Eternity |Descension Book Three|

Arlyn

Dawn's POV

I gasped. "Who is the father?!" I asked, panicing. "I think it's this moon elf I met in the tavern. Curly black hair, dark purple skin. I don't know his name. How will we support the baby?" I backed up, remembering a face and a name. "Arlyn..." I put my hands on my head, aching from the flood of memories. A betrayal, a love, a death. And now, a birth. I groaned in pain. "No, no.." The pressure on my temples relinquished and I sat down. "Dawn? Are you ok?" Tori asked. I took in a deep breath. "Yeah, yeah.. Just memories.. Look, we'll be fine. You'll be able to work at the tavern for a while longer, and then we can rely on Paris and I's hunting. Or, I can take over at the tavern." She laughed. "You, a waitress? I'll need to see it to believe it." I sighed. "I couldn't be a mercenary, though I might be good at it. A swordsmith maybe? Or an alchemist, though that'd require training." Tori had a lightbulb moment. "Hey! We could move to Valond with Paris, and we could start fresh! I think they have a system for helping single parents, or atleast an adoption system." I looked down. "That'd be difficult to do. We'd have to get on a cargo ship for a cheap deal, and that may not be good for the baby. I'll look around for a cheap deal, and we can probably get a good sum from that buck I snagged today." She nodded and put her hand on my knee. "Thank you, Dawn." I nodded and went into my bedroom. I hung up my coat and changed into my nightclothes. I laid down in bed and sighed, closing my eyes. "Arlyn's still alive, huh?"

~

I drifted off to sleep and awoke in a dark place. I stood and faced a familiar face. She was around my age, with dark hair in a braided updo. Tears welled in her eyes and she ran to hug me. I awkwardly let myself be embraced and she stroked my hair. "My child, I thought I'd lost you.." She released me from the hug. "Who are you?" I asked. She seemed taken back. "You don't recognise me? After all we've been through?" I shook my head. "Sorry if you're supposed to be important, but I don't recall. You do look familiar, though." I rubbed my chin quizingly. "Oh, dear, you've lost your memory. I'll try to help you regain them, but the mind must mend itself. I cannot force you to remember." She waved her hand and a white haired girl appeared. "This is Aida. Crown Princess of Valond." The girl looked similar to me and the woman. "So, who are you? And why are you showing me this?" She laughed. "I am Aileene, dear. I'm quite distressed you don't recognise me. And this, my dear, is someone very important to you." The dark place seemed eerily real. "Is this just a dream?" I asked. Aileene shook her head. "No. Before you lost your memory, some evil men split your soul and used necromancy to bring me back from the dead to be a parasite in your soul." I pondered that. "Wait, wasn't there a queen in Valond named Aileene? Mother of the last two kings, Landon and Adrian?" She held out her arms. "The one and only." She did a curtsy and changed the image to Arlyn. "That's Arlyn. All I remember from him is that I once loved him, then hated him. And now he's fathering my best friend's child." Aileene sighed. I continued, "Now we're trying to move to Valond to help support the baby. Do you know if Valond has a child support system?" Aileene paused. "Wait, you're going to Valond? This is great news! You need to leave sooon. Before Aida's wedding. By the old kings' immortal souls, hurry." And then I woke up.

~

I gasped for air. I realised it was morning and Tori had already left for the tavern. I grabbed my things and headed into town.