The Same Soul
I was the spitting image of my grandmother, my mother always told me with distaste. She hated my grandmother. I loved her even though I'd never met her. She sounded exactly like me. She had curly red hair, and sparkling green eyes, like myself. She hated having to do things to please society, and was very independent.
My grandmother had been forced to marry my grandfather for business, and not love. The one she'd loved died. I learned all this in a letter my grandmother had written for me.
To my daughter's daughter,
I know that my dear Elizabeth will not let me meet you, if I am even still alive when you are. Elizabeth hates me too much. She does not embrace the magic that is inside of her, but I hope that you, my child, will. Do not fear the magic. It is a part of you, and I hope that one day you'll be able to go to the Realms. If you are ever to, please go to the river. There will be a Gorgon. Tell her who you are, and she will take you to the Winterlands. Travel on for a bit, and you will come to a great tree. This tree is known as the Tree of All Souls. Put your palms against the tree and whisper to it. Please tell it… For me… That I won't be able to meet with him after I die. That instead I'll come back and free him. That I'll find a way to free him; no matter how long it takes.
Even if my daughter teaches you to hate me, please, my dear granddaughter, please do this one thing for me. I'll be everlastingly grateful.
From then on she went on to describe and explain what the Realms were. My grandmother, Gemma, died before I was born. I never got to meet her.
However, when I finally found a way to get to the Realms, I did as she told me. I went to the Gorgon, who greeted me very warmly, and soon I was standing in front of the most beautiful tree I'd ever seen. It was pure white, like a birch tree, and was extremely tall, with many branches that had white leaves with a tint of red on them.
"Oh dear… You're gorgeous." I breathed. I went to the trunk of the tree and place my palms against it, it seemed cool to the touch. I smiled unintentionally and whispered. "I come as a messenger from my grandmother, Gemma. She says that she's sorry… But she won't rest until she finds a way to free you."
There was a huge gust of wind and the tree seemed to hum. Gemma, it whispered.
"She's not here." I whispered back. Suddenly I was engulfed by visions. I was not a stranger to them, they'd been happening since I was 13, and I was now 16, but these were very powerful. And so very familiar.
It was me. Somewhere in the back of my mind I reasoned that it could not be me; I'd never been to these places. But I remembered it all. Kartik. The Order. The Rakshana. Pippa, Ann, and Felicity. Everything that'd happened.
All of Grandmother Gemma's memories now became mine.
When the visions finally stopped I looked up at the tree. "Kartik," I murmured. The gush of wind came about again. I rubbed the palm of my hand down the tree. "I remember now Kartik. My grandmother, Gemma… Is me. I was reincarnated as my granddaughter… To save you." I looked up at the branches. I could feel Kartik's soul with me, even though I couldn't see him. I reached up to one of the low branches and softly put one of the beautiful leaves in my hand without breaking if off. "I'll save you Kartik. I'll get you back somehow. I promise. I love you. Not even time or magic can beat my love for you. I'll save you." I looked confidently at the tree and rubbed the leaf.
Gemma. The winds whispered, with Kartik's melodic voice. I love you.
I gave a little laugh. "My dear Kartik, my name is Charlotte now."
The leaves rushed, as if the tree was laughing. Gemma or Charlotte, whatever your name is, your soul is still the same, and I love that soul.
I put my palm against the trunk again. "I love you too Kartik."