Chapter 13
Awakening her Powers Part 1
"Come to think of it, Prielle," Origa says one morning while they are having breakfast together. "You ARE an elf, which means you must have some sort of magical power within you."
"I…I don't know if I have one," the "younger" blonde elf says. "All these years, I have been terrified of humans, I was unable to awaken my powers. My will to fight is non-existent."
"Hmmmm…that is true," Celestine rubs her chin in thought. "Is there a way to train her so that she can be able to have the courage? Maybe then, her powers will awaken."
"I will have Chloe do the honors," Origa says. "She's a pretty good fighter herself, despite being a half-breed."
"That's a good idea," Celestine smiles and turns to her adopted daughter. "What do you think, Prielle-chan?"
The former princess returns the smile and nods. "That would be a great idea! I'll go find her right now! Thanks Mama Celes and Mama Origa!"
Clearing her dishes, she hurries out of the kitchen with Celestine and Origa alone. Celestine gives a soft chuckle.
"Something the matter?" Origa asks.
"Our baby girl wants to get stronger~" Celestine says. "I'm so proud of her~"
Origa closes her eyes and smiles. "Indeed. I really wonder what her power might be if she does awaken them."
"We'll have to find out for ourselves," Celestine replies.
Later*
Chloe and Prielle are in the training room of the palace and…things aren't going well. First off, Chloe wants to see if Prielle can channel her powers on her own first. That was a failure. Then, Chloe tried to demonstrate simple magic spells and wanted Prielle to repeat it. Prielle did exactly what Chloe told her, but the magic just wasn't there. Chloe then tried to have Prielle relax and have the magic come to her that way. But it was a failure as well.
Prielle knew this would happen though. She was robbed of her fighting spirit because of the humans. She doesn't know if her powers will awaken when either of her adopted parents or anybody else for that matter that wants to be saved at their greatest need.
"Don't be discouraged, Prielle," Chloe pats the former princess on the back. "The time will come soon. I promise."
"I know…" Prielle says. "But…I am more concerned about my parents' safety being at risk, including yours. If my powers aren't awakened by that time…I'm totally helpless. I am a failure as their daughter."
"Now, now," Chloe says with a gentle smile. "You and I will train a bit more every day. Perhaps your powers will soon awaken when we work hard."
Prielle gives a small smile. "You're right. I will keep on trying my best."
That Night*
Celestine and Origa snuggle together in bed, about to clock out when they hear the door open. Origa sits up to see their adopted daughter enter, hugging a pillow close to her.
"Umm…if it's alright with you…." Prielle says softly. "Can I…sleep with you…?"
Celestine sits up as well. She and Origa exchange looks of approval and then smile. They turn to their adopted daughter and nod. Prielle brightens and then moments later, the former princess is in the middle with Origa on her right and Celestine on her left. Of course, Prielle snuggles with the one that is a high elf like her. Origa can only smile, despite being slightly jealous.
During their snuggles, Prielle explains her predicament.
"It's only been a day," Celestine says softly. "Things just can't come out immediately no matter how much you want them to."
"But…." Prielle says. "I want to protect the both of you, even Chloe. I cannot stress enough how it must feel to watch you three be put in danger and there is nothing I can do about it."
Origa gently strokes her daughter's blonde hair. "Like Chloe said, the time will come. If you keep working hard, your will to fight may come to you. You must have faith in yourself, Prielle."
"Origa-chan is right," Celestine says. "If all else fails, just believe in yourself. Your source of power may come to you then."
"I hope you are right," Prielle says and then rests her head on Celestine's chest. She then falls asleep shortly after.
Celestine gives a worried expression toward her dark skinned wife. "What do we do?"
"Let her figure it out on her own," Origa suggests. "If we interfere, she'll just rely on us and her powers will never awaken. I've been through this before."
"So have I…" Celestine says. She gently strokes her adopted daughter's hair. "I just feel so sorry for her."
"Remember, it was the humans' fault," Origa says. "The trauma will never go away. But as long as we help her keep believing in herself, she will have the courage to fight."
Celestine nods and smiles. "We will try our hardest to get her to that point."
With a gentle kiss good-night, they also drift off to sleep.