Kissed by Chaos

Kissed by Chaos (24) - Repayment

Kissed by Chaos

Chapter 24 - Repayment

Dunya had finally returned my strength to me. When she had touched my forehead and revealed to me those unimaginable visions, I had felt every drop of energy leave my body. I had been unable to speak, to move my lips and explain the sudden chaos that now faced me. Four days later, I could finally walk around for more than a few metres without my knees giving way beneath me. I could finally carry a conversation without excusing myself to get some rest. It felt good to regain some strength.

However, despite my newfound energy, there was now a strange awkwardness between my mother and me. At first, it had been like suddenly coming across an acquaintance from the distant past. Now, it was as though Mother did not know how much to love me. Everytime I looked at her, I could see in her eyes an eagerness to bond with me, to rediscover the magical kinship that exists between mother and daughter. But obscuring this eagerness was a wariness, as if loving me was going to backfire on her somehow – as though upon receiving her love, I would turn and hate her. It was difficult to really understand where my mother and I stood with each other.

Elisabeth stood in front of the mirror that was hung up in the corner of the room. She held in front of her a beautiful, dark blue dress – something fit for the Lady of a manor. She had found it while rifling through the trunk of dresses Mother had instructed us to choose from to wear for the time being. It was made of a smooth material that I had never seen before. The dress clinched slightly at the waist, then fanned delicately out to the floor. The sleeves were as wide and elegant as any queen’s.

The door creaked open and Mother stepped in, wearing something that was not half as elegant as the dress that Elisabeth experimentally held out in front of her. Instead, Mother was wearing a plain dark green tunic over black trousers. No matter how plain it was, I had to admit that it looked extremely comfortable.

When she saw Elisabeth standing in front of the mirror, Mother’s face softened into a warm, reminiscent smile. “I see you’ve found one of my most prized possessions.” She closed the door behind her and came over to the mirror. With gentle fingers, she caressed the material of the dress lovingly.

Elisabeth spoke the question that was on my mind. “Mother… where on earth did you get such a lovely dress? This must have cost a fortune!”

Mother laughed softly, her mind not quite in that room but instead drifting back to a better, happier time. “That’s exactly what I said when your father brought it home. It seems like so long ago now…”

“Father bought it for you?” I asked in disbelief. “Where could he get the money for something like this?”

“He brought it home one afternoon just a few weeks after we had gotten married. He had been saving up for it for a long time, well before our wedding. When I asked him why he would go to such an effort just for a dress, he told me that I was his princess, and I deserved something fitting to wear.” She was smiling to herself as she spoke, but her eyes were swimming as they beheld the dress that had so many valuable memories woven into its fabric. I wondered what it was like for her to be with a family so obviously incomplete without the man she loved.

Elisabeth and I stared at our mother. I was sure that like me, Elisabeth was also wondering what life would have been like if witchcraft had not been outlawed. We would all still be in our small but comfortable cottage on the fringes of that vast forest, perhaps sitting in front of the fire and revelling in each other’s presence. The thought was horribly painful as it swam through my head. My heart shuddered, asking me why I would subject it to such pain.

Seeing that the dress was bringing back a torrent of memories and hopes that ought to be shut away, Elisabeth silently folded the dress up and carefully placed it back in the trunk where she had found it. She then straightened up and looked from me to Mother. “I know that life would have been perfect if Father was still on earth. But I also know that Father is overjoyed, wherever he is, that we are together.” Her eyes settled on me, braver than I had ever seen them. “It’s what he wanted more than anything, otherwise why would he have told us to find Mother?”