Papa's Hymn

A couple of days have passed since the encounter between the two pairs of twins. Each of the twins spent their day processing differently about what occurred. To Apollo, she remained distant and cold to the idea of having brothers that did not have her mother’s blood.

The thought of sharing quarters with an Ugric, disgusted her. Hell would have to freeze over, before she could ever accept those two as her brothers. In the end, Apollo was a young girl that harbored a deep resentment towards her father.

She believed her father never made the time for her and their siblings. Everything she did was to get his attention, but not once did he bother writing to her. The last time she saw her father, she was seven years old.

The times she had seen him were so little that she could count the times with just one of her hands. But what bothered Apollo the most was not being viewed as her father’s heir. She was the oldest, and yet she was not considered to be heir because she was a girl.

This bothered her significantly, unlike Artemis, who only joined her sister in her attempt to become a shield maiden because Apollo wanted her at her side. Since they were little, the sisters have always done everything together.

There was no activity the two did without one another. And Apollo wanted this to continue partly because Artemis was the daughter of Ugriccarious, but partly because she was attached to her sister. However, this is not something Apollo would admit to anyone.

Apollo picked up the habits of her grandmother, who was freed three years shortly after her imprisonment. After her release, the Elder Diana gave up on restoring Stalavat. In the three years she had been imprisoned, the country changed significantly.

The woman walked side to side with the men. The wall that segregated them was torn down. What remained of the wall was the mere foundations that were left behind by the younger Diana to serve as a reminder to future generations to not forget the failure of segregation.

The Elder Diana chose a life of exile on the outskirts of Stalavat, refusing to coexist amongst a culture that she no longer recognized. In her absence, Stalavat was reduced to a mere client state.

The New Stalavat maintained its ability to govern and make laws. However, it was absorbed into the empire of Belomas shortly after the birth of the twins. Despite the resentment between the Elder Diana and her daughter, Diana III, it did not prevent her from meeting her grandchildren.

The young Artemis and Apollo brought life back into the Elder Diana. The twins reminded her of Hermes and Philippus, her other daughters. The sisters often found themselves at their grandmother’s side and this, of course, led to Apollo picking up some of the ideology of her grandmother.

Artemis, however, remained pure. She loved her grandmother dearly. The young Artemis never felt the need to be above anybody. To her, everyone was her friend.

Apollo resented her sister’s ways of thinking. To Artemis, the world was to be put at her feet. Since she was a young girl, she has lived in luxury. While Artemis believed her privileged life to be due to the blessings of the gods, the young Apollo, on the other hand, viewed it as her natural birthright.

The world was meant to be hers. The Little Illya, her full-blooded brother, was her primary obstacle to her dreams of being the empress of Belomas. The Little Illya, at the age of ten, was growing to be a significant fighter.

If she wished to get a spot on the throne, she would have to make her father and mother acknowledge her. Essentially, she had to do the impossible and earn the favor of her distant father, who was only concerned about the well-being of Little Illya and Diana, her mother.

As the young Apollo soured her evening, the household of Coria was enjoying a lovely stew at the estate of the Younger Stanillo, who became the father figure of the boys and the husband of Coria.

“So you met your sisters,” Coria said, her voice void of any emotion. At the table was only her and Abbula, who she knew had a profound hatred for the children of Diana. “Abbula, son, you do not have to hate them. Whatever your feelings may be, it will not change the fact that they are your sisters.”

“From what I heard from your brother,” she continued. “One of your sisters was willing to offer you her hand, but you berated them by calling them ‘bitches’. Is that any way to talk to a girl? Especially, a sister, Abbula? Answer, Abbula.”

As Coria confronted her son about his behavior, the boy continued to sip on his stew — as if his mother had not said a word.

Coria sighed, grabbing onto her face. “I never taught you to hate your father or your other siblings. In fact, I encourage you to not resent them. Like you, Abbula, they are not at fault for the errors of their father. They are innocent bystanders, who happened to be born into the circumstances their father failed to address properly.”

Her words hit the boy hard, nearly causing him to pop a vein. The young Abbula put his spoon down, finally giving his mother his undivided attention. “All I see is people occupying a position that is not theirs, mother. You speak of those girls and that boy, like they are anything to me.”

“The only brother that I have is the one born at my side,” Abbula continued. “And the only sisters that I have are the ones I grew up with. Once more, mother, the only father I consider to be my father, is the one that raised me.”

“Your father,” Coria said, her voice growing shaky and weary. “He was not the bad man you imagined him to be. At one point in his life, he genuinely did love me. But the circumstances of life and his father’s ambitions led to our love being put to an end.”

Abbula shot up, slamming his fist on the table. “Do not defend him!” he shouted. “I will never believe that story of yours! He made the decision to leave you. He made the decision to leave me…”

At the mention of his abandonment, Abbula’s voice began to grow shaky. Never before had he acknowledged the pain his father’s abandonment brought him.

“Abbula,” Coria said. She shot up, running over to her son to comfort him. However, Abbula pushed her off, not wanting her pity.

“Get off me!” Abbula barked, wiping his tears. “I hope you are happy mother. You have lost the respect that I had for you by defending that man!”

Before Coria could defend herself, Abbula stormed out of the estate. All Coria could do was hold her tears, grabbing onto her chest.

“No matter what I do,” Coria cried, finally breaking her silence. “I can not help him. Within my son is a hatred that has been harbored within him for a long time…”

As his mother and brother had their fall-out, Agriotalus laid on the floor of his chamber, tearing up from overhearing the conversation between his mother and brother. Abbula was sensitive when it came to the topic of his father, but he always vehemently denied feeling anything but hate for him.

Deep down, Abbula wanted to meet him. He wanted to show him his swordsmanship. He wanted to tell him about the girls he liked. He wanted to know that he could call his father at any moment and he would be there.

However, this was far from reality. Ugriccarious had not once met the children he had with Coria. Not because Coria opposed his presence, but because Ugriccarious never made the effort to meet them, compared to the children he had with Diana.

But this would not kill Agriotalus’ spirit. Life is going to kick you down, no matter what you do. It is one’s job to get back up, and get back in the race. To Agriotalus, he felt that everything would work out for him in the end.

He wiped his tears, his smile returning to his face. The feeling of meeting his sisters for the first time brought him joy. They were so pretty! He and Abbula were twins, but they never wore the same clothing as they did.

Artemis and Apollo were like goddesses, who felt like somebody you would hear stories of. Their unmatched beauty and elegance was just otherworldly. Having sisters he never met excited him, especially sisters who were twins, like him.

While Apollo treated him poorly, he still felt love for her. She was a tough one to get along with, but he was sure that he could win her over. Artemis, however, was a delight to see. Her joyful demeanor radiated everything around her.

She motivated Agriotalus to be unbreakable. By waving goodbye to him, Agriotalus felt that he had been accepted by her.

He wondered if Artemis was thinking about what happened today.

As Agriotalus laid there smiling, unknowingly he was being observed by his mother. Her broken heart from earlier, healed instantly at the glance of seeing her boy wipe his tears and putting on a smile.

‘You really are like him,’ she thought. ‘As long as I have you at my side, there is still hope to heal your brother’s wounded heart…’

In the palace, the young Artemis leans against the balcony, her chin in her hand. Today was a day unlike no other. Artemis, Apollo, and Little Illya had come to the capital of the empire to visit their grandmother, but they never expected to come across those faces.

Their mother, Diana, had never concealed the truth from the twin sisters about their half brothers. Little Illya, however, was not told because Diana never found the right opportunity to tell him.

Not once did Diana try to turn her daughters against their twin brothers. She never once prohibited them from meeting one another either. Diana never had a disdain for the other family of Ugriccarious, considering she never saw him make an effort to meet his twin sons.

Oftentimes, Diana tried to convince Ugriccarious to meet them. But he always ignored his wife’s attempts to persuade him. The young Stanillo, the left hand of the emperor, often tried to get Ugriccarious involved in their lives.

Even the young Stanillo had failed to persuade his friend. The young Stanillo had married Coria, the mother of the boys. Not once was Ugriccarious affected by Stanillo’s relationship with his former love.

Coria was a thing of the past, and her children, too, were a part of a past that he long tried to forget.

“I wonder what their names are,” Artemis murmured, her voice soft and gentle. “I wonder if grandmother and grandfather have met them.”

“That other boy,” she continued. “He was so mean! But the one that was crying…he was so gentle and nice.”

As Artemis' daydreams, her grandmother, Himari, stepped onto the balcony. “They are good boys, Artemis,” Himari said, her presence catching Artemis by surprise. The young girl turned to her grandmother, who warmly smiled at her.

“You are quite different compared to your sister,” she continued. “Your sister has a heart of stone. You, on the other hand, are a kind little girl.”

“Thank you,” Artemis replied, her face turning red from her grandmother’s compliments. “But do not be too harsh on her, grandma. Apollo has a good heart too, but she just feels the need to prove herself to everyone.”

“Especially to my father,” Artemis said.

“Your father is not a man that important to sour your life over,” Himari confessed. “If he were involved in the lives of his children, maybe he would be worthy of his children having the need to prove themselves to him.”

“My father,” Artemis asked, looking out into the distance. “Does he love us?”

“At one point, your father showered you and your mother with love,” Himari recalled, reminiscing about the days of where her son was not consumed by conquest. “To him, your mother and you and your sister were what made his life worth living.”

“As the years passed, he began to change,” she continued. “Each battle I saw the light leave his eyes. His smile and laugh became a rare sight. The last time I saw your father smile was when your younger brother was born.”

“I see,” Artemis muttered, understanding the change in her father, Ugriccarious.

“Your father has only become worse with your grandfather growing ill,” Himari cried, her eyes unable to contain her tears any longer. “He has always lived his life being subservient to your grandfather.”

“His subservientness is the primary reason,” Himari continued, “Your mother is married to your father. Your father’s first love was Coria, not your mother, Diana.”

“What -!?” Artemis muttered.

“Yes, Artemis,” Himari said. “Your father and mother were not brought together by love. It was your grandfather that brought them together. He deceived your mother into believing that he was to marry him. But your grandfather never intended to marry her, he intended to have your father marry her.”

“So my life a lie?” Artemis muttered, her joyful eyes bursting into tears.

“Your life is not a lie, my sweet girl,” Himari whispered, pulling her granddaughter into a tight embrace. “Your father fell for your mother at first sight, like he did with Coria. If it were not for your mother, his kind soul would have corrupted long ago.”

“Your father was head over heels for your mother,” she continued. “In all truth, your father has a natural charm when it comes to women. He won the heart of your mother with his charisma and wit.”

“Really?” Artemis sniveled, tightening her grip on her grandmother.

“Yes,” Himari said. “My little girl, do not let your father’s absence weigh on your mind. If he is not in your life, it is his loss.”

“It is his loss!” Artemis agreed.

“A loss,” Himari muttered, her eyes locked in the distance. From the distance, she wondered how far away her son was. “I hope he corrects.”