"The quiet night whispers...
When will you come, when will you crown the Trident Queen?
Will she fall in, rivers of blood that makes us who we are?
Don't let the stars meet, don't let his claws reach,
Don't let...-"
"Enough of that cursed song, Isolade! One more time and I bet you, I will rip your throat off. Heavens, my ears are starting to bleed!"
A girl in blue garments laughs, hands not stopping her work as she replies to her sister's threat. "And so the great Airin falls at the hands of a folklore! Who would've thought, stone-faced Airin couldn't handle a little scary myth."
Airin scowls, eyes glaring at her irritating sibling. "Myth or no myth, the scare I get from your voice and hours of repetition is enough to render one terrified for life."
"Well, Airin." Her sister--Isolade, shrugs with a grin. "It's the Red Moon festival! And you will hear a lot about the trident queen. Better have me build your resistance because Mama is taking us all to the capital!"
Airin freezes, shoulders stiff. She turns to Isolade with a raised brow. "You don't mean that, do you?"
"Maybe, maybe not." The younger one replies, a look of mischief in her eyes.
"Fool." Airin feels the immense urge to give her sister a beating, fed up from the continuous toy of her emotions by Isolade.
"Look here, sister," Isolade places her wet hand on top of her sister's exposed shoulder.
Smack!
"Lord, I am this close to selling you off to old man Jenny!" Airin hates water- no, the feeling of being wet. That is just something the older teen cannot tolerate. Unless necessary, Airin avoids being wet. And anything out of necessary is a declaration of war.
"Sorry, sorry." Isolade mutters sheepishly, as she removes her hand from her sister's shoulder. She watches Airin furiously wipe her shoulder clean with her dry sleeves.
"I don't like being wet." Airin grumbles with an annoyed expression.
"Yes, yes, I know. I deal with all the water related tasks, and we keep our agreement. No water, I know. I'm paid for this!" Isolade puffed her chest up with her hands on her waist.
"Yeah, yeah, shut up. Quickly wash the clothes, Mother will be here soon. And I'm sick of staying near this river. Anymore with your empty brain and I'll die before my fear kills me."
The younger teen nods in compliance. "Yes madam! I would advice you to go somewhere else but I'm bored and need company, so stay with me. Plus wouldn't want ma to catch us on our secret deal, hm?"
"What secret deal?" The duo turns their head towards a middle aged woman, and Airin lets out an exasperated sigh.
'This girl's mouth needs a bloody tape. Definitely if this was a secret since when she could learn to talk, everything would be exposed before now.'
"Why are you washing, Isolade?"
"Airin promised to help me with some tasks later, ma." Isolade said, glancing at Airin with a wry smile.
"You're turning your sister into a slave, Nessarina?" A stern expression came upon the woman's face, a disapproving look in her eyes as she stares at her eldest daughter.
"No mama." Airin sighs. She glares at Isolade who drops the clothes and scurries off to avoid a confrontation with their mother.
'Traitor.' Airin mouths as she locks eyes with Isolade's guilty ones. The younger girl gives a final wave and her figure becomes completely hidden in the distant trees.
Eren sighs, watching her daughters' display. "Wash the clothes, Airin. Your sister have exams to write and must spend every time preparing."
"I have exams, too." Airin grumbles, picking up the clothes with hidden disgust.
"But you are better at multitasking."
"Not an excuse to dump the workload on me, mother. That brat needs to exercise a bit."
Thwack!
"Ow!" Airin was smacked on her head by her mother.
"Mother-!"
"Don't call your sister a brat. You were once as naughty as she is. You still are, occasionally. Anyways, I am here to help you precisely because I know you also need to study."
Eren picked up some clothes and joined Airin in washing them. She noticed her daughter was scrubbing them furiously in a haste.
"Did she tell you, we would be going to the capital?"
Airin looked up in confusion at her mother. "Why?"
They have been celebrating festivals for years but never once did they think of traveling so far away to do so. Why travel to the capital? It would be best to visit their maternal home, which is situated in Evergreen.
"Celebrating the festival there is merely apart. The main reason why is because I and few of the seamstresses in Astar have been selected to design clothes for a nobleman's family."
Airin was surprised. "That's odd."
Eren patiently gave answers to her daughter's unsaid question. "You might be wondering why... The nobleman's ancestors were from Astar and they seem to want to celebrate their ancestry by hosting a traditional banquet, so they invited us- traditional seamstresses to make their clothes. The natives do make their crafts best."
"Ah...."
Though it was rare for such a thing to happen, it is not unheard of.
"The Chief recommended you, it seems?"
"Yes." Eren smiled.
"No wonder you told me to send some cakes to him some days ago... and you looked quite excited!"
"Smart Nessarina."
Airin blushed slightly at her mother's praise. Eren had a way of making people melt under her unabashed and sincere praise.
"The pay is very good. The Chief chose five seamstresses and we are allowed to bring two assistants. You and Isolade will be my assistants. In three days, we will prepare for our leave. And I will leave Mama Oma to watch our things. We need not bring much for the journey. The nobleman is generous and will provide most of the things we need."
"Okay, mama." Airin nodded, sincerely happy at the good fortune that fell in her family's hands. Yet a bit appalled that she would have to see the full merry of the Trident Queen festival, also known as the Red Moon festival in the capital.
'On the bright side... I can simply stay indoors and avoid the festival. Why do people celebrate a tragedy anyways? The festival is not really one of good omen...'
"Why have you been avoiding water these days?"
Airin paused in astonishment at the unexpected question.
"What?"
"I saw how you have been acting recently. One would think you developed some sort of allergy to water."
Facing her mother's direct confrontation that came along with Eren's signature 'detective stare', Airin was momentarily at a loss for words.
"I... It's nothing."
"Speak before I throw you into this river." Eren threatened.
"...I have been dreaming a lot for the past few days. A repeated nightmare that has to do with the ocean and a trident. I feel ominous, mama. Everything concerning this festival unnerves me and I... just do not feel anything good about the trident queen and whatever concerns this myth."
"It is but a myth, Airin. You know how much those religious folks love these things. Do not think much of it, it will pass eventually. Perhaps the coming exams have had you stressed, and your brain is finding a way to express that stress through things you see and know in your daily life."
Airin feels enlightened at her mother's words, feeling slight admiration for the logical thinking. But the relief is partial.
While her tension eased significantly, Airin could not shake off all the discomfort she felt. The feeling was too real. Like hatred from a past life or scars from a broken relationship. It felt unsolvable and deep in her spirit.
"Okay, ma. Perhaps it is the stress."
'Though I feel otherwise, I have no logical reasoning to back it up... What can I say? That I'm about to be haunted by an illusionary figure and while I have yet to be haunted, I 'forsee' I will?'
Airin chuckled lightly.