Felicie's Subterfuge

The Identity of Sisters

The Identity of Sisters

The unnamed town didn't have an abundance of the usual shops - cobblers, blacksmiths, etc - but there were a considerable number of inns dotted throughout the abandoned buildings. This town wasn't really anyone's home but the people who came here still needed a place to sleep. That made inns the most abundant and most profitable business here.

Finding one to rent a room that would allow Felicie to take care of Addie wasn't difficult. The hard part was finding one that would allow her to have a bath. The town had fallen into disrepair and abandonment before indoor plumbing had become commonplace. What had once been wealthier manors did have pipes, but they were mostly rusted and broken. The reclaimed buildings that wanted plumbing had to add it themselves and since customer care wasn't a big concern here, few of them had done so.

The inn that they finally found didn't have plumbing, but there was a strong young man who would fetch water from the well to fill a tub for the right price. He wouldn't heat it, so the water was cold, but it was the only bath Addie had enjoyed in a long time and she didn't much care.

The first tub she washed in turned nearly black. The second one was dark brown. But when she emerged from them - with Felicie's help as she couldn't stand on her own - she was finally, mostly, clean. The dirt and muck were washed away and she was hoisted from the dirty water, shedding the disguise as her features settled back into their normal configuration.

Felicie who had been bathing her, carried her back to the bed. Cy was off checking on his ship, alerting Wallis and Andrea to what had happened, and really just giving them some privacy. The room was quiet as Felicie focused on the task of cleaning her sister.

Addie's knees were misshapen and uneven now. One was able to bend slightly, but not fully, and the other seemed trapped only in a fully outward position. Her ankles were similarly deformed as the taught heel cord at the back had been cut through, leaving them appearing far too frail and thin.

Addie, dressed in Felicie's spare clothes, quickly pulled a blanket over her legs to hide them. Not because the sight bothered her, but because she knew the sight bothered Felicie.

As she was settling the blanket in place, Felicie reached out and took her hand. She held it between her own, tears falling down onto their intertwined fingers.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered, her voice raw and tortured as though she had been screaming.

Addie smiled peacefully, leaning in to rest her head on Felicie's. "What are you sorry for?"

"For not... For not coming for you. For letting you stay there. If I had come for you sooner..."

"It wouldn't have mattered." Addie chuckled, unconcerned. "This happened to me really early, Felicie. I was trying to escape from the moment they captured me. Even if you had left the second you heard word I disappeared, it wouldn't have made a difference."

"Still... I should have done something."

"Hey." Addie reached out and stroked her cheek, lifting her face. "It's not your fault. I knew something like this was always a threat. I'm lucky I'm even alive."

"How can you still smile? You'll never walk again..."

Addie shrugged, a frown forming. "If anything, Felicie, I owe you an apology."

"Me? Why?"

"They were using me for information. I tried not to give them anything useful, most things I told them they would be able to find out anyway. A couple weeks ago, though, they started asking me about you. They wanted to know who you were and where you came from. It's common knowledge back home, so I told them. But... I still feel like I betrayed you."