Beyond the Stars

Chapter 19: My Dearest Tala

To my dearest Tala,

Hi my love! I prefer not to be called a princess because I resent that title so much, but for you to understand what this letter is going for, I'll address myself as the princess. I wrote this letter for you although I wasn't sure if you'll be able to read it, but I trust the goddess. I know she'll reach this letter out to you. I'm sorry, your father and I weren't with you growing up. We love you so much, Tala. Please always remember that.

The moment my eyes took in the words, I froze. My breath stopped. My tears hadn't even dried from Nanay Eden's letter, and yet here was another blow — sharper, deeper. My chest tightened as if invisible hands pressed against my ribs.

Princess Hiwaga.

The name alone pulled me back into the river's visions. Her voice. Her laughter. Her courage when she told her parents she loved someone from Caspian. The image of her holding baby Tala. And now... she was addressing me.

Tala.

My heart pounded painfully.

I'll start first with the basics: I am the princess in Therondia, your father is the prince of Caspian. Therondians and Caspians are enemies. Your father and I had a forbidden love. All people were against us, but we fought for that love because our love is true. It's different from the ones our own kingdom gives to us. People say that we may have lost everything, but for us, we gained more than just everything. We had you.

I pressed the paper against my lips as if kissing the words could bring them back. Father. Mother. The prince and princess I thought were myths or villains in two sides of a story... they were my blood.

And their forbidden love... it was the reason I existed.

I don't know if we were ought to be called good parents because we weren't there for you. We left you at an early age. We're sorry, we had no choice. We only did what we could to save your life. Thank you because you made us experience what it's like to have a child. We are eternally grateful for you, Tala.

The tears came again, violent and unstoppable. My vision blurred, the letters trembling in my grip. I wanted to scream. I wanted to ask why fate was so cruel — to give me four parents and steal them all away.

Going back to the story, Caspians and Therondians are enemies. It started way back when the kings of those kingdoms were King Caspian and King Therondian themselves. Until then, there's no friendship seen in the two sides. Your father and I were the first ones to defeat the odds. Not only did we create friendship, we also created love.

I remembered the hermit's words, the priest's voice, the villagers' stories. It was all connecting now. All the fragments of truth I'd gathered on this journey were stitching together into a tapestry — and at the center was me.

The one Goddess Cassiopeia says is worthy is someone who broke the rules for something beautiful. Those are us, your father and mother. The rules that we broke, the love that we created made you. You're the fruit of that love. You're the result of the love of Caspian and Therondia. That's why the goddess decided that you're the one who should possess the ring.

I swallowed hard, my hand flying instinctively to the necklace at my throat. The ring. The one I had found glowing in the box. The proof of everything.

But people are greedy. They're still after the ring. They kept on chasing you. The Agassis were obsessed with having that ring, so we protected you. We fought them although we knew that we'd lose. All those things for your life, and it's totally worth it, Tala. Your life is precious. So much so that the goddess gave you multiple powers both from Caspian and Therondia.