Alder's Grove

The meme is here: Give me the names of two characters and I will tell you why character A loves character B.

Here is kelkyag's second prompt. Rosaria and Willard are from the Aunt Family, as per the tree below.



Rosaria and Willard

Rosaria had brothers. She had sons, she had a father. She had had, for a while, a husband, although that seemed like a very long time ago.

So when she tried on "I love him like this," like a father, like a brother, like a son, she knew of what she was speaking. And none of them quite fit.

She had other nephews, too, and she could not say that she felt for any of them what she felt for Willard. Willard was - he was different, and not just because of the spark. He was important, and not just because the family had severed him from their embrace and their power. He was her friend, and that... that was what had saved them.

"He should be gone from you," Elenora had complained. Elenora was the sort that would complain about that. "He is gone from the family, and yet I can see you're still writing to him. You're still pining over him."

"He's gone as my nephew." She lifted her chin and glared at Elenora, glared at her Aunt, at the Aunt and dared her to challenge that. My nephew sounded strange when she was still so young, but that was what he had been, and in their family, that was a special bond. "You severed that. But he was my friend. And he is still my friend. He will always be that, no matter how far away he is."

Rosaria and Willard kept journals when he left the family. This story covers the beginnings of those journals: anger, fear, and loss.

I told Rosie I’d write down my experiences, but it’s been three days since I left the family formally, and this is the first time I’ve been able to stand putting pen to paper.

It is still unpleasant to think about, much less to analyze, but the knowledge is rare, even if the situation is unpleasant. When people leave the family - which happens so rarely Rosie and I could think of only two - they do not normally leave behind notes on their departure....

(read on...)

For just $1, you can read all the Patreon stories!

For jjhunter's commissioned Prompt.

A continuation of "Tell me a Story," (LJ), "Princesses, Knights, and the Huntsman" (LJ), The Princess and the Huntsman (LJ), and Princesses (LJ).

The Aunt Family has a landing page here on DW and here on LJ.

The princess had been the first painting Estebana, Adam, and Anselma had shown Rosaria, first because many young girls dreamed of being princesses, first because, as Anselma had said, in her dry, always-amused voice, "this can be the most dangerous of the stories, for everyone involved. Remember that, Rosaria."
( Read more... )

For jjhunter's Prompt.

A continuation of "Tell me a Story," (LJ) and "Princesses, Knights, and the Huntsman" (LJ)

The Aunt Family has a landing page here on DW and here on LJ.

Rosaria was not surprised to see Cady coming around more and more often. When Lily's mother dropped off her handful of children to "visit Grandma," there were often a few neighborhood kids in the van as well.

This particular day, it was Cady, Lily, her two brothers, and another friend, a shy boy with old shoes that she hadn't met before, and yet felt she already knew.
( Read more... )

For jjhunter‘s prompt.

The Aunt Family has a landing page here on DW and here on LJ.

Cady was inspired by inventrix‘s drawings (and the discussion thereof): here and here.

This seems to have not gotten crossposted as it should have when I moved things to WordPress.

“Grandma Rosaria, tell me another story.”

“All right, my lovely Lily, come sit here, you and your brothers, yes, you, too, Anthony, you’re not that old yet, and let your Grandmother spin you a tale.”

“Grandma tells the best tales,” Lily hissed to her friend Cady, tugging her along as well. Rosaria pretended not to hear, but she was smiling to herself as the children got situated.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mirrored from Alder's Grove Fiction.