Archive of Our Own ^beta

On a quiet spring afternoon, inside a dainty house, the ginger maiden Elise and her precious daughter, Goldia, are cleaning the upstairs attic.

The attic is filled with clothing, trinkets and memories from when Elise and her wives were younger. When they were wild and free, discovering themselves, chasing a dream and enjoying life together before they returned to Kieferberg.

As they clean, Elise would tell her daughter a short story about an item. All the while, Goldia’s eyes would light up and she’d excitedly prance around the room over each story. She loves hearing stories about her mommies. She always finds different sides to them and new lessons to learn.

While searching the boxes, she spotted some red fabric by the corner of her eye. She pulls it out to reveal a big red dress, her eyes lighting up with joy.

“Mommy, mommy look!!!” she excitedly runs over to her mommy, holding it up to her face. “Isn’t this your old dress?!!”

“Huh…? Yes, it is…” Elise responds sentimentally upon seeing the dress. She took it from her daughter and gazed at it. “This was from back when I was a struggling maid-of-all-work.”

“Can I try it on? I WANNA TRY IT ON!” Goldia bounces on her toes, as she holds the skirt of the dress. 

“Sweetie, that dress is too big for you,” Elise laughs. “I wore that when I was eighteen.”

“Pwease, mommy~” Goldia cutely begs, eyes lit up and widened.

“Oh no, the eyes… Alright, just for a bit,” Elise jokingly sighs, handing the dress over.

Goldia excitedly puts the dress over her head & her arms through the sleeves. Her eyes light up upon seeing her reflection and she jumps in place and waves her hand for Elise’s attention in it.

“YAAAAAY, NOW I ALMOST LOOK LIKE MOMMY ELISE!!!~” Goldia squeals with delight as she imitates her mommy’s old mannerisms. “ ‘For goodness’ sake!!! Shush it, you old geezer!!! Hehehe, I'll show those townsfolk I'm better than this. They’ll be calling me Miss Elise from now on.’ ”

“Heh, I did behave that way, huh?”  Elise rests her hand on her chest and looks away.

“Well… I did ask some townsfolks about my moms,” Goldia says, bashfully, rocking back and forth. “They say you were a haughty lass that caused a lot of trouble.”

“Of course they did, they had to bring it up,” Elise sarcastically mutters, tilting her head into her hand. Even though she’s their mayor and has grown fond of them, they still aren’t easy to deal with sometimes.

“Oh, sorry mommy. I was just curious,” Goldia apologizes. “They weren’t being mean about it, they said you’ve grown alot.”

“I know… it’s fine, sweetie.” Elise pats her daughter, reassuring her she's not mad. “I was a selfish fool back then, they weren’t wrong about me.”

Elise begins to put away the boxes and old clothes, while Goldia raises her dress to see her own shoes. She remembers hearing a story about her mommy and some red shoes, of her prancing around, singing with such arrogance and disrespect about her fellow townsfolk… but the shoes were mentioned to be very beautiful… she wonders...

Goldia goes over to where Elise is. “Mommy?”

“Huh?”

“I heard a story about how you found some fancy red shoes…”

Elise jolts upon hearing that, face shifted into shame and sorrow. It has been years since that week. “I have…”

“Do you still have them? I wanna see you in them!!!” Goldia innocently inquires “After all, you’re not that person anymore. I wanna wear those fancy shoes once I'm a big girl!!!”

Hearing that request makes Elise shiver a bit. She understands her daughter just doesn't know the full story yet, Elise wanted to wait until she and her brother were a bit older… but she’s a very sweet and understanding girl who loves her family, she deserves to know a bit more…

“It’s true, I'm not…” Elise kneels down to her daughter, “and that’s why I discarded them a week afterwards.”

“Ohh, but why?” Goldia asked sadly. “Weren't you happy when you got them?”

“I was… for a while. They also caused me great pain, too,” Elise states woefully, putting her hand by her chest.

“How could such pretty shoes cause you so much pain?” Goldia insists, bewildered.

Elise pats her daughter's head, smiling. “Well… looks can be very deceiving.”

Seeing her mommy’s face, full of sorrow and guilt, makes Goldia feel sympathy for her. Her mommy must have gone through more than what she’s letting on. Elise picks up her dear child and rests her on her lap, hugging her as the sunlight from the window bathes them.

“When I first got the shoes, I was overwhelmed with all kinds of emotions; pride, satisfaction, happiness, greedy desire…” Elise solemnly recounts those days. “They were gifted to me, by someone who would’ve given me what I thought I wanted… It was so tempting, and… So every midnight for several days, I ventured into the woods to get gifts for Him. ”

“Don’t you and my other mommies always tell me and Henri we shouldn’t go into the woods at midnight because it’s dangerous in there?” Goldia recalls.

Elise nods. “Never did I heed the red flags that were there, nor did I care. I was so desperate to escape my current situation that I pushed forward anyway…” Elise brings her daughter closer, resting her chin on Goldia’s temple.  “I got physically and mentally hurt every time I went in there, and I did a lot of inhuman things trying to get the gifts. I lied and kept my activities from everyone, including your mommies, knowing they’d either press me for answers or try to stop me in several different ways…”

Elise hugs her daughter tight, tears forming in her eyes. “And I almost did something I would’ve regretted forever because of my greed…”

“Mommy… that’s horrible…” Goldia turns around to wipe her mommy’s tears and hugs her. “I never would’ve thought a pair of shoes could cause so much pain… I’m sorry.”

“When you're an overshadowed rose who thinks she deserves to be selfish, it's very easy to be led astray…” Elise pats her daughter. “As painful as it was, I grew from it. Before going into the woods, I spent tender moments with one of your other mommies, and those moments made me realize just how much I loved and cherished them. That I didn’t need wealth to get the love, freedom and attention I craved. Developing those strong bonds with your mommies helped me overcome my inner struggles and I got to create my own future with them by my side.

“That's why I discarded those shoes… it represented me moving on from my old self, and my inner struggles.”

“Kinda like Mommy Lebkuchen discarding her veil and habit,” Goldia graciously alludes.

“Definitely,” Elise jokingly proclaims as she looks down at her boots. “Besides, I love the shoes I wear now. I feel very comfortable, fast and free in them!!!”

Goldia giggles at her mommy’s playful retort, before leaning into her chest. “Still… isn’t it possible to get those shoes … without that pain?” Goldia beams. “I bet you would look REALLY good in them.”

“Those were ruby shoes, so they’ll be too expensive.” Elise boops her nose. “Can’t be spending the town’s money on this family now. That wouldn’t be right.”

Goldia pouts, before Elise nuzzles her face onto Goldia’s head, making her giggle. “You don’t need those shoes, sweetie. The ones you wear now, as well as future pairs will fit you perfectly.” Elise kisses her daughter’s forehead. “Charming and good-hearted, our Little Goody Two Shoes~ ” 

“Mommy~”

Afterwards, they resumed cleaning and sorting the attic until everything was neat and organized. Both mommy and daughter’s stomachs start to growl, and Elise looks at the window. It's nightfall.

“We’ve been up here for a while now, let’s go have dinner with the others,” says Elise. “Mommy Freya and Lebkuchen should be making hearty soup and cinnamon bread tonight~”

“YAAAAAAYYYY, HEARTY SOUP AND CINNAMON BREAD!!!” Goldia jumps in enthusiasm. “LET’S HURRY UP BEFORE IT’S ALL GONE!!!”

As they proceed to leave the attic, Elise looks back at her red dress. She reminisces on all she went through and what it took to get to where she is today. She feels very fulfilled in her life now, and she wouldn’t wish what happened to her on any of her children.