The Borderlands The Memoirs Of Lord Tristan

Chapter V

I left the man behind and began to walk toward Aaliyah. She was working hard in the field, planting something. Her fingers worked gracefully as she stooped and placed a seed deep in the dirt and covered it.
"Excuse me!" I called, from a fair distance off.
For, I did not want to scare her. She stood up and turned her head to locate where the voice had come from. Her mouth fell open in surprise and her expression turned to suspicion and wariness.
"Who are you?" she asked.
I stood still. The way she formed her words and her expressions were identical to her sister's. I took a deep breath, and tried to hold back all, and any emotion.
"My name is Tristan, I am on an errand for the Queen and King." Her expression changed to confusion.
"How does that affect me?"
"It affects you more than you can guess," I said, sighing. "But first, am I right in guessing that your name is Aaliyah?"
"Yes..." she said watching me carefully.
"Well there is a matter I must discuss with you," I said

Once I finally coaxed her into trusting me I led her to a patch of grass under a fig tree.
"So, Aaliyah," I said, taking on a serious tone. "This thing I am going to tell you will be life changing, very hard to take in, and you won't believe me."
"I might," she said, shrugging.
"I don't know how tell you this, so I'll say it out right, you are the lost princess, daughter of their Majesties Avonmora," I said.
She was silent for awhile. "You're lying," she said, disbelievingly.
But just how I could read Gena I knew that she was trying to deny it as she didn't want to be disappointed.
"Isn't this proof enough?" I asked showing her a ring with the Avonmora crest. I had been wearing it on a cord, the same cord Gena's engagement ring was on. I had hidden it underneath my shirt so none would see it unless I wished them to.
"That's—that's," she said, in a shaky and excited voice. "That's the Avonmora seal ring."
"Yes, it is. Your parents are waiting for you, they will take you in and love you, no matter what, because you are their daughter," I said.
She began to shake all over, trying to take in the magnitude of the news I had just revealed to her. Tears of joy began to stream down her face.
"I have a mom, I have a dad," she said, in a way that emphasised the gravity of the moment.
In that moment, for her, it didn't matter if they were the Queen and King. The only thing that mattered was that she had a family. Someone who would take her in despite any flaws she possessed. Some distant part of me was jealous; I no longer had a family. I longed for the security and love that a family provided. The hope was futile though. The best that I could hope for was a swift and easy death after completing my mission, that would be reward enough.
I took her by the hand and led her away from the farm, bought her a pair of clothes, bought her food, bought her a horse and a gold gilded comb. Though, it's sad to say, the reason I bought the comb was because I felt like I was buying it for Gena. Aaliyah's personality was different from Gena's, but her character was still sweet, and I would later learn, she was always optimistic, just like Gena. I travelled with all speed, leading Aaliyah to Ardine, the capital of Cascata. During the couple hour trip Aaliyah told me of how she ended up in Manoba.
"I guess I was kidnapped as a baby from the palace, which I sincerely don't remember at all," she began. "Somehow I ended up in a caring family, which I thought was my biological family. I even had a twin there, which could've been Genevah.
"A year after my twin was kidnapped I was kidnapped, and brought over many mountains. I had to learn the Cascatan language. I managed to escape after only a couple years. I earned my living by doing menial jobs for random people, until I was later kidnapped again, but this time by the Raiders. I escaped on the very first day of capture with the help of a couple once-upon-a-time employers. I went inland and worked for a rather stupid man, and that's where you found me," she concluded. (Note: this is her story in brief, as she told me her story at length over the course of a couple hours.)

When we arrived in Ardine at the palace, we were admitted into the palace without hesitation, once I showed the guards the seal ring. The Queen and King were summoned from an audience. I left Aaliyah outside the room so I could tell them of the success, rather than throw it upon them suddenly.
"Did you find her?" asked the King, breathlessly.
"Yes," I said.
The Queen took a step backward, she was smiling and crying at the same time.
"I'll let her in," I said, softly.
I left the room and took Aaliyah by the hand.
"I'm scared," she said, quietly.
"Don't be, they're your parents, they love you already," I said and kissed her on the forehead.
I didn't go into the room with Aaliyah. I thought that they should have some alone time. I stood outside the richly engraved double doors, with the guards. Listening to the exclamations of joy from the other side of the door.

...oOo...

This autobiography I wrote in courtesy of Aaliyah Avonmora, she says it will help me let go of my fears, my bitterness and my depression. And thank the gods, I do believe it has worked.