Chapter 31

“I see you’re dressed casually.” Midshore commented.

“I’m spending the night here, I’m going to be comfortable.” Gloria replied, pushing past her to the guest room they had constructed. It was across from the nursery, but the baby usually slept through the night, and if he didn’t they could influence him to. Full moons were too few to waste trying to soothe a baby.

“Then perhaps your form will be better.” Everstar teased as she came out of the nursery. “I’m not as good as Midshore, but even I can beat you at a duel.”

“You’re years ahead of me!” Gloria raised her eyebrow. “But if you want to pass on meditation practice, be my guest.”

“We can’t have you be unbalanced, that would make it too easy.” Everstar threw back, a smile on her face. It was always good to see Gloria, and their time was usually enjoyable. As Gloria had grown, she had come into her womanhood well and treated the priestesses as if they were her friends, not just teachers. The banter they shared had become as playful and competitive as their training sessions.

Midshore followed Gloria into the guest room and leaned against the door frame, but soon quickly changed her relaxed posture to one of concern. “What’s up with your hands?” she asked.

“Oh, I was going to talk to ask you about that. They’re changing color? I thought that it was like your markings, the colorful ones? But mine aren’t forming into patterns…” Gloria looked at her hands as well.

“Our markings are self made, made from a special plant that grows here in the ceremony room, and they glow once we have earned them with our power. They are a gift from the spirits, and they don’t grow on their own. Does it hurt? Do you feel anything?” She asked.

“No.” Gloria said simply. “It’s just a color, like I dyed my hands. It’s the weirdest thing.”

“Well, as long as you feel alright, we won’t let it worry us. But let me know if you feel like your power is becoming too much. It could be a sign of a build up. You’ve been doing your practices daily?”

“Of course. I feel cooped up if I don’t.”

“Good. Well, we’re going to be up in the greenhouse. when you’re ready, come join us.” Midshore exited the room, and Gloria set her pack near the foot of the bed. She wouldn’t get much sleep tonight, the priestesses made sure to keep her very active, but she may get a nap in, or atleast have a place to change clothes if she needed to.

On the surface, the greenhouse had been recovered, and it now stood shining in the setting sun’s rays. When Anwyn and Liam had told Romeo about Gloria being a spellcaster and that she was going to have to spend more time with the sisters (AKA priestesses. I want to say sisters because their ‘spirits’ are kinda like a religion, thus it will be their religion. They are one in the same in this case) he put it into his mind that he and Liam were going to remake the greenhouse so that it wasn’t a total ruin.

The sun was setting as they rolled out their mats for stretches. After a few years of practicing, they all agreed that it was better if they stretched their muscles before focusing on their training. Sitting on a stool for a chunk of time made for stiff legs and a tired back, and the stretching acted as a gateway into becoming relaxed for the meditation.

“Have you been practicing your stretches?” Midshore asked Gloria.

Gloria was in the middle of failing one of her poses. “I have schoolwork you know. Just because my mom is the teacher doesn’t mean that she goes soft on me.”

“Did you do your schoolwork?” asked Everstar.

“I have stretches to do, you know!” laughed Gloria. “Yes, I did my homework, but thanks for asking.”

They all rose from their stretches after a short while, and gathered around the bubbling orb in the middle of the greenhouse. Midshore easily levitated, Everstar took a bit more time to get off the ground, and Gloria hadn’t never felt any lighter while meditating, but she hoped that she’d be able to show her friends one day how cool she actually was.

Meditating was like stretching a different muscle. Gloria was so used to moving her body, and while she was supposed to practice meditating everyday, she often forgot to or found a different way to spend her time. Midshore described meditating as being able to reach out and feel the different things moving without having to touch them. She could feel a butterfly land on a rock, or a wound that another person possessed. She claimed that before Gloria’s parents and family had come to the islands, she could feel her mother’s grief all the way from the mainland. If Gloria could tap into her power, it was possible she could have the same ability, or more.

She just had to quiet her mind and let her surroundings speak to her. To feel the balance. To sense the edges of the butterfly’s wings, not to see them. She just had to stop telling herself that it was pointless.

But it did feel pointless. She could already conjure things with little effort, why did she have to meditate? Maybe Midshore and Everstar needed the time in order to access their energy, but Gloria already had the power at her fingertips, which were turning a bronze color…

“You need to meditate so that you center yourself. If you don’t take time to calm down, you can be divided and distracted.” Midshore thought to her. Gloria was no longer surprised by this; when Midshore focused hard enough, she could read Gloria like a book.

Gloria internally rolled her eyes and tried to relax. She focused on the bubbling noise coming from the stone orb, thinking of them rather than her own thoughts. She thought of the shape of the orb, of the feeling of the wind going by outside. How the leaves moved and bumped against one another. The feeling of the village on the nearby island…

She felt a figure. It startled her, she hadn’t felt a single force before, besides the other spellcasters on the Islands. She knew all of them, but this figure was new, approaching from the water, and it glimmered like the sea in the sun. What was it? A new refugee? A new spellcaster? Did Midshore and Everstar feel it too?

Gloria opened an eye and looked at the two women. They didn’t seem to recognize the addition, so Gloria closed her eyes, now unable to concentrate, and she waited for them to be done.

“And out…” Midshore said as she exhaled, landing safely on the ground. “Alright, let’s get some sparring out of the way, do some moving!” She seemed excited. As proper and dignified as the two women seemed, they had some rather flirtatious duels that made Gloria laugh.

She took her position across from Everstar, and surfaced her power. It was ready with very little effort, and she smiled with the thought of the fun she’d have tonight with her increased ability while the moon shone fully in the sky.

~*~

Liam woke with a start, sweating profusely. His breathing was rough in his chest and his heart felt as if it were a rabbit running from a dog.

Anwyn looked up at him, still mostly asleep. “What’s the matter? Can’t sleep?” she asked softly, not expecting a serious answer.

“I was there. I was there again and that pig was- he-” He didn’t want to tell Anwyn about how the king had damaged him, the tools he had used. “I was there!”

Anwyn sat up in bed. “You’re not there now. It wasn’t real. You’re home.” she assured.

“But it was real! It was real for months and months and now it won’t leave me! I left it, but I wonder if I’m still locked in that pit and this is the dream! It felt so real, Anwyn.”

She rubbed his back, but she didn’t know how to comfort him in the way he needed.

“My own mind is against me, how can I live in peace if this is the life I am left with?” he put his face in his hands.

“That was fifteen years ago, Liam. There is every chance that the king is dead and you’re worried about a ghost. He can’t hurt anyone from beyond the grave.” she comforted.

“But what if he isn’t? He would be old, around 60 by now, yes, but he was obsessed with you and the child. He can’t have any more children, who’s to say he won’t spend every effort to find the one that he lost? Or the man who let them get away? I spent four years running from him, he never stopped hunting me down. What if he finds us?”

“The king thinks that Gloria and I are dead, why would he come looking for two long gone women?” she asked, trying to bring some logic to his wild mind.

“I don’t think he’d come.” he said and Anwyn smiled. “I think that someone else will come in his place.”

The smile slid from her face. “Why would you think that?” she asked evenly.

“My dream- he was talking about getting revenge soon. But that ‘he’ would be sent along. I don’t know who ‘he’ is! The bloody king didn’t say! Or I couldn’t hear.” he went pale as he remembered the pain of his dream.

“Liam. My love. We are safe here. We are all safe here. You don’t need to worry. Come on, let me hold you so you know we’re real, and warm, and safe.”

Well isn't that a bad omen? let's talk about some good stuff! I kinda just spent some time playing this save file as a normal game of sims *gasp* and so here are some things that I took pictures of.

Romance Festival:

Look who showed up for the festival, dressed in not Medieval clothes! Guys, you're not supposed to be seen together!

Find someone who looks at you the way Anwyn looks at Liam.

And kisses you like Anwyn's mom and dad. In public, at a festival, while you're both under the influence of a flirty drink.

How the time flies!:

Spoiler

Little Gloria reading while Robin sleeps. It's hard to get the ages right while doing a story like this. Because Robin hasn't been a toddler long enough, but Gloria is certainly growing up? IDK.

Mara (In the blue-green dress) and Mable (brown braid) Grew up into teens and invited the Reeds to come to their birthday party, and because Gloria is actually older than them I had her grow up with he same cake.

Goodbye, little Gloria!

You need a new outfit, that's for sure, honey.

On the Home Front:

Spoiler

Midshore and Everstar had a baby!

Anwyn and Liam are still very much in love.

Gloria grew up and had black eyes? like for vampires or Aliens? I'm sure it's because of her spellcaster ability, but I didn't keep them around.

Gloria and her mom get along quite well. I kinda imagine it's kinda like the relationship I have with my own mom. We can argue, but we love each other to bits!

Here's a sweet picture of Anwyn and Robin:

And Gloria and Robin

On the islands there's an "extra food" event that happens and your neighbors come over and hang out and bring you food. Well, Anwyn's family are in the same comunity, along with Midshore and Everstar, so they all come over from time to time! It's nice to think that the family is looking out for them.