! She broke and every word was like a dagger thrown at Arian. His heart clenced ,he tried to smile because at times the sadness get so deep in your heart that you can't cry .
His voice lost its touch,he stood ,carried her in his arms,smiled ...a smile which was now embedded into him as a duty ,he couldn't overlap it. He sat on the grass with her crying on his lap ,looked up trying to hide the pool of tears hiding in his eyes waiting to fall.
" It's not as easy as it looks though... infact it's a burden,one I can't shake off,the duty ....one day,I hope you never have to understand what I am going through and did went through because,..." He stopped midway as he suddenly lost his voice.
" I need not learn my duty anymore...it's embedded in me like a Knife!!" He choked due to the tears threatening to fall ... Rena looked up at him and his eyes depicted pain ,fear, tears, strength, acceptance and yet he still had that smile, he just couldn't waver it"
" Love isn't random,we are chosen...
And I chose you"..
" Let it out brother... Rena soft voice filled the air again.
" I can't ,I mustn't"
Rena tears were coming again,yet she managed to pass her message " Hiding behind a barrier of coldness, perfection is simply unreal. Tears aren't a sign of a weak leader rather one who is willing to accept to be himself,rule with order and transparency. When strong people cry ,it isn't because they are weak but because they have bottled up emotions whose lid is slipping and they just can't be strong anymore. Time moves, everyone tries to find a perfect place, life,growth while forgetting this seemingly perfect yet imperfect life belongs to us alone.
Look at you , plastering a smile you have no power over on your face,doesn't it hurt? Don't you want to take off the mask that your true self have worn all this years or do you want to lose yourself to it ?
Arian stopped smiling and looked at her , " it isn't that easy though,it never is and my duty can't be sidelined but I will remove that mask .....for you and only you".
" And the world ?
" That part of me remains dead to them. I found the ILLUSION GATE at my lowest,when everything choked,when it felt like I had no choice,I found solace in peace and silence . That was ME"
"So it's a home now ? She asked
"Our home"
Both siblings having found peace internally and settled the demons fighting in them looked at the sky with a new hope ,a new look.
While the festival,ruckus was going on outside,the royal family unaware of the absence of their children,the siblings talked on and on,from heart shattering words to jokes that brought tears out of each other's eyes , perhaps for the first time a bond grew in the land .
For the first time she had a picture of Home and ...
It's him.