Amara of Xeris

Chapter 41

"Did it come true?", Amara asked.

"There is a reason I am called Polemos Victor."

"It was a stupid question, wasn't it?", Amara said awkwardly.

Victor turned around to look at her. There was an understanding look in his eyes when he opened his mouth as if he would coax her by saying something like 'Of course not.'

But he didn't, what he actually said was, "Yes, yes it was a stupid question."

"Did your mother tell some more prophecies?", Amara asked, "Does the spirit of Moneta ever speak to anyone else?"

"My mother spoke that her sight would stay in the family for years to come, but neither my brother nor I have been spoken to by Moneta, the Immortal Prophetess.", he said, "I feel like Rex will be the one who carries my mother's gift in our family for years to come, even if I doubt it."

"When do you receive the gift of prophecy?", Amara asked, staring at the tapestry as if hypnotized. For some reason, there was something very alluring about the large piece of weaving..

"Typically, at the age of nine, give or take a few years. They say that Moneta will appear in your dreams or as the solemn voice in your head. Granted that you have visited her spirit."

"What happens if you have never visited her tapestry? Does that mean you will never receive the gift of prophecy despite having it?"

"It means that the gift wasn't yours to begin with. For, if it was Fate would have let you visit the tapestry, meet the spirit in person, and see the colours of this tapestry in person."

"So, are you saying I could be the one who could potentially have the gift of seeing the future?", Amara entertained the thought. The power of Destiny, right in her hands. That made her intoxicated.

"Maybe. You never how prophecies end sometimes."

"What if it's an outsider who brings the gift to sight to your family, through marriage, I mean?"

"That is a better explanation for the unfulfilled prophecy. Unfortunately, none of the noble princesses has the gift of prophecy and none of the Ephedian princesses have seen the tapestry."

"Your future wife could be a commoner, love is blind isn't it?", she teased.

"It is naive to believe that I would ever marry for love."

"It can happen you know, only time will tell.", Amara suggested.

"I can't marry for love. It isn't something meant for me. Duty comes before love.", he explained, "The most I can hope for is that she steals my heart after the wedding."

"So you think of marriage as a loveless contract.", Amara challenged.

"What do you think of it?", Victor said, "How would you like to get married?"

"I don't want to marry someone who I have no affection for, neither do I want to marry a man who doesn't share my views on anything.", Amara said, "I would like to avoid a failed marriage as much as possible."

"Is it because of your parents?", he asked, looking for any signs of discomfort on Amara's face, "It must have been bad to warrant a divorce."

"My mother wanted to annulment. Somehow, my father managed to convince her otherwise. I would have been deemed a bastard if it wasn't for him.", Amara said, "How were your parents? Your mother seems nice. Did she have a happy marriage?"

"My father was never around enough for me to judge their marriage or the kind of person, he was. The Guelpho-Arachnus Wars always kept him away from us. My mother never complained about him, so I can say that it wasn't that bad." he explained, "My mother was a good woman, even if she was a bit distant and overbearing because of everything sometimes. Luckily, Pax was always there for me, my snot-nosed little brother."

Despite everything, there was still a lot of affection in his voice. The way a parent talks about their child, "Pax and my uncle were my only joys in this dreary place."

"You grew up here?", Amara asked, "Wouldn't that make you a prisoner?"

"I was born a prisoner.", Victor answered, "2nd floor, room 212."