Lissa's hair was long and dark blonde in colour, similar to Soren's, and it looked as Claudia remembered it, save for the faint threads of grey that now adorned her bangs. She wore it in a long braid, which fell over her shoulder. She was still beautiful, and seemed tho have barely aged. A strange feeling struck Claudia as she realized that she was almost as tall as her mother. The last time she had seen her, she was small enough to be lifted in her mother's arms. Her childhood suddenly felt so very distant.

As her eyes settled on Claudia, Lissa came to an abrupt halt and stared at her with uncertainty, as if in a trance.

Claudia searched within herself for the words she had rehearsed, but she could not find them, or any other words for that matter. Confronted with the reality of her mother, her courage proved fleeting.

Emma dashed up to Lissa and stopped next to her. She tugged on her dress to draw her attention, which was still fixed on Claudia.

"Miss Lissa, this lady needs a place to stay. Can she stay here? Pleeeaaaaseee! Can she stay?" Emma begged.

It took a few seconds for the plea to register with Lissa, but she eventually shook herself free from her trance and looked at the girl.

"I'll think about it. You run along until supper time," Lissa responded.

Emma ran off without any more words, but wearing a big smile that reflected her hope that she would receive her magic soon.

"...Mom..." Claudia said a little louder, this time loud enough for Lissa to hear.

Lissa's brow furrowed, as if she did not understand the word. She stared at Claudia with confusion, as if trying to jog a memory. Then without warning, she gasped. She covered her mouth with both hands and she took a small step backwards.

Lissa's movement was subtle, but Claudia noticed it, and she watched fearfully, waiting to see if her mother would turn and leave her all alone again.

Lissa then leaned forward, as if to study the face of the stranger standing in front of her. Her eyes were still filled with confusion. She looked Claudia up and down, observing her white hair, and her gaunt face. She leaned yet closer, and peered into the sad eyes of her daughter.

"C-Claudia?" she asked.

The way her mother said her name sounded to Claudia more like she was asking a stranger if she had remembered it correctly, rather than a recognition of her own daughter. Claudia managed a faint nod, but she was unable to speak. She then instinctively brought her right arm across her body and rubbed her left arm nervously.

Lissa performed the same action with her arms, which reminded Claudia of where she had picked up that particular tick.

Her eyes locked with those of her mother, Claudia became so nervous that she stopped breathing. She did not realize she was holding her breath until Terry drew up beside her and placed a hand on her back.

"Breathe, Claudia, breathe. It's okay," Terry comforted her with a quiet whisper.

She took one deep breath, and her lungs resumed their normal rhythm.

"Claudia!" Lissa bellowed suddenly. She rushed toward her daughter, and her apprehensive stare at last gave way to one of motherly concern. As she neared, she raised her arms toward her child. She brought her open hands next to Claudia's shoulders, and seemed like she wanted to hold her. But she could not bring herself to do so. Her arms hung in the air until she slowly withdrew them.

Through this, Claudia remained frozen and filled with anxiety. She both wanted her mother's embrace and dreaded the thought of it. Many emotions battled within her, and she was nervous about which ones would escape into the world if her mother forced a hug.

"...Hi..M-Mom..." she said, struggling over her few words.

"You're alive! Oh, thank the stars you're alive!" Lissa gasped.

"I'm alive," she agreed with a nod.

Lissa brought both hands to her eyes and wiped them hard. She forced back any tears than may have been ready to come out.

"Claudia..." Lissa said fretfully as she examined her daughter once more, "...are you okay?"

"...not really," Claudia murmured, the two years of hardship, loss, and loneliness bubbling up and making her voice quiver.

"Is-is Soren here too?"

"...no," Claudia answered.

"...and your father?"

"...dead."

Lissa lowered her head and stood silently for a few moments.

"What happened to him?" Lissa inquired.

"...he died," Claudia replied. She felt her eyes wavering and averted her gaze from her mother, unable to say anything more about it.

Lissa wrapped her arms around her sides and squeezed herself. She expressed sadness that Claudia had not expected to see when she learned of her ex-husbands death.

"Claudia, why are you here?" Lissa asked.

The words sounded like an accusation of wrongdoing to Claudia. Hearing them made her feel as if she was on the precipice of the ultimate and final rejection, which would obliterate her. Her heart started to pump faster and faster, and robbed her of her voice. Seeing this, Terry stepped in and answered.

"Wouldn't you believe it, we just happened to be in the neighbourhood, and thought it would be nice to drop in for a visit!" Terry said cheerfully.

"Who are you?" Lissa fired back without delay.

"My name's Terrestrius, or Terry for short," he responded.

"And who are you to Claudia?" Lissa grilled.

"Well, I-"

"He's everything to me," Claudia asserted.

A tense silence filled the air, and Lissa darted her eyes between Claudia and Terry. None of them knew exactly how to restart the conversation.

"Claudia...say something," Lissa eventually pleaded.

"...I'm cold. Can we go inside?" Claudia asked with a shiver.

"Of course!" her mother assured and led them into the shelter.

As they walked through the dusty corridors, children ran by and greeted Lissa. She laid her hand upon the heads of the smaller ones as they passed and told them not to run indoors. One child slowed down to speak with Lissa.

"Who's that lady with you, Miss Lissa?" he asked.

"A visitor from Katolis," Lissa explained. "So behave while she's here. No stealing!"

The child nodded and ran off.

'A visitor from Katolis?' Claudia thought to herself, '...is that all I am to her?'

Lissa brought them to a room with a small round table and offered them each a seat. She poured some hot tea and hoped it would warm them. Tea flowed, but words did not come as easily between mother and daughter. Claudia held her teacup tightly, staring at it intensely and hoping her mother would start whatever conversation was in store for them.

They sat for a long while, sipping tea and curled into themselves while saying nothing. Eventually, Terry took the initiative.

"Look, I know this is probably hard and awkward for both of you, so I'll start the talking. Lissa, we've come a long way to find you. We need your help. Your daughter needs your help. We're in danger. There's nobody else in the world we can turn to," Terry explained.

"Danger? What kind of danger?" Lissa asked as she sat straight up.

"The kind of danger that flies around a breathes fire," Terry said as he mimed a dragon flapping its wings.

"You went to Xadia with you father, didn't you?" Lissa asked her daughter.

"...yes."

"Oh, Claudia. I'm sure that was very difficult for you. Do you want to talk about it?"

"...no."

Lissa looked down, the coldness she was receiving from her daughter paining her heart.

"Do you like the tea?" Lissa asked, hoping to sidestep the coldness with a less weighty subject.

Claudia took another sip and nodded her head.

"Do you remember the time you were sick with an awful cold and I made you tea with honey? It was the same tea as this," Lissa said with a faint smile.

"I recognized the smell. It smells like ginger," Claudia said softly.

"That's right. Ginger, lemon and honey. I mixed everything that helps fight a cold," Lissa said tenderly.

"...yeah," Claudia replied and inhaled the aroma.

"Do you remember how you always wanted to have afternoon tea, because you insisted that was what the proper ladies do?" Lissa reminisced.

"Some lady I turned out to be," Claudia answered with a nervous smile.

Lissa smiled and looked into her own teacup. "It always made me smile when you'd ask me to join you for tea, even if it was imaginary tea. I wanted those happy moments to last forever..."

"...they could have," Claudia replied.

Lissa lowered her eyes once again, weighed down by the guilt she had carried in silence for so many years.

"Seems like we're all enjoying tea now, that's what matters, isn't it?" Terry said, trying to find some common ground between the past and present.

Lissa and Claudia both nodded, almost content to say nothing and continue sipping tea in each others company. A few minutes passed before Lissa spoke again.

"Claudia...what happened to you? What happened in Xadia?" Lissa asked.

"...what happened to me?" Claudia replied with a confused look on her face.

"I barely recognize you. Where's my little girl?" Lissa asked.

Claudia's nervous eyes quickly sharpened. She squeezed her fists beneath the table. The question from her mother appalled her, and filled her with an urge to scream.

"...Where's your little girl? She's back in Katolis, where you abandoned her..." Claudia hissed.

"Claudia, no! It wasn't like that..." her mother pleaded.

Hearing her mother's denials at last brought Claudia's long simmering emotions to the surface. Her body trembled with anger and she clenched her jaw. She could not remain silent and tiptoe around her feelings any longer; she needed to give voice to the pain within her.

"That's exactly what it was! You didn't even say goodbye! You couldn't even be bothered to turn around and look at me as you rode off! I stood on the battlements waving at you, crying for your attention, convinced that you'd come back if I just waited long enough! I waited there until it got dark before it sunk in that you weren't ever coming back to me! That was your little girl! She just needed her mom! But where were you then?! Do you have any idea how much you hurt me? Do you even care?!"

"Claudia, I never wanted to hurt you. Please, give me a chance to explain wh-"

"I don't want you to explain! I want you to listen to me! Nobody ever truly listens to me! Why is it so hard for anyone to acknowledge how I feel?! It's like I don't even exist!" Claudia clamoured.

"Claudia, love. We've come all this way. There's no harm in hearing your mother's story..." Terry mediated. He placed his hand on Claudia's cheek, and she seemed to regain some composure.

"I do hear you, Claudia," Lissa soothed, "but I also want you to understand why I made that choice. I know that my decision hurt you, but I made my choice for the right reasons. I knew that I would be too weak to protect you when it came down to it, and I knew that your father would do whatever it took to keep you safe! If I brought you with me like I know you wanted, you would not have been safe...from me."

"What are you talking about?" Claudia demanded.

"Do you remember when your brother fell ill?"

"Of course!" Claudia shouted back.

"After Soren recovered...after your father saved his life...I wasn't the same person. I didn't want your father to rely on dark magic to save Soren. The cost and the consequences were too much. You don't know what it truly cost and what was at risk! I couldn't accept it! I begged your father not to go through with it, to find another way..." Lissa anguished.

Lissa then paused and took a deep breath, reliving a painful memory that haunted her.

"I may as well have been asking your father to let Soren die. Your father hated me for even suggesting that he not act. And how could he feel anything else? Soren was so sick, and there were no other options. Our marriage ended the moment the words left my lips. Your father came to despise me, and we started to fight and argue without end. And worse, I knew you could hear all of our awful screaming at each other. It broke my heart knowing that my children could hear us fighting that way."

Lissa then looked into her daughter's eyes, where she found the strength to continue her story.

"Despite my wishes, your father refused to listen to me. He went through with it...and it worked! It worked! I was prepared to let my son die because I feared the consequences of saving him. But your father was was not afraid. When Soren recovered, I felt nothing but guilt. I knew that I had failed as a mother. I didn't think I deserved my children. And worse, whenever I held you after that day, I knew that I hadn't changed. I knew I would still make the same choice if it came down to it. So I decided to leave to protect you from myself. I made the choice to leave for you! I did it for you! It was the hardest thing I-"

Claudia began to growl, and Lissa ceased talking as the sound from Claudia grew louder.

"It was too hard for you to hug me?! Is that seriously what you are telling me?! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Claudia exploded as she sprung to her feet. She slammed her hands down on the table, causing the teacups to tip over and spill, and Lissa to recoil.

"It was too hard for you?! Do you want to know what is truly hard?! I'll tell you! Stitching your father back together, limb by limb, is hard! Having everyone you ever loved turn their back on you is hard! Walking across an entire continent on one leg, with nothing but a hope and a prayer to keep you going is hard! But the hardest thing, the hardest thing of all...is listening to you try to justify what you did to me! I am finished listening to your excuses!"

Claudia then shoved her chair aside, knocking it over, and stormed off. Terry got up as well and reached out to her.

"Leave me alone!" Claudia shouted as she brushed Terry's hand away.

Terry lowered his arm and watched as Claudia traversed the hallway and exited the building. He turned and found Lissa sitting alone at the table with her head lowered, and tears streaming down her face. She then buried her face in her hands and sniffled.

"Why did I say that to her? I don't have any right to call her my little girl. I forfeited that privilege long ago..." she sobbed.

"Are you going to be okay?" Terry asked.

Lissa sniffled once more and forced her tears to stop.

"I'll be fine," Lissa assured. "What did she mean by one leg?"

"That doesn't matter right now. Right now, Claudia needs you, more than you know. She needs you by her side! Won't you go after her?" Terry pleaded.

Lissa took a deep breath, but she did not stand up.

"No. Right now, what she needs is space. She needs to be allowed to be angry at me. She needs to be able to hate me, if that's what her heart demands," Lissa insisted.

"But I'm worried about her! She's lost so much! We should be there to support her!" Terry fretted.

"Trust me, Terry, I understand my children. I care for hundreds of them and I have a responsibility to protect each of them. Claudia is still my child. She'll always be my child. And what she needs right now is exactly what she told us. She wants to be alone and we must respect that," Lissa explained.

Terry saw the truth in Lissa's words. He sighed and then sat back down at the table.

"So...we just wait here?" Terry asked.

"Yes. We'll wait here until she comes back, where she knows she can find us, when she's ready."

"May I ask you something?"

"You may," Lissa answered.

"There's a part of your story that I don't understand. You said you were scared of the consequences and what was at risk through Viren's actions. But you were married to Viren for a long time by then. You must have known how dark magic works after all those years. So, what consequences were you talking about? What was at risk that scared you so much that you were willing to sacrifice your son?"

Lissa took a slow, measured breath.

"That is a conversation I will have with Claudia...when she is ready to hear it," Lissa explained.

Claudia rushed out the door of the shelter, and in her haste nearly tripped down the small set of stairs that led to the street. Outside, she felt like a weight had been removed from her chest, and she could now breathe. Inside, she had felt constrained and trapped on all sides. Her mother's words did not make make any sense to her. How could she reject her for her own good? It was a ridiculous and cowardly assertion.

She pulled against the collar of her tunic, hoping to make it easier to inhale the cold Del Bar air. She kept walking as she tugged, and did not look back to see if anyone was following after her. She turned the first corner on the street, which led down a narrow alley. She kept walking until the alley spilled onto another road, which looked much like the rest of the area. The buildings were ramshackle, and nobody else could be seen. She then leaned against a building and closed her eyes.

"Why did I come here?" she muttered to herself.

She was then struck by the urge to hide, to crawl away into a dark corner so she could forget everyone and be forgotten by everyone. She opened her eyes and spotted a building with broken windows on the opposite side of the road. Inside, she saw shelves which were mostly barren, but some still held books. It had been a bookstore, but had long ago been looted or otherwise left to rot. It seemed as good a hiding place as any, so she trudged toward it.

The door was locked but the front display window was smashed, so she stepped through it, taking care to avoid the glass fragments. Inside, she found the shelves and floors to be covered in a thick dust. The books that remained on the shelves facing the window seemed to be in foreign languages, and she could not read them. Once inside however, she discovered that the former bookstore was larger than it appeared, and there were many more rows of shelves.

She walked deeper into the building, and in the very back she found that there were several shelves which maintained a healthy collection. She smiled, knowing that she had found shelter in a library as a child, and had found a safe place within one when she needed it art that moment. She slowly walked alongside the shelves and ran her hand along the spines of the books as she read their titles. Some she had read before, and others she had always wanted to read. Most were native to Del Bar, and she had never heard mention of them, but she had an insatiable curiosity to open them and begin devouring their stories.

Her hand stopped on a particular title:

The Shared Magical Histories of the Human Kingdoms and Xadia.

"Hmm, this one sounds interesting," she said to herself as she pulled the tome from the shelf. She fanned through the pages and nodded her head, and then walked over to an old cushioned chair that was placed next to the bookshelf and sat down. It was surprisingly comfortable, and she sank into it and felt more at ease. She cracked open the book once more and continued reading, losing herself in tales of a forgotten time. She did not lift her nose from the pages as the minutes turned into hours.

"What do you think you're doing?" a young voice echoed through the dim and dusty room.

Claudia was startled, and she slammed the book shut, releasing a cloud of dust.

"Huh?!" she exclaimed as she lifted her head. "Oh, it's you."

"That's right" said Emma, her blue eyes shining brightly in the dim room. "So, are you gonna tell me what you think you're doing?"

"Looking for a place where I can be alone!" Claudia answered.

"This is my library! You can't just hang out here or take stuff from it!" Emma boasted.

"Hmpf! I don't see any sign with you're name on it," Claudia said dismissively.

"Actually..." Emma replied as she pointed toward the wall beside Claudia. A hand painted sign was mounted which read:

'Emma's Library – Keep Out'

"Well, would you look at that..." Claudia stated with surprise. "Fine, I'll leave..."

"Wait! I changed my mind! You can stay!" Emma assured. "No one ever comes in here but me anyway."

Claudia let out a sigh of relief. Being among the books put her at ease, and reminded her of happier days. She wanted to revel in that feeling for as long as possible.

"So, you like to read?" Claudia asked.

"Yeah...a good book helps me forget about the real world for a while," Emma explained, her voice tinged with lament.

"I know exactly what you mean. When I was about your age, I went through some hard times too. I started hiding in the library, and losing myself in books. As long as my nose was in a book, I felt good about myself," Claudia related.

Emma nodded and sent a smile of understanding toward Claudia.

"What kinda books do you like?" Emma inquired.

"Oh, all kinds! Stuff about the history of magic! Legends from Xadia! Cook books! I try to keep an open mind."

"I like scary stories. They're my favourite. What's yours?"

Claudia took a deep breath and looked around the room as if to check if anyone was watching.

"Honestly, I'm a sucker for romance stories. The kind where everything always works out for the lovers in the end, and they live happily ever after. Those kinda stories make my heart melt! But it's sorta my little secret. When you have an older brother, he teases you about that kind of romantic stuff," Claudia said with a smile.

"Books are pretty great, aren't they?" Emma said.

"They sure are! Maybe I should have become a librarian instead of a mage. I probably wouldn't have lost my leg if I were a librarian. Who's ever heard of a librarian losing a leg on the job?" Claudia said with nervous laugh.

"You lost your leg?! Can I see?! Emma asked with astonishment.

For a moment, Claudia was offended by the request, but she shrugged it off and decided to show Emma her wound. She motioned for Emma to sit next to her, and the girl did so. Claudia then rolled up her pants, exposing the wooden appendage.

"Wow! Did it hurt?!" a wide eyed Emma asked.

"It hurt like crazy! But Terry gave me some medicine to make the pain go away, and he gave me what I needed to get better. He made me this leg too. I can walk again because of him," Claudia recounted.

"Sounds like a pretty great guy," Emma asserted.

"He really is. He's the best," Claudia praised.

"How did you lose it?"

"I lost it trying to save my father's life. But my enemies attacked me, and one of them did this to me..."

"Did you save your dad?"

"No...I failed," Claudia recounted.

"Will you be okay? Without your dad?" Emma asked, drawing a little closer to Claudia.

"I dunno. I loved my dad a lot. I'm not whole without him. Now that he's gone, I guess that makes me an orphan too..."

"You lost both of your parents too?"

"I lost my mom when I was about your age. I don't think my heart ever really healed from that. I lost my dad on my seventeenth birthday...and then again about a month ago."

"Huh?"

"It's a long story..."

"Do you miss them? I miss mine...a lot," Emma shared.

"What were they like?" Claudia asked as she slid closer to Emma.

"They were good parents. They took good care of me. They weren't soldiers, but when the king was murdered, they joined the army that went to Xadia to avenge him. A lot of the grownups did. They told me that the rest of the human kingdoms were joining forces for the first time ever, and they would be back soon. I remember them waving to me as they disappeared over a hill on their horses. That was the last time I ever saw them..." Emma said as her voice warbled.

Visions of the battlefield at the foot for the Storm Spire flashed in Claudia's mind. She had not let her father see it, but it had terrified her to be in the middle of that carnage. So many people had died around her. It was not what she had envisioned when she had set off with her father. What she saw had changed her. She wondered if she might have crossed paths with Emma's parents, and she considered telling Emma that she was at the battle, but she decided against it. She had no insight that would bring comfort to the girl. She could only tell her that her father had led her parents to war and it had cost them their lives, so she remained silent.

"I hope they died together," Emma said. "That way, maybe they wouldn't have been afraid."

Claudia clutched at her heart and fought to keep her tears in check.

"I'm so sorry that happened to your family, Emma. I wish I could bring them back right now like you asked. I'd do it if I could, even if it hurt me..." Claudia cried out.

"Does magic hurt?" Emma inquired as she looked up at Claudia.

"That kind of magic...it takes a toll on you. You lose a piece of yourself when you do it. But it's worth it, if it's to help someone that is important to you...someone that you love..." Claudia explained, before retreating into silence.

"Are you thinking about your family right now?" Emma asked after a few quiet moments.

"Yeah, I am," Claudia admitted.

"You look really sad. I think you could use a hug. My mom used to say hugs were the best medicine when you're sad," the girl shared.

"Ha ha! I had a friend who told me that right after I lost my mom," Claudia recounted. She brushed her hair behind her ear so she could look Emma in the eye. "And you know what? He was right!"

Emma slid closer and wrapped her small arms around Claudia's torso.

"We've got to stick together and help each other out, us orphans I mean. That's how we survived the last two years," Emma vowed.

"Mmm, you're a really bright kid, did you know that?" Claudia praised as she returned the hug.

"Are you still friends?" Emma pressed further.

"...No. We're enemies now," Claudia sighed. "I'm sure he hates me..."

"Do you hate him?"

Claudia thought about the question for a moment and then answered.

"No. No I don't hate him. He has a reason to hate me. I lied to him. I betrayed his trust. I hurt people that he cares about. But even now, even if he hates me, I know he would never hurt me. I don't have any right to hate him."

"Maybe you can be friends again if you talk to him," Emma suggested.

Claudia let out a long, pained sigh.

"I think those days are gone," she lamented.

"That's too bad," Emma commented.

"Do you have many friends here?" Claudia probed.

"Yeah, I'm friends with lots of kids. Everyone knows everyone in this part of town," Emma beamed.

"Do you ever get lonely? I do..." Claudia confided.

"Sometimes. When I think about my mom and dad, I get lonely. Sometimes I get really sad, and I want everything to be different. But that's not how it works, so I gotta keep going forward, right?"

"You're right," Claudia nodded.

"I owe a lot to that nice lady at the shelter. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have made it this far. We were all scared when the war ended and our parents never came back. I was just a little kid then, and I was so afraid. I didn't have anything to eat, or anywhere to sleep, or anyone to take care of me. And then I met her. She's a good person, like your boyfriend. She cares about the kids that everyone else abandoned."

Claudia lowered her head and looked at her feet.

"Why do you think she does it? Takes care of the all the kids, I mean..."

Emma leaned back and thought for a few seconds.

"I think everyone ends up at that shelter for the same reason. Because we lost our families. Maybe she lost hers too. I bet it hurts just as much even when you're a grown-up."

Tears then trickled down Claudia's cheeks and landed on her boots.

"What's wrong?" Emma said and leaned forward, placing her hand on Claudia's arm.

"It's hard to explain. I'm trying to figure out some stuff, some important stuff, and it's complicated. I don't know what to do..." Claudia sighed.

"Why don't you stay at the shelter until you figure it out? You're an orphan too, so I bet Miss Lissa will let you stay as long as you want!"

"Are you just saying that to make sure I stick around to make good on our deal?" Claudia asked with a smile.

"Nah, I'm trying to help you! Besides, I like talking to you. You're still kinda weird, but I want to be friends!"

"I'd like to be friends too," Claudia agreed.

"Why don't we go back to the shelter right now? There's usually food ready around this time," the young girl informed.

"I dunno, I'm kind of scared to go back. I said some mean things to my mo-I mean Miss Lissa. I'm not sure I'm welcome there anymore..."

"It'll be fine! I promise!"

"I'll tell you what, I'll go if we can go together. You're a brave kid, so maybe you can lend me some courage," Claudia suggested.

"Deal! Want to bring some books with us?" Emma suggested.

"I like the way you think!" Claudia chimed.

Claudia placed the book she had examined earlier into her satchel. She then noticed some books in a language she believed to be some form of elvish. She could not read it, but she thought Terry might appreciate a book in his native tongue, so she claimed one at random and placed it in her satchel without looking through it.

"I like this one," Emma chimed as she flashed a book to Claudia. "My mom used to read it to me."

With their books selected, they left the building. They navigated the streets and narrow alleyways, retracing the route which Claudia had followed. When they rounded the final turn, and the shelter came into view, Claudia froze.

"I dunno..." she whispered.

"Come on!" Emma instructed. She took charge of the situation and grabbed Claudia's hand. She tightened her grip and looked Claudia in the eye, as if to say it was too late to turn back. From there, they continued to the door, hand in hand, with Emma leading the way.

"You're not gonna try to steal from me again, are you?" Claudia joked as they neared the front door.

"Nah, probably not!" Emma answered.

Probably not did not reassure Claudia.

'This kid is something else!' she thought to herself as they entered the shelter.

When Claudia and Emma walked back into the room, Terry and Lissa were still seated at the table. Claudia was surprised that her mother was waiting for her.

"Welcome back, love," Terry said tenderly. "Why don't I give you two some privacy. You probably have a lot to talk about." He then slid his seat backwards and got to his feet. He approached the girl who stood next to Claudia.

"Emma, right? Thanks for helping Claudia find her way back home. Why don't you come with me, maybe you can show me around the shelter," Terry suggested.

"Yeah, I can do that," Emma replied with an understanding that complicated emotions were running through Lissa and Claudia. Terry and Emma then exited the room together and closed the door behind them.

At last alone with her daughter, Lissa stood up and apologized for her mistakes.

"I'm sorry. I truly am. For what I said today. For not being there for you. I'm sorry for being the worst mother imaginable. I can't undo the past...but...I won't ever make those mistakes again," Lissa said quietly.

"..Mom.." Claudia whimpered.

"If you'll let me, I want to be the mother you deserve, Claudia. I know I can't undo any of the pain I caused you, but I want to ease that pain and give you all the things that a mother should. I want you to stay here with me. You can stay as long as you like!"

"I-I want to stay too!" Claudia said, nearly tripping over her words.

Lissa closed her eyes and exhaled in great relief.

"I'm so happy to hear that," Lissa said, and took a few steps toward Claudia.

Claudia followed suit and took a few steps toward her mother. Once she took her first step however, she could not stop. Having come so far, she could only end her journey in the one place she truly needed to be, within the safety of her mother's arms. As she neared, her mother embraced her. Claudia buried her head in her mother's shoulder and let her feelings out, crying tears of happiness and sadness all at once.

With her arms wrapped snugly around Claudia, Lissa brushed her daughter's white hair aside and found herself shedding matching tears.

"I want to know everything Claudia. I know it was painful. I know it was my fault. But I want to know about all the things in your life that I've missed. Will you tell me your story?" Lissa pleaded.

Claudia lifted her head from her mother's shoulder and nodded, tears still streaming.

It took a long time to recount the last decade of her life, but Claudia went through the important parts in great detail. By the end of it, Lissa was once again in tears. She pulled her daughter closer and held her much tighter than before.

"I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you," Lissa sobbed.

"It's in the past now, let's worry about tomorrow," Claudia insisted, her way of offering comfort and forgiveness to her mother. Claudia then closed her eyes, and savoured her mother's warmth.

After a long while without any words, Claudia broke the silence.

"Mom, what happened here? In the Serpentongue, I mean. Why are these kids suffering so much?" Claudia asked with distress in her voice.

Lissa took a deep breath before recounting the plight of the kingdom.

"After the war...your father's war...so few people came back, and even fewer came back whole. For those who did return, there was no peace. With the king dead, many powerful families saw an opportunity to seize control. More fighting followed, as did more death. By the time the current despot took the throne, the country was in ruin. Crops failed, trade dried up, and the treasury was depleted. Cruelty seeped into the hearts of the people. They came to see the orphan children as a burden, nothing more than a drain on scarce resources. The children weren't their sons and daughters, so they turned them into the target of their malice, blaming them for all that is wrong in this land. But I can't scapegoat or ignore these children. They deserve a chance at life," Lissa asserted.

"I want to help them too! It's not fair that they don't get to have their parents," Claudia cried.

"You have a kind heart, Claudia," her mother praised, her arms still wrapped tenderly around her.

"It's my fault. It's my fault that their parents are dead. I owe it to them," Claudia sobbed.

"What?! No! You didn't do any of this!" Lissa protested,

"Yes I did, Mom! I could have done something to stop any of this from happening! I could have changed Dad's mind somehow. Maybe I could have convinced him not to attack Xadia. I could have taken Soren's side, or I could have told Dad how I really felt. But I didn't even try! I was too scared to make my own choices. I've been too scared for my entire life! I could have done something, but I didn't. That means it is my fault. I might be the worst person in the world!" Claudia bellowed.

"I've heard enough of this! I won't allow you to think about yourself that way!" Lissa scolded. "I am telling you, as your mother, it is not your fault!"

"How can I help them? What can I do?" Claudia asked as she trembled.

"Stay with me, and I will show you. It's hard work, but every drop of sweat you spend doing it is worth it," Lissa said with a smile. "Let me show you to a room. If you want to help, you should know that the mornings start early for us. There is much to do, so it's important to get enough rest."

Claudia nodded, and then yawned. The mention of sleep suddenly made her aware of how draining, emotionally and physically, the day had been.

Lissa brushed her hand over her daughter's hair one last time, and then turned to lead her towards a bedroom. They exited through the same door Terry and Emma had taken, and on the other side there was a narrow hallway with an even more narrow staircase leading to the second level.

"There are empty rooms on the second floor," Lissa informed. They walked up the creaky stairs in single file. The sun was by then disappearing behind the mountains, so they took extra care to place their steps in the dim light. Atop the staircase, another narrow hallway extended in front and behind them. On both sides of the hallway, doors were placed every few metres.

On the far end of the hallway, they spotted Terry leaning against the wall, seemingly waiting for them. When he noticed them, he trotted forward. He did not press them for details about their talk. He could see that they had made great progress in reconciliation.

"These two rooms are empty at the moment. They are sparse, but you'll each have a bed," Lissa stated as she pointed to rooms on opposite sides of the hallway. "Claudia, why don't you take this one. Terry, you can stay in this one."

"We'll share a room," Claudia affirmed.

Lissa was about to explain that each room had only one bed, so sharing one room would not work. But before she spoke, the realization that Claudia was no longer the little girl from her memory struck her.

"Oh...Ohh!" Lissa exclaimed.

Terry stood awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head.

"We'll take this one," Claudia stated, gesturing to the room on her right.

Lissa nodded her head. "I'll wake you in the morning. Then we can get to work."

Claudia returned the nod, and opened the door to her room. She placed her hand in Terry's and they entered together and closed the door quietly behind them.

In the hallway, Lissa stood alone and held her hands over her heart. Her daughter had found more than pain and loss on her journey, she had found love and happiness as well, and that truth filled Lissa with joy.