Neverquest – Part 114
Characters: Countess Olivia, Kadaj, ???
Location: Olivia’s bedchamber in the House of Sienna
Time: Day 5 – 2:52 AM
Countess Olivia sat at her vanity, numbly brushing down the long curls of her hair. The reflections in the mirrors in front of her did the same and she stared at them with a face that looked back, singing in soft whispers to herself. Stroke after stroke, she watched their every movement, wondering which image was real.
She guessed them all.
Yawning, Kadaj stripped off his fancy garments and hung them on a small hook one of the side mirrors of the vanity. “Sing a little louder, Miss Olivia. I love to hear your voice.”
Her reflections beamed, but whether she heard him or not, her voice remained barely audible:
“Buried in the graves of the forgotten
Tangled in the vines of this woven dream
Once I thought I heard your name through the grapevines
And I found the secrets you laid to rest.
Oh, my love
When we’re entwined together, you better
Reap what you sow and know what you harvest.
I’m the one whose eyes are kissed by the sun
Reach out for me and take my hand
Trust not the ground under your feet
For it will take you away, quick as a breath,
And lead you into another eternal rest.
Oh, my dear
When we’re entwined together, you better
Reap what you sow and know what you harvest.
The hands of fate would keep us apart
But we never have to let go if we keep climbing
Tied to the sun and moon, freefalling in the sky
Take a look at this ring of life
If you put a finger to my lips, I promise I’ll never lie.
Oh, my child
When we’re entwined together, you better
Reap what you sow and know what you harvest.
Dream by day, fly by night,
Follow the silence and it will be all right.
If you listen to the grapevines,
Don’t forget to close your ears
And remember my mistake
Only the dead can outrun their fears.
Oh, oh, oh…
Quando ci uniamo insieme, dovreste
Raccolga che cosa seminate e conosca che cosa raccogliete…”
Kadaj sat on the edge of the vanity and looked up at her with a smile. “I swear, that song gets more beautiful every time you sing it.”
“Do you truly think so?”
“I do. I just wish we could create a device that would capture the music of your voice and play it over and over for everyone to hear. I suspect the world would be a better place.”
“Oh, Kadaj. Surely I’m not worth listening to more than you have to.”
“It’s not my place to tell you that you’re wrong, but—”
Before he could finish, there was a knocking at the door. Before Olivia could turn around in her chair, the door creaked open and a rather tall, fair-haired lady appeared on the other side. She was wrapped in garments that were too fancy for a bathrobe and too comfortable for a dress, with long beads of crystals around her neck and wrist. With a smile, she spread her arms as if to give Olivia a hug in midair.
But the countess didn’t move from her seat. “Mother, are you back so soon?”
“Yes, my dear. I missed you. I heard you weren’t well again…”
“I am fine, Mother.”
The older lady closed the door without a sound and stepped over to Olivia. “You don’t look fine. Your skin, it’s so pale. Didn’t I tell you to keep the blinds open?”
“They are open.”
“So I see…” Gingerly, she turned away from the window and caught sight of Kadaj on the vanity in front of her daughter. Her warm smile faded. “Olivia, you know how I feel about you keeping those…creatures around the house.”
“He’s not a creature, Mother. He’s my friend and his name is Kadaj.”
“You gave him a name?”
“He was born with it.”
“Oh, Olivia, you poor dear. Men aren’t ‘born.’ They’re spawned out of the scum in the sewers that line our streets. They’re filthy creatures and I do not like you keeping one in the house.”
“Well, then, it’s a good thing I’m the countess and in charge of the house then, isn’t it?”
Her mother shook her head sadly. “Olivia… I care about you. I don’t want you to lose power the way I did.”
But Olivia knew that was a bunch of horse manure. Her mother, sister to the Queen, was once the Countess of Haledon. She lost her seat on the royal council when she attempted to rid the world of Men once and for all. Since then, the Queen had disowned her and given the title of countess to her niece Olivia, which was one of the many reasons Isabella was disgusted by Olivia’s whole family.
Despite the shift in power, though, Olivia’s mother was still in command of Haledon and the surrounding vineyards and smaller villages. Olivia had little more than the title and a voice in the decision-making practices among the royal families.
“I’m just looking out for you, Olivia. You’re not the innocent child you were when my sister allowed you to take over. Nor do people find your love of pests and lesser species cute the way they used to.” She sighed and tried to bring back her smile. “You’re in politics now, Olivia. This isn’t a child’s game. It’s time to throw away your toys.”
Olivia stood up and her long dress fell to the floor. “Mother. Kadaj is not a toy, nor is he a lesser species or a pest or even a servant in this house. He is my friend and he deserves respect.”
“I hope you’re not letting him sleep in your room.”
“And so what if I am?”
Kadaj looked up at the girls and scooted himself towards the back of the vanity. He didn’t like being the subject of conversation. It never ended well.
“At least tell me you’re forcing him to drink out of your toilet.”
“Mother!”
“Alright, fine. You don’t need to shout.”
Olivia turned her back and continued to fix her hair in the mirror. “Sometimes I think that’s the only way you can hear me.”
“That’s not true, Olivia. I always listen to you.”
“You’ve never listened to me a day in your life.”
Her mother seemed hurt and stepped back, slumping down on her daughter’s bed. “Olivia… You don’t mean that.”
“Maybe I do.”
“I’m your mother, Olivia. I only want the best for you.” Then she looked at Kadaj, trying to hide his face behind the vials and bottles of perfume, and scowled. “You’re better than that thing, Olivia. To be seen with him… To demean our family name like that, like a simple commoner… We are better than that, my child.”
Olivia said nothing.
“What if my sister saw you with him? Do you think the Queen would forgive you? Do you think she would turn the other cheek and look away?”
“I think a lot of people could benefit from turning their cheek the other way. We seem to have a lot of close-minded people in this kingdom who have their faces shoved up the ass of tradition.”
“Olivia!”
“What? It’s true, Mother.” Then she smirked into the mirror when she saw the expression on her mother’s face. “You should know. You’ve had your nose shoved up there for a long time.”
“Olivia, I will not stand for this kind of mockery!”
“Then please, take it sitting. I wouldn’t want the truth to knock you over.”
Her mother was torn between anger and pain. Something was caught in her chest and she stared at her daughter with her jaw down, trying to find the words. But the pain must have won out because she looked at Olivia with such a hurt expression that even Kadaj felt sorry for her. He came out from hiding, but she was already out the door by then, leaving without a word.
Her cries echoed down the hall.
“Olivia…” Kadaj said. “That wasn’t very nice.”
She never batted an eye. “What she said about you wasn’t very nice.”
“But in many ways, she is right. I don’t deserve the kind of treatment you give me… And you are scorned by many of your peers. If you were harder on me, if you treated me more like—”
“More like what, Kadaj? More like everyone else? Do you really think that would make the world a better place?”
“We don’t need perfection to be happy.”
“No, we don’t.”
“Then maybe…”
Olivia knelt down and put a finger under Kadaj’s chin, lifting his head so that he was looking into her chestnut eyes. “You’re my friend, Kadaj. I tell everyone this because they seem to forget. But you of all people should remember. You are my friend. No amount of hatred or prejudice will change that. No matter what this world throws at us, we were meant to be.”
“Meant to be what, Miss Olivia?”
She just smiled and pulled her hand away.