I could feel the tension growing as we took a series of turns and stairs without words before she stopped in a hallway alcove. What excuses would she use now? How was I going to be at fault for everything that had gone wrong in her life?

She crossed her arms, leaving her back to me. "Why are you trying to sully our family name?"

I scoffed, balling my fists. I was so ready for the sting of rejection this time, but it still felt like a slap in the face. "By speaking the truth?"

She turned slowly, her eyes revealing only a calculated irritation. "You have no right to drag this family's name through the mud just because you have been insulted." Her passive tone angered me even more. Shouldn't she feel something for her daughter?

"What family?" All I saw was the apathetic gaze of a broken fantasy. "You may have provided the genetics, but you are no family of mine," I tried to shove past her, but she stepped into my path. Her icy gaze was dead and empty.

"Do not speak of me that way." She warned with a cool tone. Of her? What about to her? Why was the public image her only concern? "I am your mother, and I am the Dare of this region. If you continue to act like an insolent mikros, you will tarnish everything that our family has stood for these past four hundred years."

I took a deep, ragged breath to stop myself from screaming. The instant I screamed, I would lose control. "That's the issue right there. You care so much about 'family', but you don't even concern yourself with your own daughter. You've told me nothing but impossible things, thrown me into some place I don't belong, and locked me in a state of ignorance. Yet, because I could damage your 'family image,' you scorn my lack of decorum. Perhaps if you bothered to invest any time or energy into my life, I wouldn't make such mistakes, because, so far, all I really know for certain is that you didn't want me."

The hateful words felt great out of my mouth, but I could only feel disappointed as her surprise cooled behind an impassive shield. She should've been getting angry. She should've cared.

She blinked, perhaps collecting her own thoughts as she paced the length of the hall. "You will be given the proper reading materials to inform yourself on our culture. In the meantime, it would be best if you avoid speaking with such overwhelming candor."

Was that all? She was just going to pawn me off to the knowledge of impersonal experts? I pulled my arms close to my body to resist the urge to swing at her. "Reading won't tell me what I need to know."

"In what aspect?" She inquired, folding her hands in front of her.

My anger was compressed into two words: "My father."

"I see," she sighed, gesturing for me to take a seat on the hall bench. I stood firm in my spot. "If I answer your inquiries, will you stop attempting to destroy the peace?"

I owed no such assurance to her. "Who was he? What did he do? Where— "

She raised her hand to stop me. "I cannot answer every question within your conscious."

I bit back a harsh retort. "Why?"

"There are a myriad of reason." She raised her hand again to stop my interjection. "I will explain what I can, and I swear to speak only the truth."

It wasn't what I wanted, but it was more than I had. "Fine. Then tell me what happened."

"What do you mean?" She furrowed her brow.

"I mean what happened him. Why isn't he here—with you?"

She maintained silence for a moment, looking down at her cream skirt. "I... I was never the intended Dare. My sister—Amabel as you know her—was the eldest daughter and the rightful heir to the position of power. But, when she was banished, I was the unsuspecting victim of inheritance."

She paused, refusing to meet my eyes. "I grew to accept destiny shortly after I met your father. We were both young and stupid tyros who..." her voice trailed off, and she forcibly exhaled a short breath. She shook her head before beginning again.

"Timing was not ideal, but we were happy for a time. Then I was married, you were born, and fate took another stab at my happiness. There was an attack on your life. While unsuccessful, it killed...”—she cleared her throat again—“it killed my husband in the process."

She glanced up, real emotions burning in her eyes for the first time. Despite the fact that I had been told my father was dead all my life, I felt a fresh wave of pain at her words as the frail hope I had been harboring crumbled to dust.

"A good man died protecting you. I am the only one who knows Amabel's location in the Lower Realm, so I knew she could keep you safe the way he intended. Your return has endangered everything that he lost his life for..."

There were a million thoughts coursing through my head, and none of them made much sense. I paced the room to keep from blurting nonsense as half-baked thoughts slapped against my skull like Luc Robitaille was practicing his slap shot with my words and phrases.

"Well," she cleared her throat, breaking the silence. "Virago!" She called, and Scary Lady appeared from around the corner. Had she been listening that whole time? "I have many duties to attend to in preparation for Gwyndolyn's re-entrance into society. I must be going. I have a general assembly meeting to establish a date for the Recognition Gala."

Annora turned back to me. "Agent Alexandris has been entrusted with your schedule for the day. She will escort you to and from any event."

I nodded and continued pacing. In an indecisive moment, she paused before the bend in the hall, glancing back at me with an odd look in her eye before she closed her eyes and allowed the protective mask to resolve over her features. It was only as she disappeared around the bend that realization dawned.

She'd said a gala.

Oh, Mylanta.

***

My conversation with Annora reminded me of Auntie's stories for some reason. There was one protagonist, Lola, that I loved to read about. She was probably one of the strongest in the collection of stories, and she was definitely the most awesome.

She went on a quest to discover an echinemon, a magical dragon-slaying species that had long been thought extinct. She won jousting tournaments against men almost twice her size. She operated as a spy during her country's civil war when she was only seventeen.

Lola was everything that I dreamed I would be one day. Her world of magic and glory was everything I had wanted. And, now, being here in Roanoke, I felt cheated. This place didn't want me, and I had my father's death and my mother's words to prove it.

Instead of being the adventurous hero, I thought sarcastically, I am the distressed damsel who doesn't know how to free herself.

If Annora's words cemented anything, it was that I needed to get home. But how?

"You have a busy schedule ahead," Rosamund said, bringing me back to reality.

She gestured forwards and began walking down the hallway. My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn't actually eaten, and I took that as reason enough to follow. Perhaps there'd be snacks somewhere along the way.

Alas, I was wrong.

"So, where are we going?" I asked as we descended a rough stone staircase lit by luminescent crystal sconces.

Rosamund let a few heartbeats pass before answering. "Matilda."

I hope y’all are enjoying Gwyndolyn’s tale so far. If you’ve got any thoughts or opinions, please share them! Thank you so much for putting the time into reading. Your support means the world! 

-MM