~10~
Daphne traced her fingers over the scarred wood of the table, the tips of her fingers feeling the insides of the deep scars from the claws of the creatures that had attacked the safe house. She sat with an eerie calm about her, a calm that worried the guards who'd come to protect her until her father arrived with reinforcements to take her away. She paid their stares and questions no heed as she sat, waiting.
Movement outside the open door of the ruined meeting room caught Daphne's eye. She pulled her focus away from the table and watched with self-restricted emotion as some of the servants hauled away Bennett's sheet shrouded body on a board. Sunlight flashed off of something beneath the white fabric and Daphne, recognizing the object as Bennett's sword, flinched and looked away. The emotions began to claw their way out of her again, but she fought them. 'He's gone, Daphne. Let him go.' Daphne thought to herself as she invested herself even more into caressing the gouges in the table.
But no matter how hard she tried to focus, the horror of what had happened with Valtor flashed through her mind relentlessly, haunting her. Daphne leaned back in her chair and forced her gaze to latch on a hole in the ceiling. Valtor had taken her sense of security and confidence and tore them to shreds, leaving her vulnerable and incapable. She would never forget those moments he taunted her, mocked her, hurt her… Daphne would never forget how Valtor had violently ended Bennett's life and then attempted to claim hers as well.
She wouldn't have survived Valtor's slaughter if the Nymphs of the Dragon hadn't intervened. He would've killed her with no hesitation in that single moment. That moment she'd stared at the sword in his hand so certain of her demise, it echoed through her thoughts and beat out all the things that should've mattered. From what she could tell she shouldn't have survived Valtor's wrath. According to Valtor the Nymphs shouldn't have been able to intervene. And yet they did. This especially confused Daphne.
What had happened after Valtor and the nymphs was essentially a blur. She had sat quietly next to the lifeless body of Bennett, waiting. The sun slowly rose, changing the terrible dark of night into bright day before they found her. The guards and servants who had survived the slaughter eventually stumbled upon her sitting there and brought her back to what was left of the beautiful house. A couple of them tried to talk to her, console her, check to see if she was alright. But Daphne remained silent, continuing her quiet vigil for the promises of the nymph.
"Some things lost have been found, Daphne. Your father has rescued your mother."
"Mother." Daphne whispered, breaking her silence for a single thought. She glanced out the shattered window, finally allowing her hope to be spoken in a prayer-like manner. "Please let her be all right."
Time passed. Then the devastating silence of the battlefield was broken by the sound of horses approaching. Daphne listened to the pounding of hooves against the stone walkways; the sound grew louder and louder, closer and closer. There were many horses, neighing and breathing, their varying gallops drumming against the path. Then they stopped. Moments passed and Daphne heard doors being opened and footsteps trudging through broken glass and rubble. Muffled voices spoke, words were exchanged between the guards and the newcomers. In her peripheral vision Daphne saw a figure appear and stand in the doorway, exuding an air of distress and relief.
"Daphne."
Déjà vu rang through Daphne's mind like a bell. Suddenly she was back in the room at the previous mansion, her father standing in the doorway; she was begging her father to let her help, to let her take on the Ancestrals. Then there was her father yelling at her, telling her no. Then he was taking her hand and leading her away, sending her to the very safe house that proved to not be safe. With a snap of reality Daphne was back, a tumult of feelings fighting for control within her. She looked up at her father, feeling grateful she was sitting instead of standing. Thoughts clouded her mind, all wanting to be expressed, but Daphne only spoke three words. "I'm involved now."
Then her father was there, holding her tight to him in a protective embrace, murmuring apology after apology. Daphne buried her face in her father's shoulder and sobbed, releasing the terrible angst and fear that had built up over the past weeks. He smelled of sweat, smoke, and death, all of which Daphne found to be repulsive and loathsome. Daphne tried her best to ignore them and clung to him anyway, desperate for her father's touch. She listened and held onto the low, comforting tones of his voice, which seemed heavy with emotions. "I'm sorry, Daph-Daph. I was such a fool. I know now I have to be with you to protect you. I will not leave you again, Daphne. I'm so sorry."
After a time, Daphne reluctantly pulled back from Oritel and looked up into his face. She saw pain and weariness, but something else was apparent in his brown eyes. Daphne saw hope in Oritel's eyes and felt her own feelings rise up from the wallowing ocean she'd been drowning in. "You did find her. Mother is alright." she whispered gently.
Oritel gave a small nod and pulled her into another hug. "I found her, Daph-Daph. I found your mother. Miriam is… fine."
Daphne bit her lip as she heard the joy in her father's voice falter for less than a second. She held back her own inquisitions, knowing he wouldn't reveal anything to her. Again her father insisted on hiding something from her. Something about her mother. Daphne's gaze rose up to the hole in the ceiling once more, a sense of determination rising up above her relief and anger. She would uncover what her father was hiding, eventually. They both understood now that he couldn't protect her from everything like he promised.
As soon as the escort arrived at the summer home on Grace Shore, Daphne was out of the carriage and running for the mansion. Oritel followed her out of the carriage and called after her, but Daphne's mind was set. The two guards at the double-door entrance scrambled to open the doors for her, but Daphne abandoned her sense of what was proper and shoved the doors open herself. The servants working or walking in the entrance hall all stopped and stared at her dramatic entrance, but Daphne ignored them. She walked up to an astonished butler and abruptly asked, "Where is my mother?"
The trained butler recovered from his shock and quickly regained his stiff posture and demeanor; he gave Daphne a formal bow with his answer. "Her royal highness, Queen Miriam is upstairs resting in her bedroom. She is not to be…"
Daphne didn't wait for the butler to finish. She bolted for the stairs, hiking up the skirts of her dress to prevent herself from tripping up. She shoved past a couple of maids holding tea and food trays, hearing the crash of porcelain and silver but not caring. Her eyes roved the walls, glancing at every closed door, watching for the single entrance she sought.
'What could possibly be wrong with my mother?' Daphne thought while she rushed. 'What would my father hide from me?'
Finally she stopped at a doorway, recognizing the room as the one her parents always used when they stayed at Grace Shore. She stepped forward and lay her hand on the doorknob, but she didn't turn it. A sudden thought held her fast, keeping her from entering the suite.
'What if Valtor had somehow mutilated my mother? Would he have been cruel enough to leave Mother without… in a tortured state?' Daphne looked at the intricate molding that decorated the door, fear gripping her. She could only stand there with her hand on the knob; Daphne couldn't will herself to enter the room and happen upon what could be left of her mother.
A hand covered hers on the doorknob and Daphne turned from the door to her father standing behind her. Oritel placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and gave her the smallest quirk of a smile. "Your mother has been worried about you. She needs to see you."
Daphne nodded and turned the knob. The door swung open and she and her father walked into the well-decorated suite. She felt her breath catch in her lungs as she anticipated what she'd find. They walked through the sitting area and entered the bedroom part. Daphne stared at the canopy bed and let out her breath when she didn't see her mother lying in it. The lighting of the room shifted with the movement of a shadow and Daphne searched for the source. A woman dressed in a pale green dress stood with her back to them, staring out the window at the expansive blue glass of the ocean.
"Mother." Daphne breathed.
The figure turned and Daphne felt relief overcome her. Miriam looked somewhat fatigued and thinner than she had weeks earlier, but she appeared to be intact. Her green eyes still held some of the spark, but Daphne could see her mother's fighting and pain had taken their toll. A smile played on Miriam's lips and she held her arms open to Daphne. Her tone was soft and warm as she spoke. "It's alright now Daphne. It should all be… fine."
There was that word again. Fine. But Daphne ignored it and walked into her mother's gentle embrace. She didn't cry as she had with her father, but instead allowed herself a tense smile and wrapped her arms tighter about her mother. "You're okay, Mother. I was so worried. It's been over three weeks since he'd taken you! Almost a month! I was scared he'd hurt you!"
"I was more worried about you, love. I couldn't stop thinking about how I'd left you alone…" Miriam whispered. Daphne felt something wet land on her shoulder and pulled back to find her mother crying. "I shouldn't have gone out to fight him myself…we should've fled! But pride and my fear he'd attack us as we left…" Miriam shook her head. "So I practically handed myself over to him. He and the horrid Ancestrals held me prisoner for weeks." Daphne reached over and grabbed her mother's hands tightly, comfortingly. "Valtor left me to find you and I was so worried he would find you and…" Miriam started.
"…he did find me, Mother." Daphne said gently, interrupting her mother. "But I fought him off."
The look in Miriam's eyes nearly broke Daphne's heart, but Daphne kept her calm demeanor. "It was only a matter of time, Mother. There was no way he wouldn't find me. His hatred and will to kill me were too strong. You and Father can only protect me so much from what's happening." Daphne stared hard into her mother's eyes, watching the tears overflow and stream down her face. "You tried. But I watched him kill Bennett and he almost killed me. There's no point in keeping everything from me now. I'm involved."
Miriam's gaze lifted from Daphne and met Oritel's. Daphne glanced between the two, trying to decipher the thoughts her parents were silently sharing. She saw Oritel's posture stiffen and his jaw clench, actions she recognized were characteristic of him when he had to give a hard command. Her mother's appearance was less tense; rather Miriam had an openly pleading look in her green eyes as gazed longingly at her husband. There was definitely something her mother wanted to tell her, but Oritel saw it as unfit for her to know.
Finally Oritel sighed and his brown eyes dulled, a sign that he'd given in. "I suppose she ought to know, if it comes to term… She'll know anyway."
"I'll know what?" Daphne pulled back from her mother and stared hard at her parents. Oritel had a look of indifference as he looked out the window. Miriam looked torn, as though she were still debating if something was good or bad. She let out her own soft sigh and sat down on the bed. "What do you want to tell me, finally?" Daphne asked, warily.
Miriam bit her bottom lip tentatively, then looked up at Daphne with a small smile. "I'm pregnant, Daphne."