Chapter 25
The truth
Hadassah’s home was small, but welcoming.
As Matthias stepped through the front door, the scent of freshly baked bread greeted him. A bunch of bright-yellow daffodils sat in a blue vase on the kitchen table. Their scent, mingling with the bread, caused Matthias to instantly feel at ease.
After he and Adalia had gone back to the beach, they’d found Nikolas consoling an upset Hadassah. She’d been so worried that Matthias may not come back or may not even believe she was his mother. Some reassuring words from Matthias and Adalia calmed her, and they made a plan for the prince to visit her the next day.
Entering her house made Matthias feel at home, just by the smells and décor. It reminded him of his cabin in the woods, but with a by-the-seaside feel to it, and even though he was nervous to see her again, he didn’t let it show.
“Please, have a seat.” Hadassah motioned to a chair by the kitchen table.
The prince sat and his mother busied herself in the kitchen, making them both tea. She placed the hot beverage in front of him before returning to the counter to collect the plate of freshly made scones covered in melted butter, raspberry jam, and fresh cream.“I know this must be so hard for you.” Hadassah quietly spoke after she’d sat in the chair opposite Matthias.
“As I’m sure it is for you, too,” Matthias replied.
The two sat in silence for a moment, sipping their tea.
“Will you tell me what happened?” Matthias asked as he reached for a scone.
His mother cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “I will tell you all that I can, but before I begin, has your father told you anything?”
“I know nothing. Anytime I asked about you as a child, I was beaten or silenced.”
“You were beaten?”
“Yes.”
Phantom pain laced across his face and Matthias shook the memories from his mind, not wanting to remember the way his father raised his hand to strike him over the years.
“I am so sorry. I didn’t know,” Hadassah whispered with tears in her eyes.
Matthias shrugged his shoulders. “It’s a part of life.”
“No, no, it isn’t . . . it shouldn’t be, and I wish it had been different for you. I wished for nothing more than to keep you from him.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Pain filled the air and Matthias held his breath in anticipation of what his mother might say.
“Because he ripped you from my arms when you were only a few hours old and . . . and then I died,” Hadassah revealed as she took a sip of her tea.
Matthias studied his mother’s face. It seemed as if she had been transported back in time to that tragic day. Her pale-blue wings hung low, and grey-blue eyes seemed to dull with exhaustion. He slowly reached across the table and gently squeezed her hand, breaking her from the trance. “Tell me everything.”
Hadassah let a tear spill over and fall down her cheek. “Are you sure you want to know it all?”
“Every single detail.”
“Please know that this was not how I imagined my life or yours. I came from a wealthy family. My father ran the local newspaper in The Grey and my mother was a socialite. All the women would beg to attend her tea parties and evening balls. She was a vision—your grandmother. I was the eldest of three children. I have a younger brother and sister—your aunty and uncle, who will be so excited to hear that I have found you.” Hadassah sniffed as she wiped a tear away.
“I was a good girl, I did my schooling, learnt how to be a lady, and helped take care of my younger siblings. I wanted to be everything my mother was. Father adored her and together they were the best parents a girl could wish for. My childhood was a dream, but as I grew older, I wanted more . . . I wanted adventure outside of the walls of my home. My father encouraged it, my mother not so much, but she didn’t hold me back. I made friends with some girls in the village and as we grew together into young adults, we spent some evenings at the local dance halls, laughing and making memories.”
Hadassah dabbed at her eyes with a small cloth as she continued. “One evening, my friends and I arrived together on foot to a dance. There was a man so handsome that he stole the breath right out of my lungs with eyes the colour of blue summer skies. He swept me off my feet the entire evening. When the night ended, he asked if he could walk me home and foolishly, I said yes. We’d made it halfway when he became handsy and wasn’t taking my light, rejecting commentary as a no and became even more demanding. I tried to run, but he was too strong. Everything became a blur when he shoved me down in an alleyway and—and after he finished, he simply laughed and told me that . . . That I should be grateful. I was only nineteen.”
Hadassah’s eyes misted over again, and Matthias felt his chest tighten with pain and anger. He hated his father for how he treated him, but at this moment, he hated him even more than he ever thought he could.
His mother continued on. “I was so scared and so embarrassed that I ran the entire way home and kept it from my mother as long as I could. But she suspected something when my monthlys didn’t show and I had to be honest with her. She held me and cried with me. When my father found out, he searched high and low for the man, but never found him. Seeing a woman’s swollen belly without a father in the picture was frowned upon, so I spent the rest of my pregnancy at home. As you grew and started to move, I fell in love with you. I knew that regardless of how you came about, you were going to be loved by so many.”
Matthias looked to the ground, not wanting her to see the tears welled in his eyes at the thought.
“You were born in the darkest hour of the night. Mother stayed by my side through it all, but you were stubborn and took hours to arrive. I’d lost a lot of blood and grew weak, but I did it. You finally arrived and I couldn’t have been happier. You were perfect in every way, ten little fingers and ten little toes, soft brown fuzz on your head and the bluest eyes I had ever seen. The birthmark behind your ear glowed and formed the most beautiful shape of a sun as you took your first breaths, but what shocked me and my parents the most were your wings. They were bright-blue and soft to the touch. No one in The Grey had wings and I don’t remember the male having them either. As my mind scrambled to explain the phenomenon, I put it down to the possibility that your father was not of my realm.”
Matthias’s eyes widened.
“You were unlike anything we’d ever seen, born of spirit and human.” Hadassah whispered.
“How . . .?” Matthias said in bewilderment.
Hadassah shook her head. “There was never an explanation until I arrived in Lucius, but before then, the doctor sent my parents from the room and tried to stop the bleeding. When all seemed well, I was finally alone with you, but I was so tired. I must have drifted off at some point because I didn’t hear my bedroom window opening. I only woke when I felt you being ripped from my arms. Yellow eyes gleamed over me and I screamed for help, but the man leapt from the window. I tried to run for you, but I barely made it to the edge of the window. You were gone . . .”
Nausea crept its way into Matthias’s stomach. Yellow eyes . . .
His mother continued on. “By the time my parents found me, the bleeding was bad again. I cried out for you. I tried to beg them to find you, but I’d lost so much blood. My mother could do nothing but hold me.” her voice trembled as she took a sip of her tea.
“When I woke at the Gates of Lucius, the king had already heard rumours of the blue-winged baby. He came to speak with me. That’s when I learned exactly who your father was.”
Matthias sat at the table, his mind reeling. In all honesty, he wanted to leap from the table, winnow into Oscuro and tear his father limb from limb. How could this creature call himself a man? How dare he keep this loving woman before him a secret? The prince had spent his whole life thinking she didn’t want him as a baby, and now he questioned everything.
“So, you wanted me?” he whispered.
Hadassah rose from her chair and swiftly moved to the prince’s side. “More than life itself,” she sobbed as she pulled him into her embrace.
It was all Matthias needed for the emotion he’d held back his entire life to spring forth. The truth broke him open, and he sobbed into his mother’s chest, his solid arms wrapping around her waist. Hadassah cried alongside him and together they allowed a small piece of the pain in their hearts to heal.
The prince pulled back and wiped his eyes. “I’m sorry you went through that because of me.”
Hadassah dropped to her knees in front of her son and cupped his face in her hands. “Never ever apologise for anything, my son. You were a gift given to me and I thank the light every day that you are mine. Now that I have you back, I’m never letting you go again.” She smiled softly at him.
They spent the next few hours getting to know one another. Matthias learnt that his grandparents, aunty and uncle all lived in Lucius and would be so eager to meet him. He also learnt that his mother hadn’t found love in Lucius and was living by herself. His heart ached for her, but she reassured him she was happy.
“So, what were you doing on the beach yesterday?” Matthias asked.
“I make jewellery from shells. At each low tide, I head down the shores to look for unique and colourful shells. Would you like to see?”
Matthias smiled as he nodded. “I would like that very much.”
Hadassah grinned and left the room, returning a short while later with a basket full of individually wrapped jewellery pieces. Pearl earrings on golden hooks, spotted junonias wrapped with thin bronze wire hanging from dainty chains. Calico scallops hanging from tiny pearl bead threads made the most beautiful necklaces as well.
Matthias was truly impressed with the large crown that Hadassah pulled from the basket; made from horn snail shells, tiny starfish and banded tulip shells. Each in shades of creams, browns and golds.
“You made this?” Matthias said in awe.
“Yes, isn’t she beautiful? It’s an honour to create things for the local girls in town. They love to wear them to parties, pretending to be princesses of the sea.” Hadassah smiled gently.
“You are very gifted,” Matthias murmured as he studied the crown again.
“Tell me what you do. What’s it really like being the prince of Oscuro? Do you have a lover? Do you have friends? I want to know everything about you. Did you ever live in The Grey or have you always dwelt in Oscuro?” His mother beamed as she packed the jewellery back into the basket and sat back at the table.
Matthias ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “There isn’t much to tell. I’ve only ever known Oscuro, and it’s a hellhole. I’ve never had friends. My only companion in life is Bones, my wolf, and as for lovers . . . I have been with a handful of women in my life, but none of them ever stick.”
Hadassah looked at him with sympathy filled eyes.
“It’s okay . . . I’m okay.” Matthias fiddled with the handle of his mug.
“And being a prince?” she asked softly.
“It has its pros and cons.”
“What are the pros?”
Matthias shifted in his seat. “That people leave me alone?”
“And the cons?”
“That the king is my father,” Matthias confessed.
His mother sniffed, and tears began to fall freely again.
“Please don’t cry. It’s okay. None of this is your fault,” the prince said as he reached to squeeze her hand. “My father is who he is, and one day he’s going to get what’s coming to him.”
“I am still so sorry for the life you have lived; I plan on making it up to you for the rest of it.” Hadassah whispered as she wiped a tear.
Matthias smiled at her. “There is no need for that. Just live a good life here and that will make me happy.”
Hadassah nodded as she sipped her tea. “Tell me about the brunette you were with on the beach yesterday. Is she more than a friend?”
Feeling his cheeks warm, Matthias grinned. “She’s definitely a friend, but beyond that, I am uncertain. It’s early, but with her, things feel different.”
“She can’t seem to take her eyes off you, I noticed,” Hadassah smiled.
Matthias shrugged. “I’m not sure what she is looking at. I’m no one special.”
“She sees this.” Hadassah reached up and placed her hand on his chest. “The heart inside you, despite what you’ve been through.”
Fear tugged on his mind at that moment. What if his past didn’t allow him to let Adalia in? What if all of this was too good to be true? Could he truly allow himself to have relationships here in Lucius?
“Stop,” Hadassah whispered. “Don’t go there. Tell that doubt to leave. Let her in . . . let me in . . . let us love you.”
Matthias smiled softly at his mother. “I’m trying.”
After another hour of chatting, Matthias bid his mother goodbye, promising to return soon. But something still tugged at the back of his mind. Turning in the doorway, he asked, “The man, you said he had yellow eyes?”
Hadassah nodded, jostling her sandy coloured tendrils. “Yellow eyes, and thin, blond hair falling from beneath the hood of his cape—and a glove, but just one. I would have believed he was a phantom with how silent he moved.”
The prince swallowed the large lump of anger that rose from his chest. He knew exactly who his mother had seen that fateful night, and it made him loathe the creature even more than he already did. The thoughts running through his head were building, creating a mass of chaos that he didn’t want erupting in front of Hadassah. He needed some space to think things through. Matthias left his mother’s home and took to the skies. Adalia would expect him back soon, but he needed air first, so he flew a lap of Lucius.
Planning his father’s, and his trusted advisor’s, demise.
After processing his thoughts, Matthias headed back to Adalia’s home. It was late afternoon, and the sun was setting across the kingdom, blanketing the land with a deep orange glow.
He used the front door this time.
As he walked inside, he heard Adalia’s laughter coming from the courtyard, the sound of it making his heart flutter. Walking to the back door, Matthias leant against its frame and watched the lilac winged woman throw a stick for Bones, who obediently fetched it and brought it back to her. The joy that radiated from her was infectious and Matthias couldn’t stop himself from grinning as he watched the two play. Ever since he met this female, his life had slowly turned from night to day. She was sunshine given form.
“Once you start this game with him, he won’t ever want to stop,” the prince crooned.
Adalia looked up, a smile plastering across her face. “Matthias, you’re back! How are you feeling? Tell me everything,” she exclaimed as she hurried towards him.
The hem of her floral dress danced in the breeze and brushed her skin just above her knees, sending his mind into a frenzy. Matthias swallowed as she neared him, her scent filling his senses, and the look she gave him was all he needed to pull her close and cover her mouth with his own. Adalia melted into his arms and sighed against his mouth, their lips moving together in a dance of passion.
It wasn’t enough, though. He wanted more of her. He needed her. Matthias pushed her up against the side of the house and raised her hands above her head, holding them there with one hand while the other lightly gripped her throat. Lilac wings sprawled behind her, each feather gleaming under the sun.
Adalia held his gaze, and a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as the prince brought his lips down to claim hers once again. His tongue danced across the seam of her lips. Matthias groaned when she opened for him. Dropping her hands, he cupped her face. Adalia sighed as she clutched the front of his shirt, nipping at his lips and teasing the inside of his mouth with her tongue.
The prince placed a hand on Adalia’s thigh and pulled her leg up to wrap around his hips as he pushed her into the wall, deepening their kiss like it was the last they would ever have. The hunger for her was driving him wild, and Matthias was quickly losing control. Adalia pushed against his chest and broke their kiss. Her eyes were heavy with pleasure, her lips swollen. Matthias rested his forehead against hers and caught his breath.
“Are you behaving?” Adalia teased.
“I am trying very hard to, but seeing you in this dress brings me to my knees. You make it very hard for a man to behave,” Matthias confessed.
Adalia smiled at him and slipped out of his embrace. “As much as I want to continue with that delicious moment between us, I believe I asked you a question . . . well, maybe a few—that I’m yet to have answers for.”
“But I’ve been talking all morning. Are you sure you don’t want to just sit here and get to know each other in a more intimate way?” the prince teased.
“I would like that very much, but what I would love even more is to know more about you, if you want to share it with me. If it’s all too much, I understand and I will respect that, but…I would really love to know more about your mother.” Adalia offered him a sweet smile that he couldn’t resist. He sat down beside her on the daybed and filled her in on his morning with his newly found mother.
By the time the sun had set, stories were shared, tears were shed, and another piece of Matthias’s heart had healed.
“I need to go back though,” the prince murmured against Adalias’ hair as she lay in his arms.
“What do you mean? You said you were staying here?” she questioned as she sat up.
“I need answers from my father and this time I won’t back down. I’m not afraid of him anymore. Justice needs to be had,” the prince murmured.
Adalia nodded sadly and shifted so she was facing him front on. “How long will you be gone?”
“A day or two? I will return swiftly, and then it will just be the two of us . . . I promise.” Matthias reached for her knee and squeezed it gently. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
“Why must everything be so difficult with you?” Adalia sighed.
Mattias grinned at the beauty before him and winked. “Because if I made it easy, you wouldn’t want me so bad.”
The cheeky comment resulted in Adalia throwing herself upon Matthias and straddling him onto the daybed, sealing his echoing laughter with a kiss.