Chapter Text
Some 20-odd years ago, there was a fight in the woods. One set of twins against another - an old grudge gone sour. After years of unfounded rivalry, Edward and Lydia were angry and jealous that Lup and Taako were fast tracked to the top of the social ladder when the crown prince fell for Lup and a high ranking royal guard fell for Taako.
Lup and Taako don’t want to fight, but when they’re pressed, they retaliate. Edward falls at Lup’s hand, and he doesn’t get up. She didn’t particularly mean to do it, but everything was moving so quickly and she simply let her instincts take over.
Lydia screams and rushes to her brother’s side. Lup and Taako take the opening and flee.
Some years later, Taako’s in the woods by himself. He’s taking in the peace and quiet after all the commotion that came with his sister’s wedding and coronation. He feels a presence behind him and turns to find Lydia. Still angry and wracked with grief, she attacks him. Not with weapons or fists, but a sharp pain lances through his head and his vision goes white. When it passes, she’s gone. Not that he remembers she was there. All he can remember is his name and that he is alone. Always has been.
After losing Edward, Lydia scoured the lands for the most painful revenge she could inflict on Lup. Death would not be enough. What she found was a magical golden flower growing all on its own in the darkest depths of the forest. Being in its presence, she felt stronger and more powerful than ever before. She harnessed the magic within the flower to give herself abilities beyond what anyone had seen before. She pondered for ages how she could use her newfound power to take her revenge, and when she found Taako in the woods, she decided that if she couldn’t have her twin, Lup couldn’t have hers.
She dug deep into the power the flower provided to her, and stole any trace of Taako’s existence from the world. She made it as if he never existed at all. But with that exertion came a price. She could no longer use the magic she was given, and her body began to wither if she stayed too far from the flower for too long. It could sustain her and her curse, but nothing further.
Back in the palace, the king and queen want for nothing but a child. They can’t make one on their own, so they begin searching for a miracle. It comes in the form of a magic golden flower. With its power, they bring a beautiful baby girl into the world. They name her Lilliana. To honour her arrival, the kingdom releases thousands of floating lanterns, dotting the sky like stars and flickering gold like their flower.
Lydia tries to go without. She wouldn’t be able to put up a fight in her condition, but she can feel herself degrading. After just less than a year, she decides to take back what’s hers. She finds the child asleep in its nursery, with a small halo of golden hair splayed out underneath her. Lydia can feel her strength returning to her as she stands over the crib. She takes a tuft of hair and snips it with scissors she pulls from her robes. Her head spins and her renewed strength is sapped from her. The hair falls from her hand as she clutches the crib to keep herself standing. Her vision clears, and she sees the cut length of hair has turned brown.
Her grip on the crib tightens as she seethes. She glares down at the child, hating that being in its presence is the only solution to her problem.
But also, how delicious would it be to steal another one of Lup’s precious gems?
Lydia snatches the baby from the crib, startling it awake and making it cry loudly. She breaks for the balcony and escapes into the night just as the king and queen come barreling in.
She hides her in the forest, deeper than even the flower was hidden. The kingdom searches for her as long and hard as they possibly can. The captain of the guard looks harder than anyone else, continuing long after everyone else gives up, but there comes a point where he has to accept that there’s nowhere else to look. He tries to swallow the guilt that wracks him and continues on with his duties.
The king and queen mourn their daughter. Every year on her birthday, they once again release a sea of lanterns and hold out hope that, one day, they might lead her home.