LESSONS FROM THE PAST.

CHAPTER 74: LESSONS FROM THE PAST.

ALEENA'S POV.

I was up but still lying in bed the next morning. I reminisced on the previous night's incident. Choosing to remain in Havenville wasn't as easy as I may have made it seem before everyone.

It took a lot of courage and determination to watch Caspian and Cormac leave. But I just knew I had to do so. I didn't yet know why, but I felt I had to decline to go back with them.

Well, the obvious reason was that I had found a home, a home indeed. But there was something deeper at work that I didn't realize. Probably an unseen hand pulling certain destiny strings from the realm beyond.

I suddenly heard footsteps approaching the cottage. I could tell wasn't far. I quickly got up from my mother's bed and walked to the front door. As I opened the door, I found that it was the lady who was sent to fetch me the previous evening.

"My Lady! Uh, good morning," she said surprisedly.

"Good morning," I replied, smiling. I saw her hand was lifted as I opened the door. She was about to knock on the door.

"Malcum requests that you join us for breakfast," she said.

"Okay," I nodded in acknowledgment and walked out the door. She seemed amazed. Maybe she wasn't expecting that I would just choose to follow her without trying to go back in.

I didn't mind that I had bathed. I followed her in that state.

We walked until she led me to a different place I had not been to Havenville. As we walked through the community, the folks greeted me with warm smiles. I reciprocated the warm salutations as I walked on.

Not long after, I saw that Malcum was standing outside in front of a beautiful house. It was also made of finely smoothened wood, just as the rest of the houses in Havenville.

"Aleena. Good morning," Malcum greeted cheerfully as he was setting the table.

"Good morning, Malcum," I replied wearing a mild smile.

"I'm quite sure you rested well, eh?"

"Much better than the other night," I replied. Malcum laughed softly hearing that.

"I officially apologize for doing that. That needed to be done. It was a precautionary measure. We weren't quite certain what we were dealing with at the time."

"And now you do?" I asked.

"Very much so. You're one of us," he replied smiling. I smiled, looking away.

A woman and some folks exited the house with plates containing food. The woman looked at me and smiled.

"Oh my! So this is her," she said and looked at her.

"Mm-hmm. This is Lyla's daughter, Aleena," Malcum said and kissed her. I furrowed my brow at what I saw.

"Aleena, meet the love of my life, and dear wife, Marie," Malcum introduced.

"I had no idea that you were"

"Married? Yes, I am. And I was."

"Oh! You uh- What happened?" I inquired, already having a suspicion about what must have happened.

"Rivendell happened," he replied. I knew exactly what he meant by that.

"Please, have a seat," Malcum said gesturing to the chair in front of me. I sat down soberly, as well as every other person there.

"I had just been married for a week when some rogue nightcrawlers meandered their way to our home. I don't know if it was premeditated. It doesn't matter. They made me watch as they snuffed out the life from her," he said and chuckled softly, deep in his thoughts.

"I was lucky to have survived the attack. I would have died after they attacked me as well. They wanted me to die slowly as I watched helplessly as my wife slowly died. I'd have died had she not found me. She saw this stranger and took the risk and leap of faith to help this man heal both physically and emotionally," he said, turning to Marie.

"And now we're no longer strangers, now are we?" Marie said with a smile.

"No, we aren't," he replied and kissed her. I smiled seeing how affectionate they were toward each other. But I subconsciously began getting gloomy, and it was visible.

"Why do you look like that?" Malcum asked me, furrowing his brow.

"Part of me is now the creature that caused you so much pain and many others."

"But it wasn't you, Aleena," Malcum replied. "Within our ranks here are vampires. Most of them didn't choose to be what they were. And even if they did, their choices after is what truly defines them. Just like the one who came to your rescue," he explained. I looked at him as he spoke.

"That's Cormac, the Prince of Rivendell. Some even believe he should have been the one seated on that throne, and not his sister," Malcum revealed.

"Really? Why?" I inquired, furrowing my brow.

"Three centuries ago before the mysterious demise of their father, King Vajgar, he groomed Cormac for the throne. But he didn't have the requisite level of ruthlessness his father desired him to have. But his sister, Amelia, was literally carved out of the same stock as her father," Malcum began as I paid rapt attention to him.

"The elders were worried that he wouldn't uphold certain customs if he became King, but King Vajgar wasn't going to deprive his son of his birthright. And with tensions brewing between the nightcrawlers and Lycans, the elders were afraid a lot was at stake.

"It is believed that Amelia worked with the elders to engineer the death of the King, of her father, and blamed it all on Cormac, thereby giving the elders the ground to revoke his claim to the throne," Marie continued.

"It was after that, that the last blood wars broke out, which led to the barrier that was raised through the selfless sacrifice of a mage, Roweena," Malcum ended.

"So you see, we are all products of our choices, no matter what you are. Be you a human, vampire, Lycan, mage, or even hybrid," Malcum said.

I was deep in my thoughts at that point.

"Let's eat before our food gets cold," Marie said, and we all began eating, but I was still sober.

"I'm not supposed to be here. Am I?" I asked. Malcum smiled softly when he heard that.

"After your friends came for you last night, it made me realize that you truly weren't alone. You gave loyal companions who are willing to die for you. And such folks are invaluable in the journey to fulfill prophecy. No matter where you go, that prophecy will follow you. You can't escape it, Aleena."

"I'm scared I'll make the wrong choices," I said gloomily.

"Just remember whose you are. You weren't born of evil. And even if you were, you can choose a different path. And when the time comes, we will yield to the clarion call of destiny, standing with you," Malcum said assuringly.

I nodded, feeling very much encouraged.