The Calm And The Storm (The Tale Of A Reincarnated Soul)

Making A Solid Base For Love

“His Highness, King Hemmi-Gold won the war of Yerimton-"
“Spellings of Yerimton?”
“Y-E-R-I-M-T-O and an N.”
“A capital Y?”
“Yes.”

“Like this?”
Herma looked over Gertjua's shoulder and shook her head, her chin length hair tickling Gertjua's cheek.
“Nu-uh. Not like this, Yuya.”

She held his left hand, the one which held his nib pen, with her right one and wrote a capital Y onto the yellowing parchment, making sure to draw it as slowly as possible so that her brother could burn the movement into his muscle memory.

“Got It? Why don’t you show me how to write it?” To which Gertjua wrote another capital Y, trying to go slow and remember where to add the curve and the lines. Although it was slightly out of line, it was as perfect as it could possibly be.

Herma patted Gertjua’s plaited hair, his braid standing stiff at the back of his neck due to how short it was. (Herma just really loves playing with both Yuya and Fia's hair. Especially Yuya. He’s so cute while pouting but Herma knows he loves it.)

“That’s how it goes, Muffin. Now, show me the whole Yerimton.” She sat back onto her seat to his left and closely watched his work.

“Spell it again, sister? From I and onwards.”
“M-T-O-N.”
“Small N at the end?”
“That’s an M, Muffin. N is like this.”

More than half of their time went by like this.
Herma reciting the summarized version of history- her own work- while Gertjua noted it all down, stopping her on slightly difficult words, how to spell them or how to write one of the alphabets.

It was almost tea time; half past 4 to be exact, when Gertjua was going over on how to spell the keywords and important words he learnt today as Herma watched him, deep into her own calculative thoughts.

I have to tell him. So that he isn’t confused by her behavior outside our small bubble.
Herma thought, her brows dipping down into a concentrated frown.

“Gertjua.” She called out, her hands curling under her chin into fists.

Gertjua looked up, confused and startled by her sudden seriousness. After all, she never calls him by his given name.
“Y-Yes, sister?” He stuttered out, slightly scared by what she was to say and automatically shifting into his polite and stiff shell.

Herma flinched a little at how he reacted, thinking she was too harsh.
She shook her head, she had to be serious about this. The matter at hand wasn’t something to be taken lightly. She had to make sure to say it in a way that it would drill it’s way into his mind and get stuck. So that he would and could never forget it.

He is smart enough to understand Fia’s circumstances. Hopefully. And if not now, then the words will be understandable when he grows up. I better word them carefully.

She cleared her throat and took a deep breath, reaching out to hold his hand.
“Gertjua. What I am about to tell you is something that you might not understand right now, but is as important as breathing as it would have brought a change in how we treat Farfia in the future, if we were not to know of it.”

Gertjua gulped and nodded his head for her to go on. His marble like eyes looking worried.

She held his hands inside of her own and began speaking, telling him all about Farfia’s deal with their parents, her act, their role in the deal and their parent's expectations and disappointments.
And when asked how she knew of this, she just told the little truth of eavesdropping. Accidentally of course.

He was, of course, much too shaken. It was understandable as he was only four and had always questioned why their parents didn’t love him like in the story books that Farfia and Herma read out to him.
Why their voices didn’t seem as warm and comforting like they were supposed to be…like in the books?

He had wondered if it were because he couldn’t see.
Turns out, his speculations were true.

He was, however, even after all this, proud of Farfia. How much she goes through just to make sure that him and Herma have a house to call their home and clothes to call their own.

At the end, Herma made him promise that he would always keep her love for them in his mind to which he nodded with a wide grin and crystal like tears in his eyes.

That'll make sure that he doesn’t forget.
A base for their love to stand steady upon.

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Chapter seven; complete.