Chapter 10 Grass Courtyard

Mary Elis had just turned fifteen when her life changed completely. Her mother was a seamstress, fixing and mending clothes for most of her rural village. Aside from that she also worked part time sewing for the dress shop in the town center. The most trying task for the young teenager was daily chores and tending the kitchen garden. The rest was staving off the inevitable boredom that came with small village life. That was until a strange carriage, far to fancy to belong in their village showed up with her father inside.

It turned out, that her father was Duke Lockheed, one of three dukedoms in the Actinides empire. From there it was like a dream. Servants to do all her chores, extravagant meal, stunning dresses, and a luxuriant room. Surpassing fairy tale in every sense of the word, Mary thought that her dreams of being wed to a prince were no longer just dreams. One she had awoken from the first moment she saw her new stepsister.

Red was not a common color for commoners, dyes were expensive so generally muted soft colors, browns and grays based on the fibers that made them. Her dress was brilliant red, fiery royal that paired well with her more muted locks. From the top of the bodice to the waistline was intricate silver embroidery. The hemline had the same incredible needlework, rising like crackling flames leaving the skirt bare to shine. It highlighted an ample pale chest, brilliant sky sapphire eyes. Her longer legs made her narrow waist stand out more, her cute features on her long face left a more elegant appeal.

"I am Valentine Lockheed, Heir to the Lockheed duchy. It's a pleasure, Lady Mary."

"Ma-Mary Elis I'm Elis." Valentine said nothing but leaned forward in a slight bow, giving Mary a peak at her cleavage. Having said all she needed say, the noble said nothing more. Her father was a tall man, broad and sturdy, a hint of gray in his hair was the only sign that he was aging. For a moment Mary thought he was annoyed but she was too distracted by the stunning goddess to notice.

"Run along with your sister and show her where she will be staying from now on. Right daughter?" Mary missed the inflection, but Valentine didn't. It was always better to leave her father than be near him. He smiled warmly at his youngest, a warning look to his eldest when no one present could see. Without saying anything more, she slowly guided her new sibling from the main building to the residential ward. Behind them a long black haired exotic maid followed. Not that she could tell, Mary's attention was solely focused on the divinity in front of her.

Her previous room had enough room for a small bed, nightstand, a bookshelf and one chest of drawers. The new bed was the size of her old room. Crown moldings, intricate ceiling carvings, lavish furnishings. Brass furnishings and priceless pottery decorated the surfaces. A resplendent mirror, drawers and racks for jewelry, a separate drawing room and walk in closet. She wasn't looking because she was still staring at her new sister.

"Miss, if there is anything you need maid Sara will see to it. We will have a lady in waiting and personal attendant for you soon." The accent and tone sounded strange, and Mary didn't know if it was customary for servants to speak. Now what? The half noble came to think, wondering if she was supposed to do something more. Other sisters she knew would talk and share secrets and fight. They were sisters now for the first time. Mary didn't notice but the maid gently tapped the foot of her elder sister.

"You don't have to force yourself. You can take your time and get use to it." Valentine blurted out. It startled her younger sister, who looked back at her. A stripe across her face was the color of her dress, and it seemed her ears were also lost in her own hair. Mary stared unsure of how to respond. Valentines' words seemed to catch up with her brain, turning to flee. The maid made some hand gestures, so Mary blurted something out.

"Goo, Good Night" Her elder sister paused in the door frame, hesitant, before continuing to flee. The maid shook her head, with a jaunty wave disappeared after her noble lady.

"Why was a staring at her so much, and my heart…"

!@# !@# !@#

"It was love." Charlotte finished when her daughter had paused. Mary nodded slowly.

"It took some time, but I became aware, really after she disappeared." Mary spoke very softly, trying not to feel sadden by her sister's sudden departure.

"Mom, I love her still, I know Iris is wonderful, I know sister loves her more than anything. I hate Iris but she's such a wonderful friend. I want sister to be happy and I can't help but want her to throw everything away for me, even…even if she doesn't really…" Mary couldn't hold together anymore. It was the true death toll and the first real step in getting over her first love.

Charlotte wasn't good at a lot of things. Despite her pathetic self. Despite pining after a noble who was married. Despite the struggle to support her and her daughter. Despite that she was never the mother she should have been. Despite this, her daughter saw her trials and understood enough to morph into a woman that wasn't complete scum, rather a young girl trying to understand the nature of her own heart.

Mother Elis said nothing, and simply walked around the table and latched onto her daughter. What little resolve Mary had crumbled. It was horribly uncomfortable, and it wouldn't be long for the aches to begin. Even hunched over half standing half kneeling in a painful awkward position the mother didn't care.

Daughter wailed, mother held, deep into the night.

!@# !@# !@#

Iris woke to something in her hand. Had her life been a shameless rom com, she would have awoken to squeezing someone's breast. Instead, it was just an arm…wait.

From beneath the covers, on a soft colored pillowcase, brilliant red curls splayed out. Her face was hidden completely, and she rested her arm on her hand. It wasn't that she never had woken up next to anyone before, but it had been a few decades at least.

Someone had drawn the heavy curtains closed after she had fallen asleep. Single rays of light pierced the room, despite its darkness the immortal sage could see just fine. Since she had fallen asleep on the sofa, her lady must have brought her to bed. Glancing at the curtain of hair, Iris decided this wasn't a bad thing at all. It was something that she could look forward to in the future. No one was bothering them, so she did the sensible thing, rolled over, and resumed sleeping.

Lady Lockheed woke shortly after, sleepily shifting and barely opening her eyes. Like her martial sister, she had no trouble tracing Iris back in the darkness. Rather than move, she simply stared at the women she was in bed with. Unlike the messy curls, her hair was long and black, a delicate array of silk. Her skin was a pale cream, verse her own near translucent alabaster skin. Apparently in her youth, she had been stocky, but bone metamorphosis and eons of cultivation made her near perfect. There was no helping it, in the dream like state, she propped herself up and slowly reached out with her free hand. With a hint of lecherous intent, it was out of the question that Iris wouldn't wake up. The girl however did nothing, as her fingertips slowly ran along her shoulder blade, gently tracing her spine. Despite the layers of cloth Iris wore she could still feel the pads of her bed mates' hands. When she gently ran her hand from the bottom to top of her spine, she couldn't help but shiver and sigh contently.

Nine o clock happened rather one planed for it or not, and a maid poked her head in the door. Light from the main room flooded in, and one look was all the maid needed to bow and disappear. Rumors had been flying and this piece just confirmed that Lady Lockheed had taken Lady Iris as her female lover. While most of the outsiders found it strange and even disgusting, the maid corps had known both ladies personally. There was no question that all of them supported the Lady and former maid turned lover with fervent burning passion.

None of them could go against the duke directly, they made their displeasure at his attempts to break the two apart known in dozens of subtle ways. Small cuts and tears in his clothes. Waking him late, missing spots when cleaning, slow service from the kitchens, the list was as endless as it was petty. The duke had paid but had no care or empathy for his servants. Valentine while soft spoken, had always considered them. It wasn't to say she was some amazing boss or supervisor; it was just that she remembered to take care of the basics, holidays, raises, recognition.

This meant that if the Lady of the house found love, they would never turn their backs on her.

It also meant that they spread gossip about the two at a better than fast rate.

It was hard not to overhear the whispers about a perceived passionate night of romance between maid and master as both ladies walked through the halls to the outer courtyard. The main walk was lined with trees and statues. A display of extravagance on the duchy's part. The cobblestone path came to the main entry hall, with off shoots and branches for the needs of horses and carriages. There were a few large grass areas on the front side of the estate, rather than going to the knight training grounds, the two had selected a slightly out of the way area for them to have a morning practice session.

Both ladies wore traditional combat robes of their sects. Consisting of an outer coat, a robe, and martial gi, with slacks and cloth shoes with hard flexible bottoms to complete the ensemble. Iris had chosen a dark gi, with light robe trimmed in a royal purple, completing it with the long lose outer coat a soft blue to complement the deep colors. Valentine wore predominately white, with verdant emerald trim and matching embroidery. Two crossed hilts formed the insignia for the bladeless sect, where Iris's formless blade sect was represented with what looked like an ink blot.

Facing each other they took a moment, Valentine pulled out a pair of dark red leather gloves and put them on securing the fastener. Iris made a narrow mace appear, about the length of a short sword. Practice bouts or spars were common in most sects and the two made no exception despite the difference in cultivation realms.

Valentine lost the first fall, because she blushed under the intense gaze Iris was giving her.

"Focus, my lady." Smirking Iris stepped back allowing her marital sister to stand. Returning to her feet Valentine threw her own comment back.

"Now, Master, how can you say that after what you did in bed with me last night?" It was Iris and her mace's turn to end up on the grass.

Before Valentine could say more, Iris flipped up the mace left forgotten. In her hands a massive Halberd swept in her direction. It had a brilliant sea green tassel and a unique crescent moon shape.

"This was supposed to be fun, but it seems this old lady is going to have to teach you a thing or two!"

Ten-thousand-year bone ox hide made the leather for her gloves; twenty-thousand-year jeweled ghost tin formed back plates. Using the plates on the back of her gloves, the noble gave ground as the ascendant attempted to skewer her. Spotting an opening, she lunged in with a kick, only for Iris to plant the pommel into the earth to dodge he kick. Twisting in the air, she materialized her claymore, a massive blade crafted from bones of the earth. She swung the cleaver across Valentine's midsection, even as the noble retracted her arms to block the sheer weight of the strike was enough to send her into the soft soil.

"One" Iris said, not counting the first pair of falls. Dragging herself out of the impact crater, Valentine kept quiet and instead renewed her assault. Despite it's the weight Iris had no trouble imposing the blade in front of her, so Valentine smacked both palms to the sword, transmitting the energy threw the blade and into her future wife. Letting go of the claymore a bow appeared in her hands. Ridding the momentum form the nobles strike the sage was able to gain enough distance to pepper her junior with arrows.

Tossing herself aside she snatched the claymore up and used it as cover to get close. Lacking time to get a weapon materialized, she traded blows hand to foot. Despite Valentines clear skill in unarmed combat, Iris's vast time fighting verses her martial sister prevented an advantage on the noble's part. Rolling into the sage, Valentine managed to throw the girl sideways. Since there was no blow attached Iris let herself be flung into the crowed.

While the two had begun dueling, some of the hands had seen them begin to fight. It didn't take long before knights, maids, servants, stable hands and even the Elis family to approach. Taking spots on the slope attached to the grass field they watched in amazement as the two attempted to murder each other.

Sara Lee was a new maid, who had grown rather attached to the bubbly stand in. When the lady was careening towards her, she froze up, unable to move. It was fortunate that centuries of cultivation allowed Lady Iris to show off at any time. Graceful pirouette, a slight sweep of the arms, holding the maids hands strongly in support.

"All you all right miss?" Holding her for a moment before setting her down. "A lovely lady must be more careful, all right?"

Smiling gently at the scarlet maid, Iris conveniently failed to notice the steam rising from the younger lady and the smoke arising from the noble on the field.

"A natural lady killer." Charlotte mentioned from behind her fan, to which most of the nearby people nodded

"She really is." Mary pouted as the sage hopped down to the field and approached her sister.

The fighting had become increasingly vicious as the jealous pugilist had strong desires to punish the martial ascendant. Iris pulled out the ornate cobalt blue axes, holding the shafts to counter the rapid strikes from the noble lady. Without a moments rest Iris constantly pushed into lady Valentine. At thirty she was one of the youngest elders of any major sect in all of history. Smiling softly, this brought back memories of teaching and training the girl. Irked by the apparent lack of seriousness, Valentine loosed a hard leg to the center of mass.

"Wrought Iron Cross!" Both arms slashed across Iris. Heavy blade qi channeled down her fist, ghost of swords formed along her arms. It was for naught as Iris merely infused her on qi into her defense, solidifying into a solid barrier. The axes fell to the wayside as the halberd appeared once again, this time she brought her own martial arts into the picture.

"Piercing Azure Depths!" With a viscous stab she pierced Valentine, ending several steps behind her. Sea greens, ceruleans and abyssal blacks enveloped her weapon as her own blade qi ignored Valentines defenses. It was impossible to remain standing, but the noble had held her ground against the strike as she fell to her knees.

"Master, as expected…" There were two reasons that Iris Xin had the title of Rainbow Sage. Her mastery of many weapons, paired with her materialization ability, gave one the illusion that you were fighting everyone in the sky. Valentine groaned was the gap between a nascent stage cultivator and an actual immortal so vast? She was quickly helped to her feet, concern clear in Iris eyes. Who cared about a gap?

"Sorry, that was a bit much." The sage mumbled supporting the noble as she checked her for injuries.

"I'm glad you're ok." With a soft smile Valentine stopped breathing for a moment. Caught off guard she couldn't prepare herself.

"Also don't call me master." Letting her junior go when she regained her footing. Iris glanced away so she wouldn't be able to be seen.

"After all masters can't date their disciples and stuff." Both looked away dark berry red, somehow the idea was super embarrassing now that things were calmer between them.

Back on the Hill the group watched the exchange unable to hear.

"I bet Miss Iris said some smooth line again." Charlotte spoke aloud.

"A natural lady-killer indeed." Was murmured back from the crowed.