The Exiled Gem

The Worst Reunion

Seeing Aunt Sabel, framed in the doorway of the stone corridor- after thirteen years- Alexandra had never thought how she was going to feel. She got up hurriedly, not wanting to remain crouching at the woman's feet.

One thing was certain- she did not feel happy.

The same slit-small eyes, the crooked nose, the thin- very thin lips. And not only the lips- the Aunt looked almost like a skin covered skeleton. Her eyes were sunken- her cheek bones and jaw was protruding out from the face. The eyes- Alexandra had always been scared of them... but now- now they had a completely mad glint. A completely uncovered mad glint.

'Welcome niece.' Sabel rasped, grinning- to expose a length of crowded, pushed-over-each-other, stained teeth, 'Welcome to Ann's Doom! Which implies- your doom too!' With that, Sabel closed her bare hand upon the blade of Moira- and yanked it out of Alexandra's grip.

Alexandra hated herself for trembling, upon hearing the Aunt's voice. Hated herself for not being able to mask her emotions- once again. But fear is too powerful a feeling to be hidden. It blocks all abilities, powers, strengths. It drains everything- leaving only the worst with a person.

That was exactly was happened. Alexandra had thought the Aunt would be hunch-backed, old, incompetent- toothless. Had she known there would no change- not in Aunt Sabel, nor in her own fears- she would have listened to her intuition and stayed back at Idgard.

'Scared? Already?' Aunt asked, closing a hand upon Alexandra's hair- there was no way to feel in the hair, but Alexandra felt fear and dread ripple through her. She wanted to simply give up- anything she could survive... but not getting caught by Aunt Sabel. 

'I knew you would come. I knew!' Sabel boasted, giving Alexandra's hair a painful jerk and dragging her by it- away from the stone corridor. 'You think Nicholas is alive- you think he never died- bah!' She grunted, walking at a fast pace- leaving Alexandra to walk behind- holding her hair, that was almost being torn apart.

Not the first time she'd been dragged by the hair. But the feeling- the intense dread- the horrible hopelessness she felt... there was no match. All Alexandra could do was hold her scalp, wince and flinch- either walk, or drop to the knees and get dragged. Dropping to knees was something she was NOT doing. Not at all.

'Of course he didn't die! Of course he is still here! Your Dovish medics made the mistake. Your Dovish medics failed to catch his heartbeat! You think a mother can fail?!' The fact- that acceptance from Sabel's own mouth- it felt like Alexandra was being buried under a pile of rubble, 'and of course he knows I am tricking you. That I am having a good, cozy catch-up with you tonight! And guess what Nicholas has sent? He's asked me to avenge him by giving you a slap and punch. It will be fun, won't it?!' Aunt cackled. Alexandra felt herself recoiling- the fact that Nicholas too had turned out like his mother... completely like her. She had always known that he was alive- in some corner of her heart. Alexandra's mission had been to find him out- the mission that had almost failed now... And what did Nicholas talk of, to his mother? Avenge him?! Vengeance for what? He'd said plenty of bad things to Alexandra- and she'd responded! Still, he wanted to be avenged. It was rather invigorating to find out that the only person who knew of Alexandra's capture- was Nicholas. Somebody from whom she couldn't expect ANYTHING.

Of course he didn't die! You think a mother can fail?

'Of course you failed!' Alexandra jeered- with all the strength she had- if there would be no help, at least she wasn't going down quietly, 'of course a mother like you failed! I KNOW!' She yelled, wincing as her head stung, 'I KNOW you never wanted this marriage! I know you swore vengeance on Doveland for it! A mother- and you?! You just used your son as a pawn for your dirty tricks! You used him as your shield!' Two things could be done- keeping quiet or talking on. Keeping quiet had never helped Alexandra. Talking on... had landed her in trouble as well as saved her from it. So obviously, that was what Alexandra was going to do.