Dark, Light & Between [multi]

一

terms you may need to know

shan
Chinese handheld fan,
usually woven out of bamboo, wood and paper.

kolusu
type of anklet worn in south asian culture
(check out -hyungnim's book, the eclipse, a part of this collab series.)

THE STORM RAGED.

Lightning struck a tree outside and Verine felt its pain thunder through her veins. Screams clawed at her heart as the tree's roots tore from the ground, separating from the trunk.
The wise oak had fallen- and with it, a decade of generations.

The princess winced from the torture and as the light of the tree faded, the water that once flowed in its being returned to her fingertips. It spoke to her in a language only one truly with nature could understand. It spoke and told her of its death, and wished her well as it parted.
Its job was done for its lifetime - and its duty in the gardens had been fulfilled.
Verine mourned for her loss and prayed that the sky would rest.

"Please," she whispered out, "Hear my cries, it is enough for a night."

The stars above listened.

And within minutes, the rain had calmed. A slow dance formed in the still of the darkness, the wet trickle falling from the heavens and sighing as it met the ground.

Still, her slumber had been disturbed and Verine could not find it in herself to fall back into her dreams. Probably for the best: her dreams were not one that she particularly cherished - often flashbacks from the night of her father's downfall.

Sliding on a pair of fuzzy flower-adorned flats, Verine shuffled out of her chambers, making her way to Andromeda. The location was calming and the princesses often visited it to soothe their weathered souls. Near the coast above the palace, it gave a perfect view of the land outside.

Tonight, the waves were violent, crashing at the shore. Yet, the moonlight was especially beautiful, its beams caressing the seafoam and singing a lullaby to lull the creatures beneath it back to rest. Under the translucent glow of its everlasting beauty, the land laid in peace. Verine raised her chin and thanked the orphic love of the luna. Behind, long magnificent black hair trailed down, smooth and lustrous. Her eyes closed as her heartbeat calmed, dimples forming at the side of her cheeks as she let out a smile of comfort.

"It's nice to see you, Verine."

Gasping, the princess spun around and in a blink, her hand grasping the handle of a thin gleaming metal shan. It reflected off the minimal light of the night and presented a fatal warning to whoever dared to cross its path. On it, the words 控制带来和平 laid engraved, masterfully crafted into the silver. Control brings peace.
It was a reminder - to stay focused.