The people who had been closest to her sister knew the truth, and Rose knew it, too. But somehow…after losing her sister, she found that she couldn’t focus on her work as she once had. It had taken time to train her replacement—to hone, in her, the skills, mannerisms, and voice that had been a facet of her exploits for so many years. But in the end, she’d managed it.
It had taken her longer to find the Light—the hallmark of her twin’s power. Each day had been one disappointment after another, but she knew she couldn’t give up. She never questioned why she was seeking to become her sister within the priesthood. She never wanted to look that hard at the reasons. It simply became a passion following her twin’s untimely death.
The news came one day from the frontlines of the Broken Isles, a messenger bearing the seal of Stormwind. He was young, barely more than sixteen or seventeen at most. He’d knocked on the door to her parents’ home, and when her mother had opened the door, seen the parchment with its seal, she simply left the door open, leaving Rose and her father to answer it as she retreated into the bedroom.
Rose nodded to the young man, offering him a few coins for his trouble as she took the missive. “I guess the war has them busy, then?” she asked him, and he simply nodded, his features grim and stoic. “Normally they’d send one of the head priests or a knight,” he’d replied, “But with the Legion’s armies here on Azeroth, it’s all they can do to manage the influx.” He’d been about to leave, then paused, looking back up at Rose, his eyes so young and expressive, full of apology. “I’m sorry for your loss….”
With that, he’d turned and hurried on his way. There had been more than one letter in his possession.
Rose blinked, pulling herself from the memory and seeking to refocus her efforts on her prayers. But the memories continued in spite of her efforts at mouthing the holy words.
“Why would you choose the moniker your sister took?” Anetta asked her. She had made her first connection with the Light only a few days before, and the priestess trainer had finally given her leave to study as one of them.
“Why does it matter?” Rose had replied, her tone touched with frustration. “There’s no Priestess Syrenity within the Church now. So I will take on the name and continue her work.”
Anetta seemed about to say something, so Rose cut her off. “That’s all there is to it. You can either agree to it, or I’ll find someone else who will.” She knew she sounded angry and childish, but she wasn’t about to give up on the path she had chosen.
The look on the trainer’s face was filled with pity, something that made Rose clench her fists and grit her teeth, but to her relief Anetta merely replied, “In spite of your irreverence, I will consider your request. In the mean time, you still have much to learn, Acolyte.”
As the chant continued around her, Rose’s lips fell silent, unable to recall the words any longer.
Still much to learn….
With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes and bowed her head, her shoulders bent forward in defeat, her kneeling figure hunched forward in seeming exhaustion. While the power of the Light had eventually come easily to her, filling her sister’s shoes had proven far harder. And far from feeling the serenity her sister must have felt when she’d taken her new name, Rose found the mantle, often, stifling. Still, she’d spent years mastering disguises, mannerisms, seemings, and illusions. And for the people at the Abbey, she maintained her sister’s outward calm and serenity. But here, now, kneeling on the cold stone floor of the Abbey, about to be given the rank of priestess in her own right, she only felt the loss of her twin more keenly.
Why aren’t you here?
The anguish in her heart, the drone of the chant—how had she ever thought she could find her sister again by seeking to follow in her footsteps?
After a few moments languishing in that despair, she lifted her head, straightened her shoulders, and resumed her place in the prayer with the others joined there to take their oaths in service to the Light.
I will keep trying, Wren. I will find you again, one day. I will.
((Probably a bit superficial, but I’ve had this idea lying around for a while and felt this the perfect prompt to pick it up again. There’s a whole backstory to Rose and Wren that details their days as twins–one a holy priestess, the other a rogue in service to Ravenholdt, and many missed opportunities for Rose to be closer to her sister. In the end, this is a strange way to try and bridge that gap–and a lie that may or may not turn out to be a good thing. I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.
I hadn’t really realized the implications this could have with Shadowlands coming out, but now I’m thinking about those, too. Not sure if I’ll bring back Rose’s twin there or not, …but we’ll see!
I -really- love these prompts and am rather sad I hadn’t seen them until your message got pinned to the top of the forum. Having found them, though, I’m so happy I did. I’m loving reading all the other writers’ stories, too. So thank you for this! I’ll look forward to when you reprise your efforts, and I’ll take a look at the other prompts in the days and weeks to come–and maybe write a thing or two, too!))