A Tale of Two Princesses (Selianne/Marlene)

Many aspects of Selene's life had changed in a short amount of time. Family secrets unveiled, scandals surrounding her name... It felt like she had to tiptoe in eggshells wherever she went. Finally being able to settle herself down at Dragelion Ranch was such a blessing. It allowed her to recharge and gather her focus again. However, when she received a certain letter, much of that anxiety and dread came creeping back.

Yet she was not one to ignore a summons, strange as it was to receive, and even stranger was the sender. Selene packed up her trusted steed with a few supplies for the trip and set off toward Lanayru early in the morning to make their meeting on time.

As Selene and Saffron approached the shores of the lake, the gentle breeze brought with it the sound of a song. A song Selene had never heard before, and wished to hear it to its end. Her eyes widened as she realized it was coming from the raven-haired girl, the young Princess Marianne by the tree. Selene slowly and silently stepped down from her horse and pat him softly, allowing him the freedom to graze the green grass around them. She trusted him enough to not run off.

Slow, almost unsure footsteps were taken to close the distance between the two. Selene did not want to startle Marianne, nor did she want to interrupt the song. So she simply waited, and leaned against the tree nearest to the other Princess, humming softly to announce her presence, but stopping a moment after to allow Marianne to continue.

Perhaps Selene was one of those people that forgot just how old Marianne really was. One of the people that could not see Marianne for a simple teenager, trying her best to grow up with such a huge responsibility. The Marianne in Selene's eyes was already so poised, and so serious in her role. The way she carried herself made her seem like an old soul, wise in the ways of the world. It was why Selene was almost a bit hesitant to even come in the first place. She knew what power Marianne had...

But she was not one to shy away from her problems. At least not this one. And knowing that Marianne was at least... a little bit of family? It was enough for Selene to try and get over her uncertainty near authority. So when Marianne offered her to sit, she did creep closer, and settled herself down a comfortable distance away from the Princess.

Selene let her eyes linger on the Princess, just for a moment, to study whatever sort of emotion she wore. But slowly, she turned to stare at the lake, beautiful and glimmering even on this crisp autumn day. It certainly would be too cold for a swim, but that was not why she was here today, anyway. So why was she here? Selene pulled one of her legs in toward her body and hugged an arm around it. She hoped her curious look toward Marianne would be enough of a question, and so she simply waited for Marianne to continue.

Marianne de Hyrule

The respectful distance Selene kept even when being offered to sit near her did not escape Marianne's attention. She stared back at Selene as both their eyes lingered on each other. Once again, there would come the familiar sensation whenever Marianne gauged someone: the feeling that those greyish silver eyes could stare straight into one's soul....

But what was that strange emotion that seemingly poked shyly behind her eyes as her eyes moved towards the ground that carefully separated them? Could it be... a whiff of sadness? A little dejection? One could almost swore that the princess seemed to be disappointed by a false hope that did not come to pass....

Then Selene turned to stare at the lake and Marianne did likewise, almost at the same time. As if both realized at the exact moment that they were not comfortable staring into each other.

There was a pause as Marianne contemplated the beautiful and glimmering waves of beautiful Lake Hylia. It was hard to fathom that some unsettling things had been reported from the lake lately....

"You really are something, big sister Selene," she finally began, "The first time we met and you have already forced me to face my own noble in the court...."

There was a hint of playfulness in her tone, however, that suggested that her feelings was not as harsh as her words seemed to be.

---

While most silences were awkward, this time Selene did not feel that way. Well, perhaps a little... She was still quite unsure of how Marianne thought of her. Her first impressions were grim, and she wondered if she could ever come back from that. Yet all of this was Selene's worry, and she often thought the worst in confrontational situations.

So when Marianne somewhat... commended Selene, she turned her head to look over the Princess again, gauging any sort of emotion or expression she had while saying such things. The slight chuckle made the comment seem light-hearted, and Selene let out a sigh she had not realized she was holding in. "Hopefully now he'll learn a set of manners..." Was that too forward of her? She had many not-so-nice words about the noble that she could go on and on about... But not in Marianne's presence. They did not have that sort of report yet...

Selene let out a chuckle herself, and asked curiously, "Big sister, though, hm? Though we aren't really related... are we?" Selene still had much to learn about the courts of Hyrule, and the Royalty within them. She knew her mother was sister to the late King, making Leon her... cousin? And even though she knew Marianne was a Princess of Hyrule, the lineage had not quite been explained to her. Or if it had, perhaps it was a bit complicated or muddled in her mind with everything else she had going on.

Marianne de Hyrule

"He will not," Marianne commented matter-of-factly, shaking her head a little. No, he will not. From his perspective he was in the right, and Marianne could not find a very convincing reason why he should not felt that way. Sure, she was as eloquent as ever in the Court of The Nobles a few days ago in defending her decision. But deep down she knew that, whatever she had said, no amount of verbal attack warranted a physical one. Unless one challenged one to an honorable duel, of course.

But Marianne did not elaborate. She was staring fixated at the Lake, as if entranced.

Or as if she was a little shy to stare at Selene back.

Her next words though.... Marianne could feel a punch in her gut, as if Selene was personally attacking her. Her tone was pleasant enough, but Marianne could not help but letting all those repressed memories surfaced again. All those damning whispers and hateful words that once plagued her daily life....

Had Selene said something wrong? She could sense the shift in the Princess' demeanor, even if it was for a split second. Her expression had changed, Selene noticed, but just for a moment. She wondered what it was she had said to elicit such a sad expression from the Princess. Indeed, her knowledge of the history of the Royal Family was limited. There was no way of her knowing of Marianne's past and lineage.

Yet Selene offered a small, smile. Even in this uncomfortable situation, she did not want to pose a threat to Marianne or hurt her feelings in any way... Even if some others might feel she would be justified in doing such. Selene's life had teetered on the edge just a few days prior. It would have been a justified reaction, to be angered at the one who so easily could sway that decision.

But even for just a moment in time, Selene saw Marianne as someone who was hurting, even if for a moment. She chuckled softly, and gave a light shrug of her shoulders. "I suppose it didn't really bother me," she began, and gazed out to the lake again, if only because she did not want to continue staring at Marianne as she was feeling wary. "I do have a younger sister, though I'm sure she'd love nothing more than to tell others I'm a stranger." A soft sigh pressed through her nose. "Perhaps I'm just not used to being a big sister anymore."

---

Marianne de Hyrule

From the corner of her eyes Marianne caught a glimpse of Selene's smiling as she replied. It did not, however, give her a slightest bit of assurance. She had been accustomed to fake smiles and false attentions in her daily grind in navigating the real politics of a Kingdom that she knew full well how easy it was to assume something while honestly feeling another. She herself was a prime example of this. Maybe Selene was actually planning something....? Marianne had always been a cautious individual, but the pressure mounted on her after the death of the previous monarch and the scarce availability of the current one, coupled with her strong sense of duty, had really molded her into something else. Perhaps bordering on paranoia....

A simple, straight-forward question needed a simple, straight-forward answer. Selene shook her head, turning to look at Marianne as she responded. "No, I don't believe she told me everything."

Her somber gaze turned toward the lake. "All I know is my mother's intentions. Wanting to marry someone not of noble blood, running away to Termina, starting a family..." She inhaled and sighed, wondering why such a secret was kept from her. It was not as if, had she known about such a lineage, she would have traveled to Hyrule... Termina was her home. The news would not have made any difference to her, had she still lived there...

But here she was, simply because she had followed her friend to new lands. She likely never would have known about this secret, had she not set sail overseas...

And would that have made her life simpler? Easier? Better?

There was no way of ever knowing that now...

Selene looked to Marianne with genuine curiosity. "I know very little about Hyrule, and the Royal Family. But I would... like to know." She cracked a weak smile. "After all, we are family now... It's really all I have left." Eos was blood related, of course, but would probably love if she were gone. Everyone else related to Selene was, well...

Gone...

It pained Selene to think of such things, and even though she did have Josh in a companion, there was nothing like the gut-wrenching feeling of being alone with no family. But perhaps Marianne would understand.

For all her shortcomings, no one could say that Marianne was not a good listener. Even though she still did not look directly at Selene and kept staring at the expansive Lake Hylia, it was clear that she absorbed each and every words from Selene like a sponge, noting all her change in tone, the feeling behind every words....

So she knew about Aunt Theia and her strange motivations, something that Marianne was very curious herself too. She was still too small when she accidentally met that long-lost friend of her Mother's. If she had known better, she really would like to ask her at that time. The beautiful, silver-haired woman.... Marianne glanced at Selene. The woman lying on that bed a long time ago had softer features than the woman beside her now. But apart from the added age and how she looked way more sickly, they were a perfect match. Just like the first time Selene went inside her audience chamber she nearly fainted, thinking that the beautiful woman in the picture had come to life. The woman who strangely asked that Marianne never looked for her again.

“Then, I want you to promise me this, Mari. Promise me: that you will never tell anyone that you have met me. Not your father. Not your mother. No one. Do not tell anyone that you have ever met me.”

There was a strange glint in the beautiful woman’s eyes, though her smile was as inviting as always. Little Marianne’s eyebrows raised.

“N-no one? Not anyone?”

The woman nodded. “Not a single soul. And never come looking for me again, even if you can. And don’t send any letters, either. I want you to pretend that this meeting never happened.”

And Marianne had kept her words ever since.

And she had recently lost her. Marianne caught the hidden sense of loneliness in Selene's tone, and for a brief moment, she had hope.

Maybe.... Maybe she was the one who would understand....

"What do you want to know more about, Miss Merrows?" One would notice she did not use the term of endearment again. "I would like to help...." She added, rather uncharacteristically bashful.

Selene Merrows

The silence that befell only let Selene's mind float around the loneliness, and how she longed to give her mother a hug once more. The guilt she felt for being absent for so long, unaware of her suffering. Of Eos' suffering. But Marianne spoke again, and it was a welcomed change of thought.

Selene first began by chuckling softly. "You don't need to be so formal... I don't mind if you just call me Selene." But then she stopped to think about what she ultimately wanted to know... Which was... A lot. But where to start?

She clicked her tongue and smiled softly. "I guess... Start from the beginning. What is Hyrule like? How did you become Princess over an entire... Kingdom?" She had to stop and decide over careful words. She didn't want to say the wrong thing. "Termina had a much smaller... Feel to it. We had a mayor, but it didn't feel like anyone ruled over anyone, or had difference in status..." She shrugged lightly. "Everyone knew everyone, and it was... Comfortable. I guess... I would just like to know how Hyrule truly is... So I don't get myself in trouble again."

Though she laughed softly, it was still a real worry she had.

Selene wasn't completely oblivious or daft about Hyrule's legacy... She had heard bits and pieces, of course, and had heard stories about it when she was in Termina. While the two countries were not in direct contact with each other, they are still apart of the same world, and so news about Hyrule would occasionally come to the small town in Termina. But Marianne's explanations helped much more than anything she could read. Her education was probably something she should work on, now that she had access to tutors... right?

After Marianne's apology, Selene smiled softly. "I think you did a great job explaining things to me. Thank you." With the time spent together increasing, Selene began to get a bit more comfortable. She began to lean back, holding herself up with her arms behind her. "I understand Hyrule a bit more now. I am familiar with the Deku in Southern Swamp... That comparison helps even more." She tilted her head as she remembered her time spent there. She hadn't even thought of the two being similar. But now... It just made sense.

"Please, feel free to continue, if you wish," she offered as she smiled reassuringly. The next question was a bit more personal, yet it was time to move to it since she had no further questions about Hyrule.