Lady Illea (Lady Illea #1)

Chapter Forty Four

    The first step I took inside the palace felt strange but oddly familiar. I strolled down the familiar halls, and walked past some of my favorite places. I arrived at night, my flight back a long tiring one, but didn't exactly want to go to sleep just yet. For some reason I wanted to find Will and bump into him. More so I wanted my fist to accidentally bump into his jaw.

    My boots made a deep sound every time they hit the palace floors and that sound echoed, bouncing off the palace walls, floating to the ceilings. I continued walking and I found myself in a long hall with windows facing the gardens. I contemplated going into the gardens but a strange, familiar giggled stopped me dead in my tracks.

    I saw shadows down the hall and I quickly jumped, hiding around the corner. I felt my heart beat pick up and cautious not to make any noise I turned to see who was running down the halls. I saw two figures, a man and woman, wearing long dark cloaks. Their shadows were long and alarming but the woman was giggling and the man was holding her hand. 

    I watched them open the door to the gardens and run out. I made sure they weren't looking and I left my hiding spot, moving towards the door for a better look. They ran out into the gardens and turned half way to face each other. The man wrapped her in his arms as she threw her head back and laughed. But that laugh. I knew who that laugh belonged to but...no. It couldn't be....

     They kissed and it was a long passionate one before they turned, laughing and ran to wherever they were running to. Blinking in disbelief I shut the door, and pressed my forehead into the glass. I took deep steady breaths, trying to slow my heart beat but I could not.

    Ora's laughter rung in my ears.

                                                             **********

      The key to the music room was on top of the piano and my hand stood still over the keys. I touched every last key and made different cords. Little by little a lullaby came into my head.

      I  don't remember much of my mother Aymar but I remember somethings. I remember her scent, like citrus on a hot summer day, and her smile was always wide and bright. She used to sing me a lullaby at night. The memory was foggy but her voice, like liquid gold stuck with me. I could hear the words. With my hands delicately touching the keys of the piano I tried reciting it from memory.

"Oh, how the stars shine at night. And my baby girl, she smiles so bright."

I blinked back a tear and continued.

"Antes de que le metiera en la cama esta noche, voy a decirle una sotry ."

I struggled to remember the next line.

"There was once a little girl, and she smiled at the whole world. She made her mommy so proud. Ella estaba tan lleno de amor , incluso por los ángeles en el cielo arriba."

I contemplated the last few verse.

"She could laugh for hours on end and could smile to her hearts content. Oh niña , espero que crezcas un día. Espero que sepas lo hermosa que eres ."

  I pressed the last key and let the quiet tears hit the piano. Not many people know this, but while I maybe a six, or five now, I was always fluent in quite a few languages. Spanish was actually the language primarily spoke at home. Even after my mother left daddy still spoke Spanish just to teach me and after school started he started speaking English to me. So that meant I knew what this song meant.

    Some times I wonder if the reason Aymar left was because of me. Sometimes I wonder if it wasn't caste, or daddy that made her unhappy but it was the responsibility of having to raise a little girl that did. She seemed pretty happy but then again I was too little to remember and no one really ever knows what goes on behind closed doors.

    I wonder if she ever thinks of me. I wonder if she misses me. Maybe she's out there wondering if I'm alright, maybe she's seen I've been selected and is proud. Maybe she doesn't care. Wherever she is, she's out there. Somewhere in the world there's a mother I never knew. 

    I wonder if she even remembers my name.