▹(ii) | "zura's depressed!" [c. walker]

castor's age in the chapter: 10

zade's age in the chapter: 9 years and 11 months
azure's age in the chapter: 9 years

song for the chapter: better in stereo, from liv and maddie 

trigger warning(?): mentions of depression

. . .

 IT WAS PERHAPS an unwritten, unofficial law, that siblings could never get along, lest it be for creating mischief. 

Whether it was true or not, it was the reasoning proposed by the King of Great Britain each time he heard his children argue over the stupidest of things, or when he saw them troubling the Duke together. 

His wife often argued, saying that she was never like that with her sister, that they got along perfectly well, but considering that her sister had married the younger prince, she was quickly shut down by the look she received. 

So, in justification towards every pair of siblings in the world, she reinstated the statement as: No siblings in the Walker family could ever get along, unless it be for the sake of trouble, or chocolate.

Everyone agreed that this fact was much truer, considering in the past 7 generations of the Walkers, there have always been siblings, and they have never gotten along. 

When it came down to pranking each other, Castor and Azure, his little sister, always went to their cousin Zade, for help. 

Zade enjoyed being the middleman, the one who knew both their plans, and knew how much they'll be at each other's throats when the fun ends. However, he also has to be the one who has to stop them from killing each other in the end. 

So, when that Monday morning came, when Azure wasn't up for any trouble, everyone naturally thought it suspicious. Azure Walker, the little ray of mischief, wasn't even going near her brother's room? 

Castor felt concerned, because even when he was stuck in lesson with the woman assigned to teach him and his cousin, who they had so comedically nicknamed 'the Ursula', because she looked like the witch in the Little Mermaid, Azure had strayed away from each room he played in: the music room, where he practiced the piano, the sparring room, where he practiced holding the sword, or even the one swing in the garden behind the castle, where he loved to play. 

Azure had ignored him all day, not even passing a cheeky remark when she came in the room with the Ursula for her lessons, and when Castor and Zade were dismissed. 

"Maybe she's just having the girly mood swings mummy told us about?" Zade suggested. Castor shrugged it off, but when he saw Azure actually paying attention in class and not fooling around or doodling absolutely random and horrible little pictures on the papers, she was given to make notes, only one question popped in Castor's mind:

"Is she depressed?" 

Little Zade widened his eyes at the sentence, before nodding rapidly and agreeing with his older brother: everything that left Castor's mouth was like eternal truth for Zade. 

As soon as Castor received confirmation from his little cousin (damn Castor for being born five days earlier!), they dashed to his father's office, where Malcolm Walker was scribbling something on a paper, a glass of wine beside him. Uncle Christian sat perched on another desk that had been arranged for him, both their chairs drawn near the fireplace to keep the bitter January cold out. Glasses were propped up on Malcolm's face, curtains were drawn out, some light shining in through the room. The white painted world outside provided a lovely view. 

As soon as the adults' attention was on them, the children blurted out in panic:

"Zura's depressed!"

Dead silence. 

It was a trivial sight: Malcolm and Christian stared at each other with confusion (and slight disturbance) on their faces, then they glanced at their sons simultaneously, then they glanced at each other with amusement, and then they finally glanced at their sons without trying to laugh so as to not to make them feel bad. 

"Zura is depressed?" Malcolm enunciated, nodding slowly. 

In contrast, the kids nodded so rapidly that their fathers were concerned they'd get a whiplash. 

"Why would you think that?" Christian questioned, inviting his son to come sit on his lap. Malcolm did the same. 

"Because she's not smiling, or talking, or troubling Cassie!" the younger boy talked animatedly, his excitement being evident in his voice. 

"Maybe she's just tired?" the King suggested, looking at his son who was already glancing at him with his big green eyes. Castor shook his head rapidly. 

"She never gets tired!" he threw his hands up, missing Malcolm's glasses by a small two inches. "She loves annoying me, she can't get tired." 

"Then try talking to her maybe?" Christian suggested. Zade's face lit up at the idea, and he hopped off of his father's knee to drag Castor back to Azure's classroom. 

Azure was still in her lessons, and since they were more than likely to be shouted at if they disturbed Ursula, so they decided to go play in the garden until their sister was done for the day. 

Two hours later, and the boys were tired and numb from making so many angels in the snow. Their cheeks and noses were tinged pink, their hands were trying to attract as much heat as they could in their gloves. 

They dragged their feet back in the palace, relishing in the heat that it somehow magically produced. They rubbed their cheeks to regain some warmth in the numb tissue, hopping through the corridors and smiling at everyone who passed them. 

Quickly changing out form their coats and gloves, they ran into the now empty classroom, frowning when they realized that Azure had already left for. . . somewhere. 

Pulling out the bucket hats the boys received on their 5th birthdays, they frowned as if they were detectives stuck with an impossible case, rubbing their chins, and looking at the ceiling with creased brows. 

"You guys look stupid." a high-pitched voice remarked. Azure couldn't help it: she was passing the boys on her way to find a corner to sulk in, and they looked too stupid to not be called out. 

Castor and Zade shared a look, their eyes narrowed. They took each arm of the tiny girl, dragging her to Castor's room as if she were a prisoner who was to be interrogated. 

After they were in the room that was painted with insane amounts of blue, they let the girl plop down on the bed which was clearly way too big for the tiny sleeper. 

"Okay, Holmes and Watson," she climbed up into the warm and cozy sheets, "what can I help you with?" 

Zade, taking after his mother on being blunt, asked: "Why are you depressed? "

Castor face-palmed, but didn't cut in. 

"What does 'depressed' mean?" Azure pouted. She was a year younger than them and being the first girl child, elder to Euphemia and Pandora, and Pandora and Euphemia only — if Maia and Malcolm could help it — she was going to be the last one. It automatically resulted in her being babied way too often and being left out of things Castor and Zade were taught a year ago. 

Mental health was important for their parents: they taught their children about it before physical health. 

"It means when you're very, very sad." Castor gestured with his hands. "Why are you sad?" 

"Because—because dadda doesn't love me." the little girl hugged her knees to her chest.

"That's not true!" Zade frowned. 

"But he wants to marry me off! I saw it, I saw it myself! He was reading a letter last night, and when I went to read it, it said that there was some prince from France wanting to come here, to have me in wedding!" her eyes squinted back tears. 

"But dadda loves you, he doesn't even want boys around you. He doesn't let us go out of the castle!" Castor frowned too. 

"But he read that letter. . . "

"There's many — many letters coming in for you," the eldest gestured with his hands again, "because my sister's so pretty. Everyone wants you, but dadda isn't going to give you away!" 

"There's letters coming in everyday?" 

The boys nodded. 

"And dadda doesn't reply to them?"

"He burns them at the end of every week." Castor shook his head, his mess of a hair flopping around wildly. "I asked him why: he says it makes him feel like he's burning their hopes." 

". . . that sounds like dadda." 

"So, you're not depressed?"

"So dadda doesn't hate me?" 

"No." 

"Then no." Azure grinned. "Can we play in the snow now? I want to make some angels." 

. . . 
nish speaks!

please this chapter sucks so bad-