Standing at the graves of old an Elvin mistress looks back and feels not the pain that consumes her. The death of her mother and her father faze her no longer, for death is all that she has ever known; and now, it is all she will ever know. The tears no longer burn her cheek, nor does sadness dwell in her eyes. Her lover is dead; there will be no descendants to come after her. Her succession is provided for; her legacy, and all that is in it will pass to her younger sister from a family that is not hers. She gazes over the graves as the wind picks up, she feels not the chill of the cold, nor does she notice her sister Adelaide.
"Avery? Mommy, she's ill. She will not live long. Avery…" Adelaide pauses for a moment and gazes at Avery longingly as she grabs the hem of her tunic and tugs urgently, "She wishes to see you. Avery, are you well? Do you not hear me? Mommy is dieing."
Avery's eyes cast downward towards Adelaide as a sad smile creeps across her face. Her heart is heavy and leaden, for the loss of yet another one she has loved will soon come to pass. "I am coming little one." She glances intently over the graves for one last moment only to turn in vain: unable to find what it is that she seeks. Avery runs back with Adelaide to a small hut, in hopes to find her mother still alive.
"Come in Avery, I ha' been waiting for ye." A weak voice came from behind the door. Avery walks into the room slowly; almost cautiously unsure what she will see. She gazed upon her mother, as a fear became present in her eyes. Her hair which once gleamed as red fire seem to fade to gray as did her blue eyes which once shown as the stars has darken. Lifeless they seemed to be, no longer full of the joy and life Avery once could see within her mother.
"What do you desire of me, mother?"
"Come here mine little one." Avery approaches the bed; kneeling down to her mother's side she takes her hand and places it in hers. "My dear child. For years I have watched o'er you. And aye, how young you still are though ye are old. Ye elves age not as humans do." She sighed. "I fear I have not been as good o' a mother as I should ha' been."
"You, my lady, are all of the mother I have ever known. I knew not my real mother." Avery tightens her grip on her mother's hand. "You're..."
"Avery, ye need not tell me what a mother I was." She smiled reaching up holding her daughter's face in her hand. Her eyes relayed the words she had not time to say. I am proud of you. She continued, "I called you not for idle converse but to tell ye of my succession." She sighs uneasily. "Bridget, is provided for; Brutus, your younger brother, will be her caretaker. However, Adelaide needs a mother. Ye are more of a mother to her than I ever was. My illness has limited my time with her and thus ye ha' had to care o' her. I ask that ye wouldst now take her as yer daughter, as I took ye for yer mother. I know the death of Vindicator, your lover, has been difficult… but, you need to come back to us. To be the Avery, we once knew."
"What of father?"
"Do ye honestly think I would dare put the care of my children in his hands? No, not I. He will harm them Avery, all o' them. If he had his way…" she trailed off for a moment a noble anger raged in her eyes, "He cannot have my children nor say o'er them."
"Mother, you place within me a responsibility I fear I may not be able to uphold… Adelaide 'tis young she may not understand the responsibilities of my people. There 'tis a vast evil in this world that must be destroyed and I have taken pledge to destroy such things. How shall she be safe?"
"Perhaps 'tis so that ye doth fight such things but, who is she safest with?" Avery gazes into her mother's gray eyes in silence, "Nae, no other being in this world couldst keep her safer than ye and ye knows that well. I ha' seen many a fighters in my years but nae such as yeself. I ha' seen the wonders of ye. Yer people ha' not taken the responsibilities ye ha' taken."
Avery nodded in agreement. She knew no other being could keep Adelaide as safe as she could. "Aye, 'tis so. But I ha' a greater calling and responsibility to protect the people."
"A' wheesht! Ye ha' no debt to our people. But aye, ye are a Blood Maiden… 'twas the duty of the people who were blessed as such."
" 'Tis nae blessing. 'Tis a curse." Avery spate out in anger as her eyes stabbed at her mother. Her expressions softened quickly realizing the error of her outburst.
Avery's mother smiled her eyes reaching out for her daughter, "'Tis only a curse if ye see it as such. A blessing if used to save those whom ye love."
Avery saw the wisdom in her mother's words. As always her mother was right. Avery felt a change in her mother's mood though it could not be seen upon her face something was stirring in her mind. "Mother is there something else?"
"Aye, aye there is… word has reached me from the north." Her warm, gray eyes turned cold, hard, "She is on the move.
Avery's heart went into her throat and for a moment she feared.
"'Tis time the world remembers why they ha' feared power of the Blood Maidens. Ye are the protectors of mankind blessed by the goddess Perlandrea, to ensure the safety of men. Ye are of the line of Lexi." She held on to Avery's hand tightly, "Make me proud."
"Mother I will not leave you. Not on your death bed."
She sighs with a smile. "The ancients are calling me home, little one. They will wait nae longer. I love you. Take care of them they need you." She lifts her hand and strokes Avery's cheek. "Let not my death burden yer heart. Nor the deaths of the ones ye have loved. Worry not, succession will come for you. Let not the loss o' Vindicator be your bane."
"Mother." Avery looked down breathing deeply trying to hide her pain. "I cannot…" Tears began to burn her eyes blurring her vision. "I cannot handle this. I cannot be…"
"Avery, let me tell ye something my mother told me many a year ago. I only regret not telling ye this sooner. Sometimes we must be hurt, in order to grow; sometimes we must fail, in order to ken; sometimes we must lose, in order to gain; and some lessons in life, are best learned through pain. I ken ye are ready."
"Mother…"
"I know ye tried sae hard to save him. There are times in which there 'tis nothing more that one can do. I know that there is pain in yer life, but promise me this. That ye'll not dwell on the pain of yer losses, that ye will be strong, for your brother and for your sisters. That ye will not lose hope in these darkening days."
"Yes, mother." Avery held her head high. She will not let her mother see her any other way.
The light began to fall from her mother's eyes. "They are calling me home, Avery. I can hear their cries, they are clear. Fear for me not. Sing for me the song for the dead when the time comes." She smiled then eased back as into sleep.
Avery closed her eyes, trying not to choke on the pain dwelling deep within her. She got up cautiously, as if to not disturb her mother. She looked back to gaze upon her mother, lifeless and yet shining in Avery's eyes for one last moment.
"Why cannot the deaths of those you love stop haunting you?" Avery turned around pulling her sword from its sheath. No one was there. She turned again to leave the room to see a tall broad man in the doorway. Avery held out her sword to the man's neck.
"Who are you?" She demanded angrily.
"You know who I am." Avery cocked her head to the side. His smooth sweet voice seemed familiar.
"Vindicator?" she asked in a still and small voice. The man pulled down his hood to reveal the face of the man she loved. Avery began to cry in disbelief as she dropped her sword. He reached over and put his hand on Avery's face caressing her cheek reaching back pulling this fingers through her long golden hair. Then vanished.
Sadness and confusion overcame Avery. "Vindicator, the man whom I have loved and still love, why must ye still haunt me? Why would you not let me save you from them?" Avery felt a cold chill and huddled within herself. She gazed back yet again over towards her mother's dead body. "Mother, my only, mother, in mine eyes..." she took a long deep breath "I shall miss you..." With that she turned and walked briskly out of the room; eyes burning with tears.