[Image 1]

There was a long silence between the two, punctuated only by soft sounds of suckling and squeaks. Silence had become typical in their relationship, and often they would go days for a time without speaking a word between them. There was, of course, nothing unusual about spouses that did not talk to one another in a society where marriage by familial obligation was a norm, but Alvus held no status in that society, and so their silence masked the deep affinity between them. Rose could understand everyone around her perfectly, and Alvus had a unique understanding of Rose, in that he knew it was pointless to try and understand her. He wholeheartedly trusted that she would simply speak freely if there was something she felt needed saying, which she did.

“I’m worried about Petunia,” Rose finally whispered. “Her brothers and sisters attached to the nurses so quickly, but her… She’s so stubborn. Anyone but me and she throws such an awful tantrum.”

“Come, come,” Alvus cooed, adjusting his hat. “Nothing strange about a babe wanting their mother, is there?” Admittedly, he didn’t really understand the point of having their children feed from the milk of other women to begin with, but he supposed it wasn’t really his call to make, and simply chalked it up to another of nobility’s many indulgent habits.

“Oh, you know I’d be there for all of them if my schedule allowed for it, nobility or not.” Rose shot him a knowing smile, but it quickly faded as she turned back to the suckling kitten. “It’s more than that, though. There’s an unruliness within her that the other children lack, something deep and ingrained. I fear she may end up as another… problem child of the Rani family if discipline isn’t taken.”

“Rose, she’s a month old, for goodness’ sake,” Alvus laughed, stifling a twinge of discomfort. “I really shouldn’t have to ask you not to compare her to actual sociopaths.”

“I’d rather be safe than sorry, Alvy. If there’s even the slightest chance she could turn out like my brothers, we need to stomp out those tendencies early. I can’t make the same mistakes my parents did.”

“I’ll tell you what, dear,” said Alvus, a small smile already forming on Rose’s lips in anticipation of the teasing to come. “How about we just go ahead and spend the first few years treating her like a totally normal child, and then, if we, say, catch her systematically pulling the legs off of bugs, then we can start getting worried.”

“Oh Alvus, you always know just what to-”

[Images 2+3]

“Just what to what?” Alvus parroted, but Rose had seized up entirely. The blood drained from her face and she defensively squeezed Petunia tight to her breast, eliciting several small chirps of irritation. In an instant, Rose’s brow twisted and wrinkled into tight knots, as if it was trying to keep her brain from tumbling out of the front of her head, and she doubled over in pain.

“Grraughhh-!!” She seethed through clenched teeth, trying to avoid making a scene, although it was clear to Alvus that she was in deep agony. Sweat and tears poured down her face, leaving dark spots on her dress as they fell.

“Rose! Are you alright?!” asked Alvus, placing a comforting hand on her back.

[Image 4]

“My head- Feels like…” She could barely speak. “It’s impossibly dense. My skull is sp- splitting open. Hundreds of voices, yelling into the void. I hear fury, and… sadness. Grief, and bliss, and hate… And- and-” Her face suddenly unfurled and her trembling subsided. “Nothing. I hear nothing now, it’s vanished.”

“What happened? What was that?!” Alvus had to know more, but Rose would not, or could not elaborate. Petunia resumed nipping as though nothing had happened, and there was once more silence between them, although where there was harmony before, there was now discord. Finally, after several minutes, Petunia yawned and nodded off, and Rose spoke.

“We’re leaving, Alvus,” she said, with an uncharacteristically desperate tone to her voice. She did not look at him. Her eyes focused downwards, deep into the grain of the carpet, and full of a terror he had never known her to possess.

“Wait, already? What happened to ‘showing good faith?’ Shouldn’t we at least stick around until they sign the-”

“We’re leaving,” she repeated, rebuttoning the flap on her dress, and Alvus knew she would not repeat herself a third time.