Look Beyond What You See

“The artists have brought me the new renderings of what the chapel will look like for the wedding, and some preliminary ideas for our costumes for that event. Would you care to see them?” Dmitri inquires with disinterest I hope is feigned. Normally I hate to be disturbed while I’m in the music room, but seeing how my ideas have been brought to life on paper is worth the interruption.

“Yes, of course,” I reply, gracefully ending my playing and scooting over on the piano bench so that he can sit comfortably beside me. He sits closer to me than I expected he would and wraps one arm around my waist as he drops the draft paintings in my lap. I hope that top one isn’t indicative of the quality of the rest. “Have you looked at them already? What do you think?”

“We can talk about it after you’ve looked at them.”

I flip through the renderings, hoping that each page turn will reveal something close to what I envisioned in my head, but each rendering brings fresh disappointment. “They…lack your inspiration.”

“But the idea, Aerys? Have they done it justice? Because I really do like your idea for the wedding.”

I bite my tongue, considering; I don’t want to offend him if he has a different opinion of the renderings, but the ones in my hand are decidedly not what I had in mind. “I think you should paint new renderings yourself. These are not bad, but they can be better, at least if you’re the one to redo them. You have great talent.”

He reddens slightly and turns away from me, taking the rough paintings as he does so. I wonder how he can be so modest, or so embarrassed at my remarks on his talent. Perhaps he is thinking of what he has disclosed to me with that water goddess painting? I am still not sure how I feel about that. My dreams last night involved the scene from the painting, being continued about a thousand different ways, and my sleep was fitful at best.

“Thanks,” he mumbles. “I’ll work on them tonight, then…”

“Only if you want to. If not, I suppose these renderings will do. I presume we’ll be able to sneak into the chapel and change things if the decorators make a mess of things.” Just like that, his modesty evaporates and he chuckles at my cheekiness.

“Of course, but we’d best try to avoid that and make sure they have an image of exactly what we’ve envisioned for the wedding, so that we can blame them if anything goes wrong.” He pauses, contemplating the paintings for a moment. “You should be in the studio when I redo these renderings.”

“You’ll be able to focus with me there?” This suggestion baffles me. My creativity is usually inhibited by the presence of other people.

“You should be there. It’s as much your wedding as it is mine, and the idea for the design was yours. But I want you to play something for me while I’m working.”

“As you wish. The harpsichord will suit you?”

“Anything you play will suit me. You have great talent.” Now it is my turn to blush and turn away.

“If you say so. How did the chefs react to our menu plans?”

“They were fairly relieved, actually. They did not appreciate my mother’s plans for peacock, ostrich, or alligator being on the menu, as they’re all fairly difficult to obtain, and are grateful for our more reasonable changes to the menu. Father’s relatives will not be pleased with the omission of haggis, but I intend to have enough rare beer present to appease them.”

“An excellent plan of which I wholeheartedly approve. And the men of God, those interviews are scheduled?”

“Yes. I expect you to be present for all of them. Since they are all in the afternoon, during our usual free time, I presume you’ll be able to oblige?”

“Of course, though I do wish you had asked me instead of just ordering me to show up.”

“I’ll remember that next time.”

“When will we ever be selecting a religious leader to preside over our marriage ceremony again?”

“Fair point. Then I’ll have to make it up to you... Oh! I nearly forgot. This arrived for you in the post this morning.” He hands me a sealed parchment with an address in Kyla’s hand and I cannot help squealing in excitement. Dmitri smiles indulgently as I unwrap the message with trembling hands.

“Excuse me while I read it, if you don’t mind--”

“No, no, please go ahead.”

Dearest sister Aerys,

I had suspected that you also would be the victim of a secret arranged marriage, which is what I have been trying to warn you of for so long. But I am pleased that you are more favourably disposed towards your situation than I am towards mine. As you know, aside from my husband I have been most unhappy. Now that you have been removed from Grandmother’s chateau, we can communicate more freely, and I can tell you everything.

My husband works for the British government and is stationed in Kashmir. He is a powerful member of the East Kashmir Company. His family, always the source of my pain, is high-ranking British nobility and they feel that I am beneath dear Weston, hence their cruelty to me; they feel they must punish me for the circumstances of my birth and rank. I understand from them that your husband is linked both to British nobility and Russian nobility. I hope that they treat you better than my in-laws have treated me. It is my understanding, from the smug disclosures of my father-in-law, who is apparently well acquainted with your father-in-law, that there is bad blood between our family and your fiancé’s family. The details involve some horrendous behaviour on the part of our grandparents, as do the circumstances of my marriage. Somehow Grandfather’s gambling got him into terrible debts with these families and the arranged marriages--also including Zira’s match--were part of Grandmother’s scheme to save Grandfather’s life from the enraged people he owed money. They tell me he is a horrendous cheat. I wouldn’t know. Everything about gambling baffles me, and Grandfather never spent much time with us.

But what they tell me about your new family is disconcerting at best. They say that they are quite odd, mixed up in magic of some sorts or some other dark art. Remember your faith, Aerys dear, and rely on the Lord to guide you through this trouble. I have returned to my faith in my trials here and find it a great comfort. I fear for your safety in such an environment, though you think it acceptable for you now.

I am glad that your accommodations are nice, and I am certain that in due time you will be able to work something out that permits you something close to the freedom you are used to. If nothing else, I am certain that the mansion you now inhabit has secret passages and rooms and so on that you can explore to amuse yourself and escape from the unnecessary formality.

How are you and your fiancé getting on? Do you love him as much as I love dear Weston? I can imagine nothing else, given that my family informed me that our engagement necklaces make such feelings inevitable and stronger than is natural. I am grateful for this beyond measure, as my love for Weston has been all that has sustained me in this godforsaken place. As beautiful and exotic as Kashmir is, I long for the green hills of France and the comfort of being with my family. I expect you do not miss them as I do, but I expect your situation now is better than it was at Grandmother’s chateau, as much as Mother dislikes you, and I confess my situation is quite opposite, as you well know.

Alas, I must cut this short. I wish with all my heart that I could visit you, or that you could visit me. My life is unbearably lonely. Do share with me any revelations you have managed to unearth in your new home. I’m sure I am as curious as you are about the tangled web our family has woven.

Forever your sister, however far apart,

Kyla

Oh, my dearest sister! How can she have changed so much? Has she been broken by her abusive family? I can think of no reason for her to be “grateful beyond measure” for the enchantments placed on the necklaces, aside from being broken. This would also explain her otherwise inexplicable turning to religion for solace in her dark circumstances. She always had such scorn for the church, indeed more than I thought necessary. How things and people can change under duress! I wonder if I should tell her everything about my family, my real mother, my gifts. Would she be happy for me or despise me as some sort of demonic being, entrapped forever in a life of sin and doomed to hell? I am not sure I dare to find out, but I have to reply to her. Maybe there’s something we can do to help her, make things better for her.

Despite my worry for Kyla, I am most intrigued by what she has revealed to me about the nature of her own arranged marriage. I suppose I should have guessed as much, that if Grandfather’s gambling got him into trouble with one prestigious family, it would get him into trouble with others. I am surprised by Grandmother’s caring enough for him to go to all this trouble to save him. She never seemed too terribly attached to him to my eyes. Perhaps I have missed something, or perhaps she has some hidden motive. What advantage can he give her, though? I simply cannot fathom. Perhaps I can learn more from Kyla, if I phrase my next letter to her with enough skill.

“Are you all right, Aerys?” Dmitri asks, gently brushing a tear from my cheek with his thumb. I hadn’t even realized I was crying. “You’ve gone terribly pale. What bad news from your sister?”

“Her situation has never been good, is all,” I reply. My voice is trembling and I swallow hard, trying to regain composure. “I fear her abusive family is breaking her spirit. But she will never try to escape them, as she loves her husband so. The necklaces, you understand, though I have no doubt that he is genuinely kind to her and loves her in return.”

“He could have no alternative. Fear not for her. If he loves her, he will protect her from his family, and you should suggest as much to her if you have not already.”

“Of course I mentioned it in previous letters, but I will say it more strongly when I write to her again. You’re right. And I have no doubt that, if your parents were cruel to me, you would stand up to them on my behalf as you have for lesser things.”

“I could do no less. Will you write to her immediately?”

I hadn’t thought that far yet. “…I…I don’t know.”

“Why not wait a few days, until after the wedding plans have taken a bit more shape, so you can tell her what we’re planning? Would you want to invite her?”

“Oh, yes! Thank you so much. I’ve been meaning to ask about that. Nothing could mean more than to have her as my Matron of Honor, if such a thing could be arranged.”

“Then we shall make it happen.” He has such an endearing smile. “But in the meantime, I think we should practice a bit with your magic. I’ve heard rumors of strange goings-on in the mansion of late, things like round floating lights near the ceiling and household objects moving of their own volition. You would know nothing of that, I suppose?”

“Let us go somewhere more private, and I will show you what I’ve learned to do with the magic beyond manipulating water.”

***~O~***