The Matriarch's Daughter

Chapter Twenty-One: Fate Comes to Collect

The two girls left the building in silence. In the stillness, Rory contemplated the enormity of what had been offered to her.

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?

Then the sharp pang of something more personal hit her. Her heart clenched.

Would you take her from me, Chandeidra? Please... she prayed. Anything but that.

Doubt and hope tangled inside her, but 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 like 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, frankly? A lot of people are hard to love. I've gone through the motions, hoping the action 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 priestess. I did it because he was scared and alone. 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.

"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 quarter to those who ask for it. Protect the frail, the widows, the younglings.

"All of it was passed down to me. I learned it from my parents learned it from their parents, and so on. I've memorized it as easily as I learned to put on my armor. It's second nature. It's my duty. It is who I am."