Blood-tied Lies

~Chapter 24~

Astra

Alone in the sitting room, Astra paced back and forth before the fireplace. How could she have let this happen? Her daughter was as stubborn and strong-willed as her father. She sighed. There was no use in pacing all night so she sat down in the armchair by the crackling fire.

So much had happened that day. Novia was gone when she'd gotten up that morning and her dragon friend had gone with her. It was quiet in the house so Astra had gone for a long walk along the river to clear her head. Lately, she'd woken up with a headache and this morning's had been the worst. She'd suspected it was from whatever was going on in her daughter's strange dreams.

When Novia had told her about her dreams over a month ago, she'd panicked. There was no way Novia could have thought of such things on her own and she'd realized that they'd been mirroring memories. Then Novia had caught her one night trying to break the connection between them that she was still puzzling over. She didn't put it there and Novia certainly didn't have the power to create one herself but perhaps she'd done it without knowing because deep down, she wanted to talk about what happened. But Novia would have done exactly what she'd done today.

She left. After ambushing her with a truth serum, Novia had pried the information from her and then stormed out of the house. Astra knew it was her fault and she should try to apologize but Novia was miles away.

Staring into the flames, she thought about reaching out to her daughter, but it would require an extraordinary amount of power, for Novia was probably at the cliffs. Mirroring thoughts in Novia's head usually required Astra to be within close proximity to her daughter, but with the right tools and enough energy, she could reach Novia from just about anywhere. But would Novia listen to her?

Too tired from the day's events, Astra shook her head and grabbed a sheet of paper, and began constructing a letter as she sat by the fire.

Dear Novia,

I'm sorry I lied to you for sixteen years. I never wanted to hurt you or let your father hurt you. I never intended for things to go this far.

Astra scowled at her words. They were soft and pleading for forgiveness. It shouldn't have been that way. She wanted Actaeon on his knees, begging for her forgiveness.

You looked at me with such resentment in your eyes and your message was clear. You hated me. I don't blame you and I know what I did was wrong. When I cast the curse, I wanted to hurt Actaeon. I wanted him to feel pain. I will never forget his cold, harsh words before I cursed him. I was angry and in that moment, my sudden urge for revenge blinded me. Even after I ran away, I never got over it. You said I've been holding this grudge for too long. But don't you see? I can't forgive him.

I want to tell you a story, Novia, about what happened, how I met Actaeon, and why I withheld the truth from you.

Years ago, I traveled from far away to the High Kingdom with my father. I was several years older than you and possessed your lack of better judgment. It was a trip I'll never forget. The surrounding cities were magnificent and the grand castle loomed just over the rooftops. My father was a guest at the castle and although he was just like you and I, he was also a great healer. Everyone thought he was a genius because he could cure almost anyone, and he was, but he had his magic to help him. Actaeon's father was gravely ill and we were to stay in the palace while my father tended to him.

One night we were invited to dinner as a thank you for his service. He was the guest of honor. It was where I met your father. The king wasn't there, too ill to leave his bed but the rest of the royal family attended. Everyone conversed but I sat quietly and observed. A servant leaned down and held out his hand next to me, out of sight, and slipped a folded piece of paper into my hand. Actaeon had scribbled a note that invited me to meet him in the gardens the following morning.

We had a lovely stroll along the stone paths and learned quite a bit about each other. He was charming and handsome and, well, he looked very much like you. Your eyes, your smile, you got it all from him. We became quick friends and met up in the library, on the terrace for lunch, in the gardens again for a picnic. I had nothing else to do while my father worked and Actaeon stuck by me when he wasn't busy with his own duties.

Actaeon's father wasn't getting any better and it was hard on him to lose his father. Nevertheless, he still found time to be happy and enjoy what time he still had with the king. We'd been there for a couple of months, my father tending to the king day and night. I fell in love with Actaeon regardless of knowing how his family viewed magic and not long after, he asked me to marry him.

My father had asked me about what I would do with my magic and I'd told him I was happy without it and I was, at the time. We got married before his father died and when he passed, Actaeon was crowned king. I hadn't thought too far ahead and after we were married and we had you, I didn't know what I was going to do if you'd inherited my abilities. Since you told me about your dreams, I can only assume you know what happened after that. How Actaeon found out about my power and exiled us from the kingdom.

From that day forward, I wanted to shield you from all of it. I was so ashamed of myself and my poor decisions that I blamed Actaeon for it. I wanted to give you the life you deserved. I wanted you to grow up appreciating your gift and above all, I wanted you to live your life freely. I'm sorry for holding what Actaeon did against you. Every time I looked at you, I saw him and it was hard but I tried, for you and because I desperately wanted to be happy. But I wasn't and I hurt you instead. Not telling you the truth from the beginning was a mistake that I deeply regret and it is one that may be too late to fix but I'm sorry and I hope that one day you can forgive me.

I love you,

Mother

Astra poured her heart into every word she wrote. It was all the truth and with each stroke of the ink that brought up memories she'd long since buried in the depths of her mind, she felt a little more sorry about everything she'd done and only hoped that she would see her daughter again to apologize. When the ink was dry, she folded the letter and left it on the table near the door before putting out the fire and heading upstairs for the night.