Kathryn stared at the ground wordlessly, as her parents' coffins were lifted into the Fer Harten vault, and the stone was sealed over again. Her mother and father were the two newest additions to be put into the final resting place of her family. Kathryn clenched her jaw. She would never end up in that marble structure, never!
She stared at the marble lid, engraved with golden and silver designs. "I'll make something out of myself," she vowed softly. "I won't end up like you, more concerned with who you were visiting, than helping others. I'll be myself, I won't be in the shadow of my name. I won't be like you were, won't be like anyone else!
"I swear it."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kathryn stared up at the tall, forbidden-looking house, with dismay. This was where she was supposed to be living until some man decided he wanted to marry her? How depressing. She looked even more doubtful as she was led up the steps and walked inside.
Her aunt and uncle were all right, she supposed, for relations she barely knew. She didn't think she'd have a very close relationship with them though. They didn't seem to like her very much.
Stephan fer Kiliker was her mother's brother. He didn't look much like her, that's for sure. While her mother had been blond and blue-eyed, he was black and green-eyed. He was tall and thin, with a rather severe expression constantly on his face. When he was looking at her, Kathryn always had the feeling she had done something wrong. She decided she didn't like him very much.
His wife was a little bit better. Emily fa Kiliker had long, curly chestnut hair and soft blue eyes, with a gentle expression in them. Kathryn had the feeling she wouldn't be seeing that gentle expression much, when they got to know her. Still, maybe this could be her new start, her chance to have a family, friends...
But the moment she clapped eyes on her cousin, Portia, all thoughts of a new start were wiped away. The girl was looking at her with an expression of pure loathing. How people weren't going to treat her like they had back home, when a girl like that was clearly out to make her life miserable? But why was she so angry? This was the first time Kathryn had ever met her.
Suddenly, she wished she was back home.
Emily was the first to speak. "Welcome Kathryn, dearest," she said, smiling, as she approached her niece by marraige. "It is an honour to have you in out home." Portia snorted. Kathryn noticed Emily ignored it on purpose.
She curtsied. "It is an honour to be here, Aunt Emily." She decided not to say she wanted to go back home, and that she didn't really like these people. It might offend them, she decided, as she smiled back. But nothing could stop her from stiffening as her uncle approached her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Portia look on with sudden interest, clearly wondering why she was so wary of her father. Kathryn wondered why as well.
"Lady Kathryn fa Harten," he said formally. Kathryn looked up at him, confused as to why he was saying her title. Emily looked at her husband, an eyebrow arched, clearly thinking along the same lines as her niece. Portia was eating this up.
"We are grateful to have you here with us, and we regret the unfortunate death of your parents." The last few words he had to struggle to say, as if it hurt to talk. Kathryn had the feeling he hadn't liked her parents at all.
"Thank you Uncle," she replied, thinking, There is no way I'm going to satisfy you by saying titles. It obviously worked, as she saw Stephan's forehead furrow with annoyance. Kathryn turned to Portia. "It is good to see you as well cousin."
Portia only pursed her lips, sniffed and turning on her heel, and walking away. Kathryn raised her eyebrows as she disappeared from the hall, into a room. Her mother looked embarrassed, as if Portia shouldn't have done that at all, and her father looked satisfied, which made Kathryn vbery suspicious. What was going on? Had they something planned for her?
Suddenly home didn't seem that bad after all. It was certainly better than here.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kathryn soon came to know what her relations had planned. To completely and utterly ignore her. She came to realize that they considered her a pest, an annoyance that had somehow made her way into their household. And she didn't like that one bit.
With the exception of Emily, her uncle and cousin ignored her and acted like she did not exist, ignoring her at mealtimes and passing her over in conversation. Emily was the only one who tried to include her, attempts which failed miserably.
Kathryn soon decided that even home had been better than this. At least at home she hadn't been ignored. Here, she didn't even exist. Now all she had to do was decide which was worse... Definitely here. She couldn't believe she was saying this, but she wished she were back at home.
But she hadn't a home to go to anymore. Since the death of her parents, the house was now in Kathryn's possession - but she also couldn't accept it until she was twenty-one, years away. All the servants had been sacked, and given references, and Kathryn had been sent to her only relation in the area - her mother's brother. They were the only ones left in Emelan - the others were in different countries nearby - Sotat, Capchen, Anderran and various others.
And Kathryn didn't like any of them. Particularly her relations in Emelan itself. Besides none of them liked her either! What was the point, why did she have to go to relatives at all? She'd heard of other noble girls being sent to one of the Living Circle Temple, Lady Sandrilene fa Toren being possibly the most well known, due to her strange powers. Maybe people would like me better if I had strange powers, Kathryn thought miserably. In the months she had come to her relations she had changed dramatically. She was no longer quiet and gentle, instead sullen, miserable and constantly angry. Often she lost her temper and her relatives were quickly tiring of her, particularly Stephan.
Emily had tried to get her to open up, but as Kathryn had continued to push her away, finally, even she gave up, leaving her alone. It soon became well known to everyone in the household, to keep far away from Kathryn and not to speak to her. It was not a good way to live for the young girl.
Sometimes, if she looked at her uncle out of the corner of her eye, she's see him looking at her with intense hatred. But she had never done anything to him, indeed she had never met him until now. She was almost entirely sure something had happened between him and her mother sometime, years ago, before she had been born. Often, she wished she could have asked her mother about him, but she had never had a close relationship with any of them. It was as if her uncle was blaming her for something her mother had done. But what?
If her uncle was bad, her cousin was worse. Portia, it appeared, had a grudge on her, from the very moment she had stepped into her home, if not even before that. But why? As with Stephan, Kathryn had never met them before now. But what she wanted to know, was why. Why was she doing this to her?
It was on a windy day, three months after she had first come to her relations, that the first event happened, that would decide her fate. She and Portia had been out riding, sidesaddle. (Stephan thought girls shouldn't ride like men did, much to Kathryn's horror.) A stable hand was a little bit behind them, to keep an eye on things, and to make sure nothing went wrong.
Portia was riding a litle bit in front of Kathryn, and had positioned her pony so that Kathryn couldn't pass her out. Kathryn gritted her teeth in anger. Portia was completely convinced that she was better than Kathryn, all because Kathryn had lost her parets and her home. And for the fact Portia resented the fact Kathryn had come to her home. Kathryn wondered how her cousin would react if she ever found out Kathryn resented being here as well.
But Kathryn's pony, an energetic grey gelding, didn't like the fact that Portia's chestnut mare was in front. Kathryn tried her best in controlling him, but eventually her pony nudged Portia's aside and trotted away ahead. Portia was furious, and whacked her gentle mare hard with her riding crop and rode up beside Kathryn, who was secretly pleased with what her pony had done, but she couldn't tell her cousin that!
"What do you think you're doing?!" Portia demanded, blue eyes snapping. "I was in front!" She looked positively furious.
Kathryn shrugged. "I'm sorry, it was my pony. He decided he wanted to be in front. You know how competitive horses are. You can be in front going home if you like."
Portia tossed her man of black hair. "I won't be in front coming back! I'll be in front now! And don't you dare call my home, your home! You don't belong here!"
"Portia!" Kathryn snapped, eyes blazing. "Shut up and stop acting like a spoilt brat!"
"How dare you!" Portia yelled. The stable hand was trotting up to them, looking worried. "You don't belong here scum! That's what Papa says, and according to him you're just as bad as your mother was! You can't even ride that pony!" Angrily, she pushed Kathryn hard.
Kathryn yelped, as she went sliding, and held on for dear life, as she slipped and slid, frantically trying to hold on. Her pony was becoming nervous, fidgeting, clearly wondering why Kathryn was going all over the saddle.
She eventually righted herself, and faced Portia, who was slightly sorry for her outburst. When she saw Kathryn's face, she paled. Kathryn looked like she was ready to commit murder!
"What on earth convinced you to just do that Portia?" Kathryn asked, in a dangerously calm voice. "I could have been killed!" Kathryn's voice was rising dangerously high with every second.
"What convinced you?!?!?" she screamed. And chaos errupted.
The wind, which had been loud all day, suddenly became a dangerous gale, tossing the trees and screaming its fury. The horses screamed, utterly terrified. Kathryn and Portia fought to keep them under control, which was a hard thing to do, considering their hair was flying into their faces and eyes, and their skirts were tangling around them. Suddenly the heavens opened, as the clouds turned grey and rain came pouring down.
Thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed across the sky. "What's happening?!" Portia cried, terrified. Kathryn didn't answer, more concerned with her pony's safety, than the safety of her cousin. Suddenly bright yellow light flashed in front of her eyes, and she hissed, clamping a hand over her eyes, as spots danced in front of them. She was sure that it hadn't been lightning, so what had it been?
And then... it just stopped. The wind died down to what it had been earlier. The rain stopped. The thunder died away. The lightning disappeared. The storm was completely gone. A few moments after it had started.
Kathryn blinked, and slowly looked around. What had just happened? She began to pat her pony on the neck, trying to came down the frightened creature, when she heard Portia gasp. She looked over at her. "What?"
Portia was looking at her as if she had suddenly grown another head, or had turned blue or something. "It was you, wasn't it? You caused the storm!"
Kathryn frowned. "Are you crazy Portia? How on earth could I have caused that storm!"
"You did!" she insisted. "You're turning out just like your mother, just as Papa said!" Tossing her hair, she turned her pony and started towards home. Kathryn, thoroughly confused, followed her.
"Besides," Portia called back. Kathryn looked up, having been lost in her thoughts. "Your mother had a golden light around her, just like you had there, while the storm was on. You can't have much more proof than that!"
Kathryn turned pale. What was going on? What was happening to her?
