Chapter 23

chapter Twenty-three

Volencia made her father a plate, but as she handed it to him, he put it on the table and pulled her into his arms. "I'm so sorry. I love you so much." He squeezed her tightly in his arms.

"I love you too, father." She crushed him back.

"I thought for a moment you guys were going to kill me. You really took the reigns there at the end, I'm very proud of you."

Volencia sobbed in his arms. "It's finally over then? Your curse has been lifted?"

Venron scrunched his face. "I can feel parts of it still in me, so we might have to try again another day, but until I try to talk about something in particular, I don't think we'll know what's effected."

Tapping her chin, she looked at him, "Did you have anything to do with Damion showing up here the day the shield fell?"

That too familiar glaze fell across the king's visage for a moment, before lightening back up. Her father shrugged, "I haven't been able to tell you, how much you look like your mother. You're so beautiful, just as she was. Come, sit, let us enjoy dinner conversation for the first time in 50 years."

He pulled her chair out for her, sitting to her left. He would randomly grab her hand, and smile. He said I love you enough over their dinner that she was pretty sure he made up for the entire 50 years that same evening. But they didn't talk about anything heavy. They reminisced, enjoying every moment. "So, I've been watching silently. What do you think of our new friend?" Venron popped a potato piece in his mouth. Volencia was enjoying the sweet savory goodness of the glaze the chef put over the boar and vegetables. She tried to hide her blush by taking a drink of wine.

"Honestly, I don't ever want him to leave. Not only because he rescued me, and I've never felt safer, but because well, I finally have a friend."

"Helps that he's easy on the eyes too, right?" When her father wiggled his dark black brows at her, she nearly dropped her chalice.

Wiping at a drop of wine that spilled, she couldn't bring herself to look up at him again. "It's not like that I mean we don't have the option for a future anyway. He's not royalty."

Gregron laughed, "Didn't you know your father was a Clagonian? He wasn't royalty when he met your mother." But when he looked at Vernon for confirmation, his eyes were glassed over. "Damn." The Captain frowned.

"Wait, I thought he was Charlabisis's brother? They're not my aunt and uncle?" Volencia asked in shock.

"Oh, no. They are. But because Toakencia's your father's sister. They married on the same day, right after the Floating City fell. The day after your father killed your grandfather. I never knew you had no knowledge of this." Gregron's brow drew down.

Anger roiled up in Volencia, squirming around in her belly and chest. All this time, she didn't know the truth of her family. Yet, Gregron had. And he'd been right in front of her this whole time. He could have said something. She could have asked. She never even thought about it.

Gregron sighed, resting his hands on the table. "Let me explain:"

"Your mother was born in this palace. That was when Lock only had Treveric and Claven's father as allies. The rest of the world still fought against the rule of the Empire. Either because those rulers didn't want to see the magic reform take place, or because at that point, many women were still in power and didn't want to see an assembly of men replace them.

Rosencia hated the Empire more than anyone. Her mother was the first Queen forced to recognize her husband was allowed a harem. It destroyed her mother, who ended up taking her own life out of shame. Rosencia was betrothed to Charlabisis. Lock and Treveric believed it was the best way to gain complete control over Lalolia and the Campus. Though technically already with in Thambair's realm-the King or Queen has little influence on how the academic world ran. That honor belonged to The Arch Mage.

Your father's mother was the Arch Deaconess of the Temple of Ephira. Which is how your aunt got the title, who was training for the spot when the war began. Everything changed just a moon before Rosencia was to wed Charlabisis, when his father who was proceeding over the match, died in a sudden accident. Charlabisis claimed a year of mourning and put the wedding off, also claiming sanctuary to stay out of the war efforts.

To put it lightly, Lock and Treveric were furious. They tried to force his hand by sending his betrothed, whom he'd sworn to protect, into direct harm. They sent your mother to the war zone on a peace envoy. When she met with the previous Deaconess, her children and the Samanthians who served the temple. Rosencia spoke of the fake peace her father prepared for her, though she believed every word of it. Her eagerness to please and do her part was what endeared your father to her in the first place.

The Deaconess left her son in charge of providing a tour and introducing her to everyone else. She was in the middle of meeting the records keeper when her troops, those sent with the peace envoy, turned against the city. Their main objective was to kill the Deaconess and anyone under her.

A young lizardess saw it all. She ran to the Temple for help. Venron raged, killing every last man in the envoy that didn't fall to others. Hunted and tracked them down, believing they had killed his mother and sister. When he returned, he nearly killed the princess. But she bowed before him, tears streaming, and claimed she deserved death for being part of such horror, even if she were an unwilling participant.

It was Lennion who stopped him. The lizard Damion calls father, in fact. Your father's dearest friend. Lennion spoke for the princess, told his friend about how when his sister was brought back bloody and broken, it was she who took charge. She was the one who used her magic as much as she could to heal Toakencia. She was the one who refused to leave her side even when there was nothing left for her to do. Without her, Toakencia would have died. After this, Venron not only decided to release the princess and give her amnesty, but he chose to forgive her completely. Even told her he would allow her to go home, as long as she carried a message to her father.

Your mother was not going to be sent away though. She wanted to protect her folk, their folk from the vile King who would murder on the promises of peace. She begged your father not to send her away. To let her help. But your father worried about her being there with him. Instead, he wrote her fiancé, planning her escape and his sister's. He wouldn't take the chance this could happen to either of them again.

Then, in the time it took Char to travel down for his bride, agreeing to come to her rescue after what her father put her through. He hadn't known what was really happening but had been receiving death threats and black mail from Venron, which he had been paying to keep her protect on the thought that they would one day return her to him or her father. It had all been a lie. He just hadn't known until Rosencia had reached out to him, because of Venron, with her own seal.

Charlabisis, at that time, did what no one expected being the new Arch Mage. He left his home to go to the war ridden Temple. He lost men on the travel down to 'brigands' but expected to have to fight to save his betrothed. When they welcome him with open arms and only asked him to bring one other woman home, he was perplexed. By then, they had their rebel leader. Venron wouldn't leave. And threatened the women that he would yield if they did not go.

Charlabisis was enthralled by the Rebel Leader. They wanted the same future. It was why he had stalled the wedding in the first place. Rosencia came forward though, told him what happened to her friend. That it was her father who had made the orders and exposed everything. Venron was angry with her when she left. Afraid he would side with them. But Char never wanted what they wanted. He believed fully those who could learn outside his collage should. He believed in the sanctity of the Master and Apprentice. But Venron was an immovable mountain. He would not allow harm to come to Rosencia or his sister and went to Charlabisis on bend and knee, begging him to relinquish them to his bidding. He couldn't fight if he was worried about them.

At first, Char refused. Believing the women would keep him in line in a way no one else could. But Lennion stepped in, again, telling him the whole story. Angering Venron all the more, he took that spite. After hearing what happened to Toakencia and finding out what Rosencia did after, Char agreed. That was the moment your father and Charlabisis made a pact. The didn't want the Empire to have anything to go back with.

Venron killed your grandfather before they had to flee. A fortnight later, they held a coronation and wedding at the same time, naming Venron King of Thambair in one fell swoop. It was all very scandalous. That was when Venron chose to fall back and let them take the city. The war had taken too much of a tole on the entirety of the Samanthian race. So, they left. Abandoning their city and Temple, leaving it to the Empire in leu of losing all that remained of the Samanthians. They were hidden out in the middle of the forest, which was for the best.

War raged around us, but the strength of Thambair and Lalolia had put the Empire in need of stepping back. Your father had squashed their attacks in order from the first to the last. They stepped back and re-grouped, going after other cities and grew their power. There was little your parents could do to stop them, so far from home, without endangering their own troops and leaving the Kingdom open to attack. Your mother was also very pregnant with you at the worst of these times, which made things even more difficult.

The same day you were born, you father was called away to the Samanthians. I'd shown up with Damion's mother, Brambee, and we needed the help the Samathians could offer. She was so sick and weak from moons of traveling, trying to get somewhere safe. We'd had to flee, or the Dark Hive would have killed him the moment he was born, as you heard before.

I believe you know most of what happened from there. Damion stayed in Samanthia, I tried, but we were all too different. I left for Thambair only a few years before your mother passed. I didn't know her as well as I know your father, but she was as strong and beautiful as they say."