BTS: A Court of Embers

13: In the Hands of Liars

Penelope always asked for favors. If she had forgotten her stuffed bear in the other room, she asked Maren to retrieve it for her so that they could continue playing house. When Penelope and Maren journeyed to the marketplace together in the Highmore carriage, Penelope would hide behind the other young girl as they waltzed past vendors, whispering her requests in her friend's ear since she was too shy to do it herself. At times, young Penelope even let Maren try her beverages and sweets first to discern if the goodies were tasteful or not before she had a sip or nibble.

That was at the tender age of seven, when children were children and favors were done out of love. As the seasons passed them by, Penelope continued to follow Maren wherever she went, wanting to play a game or tell her a story. On stormy nights she pestered Maren to let her have a slumber party in Maren's bedroom which was only a few doors down from Penelope's. They would brush one another's hair and build fortresses of blankets, pillows, and pins. They would make paper crowns and sneak the last of the night's desserts from supper into their hideouts.

So many giggles and hugs and promises were exchanged on those nights as they would lay on their backs and stare at their makeshift blanket ceiling to discuss all the places they would go and all the people they would meet. Maren said she wanted to move to another part of the kingdom and become an adventurer. Penelope said that she wanted to purchase the finest house in her village and marry the King's son. They drew pictures of their futures, and in every drawing there were two stick figure children within them holding hands; one fair with yellow-crayoned hair and the other brown with darker hair. Because that is what they promised to be--together, forever.

They kept their pact even when Mrs. Highmore caught onto their antics. When it rained, the older woman knew to come to Maren's room to find her daughter fantasizing about the wonders of being a child. With a single command, she would send Penelope back to her room and ask Maren to clean up the fortress.

On their trips to the market, Mrs. Highmore grabbed her daughter's hand to prevent her from hiding behind Maren.

"Young ladies are not to cower," she had said. "You are a Highmore."

She watched grudgingly as Penelope still held Maren's hand even while holding her mother's. The shopping days went on that way for a time, too.

Maren never minded, as Penelope was always preferred by their parents. In fact, it never occurred to her that their treatment could be different even when Penelope began home schooling while Maren had been kept from lessons and the tutor. The young girl would notice Penelope's absence at her shoulder, would overhear the murmuring of language and history in another room, would tiptoe to the door and press her ear to the wood to listen until Mrs. Highmore cleared her throat and said, "Maren. Away."

She would return to her room and wait the hours for her sister to be released, smiling every time the little princess would show up at her doorstep with a new book and some fact that she took away.  They would chatter and ask one another questions until Juniper called Penelope and Maren away for dinner.

All of it was routine and nice until Penelope went away for the weekend.

Maren scoured the empty house for the other little girl, her father, and her mother. They were nowhere to be found. However, Lady Juniper kept Maren company and decided to assign her tasks in the meantime until their return. Juniper taught her how to hem clothes, how to wash dishes, how to sweep and mop the wooden floors to keep them looking polished. When Maren grew tired of those assignments, Juniper still demanded that she do them, even threatening to tell the Highmores about her insurgency if she did not complete the miniature task list assigned at the dark hours of morning.

Not only did her daily tasks change, but so did her appearance. The gowns and shoes the Highmores had bought for her were taken away, replaced with more humble designs and muted colors. Juniper instructed her to wear her hair in a tight bun and to stop putting ribbons around it as well. The last thing she had was still her bedroom, where she'd sit and stare through the window onto the city streets where people bustled below. And when she spotted the Highmore carriage finally returning to the front door, she sprinted through the halls and down the stairs despite Juniper's yelling to throw the door open and dash to her beloved sister.