HOW TO LIVE AGAIN (girlxgirlxgirl)

Yksi; Andra

"Paper thin walls are nothing compared to my strength"
1

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Day 0

"You don't decide things around here Andra- in fact,

Women don't decide things here. Not anymore"

Those words are poisonous. To think that it would come to this one day.

Over forty years of progress down the drain. Forty years of new laws, changing the minds of the people and the system as a whole. To think that in just a few weeks everything could turn from hard work payed off to nothing but dust. Andra has never felt so much disgust over her brother as she does now. And it's not like they were the best of friends before either...

Aryan is the first born. Son of clan leader Alina and heir to everything. He was born on the first day of winter inside the big palace of the gold clan. Who the father was didn't matter. Alina was leader, and she did what she had to to get an heir. She was never married. But after reforming her clan, making it equal between men and women, the culture turned more matriarchal than patriarchal. It didn't matter who the father was unless the mother claimed it to be someone specific. Sadly, her first born happened to be a son. It wouldn't have been a big issue, if he hadn't been such an arrogant fool.

The second born is Andra. She was born on the first day of summer, two years after her brothers birth. She was a reserve, someone who could take over in case Aryan couldn't. While her brother is an arrogant fool, she is just like her mother. Brave, strong and a true leader. She is also stubborn and a little full of herself, but that just comes with being as amazing as she is.

Both siblings- or half siblings- look pretty much the same. Aryan has straight black hair, tied up in the back with all kinds of golden jewelry. He is tall and strong, much like his mother, and has scary black eyes. He is a trained warrior much like Andra, but likes to party and have fun. Andra is also tall and strong, resembling her beautiful mother more and more as each day passes. She has slightly shorter black hair with minimal jewelry and clothing. She focuses on training and studying like she is supposed to, but doesn't mind a party either. The biggest difference between them is that Aryan is a power crazed ego-maniac while Andra is barely half of all that.

It's clear that with their big personalities and similar age, they would clash at some point. It just happened earlier than Andra expected.

Aryan is heir now. He is twenty four years old, and heir to the biggest clan in the whole world. The other clans barely dare to squeak without the gold clans permission to do so. He reigns over everyone. The farmers, the merchants, the craftsmen and everyone in between. He even holds the will of the Gods. It hasn't really settled well for Andra.

When Alina was leader it made sense. She was kind, fair, brave and strong. She had the will of the people. She knew exactly what to say and when to say it. She had lived a life right, she reformed the country and fought off those who were evil. She deserved to rule over so much, because she did it well. But now it doesn't make any sense. What has Aryan accomplished that would make him worthy of such a big title? What makes him the greatest in the world? Still... it didn't matter, he was the heir, so Andra wouldn't complain.

It took her a whole two weeks before she just had to complain.

"You're tearing down everything mother created!"

Aryan's hollow and mocking laugh echoes through the golden chamber. By each marble pole stands a guard, so still they seem frozen in stone. Aryan sits on his throne of gold, where Alina used to sit. Andra stands in front of him, eyes pleading but angry.

"And what exactly did she create? A clan of chaos? Women aren't supposed to rule! Have you seen how the other clans have mocked us!"

Andra feared it would come to this. She never really felt a need to become leader, she was never power hungry like her brother. But she doesn't want to lose the clan or everything that it means. She doesn't want to lose the memory of her mother, the happy years spent here, the beauty and fairness of their clan. Andra knows that Aryan will never be able to give that. He will only take it away. She has to become leader instead.

"You're a coward! If mother knew you had such thoughts she would never have made you heir! She would've killed you because death is what a traitor like you deserves"

Aryan rolls his black eyes. He looks so foolish sitting on that throne, Andra thinks. Surrounded by his jewelry and gold. Sure he looks handsome, has all the women and even some men in the kingdom swooning over him. But he looks foolish. Stupid. Not like a leader.

"Traitor? Aren't you the one calling your own leader such bad things? Aren't you the traitor?"

Aryans eyes glint maliciously. Andra grows more and more restless and worried and most of all, angry. How can she stop him? He is two years older, he has always been the heir. Everyone knows that he is the rightful leader. But how can she stop him from ruining it all?

"You don't deserve to be leader"

Andra's words are nothing but true. She knows that her brother is bothered by the words, but he is winning. He is the one who is leader. He is the one who has the upper hand. He is the one who is going to bring back all the old laws. And everybody knows what that means. Andra fears what it means.

"Choose your words wisely Andra. I will bring the old laws back, and when I do you will be under my guardianship"

He is evil. Pure evil. Andra shudders with disgust. To think that she, a twenty two year old woman, would loose all of her rights and be forced to do whatever a man like Aryan says. To think that he would pull back all of their progress in just a few weeks. She sneers at him, her hands that were previously resting on the edge of her sword are now holding the weapon, pointing it straight at the leader who still has that stupid smirk of his. The guards flinch and draw their swords, but they don't move.

"You think I will ever obey you?"

Aryan's laugh does nothing but fuel the flames in Andra's mind.

"Of course you will! You're a woman! I'll have you married off to the next rich guy that comes along"

Andra is five seconds from chopping his head off. She supposes that women from the old times, before her mother took over, were used to this treatment. They were forced to do as their guardian said and forced remain passive and quiet for the rest of their lives. They couldn't work, could only stay at home and make babies. Obedient, pretty and cute girls were the only acceptable standard for a woman. Alina changed all of that, but it took dozens of years of hard work and charismatic convincing skills, and of course, force, before it actually worked. Andra was raised in a world where women are equal to men, and she won't go back to how it was before.

"Guards! Send princess Andra to her room, and don't allow her to leave"

Does he honestly think that a few paper thin walls and palace gates will keep her locked in?

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Short introduction chapter as usual😙