When she had fought Orion, she hadn't even managed to touch him, and when she did, she couldn't even land a scratch on him, falling unconscious in defeat from a single punch. Learning that her sister had faced such an opponent and won was both eye-opening and surprising.
'It seems I still have a long way to go to catch up with her,' Maya thought.
"No, I also lost to him," Merida said as she shook her head in response.
Maya immediately froze. "You... YOU LOST!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide open in disbelief.
"Yes, I lost," Merida admitted, nodding with a wry smile on her lips. "Before the fight, we made a bet. If I won, the original bet between you and him would be cancelled, and his wishes would be reduced to three. However, if he won, his wishes would increase to five. Fortunately, even though he won, he was willing to listen to reason and let me take your place. So, there's nothing for you to worry about; I'll be handling everything."
The more Maya listened, the faster her heart raced.
"So, you mean you chose to take my place and bear the consequences of my defeat?"
"Yes," Merida nodded, her eyes filled with sisterly concern. "As your elder sister, it's in my best interest that you learn from your mistakes and grow into a better woman than you were yesterday. So, you don't have to worry about getting married, as I've taken care of that..."
"STOP IT!!" Maya suddenly screamed, her anger bubbling up. "STOP IT, WILL YOU!!" She began to breathe rapidly, annoyance evident in her stare as she locked eyes with Merida, who was taken aback by her outburst.
Nevertheless, Maya pressed on, "Who told you to do that?! Did I ask you to sacrifice yourself for me?! Who told you that I'm not ready to bear the consequences of my actions..." One of the reasons she had been striving to catch up with her sister, to become better than her, was to put an end to being treated like a child who couldn't make her own decisions or face the consequences of those decisions.
It was as though everything she wanted to do or say in public had to pass her sister's screening and approval first.
Though, it was wonderful at first and made her appreciate having such a caring sister. However, she couldn't deny that she was slowly growing weary of it.
"YO -- YOUU...." Maya began, pointing her hand at her sister. However, she sealed her lips and gave up, not wanting to say something she might later regret. She shook her head wearily and lay back down on her bed. "Please, leave me alone. I need some space to think properly, and I don't think I can do that with you around."
"Maya..." Merida was left dumbfounded, as this was the first time she had heard Maya express such feelings.
"You can leave, sister," Maya said with closed eyes, sighing inwardly.
Regardless of the decision her heart had made, first thing tomorrow morning, she would do her best. Even if she had to sneak out of the Luminaris Clan, she decided to reach the castle and plead with the foreigner to cancel the agreement between him and her sister and keep to hers.
Meanwhile, Merida shook her head wearily and decided to give her sister some space to think and gather her thoughts.
"Alright, take your time to calm your mind and fully recover before you come and meet me," she said as she stood up from her glass-like chair. "Since I didn't know when you would wake up, I waited to tell you that he already kissed me and recognized me as his wife. He said a kiss is something only shared between a husband and a wife from where he's from. Also, I wanted to be the one to inform you that I'll be leaving for the castle early tomorrow to meet with the foreigner and finalize our marriage. So, take care of Loren while I'm away."
Maya's mind froze instantly at her sister's words. The door clicked open, and their eyes were drawn to the familiar figure who had calmly walked in.
"Father, you're here?" Merida immediately said.
Owen nodded at his oldest daughter before turning his attention to Maya, who was lying on the bed. "Have you recovered, dear?" he asked.
Maya, whose mind was still reeling in shock from Merida's words, snapped out of her daze and calmly nodded in response to her father's question.
Owen, however, mistook her calmness for the result of still processing the battle's details and not yet fully recovering. He nodded in understanding and got straight to the reason for his visit, "From this day forth, the gates of the Luminous Clan will be closed until further notice, which means all of you are to stay in your rooms."
"I'm sorry, Father, but I need to go to the castle to keep my promise to the foreigner," Merida said, immediately thinking her father was trying to stop her from keeping her commitment.
Owen snorted in response, "Well, it seems you won't be able to keep that promise now because the Prismerian Kingdom is on the brink of war. As a result, not only you, but I believe the rest of the four major clans will be doing the same."
"War?" Merida and Maya exclaimed simultaneously, their faces reflecting utter disbelief.
Didn't the Young Heirs' Banquet conclude only a short while ago?
How could there be a war?
"Yes, war," Owen nodded gravely in response. "Unfortunately, the Gemheart Clan conspired with the descendants of the forgotten clans in an attempt to assassinate the royal family on their way back to the castle. Although the forces of the forgotten clans were decimated along with nearly half of the Gemheart Clans, they came dangerously close to achieving their goal by nearly overpowering the queen."
"Thankfully, the foreigner intervened just in time to save the lives of the queen and the royal family. If not for that, I fear they might have succeeded." Owen's voice remained steady as he spoke, though, beneath the surface, he grappled with a whirlwind of emotions.
