The Heir of Moon-Fire

Chapter 11

Elentiya's POV

It had been two weeks. Two weeks since my fight with Lyria. Two weeks since I had spoken to anyone. Two weeks since I had been in my fae form.

But here I was, striding up to the palace. My face was emotionless as I entered its halls. I finally stopped in front of familiar oak doors. I hesitated at the voices that I heard inside.

Maybe I should come back later... I thought to myself. I took a step backwards, turning to walk away when the door opened.

Lyria stood there, graceful and elegant as always. She was facing inside, so I tried slowly backing away, hoping she wouldn't see me. 

But, of course, my luck had always been horrible, seeing as she was now facing me. We stood there for what felt like was forever staring at each other. Lyria was gaping at me, and I was smiling sheepishly at her.

Fenrys came out from behind her, worry writing over his face until he saw me. 

"Elentiya?" Lyria asked me hoarsely. 

"Hi, Lil sis," I replied. Her gaze snapped back to Fenrys. He shrugged before walking away.

We stood there, awkwardly. "So..." she started. "It's nice to see you again," her voice was slightly strained.

"Yeah..." I told her, neither of us making eye contact with the other. I mentally scolded myself for not putting this off for another week. We stood there for a solid five minutes before I couldn't take it anymore. "Look... Ria... I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. I shouldn't have said those things to you. And I shouldn't have run away from you. And I do want you in my life cause you're the only thing keeping me sane. And... and..." The words spilled out as I cried.

"I'm sorry, too, Tiya," she replied as she wrapped her arms around me. "I didn't mean it. It's just that I care about you so much. I can't imagine losing you. You're my sister," she stated. I just let out another sob.

"I care about you, too. I can't lose you," I said between sobs.

"I missed you, Tiya," Lyria told me as she pulled back. "But you really need a bath."

"I feel so loved," I replied with a broad smile.

"C'mon, I'll help you pick out an outfit," Lyria said as she dragged me into my room.

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I had my back turned towards Lyria as I changed. I could feel her eyes tracing the whip marks down my back. Even after twenty-eight years, I could still feel the sting of pain from when the iron tip had bit into my skin. 

"They don't hurt," I told her, as her gaze continued to linger.

"It hurt when it happened," she replied bitterly.

I shrugged, slipping into my white shirt. "It was a long time ago," I stated. Even though it was true, it didn't stop me from remembering the pain.

"Maybe. But you're still afraid," she pushed. I groaned to myself. This is what I get for letting her in. She could read me like her favourite book.

"I am," I said as I turned to face her. We stood there, just staring at each other. "I don't know what to do about it," I blurted out. And the tears that had threatened to appear for the last two weeks, months, years, finally spilled. "I-I thought that maybe... if I could fight... if I could defend myself... if I could beat him... then I would be alright. Th-that I wouldn't be afraid. That I could be happy."

She didn't say anything as I broke down, as she hugged me. I cried into her shoulder as I told her everything. She continued to hold me, waiting for me to pull away. 

When I had finished, my shoulders felt infinitely lighter. But I could also sense an unending rage building inside of my sister. And it was only as she smiled at me softly that I understood that she wasn't mad at me, but rather at those who had harmed me.

"What do I do?" I asked Lyria, my voice hardly audible. 

"I think you need to talk to Mom," she replied. "She has experience with this, experience that I don't have," she stated. I frowned as I nodded.

"I'm not sure that I can tell her all of this, yet," I replied softly. 

She nodded. "I know. I just think that she can help you... But if you ever need to talk, you can always come to me."

"Thanks," I replied.

"We should head down for supper," she told me. I nodded as she walked towards the door.

The kitchen was empty when we entered. Lyria walked over to a counter where two mugs sat with a note.

Lyria blushed as she read it. "I'm not going to ask what the note said," I told her as she sat down.

She nodded before taking a sip out of a, now, steaming, mug. "Fen left them for us," she stated.

I walked over to a cupboard and tossed a bag of marshmallows and chocolates towards her. She dumped several marshmallows in both of our hot chocolates while I grabbed a bag of graham crackers. 

It had become somewhat of a tradition for us that, whenever we made up after a fight, we would come to the kitchen, drink hot chocolate and eat s'mores. Sometimes, we just sat there in silence. Other times, we would talk.

I finally broke the silence as I voiced what had really started our fight. "What if he's right?" I asked her.

She set her mug down. "Could you clarify a bit?" 

"What if he is my mate?" I asked. I couldn't even bear to look at her. 

"Is that why you were so on edge when we fought?" she asked gently. I nodded slowly.

"I... I just thought... that I would find my mate and just... know. And that he would... love me..." I whispered.

"Whoever your mate is, he's not Vincent. He'll love you, 'Tiya. What's there not to love?" she asked. I looked up to see a small smile on her face.

"My scars. My fears. My mag-"

Her smile was quickly replaced by a frown. "Those things make you even more beautiful. And if your mate can't see them as such, then he doesn't deserve you." 

I smiled at that. "That makes me feel a bit better," I replied. 

"Good," she stated. "Now, finish your hot chocolate because we should get to bed."

A/N

Okay... so I've decided to start including the ages and birthdays of people at the ends of chapters.

Elentiya (May 1), 34

Lyria (September 9), 19

Malatyr (March 20), 1