The Matriarch's Daughter

Chapter Twenty-One: Fate Comes to Collect

The two girls left the building in silence, not that Rory expected anything different. 

Everything that happened was...a lot. She wasn't even sure where to start in the enormity of what had been offered to her. The more she thought about it, the more she found herself spiraling, trying to put words down in the diary of her mind. 

My whole life, no one has ever really expected anything from me.

But now, everything was different. If Rory accepted, people would seek her out, not for help with a chore or a favor, but because of who she was supposed to become. She'd have to travel far from everything familiar, face dangers she could barely imagine, and carry the hopes of entire communities on her shoulders.

And the way Delphi said it... what did the Gods truly want from me? What did it mean to be the High Priestess? Would I have to make sacrifices? Then the sharp pang of something more personal hit her. With it, her heart clenched. Would you take her from me, Chandeidra? Please... she prayed—anything but that.

Doubt tangled inside her, and deep down, she knew one thing: nothing would ever be the same again. As they neared the center of the courtyard, Rory slowed to a stop.

"Claudia, can we talk about what happened?"

Claudia turned to look at Rory, sporting a frown. "I suppose we must. Tonight was...interesting."

Rory almost snorted. "Interesting? Try life-altering."

Claudia studied her. "Do you have doubts about your ability to do what they want you to do?"

Rory hesitated. The honest answer was yes. Shol, it was a resounding yes. A completion ago, she might've laughed in Delphi's face if offered the position. But that was before she began spending real time in the temple. Before the prayers stopped feeling like routine. Before she noticed her own heart starting to shift.

"I don't know about Edlyn," Rory said, eyes on the ground, "but Chandeidra teaches us to love the world as she does. Even when we think they don't deserve it."

She paused, the words catching in her throat.

"I've struggled with that. Because many people are hard to love. I'd even go as far as to say most don't deserve it. Still, I've gone through the motions, hoping the outward action of love might be enough. That maybe if others saw kindness, it would be mistaken for love. But deep down, I knew it wasn't real."

Claudia tilted her head. "But?"

Rory exhaled slowly. "But then today, I saved that youngling. And I didn't do it because I had to, or because I was trying to be a good acolyte. I did it because I saw how he was scared. I couldn't walk away from that. I didn't think about duty. I just... felt something stir inside me. And when I needed strength, Chandeidra gave it to me."

She paused before continuing. "Perhaps it was a test beyond what Deeprabbit and the other ministers were trying to do. Shol, it might have even been set up by the Prophetess herself. Perhaps even Chandeidra asked for that test, because she knew I could love those around me, and I just needed to see myself do it."

"I get that," Claudia said flatly.

Rory blinked. She hadn't expected that. "You do?"

Claudia nodded. "Honor. Courage. Chivalry. Bravery. Lawfulness. Faithfulness. That's the Paladin Code. Never lie. Never strike from behind. Don't steal. Don't fight dirty. Retreat only when everyone else has. Grant a quarter to those who ask for it. Protect the frail, the widows, the younglings.