Dragon Witch: Found

Ball

After the ball commenced, Narcissa sat on her throne and mentally located Leila. The little girl was in the back of the ballroom, enjoying the cookie the Queen had given her. Looking to the side, she saw Malicus speaking to someone she didn't quite recognize- and was far too distracted to try and remember. Once she was certain that no one was paying her any mind, she slowly began to probe Leila's mind.

Being as young as she was, it was easy for the Queen to slip inside without the child noticing. Taking a deep breath, she slowly went deeper. A child's mind was very delicate , and if Narcissa was wrong about this little girl being her missing child- or she took a misstep, she could permanently damage the child's mind. However, with all the evidence stacked up and pointing to the high possibility that Leila was her child, Narcissa felt it was a necessary risk- as long as she was careful.

Keeping her own thoughts calm, she continued to press deeper to reach the child's first memory. Most of the memories she found were impressions and some images with an emotional attachment that she figured was typical of an infant. At last, she finally reached the first memory; it was extremely faint, but the emotions there were still strong. Fear at first... of what was happening around herself as something was pushing her through something; then security as arms wrapped around her and pulled her close... then love.

A sudden shock went through her body- as if cold claws were trying to grab her heart; but there was also a warmth to it... as if something was trying to be reforged- a bond that had deteriorated but was never completely gone. Thinking fast, she quickly used her own memory, matching it to the child's; feeling what she had emanated to the child after several hours of labor... then she saw the child's first image; after all the fear was gone and feeling of security and love, she saw the faint image of herself- and it confirmed that Leila was indeed her child.

Before letting herself be overwhelmed with joy, Narcissa slowly pulled out of the child's head; gasping as she came back to reality. She suddenly felt a firm hand her shoulder, and was surprised to see Malicus-who was already in his night clothes- looking at her so fearfully. Confused, she looked around, and realized that she was no longer in the ballroom. "What happened?" She asked, bewildered at how she was in her bed chamber and not in the ballroom.

"You had some fit or something," Malicus explained, his hand trailing down to hers. "At first, I thought you had dozed off again; but, then you gasped and your body went rigid. The air around you grew extremely cold, and you even froze the armrests of the throne before collapsing."

"I wasn't having a fit," Narcissa breathed, realizing she must have had a reaction to the connecting memory technique. She then remembered that if she had a reaction, the child was likely to have one as well. "What about Leila? Is she alright?"

"A bit spooked," Dracona said, coming into the room. "She said her chest was bothering her a bit- but she's fine."

"That was probably my doing," Narcissa confessed, thanking Adonvah that Leila wasn't harmed during her little excursion. "I was probing her mind."

"Whatever for?" Malicus asked.

"Dracona," Narcissa ordered softly. "Shut the door on your way out, please."

Dracona nodded and walked out, making sure to close the door behind herself. The Queen turned to the King, and smiled. "The little girl we met tonight," she began in a whisper; as if saying it too loud would bring consequences on her family. She could not stop the smile from crossing her lips, though. "She's ours, Malicus."

There was a moment of silence, and then Malicus leaned forward to brush a strand of hair aside. "Narcissa," he said ever so softly, slipping underneath the covers with her. The way his voice wavered when he said her name made the smile fade from her lips; it didn't take a telepath to know he was going to try and deter her from what she knew was the truth. "I know you desperately want our daughter back- and believe me, I want that as well..." he paused for a moment, and Narcissa fought so hard to keep the tears that had welled up in. "I think it's time to accept that you may never see Leila again..."

The temperature dropped around them sharply, and the King pulled the covers a bit tighter around them. Narcissa turned on her side; her back to her husband. "'Cissa..." Malicus whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Narcissa held her hand up, indicating he should probably leave her alone. "Good night," she whispered, letting her tears fall silently. Her heart ached once more and she wasn't sure what hurt the most: the fact that she could not see her daughter for awhile; or the fact her husband- the love of her life- did not believe her.

The King sighed, blowing out the candle beside him. His hand traveled around her waist and he hugged her tightly. "Good Night, 'Cissa."