The courtyard was an ocean of blood

The courtyard was an ocean of blood. 

Percy stood at the window of her brother's room. She watched the moving red-clad bodies walk and socialize. 

Percy looked down at her own red dress. She had thought that when she first received the dress a year ago that she would wear it and draw the envious glances of all who passed her. 

Percy chuckled at her stupidity. Her chuckle quickly descended into a sob as she remembered why she had to wear red. 

Red was the mourning color of Lumaurice. She was about to attend a funeral. The funeral of her mother.

Percy dug her nails into her cold palm, trying to keep herself from crying.

She didn’t want to cry. She’d already cried so much today. 

Despite her efforts to keep her tears back, her eyes betrayed her and seemed to spitefully let two tears fall down her cheeks. 

Percy quickly wiped them away when her brother placed a hand on her shoulder.

‘How long has he been there?’ Percy thought. She wondered if he’d seen her tears. 

Percy let a smile only reserved for those she cared most for come across her lips. 

“You look nice”

He was wearing red like Percy and everyone else who would be attending the funeral. except he wore a gold circlet to show that he was related to the recently departed. 

The tiniest bit of jealousy pulled on Percy’s chest. She knew that Ursula wasn’t her mother by blood. But she was Percy’s mother by heart. But she wasn’t allowed circlet. She was the king’s bastard after all. 

“What could possibly look nice about a full outfit of red?”

Her brother asked. 

Percy opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by the voice of her sister. 

“Nothing, that’s what. Red is a dreadfully depressing color and it does nothing for the completion of one with violet hair! I know it’s supposed to signal we’re royal, but does it have to be such a horrid shade of purple?”

Caseous, the youngest of the siblings stood in the doorway of the room. 

Despite her laid-back tone, her eyes were red-rimmed with red from crying. 

Percy shrugged. 

“I don’t know…I think red is a nice color”

She placed her hands on her hips and looked Percy up and down. 

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you had dad's horrible gene for purple hair. You have black hair, red looks lovely on you!”

Caseous turns towards a mirror on the wall and seems to inspect herself.

“On me, however…”

Fern rests his forearm on Caseous’s shoulder and looks in the mirror appraisingly.

“You’re right, you look hideous”

He gives himself a smug look in the mirror. 

“I, however, look hot”

Percy rolls her eyes. 

“Weren’t you just asking what could possibly be nice about red?”

Fern turns towards Percy. 

“Shush, that was until I saw myself in the mirror”

Percy and Caseous burst out laughing for nearly no good reason except that laughing felt good. It helped distract them. 

But unfortunately, like most things the distraction only lasted for a few seconds before they were interrupted by a knock at the door. 

The three siblings all turned their heads to see who it was. 

The door opened to reveal the face of their father. 

Though no one told them to, all three of them straightened. 

They all knew what he was here to tell them. It was time to say their goodbyes.