Cirilla had grown in the last few months since the discovery of @Aurelia all those weeks ago. It was fair time that the girl began to learn about the family she had been adopted into, and what was going to come in the not too distant future. Cirilla had spent the entirety of her childhood being mischievous with her brothers, causing trouble and being in places she did not need to be. She had lacked the guidance of her mother — and her father's name was nothing more than stranger — so her adolescent year had been lonely and wayward.

So why was she feeling like this? Like she needed to protect and guide the white babe she had picked up from the shoreline? Vellen had sent her to the misguided woman, but the reason that the God had done this was lost on the Sigrún. What was he trying to prove?

The thoughts stirred absent-mindedly around her brain as she paced close to where her den was. Aurelia was still young, and needed her protection. Cirilla was a mother now — she had to be there for her daughter, much unlike how her own mother was. Reli, She calls out in a gentle tone, waiting for the girl to join her on the beach.

Aurelia had done the best she could. Time and time again.

She strayed only when @Cirilla allowed, never too close to the pridelands, never too far from the Cay and the fields that stretched just beyond it. Whether it was the keen eye the Sigrun woman had on her, a lack of more adventurous siblings, or the more demure nature of the cub; Aurelia never strayed far, she always followed the rules. She was happy that way; she was content. As she laid out across the small stretch of pelt, she began to notice how it seemed to become smaller and smaller. Her bed grew far more uncomfortable, and she found herself sleeping further and further away from where she'd once nestled up desperately against Cirilla's side. The passing weeks had become passing months, and it had long become time for Aurelia to question from where she'd come, learn what would become of her.

Reli.

Mama? she stirred, quickly rising to her paws and emerging from their den. She was more confident on the sand, now, and quickly strode along on longer, lither legs than they had been months ago. Yet still, she was just shy of half of Cirilla's height by the time she made her way over toward her. Curious, wide eyes peered up toward the woman, silent, anticipating; nervous, excited.

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Cirilla could not deny the concern that seemed to lace her mind at the isolation that @Aurelia may have felt during the time the earth-kissed woman had kept her in the Cay. She deserved to be connected with her family, to interact with more than just her own mother, and to know who she really was.

It does not take her long to arrive and Cirilla looks to her ivory babe. Are you okay? She asks, wanting to know more than the cursory I’m okay thanks that lions always seemed to admit. The newly adorned mother wanted to know if the girl was truly okay, both physically and mentally, and if she longed for more than what Cirilla could offer her.

You are Aurelia Sigrún, my first daughter. Do you know what this means? The woman asks, looking down to her daughter with a mildly curious expression. Whilst waiting for an answer, her crown turns naturally back to the sea. What do you understand if the sea? She asks, finally, falling silent to listen to her daughters reply.

Aurelia had always known just enough. The basic laws and foundations of their family, those who were their friends, those who were their enemies. She is at ease with all that @Cirilla had told her; even the better-kept secrets of the Sigrún would not so easily scare away the young girl who knew nothing of evil, or death. She was old enough now that the top of her head stood at her mother's shoulder as she settled beside her, content to revel in the sea, almost just as brilliantly blue as the clear sky above, the sunlight reflecting off of her foam-tipped waves. Are you okay? Cirilla asks, and Aurelia smiles up toward her; polite, almost shy. Yes, mama, she replies. She is content with what has been given to her: freedom, yet the tug of a leash just long enough to sate her girlish curiosity. Aurelia had been free to wander the wilds away from prides, and had met many other cubs along the way. And yet, each and every one of them were not like her. I met a girl from the Brook and a boy from the Summit.

Her mother continues, however, and Aurelia looks toward her with childlike wonder. You are Aurelia Sigrún, my first daughter. Do you know what this means? N-no, she admits, unsure of what deeper meaning there could be behind it. She'd known so much and yet so little of her adoptive family; it felt as if the tales were ceaseless. And yet, she had still to meet any others like her and Cirilla. Despite how vast the stories made it seem, her world was entirely too small. What do you understand of the sea? That it is Vellen's domain, she reiterates, remembering well those very first, important lessons. When the sea is calm, he is happy. When it is stormy, he is angry. Her words mustered in the best way a young girl could understand; their actions alone would decide if their God was wrathful or content.

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The woman's eyebrows raised when @Aurelia revealed that she had managed to meet a girl from the Brook and a boy from the Summit. There was a wave of jealousy combined with protectiveness that ran over her, a feeling that Cirilla had never particularly experienced before. It confused her. Who were they? She asks the ivory babe, more curious than anything else. Did they hurt you? The words slip from her mouth before she can stop them, and as the syllables echo through the Cay, her ear twitches. Did she just reveal an insecurity?

Reli admits she is not sure what being her first daughter means, and Cirilla offers a gentle smile. It means you are my legacy. My future. And it means that I am proud of you - of who you are, and of who you become. She comments, raising her paw and placing it on the girl's shoulder briefly before putting it back down on the wet sand. I'd love for you to meet more of our family. Of the Sigrún.

You are right. Cirilla confirms with a nod, looking out briefly to the sea and then back to her daughter. Og þegar þú ert fullorðinn, munt þú hitta Vellen. Þú ferð inn á lénið hans og færð Sigrún nafnið, eða kemur alls ekki út. Harsh words, but words of truth nonetheless.

Cirilla's strong reaction to her news cause Aurelia to blink once, twice. The two she had met were vastly different, and yet one in the same. A princess and a prince, both with different origins, different views of life and different views of the title-less Aurelia who'd happened upon them. Princess Anny and Prince Penrose, she says, unaware of just how close she was to the latter, and eager to see the former again, unforgetting of their blossoming friendship. Penrose was mad at me for chasing the flamingos away... In fact, he had seemed rather gruff and standoffish overall, something Aurelia was, at the very least, used to.

However, their change in topic once more was one pleasant to her, enjoying the lessons tied to the family she'd been brought into. Though she had yet to meet other Sigrun outside of @Cirilla, there was a keen excitement on the days yet to come; she'd been housed here, protectively, guarded carefully for months and months. Now, she was approaching the age where she could finally have all of it revealed to her. The weight Cirilla bore upon her, however, was heavy; she guided not only her future alone, but that of everything her mother depended on. Aurelia was respectful and eager to follow directions, but she had yet to gather the strength and ferocity demanded of all Sigrun.

And if she were not able to muster that strength, she would be fettered to the sea, kept in Vellen's clutches forevermore.

She noticeably stiffened at Cirilla's instruction. Þú myndir ekki koma fyrir mig? she whispers, but even Aurelia knew that the kind who had brought her into their fold weren't driven entirely by kindness and love, but by necessity, by sacrifice. She swallowed, hard, and looked away; a cruel feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, a fear of failure so large it hunt like a shadow over her. Suddenly, being Cirilla's future and legacy felt a glory too weighty to bear.

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Cirilla watches her daughter's body language as she speaks about the two cubs she had met on her travels. Cirilla could not contain the girl to the Cay, even if she wanted to. The woman was wayward as a child and found herself trespassing most of the time, yet she never seemed to learn from her actions. So long as you had a good time. Don't worry too much about the flamingo's - they will return. She reassures her daughter, placing a paw on her shoulder to support.

I'm going to take you to meet some of the others. They live in a pride called Vermeda... I think. That's where our Jarl was the last time I saw him. She remarks, noting the eagerness in @Aurelia's features at the mention of meeting other Sigrún. She knew there was more out there... and perhaps the girl could even meet Saga.

The words that the girl muttered to Cirilla were ones she never expected. The woman knew that Aurelia's drowning would be a hard one to witness, and having to resist the temptation to go in and save her would be more demanding than she could ever anticipate. Nei, ég þarf ekki að koma á eftir þér, því að þú kemur sjálfur upp úr sjónum. Þú ert sterkur, og þú munt vera í lagi. Ég veit það. The girl looks away, and Cirilla gives into her instincts, and pulls the girl in closer, to her chest. Her ivory form mingled in with her own dusty one, and for once they were simply just mother and daughter, nothing more.

Cirilla's reassurances eased her; she had thought she was in the wrong for angering Penrose so, but it seemed that perhaps it was misplaced, and perhaps she needed to teach the dark boy a lesson about the pink winged beasts. A small smile slipped onto her lips, before, slowly, it fell away. They were to meet the others of their family; such a proposition was exciting for a young girl who always craved something new, but it was also daunting. @Cirilla and Vellen had been all she'd ever come to know in these long months, and the prospect of expanding that beyond her small worldview was daunting. Thus, she nodded her head silently, wishing that she'd have a bit more time before that day were to come.

Aurelia loved the sea. She loved it as much as any true-blooded Sigrun, bound to its whims, its tides. And yet, there was a fear instilled in her, something Cirilla had cautioned her of since they had first met. She had seen storms sweep across the Cay and devastate the sea, an angry battle forged between the waves and the sky, a tide pushing close enough sometimes to spray into their den, to envelope them in its salt and its ire. She knew better than to rely on Vellen's kindness; he would test her, and Aurelia was frightened she would break. Ég kann ekki að synda, she squeaked, a heat unfurling upon her cheeks. She had walked into the sea many times, but had never let the water rise above her chest. Hann myndi gleypa mig.

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The nervousness that radiated from her daughter's smaller frame was evident in the way she held herself and the scent that seemed to emit from her. There is no need to be scared about meeting other members of our family, Reli. Cirilla comments, her voice soft upon the wind of the sea that rolled behind them. They will not hurt you, and they will accept you for who you are. She remarks with a gentle smile, hoping her words reassure the white babe.

The woman shakes her head. I will teach you how to swim. He will swallow you - just like he did with me - but he will spit you back out. You will be stronger for it. The woman then rises to her paws and turns to the sea. Koma. She ushers, walking out of the cave and toward the sea.

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Cirilla's reassurances eased Aurelia a little. The girl had been so sheltered for so long, having been diligent in never wandering too far from the Cay. The world of Amaryllis were cruel and greedy, and the young Sigrun had been sure to keep herself away from the prying eyes and grasping claws of those who would seek to take her from her mother. So long as they remained rogues, they were free from the control of any foreign King or Queen; but it made them vulnerable, as well. Thus, Aurelia had not met as many lions as others her age might have, and all that had ever been told to her of the Sigrun was that they were fierce, mighty, and many; they had been laying in wait all this time.

But the topic turned once more, and Aurelia found her shoulders straightening, her jaw clenching. That time seemed so far away and yet...seemed just a breath away. @Cirilla gets to her paws and begins to amble toward the sea, and though Aurelia had done so many times, she had never strayed farther than letting the waves lap at her paws. Slowly, the pale girl rises to her feet, and begins to follow her mother out toward it; to that same place, letting the water rise no higher than her ankles. The waves seemed calm and ceaseless, but the water was ice cold, and it moved the unsteady stand around her, swallowing her toes. Mamma— she breathed, nervously, pausing; wide-eyed, breathless.

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