Chapter Text
"We totally crushed it today at the sports festival!" Aleah practically sprung through the door when we arrived home from school, clearly still elated. All four of us and our familiars had just arrived from the Bauer All Girls Academy, exhausted but equally as pleased with ourselves as Aleah. As we all settled into our evening routines, I continued listening to my daughters converse.
"May didn't want to, but May's glad it went well."
"Went well? May, we both scored the highest in school history! Even the older kids were no match for us!" Aleah planted her foot on one of the stools and posed triumphantly, earning a chuckle from me.
May nodded thoughtfully before replying, "We are pretty strong, aren't we?"
Aleah looked down at her sister, eyes ablaze with hope and confidence. While she did style herself similarly to me, she had never resembled me at her age more at her age than in that moment. "Maybe one day, we'll finally be able to beat Mother Rae and Mother Claire!"
Quietly, from behind the dining table, my lovely wife approached me with a concerned look on her face. "Claire, the kids..." There was tension in her whisper.
Sighing, I nodded. We were both well aware of their pride in their abilities' slow creep into overconfidence but nothing we've tried as of yet has been able to curb the development. "How's your project coming along?" I asked, hoping to hear good news.
"Decent, but I'm a bit disappointed that I couldn't finish it before the festival..."
My Rae's shoulders slumped, heavy from the weight of it all. I slowly rubbed her back as she sighed, wishing I could do more to help my beloved. "You're doing the best you can and I'm proud of you. You do so much for this family, Rae, so don't beat yourself up."
Rae leaned onto my side, her eyes brighter already. "Thank you, Claire! It should be ready soon. Can I expect a reward?"
"I suppose since you've been working so hard, you deserve something." As I said that, I began walking her to our bedroom, electing to ignore how far our daughters' conversation had devolved.
"Yes! Please praise me more, Claire!"
---
Aleah backed away slowly, showing a glimpse of her rarely-seen fear. "On second thought, I think I'll just hold back more in class..."
May held onto her sister's shoulder firmly but gently. While her demeanor never changed, she had an air of understanding. "Are you sure? This seems like the wisest way to go about it. You heard what our mothers said."
"Yes, I did, but I don't want to lose my title of Sword God!"
I rushed by my distressed daughter to comfort her. With a gentle tone, I asked, "Is your pride really that important to you, Aleah? It's lonely standing at the top with no one around you." I know that all too well as I had been prideful but also watched others fall when they couldn't keep their own in check. The past is what it is and wrongdoers must be punished, however, I cannot stop myself from occasionally wondering if some victims of pride are alright.
"I love that about you, too, Claire."
As always, as if she could read my mind, Rae chirped into the conversation. It's a habit she never quite lost even long after our days at the Academy but it doesn't bother me. It confused me back then, sounding like unfiltered jargon, but I've come to understand that she simply did love me more than I could ever know. It was no small effort to contain my smile. "Yes, I love you, too, but we need to focus on Aleah," I simply told her, grounding us both.
May took the cue and continued with our conversation to convince Aleah. "I think our moms came up with a good solution and we should try it."
Aleah still looked conflicted and her voice took on an even more desperate edge. "But I don't want to lose my progress!"
Rae properly rejoined our efforts, a warm look on her face. "You can still train and get stronger. It'd be easier since you don't need to hold back and can fight more amongst your peers," she explained.
Almost reluctantly, Aleah replied, "Okay, maybe I'll do it. What's the limit on our powers, Mother Rae?"
"You'll be limited to only 60% of your power unless the circumstances are dire."
Whatever rapport we were building was instantly out the window as my daughter began to panic once more. "60%? It'd be like regressing to the level of a child! I refuse!" Her golden curls bounced behind her as she ran.
We all gave chase instantly. "Aleah, wait! You're so strong, 60% wouldn't be that bad!" Her perception of how strong a child is, unfortunately, is dead wrong and there's no polite way of putting it. Not that she'd know as she's only ever been herself and spends most of her time with her equally exceptional twin.
"I can't! I worked hard to succeed Master Dorothea and be worthy of this title!" Her time with her old master as well as the continued time she invested into herself showed in moments like this; though our house wasn't the largest, it was almost impossible to catch up to her. My daughter was a blur as she ran around and none of us could catch up or corner her.
From another side of the room, Rae called out, "Aleah, slow down so I can cast this properly!" My wife raised her wand and the magical light emanating from it shone brighter. It seems she has already begun casting the spell.
"No!"
"May, stop her!" I called out in the fray, still attempting to block my younger lookalike.
The mark on the back of May's hand and her wand glowed. She fired off a spell in front of her longer-haired twin, causing her to trip. Rae emerged from behind May and mouthed a thank you before approaching the figure on the floor. With labored breath, she recited the last parts of her incantation and fired it indiscriminately at Aleah before falling to the floor herself. My poor wife probably exhausted herself from maintaining such powerful magic for an extended period. Thankfully, I was able to catch her before she hit the ground.
"What a mess... May, can I trust you to take care of your sister while I help your mother into bed?" I asked as I picked up my now sleeping partner.
May had an unknown gleam in her eyes as she responded, "Leave it to me, Mother."
---
"I can't believe this." Aleah's disgruntled voice filled the hall as she emerged from her room. I heard a second pair of footsteps follow behind hers after a door closed. I was still in my shared room with Rae, awaiting her recovery from using so much magic. She'd likely be lethargic if I woke her up so I decided to let her continue to rest instead.
"It's alright, this will be good for us. Look, the mark is a lily." May was barely audible as she followed Aleah.
Both footsteps ceased. "Lily?" Aleah had an inquisitive tone as she spoke. My beloved and I were well aware of her fondness for our friend, Cardinal Lilly, but it was yet another issue we had failed to nip in the bud. Why the seal manifested as a lily, I cannot tell you.
I heard the two girls fumble and fidget for a while. Their shuffling was punctuated by a loud groan from one accompanied by light laughter from the other. The last thing I remember hearing was May saying, "That's what you get for resisting."
I later learned that the clumsy execution of the spell led to the mark manifesting on her rear. Aleah never spoke of spell nor the seal but it did indeed have a positive impact on her life; zeal and creativity returned to her battles and her social standing improved significantly.