Flickering Candle

For the October monthly challenge: Day 1: Flickering Candle. Takes place in my developing AU with a genderbent Weiss and Winter.

***

Warm light reflected off Winanda’s face, the darkness almost engulfing her. She currently sat in the Schnee manor’s chapel with the priest to the Holy Father watching over her. She normally didn’t request to be brought to the chapel as religious services were quite dull. However… This was the only place where she could truly find solace. The dark room offered her a veil of sorts, so to speak. She could hide her face and body here from her father. The priest did watch over her, but he spoke not a singular word. She was glad for that. Her prayers were silent and he couldn’t tell her what was right and what was wrong. She knew her thoughts and prayers were beyond scandalous and rebellious for Atlas. Awomanwanting to have her poetry published? The arts were the domain of women, but books on them were the domain of men as was everything else. All she wanted was to have her poetry published, but she knew it would never happen. She wasn’t even supposed to be educated. The only reason she could read and write was because he wanted her to have as many skills as possible… Singing and dancing werehighlyvaluable to show off a young woman in Atlassian high-society life. So were piety and childrearing. All she knew were the arts, religion, and childbearing. Nothing more. She had heard rumors that women outside of Atlas were able to have more freedom especially in Vale. She had seen Huntresses from a distance. It was almost beyond kenning that women could be proficient in combat. They even had short hair sometimes… She had mistaken more than one for a man because of it. She had never interacted with them, though. Her escorts always kept her away. It wouldn’t be befitting of a woman of her stature to interact with such commoners. She knew it…but she wished she could. All she wanted was to have a little more freedom. Not even to do as she pleased, but just to be able to move around the manor without eyes on her and to read more. All she wanted was to know more, but that would never happen. She would be a wife and mother and nothing else. Nobody and nothing could save her from her gilded cage. The outside world didn’t care about Atlas enough to try to stop it. She looked down at the candle and closed her eyes. She sent one more prayer to Agat, the Holy Father. Maybe something—or someone—would be able to save her and her sisters from the horror of what awaited them. She doubted anything would happen, but she prayed. She hadn’t seen Wermund in years. All she knew was that he had walked away from the Schnee family and gone to Vacuo. Why, she had no idea. She wasn’t told anything—she wasnevertold anything. She was just supposed to be a pretty little bauble and nothing else. She had her own mind, but none of the men recognised it… It wouldneverbe recognised. She prayed that women in Atlas would receive salvation and freedom, but she knew it would never happen. The priest cleared his throat and she closed her eyes. The candle flickered in her view and then she blew it out. Her allotted time was up. So she got up and the lights turned on. She went back to her escort, then headed back to her room. Hopefully, her prayers would one day be answered…