If thus her mind to be defined
America exhausts,
And all that's grand in that great land
In similes it costs -
-

Edmund was pleased with himself for the first time in many moons.
Moons.
Moonshine.

He was already getting off track. Even five thousand kilometres away, Sanya could distract him so, so well.

Gosh, he needed to have his head examined.

But coming to what he had been speaking about- being pleased.
He was pleased with himself because he'd finally earned enough money to fix that old bicycle he had found in the Scrubb house a couple of weeks ago- it seemed it had been unused since Uncle Harold himself had been his age. Despite that, it had been in roughly good shape, except for certain tweaks and adjustments.
Edmund had asked Aunt Alberta if it was possible to get it fixed- and she had seemed deeply surprised that a bicycle existed in their house at all.

As such, he had decided to fix it himself.

But he was no mechanic, as was made clear when he accidentally took out the wheel- which meant the next step was to find the money to get it fixed.

It was a good thing he had already taken up the paper route in this neighbourhood. He'd taken it up because- because he needed money to call America.
It was costly and near-impossible to call overseas- but he couldn't go months without hearing Sanya's voice. He'd find a way. Even if it was only a 'hello?'- since she would surely hang up after realising it was him- it would be enough.

"Lucy- Lu!" Edmund called as he climbed up the stairs two at a time, to his sister's temporary bedroom.
The bicycle would help their commute to and fro the marketplace, reducing their exertion by quite a bit. It even had a basket!

However, as he heard a feeble "Come in!" and he walked inside, he realised his sister did not share his good mood.
Which was quite a rarity, since Lucy was practically synonymous with good moods.

"Oh, Ed." Lucy groaned from where she was lying on the bed, huddled under blankets and her teddy bear clutched to her chest. She looked very pale. "What's up?"

Edmund was horrified, "What's wrong with you!?"
That wasn't the most diplomatic manner of asking- but he was quite shocked.
Lucy hadn't been sick in- honestly, he couldn't remember the last time. Probably when she had been a much younger child, a decade or so ago?

"I look ghastly, I know. It's cramps." She said tiredly. Her stomach and bones hurt, and she wanted desperately to have just one sip of her cordial.
The only comfort she had was the teddy and the painting of a ship that hung on the wall opposite her bed- it somehow made her feel warm.
"And I think I have a slight fever-"

Quickly, her brother went to her and laid his palm on her forehead.
"Oh, it is a bit warm." He winced, feeling the feverishly warm skin. More than just a bit, actually, but he did not want to worry her. "Do you need more blankets- I'll bring mine up from-"

"No, no." She shook her head quickly, fighting the urge to cry. Ed was so sweet! She was so lucky to have him. "I'll be fine with a lie-in. Aunt Alberta is making me carrot soup-"

The siblings made simultaneous expressions of disgust.

Lucy carried on, "Which should help, even if it sounds revolting."

Edmund didn't think he'd ever wanted to know how to cook more. Some warm chicken soup would've done wonders- much better than smelly carrot anything. She wasn't a rabbit.
"Alright, I'll sit with you, then- we can gossip-"

"That does sound fun-" Lucy laughed, but the laugh soon broke into a cough, "b-b-but I need you to go get the groceries. Aunt Alberta-"

"For goodness' sake!" His aunt couldn't leave them alone for even one day! "Can't Eustace go get it one day-"

"You know we're 'guests'-" She pulled one hand out of the blanket, and made air quotes, "and need to help out. And between you and I, I don't think Eustace knows where the market is."

She was probably right.
But that didn't mean he was happy about leaving her alone in such a state- she needed him, didn't she?
He resolved to throw something at Eustace if he saw him.
"Lucy..."

"Oh, please, Ed." She spoke beseechingly, her eyes wide. "The walk will be good for you-"

"And punching Eustace will be good for everyone-"

"If you don't get the groceries, even we won't be able to eat." She said, having realised appealing to which part of his sensibilities would be most effective. "Do you really want to go without food?"

Seven minutes later, Edmund was cycling to the market, a shopping list thrust into his coat pockets and a shopping bag in the basket of his- yes, it bloody well was his!- cycle.

Another twenty-three minutes later, Edmund was grumbling in front of the market as he tried valiantly to stuff in all the items into the bag.
It seemed impossible! Something or the other kept falling out, or something that shouldn't be crushed was getting crushed- and it was all awful! How did Lucy always manage to get everything in neatly!?

More than the number of items and the inadequate size of the bag, what was adding more to his frustrating packing inability of his- was the large sign that stood mere feet away from him.

Mother England Needs You
Enlist Here
Now!

His eyes kept going to it, no matter how much he tried to focus on anything else.
That sign had been there since he and Lucy had started coming to this market, right from February- and it was almost May now, but no one had moved it. He supposed there was no reason to change it- the sentiment in it was still required, and it probably would be for a while.
He kept feeling like the sign was for him.
As though it was him that Mother England needed- as though it was him who was being urged to enlist, to go into war.

He knew it was stupid- obviously, it was aimed at every single young man who walked across it. He didn't even know why he felt that way. Perhaps it was the need written there. He liked being needed, because being needed meant he could help- and he wished to help so badly. Maybe England truly did need him- someone needed him-

"Edmund?" There came a voice suddenly, calling from behind. "Edmund, is that you!?"

Edmund turned- and, for a moment, he couldn't place the voice. There was such a crowd-
"Oh!" He exclaimed, finally spotting the person who'd shouted his name. "Oscar!"

His former rugby captain was smiling widely as he neared Edmund, a grocery bag in his hands.
"Hullo, you." He said, as he finally reached him. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Same to you." Edmund grinned back. He felt slightly awkward- he had been pondering on such serious an issue, and a schoolmate just happened to show up? "I didn't know you were here- are you studying in Cambridge?"
It had only been- he'd seen him last in December, but somehow it felt like it had been much longer. Oscar looked- taller. Smilier. Had his hair darkened, just a bit?

Oscar laughed out loud, "That'll probably only happen in my dad's dreams. I swear, he'd be happy if my call-up notice came- because it'd mean I'll do something apart from messing around with a ball."

It was strange that Oscar seemed glad that his call-up notice hadn't come. Edmund hadn't ever thought about it, but he would have assumed that he would have revelled in fighting for his country.
"Then- why are you here?"

"Oh, I live here- near Romsey, I dunno if you know where that is-"

"No, I'm afraid not." He shook his head, expression rueful and sheepish at the same time. "My sister and I are staying at our aunt's house, it's in Hartington Grove, and the only time we get out is to come here. And I've been to a couple of the bookshops."
He and Lucy had gone to a church, too, one that was very near to their aunt’s house and which had a first edition of the King James Bible. They usually went together, but one time, Edmund had gone to it alone, while he’d been out on a solo errand and had wanted to avoid returning to the dreadful place he and his sister lodged at.
Predictably- and perhaps unfortunately- he had thought of Sanya while sitting in the house of prayer as well. Even God Himself could not take her off his mind.

"Yeah, Cambridge is certainly good for books." Oscar nodded, his grey-hazel eyes twinkling. "Why're you with your aunt? Are your parents alright?"

"Yeah, they're great. They're in America." Edmund said, nodding. "My elder sister went with them, too."
And my wife. Girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend? Former wife?

He looked quizzical, "For holiday, or-"

"Holiday in this time and age?" Edmund laughed, but there was little humour in the sound. "No, it's for Dad's work."

"Oh, I see." Oscar nodded as well, and the two elapsed into awkward silence.

Edmund waited for when the older boy would clear his throat and say he had to leave- of course he'd say it, who wanted to meet up with a junior schoolmate when there was no school? Especially when said junior schoolmate had also been under his command as captain.
He wanted to get back- he had no wish whatsoever to socialise and chat and interact, and all that.
Good Lord, Sanya had rubbed off on him an exceedingly great deal.

To his surprise, Oscar did not say that.
"And- um-" He cleared his throat- Edmund was right on that front, "how's the girlfriend? Sanya- or whatever her name is."

He couldn't help but think of the necklace he had tucked in safely in a corner of his suitcase.
"Sanya? Er, we're- we're-" His jaw was clenching again, which made it hard to speak, "we're- we're not together anym- at the moment."
Why in the world did Oscar keep prolonging the conversation? He didn't actually want to talk with him, did he? And Edmund certainly didn't want to talk either!

"Oh, really? Bloody hell, mate, I'm sorry." Oscar said, sounding genuine. "You two really seemed like you'd last."

"Yeah, well." He reached up, somewhat a nervous movement, to fix his hat. "Shit happens."

"Did she- did she break up, or-"

It wasn't a break-up! It was a bloody break! A temporary separation! IT WAS NOT A BREAK-UP. They still could last!
But obviously Edmund wasn't about to shout that in the middle of the street. He wasn't that far gone.
"No, it was me. I, er, I needed some time away from-" her, "the relationship."

"Oh, I see." He said again- Edmund couldn't read his expression, or his tone. It was very disconcerting. "Are you doing fine?"

I think she's alright. As can be.
"As can be." He shrugged.
How well could he be without the love of his life? Probably not very.
"Do you come to the market every day? I don't think I've seen you before."

"No, it's usually my mum- but her back gave out, so I, the dutiful son, picked up the slack." He was grinning again. "Do you come here often?"

"Yes, usually with my sister- but she's ill, too, so it's just me today."

"Serendipity."

"Sorry?"

"Serendipity. A happy accident." Oscar explained, his pale cheeks flushing slightly as he registered Edmund's confused expression. "I thought you know-"

"Oh, I do. I do!"
Of course he did- had he not described his daughter as the most serendipitous of serendipities once? It was a sweet word, and one he had definitely not ever thought Oscar Waddingham would know.
"I was just surprised at you saying it all of a sudden. And I wouldn't really describe my sister being ill and your mum having back problems as happy accidents-"
He was teasing at this last, but he didn't think Oscar was likely to pick that up.

"Not for that- obviously." He shook his head, a much less confident smile on his face. He'd messed up, hadn't he- who even used that bloody word!? "I thought the word fit for us? I mean, what else would you call an unexpected rugby reunion?"

"Rugby reunion, huh?" Edmund said, looking at him- had Oscar always been bumbling?
As far as he'd noticed, the rugby captain had been cocksure and cool-tempered and more humble than most sports captains. But bumbling? Not really.

It was certainly more endearing than team practices at six in the morning, before breakfast.

Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing to have an acquaintance- not a friend, Philip had pretty much been his only real friend, which he absolutely did not mind- around here. It'd make everything about the Scrubb house more tolerable, too.

He smiled as well, which made Oscar's smile grow surer, "I like the sound of that."
--

Sanya stared around the garden party, bored out of her mind. So bored- so very bored. Bored on more than just a surface level. It was existential boredom.

Maybe she could burn the place down. Or maim someone- just before the point of it reaching a fatal injury.

Ah, she would have done that, had it not been for social anxiety and the existence of extradition.

She hadn't even been allowed to bring a book! She had tried to sneakily bring one along- but, unfortunately, mid-Mays in America were too warm to wear coats, and it wasn't possible to stuff a book down her bra.
Yes, she'd tried.

"Have you seen my mom?" A child, perhaps twelve and with blond-brown hair, asked suddenly, appearing next to where Sanya sat.

"No." She answered- mostly out of shock, because the girl had materialised almost out of nowhere. Then again, she hadn't exactly been paying attention to her surroundings, even though she had been staring at them. "Who's your mother?"
She resisted the urge to say 'I've lost my mother, too- to death'. Nothing good would come out of it if she did.

"Aurelia Plath- she has curly brown hair and wears pearls." The girl looked supremely unhappy, as she looked around. "I told her to stay with my little brother, but-"

Little brother.
"I'll- I'll let you know if I find her." Sanya assured her, forcing herself to not falter. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Sylvia." She said, before her brows creased. "You're sitting alone."

"No." She said again, though it was very clear that she was. "I have my imagination."

Her face quickly brightened- and though Sanya had been talking to Sylvia for less than a minute, she had a feeling that that was a rare occurrence.
"The best company!" She exclaimed, and then bent forward to kiss an astonished Sanya's cheek. "See you!"

She frolicked away, and the older girl was left staring.
Sylvia Plath was a strange girl- but though, well, that was a bit of the pot calling the kettle black.

Not quite intentionally, Sanya found her attention to Susan and the young officer she sat with. Whether he was naval, or aerial, she didn't know- for all she knew, he could've been the President.
He was also quite handsome, which was why looking at him- and, consequently, at Susan- was very appealing.

Truthfully, she just wanted something to take her mind off the boredom and the terribly dry cakes they had served.

They were seated at the same table- but she was on one side of it, and Susan and the officer were on the other, and they'd been engaged in conversation for ten minutes.

The conversation was not going very well.

"I wasn't aware that, er, that-" Susan cleared her throat, wondering how to say it without sounding like a bigot, "that- people other than- than the whites-"

"You can say black people, Miss Pevensie, it's okay. Or coloured folk." The officer smiled at her. "It's a fairly recent thing, so you're not wrong, exactly. Before, um, 1942, we could only enlist in the Navy as messmen."

Oh, so he was a naval officer. As in, water.
Sanya could respect that.
But his words afforded her a new confusion. What in the world were messmen?
It sounded dirty.
Edmund would've whispered in her ear and made a risqué joke- she'd have bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud...

No. No Edmund! Focus on the confusion!

Fortunately, her sister-in-law was just as confused.
"I'm afraid I'm unlearned about military roles, Captain Williams." She spoke with a dainty little laugh- so dainty, no one would ever think she'd been a bow-wielding Queen in another world. "What are messmen?"

"Oh, right, sorry, I forget not everyone knows this stuff. And please, call me Noah." He laughed along with her. "Messmen are basically the steward's assistants- pretty much the bottom rung of crewmembers on a ship. Black men were never allowed to go higher than that."

Susan looked sorry, "That sounds entirely unjust."

"Most things about our lives are unjust." He shrugged. "Things are getting better, though, slowly but surely, so that's something. Say, Miss Pevensie, how long are you in Boston for?"

"Indefinitely." She said, chuckling a bit. "It all depends on how long my father's lecture tenure lasts."

"I hope it lasts a while, then." He smiled at her again, before gesturing to the rest of the officers, who were clustered around one of the tables- the tables which had a wide array of drinks appropriate for a garden party, which meant nothing strong, but some alcohol was better than no alcohol. "We promise we'll make sure you have the time of your life."

Susan smiled as well, but said nothing. She was starting to feel distinctly uncomfortable. Not because of the officer- Noah Williams was easily the nicest of the officers she had met, and one of the few who hadn't made advances towards her- but because she felt sorry.

Half these officers wanted to ask her out- some already had- and she'd turned them down, and would continue to turn them down, because she simply wasn't at all interested. She couldn't be interested- and she had to squash their hopes. She didn't like doing that.

And 'time of her life'? She had already had that, when she had been somewhere and someone else.

After a minute or two, Noah spoke again, much more softly, "Miss Pevensie-"

"Oh, do call me Susan, please." She interrupted- oh, she hoped he wasn't about to ask her on a date!

"Okay- Susan-" He nodded, "what's the deal with the girl in purple? The one who I am quite sure is unashamedly eavesdropping on us?

How rude, Sanya thought, and shifted her chair so she could listen better.

"Oh, she's my-"
Sister-in-law. But that had been in another world. A world she had been sent out of, a world she would never return to.
A world she wished she could forget.
"She's my friend. She's from India, but has been in England for years now. She's quite close with my siblings and I."

"Oh, India? Interesting, I don't think I've met any Indians."

Sanya hadn't met any Indians either- except Sarah- and she had to duck her head to keep from laughing out loud at herself.
If Edmund was here, they would have laughed together.
And again- she was thinking of Edmund. Everything she thought, somehow always led back to him. Everything.
As such, she lost track of the conversation for a few moments.

When she raised her head again, the naval officer was speaking, "There's a pal of mine- he's the brother of a fellow officer, and I think he's taken a fancy to her. She's quite plain, to me, at least, but he keeps saying she looks very pretty when she smiles."

Susan blinked. His friend had seen her smile? She couldn't remember the last time she had seen Sanya smile.

He paused for a moment, before asking nervously, "Any idea about her dating situation? My friend's no coward, but she seems so surly- you can understand why he asked me to help."

Sanya could've thrown something at him.

"Oh, I understand where your friend is coming from," Susan nodded. Sanya did have a nice smile, she supposed- but she averred that Bonnie's was more adorable- wait, why had she thought of Bonnie? Strange. "But I don't think your friend's interest is such a good idea."

Sanya could've hugged her.

Noah's brows furrowed, "Why not?"

"She has a boyfriend back home. Rather large- muscular type, you know. I believe he plays rugby- and quick to temper. Very quick." Susan invented wildly- except the rugby part, of course. She did not want any of these boys trying to charm Sanya. "You do not want him to find out. He's liable to come all the way here and knock your friend's teeth out."

Sanya blinked, as she heard this. She was far more likely to knock someone's teeth out than Edmund was.

Perhaps it was just the morning drowsiness- it was hardly eleven!- but did Susan sound possessive?

She didn't care if she did, anyway, since she had effectively stopped some random boy from trying to charm her.

"That's a pity." Noah said, looking sorry. "My friend's not got the best luck in love- he always says how he envies me."

"Oh, have you a special someone?"

He nodded, a sudden brightness suffusing in his face, "Yeah. Clara- she's back home, in New York. We're going to get married as soon as she's out of college."

"That sounds wonderful." Susan almost simpered- and she was so relieved! At least one man who would not be vying for her impossible affections. She'd not have to complain about him in her next letter to Bonnie- they didn't pass letters back and forth as much as Bonnie did with Sanya, or Lucy with Susan, but she still got a letter from her once every six weeks, give or take. "I'm sure she's something special."

"She's absolutely lovely." Even his voice seemed to change- it became more melodious, lighter. It was so obvious how in love he was. "We've been going steady since before high school- she's just always been the one."

You're the one, Moonshine. The only one.

Sanya got up abruptly, the chair scraping against the ground as she did.
Susan and Noah turned in surprise at the sudden noise, but the girl had already stalked off by then.

Sanya didn't know anyone at this fucking party, and everywhere she went, she was greeted by people. So many people, and many clearly in the military! Didn't they have a war to fight? Hitlers to try to find, torture, and assassinate?

In her rage, she didn't notice where she was walking- and she almost walked into a lady with a big hair-do and a baby in her arms.

"I'm so sorry!" She said instantly, as she took a step back. "Are you alright?"

The lady seemed startled- but at that, she composed herself remarkably quick, and then looked down at herself and her child, before nodding.
"Yes. But you gotta look where you're going, girlie." She said, shaking her head. "Oh, my brooch- here, hold my kid."

With absolutely no warning, Sanya was suddenly holding a baby for only the second time in a thousand years.

She had held babies after Seraphina had grown out of babyhood. She had been High Queen, there was no shortage of people who wanted their Queen to hold their baby- even a pat on the head had sent her subjects squealing in delight. There had also been an alarming number of baby Sanyas in Rihaaya after her ascension to the throne.
But after leaving her realm- well, being imprisoned in the Faerie Realm didn't exactly give her many opportunities to hold adorable little babies.

She had held baby Bash in Narnia, her infant many-times-great nephew. She had held him, and she had quieted his crying, and she had said goodbye to him. She had known him less than a week, but letting go of him for the last time and saying goodbye had been incredibly difficult.
He was in this world now, too, along with his mother and grandfather, and she knew she would never see him again- but she hoped he was well. She hoped he was happy. She wondered if he still whined softly like a puppy, in lieu of smiling.
He probably didn't. He must be three or four now, and toddlers always smiled so much.

Since coming here, she hadn't held any babies. She had seen them, of course- with cute fat folds, and those tiny hands, and that fine downy hair on their head- but she had not held one.
Now, though- she was.

The baby looked up at her, his blue eyes blinking at her. She was struck with the sudden urge to smell his head- they smelt so nice for the first few months. She and Edmund had used to take turns smelling Selene's head when she slept in their bed.
"Hi, baby." She spoke softly to the wittle creature, bouncing him slightly. "Who's the cutest creature in this whole party?"

The baby gurgled, and Sanya could swear if he could smile, he would have been.

She smiled, too, in spite of herself. She loved babies so much.
"Haan, it's you, thik guess korechish." She said, nodding to confirm- she took his gurgle to mean that he guessed that the answer was him. "Yes, yes, it is you, aar ke hote-"

"Excuse me." The lady had managed to fix her brooch, and now she was glaring at Sanya.

"Oh, sorry-"
What was she apologising for, though?

She did not look moved, "I asked you to hold Jake, not speak that odd language to him-"

Again, she said, "I'm sorry, I just-"

"He's not your baby." She rolled her eyes, and all but snatched Jake out of the girl's arms. "Thanks for holding him, though."

And then she turned and walked away, the baby still blinking at her. As the lady turned around the corner to head to the side of the house, she saw Jake's small fist rise up in a wave.

But the moment he disappeared from sight, as soon as the comfort of the baby was gone- the rage came bubbling back.

Why in the world had she decided to come to this accursed party? And why had Susan wanted to? She went to parties day in and day out- surely, they must have lost their appeal by now! And she wondered how her parents allowed her to go out so much.
Every time she had thought that Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie would put their foot down- they didn't. They let her go, each time, and then Sanya would see them sigh as the door closed behind their daughter.

She should have slept in. She definitely, absolutely, certainly should have slept in. Sleep was better than coming here- sleep was better than anything.
She hardly ever remembered her dreams- but the few ones she remembered, they were sweet dreams. In dreams, she was happy. She wished she could always dream. There was eternal peace in dreams.

She thought of Clara- the officer's beloved- and she envied her. Envy for that love- that assurance- that devotion. She, too, was away from the man she loved- like Sanya had been, in another world, and as she was now- but at least she knew that the man would come back to her soon. She knew that he still loved her, that she was the one for him.

Sanya had not known any such reassurance then, and she didn't know it now, either.

Green envy seemed to ooze through her veins, and she took a deep breath as she reached the foyer of the house the party was at, sitting down at the first set of stairs she could. The house was entirely empty, everyone outside in the ample space of the backyard, and she was grateful for the solitude.

Enough. Enough envy.

But she couldn't stop feeling it.

Why was she jealous of someone she had never met, and probably never would? She didn't want to be jealous- she hated envy, it was among the worst emotions- but she was.

Didn't she deserve that comfort of knowing she was loved? Hadn't she fought enough to at least know that the person she had fought for still cared about her?

Edmund hadn't sent her any letters. Barring mentions of him from Lucy's letters to she and Susan- she didn't know what was happening with him. She had told Susan to not write much about her in her letters, and her own letters to Lucy were never very detailed- so she could be sure that Edmund was just as unware as she was.
She didn't think that she would have replied to his letters, had he sent any- what would she even say?- but getting one would have been nice.

Even if it was just a single slip of paper with Moonshine written on it.
She would probably see it and spontaneously burst into tears.

She wished Jem was here. After Edmund had disappeared- her son was the only person who had brought her unbridled joy. She loved her daughters more than humanly possible- and they had made her happy, too, two reasons she had wanted to live- but as they'd grown up, there had always been friction with them, some sense of unease and hostility. Her parents and brother had been there as much as they could have- but the physical distance between them, and the overwhelming responsibilities of being a King's widow had not left her much time to feel true joy with them, either.
With Jem, though, everything was wholehearted and pure and their love for each other had always been unflappable.
Except for those few months after she'd told him of his true parentage.
But even then, he had come around and he'd begun to call her Mumma again. He had still been her little boy- he always would be.

"I hope you're drawing up in the Meadowlands, Jemmy." Sanya whispered to herself, her head on her knees.
She had to hope they were in some afterlife, her children and parents and brother and everyone else she had lost. It wasn't even because that would mean there were chances of them meeting again- but because they deserved heavenly eternity. Her family deserved peace.

She would probably end up in Hell, though- Jahannam. She had already thought that was where she had been taken to, after the torturous transformation in Neráida- perhaps the next time, it wouldn't just be thought, it would be reality.

"Are you okay?" A high, concerned voice asked, and Sanya had to open her eyes, unfortunately.
A girl her age with pinned hair was standing before her, holding a pair of skates in one hand.

Oh, why? Sanya had come into the house to be alone!
"Yes." She answered- it wasn't rude, exactly, but it certainly wasn't polite. "No need to ask."

"Well, people in my experience don't really sit on the stairs with their heads in their hands if they're okay." She said bluntly, grinning. "But maybe that's just me."

Ugh, she wanted her to go away. Sanya did not care about her experience!

But the girl did not leave, instead holding out her hand and saying, "I'm Ethel Skakel, by the way. I'm visiting from Connecticut."

Her name was very weird. Skakel sounded like cackle.
She did not say that- instead, she shook her hand.
"I'm Sanya Rainsford, and I don't know where that is."

"Your accent- I can't place it-"

"India." She said tonelessly, wishing the girl would go. "Visiting from England."

"Oh, fancy!" Ethel said, laughing again. "Do you skate?"

Sanya blinked, "What?"

She held up the pair of skates, "Skate. I'm quite good at it myself- a bunch of us are going, if you want to join-"

"I'm not good at anything that requires bodily coordination."
There was a reason that General Ainaah had always called her sword-fighting, though superb, highly erratic and impulsive.
Besides, go out with a group of strangers? She felt physically sick at the prospect.
"So, no, I don't want to join. Thank you for the offer, though."

Ethel's smile dimmed, and the skates lowered.
Still, quite diplomatically, she nodded, "Of course. I'll be away, then- enjoy your stairs."

Sanya mock-saluted her, "Enjoy your skates, Skakel."

She nodded again, smile slightly wider, before she departed.

Sanya's mind gave her a moment of respite, as it adjusted itself to the interaction that had just happened- and then, almost as quickly as the respite had begun, her mind went to the Faerie Queen.
The thought came as suddenly as a snake's strike, without any reason, and she wanted to groan. She did not want to think about her.

But she was thinking. She wondered what she was doing- how she coped- and if she had given up on reviving Jem yet.
And Sanya wondered if Rhiannon had found another hetaera or not. To bed her, to breed her, to perhaps wed her- like she had wanted with Sanya.

She still didn't know if that had arisen because Rhiannon had loved her- genuinely loved her- or because she simply wanted to assert her dominance over Sanya, the less-powerful divine descendant, the girl who'd 'stolen' her child.
I've lost four children, and you've lost one, Rhiannon. She thought, lifting her head and leaning it against the banister. The wood was hard and uncomfortable, but it felt as solid to lean against as Edmund had been- and she closed her eyes. I win.

Soon, she heard footsteps again.

"Sanya." Susan spoke- even before she'd said anything, Sanya had realised who it was. She had been able to tell from the clack-clack of her heels. "Are you alright?"

"Headache." Headache. Heartache. It was all pain. Did it matter if she specified the true cause or not? "Don't worry, I'll bang my head on the banister a few times, and be as good as new."

"No, I don't think I'd advocate that." She sounded like she was holding back a sigh. "Open your eyes, Sanya."

Sanya did, and was startled to find how close Susan was- she was kneeling down, mere inches from her.
Her eyes seemed even more startlingly silver- they were blue, she knew, but they seemed pure silver...
Probably because she wasn't wearing her glasses. She wore them lesser and lesser as the days went by.
"What?"

"We'll leave." She said, her full lips quirking up.
Though Sanya had chosen to come to the party on her own- Susan had not badgered her, even if Peter kept saying she did in his letters- she didn't want to make her stay any longer than she wanted, and she also did not want to let her walk back to the apartment alone. It was broad daylight- but any time of the day was dangerous for women.
"I've had enough with random men coming up and complimenting some part of my dress or face- I'd much rather sit in our room and attempt to clean that cobweb in the corner."

"That cobweb is a home, we aren't cleaning it-"

"Very well, then we'll argue about cleaning the cobweb in the corner." Susan shrugged. "Unless, of course, you want to stay here at the party- we can see if that officer's friend is around-"

"No, no-" Sanya stood up hastily, almost knocking into Susan as she did, "cobwebs are definitely better than this. Spiders over humans, and beds over garden tables."
She could lie down, and fall asleep- and stay asleep till dinnertime. Or forever.
The latter seemed more appealing.
Though a nap was more likely.
"Thanks, Su." She said a minute later, as they exited through the front door of the house. She had thought that her sister-in-law would want to skip back out and say goodbye to the hostess- but she surprisingly hadn't. She felt even more grateful. "I know how much you enjoy these parties- thanks for giving that up for me."

She was smiling all of a sudden, and Susan couldn't help but think that Noah's friend was right.
Sanya did have a very pretty smile.
"Of course, Sanya. It's not a great sacrifice, don't worry." She answered with a nod, linking her arm with hers. "Besides, anything for family, right?"

Yes, Sanya thought. Anything for family.
Though she didn't really have one anymore.

It was fine, though.

She had a nap to look forward to.

-
-✧･: °*✧*°:･✧-
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Brandon Mychal Smith as Officer Noah Williams

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Sylvia Plath

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Ethel Kennedy (née Skakel)

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Oscaaaaaaar.
I did tell you that he'll be showing up again 🤷‍♀️

I'm glad Edmund will have someone to chat with apart from Lucy and his own emotional/mental/existential/etc angst.
😇

Smh, though, Edmund, constantly making judgements about Oscar. Jocks can know long words, you know!
Then again, he actually knOws Oscar, so at least he's not judging without knowing- the Just King would never do that. He's just making assumptions about the version of Oscar he knew.

How fun would it be if I send Edmund to war, just for shits and giggles? Lmao.

Okay, time for me to shout a name again.

SYLVIA PLATH.
I was just looking up famous people who lived in Boston around this time, and wouldn't you know it, Miss Mad Girl's Love Song lived there.
Sylvia was hella fucking racist, but she's just a child in this chapter, so. Also, her poetry and quotes are insanely relatable- I thought it'd be really cool to include her.

Also, including Ethel Skakel (sister-in-law of JFK, the U.S. President back in 60s or something, idk) would be a not-so-subtle thank you to banna9405, who has been supporting this series for ages :))

No faceclaims for those two, obviously, since they were real people.

Susan keeps in touch with Noah, by the way- she mentions it once in a later chapter, if I remember correctly.

Also, we love her for leaving the party just so Sanya could leave and go somewhere she was mildly comfortable. And also protecting her from some American guy being interested???
Very good sister-in-law-ing, Su, very good.

The baby 🥺 Sanya was so clearly being reminded of her dead children, which is just quite the torturous memory, but she's still so sweet with baby Jake 🥺🥺 just like she was with tiny Bash :")

And her so unabashedly eavesdropping on Susan's conversation was so funny. She gives zero fucks now.

Anyway, there we have Sanya's first (and I think last) on-screen- well, on-page American soiree. Got painful reminders of Edmund, got accosted by a child, got scolded by a mother who asked her to hold her baby, got invited to a skating party by a random girl, and then finally got to leave.

And, as always- I humbly and unashamedly ask you to vote on the chapters, and perhaps comment, too :)