Peacebringer

Chapter Thirty - Valda's Theory

Valda had realized she had forgotten her journal almost immediately after arriving at the camp. She had originally been angry at herself, but realized leaving the old one hidden at the castle might be a good idea. If anything happened to her, hopefully someone would find it. She knew it was kind of a morbid thought, but she knew that was the reality she was living with. She did hope that someday her father would read them and see what she had been like. Maybe she would show him one day when this was all over.

She managed to get a new one from a resistance member who had worked as a book binder before he left his hometown. Actually, Tana had put her in contact with him. It had a beautiful soft green cover. Even though it was only made of paper, and not leather-bound like her old one, she still loved it. A simpler one seemed appropriate given her situation.

She had spent the day chatting with Finn and Natalya to keep them out of Asha's way. She was really growing fond of Natalya in addition to Asha, as Natalya was closer to her age. There was something oddly familiar about Asha though, and it had been haunting Valda's thoughts. It was time to finally write them down.

She dated her entry and began writing in her beautiful script. Being a princess, she had been trained in formal handwriting. It definitely showed in her journaling when she could take the time to form the letters carefully.

I have been working at the resistance base now for a few days, and I have learned more than I ever could have imagined. This is such a dedicated group of people working towards a good cause. Although fighting is not the ideal solution, it is definitely necessary given my father's unwillingness to even consider negotiations...or more accurately, Darkwater's unwillingness. At this point I am sure that my father is no longer in control of his own kingdom. She is using him as a puppet for her own means.

While that fact saddens me deeply, it makes me all the more eager to figure out a way to free the imprisoned magic users within the castle. Maybe we can also find a way to get rid of Darkwater.

I am going to do a thorough search with Asha. I know at one point in time there was a secret tunnel that ran through the wall of the library that went in and out of the palace. We need to sneak in to find the entrance, and then follow it back out. Then we can mark the exit and use it to sneak a bigger group back in.

Speaking of Asha, there's something odd about her. Not that she's strange, I just feel like I know here from somewhere. She mentioned before that her father was a nobleman and probably a fire spinner. Maybe I am remembering her from when her father served on my father's court? I am unsure at the moment. I will have to uncover more.

Maybe on our mission we can quickly check the library records to see if there is any record of her father in the archives. It would have the date of her birth and her name listed with it if her family lived in the palace at any time. We will have to see.

One thing that troubles me is the amount of similarities between Asha and myself. We are both half Sayreenian, we look alike, and she would be the age that my sister would have been. She and her mother practically lived in hiding. I don't want to get my hopes up, but I am starting to think that maybe her father wasn't a nobleman at all.

I think Asha might be my sister.

Valda closed the small book and placed it in the drawer under the small table next to her bed to keep it hidden from prying eyes. She didn't want to risk the chance that someone uncovered her theory, as it could put Asha in danger. She noticed that her crow friend was perched on the windowsill again. He had taken to riding on her shoulder occasionally when she was walking around outside.

Strangely, this small room in the guest house felt more like home than her room in the castle ever did. That room, although elegant and full of her personal belongings, felt more like a prison than a home. She supposed that in reality, that is what it had been for her since she was young. She really hadn't interacted with anyone outside the castle until she had gotten the letter from Tana asking for her help.

It had been quite a wild leap of faith on Tana's part to ask for her to spy, but Valda had been doing it since she was twelve years old, right around the age that she had firmly realized that something was not right with her father. Ever since that first message, she had been dutifully updating the resistance on her father's every order.

Maybe the resistance felt like home because she had been more honest with them than she had been with her father. This was her escape.

Valda just wondered how long it would be before she was able to go back to the castle permanently. It would probably only be to take over the throne as heir. She didn't think her father would be allowed to continue to rule if the resistance won this war.