Healing: Saving the White Sorceress

by Maleficent-darkgoodwitch2416

Udonna's story is not finished. When the Great War ends, she loses her entire family—son, husband, brother-in-law, and sister—along with many dear friends. This is her story—the story of her healing process and how the rangers helped to save her, to heal her. This is her struggle for survival, healing, peace and how the rangers become the best thing that could have happened to her.

4. Udonna, You're Done Caring For Clare

"Twelve years," I whispered to myself. "Twelve years of torturous agony."

I went out to the main room and said, "Clare, dear child, I'm going out for a while. Don't touch anything until I come back."

Clare nodded and I left Rootcore. I wandered along until I reached the lake where he had proposed fourteen years ago. "Why am I here?" I asked, shaking violently as tears welled up in my eyes and slid down my face.

I twirled my wedding and engagement rings around my fingers and wept for my sister. I sobbed for my husband and my son. I squeezed my eyes shut and imagined how my son would have looked had he lived—a handsome little twelve year-old boy with his father's looks and temper and stubbornness and maybe a little bit of stubbornness from me and his eyes would be a beautiful blue-green, maybe hazel, color—his eyes had begun to change colors to match both our eyes right before I'd handed him over to Daggeron to be taken to safety. He had been so scared that day—and I don't blame him—maybe he had cried for me in his last hours—get off that thought, Udonna—you're going to make yourself cry harder. Back to imagining how he's supposed to look—he would be a sweet, well-behaved little boy who would always do what was right and honorable, the way his father would have. He would essentially be a younger version of his father, with a little bit of me in there. Even after twelve years, I still couldn't bring myself to think my husband's name or hear it or say it. Would I always be this broken? I kicked a rock angrily into the pool. Whoever came up with the phrase "Time heals all wounds" was wrong. There are some wounds that time can never heal—the loss of a sister, the loss of a child—the loss of your child—and the loss of your one true love.

I stared at the pool and prepared to give up, when suddenly someone grabbed my arm and yanked me to safety. I blinked and murmured, "Thank you, kind Troblin."

"Name's Phineas," he replied, with a grin. "Your ward is pretty worried about you, Miss."

My eyes widened. "Clare!" I gasped, ready to run back to Rootcore and I turned to race for home before something happened to Clare.

Phineas nodded and we raced to Rootcore. I saw the Snow Prince and he said, "Udonna, you are to come with me."

"Where's Clare?" I demanded, furiously of my brother.

"She's with the Mystic Mother. You're not stable enough to care for her anymore," he replied.

"I can care for her," I insisted. "I'm perfectly fine, brother!"

He groaned and said, "No, you're not, sis. I've been watching over you and I've seen you breaking and crying… And then your almost suicide stunt earlier! Good Lord, Udonna, if you can't keep yourself together, why should you be caring for Clare? There is no way that you can continue to care for Clare with your current mental state. I won't allow it."

"I promised Niella," I hissed.

He nodded and said, "I'm well aware of that, but you need time to grieve for Daggeron, Niella, Bowen, and especially your husband, Leanbow."

I flinched and the Snow Prince murmured, "Sorry, I forgot you didn't like to think or say or hear his name."

I nodded. Then I glared at my brother and, as I tried to push past him, he grabbed me by the waist. "Udonna, listen to me!" he ordered.

I grumbled and slowly turned to look at him. "I only want to help—I was responsible for you—and I wasn't there when you were a child, but I'm going to start making it up to you, starting by helping you start to heal, by ensuring you have time to properly grieve—for Niella, for Bowen, and for him," he murmured gently, pulling me into a hug.

I blinked and then buried my face against his shoulder and began to cry. He wrapped his arms around me and, tightening his grip, began humming Mother's old lullaby. "Let's go home," he whispered, waving his hand, teleporting us to his dimension—where I had grown up as a child until I was seventeen and first met him. The Snow Prince wrapped one arm around my waist and lugged me into the palace and into my old room—before we moved to the Mystic Forest so Niella could help with the battle and I could stay with my husband, Niella and I would have separate rooms—and gently put me to bed. I smiled weakly up at him and drifted off to sleep, knowing full well in an hour I'd be awakened by another nightmare.