Growing Lilies

"What'd you want?"

Sunica closed the door behind her as she said it. She was feeling antsy to get back inside to Lily and the goblin. Leaving the two of them completely alone while the goblin was awake wasn't exactly comfortable. Although she thought Lily could probably take care of herself against someone who was that wounded.

It was just that Lily didn't seem to even register that the goblin could be a threat. That... Bothered her.

"Listen. It's clear to me that Lily is important. More important than I thought before."

She paused and Sunica could see an uneasy calculation running in her head. Adelina looked at Sunica, her expression flat, and continued.

"I need you to protect her while I'm not here."

Sunica felt the irritation was building in her chest. That was what she was worried about? Her next breath came out with a puff of steam.

"Of course I'll keep her safe. She's important to me, you know? It has nothing to do with you."

Adelina sighed. She sounded stressed, and Sunica's irritation subsided just a little. She could understand her being exhausted.

"Yeah. Well. Look. I don't know what she is anymore. But I do know that she's going to be a huge asset. If I want to become [Matriarch]--"

Rage blossomed in Sunica in an instant. Steam was ghosting off of her, flash heating the air. Her fists clenched dangerously. Her voice was a hiss.

"Is that all you care about!? How useful she is to you? I care about Lily, and if her being a key to power is all you care about then I won't let you take her."

Before she knew it she was looming over Adelina. She knew she couldn't take her in a fight, but right now she didn't care. She wasn't letting Lily just be a pawn in her family's political games.

The smaller girl shoved her in response, and yelled right back.

"How awful do you think I am? Do you really think so lowly of me? Why does everyone think of me like that? Of course I care about more than that! I'm not a monster!"

Adelina had tears in her eyes. Sunica stared at her in surprise. She had expected a cold calculated response. Not… this. But, she was still mad. It wasn't enough to say it.

"Because you act like it! It's all you talk about. And why are you even here? Not because you care about me! Because Lily is here, and Lily is important. And why do you want her to go to Avezare? Not because it will be good for her. But because Lily is important. Why did you agree to hear Lily out about the goblins? Because Lily is important! I think that's all you care about because I haven't seen you care about anything else!"

They stared at each other, anger flaring between them. Adelina was hurt. Sunica felt a pang of regret. But she was still angry! Nothing she said had been untrue!

"What do you want from me? I do care. I don't know how to make you understand that, or her! But you don't get it! You live down here, free to do anything you want, and you don't even do anything! I'm with Mother all the time! My whole life has been training to succeed her. Every second of every day I train for it. I didn't get to choose. It's the thing I was born for. It's my purpose. It's all I'm for. So excuse me for caring about that. I don't know how to be any other way!"

Sunica's tail whipped into the snow and flung water into the air. She almost threw a punch. Her mind was screaming it. But she forced herself to hold still. Her teeth groaned as she grit them.

"I'm free to do what I want?"

"You know what I mean!"

"I'm free to do what I want? Adelina, I am the shame Mother threw away like garbage. The people of this town treat me like it, even though I've lived here my whole life. I don't get to do anything, because I am not allowed to rise above my lot in life. I'm barely allowed to live here! Don't you dare–"

"So WHAT! Just leave then! You can go and do anything you want! All you've done is languish here and feel sorry for yourself! That's why you never level, you don't ever try to do anything!"

Sunica's face screwed up. She bit her lip so hard she felt her sharp canine puncture the skin a little. Pausing, she took a deep breath and a wisp of flame came out.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Neither do you!"

They stood, both trying to cool down in their own way. Sunica just wanted this conversation to end, now. She'd deal with these feelings on her own if she could just have some space.

"Don't worry. I'll protect your precious asset. But I don't believe for a second that you wouldn't throw us both away if it would benefit you."

Sunica spat the words, and Adelina reacted as if they'd hit her in the face. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, then turned and stormed off into the snow.

Lily and Flint had been sharing an awkward silence when the yelling began. They glanced at each other, and then looked away when their eyes met. They couldn't hear most of the words, but it was clear that an argument had started. Lily hoped it wasn't her fault. To her surprise, it was Flint that spoke first though.

"I guess that's the same anywhere."

"Huh?"

"Family fighting."

"Oh… Yeah. It's like that everywhere. I'm not from here either, and it's the same where I'm from too."

"Mm."

Silence returned. Lily desperately wanted to break it. How was she supposed to talk to him? She just didn't want to hurt him. But, they'd lived such different lives she didn't even know where to begin. She had questions, but would questions be painful…? Maybe she could try asking about him? But as she opened her mouth to try, he spoke first.

"Where are you from?"

Lily was about to try and figure out an excuse like she would for anyone else, but what was the point? Flint couldn't really tell anyone else, and if he did they wouldn't believe a goblin. So, she went with the truth.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Believe it or not, another world. One very different from here. Although, not so different in ways like that."

She gestured to the door and the argument behind it, before continuing.

"I've never met a goblin before. Or a balaur until recently. Only other humans, and there were so many of us. It was too much sometimes. No classes or leveling. No magic. But it had some good things too. I guess I'm pretty out of place here myself."

She expected him to react with some amount of shock, or just not believe her. Instead he smiled, showing off sharp teeth.

"I didn't know humans tell goblin tales too!"

Lily half smiled back. She had no idea what that meant.

"Uh, goblin tales?"

Flint nodded in reply.

"I'm sure you call them something else. Like human tales or something. But it's the same! What else? Were you someone important there?"

Lily had to laugh at that. She still wasn't sure what was happening. But, she could answer the question easy enough.

"No! Not at all. The lowest of the low. I went from not fitting in there to not fitting in here. What about you?"

Flint grinned at her mischievously, and then started into an explanation that reminded Lily heavily of being on a playground and listening to other kids.

"Of course I'm important! I'm the highest level [Firestarter] in my tribe, and am gonna be the highest level one in the world one day. On the day I was born a fragment of the sun broke off and came down to inhabit my body. So, I've got cool sun fire powers. I haven't figured them all out yet, 'cause I lost all my memories when it happened."

Lily had no idea what to do with that. But… well, she should probably just go with it?

"Oh. Uh… Wow. That's amazing! Got any powers you can show off here?"

Flint proudly held up his hand and snapped his fingers. On his thumb, a little flame danced. It was only about as big as the flame from a lighter. He held it up to her like a thumbs up and waggled his eyebrows. Lily couldn't help but giggle at that.

"Yeah, I know. Pretty cool right? I light all the fires for my tribe. Well… usually the campfire whenever it needs relit. But I'm real good at it. It doesn't even burn my finger! I can keep it up for–"

The door swung open and Sunica walked in, fuming. Despite the snow outside, she carried an aura of warmth inside with her.

"Um, Sunica? Are you okay?"

She did not look okay. She looked… haggard. As Lily watched, the balaur girl laid down face first on the floor, then flailed her arms and legs for a second and let out a frustrated yell.

"I'll take that as a no…"

Flint's fire had gone out, and he was staring at Sunica wide eyed. His face looked a little paler. After a few seconds, Sunica spoke, not bothering to get up from the floor.

"She just doesn't get it at all! She doesn't understand me, or my life, and she doesn't care about anything other than our stupid family! A family I don't even get to be a part of!"

"Ah. Well… That makes sense. Guess the talk didn't go well huh?"

Sunica turned her head so she could look at Lily.

"Ya think?"

Lily smiled back weakly.

"Sorry…"

"I just wish she would fuck off and leave us alone."

It felt a little weird to have just made her own peace with Adelina, and then hear Sunica talk like this. She wasn't sure what to say, so she said nothing. Eventually, Sunica let out a long suffering sigh and spoke again.

"How's your… friend?"

While she didn't love the pause or the fact that Sunica was addressing her rather than Flint, she was glad for the change of subject.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Sunica's gaze shifted to the goblin, and Lily could see her mull it over for a second. Her tail flicked irritably.

"How're you doing?"

Flint scowled back at her with hostility.

"You killed my friends and I'm still injured from the spell you hit me with."

Sunica's gaze shifted back to Lily. Her expression said it all. Lily didn't know how to overcome the ice cold atmosphere in the room. Flint wasn't wrong, of course.

"He's uh… Apparently a piece of the sun trapped in a goblin's body."

Flint crossed his arms and looked away.

"I wouldn't say trapped…"

Sunica looked in confusion at Lily.

"What does that mean?"

Lily shrugged in response.

"It means I'm really special, and I'm gonna be strong one day."

"Lily, don't let him trick you. That's clearly a lie."

"It's not a lie! Don't call me a liar!"

Great. She'd traded ice for fire. Lily glanced at Sunica and gestured subtly at Flint, trying to tell her to play along. Sunica just looked back at her uncomprehendingly. So, Lily tried a different tactic.

"Sunica here is gonna be a [Dragon King] one day! She's got a magical destiny, like yours."

"Wha– Lily! Don't tell people that!"

Flint looked at her with a little curiosity.

"You are? Really? Wait, I never asked. Lily what's your class?"

Lily smiled over at him.

"I'm a [Lady]! Fancy huh?"

"Uh… Obviously. I mean…"

He gestured at his chest, indicating his lack of breasts.

"Not like that!"

"That's so weird. I didn't know humans have classes for that."

Lily pressed her face into her palms.

"Sunica, help!"

Sunica laughed slightly.

"It's a title. It's like [Lord] but for women. Uh… Like a step or two below [Kings] and [Queens]?"

Flint thought for a second, biting his lip.

"That's weird. You're higher than Lily?"

Lily said yes at the same time Sunica said no. They looked at each other in a moment of confusion. Lily tried to clarify.

"Sunica's in charge. This is her house. I'm just a guest."

"Wait. No! What? Lily, you're a [Lady]. Even as a foreigner, there's not a person in Veni who shouldn't be showing you some level of deference."

Lily's heart sank. Was that true?

"What? That's stupid. I'm not a [Lady] from Avezare. Why would they listen to me?"

"Well, they don't have to listen to you. But they need to treat you with respect and try to cater to you where possible. Otherwise it could be a diplomatic issue."

"Diplomatic– That's not possible. I don't have a country to have a diplomatic incident with."

"I guess, but they don't know that. And Adelina is definitely going to make sure people treat you according to your rank."

"What? I don't want that! I don't want to draw attention! I'd prefer no one even look at me twice!"

Sunica shrugged, finally sitting up and getting more comfortable despite staying on the floor.

"I thought you understood that? Look, I'll do what I can to keep the worst of it away from you. You don't even have to go into Veni if you don't want to."

"... Actually, I think I do."

"Why? Did Adelina say something? You don't have to listen to her–"

"No! I just… I need to get used to people more. If I'm going to a big city, I think I need to take baby steps. Baby steps like going to Veni and talking to people. I'm scared, but that's gotta be the next step. I think."

"Oh."

Suddenly, a horrible gurgling sound pierced the air. Lily and Sunica both looked at Flint. His cheeks turned a shade of green darker.

"Are you… hungry?"

He darkened a little further.

"Uh… No? Why, got some food?"

Lily laughed, and started looking around for what they had to cook.