Because This World is Loved

Chapter 16: Melia's Side

Melia wanted to enjoy the late afternoon air as she walked home from Noel's house, but by the same token, she really wanted to go home and see her parents. They had not exactly been happy with her when they heard about what happened, but she was surprised to learn that they were more scared for her than angry at her. She remembered seeing Geralt and Faith tear up upon her return; Faith in particular openly cried in between scoldings.

Mostly, Melia was disappointed in herself for not thinking things through at all. She nearly inflicted a permanent curse on herself in exchange for a taste of freedom and rebellion. After seeing how her parents reacted to her return, she thought she understood what Noel and Alea meant when they talked about her parents wanting to protect her and wanting the best for her.

She was still a bit skittish when she stepped through the door. "H-Hi, Mom. I'm home."

Faith pushed aside the paperwork she was working on. "Welcome home, Melia. Did you have a good visit?"

"Yes." Unsure of what else to do with herself, Melia sat down beside her mother. "Noel fell asleep, so we decided to leave. Me and Agila, I mean. The bird girl you saw earlier."

Nodding, Faith rubbed Melia's head gently. "I'm glad you had a good time."

At that point, there was thunderous stomping as Drea and Alves ran down the stairs, followed by Geralt. "Slow down, you two! I can't keep up!" He called after them with a chuckle.

"Hi, Melia," Drea said, waving to her.

"Hi," was all Alves said. He was clutching a dog plushie by the ear.

"I think I should bring these two home before my sister throws a fit at me," Geralt said. "I'll be right back."

"See you, Auntie Faith!" Drea called out as she headed for the door. Soon, as quickly as it came, the chaos was gone.

For a moment, neither mother nor daughter said anything. Melia was the one to break the silence. "Mom... I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry anymore," Faith said. "You know what you did was wrong. You're taking responsibility for it. If anything, I'd say you're being harder on yourself than anyone else is. We're just glad to have you back safe and sound after what happened."

"I'm glad to be back, too," Melia said. "I really didn't think about you guys at all... that's what I'm the sorriest about."

"It happens," Faith said. "I know that, when I was your age, I acted without thinking about my parents, too. Once, I even ran away from home for almost three days."

Melia's eyes went wide. Her mother was normally a stickler for law and order, and imagining her being rebellious enough to run away without looking back was a stark contrast to her image of her. "Really? Wow."

"Yes. I slept on the street for two nights, because I didn't want to go home and deal with my parents lecturing me and throwing rules at me. On the third night, someone finally found me and brought me home, which was a good thing, because I was hungry, sore, and miserable." Faith exhaled heavily. "When I got home, more than being angry at me, my parents were relieved to see that I was okay. Sure, I was grounded something fierce, but at that point, I didn't care. I was glad to be home."

"Yeah... that's kind of how I feel, too," Melia said. "All the freedom in the world isn't that great if you're going to suffer in the long or short term for it. Sometimes, people mistake protection for control. Right?"

"Right," Faith said, putting an arm around Melia. "Sometimes, rules really are in place for your own good, and you don't realize that till it's too late."