Realization
POV: Talon
I didn’t quite know when I came to from rescuing the King but I woke up in a cell and chained to a wall. I grunted and looked around the room and spotted my sister Talia passed out in the chair she was sitting in. She was too far away for me to shake her awake to let her know that I was up. I sat up but felt a shot of pain in my head so I laid back down, “Talia. Wake up.” She stirred and slowly opened her eyes, “Talon!” She ran over and hugged me, she was sobbing into my chest and grasping the shirt I was wearing. I patted her head, “Sister, why am I chained to a wall and where am I exactly?” She looked up at me, “You don’t remember anything?” I shook my head, “The last thing I remember was the tower beginning to collapse around me as I tried to pull the King out of the tower.” She sighed, “That was about seven years ago. You don’t remember anything at all from these last seven years?” I was in shock that I had lost seven years worth of memories. I thought hard to figure out if I could remember anything from that time. I sighed, “I can’t remember anything.” She buried her head back into my chest but turned her head so that she could speak, “We thought you were dead up until a few days ago. You were cursed and manipulated into becoming an assassin for The Order of The Old Ways.” I gasped, “Did I kill anyone?” She nodded, “It is suspected you killed many in the seven years you were there.” Now I had understood why I was chained to the wall but this did not look like the Citadel’s dungeons. I looked down at her, “Where am I? This isn’t the Citadel.” She sat up and wiped her eyes, “You are in the basement of Blackwood. Alexandra insisted that the Citadel let you stay here under her care.”
At the mention of my niece, her grown up face flashed through my mind. I was remembering seeing her for the first time since she was a baby. I knew it was her because of her violet eyes, she was the only one in Vellum with those eyes. It was only a flash of her face but I remember it very well and it wasn’t that long ago that I saw it. I sighed, “I remember seeing her recently but that’s the only recent memory that I have.” She nodded and looked down as if there was something she wasn’t telling me. I grabbed her hand, “What is it?” She sighed, “I should know that you always read me like a book.” I laughed, “We are twins, Talia.” She nodded and walked over to the chair and drug it to the bed, “The truth is, she was attacked shortly after you last saw her. She took it well but she has been dealing with a lot so that coupled with all of those things, it wasn’t good for her health and she fainted. They are trying to make sure she relaxes since Grand Pretre said she could easily slip into madness.” Thinking of the fact that I was the one to add on to her stress, I felt bad that she had to take care of me during my time here, “How long have I been here?” She looked at me, “A few days so you needn’t fret.”
There was something behind her eyes that told me that there was something that she wasn’t telling me. I didn’t want to prod it out of her because knowing my own twin sister, she would clam up the minute I pushed. If it was something she wasn’t telling me, it meant that it was too big just to go out say it. She was always tactful when she knew she had something big to say. She got up to her feet, “Are you hungry? I can have someone bring something down to you.” I sat up, my head feeling much better, “I can’t get out of here.” She shook her head, “We can take the chains off until a soldier comes to assess your mental state, likely a psyche.” I should have known that it wouldn’t be that easy, I was a part of the Citadel for years so I knew very well the standard operating procedures. I nodded, “Okay. I would love some food, if you don’t mind sis.” She smiled, leaned over to squeeze my hands and left the room.
A short while later, Alexandra came through the door holding a tray. She smiled seeing me, “Hello Uncle Talon, Mother said that you were awake and hungry. I thought I would take the opportunity to come and see you. How are you feeling?” I smiled back at her, “Much better, little rose. Thank you for coming to visit.” She handed me the tray and sat down on the chair her mother had been occupying a short while ago. I took a bite of the food, “I’m guessing Dana is still around. Her food always was so delicious.” She smiled, “I agree with you on that. Her sister, Delilah, cooked well but she is so much better. My father disagrees though, we had a long chat about that the last time he was here.” I shook my head, “Reggie always had different tastes. Er, in food I mean.” She laughed, “Fear the wrath of Talia, huh?” I sighed, “You have no idea.” She laughed harder, “I think I do; she could murder someone with a look. I’ve pushed her to the edge of it a lot.” I laughed with her, “My favorite past time.” She nodded, “She said I had a bit of your personality in me and sitting here, talking to you, I can see that.”
She sighed and looked down at her hands, “Uncle Talon, I feel bad about something and I have to apologize to you.” I looked at her puzzled, “What’s that kid?” She looked me straight in the eye, “I robbed you of your ability to see Vanessa for the first time in a long time. I mean technically, you woke up earlier but we had to put you back to sleep. Apparently, my presence while you were healing cancelled out the lifting of your curse. This caused Vanessa to take on some of the curse that was coming back into your body because of her proximity. She’s in a healing coma right now.” I shook my head and smiled at her, “No, no, you’re fine. You couldn’t have known what would happen when you came to visit me.” Just then a memory flashed in my head of Vanessa hugging me while I laid in the bed I was currently sitting on. Another memory showed my hands around Alexandra’s throat and I frowned and set the tray aside half-eaten. Alexandra looked at me concerned, “Are you okay Uncle Talon?” I placed my head in my hands as tears welled up in my eyes, “I should ask you that, little rose. Are you hurt?” She sighed, “I think you maybe had a memory, am I correct?” I nodded, “I tried to choke you. I am so sorry Alexandra. I really hate myself for that.” She grabbed my hand and lifted my head, “That wasn’t you Uncle Talon. I do not blame you for anything and I hope you know that I still love you very much.”
She hugged me and I felt the warmth of her love envelop me like the sun shining through a cold dark hole. She stroked my back, “You are home now, Uncle Talon. I am looking forward to getting to know you and I cannot wait until we can visit properly. Speaking of which, I had my guard send word to the Citadel that you are awake. They likely will send a psyche right away.” She loosened her embrace and the cold came back just slightly. She looked down at me, “I think you need to heal your heart Uncle Talon. I’m not sure how you can do that just yet but I spoke with Grand Pretre about you…” I looked up at her, “What?” She smiled and nodded, “I always forget that not many have met her. She’s actually quite fond of me. She said that I need to help you heal your heart but in a very Saraphia move, she didn’t tell me how.” She went back to her seat to sit and ponder on how she might help me. I smiled at her, “You’re the one that always helps others. Am I right?” She giggled and nodded, “I suppose that you’re quite right about that.” I sighed, “How very Batiste of you. Your grandfather, Darren, has always been one to hold out his hand to help people up.” She shrugged, “I think my mother has a little to do with that too. She raised me so that I understand the value of service to others.” I laughed, “I guess Darren rubbed off on her after all. She promised she would NEVER become so sappy. That always bugged me so I’m glad that after all these years of being a wife and mother that she’s softened up. Remind to write a thank you note to Darren.” She laughed hard but as she did that her face flashed in mind along with a masked man who stated, “I need you to kill The Batiste. She is not only impure by being raised a human ant but she is in the way of my plans.” My voice came out of the darkness of my mind, “Consider it done, my lord.” It was precisely then that I felt my skin grow cold and I fainted.
