Prophecy of Tekka

Tayla: Bloodlines and Lies

From the balcony of my room, I quietly threw down a rope. How lucky that my room was right above the throne room; the place where all the important conversations worth eavesdropping on took place. Struggling with my injured hand, I continuously whispered to my brothers to hold the rope tightly and not let go. I had to find out the whole truth somehow. 

'We need the other kingdoms.' My mother's words reached my ears. 'This could've been done with more diplomacy.' 

'Diplomacy? You want Lord Mictlan to sacrifice Tayla?' Dad responded while the sound of his footsteps made me realize he was pacing in circles. 'We should've told her the truth years ago.'

What truth?

My brothers started whispering, making my job harder. How could I hear the conversation if they were talking so loudly? I quickly motioned with my hand for them to be quiet. Suddenly, I felt my weight starting to drop, and the rope became lighter and lighter. Crap! My stupid brothers had let go of the rope. I fell with a muffled sound right at their feet. Quickly, find an excuse, Tayla!

'Why would you do such a foolish thing?' My mother's look dispelled any hope that I could get away with it.

'I over heard everything.' I said standing up.

A small sigh escaped as my father's shoulders relaxed. 

'This isn't easy to discuss.' She said walking towards me.

Of course not. I'm just a kid, right? Dad could have said: "And by the way, Tayla, the gods do walk among us, and I cheated on your mother with one of them, and then BOOM! You were born." 

'So my whole life was a lie, right?' I said looking directly into my father's eyes.

'Love-'

'Don't give me that "love" stuff, you could have told me that my birth mother is Lady Micte.'

He looked at me for a second and then approached my mother. I could see the sadness in his heart. 'When you were young it seemed too soon to tell you. And then... well, too much time have passed.'

'How could you betray your wife?' I asked in the end while a bunch of other questions that didn't have an answer were spinning in my head. Everything was so sudden. So unknown. Such a lie. 'Weren't you angry, mom?' 

My parents quickly exchanged glances. Mom flashed a fake smile. 'I was furious. It was the first time I stabbed him.'

That made me sneak a look at my father's hand. I had been right. His hand was gone. A cold shiver made my hair stand up when I saw only bandages with small blood stains. I moved my eyes to my mother again, asking her to continue telling me the story. My mind was thirsty for answers.

'You were just a baby when the forest spirit bought you. I still remember the light you spread when I saw you for the first time. Your father recognized your necklace, witch belonged to the Death Goddess.' She took a short break to smile at me. 'When I found out that you were their child, I was very angry, but I couldn't be angry at you.' She took a step forward and put her hand on my shoulder. 'You were pure in an impure world.'

It was too much. There were too many things that maybe I never wanted to know. And now what? Was I simply supposed to accept this? My brain had stopped thinking, it just came to a complete halt. I saw my father approaching me, trying to apologize. And now I was simply supposed to overlook the fifteen years in which I never knew the truth? Did he deserve my forgiveness because he was "protecting" me all this time?

'And my birth mother? Why did she abandon me? Why does she want to kill me?' 

'Ay, mija, none of us can hope to comprehend the gods.' My non-biological mother said.

I HATE HER WITH ALL MY HEART!

What kind of mother wants to kill her own child?

'I hate her.' I said turning slowly towards my father. 'And you for lying about my real mother.'

The look in his eyes... But he deserved it! I felt a tear slowly rolling down my face, burning my cheek.

'Listen to me, Tayla.' Mom said raising her voice. 'You are a part of your father, but you're a part of me too. I may haven't given birth to you, but I raised you. I am your mother and I love you.'

I felt her arms wrap around my back, and the warmth from her chest flowed into my empty soul. I looked over her shoulder at my father's face. I saw him secretly wiping away a tear. But I couldn't forgive them so easily. I tore myself away from the sweet embrace I longed to have forever, and looking one last time into my father's regretful eyes, I turned my back and walked out of the room.

The bang of the door slamming behind me made me trembled for a moment, and then a stream of cold, bitter tears washed over my face, leaving large stains on the red carpet down the hallway.