New Family

Rudolph led Kori down a marble corridor. "The lady's wing is here."

They entered a sumptuously decorated chamber and Kori saw Erika and her mother for the first time as they rose to greet them.

"Here we are, ladies!" Rudolph waved a hand in greeting. "Erika, here is your sister."

"Well met, sister." Erika beamed, her soft brown eyes seemed to shine. Kori gazed at her sister, for the moment unable to speak. She thought her sister was someone she could not look away from. Not only was she exceptionally beautiful, a refreshing sight to see, with night dark-hair and delicate features, but it was her air of serenity that took Kori's breath away. She stood with such a relaxed posture, a small smile playing around her exquisite lips. And her voice was so soft and rich, with a quality one rarely heard in the voice of a girl, like velvet. She had an aura as it were of unbreakable calm… She tried to open her mouth to say something, but could only stammer.

For one brief moment, her mother gave a small frown. "Good day, Korina." Brunhilde was as fair as her daughter was dark. Her blue eyes were fixed on Kori's face and she did not look pleased. Both she and Erika were in mourning clothes. Kori felt a twinge of unease. Was it considerate of her to appear in their lives at a time like this? Shouldn't she have asked her uncle this question?

Rudolph put a hand on Kori's shoulder. "As you can see, my brother was responsible for two exceptionally fine daughters, not just one. Come on, Brunhilde, can't you see the resemblance? Kori's big, brown eyes are so like his and her features, her midnight black hair, they characterise everyone of our line. And her dark green skin aside, she does resemble her sister."

Brunhilde drew her patrician features into a scowl. "Why don't you let Korina speak for herself, Rudolph? You always say that she has learned good enough manners."

Erika gazed at Kori intently. "Sister, do you prefer Korina or Kori?"

Kori found her voice. "Kori. T-Thank you." She whispered.

"Well for the time being, I'm going to have to leave the three of you to get better acquainted, but watch for me before the week is out."

Kori felt a bit alarmed and her heart began to beat faster. She hadn't realised he was leaving so soon.

"Travel safe uncle." Erika hugged her uncle while Brunhild folded her arms. Then Kori hugged him. She didn't want to let him go.

"Good luck, Kori," he whispered very softly in her ear so she was certainly the only one who heard.

When he was gone Erika moved to stand beside her sister.

"Now Korina," began Brunhilde coolly. "I understand there are aspects of your education that have been neglected for too long."

Kori thought that was unfair; Madeleine had given her a thorough education. Since she was very small she had learned the craft of a wise-woman, starting by stamping out the pills, progressing to brewing spells and potions and tending to the sick and wounded and more recently she had assisted Madeleine in delivering babies in the village.

"Sorry, but I don't think so. I want to be a healer and I've been learning the trade well."

Brunhilde curled her lip slightly. "I mean in manners, Korina. In speech. In deportment and in the languages of the surrounding provinces. That's just a start."

Kori was immensely grateful when Erika slipped her delicate white hand in her green one. "I think it would be best if Kori attends my language session this afternoon so we can really gauge the help she needs, mother."

Kori swallowed. "Thank you very much, Erika."

Brunhilde shook her head. "Not necessary, dearest."

Erika returned her mother's gaze. "But I want it to be so."

"Fine, fine." Brunhilde shrugged. "But Korina, remember your station. Do nothing to embarrass yourself or us."

00O00

The sisters left Brunhilde and descended a marbled staircase to the chamber reserved for their language lesson.

"Erika, your mother doesn't like me," said Kori baldly. "I'm not naïve. I-I know how I was conceived…" she felt nauseous just thinking about it. The idea of their father being raped was horrifying, but that was how Kori had been conceived.

Erika gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "No one holds that against you. We all know the child is not to blame for the sins of the birth mother."

Kori thought this sounded so nice that she felt tears beginning to come, so she hastily blinked them back. She sniffed and decided it would be best to change the subject. "How interesting to learn the primary language of the Golden Isles."

"You'll like Queenie, my tutor. She's from the Golden Isles herself."

"Oh wow. Have you been there, Erika?"

"Yes, on a Royal visit. I am now betrothed to Prince Siegfried, the future King. When he comes of age we will marry and he will be King."

Kori stared in astonishment. Her sister had said it so calmly and now gazed back smiling a serene, tight lipped smile. Why hadn't their uncle shared this fact? "Then you are my future queen. Your Majesty." Kori curtsied, wondering whether it was the right sort of curtsy for a future queen.

Erika smiled more broadly, her eyes sparkling. "If I'm the future queen, what does that make you?"

"Me? I'm no one special." Kori touched her cheek feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. She began to gabble. "I know I may seem strange in some ways, but strange is not special. I'm not even a proper noble. I just want to be a healer, that's neither strange nor special."

Erika was laughing. She took Kori's hand in hers again. "Silly Kori, you are my sister. Don't you think that makes you special to me?"

Kori felt a bit of a lump in her throat. "Thank you."

00O00

Their tuition in the Golden Tongue took place in a chamber facing the west so in the late afternoon it was lit up by bright sunshine.

Queenie, a plump older lady was already there. "Welcome, my Ladies." She beamed at them.

Erika gave her an oblique, tight lipped smile. The golden sunlight glinted off her long, raven hair and illuminated her exquisite features. "Queenie, meet my sister."

Queenie gave a little bow. "Lady Korina who vanquished the werewolf. I'm so glad you're here. Now we all get to do declension exercises! Yay!" She waved her hands in the air as if in celebration. Kori smiled.

The Golden Tongue was new to Kori, but Madeleine had already instructed her in the use of declensions for reading ancient tomes on spells and herblore. It seemed she grasped the concept better than Erika had first thought she would and was able to impress Queenie by asking whether the genitive case was still in common use.

00O00

It was suppertime and there would be a feast in honour of visiting dignitaries from the Golden Isles. The sisters went down to the Great Hall together. "Declensions are buzzing around in my brain," said Kori with a wry smile. "But Queenie's lovely, isn't she?"

Erika nodded. "A real gem." They entered the Great Hall where the Royals and Nobles were all preparing to dine. The hubbub of noise in the crowded banqueting hall was unlike anything Kori had experienced before. So many conversations going on around her and she could hear the lot quite clearly with her unnatural hearing. Gossip overload. She grimaced, but knew she must pull herself together. She certainly did not want to embarrass Erika.

Her sister led her to her allotted place at the Silver Table for the lesser nobility. There were a lot of gossiping girls around Kori's age seated together who fell silent and gazed at them wide eyed.

Erika gave them her oblique smile. "My sister, the Lady Korina. Please make her welcome."

"Absolutely, absolutely," the girls nodded at Erika eagerly and when she left they introduced themselves.

"I'm Megan of the Flatlands," said the brown haired girl to Kori's right.

"Franzi of the Stone Hill realm," said the blond girl on her left.

Kori smiled at them, but the hubbub of noise around them was getting to her. She strove to ignore it. The food was served to them on silver platters, steaming venison, lamb, pork and other meats, and fishes, cooked vegetables, MidForest puddings, platters of fruit. Kori knew she couldn't sample everything and nor should she. She had learned enough from Madeleine to eat healthily.

Franzi was saying something to her. "So you'll be sister to the queen in a couple of years, Korina? You'll be Princess Korina. When Siegfried turns sixteen he becomes King in his own right. Have you met him yet?"

Franzi and Megan both had a fit of the giggles and Megan grinned at Kori. "Your sister is the luckiest girl in all the Principalities. That's Prince Siegfried, over there."

She pointed at the Golden Table reserved for the Royals and the Greater Nobility. Erika was there and the Regent occupied a throne like chair in the middle, but Megan was pointing at a handsome boy with fiery red hair and fine, strong features. He was laughing uproariously at something another richly dressed red headed boy was saying to him. How confident he looked, Kori thought. How fiery and full of life. She gazed at him. His skin was so pale and so flawless. How pretty his sparkling green-blue eyes were …

Megan patted Kori's arm. "Yes, he is impressive, isn't he? Every girl here adores him. That's his cousin he's talking to, Prince Gerd, the regent's son."

Kori thought Gerd was a handsome boy too, with auburn hair, hazel eyes and strong features like Siegfried's. As she gazed at them both, she decided that Gerd looked very serious, not passionate and fun loving.

Franzi cut through her reverie. "I see you love the Princes as well. You would not know of them, living as you had…” Megan frowned at her and she hastily changed the subject. “Anyway, I hear you killed a werewolf."

Kori shook her head, her long hair rippling and bouncing. "I just helped my uncle Rudolph fight the werewolf. He's the experienced swordsman and hunter."

"Does your uncle favour you, Korina?" Asked Megan gazing at her.

Kori did not want to brag, but she had to answer the question honestly. "He did say that Erika and I are his favourite nieces."

"That alone makes you very marriageable. Even if he were to give you just part of his estate. Or if he were only going to dower you."

This reminded Kori of Madeline's words in the cottage about Kori being married to a Lord. Well it still sounded silly. Kori knew who she was. A bastard conceived by -

She shuddered and shook her head to clear it. With every conversation in the hall echoing in her ears it was hard to focus on her own.

The time came to toast the dignitaries, first in water, then in wine. The girls had only watery wine and Kori took a little sip when the call went out. There was a homely young boy next to Siegfried who kept sampling his food and sipping his drinks, even before the toast.

Kori turned to Megan. "A boy keeps helping himself to Siegfried's food."

"That's his taster. The future King can't be too careful. There are those who would like to off him to get the throne for themselves."

"Oh my! By the gods, I hope that never happens." This idea had never entered Kori's head before. Royal life suddenly seemed scarier.

“Do you not wish you had the favour of just a glance from Siegfried?” asked Franzi grinning. “Well it is not impossible for a pretty girl like you. Siegfried has been known to favour even servant girls with a smile if they are pretty and more besides…”

“Franzi, that’s enough, you are not to gossip about our future King,” said Megan glaring.

00O00

As she was betrothed to the future King, Erika was tied up in meeting with the visiting dignitaries until late into the night, so Kori decided to retire to her chambers early. Like everything in the castle, the chamber was more magnificent than anything she had seen before. There was actually room to move for one thing, a vast expanse of polished marble floor and the walls were hung with tapestries. A fire crackled cheerfully in the ornately carved grate. Kori had brought her satchel of herbs and tonics, but not much else. She would have to find the library tomorrow. She sighed as she lay back on the fresh linen sheets. She missed hearing the sound of Madeleine's breathing through the walls in the cottage at night. She could hear people talking and moving about elsewhere in the castle, but they were so far away it wasn't the same. She wanted to see Erika again and hear her comforting words. Oh well… she thought of the princes as she fell asleep. A girl can always dream!