In the clouds

I see

happy trouts

jumping from the sea.

A powerful ship,

a mighty crown,

a rose hip

above our town.

With my eyes I spy

a playful dove

and a butterfly,

showing Eli’s love.

A cloudy heart

I discover.

He is our shepherd,

but he makes us tougher.

Princess Valerie beamed with pride after reciting her poem. She looked at her older sister Iris expectantly, who was sitting in her book nook, surrounded by ancient tomes and spell books. Since the plague first fell over the kingdom a few months ago, Queen Iris had been very busy. But she still made time to listen to her sisters poetry.

“That is a beautiful poem, Valerie! It surely will give our people hope and some distraction from this damn sickness.”

Valerie bowed in front of her queen sister. She sighed, looking at the mountain of work Iris had to shoulder.

“I wish I could help you more than just writing poems-”

Iris interrupted her: “Don’t ever feel bad or unimportant, Valerie. You don’t need magic to help me; your poems are doing a great job of keeping the people hopeful. And that is invaluable.”

Valerie looked at Iris. Her face and neck were covered with vines, the mark of magic in their bloodline. Valerie’s mark barely covered her cheek and was very faint. Iris’s mark was paler today, too - a sign of weakness. Valerie looked around the room, making sure they were alone. Then she stepped nearer and said in a low voice:

“Making plague medicine for all the sick must be a big strain on your body. No human can do it forever without a patron’s help. The other kingdoms can rely on their patron gods. Should we-”

Iris’s eyes widened in shock.

“Stop talking!” She jumped up, paper and scrolls flying everywhere. She looked around frantically. After seeing they were alone, she calmed down a bit. She walked up to Valerie and whispered in an agitated voice:

“Never. Ever. Speak. These. Words. Again. Nobody can ever find out about the state of the purple bloodline. And that Eli is absent at the moment. When the other kingdoms find out, they will eat us up like cake. A kingdom without a patron god is like a turtle without its shell. Doomed.”

She grabbed Valerie and shook her.

“You don’t even know what I have to do every day, making cures so the sickness does not overtake our people. Fighting the fight until Eli is back. Studying our family library, honing my magic skills. I am so close to summoning him.”

Valerie stayed silent. She had heard these words too many times. Iris continued whispering:

“I know you don’t like that we have to pretend these cures I made are from Eli. But it will change soon. I am really sure I will be able to reconnect to him any day!”

Valerie looked down at the floor. Iris put her hand under Valerie’s chin and raised her head, making her look at her.

“Valerie. Can I trust you not to do or say stupid things? Or do I have to use silence magic again?”

“Yes, you can trust me,” Valerie answered quickly, not wanting to make her sister exert herself even more. Being put under a silence spell was awful too, but Valerie had gotten used to it over the years. Perks of being the annoying younger sister without magic defenses.

“Good.” Iris looked calmer now. “How about you go outside and look at some more clouds? Your poem could use some more stanzas.”

Valerie bowed before her sister and did as she was told.