LIACH POV ~ One week after the party
The journey itself is smooth, because we took the private jet. Elias, usually a whirlwind of questions, is mesmerized by the clouds outside, his small nose pressed to the window. I spent most of the flight in a quiet, watchful state, the memory of Sinveer's cold fury still pressing in my mind, the weight of the new mission already settling on my shoulders. Yet, seeing Elias so utterly captivated, a faint sense of hope stirs within me. This, at least, is a temporary reprieve.
Stepping off the plane onto the crisp, cool air of the Swiss airfield is like entering a different world. The biting chill whips around me, an opposite to the humid air we'd left behind in Italy. But even the cold can't dampen the immediate, childlike delight that radiates from Elias beside me. He practically bounces on the tarmac, his small face tilted up, eyes wide with wonder at the snow-capped peaks that pierce the sky.
"Greetings, Princess, welcome. I hope your journey to St Moritz peaceful?" The head maid overseeing this manor greets me.
"It was. How've you been, Signora Maria Conte?" I ask.
"I've been quite well, Miss Liach, is this the young master?" She says bending down to Elias level. "Nice to see you young master…."
"Elias." I added giving her his name.
"Nice meeting you again master Elias, welcome to Switzerland. I'm called Signora Conte here.
Signora Maria Conte was my mother's closest aid whenever we all came for vacation in Switzerland during winter.
"Nice meeting you too, Signora Conte." Elias responds firmly.
I thought he'll be shy.
"Nice meeting you too young master, if you need anything just come to me."
Elias rush past us, "Wow! Look, Liach! It's so big!" he shouts, his voice echoing in the silence. Pointing a gloved finger at a mountain, an impossibly tiny figure against the grandeur of the Alps. "Are we going to climb that?"
A soft laugh escapes me, a genuine, unburdened sound I haven't heard from myself in a long time. "Maybe one day, Eli. But first, let's settle in."
Our extensive luggage is quickly unloaded, carefully carried by the awaiting staff. I direct them with ease.
"Can I run?" Elias calls over his shoulder, already halfway across the quad of the manor, his cheeks a bright red against the pristine white snow.
"Just don't fall down!" I call out, a smile tugging at my lips as I watch him. He's a bundle of energy, his innocence is a fragile, precious thing I vow to protect here. This freedom, this fresh start, is exactly what I wanted for him.
Bzzzzz
My phone vibrates in my pocket displaying Dave's name as I bring it to my face.
"Liach what's up, are you there yet?" Dave's voice sounds out.
"Yes we just landed."
"I believe the journey wasn't stressful at all?"
"Nah. It was smooth."
"I bet Elias is jumping everywhere, touching everything." He says chuckling.
"Obviously, he hasn't left Italy before. So this is exciting for him."
He pauses for a second, then continues.
"Please whatever plans you and the Boss cooked up… for you to be asking me to create a fake identity for you. Please Liach, don't overdo it.
"Dave, you worry too much, I will be fine and besides what can I do here when I'm in school? I will keep it in mind to be careful too, now that Elias is with me I can't be acting recklessly."
"Are you sure, you will be careful? He says with emphasis on the careful.
"Yes I will. And thanks Dave."
" For what?"
"Checking on me and taking care of me and Elias."
"Don't do that."
"Don't do what?"
"Talking as if you're about to die or something."
"Ok ok stop being so dramatic, I was just thanking you."
"Don't thank me….just—"
"Just what?"
"Nevermind, bye."
He doesn't even allow me to respond before ending the call.
Later that day, our rooms at the manor slowly transform into a semblance of home—they are spacious, with large windows overlooking the majestic mountains. Elias, of course, stakes his claim on the biggest window, pressing his nose against the cold glass each time he's near it.
"The mountain is like a giant cake with white frosting!" he exclaims, pointing at a snowy peak, completely serious. "Can we eat it?"
"Not that kind of frosting, munchkin," I tease, ruffling his already messy hair as I pick a book from the shelf. Then he wanders over, watching me, his small hand idly tracing the embroidery on one of my scarves. "Why didn't Dave come?" he asks suddenly, his voice tinged with a hint of confusion.
I pause, folding one of his small sweaters. This is a conversation I have prepared for. "Because Dave has his own work, Elias. Remember, he's a grown-up and he's finished with school, so he has to go do his own important grown-up things."
"Oh," he says, a small sigh escaping him. "But he always plays with me."
"And I'll play with you here," I promise, cupping his face, pulling him into a hug. "It's just us now. We're both schooling, remember? You're starting your new school next week, and I'm going back to university. It's an adventure for both of us."
He looks up at me, his blue eyes wide. "Are we going to live here forever, Lia?"
The question hangs in the air, a tiny, heart-wrenching weight. Forever. I don't know the answer to that. "For now, this is our home," I say softly, choosing my words carefully. "It's a beautiful new place for us to learn and grow, and make lots of new memories."
A knock draws our attention to the door, accompany by Maria's voice.
"Come in," i say.
"Miss, the car you needed has been prepared.
"Okay. Also you don't need to prepare too much for us, we will be moving closer to school in Geneva."
"Understood."
The following days are a blur of admissions forms, orientation tours, and the quiet joy of simply being together. I take Elias down to the school's Primarstufe section to admit him, and he steals the show. He asks the admissions officer if they have chocolate milk in the cafeteria, if snowmen come alive at night, and if his teacher will know how to draw a perfect dinosaur. The woman just laughs, assuring him they have all of that and more. His genuine excitement for school, unlike my own calculated approach, is infectious.
We spend long afternoons exploring the town. Elias skips ahead, a vibrant red scarf around his neck blending with the dull brown suit trousers and T-shirts he's wearing. We stop by a small bakery, the scent of warm bread and heavenly pastries.
"Can I have the one with the sprinkles?" he asks, pointing his delicate finger at a pastry piled high with colorful sugar.
"Of course, my little sugar monster," I say, indulging him. We find a bench overlooking a frozen pond, and he devours the pastry with gusto, sprinkles dusting his cheeks like tiny confetti.
"Liach," he says, mouth full, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "This is the bestest place ever. You're the bestest sister ever. Even better than a unicorn riding a rainbow!"
I choke on my own bite of bread, laughing until tears sting my eyes. "A unicorn riding a rainbow? That's quite an endorsement, Elias."
"Yup!" he says, beaming. "And you smell nice. Like flowers and… nice things!"
My heart aches with a tender sweetness. This is what I'm fighting for. This purity. This innocent happiness. These are the moments I must protect. Every laugh, every silly question, every sticky sprinkle on his face. He trusts me implicitly, and that trust is my most profound responsibility.
We walk until the late afternoon, the sun beginning to dip, casting long, purple shadows. Elias finally starts to lag, his boundless energy slowly giving way to exhaustion. He yawns widely.
"I'm sleepy, Liach," he mumbles, rubbing his eyes. "Can you carry me?"
I scoop him up effortlessly, his small weight, a familiar comfort in my arms. He immediately buries his head into my shoulder, his breathing evening out within minutes. I carry him back through the picturesque streets, his gentle snores a soft rhythm against my ear.
As I carry him, my thoughts drift to the upcoming semester. Classes, assignments, integrating into university life. But beneath that student facade, the gears of my mind are already grinding. The information I need to gather. The weaknesses in De Luna's empire I must uncover. My father's words echo: intensive training and preparation.
But for now, I'll allow myself this quiet moment. To simply be Liach, a sister. To watch over him peacefully.
I carefully place Elias into his bed, his face soft and innocent in the dim light. His small hand clutches a plush toy.
He is my reason. My purpose. And for him, I will become anything I need to be.