The Pillar of Strength
POV: Alexandra
I had healed, for the most part, two days later. I was on my way home and I was told that my brother was able to go to his fake investigation that Lucien sent him on so that he could spend time with our grandfather before he passed away. My father came to retrieve me from the castle. As I got to the front door of the castle, Lucien stopped me. I looked up at him, confused, “What’s the matter, Lucien?” He sighed, “I suppose I just got so used to you being here that I’m hesitant to see you leave.” I placed a hand gently on his face, “I understand, I don’t really want to leave but my grandfather needs me. I have every confidence that someday I will live here with you.” He pulled my hand off his face and kissed it, “I truly hope so. You know that I am here when you need me. You need only take the passage to my room to come see me. I will be your shelter from the pain you feel and the warm hug and shoulder for you to cry on. When the storm is brewing within your life, I am the wall that will block the wind from you. I hope you know that.” I was amazed at how poetic his speech was and it was beautiful enough to bring a tear to my eye. He took his thumb and dried my tear and kissed my forehead, “I will keep Darren in my prayers.”
I nodded at him as my father entered the castle doors, “Alexandra, are you ready to go home?” He offered me his arm as he always did when he was going to escort me to places. This was a ritual that he and I had with each other when I was growing up and I saw it as a great comfort, especially that he would do it now when it felt like my world was slowly melting away with each second that ticked on the clock called life. I took his arm but I did not offer a smile like I usually had when I would often take his arm. He escorted me to the carriage and as he climbed in after me, he sighed, “I know this is hard for you. You’ve never really lost anyone close to you before. Grieving is a new thing for you to experience but I promise you that we will do as we always have as a family.” I looked up at him with a frown, “And what would that be really?” He gave me a sad smile, “Lift each other up. We now have Ashton who seems like a rather strong young man, much like his twin sister. Don’t you think?” I sighed, “He is strong but I don’t know if we can compare me to him. I have always been a little weak inside.” He scoffed, “What nonsense are you spouting, little rose? Who was the person who endured daily bullying from those humans for eighteen years of their life? That takes a strong girl to do. As a matter of fact, of all the beings I know and have encountered in my life, I believe that you are just about the strongest I know. NEVER believe yourself to be any less than that, Alexandra because I guarantee that is what everyone that has ever encountered you in their life would say. Even those hater humans called The Plinkers would say.” A tear rolled down my eye and I looked down, “Yes, father, but who was it that taught me to be that way? He has always been the pillar of my strength. What will I do when he isn’t here? I can feel my heart breaking with every breath. How will I ever find the strength to pull through, father?” He pulled me in for a hug, “Little rose, I will be your pillar until you can stand on your own. You need to remember the strength you have within you. You have it in there, I know it. Think of it as a small cutting of a rose bush. You have to cultivate it for it to grow. My father was the one to cut that plant and planted it to get it started. You will be the gardener now, Xan. Give it the nutrients it needs to grow.”
We finally pulled up to Blackwood manor and Dana emerged, “Your Grace, Master Darren has been asking for Miss Alexandra for the past thirty minutes.” I didn’t hesitate to attempt to run up the stairs to his bedroom but my father yelled after me, “You need to mind your stitches, Xan! I won’t have you injuring yourself and neither will your grandfather.” I slowed down and turned to him at the bottom of the steps, “Sorry, father. I’m just so anxious to see him.” He sighed and nodded, “I understand but what good will it do you or him if you are bedridden again and unable to see him.” I shrugged, “I’d simply asked them to wheel a bed into his room and we could be miserable together.” My father rolled his eyes, “Your wit knows no limits, child.” He always called me child when he would finally get exasperated with my shenanigans. This usually meant that I’ve reached my patience limit with my father and I would need to be serious. I rarely got admonished by my father because I knew his tells. I sighed as I ascended the stairs considerably slower than I had before. Instead of hanging a left at the top of the stairs to the west wing, I took the right. I walked down the hallway that was reserved for the elder generation of my family to the very last door that had the panther carved above it.
I knocked on the door and Theodore answered. I was taken aback by him being there, “Teddy?” He looked at me confused, “Did you just call me Teddy?” My eyes widened at the slip of the tongue, I had intended to ask him if I could call him that. His name coupled with his sweet demeanor just reminded me of the teddy bears in Terre so I thought this would have been a fitting nickname for him, “I’m sorry, it was a nickname I had thought of for you. I meant to ask you if it was okay if I could call you that.” He smiled at me, “I have no problem but it isn’t something I have ever heard of. Usually, my nickname from others are either Theo or Nerd.” I frowned, “Nerd? Is that meant to be mean-spirited?” He shrugged, “Likely it is considering who gave it to me.” I furrowed my brow at the thought of anyone feeling the need to be mean to him, “Who is the jerk then?” I heard Ashton pipe up behind him, “Melody, of course.” I sighed, “I might’ve guessed. Anyhow, Teddy, do they not have teddy bears in Vellum?” He looked at me confused again, “Teddy bears? No, can’t say as I have ever heard of whatever that is. You can color me intrigued though.” I smiled at him, “In Terre, they are little stuffed bears. The bears are fake, I have one in my bedroom. I’ll have to show you some time but for now, I’d like to see my grandfather if that’s okay.” He stepped aside and my grandfather was sitting up in his bed smiling at me. He held his arms open, “Finally my little rose is home. I have missed you, my beautiful lass.” Grandfather would call me lass when he was feeling rather sentimental with me, I could tell that he had been awaiting my arrival for some time. I gently leaned into my hug with him, afraid that I would break him if I ever hugged him again like I used to.
He smiled up at me, “I’m so glad both my grandchildren can now spend time with me. There are many things I want to discuss with you. So much to talk to you about and I feel like there isn’t enough time.” Hearing him declare it like that made my chest tighten. He shook his head at me, “It will be my time some day lass. You need to make peace with that. I’m just facing my inevitability. I want to go to the Underworld knowing that my heart is light. I need your help with that though. Do you understand?” I closed my eyes as I buried my head into his chest as I had done many times when I was child when life got to be so troublesome. He was the ear that would listen to my troubles and the shoulder I cried on. It dawned on me that Lucien was trying to tell me that even though he couldn’t replace my grandfather, he sure would try. The two men would often correspond and I imagined my grandfather’s letters would tell Lucien my troubles and how I would cry into his chest. It brought my appreciation that Lucien was in my life to another level. I silently thanked Aphrodite for her likely matchmaking for that one. My grandfather patted my back, “You need to hear everything I have to say, Xan and Ash. This is what I am told by the Gods that I need to leave behind.”
He looked over at Teddy and beckoned him over, “First, I need to tell Teddy what I have to tell him.” Teddy took a seat next to me after I left the hug from my grandfather. He smiled at Teddy, “I know that you feel yourself here. Am I right, young Theodore?” Teddy looked astonished, “Yes, but how…” He held up a hand to stop Teddy, “You’ve, no doubt, been told about my brother. Yes?” Teddy nodded, “Of course.” He looked at me and back at Teddy, “You remind me of him a great deal. I need to tell you that, Alexandra will be your greatest ally. I truly believe she will be Queen someday and she will usher in a new era of peace for your community. First, you need to be honest with the one you love. I know you have someone you are thinking of, the Goddess herself told me that I need to push you to the person who will help you realize your love. I know this will be Alexandra…with the help of the young men in her life, of course.” He looked over at Ashton who was nodding at everything he said. He looked back at Teddy, “Do you feel comfortable with telling her about your feelings for this guy?” I looked over at Teddy who was blushing. I patted his hand that was sitting on his leg, “Don’t push yourself, Teddy. I am here when you need me. Okay?” He smiled at me, “I think I’m ready to talk about it but later. Will that be okay?” I nodded at him, “Of course, in your time.” Grandfather smiled at Teddy, “If you could, Teddy, I would like to speak to my grandchildren alone now. This is for their ears alone.” Teddy smiled then nodded, “Sure, I need to go make more potion anyhow. Her Grace was gracious enough to set me up a space to do so. I will be in the basement if you need me.” He rose to his feet and left the room. Grandfather sighed after the door shut, “I have a heavy thing to convey to you both, and I will need you to resolve this for me since I cannot continue my search on my own.”
