Chapter Sixteen #2
“That is nice that you had someone to grow up with.”
“My mother and Queen Maura were best friends,” he says.
I pause. This is the first time Draven has ever spoken of his mother to me. I look at him, silently urging him to continue.
“They grew up together as well and wanted their children to do the same. I am forever grateful for it.”
“What was her name,” I ask.
“My mother’s name was Lilith,” he replies, knowing exactly who I was speaking of.
A fitting name for such an enchanting looking woman.
“You will meet Alaric soon. He usually comes over to this side every couple of months. In fact, I would bet that he would try to steal you for himself.”
I laugh. “I am looking forward to meeting him,” I say honestly.
Because I am looking forward to meeting Draven’s best friend. To know he shares that bond with someone else makes me happy. I know how it feels to have a best friend that feels more like a sibling. Everyone deserves to have that at some point in their life.
Draven points his finger at something in front of us. “That is where we are going.”
I look ahead, squinting my eyes, but I cannot see anything through the trees scattered around us. We continue moving forward and as we get closer, what he was pointing at, comes into view clearly.
A small pond sits off to the side, nestled into an area of large rocks with greenery lining the back of it.
The rocks are stacked on top of one another, almost in a perfect puzzle.
Water rushes down the middle of the rocks, forming a small waterfall that flows into the pond. The water glows from under the surface.
We come to a stop as we reach the sandy bank of the pond. Draven jumps down and walks over to help me off of my horse. After my feet hit the ground, I turn to get a better view of the pond. Draven’s arm is still encircled around my waist, holding me close.
“This is breathtaking,” I say.
I look up at Draven and see that he is staring at me, watching me take in the scenery around us.
“It is,” he agrees, his eyes not moving from mine.
He lets go of my waist and walks back over to his horse, reaching into the saddle pack and pulling something out.
I walk over to the water, touching my fingertips to it. It is surprisingly warm for it being spring. The glow coming from within it is silver, almost like starlight.
“How does the water glow?” I ask.
“Star algae,” he replies.
I look back at the pond in awe. “That is amazing.”
He nods in agreement. “You have not seen the best part.”
He pulls out a blanket that was tucked under his arm and lays it out on the ground.
“We are far enough away from the lights of the town and the castle.” He gestures to the blanket and then lies down on it.
I walk over to him, following suit. We lie next to one another, our heads just barely touching together. I glance over at him and see that he is staring up at the sky. I turn my head upward, the view taking my breath away.
I can see every single star and constellation so clearly from here. The colors of the sky are swirled together in dark blues and blacks. The moon is in the center of it all, shaped in a perfect crescent and glowing white.
Draven’s voice pulls me from my state of admiration.
“My mother used to bring me here when I was younger. I would swim in the pond for hours, the star algae sticking to my skin, making me glow. I would get out of the pond with it all over me and she would laugh at me. Her laugh was like music to my ears every time. I would do whatever I could just to hear it.”
I turn toward him, lying on my side, my head resting on my elbow. “Can you tell me about her?”
I hold my breath immediately after I say the words, afraid I ruined the moment.
His head turns to face me.
“There are a lot of things I would like to tell you about, if that is okay.”
“Yes,” I say immediately.
“You must know that I do feel the same way about you.”
My heart beat quickens in my chest at his words.
“You are the first person I want to tell anything to, always. But there are many things about me that I am not sure if I even like. I cannot help but wonder how you will feel about them too.”
“Nothing will change anything,” I say.
He pauses for a moment.
“My mother and father were in an arranged marriage as well,” he says.
I remember the king mentioning this the night of the last dinner we had together.
“You see, my mother… was different. I am different, because of her.”
I nod at him to continue, not sure where this is leading.
“My mother was arranged to marry my father in order to join the two kingdoms of Vryko and Faeria together in peace. She was chosen as the one for this because she was not only a vampire, but also half fae.”
My breath hitches in my throat.
“You have fae in you,” I say.
“Yes, I do.”
I hear him take a deep breath.
“Long ago, there was a constant imbalance between the kingdoms. Vampires and fae alike would create halflings. But the mixing of our two species does not work. It created a power struggle between the two and caused war between the kingdoms. My father and Queen Maura’s father hated each other.
Sworn enemies, whose lives ended on each other’s blades.
Queen Maura and father’s reign began at the same time.
The two of them decided to come together to create change and make peace.
My mother and father married to bind the union. ”
A show of peace between two species. This sounds all too familiar.
“My mother was Maura’s best friend. Mother loved Maura so much that she would do anything for her, including marrying my father. She made the decision herself, only after meeting my father a few times.”
“She chose to be in an arranged marriage?” I ask, confused.
“Yes. You have to understand, the world was not the same. It did not even look like this.” He waves his hands in the air around us. “There were ongoing wars and deep-rooted evil throughout the kingdoms, bringing constant death. It would have been the end of us all.”
“Keep going,” I say.
“After my mother and father married, in order to bring peace between the two kingdoms, they had to do something, quick. There was still hate amongst the two species that in no way could have been mended. With the help of an ancient incantor, my mother, father, Maura, and Sander created the line that separated the two worlds. Night went to the vampires so they could live in peace without fear of the sun. Day went to the fae where they could flourish and grow within their own magic system.”
“But what about those who loved each other still, like your mother’s parents? What about the creatures who could mix with the other species? The ones who had families.” I ask, with concern.
Draven shakes his head. “Most vampire and fae mixed-blood families were wiped out during wars.”
A dull ache spreads through my chest as I drop my head.
“If they did survive, along with other mixed-blood families, they came over to Vryko and stayed here to live out the rest of their lives. The fae do not like to stray from tradition and would not have accepted it.”
I sigh with relief.
“As cruel as he may seem, my father has a heart. Each year that passed, the numbers grew lower and lower until they no longer existed. There are no full-blooded creatures of Faeria here anymore, but their lineage exists all around us,” he says.
“Did everyone want that? Did everyone agree to the separation?”
“Everyone wanted whatever it took to fix everything. They saw their own kings die by each other’s hands. There was no hope left. The separation was the only way.”
To be alive here during such a time must have been terrifying.
“I cannot believe you are fae,” I say with awe.
Draven nods. “It is why I can go to Faeria for so long. I can be in the sun without burning. A gift from my mother. My fae side sings for the sun, missing it every time I am gone.”
I internalize his words, finding comfort that he truly cannot burn in the sun after my horrific dream of his death.
“That is why your cheeks are always pink,” I say.
He smiles. “Can I show you a secret?”
I nod.
Draven turns fully on his side, leaning onto his elbow. He takes his other hand, palm up, and puts it between us. I watch his hand for a second, confused, then it appears. My eyes widen at the sight.
A small flame flows up and out of Draven’s palm, moving with the wind.
“Flame worker,” I whisper.
“Yes. My mother was an exceptionally skilled one, her light magic as equally strong as her dark. A rarity, as well as another gift from her.”
He looks up from his palm and meets my eyes, the glow from the fire bringing out the gold in his.
“Nobody knows about this except my father and Alaric’s family. You must not tell anyone.”
“I would never.”
Turning my head back down, I continue to watch the flame that dances in the palm of his hand. It flows back and forth, reds and oranges of it glowing with heat.
“You are extraordinary,” I say.
Draven looks back up from his palm to me once more. His flame goes out with the wind. He blinks once, caught off guard by my words, then his eyes begin to soften, looking at me in an unfamiliar way.
“She died when I was eight,” he says suddenly.
My heart drops to my stomach.
“The two species also cannot mix because what is created, cannot sustain this life long term. It would have been a mass extinction. My mother was never meant to live long.”
I suddenly sit up, looking at him with panic.
He lays his hand on mine. “My fae genetics will not affect my lifespan due to the fact that I am mostly a vampire. My mother confirmed it.”
I nod and lie back down, letting his words bring me comfort.
“My mother was able to conceive and birth me, but every year after, she was not the same. Her pregnancy destroyed her. She got sicker and sicker as time passed.”
I look at him with sadness, realizing what he is implying.
“I killed her and I blame myself every day. My own father knows it and cannot even bear to look at me for too long.”
He drops his head.
“I like to think it is because he truly loved her. He never took another wife after her.”
I shake my head at him.
He continues, “The man he is today is not who he was when she was here. He hardened and shut me out after she died.”
“Draven, your own father cannot bear to look at you because you remind him of her,” I say softly. “You cannot blame yourself for her death because it was not your fault.”
I say this with full understanding of how he feels, because I have felt it too. His sadness reflects my own.
“They wanted to have you. Deep down I know that your father feels the same and would do it all over again. No matter how much it hurts him to look at you, he will always love you because you are a part of her.”
I reach down and grab his hand.
“No one has, and could ever, regret you,” I say.
Draven looks up at me. I see a small silvery tear form in the corner of his eye. He blinks once and it falls, tracing a line down his face. I release his hand and reach up, catching the tear with my thumb and brushing it away.
“I blamed myself every day for my parents’ death,” I admit.
Shock flashes in his eyes. “I did not know.”
“I do not like to talk about it.”
But I have been talking about it today, and talking about it actually feels good. It reminds me of them. It reminds me that I had two people create me with so much love in their hearts as well.
“They died in a car accident on the way to see me and I blamed myself for years because of it. I still do. But over time, you realize not everything has to be your fault.”
Not everything has to be your responsibility to carry because eventually, it becomes too heavy.
Until you are leaden with grief and as numb as me.
But maybe he can sense that about me, because he feels that way too.
Maybe he and I are one in the same. He is the mirror standing before me that I was too scared to look into.
“I am sorry you lost your parents,” he says.
I give him a small smile. “Thank you, I am sorry about your mother.”
Draven nods, not speaking. He clears his throat and sits up. I sit up along with him, and we face each other.
“I do not know if I am a good person, but I am trying,” he says quietly.
My heart tightens in my chest.
“I think that you are the best kind of person I could ever hope to have,” I say.
He smiles softly at me.
“You must also know what your presence over these past few months has done for me,” he says. “I used to walk around this palace misunderstood and alone.”
I try hard to prevent tears from forming in my own eyes.
“But now it is different. You are the first real friend I have ever had here,” he admits.
My restraint holding me back shatters.
I lean forward, throwing my arms around his neck as I pull him into a tight hug against my chest. I splay one of my hands over the back of his head, wrapping my fingers in his hair, the strands soft under my fingers.
He wraps both of his arms around my back in return, pulling me further into his chest and squeezing me tightly.
He buries his head into my neck, inhaling deeply.
This is first time we have ever hugged each other. I do not ever want to let him go.
We sit like this for a few minutes, holding each other. Both of our pasts laid out before one another and neither one of us looked away.
In fact, I believe it brought us closer together.