Courage Comes From Lies

Chapter 40: Tara/Amanda (Final Part)

| That night, in the hallways of the Yolaris castle. The following part will be written out in third person |

Both girls stared at each other in a combination of awe and confusion. The man Amanda was with, Riley, helped Tara to her feet then asked again. "Are you okay?"
"Uh.. yes. I'm fine", Tara responded, unable to take her eyes off Amanda, who was in the same state.
"It's really you... Tara Koldem. I can't believe we really found you."
"Found me? You were looking for me?" Tara asked baffled.
Riley chimed in and answered, "Yes, Miss Tara. Why don't all three of us go inside so we can speak privately?" Both women nodded and allowed Riley to lead them inside the bedroom. Tara sat back on the bed, Amanda taking a place beside her, before she looked at Amanda and Riley.
"So why were you looking for me?" Tara asked them again.
"Princess Amanda overheard your conversation with the boy that was with you before you entered the palace. She wanted to find you before your date with the Queen to see if you knew anything about her younger sister." Riley explained himself to her clearly to which Amanda simply nodded her head and turned to Tara.
"Please Tara. If you know anything about Devin, please tell me. I need to get her back." Tara looked at Amanda then nodded.
"Devin and I met nearly a year ago. When we were fourteen. She told me a lot about you and a lot about your mom. We've been traveling together ever since we met. The only thing she really wants is her mother dead and her sister back. She's really mature for her age actually."
Amanda swallowed the ball in her throat as she listened to Tara speak. Her voice began to fade out as Amanda got stuck in her thoughts. Devin sounds like such a wonderful young woman. She's experienced so much in the time she'd been on her own. Amanda missed her little sister's most important moments and she can never get them back. This caused her to think about how much she missed with her daughter. For eight years she had no access to her baby girl. Her daughter was left to wonder why Mommy had left and didn't come back. These thoughts triggered tears in Amanda's eyes, which both Tara and Riley noticed.
"Are you okay Princess?" Riley asked her. Amanda merely buried her face in the palms of her hands as she started to cry, unable to stop the tears or the trembling of her shoulders. Riley pulled her into a hug and held her like that which caused her to cry harder. Tara watched this in confusion.
"Why is she crying?" Tara asked Riley. Riley looked at Tara as he held the crying princess.
"I can only guess she started thinking about her sister again due to you speaking about her."
"I see." Tara responded looking at Amanda. "Devin thinks you're dead, Your Highness. So I know she'll be over the moon to understand you're okay. Also that she has an adorable niece to meet." Amanda wiped her eyes sniffling and looked at the floor, a slight shudder in her voice.
"I-I know she thinks I'm dead. She, my husband and my daughter all think I'm dead.."
"Well. Isn't that more of a reason to get out of here so you can show them all you're not?" Tara looked at her as she asked this.
"Yes.. yes it is. But its impossible to escape her. My mother is relentless and merciless. If she finds me, she'll make sure I never get the chance to see anyone ever again."
"Actually, about your mother. I have an idea of what to do about her."
Amanda looked up at Tara and tilted her head a little curious. "Do you? Can I know?"
"Well. On my last night on her ship, I had a dream about something that happened to me and my late elder sister when I was eight. That dream made me remember something my mother used to tell me all the time. Never let fear or judgment cloud your gut feeling. That's how I was able to protect myself and my sister that day."
Amanda was listening silently and curiously when Riley asked, "So what is your idea for defeating her?"
"I overheard some of the guards talking while I was in my cell. Something about an Ancient Deity or something."
"The Ancient Star Guardian. The most powerful gift anyone in the Koldem family can possess."
"Wait- what? My family never possessed a gift like that."
Riley looked at Tara a little confused. "Your family name is Koldem correct?"
"Yes?"
"The Koldem family is an ancient royal family bloodline that were the only ones who could wield the power of such a pristine god like the Guardian. And from the reports of your birth, you were born as the Guardian's Chosen Koldem."
Tara stared at Riley as if she were looking at an unknown creature.
"I'm royalty? And.. I have the power of the Ancient Star Guardian?"
"It seems so, ma'am."
"Is that why the Queen wants me dead?"
Riley nodded to her question. "The Guardian is the only thing that can kill her. She's afraid of you. She wants you dead before you can harness your power."
Tara looked at herself in utter disbelief. She's royalty. She has an unbelievable amount of power. But rather than make her more confident, this news made her resentful. "Where was this power when my family and friends needed me?", she thought to herself. "Where was it when Eric and Kendall needed me? My mom. My dad.." Her thoughts raced in her mind about how she could've done something after all but instead she just ran. "No more", she thought to herself. "No more running."
"Miss Tara? Are you alright?" Riley asked her. Amanda tilted her head a bit looking at her. She looked at them both, a new light of determination shining in her eyes.
"I'm fine. Thank you. Can you tell me what you know about the Ancient Star Guardian if you know anything?"
"Of course ma'am." Riley began explaining all he knew about this new power Tara has just discovered. After about four minutes, Tara nodded.
"I understand what I have to do. My plan now involves trying to bring out this power when I need to. But for now, I'm going to bluff her out. Make her think I'm as worthless as she believes I am. So when her guard is down, I can strike."
"Her guard is never down Tara." Amanda said to her. "You'll have a better chance at distracting her rather than waiting for that if you wanna use the Ancient Star Guardian to take her down."
"Then that's what I'll do. Whatever it takes. But before we go along with any of this, I have a question for you Amanda."
"Okay?" Amanda said questioningly. "What is it?"
"Would you like to speak to Devin?"
Amanda blinked looking at Tara. "S-Speak to her? How?" Tara pointed to her earrings.
"These are communicator earrings that the boy, Leo, you saw me with gave me to keep in touch. I spoke to Devin for the first time in weeks earlier tonight."
Amanda stared at her and swallowed.
"I.. want to say yes. I really do. But I'd rather speak to her in person. It's been way too long for me to just say hi to her over communicators."
Tara looked at her and smiled nodding. "Then I promise to reunite you both very soon."
Amanda looked shocked as she said this. "Y-You don't have to. I think I can do it with just Riley."
"Yes but I also promised Devin I'd give her what she wanted. And besides seeing her bitch of a mother die, I think she'd want nothing else than to see her big sister again."
Tara's words left Amanda with a newfound hope that she'd never experienced before.
"Thank you Tara..."
"Of course. I'm doing this for myself and Devin. You should get some rest. You look like you haven't slept in days."
Amanda looked at her as Tara stood up and stretched.
"Rest? But what are you going to do?"
"Oh yes- I had wanted to ask you something ma'am." Riley spoke up. Tara looked at him.
"What's up?"
"What were you doing in the hallway earlier?"
"I was heading out to look around. Get my bearings. Understand my surroundings." Riley tilted his head looking at her.
"I see. That's very smart. Please be safe. I will make sure my princess gets her rest."
Tara nodded and walked out as Riley laid Amanda back on the bed. "She's very interesting Princess." Riley said as he pulled the blanket over Amanda.
"Interesting to say the least." Amanda agreed. "But.. I have a good feeling about her. She's determined. That's a good quality."
"Do you believe her plan will work?" Riley asked her as he sat against the bed on the floor.
"I'm honestly not sure." Amanda replied as she tucked her hands under the pillow to give her head more support. "But she seems confident in herself. So I think we should give her our faith."
"Understood Princess." With that, Amanda closed her eyes and let herself fall asleep, Riley keeping watch.