Ch. 3; Mother's gift
Darting up to his room, Aiden burst through the door only to find Hahna sitting on his bed. A small journal was being held tightly in her delicate hands.
"Hello Hahna." He said surprised to see her. He had hoped no one would be here so he could pack properly. "What's up?"
"I have a present from your mother." Hearing those words Aiden made his way to the bed and sat next to his old elven nursemaid. "The day she left, she asked me to give this to you on your twentieth birthday." Looking at him, Hahna handed the journal over slowly. "Maker, how I remember the day I became your nursemad like it was just yesterday."
Looking at the journal now in his hands, Aiden didn't know what to say. It was bound in worn brown leather with Circle of Magi's insignia colored in silver on the front. Parts of it were stained with he could only imagine to be darkspawn blood. It was heavy and full of entries written in his mother's soft handwriting.
"How did you become my nursemaid Hahna?" He asked absentmindedly.
Hearing a soft chuckle out of her, Aiden continued to just stare at the journal in his hands while she spoke. "Oh that was a kindness only a woman like your mother was capable of. See I wasn't the only woman applying for the job. There were two others, both humans and young, while I was old by then. I already had two teenage children at home in the Alienage, but I thought, well why not give it a shot? And your mother picked me."
"Why?"
"Well I asked her that myself, I did. She said that I had a kind face, a good sense of children, and would be able to help raise you to see the world the way it should be seen." Smiling to herself, Aiden could tell how much his mother meant to Hahna too. She seemed to touch everyone around her. "You're mother had a gift for seeing people for who they were. Not just what they looked like or what society told them they should be. I always supposed it was because of her being a mage, but then some people just have that gift." Standing up to leave Hahna stopped to look at the young prince. "She asked me to give that to you on your birthday my lord. She said she'd want you to know who she truly was and the real tale of her life. Almost like she knew she'd be gone, or knew you'd want to be able to find her."
Looking up quickly Aiden caught a glimpse of a knowing smile on his nursemaid as she left his bedroom. Did Hahna suspect his plan to leave? And Maker if she did why wasn't she trying to stop him? Pushing the thoughts out of his head he opened the journal. On the first page was a letter addressed to him and his mother's locket tied to the inside. No wonder the journal was so heavy. Pulling the locket off he opened it and was surprised to see a tiny drawing of his mother and father inside. Andraste his mother could draw. Putting it on he didn't even care that it wasn't very manly to be wearing a locket. It was her's once and now he'd wear it proudly. Opening the letter he studied the writing diligently.
"My dearest Aiden,
If you are reading this then I have not returned. For this I am truly sorry. If I could have been there for your first kiss, or your first duel with some pompous knight I would have been in a heartbeat. To have missed all those birthdays and happy moments of your life brings me more sorrow than I could ever hope to express. Still I wish you a happy twentieth birthday Aiden. I give you my journal so that you have the true tale of how Fereldan was saved from the Blight, the real story behind how you came about, who I was, and more importantly a way to find me if you so wished. Though that journey will not be simple I have confidence that you can do anything you please when you put your mind to it. Your father was the same way. Always remember to follow your heart Aiden.
Love, Mother
Reading the letter over again Aiden barely noticed his eyes starting to mist. She was…sorry she was gone. All those years wondering if she hadn't just gotten tired of family life and the pressure of Fereldan were answered in one small letter. And it was almost as if she was challenging him to find her. Almost like she knew he'd miss her more than anyone and actually do something about it. Folding the letter back up his resolve to search for her burned even brighter. He would just need to pack and slip out of the castle.
