It was not until a full week after that I met my cousins_ Emily and Harriet. I came out to eat breakfast when I saw them seated at the table with my uncle.
“Regina, these are your cousins, Emily and Harriet, ladies Meet Regina,” my uncle introduced us.
I smiled pleasantly at the both of them and they returned my smile with a mischievous hue lurking in their eyes.
The two girls were of average height so I was taller than them; they had wavy brunette hair that reached their mid backs and piercing blue eyes that shine like diamonds; their skin was rather dull as though they never went out in the sun.
If my uncle had not told me that they were born of different mothers, I would never have guessed so because they looked so much alike. Their resemblance was uncanny like they were twins.
“So you are Aunt Marilyn’s daughter,” the older of the two said.
“Yes.”
“Aunt Marilyn was the best, you know. She always looked after me with such devotion. She would give me sweets and all sorts of candies and…” Emily was the older one.
“Is that why you have begun to lose your teeth, sister? All those sweets must have…”
“Father! Tell Harriet not to interrupt me while I speak,” said Emily.
“But father you well know…”
“There she goes again always…”
“You just like to find fault in…”
“Because you never do anything right…”
“STOP IT BOTH OF YOU,” their father shouted at them both. I found the scene rather amusing. Even while they disagreed, one could tell that they loved each other.
“The point I was trying to make is that I will be that sort of aunty to my niece or nephew,” said Emily with a sweet smile. I did not doubt her and for the nth time, I was happy that I had come home. There really was nothing like family.
“Is it true you have a horse named Tristan?” asked Harriet in a high-pitched voice.
“I do,” came my response and I saw her eyes sparkle at my reply.
“That is grandmother's name. You have a horse named after grandmother!” she exclaimed like it was such a big deal but what spiked my curiosity was the name. Why did the old lady have a boyish name?
“You see, grandmother was a tomboy in her younger days. She would climb trees and gallop on horses; she hated tea and playing pianos or anything that girls usually liked and she hated her name so she made everyone call her Tristan,” explained Emily. I would never have seen the old lady in that light but her stern voice did tell of some of those traits.
The mention of my grandmother also brought memories of our brief meeting. She had clearly wanted to tell me something that day but she had not had the chance to do so. But if she had something unpleasant to say about Uncle Napoleon, it would be difficult to believe her as Uncle Napoleon had been nothing but gracious to me since my arrival. He had even insisted that I call him uncle when it was just family.
“You should begin your training today, Regina,” said my uncle as he ate the last piece of meat on his plate.
“Micah will teach you a lot of things. I understand you are with a child hence your training will not be so intense but you do not look like you can defend yourself,” my uncle said as he wiped his lips with a napkin.
“The same goes for you Harriet. I want no more excuses from your end, understood?”
“Yes, Father,” said Harriet rolling her eyes as Uncle Napoleon exited the dining hall.
“Micah is such a bore,” Harriet said, rolling her eyes.
“You are simply lazy and have no will to do anything.”
“Emily is so strung up, you should never listen to her,” said Harriet.
“Harriet simply doesn't know what life means. She is simply spoilt,” Emily had a cockiness to her voice.
“Because you've had your engagement broken ten times by ten different men doesn't make you a judge of…”
“HOW DARE YOU!” shouted Emily at her sister.
“And you wonder why men leave you; you are too hot-tempered,” replied Harriet.
I was not sure who grabbed whose hair first but soon the two sisters were locked in a fight that the winner would likely be who pulled the most hair.
When I tried to intervene they stopped fighting and looked at me as if I had gone insane.
“You should never step in the middle of a fight. What if you hurt our little pea?” questioned Emily with something like fright in her voice.
“Our little pea?”
“Yes, you could hurt the baby, you should sit. Do you feel dizzy? drowsy?”
*****#******
Harriet had leveraged me as an excuse to skip training but the next day once breakfast was over, Micah was waiting for us as we stepped out of the dining hall.
“Really? Now? Our meals need to digest, Micah. You know very well that Princess Regina is pregnant, she needs…”
“That is why we are beginning our training with deep meditation,” Micah was calm.
I could not tell whether Micah was_ a man or a lady. Even the name could belong to either gender.
Micah led us to a large room that was almost sparse-looking. The interior was dark and rich; it had a mystic aura to it without being creepy.
“We will practice meditation here,” said Micah in a calm tone. I wondered what her voice would sound like if she were angry.
“You see, the werewolves of the Dark Moon clan are…”
“Werewolves?” I was surprised. They were werewolves and yet I could not sense their wolves? The two of them sensed my shock and eyed me rather strangely.
Then slowly they transformed into their wolf form. Their wolves were unlike any other I had ever seen. The wolves had fangs that protrude outward. Their claws looked like the tip of an arrow and they could stand erect if they chose to.