Finally Free!

Aurelion's Shores

The very next morning, everyone started getting ready for the ball but I had to talk to my father so I made my way over there.

As I did in every home, I looked at the walls and read the engravings. Most of them were children of past times and then as they got older including Ciril.

Once I arrived at my father's room, I knocked and waited to be let in.

"Anthurium," my father says groggily, "you should be sleeping and getting rest since we have had a rough few days." "I need to know about the child," I say seriously but he gives me a look, "come on. I need to know if it's a boy or a girl. What their name is and what to expect of them." He nods, "It's a girl and it's just odd that he sent her since he has so many kids. She was not in the best shape when she came so I just hope she survives at this point. We are trying to nurse her back to health, honestly. Her name is Aella." I smile and make my way back to my room to get more rest but I have this weird feeling inside me of uncertainty.

Radley is sound asleep but I cannot sleep no matter how hard I try. Her name keeps ringing in my ears and everything my dad says bothers me. I toss and turn until I, finally, get into a restless sleep.

"Lavender," I hear Delilah calling my name as she tries to wake me up from my sleep. I groggily open my eyes, giggling, "What?" The younger version of Delilah wakes me up with sadness in her eyes, "It's time." I sigh as I know I have a horrible job to do at such a young age, "Will you tell me that story again?" She nods, "Once you come back safe and sound."

I run back into the room after a while and jump into my bed with excitement as she sits on my bed to tell me the story. "Aella was a fearsome warrior but she had to fight to get what she wanted. When she found out that the person she needed to fight was stronger than her and her clan, she did not back down. She fought until the end and she may have lost her life but she saved everyone else from that fearsome beast that sought to exploit her people for dishonest gain. Erebus took over from her as her younger brother and he continued her legacy until this day."

I looked at her with awe as she ended the story triumphantly. "If we ever get out," I say with a hopeful but sad expression, "do you think you will have a child?" She nods, "I know I will and I want her name to be Aella because she will be a fearsome warrior that will never turn to evil no matter who is more powerful than her. No matter who grows her up because she is a smart young girl with goodness in her heart." I smile and nod as I wipe her tears from her eyes then I drift into a deep sleep.

I wake up with a jolt and I go into a full on panic attack. Radley runs out of the shower and hugs me tightly as tears fall from my eyes.

"What happened?" he asks me as I start to calm down. "I remembered something," I say seriously, "I just have a gut feeling that that child that they sent here is Delilah's...I mean Lavender's." He looks at me with confusion, "That child of King Orpheus." I nod as I wipe my eyes and nose.

I take a look outside and notice the darkening skies that are raging outside as the ball draws nearer.

"I need to see her," I say seriously, "I need to know." Radley holds my hand, "You have to wait a little longer because they will never let you go during the season." I sigh as I pull my hair with both my hands on my scalp, "I will never let her go back and I will get that DNA test. I need my father's permission." "It, usually, only takes a month," Radley says kindly and I nod.

I dress up for the ball then make my way to my father. He steps out of the room arm-in-arm with my mother just as I am about to knock.

"Father," I say seriously, "we need to talk." He nods as my mother goes ahead without him, "What is it?" "Princess Aella," I say nervously, "I...just have this suspicion and I need your permission to have it checked." "Tell me," he says kindly. "I think she may be Del...Lavender's daughter," I say nervously and he nods. "I will have it checked," he says kindly, "I don't know why Kris' test is taking so long." I smile at him as we make our way to the ball with another burden on my shoulders but on its way to being fixed.