Chapter Forty-Two

Iris:

My head felt like it wanted to split open, that was what woke me up. I groaned even as I sat up. A thick weight was on my hand as I tried to lift it to my head, so I stopped bothering about lifting my hands to my head and focused on getting my head to reduce banging. When it did, I tried to open my eyes, but the light made me whimper as I started to cry.

“I will kill that fairy; I will break her wings and shove it up her ass.” My mother said, not in her usual shouting voice but rather in a calm way that felt even deadlier as the words ghosted over my skin and raised goosebumps in my hand.

“Get in line.” My father replied in that same tone, a second before I felt the bed dip as extra weight landed on my side.

“Papa.” I called in a small vulnerable voice, using a name which I rarely used since I was seven. I felt him tense before he placed his hand on me.

“Yes Iris bear.” He returned.

“Where is Cirdan?” I asked. He paused before he replied.

“How are your eyes, She blew a very potent fairy dust mix into your eyes, it can leave you blind, we need to see your eyes my darling.” He replied.

“Cirdan…” I repeated.

“He is safe, now try opening your eyes for us.” He stated.

It took me several trials and by the time I could open it halfway, my face was filled with tears and what my parents sure was bad enough that they both uttered curses and my mother quickly escaped the room and through the noise cancellation door, I heard her shriek in anger.

“First it was ordering my citizen about and then it was almost blinding my daughter. I am done being the lenient king.” He growled. I peered at him, squinting the best I could to see my father’s face and his expression made me cold. He looked every bit like an unforgiving king in that moment.

“Father what happened to Cirdan?” I picked my words carefully, trying my best not to show how crazy I was inside that Cirdan was in trouble.

“He is okay.” He assured me. “Your mother already sent words that Cirdan should be released to his family, and it has already been done, he was not hurt just some minor bruises.”

“What’s going to happen now?” I asked my father who shook his head.

“I am sorry, but her orders still stand, Cirdan is expelled, he would finish his study at home, and you would not see each other for the next couple of months.” His words felt like a hammer on my chest.

“No, no.” I shook my head as tears poured from my eyes. “He had something important to tell me about my aura, that was the only reason he requested that we meet up, we have been doing our best to steer clear of each other.”

“I am sorry Iris, but in this case, I am powerless.” He bowed his head like admitting that was flaw on his part.

Tears continued to pour from my eyes as they started to sting but I couldn’t stop them.

“Iris, your face is growing redder.” My father said in alarm, but I was not paying attention, I could not concentrate on his words, the air felt like it was growing thin. My father was talking to me, but I could not concentrate. The door opened, voices rose and in the end I felt a pinch on my arm, and I lost consciousness easier this time.

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I woke up to find my mother beside me, her fingers combing out my hair. She was repeating the motion so many times that it felt comfortable. Comfortable enough that I did not snap at her to remove her hand from my hair.

“You are awake.” She startled then removed her fingers from my hair. “I am sorry for touching you without your permission.”

“It’s okay, you were just trying to make me feel better.” I stated and she paused before she nodded.

“Finding one’s mate is not easy for anybody, we get to feel dependent on one person and that person becomes responsible for our happiness. We get to long for that feeling and that was one of the reasons that I was glad that you did not grow up here. That you would not understand the pining and so the feeling would be far from you. Instead, you got to see your mate, and not only did you see him, but you are kept apart from him. That is worse than any pining before knowing the person.” She looked at me, raising her head from the bent position it was in. “I am sorry that I don’t have enough power to prevent that from happening.”

“What am I supposed to do?” I asked her, blinking tears in my eyes as she became blurry to me. “Am I expected to just act like the next couple of months is easy and that being away from Cirdan is not killing me on the inside?”

“Throw yourself into practice. Learn and become better so that at the end of your schooling, the only thing which they can use to keep you two apart will not work. After your school, I believe the next thing they will bring up is talks about how you are not properly training your powers, they would want a demonstration, you show them that you have handled that aspect, and nothing will keep you and Cirdan apart okay?”

I nodded at her advice, “Thank you”

“I am your mother I want what is best for you, just ensure that Finn continues to train you, he knows how to open facets about you that others don’t and that will always give you an edge.”

My father entered the room and my mother jumped away from me as if she had been caught doing something bad.

“What is going on here?” He asked, his gaze jumping between me and my mother.

“She was just telling me that Finn will train me in opening facets about me, something which he is already doing.” I yawned then turn to my side. I really did not want to keep up a conversation with either of them and the best way for me to do that is to pretend that I am tired and that was what I was planning on doing. “In fact, I believe it is working because I keep finding myself having black outs.”

I didn’t hear anything from two of them other than the sound of someone being dragged out and the door shutting softly behind them. I released my breathe and the tears came out in torrents as the bond between me and Cirdan felt frayed. He was too far to feel that I was down and so he could not help.

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King Elros:

I dragged Nambra out of the room, ready to fire questions at her because of Iris words but I didn’t want to do it where it would disturb Iris from getting the sleep she needed.

“Ouch, you are hurting me with your grip Elros.” She complained and I quickly let go of her hand and turned to face her.

“Why on earth did our daughter say she is blacking out from training in which one of your people are doing for her?” I demanded.

Nambra froze as her eyes hardened becoming like hard chips of ice. “Be careful of your words Elros. My daughter had her friend train her. A friend that is a very good trainer and not only is he a trainer, but he also was her friend before he knew that she was my daughter and if I am to assume before they knew each other identity much. Let’s be guided in our demands or I will demand to know one a citizen of yours is putting my daughter through heartaches.” Nambra flung back and my ears tips went red.

Yes I knew better than to swing demands and words like that, but my daughter was blacking out. “You are right, I should not have to throw those words there, I knew better than to ascribe pain to people I suspect caused it, but Iris is blacking out. Do you and your people have anything to do with it?”

I watched Nambra carefully and saw her face shut down, I could not read her poker face but the fact that she had it on for this conversation meant that there was more than the eye could see.

“Why would we? She is my daughter too Elros, I might not have taken care of her, but I have her best interest and that of the world in mind.”

“Okay.” I conceded as I apologized to her, but my mind was already jumping and racing towards a lot of scenarios.

Something else was going on with Nambra, she just gave a non-answer, and I knew that. I would have to discover this on my own.