Family Reunion

Family Reunion
She rolled over in her warm bed, smiling slightly as the orange-red glow of the sun's light fell through the western windows of her room.  Gently, she pushed the blankets off herself and sat up, running a hand through her shoulder-length dirty-blond hair, brushing it from her face.  She stood and ran a brush through it before beginning to dress.  First she pulled on her skirt, followed by her corset/vest.  Pausing, she looked at her reflection in the mirror, her deep green eyes appearing almost black, but she smiled at her reflection and resumed dressing.

Next came her leggings which came up to mid-thigh and were secured with leather belts to hold them in place; she pulled on a similar pair of gloves, although they only looped around her middle finger.  They too were held on by leather tension belts, which she adjusted carefully so they'd be comfortable but not chafe.  She grabbed her boots next, remembering how much her mother had begged her not to buy them because they weren't part of the clothing that belonged to a member of a noble family.  She tied the laces then pulled on her belt, looping it through the belt-loops of her skirt, but not actually closing it in a way that would assist in holding the garment up, causing the one heavy pouch on it to hang somewhat loosely.

After checking the attire she'd already pulled on, she grabbed her weapon harness, pulling it on and securing the belts across her small chest.  Part of her was envious of her elder sister, as she'd got a very large endowment, but at the same time she was grateful because it would just be a nuisance while fighting.  Only a few weapons hung from the mostly empty harness; a pair of knives, a collapsible crossbow, and a quiver filled with bolts for the crossbow were all that remained.  Next, she grabbed her cloak; it seemed to be heavier than it needed to be as it had a layer of chain mail sewn into it to assist with durability and to provide some armour in combat.

Finally, she grabbed her oversized witch's hat, looking at it in the orangey light of the sun, admiring the light brown of the fabric, her fingers tracing over the buckle on the decorative belt before she pulled it on and smiled at her reflection.  Her father had given it to her when she had been young.  At the time, it had been much too large for her, but, as her mother had said, she would grow into it, and indeed she had.  Tucking back a few loose strands of hair, she smiled at her reflection and adjusted her hat playfully before pulling it down over one eye and scowling at her reflection then bursting out laughing and fixing it so it would be out of the way but shield her eyes from the sun.

She left her room, locking the door behind her and descending the stairs to the first floor of the inn she was staying at.  "Hey Andrew, I'll see you tomorrow morning," she said cheerfully, leaving a few pieces of silver on the counter while he signed her room out for another night.
"Symphia, I don't see why you don't just buy this place.  It's not like you couldn't," he chuckled, checking the room number on his ledger to make sure it matched with the previous day's.  "You're all set," he said, yawning slightly.
"Andy, if I bought this place, then Natalie would know where I am and attack me," she responded, turning and leaving, using her smaller frame to quickly weave through a small crowd of people that had come in.

Once outside, Sym pulled her cloak around herself a little more tightly to defend against the night's cool breeze, and considering her outfit's cut, it wasn't hard to see why.  She trekked through the streets, carefully navigating them, always throwing an eye over her shoulder when she turned a corner, always worried that someone might be following her.  She stopped at a pub and smiled as it was one which she visited every night.  Many of the staff knew her by name and she couldn't help but smile as a bottle of her favourite wine was brought to her while the mat idée led her to a private booth.  She tipped the waitress and the mat idée heavily before seating herself and uncorking the bottle, drinking it rather quickly and smiling as she began to feel light-headed.

-----

Elsewhere, a young teen was just waking up as well, feeling the suns orangey glow on her face.  She hugged a teddy bear with one eye and rubbed her own eye before she sat up with a yawn.  A maid stood by, holding up a pink dressing robe, which was draped around the girl's shoulders as she got out of bed.  The girl thrust the teddy bear into the maid's face while she pushed her arms into the robe's sleeves.  The girl's gray-green eyes seemed to stare through the maid before her teddy bear was handed back, which she greedily snatched.  The girl walked over to her vanity and seated herself at it, looking at her refection and at her messy hair.  The maid began to brush the girl's long brown hair, causing the girl to close her eyes and sigh happily.

"Has there been any news of my sister?"  she asked sharply, her voice very loud and abrasive, causing the maid to jump and drop the brush she was using.  The maid, a woman of 24 with dark blue-gray hair, knelt on the floor to the retrieve the brush and sighed slightly because she had to reach under the girl's chair for it.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Natalie, I wouldn't know that," she responded, sitting up and lightly brushing some hair off the brush she was using.  The young girl reached out and grabbed the front of the maid's blouse, pulling her down to eye level and glaring at her.
"Well then find out…" Natalie hissed, causing the maid to nod quickly.
"Yes Ms. Natalie!  I'll find out as soon as I finish your hair!"  the maid responded, standing back up and finishing the young teen's hair, styling it into twin-tails, Natalie's favourite hair-style.  She turned and left, closing the door behind herself and sighing slightly as she leaned against it.

"Natalie in a bad mood this morning?"  a man's voice asked, causing her to jump.  She looked over at a man in his late 40's.  His right eye was closed and his face was scarred, it was obvious he'd been injured in combat and lost his right eye as a result.  Although he wore a friendly smile, he had an aura around him that conveyed power and commanded respect.
"I'm afraid so, Matthew…" she responded, fixing the front of her outfit where Natalie had grabbed it.
"Don't worry, Anna, I'll talk to her and get it all straightened out," he said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.  Anna nodded then moved down the hall to steady her nerves a little while Matthew spoke with Natalie.  The elder guard pushed the door open, causing it to creek and the young girl spun around immediately, yanking a dagger from under her vanity and glaring at the guard.

"How many times have I told you not to do that?!"  she yelled, slipping the dagger back into its scabbard.  Matthew laughed softly and approached Natalie with a smile.
"I apologize for startling you," he said, kneeling down so she could hug him.
"Do you have any news of my sister?"  she asked, looking up at him expectantly.  The elder guard shook his head and she sighed in annoyance.
"We do know what cities she's visited, but it's hard to say exactly where Symphia may be right now, Natalie," he explained, looking out the windows overlooking the expansive backyard and the family grave plots.  He turned back to Natalie, who seemed to be trying very hard to rip off her teddy bear's head.  "Natalie, Mr. Orange hasn't done anything to deserve having his head ripped off," he said, gently taking the bear from her and checking its neck, making a mental note to have Anna look at it later to be sure it was okay still.

"I want my sister found and killed, Matthew!  I don't want excuses!"  the young girl snarled, standing up and looking up at the tall man.  "I'm entrusting this task to you, Matthew, do not fail me or you will join my brothers and sister in the ground…" Natalie growled, storming off and slamming the door behind her.  Out in the hall there was some muffled yelling that sounded like Natalie screaming about one thing or another before a door in the distance slammed.  Matthew looked down at Mr. Orange and sighed, looking from the bear to the window, then to the graveyard beyond.

-----

Symphia smiled as she emptied her fifth bottle of red wine and smiled drunkenly, calling for another.  The waitresses quickly bussed away the empty bottle and brought a fresh one, which Symphia promptly uncorked with her fingers instead of using a corkscrew.  She took a big swig of the bottle then grabbed one of the shorter waitresses and pulled her into her lap.  "You… you are the cutest girl in the world…" she slurred, giggling and helping the girl up with a slightly mushy smile.  She leaned forward and folded her arms, falling into a drunken slumber, the nearest waitress quickly rescuing the half-full wine bottle and re-corking it out of harm's way.  Sym slept quietly, slumped against the table for around an hour, but in her mind, much more time was passing.

-----

They were gathered in the drawing room, three young women and two young men, all them still grieving over the loss of their parents.  A well-dressed man wearing a white shirt, black pants, and a black tail-coat walked into the room, peering over his spectacles at the assembled people, the shortest of them, a girl in a witch's hat, falling to the floor as her chair gave way, causing the others to laugh softly at her misfortune.  She huffed and sat with her legs crossed in front of everyone else so she could see.

"As you may or may not know, your parents left a will to decide how their possessions would be divided up.  After reading it over, I feel that it is fair to all parties involved and thus I will begin by reading it over for your benefit," he paused and cleared his throat before continuing.  The assembled family members listened intently, wondering what their parents had decided upon.

"To our eldest son, Griswold, we leave the family business, to be passed down to Giselle, then to Michael, then to Symphia, and finally to Natalie once you have passed on.  To Giselle, we leave our grandmother's ball gown, a priceless possession in its own right as it cannot be replaced.  To Michael, we leave the family carriage, may it serve you well in your many business dealings.  To Symphia, we leave the house itself, to be passed down to Natalie upon your own passing.  Finally, to Natalie, we leave you Sabre and Loki, our prized horses, please look after them," he paused to let the offerings sink in somewhat.  It was clear that Symphia and Griswold had benefited the most so far, getting the family business and the enormous mansion they lived in.

Griswold looked rather pleased with himself, having gotten the family's merchant business, although he was a little envious of the small girl sitting in front of him, as she'd gotten their home.  Although, he was sure Symphia would let anyone that wished it to stay in the house with her, to keep her company if nothing else.  Giselle sighed and looked at the worthless dress hanging from a dress form, she had always hated that dress and perhaps she could sell it on the black market and get some money for it instead of wearing the tacky thing to any formal occasions.  She glanced sideways at her brother, Michael, who looked equally annoyed that he'd simply been giving something of no real value.

"The family fortune is to be bestowed upon Griswold and passed down to Giselle, then to Michael, then to Symphia, and finally to Natalie once you have passed on."  The legal representative was unable to continue as everyone, except Symphia and Natalie (who was still happy she'd been given her mother and father's horses), began to argue amongst themselves.  The smaller girl with the witch's hat stood and walked over to the elderly man, snatching the will from him, glaring up at him before reading it.  "You could have asked," he sighed, watching the young teen read it before huffing again and shoving it against his chest.  He grunted slightly in surprise and looked down at her with a disapproving glare.

"I don't want any of it…" she said, walking away, not interested in any of the material possessions her parents had left behind.  Symphia wanted her mother and father back, the man that had given her the hat on her head and the woman that had taught her how to make her own clothes.  She closed the door to the drawing room and headed up to her own bedroom, crawling onto her bed and sobbing into her pillow.  "Mommy… daddy…" she sobbed, taking her hat off and looking at it, remembering the day her father had placed it on her head, much to her mother's and her own delight.  "Please come back…"  She hugged the hat to her chest and closed her eyes, a single tear falling onto it.

-----

She awoke later, a waitress shaking her lightly from her drunken slumber.  "Excuse me, Ms. Askella, are you all right?"  she asked, smiling at the drunken woman.  She nodded slowly and took the bottle of wine she was offered.  "You were talking in your sleep again," she added softly, causing Symphia to blush slightly.  She stood and finished the last of her bottle of wine before wobbling toward the counter and paying for the six bottles of expensive wine she'd drunken then wobbled out the door and into the alleyway before turning to head down the street toward her favourite restaurant for a meal.

However, before she could travel far, she was confronted by a man of average height and slightly willowy build.  She looked him up and down (which was more do to her inability to keep her balance than curiosity) before walking toward him, ready to shove her way past him.  "Symphia Kelly Askella," he said, causing her to stop immediately.  "Now then… why don't you stop acting like this and come with me?"  he asked, looking down at her.  She glared up at him then laughed softly.

"Do you really think I'm going to go back to my sister, Matt?"  she asked, pushing him aside and returning to her original route down the street.
"Symphia!  Come back and talk with Natalie!  I don't want this pointless fight to keep going on!"  he shouted.
"No!  I'm not going back, Matt!  Natalie won't listen!"  she shot back, pulling her cloak shut.  Matthew grabbed her ankle and tripped her, panting slightly from having the wind knocked out of him.  The small girl fell to the ground, getting knocked unconscious when her head thumped against the ground.  The elder guard stood and checked her slightly, sighing.  He wasn't going to drag her back against will and decided to watch over her until she came to.
"Symphia…"

-----

She stood on the balcony at the back of the house, resting her forearms on the railing and looking out at the family grave plot.  Three relatively fresh graves lay beside those of her parents; Griswold, Giselle, and Michael had all died mysteriously and Symphia felt she needed to speak with her sister, wondering if there was a connection.  The French doors swung open behind her and she turned, looking at the young teen, clutching a one-eyed teddy bear by its neck in one hand.

"Natalie, did you do it?"  Symphia asked, never breaking contact with her little sister's eyes.  The younger girl didn't answer right away, walking to the railing instead and looking out over the back yard.
"Did I do what?"  she asked, not looking at her older sister.
"Did you kill our brothers and sister?" she asked, turning to look out over the yard.  They were silent for a long time simply looking out over the yard, both their views eventually trialing to the fresh graves in the family grave plot.  "I don't want the money, you can have it," Symphia finally said, looking at the younger girl.

"You can't do that… the will said that you have to die before I get the money…" Natalie responded looking at her older sister with a dark smile.  She turned and left Sym alone on the balcony, giggling softly as she closed the doors behind her.  "Goodbye… Symphia…"  There was a loud creaking sound, causing the young woman to look up at the above balcony.  It gave way, but she jumped over the railing, landing poorly as the balconies crashed down onto each other landing in the small garden that abutted the back of the house, leaving Symphia staring up at the French doors in disbelief, her sister's silhouette appearing.  The small girl grabbed her hat, which had come off in the fall, and pull it back on before limping away toward the main garden.  It was fenced in and the vines were in bloom, giving her a place to camouflage herself for a while to formulate a plan.

"Oh… my dear sister… how unfortunate…" Natalie snickered, gently pushing the door open and looking down at the pile of debris.  "Matthew, please call a repair crew, the balcony collapsed," she said calmly, walking away with a light snicker.  Matthew hurried to the doorway, pushing the French doors wide open and looking down at the pile of rubble below then at the broken structure above.  He sighed and traveled down the stairs to the back garden, picking through the debris but finding nothing.  He looked around, wondering what had caused the balcony to collapse.

Later that night, Symphia made her way toward the front door, limping because she'd twisted her ankle upon landing; she leaned back on her twisted ankle, gritting her teeth through the pain before kicking front doors in and breaking the locks, scattering bits of metal and wood over the marble inlay work on the entry hall's floor.  The pair of servants in the entry hall to dropped the silver tea set and china they were carrying, spilling the brown liquid and scattering broken ceramic and silverware all over the floor.

"M… Ms. Symphia!?"  the maid asked, sitting on the floor, holding a hand to her mouth.  Never before had she seen the young woman in such a fury before.  She watched curiously as the girl grabbed a bronze statuette of a woman in a flowing robe.  She gripped it in her right hand, her knuckles turning white from how tight her grip was.
"M… Ms. Symphia… w… what are you going to do?"  the maid asked, watching the witch-like girl as she made her way toward the grand staircase.  Natalie arrived at the top of the staircase, first glaring at the maid but then her gaze fell to the short girl standing in the middle of the entry hall.  For a few moments she didn't recognize her, but then it dawned on her and her mouth fell open.

"S… Symphia!?  W… what happened… I… I thought you w… were dead…" she said, watching Symphia's arm draw back, something golden in her hand.  "W… what is that…?"  she asked, blinking.
"That's for me to know and you to find out…" the smaller girl said, throwing the heavy statuette at her sister and striking her in the sternum, crushing the cartilage and breaking the bone.  Natalie clutched her chest, leaning forward and inadvertently tipping herself down the stairs, tumbling head over heels and landing in a heap at the bottom.  The pair of servants rushed to the young teen's side, Symphia smiling darkly as she stalked forward, drawing a dagger from under her corset/vest and stalking forward, ready to deliver the killing blow to her sister.  A man stepped between them, staring her down with his arms spread.

"Symphia!"

-----

"Symphia!"  Matthew said forcefully, shaking the small woman gently, hoping she wasn't hurt too badly.  She stirred then her eyes fluttered open, swinging hard at the elder guard, but ultimately missing as he dodged back, having anticipated the blow.  "Glad to see you're okay," he sighed, watching as she sat up, her hat stubbornly staying glued to her head.
"No thanks to you," she growled, getting up and turning to leave, but stopping when Matthew grabbed the tail of her cloak.  She looked down at him, her glare like ice.
"You won't even hear me out?"  he asked, his good eye meeting both of hers.  She sighed slightly and turned around completely and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back against the wall and looking down at him before closing her eyes.

"Natalie killed our entire family…" she growled, her voice low and cold.  "The only reason she wants me to come back is so she can finish the job and have the money to herself…"
"But you renounced your family, Sym!  She has no-"
"Natalie doesn't fucking care!  She thinks I have to be DEAD before she can have the money, even after I gave up on the Askella name!  I just want to live my life, Matt… I want to go explore like dad did, I want to meet exotic people and go to exotic places… I hate living here…" she explained, trailing off and looking up at the starry sky, thinking carefully about her next move.

"Fine… I'll come back and ki… er… talk to Natalie…" she groaned, watching Matthew smile triumphantly.  "Don't look so smug.  If this goes badly, one or both of us is going to be dead…" Symphia sighed, helping the elder guard get up.  They began walking toward the bridge, Matthew slowly growing worried as they neared the road that would lead back to the mansion.  Symphia paused at the bridge, looking down at the water below.  She'd crossed it many times in the past few months, but was terrified each time, she couldn't see the bottom and didn't know how strong the current was.

As they neared the middle of the bridge, Symphia was growing increasing nervous, but Matthew stopped and stepped near the edge, looking down into the water.  "I think it's about 13.7m deep, Sym," he explained, watching her near the edge as well, taking up a very poor stance for overlooking a river.  The elder guard smiled darkly and sat up slightly.  "You shouldn't sit like that, or something like this might happen!"  he said, shoving her over the edge.

"MAAAAAATT!!!"  she screamed falling very quickly then hitting the water and sinking rapidly, losing to gravity as she thrashed around, trying desperately to keep her head above the water as she sank.  He couldn't help but laugh; gaining her trust then killing her had been easier than he'd anticipated.  He watched the water on the other side of the bridge for several moments, wondering if any of Symphia's clothing would float up so he could take it back as proof.  When none did, he shrugged and moved on, heading back to the mansion to report good news to Natalie.

-----

"Do you really think anything will come of you killing her!?"  he asked, looking down at the short woman.  "Do you, Symphia!?"
"Don't defend her!  She killed Griswold, Giselle, and Michael!  She doesn't care anymore about my life than she did theirs!"  she shouted back, moving to step around him.  "Not get out of my way so I can end this madness!"  she ordered.
"No!  I won't let you kill your little sister!"  Matthew countered, drawing his sword and glaring at Sym.  "En-guard!"  Symphia watched the rapier lance forward, aiming to stab her somewhere to incapacitate her.  The smaller fighter spun, grabbing the edge of her cloak and using the heavy chain mail embedded within it to deflect the attack and deliver her own attack, her long knife slicing across the elder guard's face and right eye, blinding him.  She kicked him away but was jolted to the ground by a burst of electricity.

"Y… you forgot what I was learning…" Natalie wheezed, holding her chest with her right hand as electricity arced between her fingers on her left hand.  Symphia got up slowly, throwing the dagger at her sister (missing her mark) then walking away.  She stopped in the middle of the entry hall and turned around, looking at the injured elder guard, her little sister, the maid, and the butler that had gathered at the bottom of the stairs.

She took a deep breath then opened her mouth.  "I renounce the Askella name!"  she shouted, leaving through the broken front doors and heading toward the city, abandoning the mansion that was rightfully hers and the huge fortune that had been amassed by her parents prior to their death.  Matthew began laughing despite his injuries but Natalie didn't understand what had just happened.

-----

A drenched woman scaled the rocks near the bridge's eastern pier.  She looked up when someone dressed in all black approached, reaching for a knife that was concealed near her waist.  "Relax, I'm trying to help you," he said, his deep voice barely audible, offering a gauntlet-clad hand to the soaked woman, who gladly took it.  "You all right?  I've never seen anyone survive this river before," he said.  She nodded before speaking.
"Have you seen my hat?"  she asked, looking up at the man dressed in black, who shook his head, his red and gold two-toned eyes causing her to look at him curiously before turning away and looking down at the water.  Her hat was hung up on a rock not far away, so she leaned down and grabbed it, wringing it out some before putting it on.  The cloaked man smiled then made his way up the steep bank.
"If you're in need of a place to dry off, I can rent you a room," he said, but she was already crossing the bridge, staying as close to the middle of it as possible, afraid of another dunking.  The enshrouded man shrugged and trudged off down the road, heading somewhere east of the bridge.

Symphia headed back to the inn, hoping no one had seen her as she ducked inside and headed up to her room without a word to Andrew.  Upon reaching her room, she quickly locked the door and headed to the bathroom, wringing her clothes out as best she could before hanging them up to dry and stepping into the shower, turning the water on and breathing softly as she felt the warm water rush over her exhausted body.  She sat on the tile floor of the shower, hugging her knees to her chest, tears welling up in her deep green eyes.

"I can't trust anyone anymore…" she sobbed, feeling her body slowly warm as the water washed over her.  Symphia still couldn't believe her luck after hitting the water; her hat had captured a pocket of air giving her an extra breath.  She'd climbed out and been rescued by someone she didn't even know… maybe there were good people the world still.  She got up slowly and washed, breathing softly before stepping out and wrapping a towel around herself.  Looking around the room, she sighed, seeing all her wet clothes, but smiling at her hat, it had saved her life.

She left her stuff to dry and walked back into her bedroom, laying down making herself comfortable, snuggling under her blankets and smiling as the sun began to rise; she'd survived another night and escaped another attempt by her sister to kill her.  Rolling over, she smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the inviting warmth of her bed.

-----

It was just after sun-up when Matthew arrived home, stepping inside and walking up the grand staircase then turning down the hall and walking to Natalie's room to check on her.  She was sitting up in her bed, looking out the window, watching the sunrise.  He stepped in and closed the door behind him, approaching her bed.  "Ms. Natalie, you should be asleep," he said, watching her look over at him.
"I was just watching the sunrise…" she said, turning to him with tears in her eyes.  The elder guard sat on the edge of her bed and she hugged him immediately, crying into his chest.  "I miss mommy!"  she wailed, crying hard into his chest as he held her.

"Shh… everything will be okay Natalie," he said, rubbing her back slowly, smiling lightly at her.  "I have some good news for you, Natalie," he added when she began to calm down.  The young teen looked up at him expectantly and smiled despite her tears.
"And that would be?"  she asked, her voice cracking slightly as she fought back tears.
"Symphia is dead," he said with a smile, causing the small girl to pounce on him excitedly and cuddle against his chest.  He laughed softly and rubbed her back, looking into the smiling face he never thought he'd see again.
"That's better news than I could ever ask for…" she purred, hugging him tightly and smiling brightly.
"You should go to bed dear; you can celebrate her passing when you wake up," he suggested, gently laying the young teen down and tucking her in with her teddy bear.  She giggled softly and nodded, snuggling under the blankets and smiling.  Matthew turned and left, leaving Natalie to sleep alone and celebrate the death of her sister upon the next eve's dawn.

The elder guard still couldn't believe he'd killed Symphia so easily, that she had really been so simple to lure into such an amateur trap.  Matthew headed to the drawing room, the large windows overlooking the city and the river that separated the city and the surrounding countryside.  He gazed long at the bridge, sighing slightly, something nagging at him as he looked at it, something important it seemed.  He wondered if maybe should have waited to see if she managed to escape or if she had actually been killed.

-----

The next evening dawned with a cold and incessant drizzle pattering on the roof of the inn Symphia had spent the night in.  She got up and, with her towel from the previous day, stepped into the bathroom, dressing quickly before smiling at her slightly messy reflection.  She didn't feel the need to make herself look nice today, she wasn't going to visit any of the places she normally did, she was going to dirty her hands with human blood and she was going to end someone's life.  Looking nice had no place in that sort of business.

After leaving her room, locking the door and dropping the key off at the main desk, she bade Andrew farewell and walked down the road, her boots tapping against the cobblestones and splashing through puddles.  The bridge loomed before her once more, this would likely be her final crossing of it and in the middle of it, a tall and slightly willowy man with one eye and an ugly scar on his face confronted her.  He smiled at her and drew his rapier, waiting for her to approach.

"So, you survived," he said, watching the small woman approach.  She drew both her knives and spun them in her hands in a show of dexterity.
"You've always been a traitor, Matt… I just stopped forgiving you for it yesterday…" Symphia said, approaching him slowly.
"A traitor?  I've always been honourable and trustworthy," the elder guard responded, taking a half-step back from the approaching woman.
"You've always been a liar too… you were the one responsible for mother and father's deaths... and you tried to kill me…" she growled, stopping three metres from him.  He laughed softly and watched her as she waited for him to move.

"You are a clever one, Symphia… how did you know that Cecil's and Julia's deaths were my doing?"  he asked, feeling his heart begin to hammer as guilt began to well up.  Symphia laughed softly, watching him for a few moments more before speaking.
"You didn't cry at their funeral," she said, watching as his smug look disappeared entirely.  "I knew right away that you had something to do with it, but it wasn't until yesterday that I was certain it was your hand that they died at…"  She launched herself at him, one of her long knives riding against his rapier, throwing sparks and forcing him back several steps as her smaller but much higher mass collided with him.  She wrenched her knife, nearly throwing Matthew's weapon from his hand as she came around, aiming to stab him in the stomach, but missing and instead ripping through his cloak.

Matthew swung with his rapier, aiming to cut Symphia's face like she had cut his over two years ago.  Her left arm came up and the light sword cut into her arm, burying itself in but stopping instead of cleaving off her hand.  His eyes went wide and Symphia smirked, jamming her knife into his thigh, cutting through the bone line a twig.  "You can't honestly have forgotten that so easily since yesterday…" she growled, abandoning the knife lodged in his leg and driving her fist into his stomach, winding him and shoving him away.  The elder guard said nothing as he tried to take up his stance once more but dropped to one knee instead, the pain in his leg too much to bear.

"I thought you'd be stronger…" she said, walking over to him, jamming a foot against his knee and yanking her knife from his wounded leg before grabbing a handful of his hair and forcing his head back, glaring at him.  "I used to trust you…"  With that, she raked the knife across his throat and abandoned his corpse, taking his sword and heading toward the mansion.  The walk up the road leading to the house was especially long today; revenge was something so sweet that Symphia wondered if killing Matthew really had been enough to make her parent's deaths worthwhile.

Arriving at the front step, she walked up them one at a time, taking the five stairs at a deliberately slow pace.  She reached up to knock but stopped and looked at the door before pushing it lightly, feeling it give a little bit before she stood up straight then turned away and walked back down the steps and a about a metre down the walk before running at full speed and kicking the doors in like she'd done two years ago.  Bits of metal and wood were scattered across the entry hall's floor as the doors exploded inward, announcing her entry to an empty entry hall.

Symphia walked first to the side of the room, grabbing the same bronze statuette she'd thrown at her little sister two years prior and smiled, feeling the weight of her chosen weapon in her hand.  She walked toward the grand staircase and took a deep breath, smiling darkly; it was finally time to deal with Natalie, to deal with the girl that had killed everyone in their family.

"NATALIE ASHLEY ASKELLA!"  Symphia screamed, waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her sister.  A maid with dark blue-gray hair appeared from the hallway a few moments later, her face turning as white as her blouse when her eyes fell on the short, witch-like woman at the bottom of the stairs.  Her knees gave out and she fell to the floor, clutching the railing and looking down at her.  Symphia rolled her deep green eyes as the maid fainted.  A few moments later, a young teen with long brown hair and gray-green eyes emerged from the hallway, looking around cautiously.  She first looked from the unconscious maid to the familiar witch hat wearing woman standing at the bottom of the stairs, her jaw dropping.

"S… Symphia… I… I thought-"
"Matt killed me?  He tried and failed," she said, discarding his rapier and smiling slightly.  The weapon clattered away, coming to rest near the bottom stair.  The younger girl at the top of the stairs, cowering at the edge of the hallway, went very pale.  "You're not going to faint on me too are you?"  Symphia asked, taking a step toward the stairs.  Natalie cowered back, getting up and disappearing down the hall, the sound of a door slamming echoed in the quiet building.

Symphia climbed the stairs, smiling slightly as she reached the top and walked toward her sister's room, but she stopped, seeing Mr. Orange on the floor where Natalie had been cowering.  Discarding the bronze statuette, she picked up the bear and smiled at it, remembering the day she'd given it to her little sister, the way she'd hugged it and carried it with her everywhere.  Sym blinked, pausing.  Was it possible that Natalie still cared for her?  She was intrigued now, interested in seeing if it were true or not.

Reaching her sister's door, she tried the knob, which, naturally, was locked, so she took a step back then kicked the door in, scattering bits of wood over the hardwood floor inside.  She smiled, seeing the girl cowering under her pillow; the slight sounds of crying were audible as she crept closer, drawing one of her knives and discarding Mr. Orange before yanking the pillow off her sister's head.  Natalie screamed and looked up at her older sister, shaking.

"Please don't kill me Symphia!"  she begged, tears streaming down her face.  The small woman grabbed her by her shoulder and pinned her to the bed.  "NOOOO!!!"  she screamed, trying to fight her sister's superior strength but failing miserably.  Symphia was silent as she held her little sister down, waiting for any final words or even an attack, something to make it more worthwhile.  When none came she rolled her deep green eyes and drove the knife into her sister's heart, killing her instantly.  She twitched one last time and let out a final squeak.  "Mommy…"

Symphia withdrew the knife and sighed, it was all hers now; the house, the family business, the money… but she didn't want any of it, she just wanted her family back, her mother and father, her brothers and sister, all those that hadn't deserved to die.  She looked down at her dead sister then at the blade of her knife and shook her head.  "Don't be stupid…" she said to herself, wiping the blade and slipping it back into its scabbard.  She left her dead sister's room, stepping over Anna's unconscious body and sighing to herself.

She had killed her little sister and her little sister had killed their older brothers and sister and Matthew had killed their parents.  Briefly, she wondered if other noble families had such bloody feuds then giggled slightly, of course they did.  Symphia sighed and left, leaving the mansion but looking back at it when she was halfway down the walk.  "I'll return someday…" she said, heading down the walk.