Lilian watched from the middle of the pack as Anna followed behind her mother’s attendant as he guided them through the hallway towards where they would be staying.

He was also explaining things and talking with Anna about the various places they passed and what they were or where they currently were located. Along with explaining the different portraits they passed.

                      

Lilian decided to try calling to her again.

“Anna—“

“Not right now Lilian.” Anna told her strictly.

Lilian nodded her head.

What more could I do?

Anna was currently upset with her. More so than what she was before. She seemed to be mad at her about something that she wasn’t even sure what it was that she had done. It wasn’t that long after they had left the throne room that Anna had gotten into this sullen mood.

After Anna made the surprising reveal that Lilian had a same gender mate her mother. Queen Helena made a quick escape from the room, with the excuse that the they must be tired from traveling and that they should go retire early for the day.

         

“Normally guests are not put down this far into the castle, but this is an exception, what with your party of individuals being so many, and the fact that Lilian is with you.”

Lilian heard her name mentioned so she perked up.

“What does me being here have to do with where we stay?” She asked the attendant.

He shrugged.

“Simple really, because you have your own room.”

“Wait? You mean I had a room set aside for me already, before you were able to confirm I was actually coming?”

“No!~ ho ho ho!~” The attendant said with a chortle. “I mean your room within the castle, reserved for the Queen’s firstborn.”

This caused Lilian steps to falter.

“Sh—…. *GULP* My mother… I mean Queen Helena… has had a room ready for me?… for how long?” She asked quietly.

He looked back towards the long departed royalty.

“Since her coronation.”

Lilian was shocked into silence.

“Sixteen years?!” She whispered mostly to herself.

“Oh no. She has only been a Queen for twelve years.”

This got Lilian’s attention.

So… She did not become Queen after she abandoned me like she thought… what happened? I had thought that was the whole reason for sending me away… Lilian thought back on the day her mother explained to her why she was sending her to live with her father.

“Sweetheart. My baby girl. This—*HIC* this will be the best… *HIC* for everyone. You will be safe with your father! He will keep you safe! *HIC* He—*HIC* He will… He will be able to be a better parent to you than mommy is.”

“But mommy! *HIC* I don’t want to go! I want to stay with you! *HIC* in the castle! *HIC* Why can’t!— *HIC* Why mommy?! Why can’t I stay with you in the castle?! *HIC* Why mommy! I don’t want to go live with father! I don’t *HIC* I never even met father before! *HIC*”

“I know sweetie… I know… and I am sorry! I am so sorry! *HIC* It will be safer for you there. Your…… Your grandfather will not be able to reach you there… your father will be able to protect you more than mommy can. *HIC* So be good for mommy. Okay baby? I promise that I will— *HIC* —I will make the kingdom a better place for you while you are gone. A safer place; one where you can run around and play outside with others. So do mommy a favor, okay sweetie? Remember to use your words properly. Not like a commoner. Because remember, you will— *HIC* —you will always be, my little Flower Princess.”

“Oh mommy! *HIC* WWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAA!— *HIC*”

        

Those were some of the last conversations Lilian had with her mother before she was handed off to her father.

Lilian had always thought that, if she ever saw her mother again. She might very well kill her.

But now after seeing her for the first time in sixteen years. As soon as she had laid eyes on her. Lilian felt as if she was back to being that little girl again, staring up at her parental figure. When she saw her mother, her anger was still there, but more than anything. She just had this extreme urge to run to her, throw her arms around her neck.

                        

Just to feel her mother in her arms.

                                    

Just to hold her close.

                               

She started to even suspect that she might still love her mother after those feelings came over her. She thought for sure she hated her to death. In the past, she even thought of different ways to kill her while she was still living in the cave alone.

                                              

But none of that seemed to matter now. 

Suffice it to say.

                       

                    

Lilian was confused.

                 

About a lot of things.

                            

                         

Her role as Warchief.

How to leader her people.

What to think of what her mother said.

How she should treat her mother from now on.

What they were going to do about the relationship between the Mokra’Torcs and Humans.

And last, but not least.

             

Anna.

             

What am I doing wrong? What is it that I have done? Am I not the innocent party? Is she not the one to keep something from me for so long?

Lilian’s thoughts swirled as the walked towards their destination. And as she thought of these things, they turned in a different direction.

Maybe I was wrong… Is it really like Anna said? Did I really just not trust her enough? But how was I to know? …Maybe that is the point? I did not, so I should have confirmed it somehow? But even so, what have I done to anger her now? Oh Anna… you are right… we do need to speak…

Lilian wanted to get to their room quickly so that she could talk with Anna alone.

                                  

           

“Eugene! What room was that sorry excuse of Chamberlain in—“

A paladin wearing white dyed leather armor and white clothing with gold trim on all of it.

Her red hair was a straight cut, tied up in a half-done ponytail style.

As the paladin looked towards the attendant. Her her words were cut off as her eyes narrowed at the sight of the woman next to her royal highness’s attendant Eugene.

“Wait… don’t I know you from some place?” The red headed paladin pointed her finger at Anna.

“Umm? Do you?” Anna asked confused on how she recognized her. I mean. I recognize her. But she was… pretty busy at the time… how in the world does she recognize me? Anna thought to herself.

“Yeah…” The paladin looked behind her. Seeing the group of orcs following behind them.

She quickly put together what had happened the other week.

“I knew it……” She whispered aloud.

Anna cocked her head to the side as she heard this, and at the same time, Eugene answered the Paladin.

“Ah! It is good to see you have arrived already Dame Loren Truthbringer.”

The Anna and her group of orc friends stiffened upon hearing Loren’s name.

Eugene looked between the two parties with a curious eye.

“I see you two are acquainted already.”

“You could say that.” Loren sneered down at Anna. “Now I see. This is why you were alone that night when we showed up. You were guarding these filthy group of orcs.”

Hearing the Truthbringer say this, Anna’s hairs stood up at the back of her neck in anger.

“You must be part of the Queen’s regiment of orc loving treaty negotiations groups.” She scoffed. “Should have known you were a pig lover.”

“Excuse me?!” Anna said in shock.

“Dame Loren! These are not just part of any regular Mokra’Torc peaceful advocates! This is the delegation straight from the Mok’Coran territory. The largest area of orc settlements!” Eugene lifted his hand, pointing to towards Lilian.

“Her majesty’s firstborn is here as well! Please apologize for these slurs and the disrespect you have shown towards the Queen’s guests!” He informed Loren.

                      

Loren folded her arms as she stared down at the half-orc in-front of her.

“Oh! So this is the long lost parodical child of the Queen is it? Well welcome home your majesty!” Loren stretched into an exaggerated bow in-front of them.

                 

                          

*SLAP*

                      

                      

                              

Eugene stared in wide eyed shock.

                         

Lilian and the others were equally as shocked.

                   

And Loren had a look of surprise on her face as her head was slapped sideways.

A small red hand print was neatly visible on her cheek.

          

Anna was clenching the hand she had just slapped Loren with.

Loren stood up and blinked down at her.

“Don’t talk about my Ashu’Rágé like that.” Anna told her sternly.

                       

Lilian felt her heart do a flip in her chest as she watched her mate defend her honor.

                       

Loren straightened her stance while glowering at Anna.

“Guess I should have expected pig lovers like you and Eugene to flock together. And I’m sorry, I don’t speak piggy. What does Ah-shoe-rragge mean?”

“It means, My Beloved.” Anna overemphasized.

Loren made a disgusted face.

“Agh! Not only are you a pig lover! But you are also a backwards pig lover as well!”

Lilian felt her body start to move forward, intent on giving this Truthbringer a strike of her own.

           

But before she even moved a millimeter. Anna’s hand shot back to the center of Lilian’s chest. Stopping her from moving.

Lilian looked down at Anna’s hand, then up at her face questioningly.

Anna looked back at her with confidence in her eyes and a smirk on her face.

So Lilian relaxed her stance to stand up straighter.

“Aawww! What is this? Afraid to let your pig lover pick a fight against a real warrior?”

Anna turned back to look at Loren with a smirk.

“Your taunts are as empty as your moniker.”

This wiped the grin on Loren’s face away.

“What was that?”

“I said, how does it feel Truthbringer, to live like such a hypocrite despite your faith.”

“Hypocrite?! You’re attacking my faith now?! How dare you pig lo—“

“No!” Anna shouted, interrupting Loren. “How dare you, Loren Wellfield! You call me backwards pig lover, but I don’t even need your blessing to know that you’re so full of shit! That you may as well be the pigpen itself!”

“Excuse me?!—“

“Not yet you’re not! I am not done tearing you a new one!” Anna scolded. “You think you have the right to cast judgement on me? just because I don’t conform to some sort of rule set that your faith believes in? Well let me tell you! You can take your doctrine and reread it, right after you shove it up your own ass!”

          

Everyone was staring wide eyed and blinking in shock at Anna’s words.

“You think you are so above people, now that you have become this, great and mighty paladin that you have longed for your whole life. Now that your family is so proud of you for becoming the first paladin in your family of knights! That you are to scared to admit to them that you’re fucking the bakery girl from the Trade District!”

Lilian thought that if this Loren “Truthbringer’s” eyes became any wider, they might fall out of her skull.

“Well let me tell you another thing! Your ancestors are so disappointed with your hypocrisy, that you actually have two sets of different families ancestors following you around, screaming how disappointed and no good you are for Michelle! Her great grandmother hates you for stringing her along for two years, all because you’re to much of a chicken shit to formally go to Michelle’s house to meet her family! Or bring her to your own! That you’re scared shitless of people finding out that you are backwards despite your Light’s blessing! Your grandfather is also angry for you hiding your relationship, while condemning others! He thinks you should never had gotten your blessing to begin with, if you were only going to turn out like this! You are a disgrace to your family and the faith of the Light!” Anna spoke with the sound of two voices with that last sentence.

Anna walked forward, shoving pass Loren.

Loren’s back hit the wall of the hallway, her legs giving out on her, as she slid down the wall, falling on her butt, staring blankly headed.

Anna huffed as she stared down at the fallen Truthbringer after she shoved her.

“If you want anyone to take you seriously. You have to stick by your convictions one way or the other, not standing on the fence like this, being hot and cold with Michelle and the other people around you that you care for. She deserves more than that. They all do. And She especially deserves a partner who respects her for who she is, while that partner also doesn’t lord over her because of her status as a commoner and treats her like a second rate citizen. She deserves more than some hypocritical paladin initiate: if you can’t pull your head out your ass and stand up for what you truly believe in. You are going to lose everything. Not just the things you fear you’ll lose, but everything you care for. The more you try and hide this from people for fear of them finding out. The more hurt and angry they’ll be.”

Anna then harrumphed and stomped farther down the hallway.

Eugene smirked at the dazed paladin before dropping a piece of parchment on her lap.

“The directions to the Chamberlain, “Truthbringer” he he he~.” He chortle out as he passed her to follow after Anna.

                                 

Lilian looked down at the daze paladin who looked as if she had been run through with a sword.

She snorted at her before moving passed to follow after their guide and Anna.

The other orcs snickered as they passed her after seeing how their shaman handled a paladin with words alone.

                     

                            

Loren sat there for a long time. Her thoughts swirling on everything that woman had said to her.

How she had thought she heard her grandfather voice coming straight out of the woman’s own mouth.

Maybe…… This is a sign by the Light?

She looked down at her lap and saw the note.

With a shaky hand. She lifted the note and unfolded it to read its contents.

             

Chamberlain at the south-wing tower.

P.S. I always hated you the least out of all the pallys. We should talk.

                    

She crumpled the note and gritted her teeth.

She slammed her fist onto the floor.

                       

She was angry.

                     

But not at that woman.

Not at the orcs.

Not at the Queen’s daughter.

Not her duties, her girlfriend, or family.

           

She was angry at herself.

Because she could refute nothing that woman had said.

                         

                

                                     

Farther down the hall, Eugene caught up with Anna.

“Oh. By. The. Light. That was truly a wonderful display back there Mistress Anna! You not only went into a verbal sparring match with a paladin. But also came out on top and blew her away! Your amazing!” The man gushed.

Hearing Eugene praise her, calmed Anna down a bit. She slowed her walk as she turned to face him.

“It wasn’t all that much. I just called her out on all her bullshit.” She shrugged. “If not me, someone was eventually going to do that to her. She was just going to be in for a harsh wake up call sooner or later.”

Eugene snort out a laugh.

“Be that as it may. It was still incredible, and I’ll admit, satisfying to watch. Not many can say they walk into a match and trounce a paladin at a debate; Especially not a Truthbringer at that: paladin’s are especially known for taking cases on as lawyers against injustice or as prosecutors against the guilty. Usually, if a paladin is involved in a case against someone, they are usually slated to be the righteous party.”

Anna let out a bark of a laugh at that.

“Hard to beat me when I can literally hear the guilt of your sins from your ancestors.”

Lilian had just caught up as she said this.

“Not that I am not impressed with what you did back there. Truly, I am.” Lilian assured Anna. “But is it alright to talk like that to a paladin, or to be talking about these things this with Eugene here? …No offense.” She amended at the end.

“Hey! None taken.” Eugene told her.

Anna chortled.

“Well, bit late to take back what I just did now, don’t you think? And “frankly Scarlet, I don’t give a damn!” That bitch need to be told off.”

“And I love you for that, by the way. Thank for you defending me.”

Anna looked halfway back towards Lilian, giving her a shy smile.

“I love you too.”

They stared at each other for a moment before three rowdy orcs came sprinting up to Anna.

“Good job Anna!” Horrik cheered.

“Way to go! That how you put a paladin down!” Safarti crowed.

“That’s our shaman!” Said Grak’Horve aloud.

Lilian grabbed Grak’Horve by his shirt, slamming him into the wall.

“Idiot!” She yelled at him. “Don’t say that out loud!”

He has a stunned look on his face, as he realized what he just said.

“Oh mammoth shit!” He muttered.

            

They all looked towards Anna, who she and Eugene had stopped moving once Lilian pulled Grak’Horve aside.

Anna shrugged.

“I think we’re okay. Not much we can do about that now. Not that I was being subtle about it back there.” She told Lilian. She looked towards Eugene who was looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

“If what I said to miss Truthbringer back there hadn’t given it away, I am a shaman.” She told him honestly.

“Anna!” Lilian cried out.

Anna giggled at her worried tone.

“Don’t worry Lili. Eugene is one of the good guys. He is one of us.”

“How can you be so sure?!” She questioned her.

This made Anna irritated.

“Because he is! Leave it at that!”

“What does that even mean?! You have to tell us more than that if you want us to believe he will not go rush through the castle, telling every last soul he sees, that you just admitted to being a human shaman!”

“Again Lilian?! Again?! Are you really going to question me on this again?!” Anna shouted at her. “I can’t believe this! It is not any of your business to know why—“

“Shaman…” Eugene said to Anna placatingly. “It is alright. I will explain.”

Anna looked at him sadly.

“You don’t have to.” She told him.

“I want to. If for nothing else, but to assure Lilian on a few things.” He turned and looked at the irritated face of the Warchief.

He shuddered.

Yup. He thought to himself. Even if she didn’t have her eyes, she is definitely the Queen’s daughter.

“My name is Eugene Fritzl I am one of many attendants to the Queen. She has many of us who she trusts to run errands for her. Some of us with assigned special tasks: Mine being is that I oversee all the things related to restoring a peaceful alliance between the Mokra’Torc and humans. My Husband’s name is Grak’Nar Karr.”

All the male orcs looked at him with blinking eyes before taking a step back from Eugene.

Anna scoffed at them.

“It is not like he is going to assault you because he is gay! And you are not going to catch the gay from him just because he is! God you guys are so rude and bigoted!” Anna berated her friends.

They at least had the decency to look chastened at their shaman’s words.

Eugene laughed good naturally

“It fine Mistress Anna, I am used to it by now. To be fair,” He said while looked their direction. “That was probably the more tame reaction they could have taken. I know, that me being backwards makes men who are not backwards uncomfortable.”

Anna folded her arms.

“Doesn’t mean they should get a pass to do what they just did…” She argued in a grumbled.

But Eugene laughed it off.

“Perhaps not. But I ask that you forgive them anyways.” He told Anna.

She gave him a smile before looking at her friend in disapproval.

“You guys are lucky he’s nice. Thank him for the lecture he’s saved you from.”

They all mumbled an apology of sort for Anna and Eugene to hear.

Eugene looked towards Lilian, who also had a sheepish look on her face.

“Does this explanation suffice Warchief Lilian?” He asked her with a professional smile.

She nodded at him before commenting.

“You seem to be taking the fact that Anna is a shaman rather well.”

Eugene shrugs again.

“I am used to seeing quite a few strange sights around the castle. You learn to roll with things around here. I am also used to being discreet on things when it comes to keeping secrets for the Queen and what is said in a room in private. Since I am going to assume you will be informing the Queen on this later. I can always do what I normally do; pretend I heard nothing.”

Lilian nods at him again.

After which, she turns her eyes towards Anna pleadingly.

                                 

“Ann—“

“Just don’t,” Anna told her with a raised hand. “you did it again Lilian. You didn’t even bother to trust my word. It’s apparent that you’ve learned nothing from all this time we’ve been traveling, and on top of that. You didn’t listen to a thing I said back there did you?” She pointed out.

“Back there? Where? When? What are you talking about?”

“Exactly!” Anna shouted. “You didn’t even listen to what I told Loren about how she should treat her partner did you?”

Lilian looked at her with wide eyes.

“You mean your lecture to the paladin?! How was any of that relevant to me?!” Lilian cried out.

“The entire thing was relevant to you! Lilian! Do you honestly think that nothing I said to her applied for you? Or what is happening between us? *SIGH* Lilian…… Let me ask you a question.” She asked Lilian and waited for her to affirm she was listening with a nod. “Why didn’t you choose to believe me at the swamp?”

“Why? Because at the time I thought something like that was impossible! I feared that you may have caught some sort of madness fever from the swamp. So I had make the terrible decision that between you or my duties.”

“Exactly, you prioritized your duties as Warchief at the same level as our relationship.”

“Are saying I should not have?!” Lilian questioned her.

“I am saying, that if we were still in the mountains Lilian, and you had never become Warchief, and I told you about my shamanism then. Would you have believed me?”

“I… I do—… I am unsure. I would like to think I would.” Lilian confessed.

“Then what was different down in the swamp?”

“I had other things to worry about other than just taking you at your word! I have over three million Mokra’Torc lives as a Warchief to worry about.”

“But that is what I mean. Rather than trust me or listen to me. You chose to put your duties first and listening to others, rather than our relationship… Which I know I am just as guilty of that as well… I basically— no. I did do, the exact same thing, when I choose to listen to Rayala and Tharhym above trusting you at first. But when I came to you and asked you to trust me. You failed me there by putting your duties first.”

“How did I do that?!” Lilian argued. “I was about to turn our expedition around, just to get you back home safely, because I was worried about your health.”

“Which also meant that you didn’t trust my words at all!” Anna pointed out.

“Why are you reading so much into this?!” Lilian pleaded.

“Then let me ask you a hypothetical then.” Anna told her firmly. “If I asked you to stop being the Warchief and I just drop being a shaman, and we return to our mountain home, would you?”

“W-What? Are you seriously asking me that?!”

“I am asking a hypothetical: would you? Would you leave here with me and just run away with me back to the mountains? Forget everything? Let it be just the two of us?” Anna asked her with a hand raised in Lilian’s direction.

Lilian looking at Anna and her hand in disbelief. Not even comprehending that Anna just asked her that.

She hesitated for so long that Anna became impatient with her and let it drop back to her side.

“know what? Forget it!” She turned towards Eugene. “Can you just take us to our rooms please?” She asked him.

“Of course mistress Anna.” He told her with wide eyes from the argument he just heard. He then turned back towards down the hall. “This way.”

                  

Lilian stood there gapping at Anna walking away with her mother’s attendant.

“What? Hey? Wait! Anna?!” She called softly, sounding almost like she was whining, but her words were strictly ignored.

Her men looked back-and-forth between the scene of their Warchief now getting trounced along with a Truthbringer paladin.

“Our shaman is fearsome indeed.” Safarti whispered to the group.

Which earned him a glare from Lilian.

This spurred Lilian’s men into action. They hurried down the hall to catch up with Anna.

Lilian watched as they left, before letting out a sigh.

“What do I keep doing wrong?” She whispered to herself.

                             

                     

                         

About ten minutes later. After a quick climb up some stairs. They had arrived at their destination.

“Here we are. Your room.” Eugene told them as he pointed towards a door that had two guards standing at attention in-front of it.

Lilian quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Does my mother seriously think we will need guards in her own castle?” She asked him.

He looked at her with a side eyed glance.

“You might.” He told her.

This made her eyebrow quirk higher.

“Great! I am exhausted. Which room is mine?” Anna asked him.

This made the whole group triple take at her.

“”Your room?”” Eugene and Lilian asked her at the same time with different levels of disbelief.

“Yeah,” She said to Eugene, ignoring Lilian. “My room. If you couldn’t tell, me and the Warchief are kinda at odds at the moment.” She glowered at Lilian. “She and I need to have a private couple’s talk, if you get what I mean.”

Eugene nodded his head.

“That is understandable,” He opened his vestment and pulled out a small booklet. “let me just see what is available….. ah!” He looked back up from the booklet to the right of them. “Seems that room is available.” He told Anna with a point down the hall just around the corner from Lilian’s.

“Perfect!” She told him with a smile. She looked back at the rest of their group. “Well then! See you guys later! I am going to take a much needed rest.” She told them before walking away.

Lilian was stunned by what was happening, that it to a moment to shake herself from her daze, just as Anna was just about to reach the door.

“Anna wait!” She said as she quickly jaunted over to her.

Anna signed before she turned around at the front of her room’s door.

“Yes my love?” She called to Lilian.

             

Lilian looked down at Anna and gulped because of how dry her mouth felt.

“D-D-Did you mean what you said back there? About wanting me to quit being Warchief? About returning to the mountain?”

Anna sighed.

“Yes and no.” She looked at Lilian sadly. “First off, Yes I meant it; but I meant it in a way that, if you were to ask me to leave and go back to the mountains with you, that if you wanted to leave all this behind. That I am willing to do that at the drop of a hat for you Lilian.” Anna explained to her. She lifted a hand and stroked the side of Lilian’s face. “And no, I would never ask you to just give up your position like that. I do think this position is getting to your head. That you are becoming obsessed with title and responsibility. But I also know how important this is for you, how much this meant to you to obtain.” She let her hand drop from Lilian’s face. “We should get some rest, think about what I said okay?”

                

                          

“Anna? I thought you said you wanted us to talk about things? Why are you trying to keep us separated?”

“Lilian… I do, but I’m tired, okay? Like, actually and literally tired. And I mean, the kind of tired, that I just physically walked all the way to another country’s capital, kinda tired. So I really do just want to rest. But I also do want to talk to you. Just… later alright?”

“Then we should—“

“We!” Anna said, interrupting Lilian. “Should go to bed.” She suggested. “Ideally, we should talk about things before going to sleep. But I also think that with how much has been going on. How frazzled we all are. We should just rest and recuperate before we have our talk. We can do this in the morning. Okay?” Anna stepped forward, placing a hand on Lilian’s chest. “I know there are also things I want to think about by myself. And I am sure you want to think about what the Queen has said as well. And I would like it if you also took this time to think about the things I’ve told you as well. Let’s just take a timeout, go get some rest before we talk with each other, okay? Because I know I am frazzled from having learned my girlfriend is actually a princess, that she has been keeping this from me this entire time.” She said with a smirk.

“Hey!” Lilian shouted when Anna came to a lull in her speech. “You kept being a shaman from me!”

“That was because I was scared I was going crazy!” Anna shouted at her. “When I learned what all of that meant, I was scared at how you would react or treat me if I told you! Especially since I kept having people, one of which was the planet herself, tell me not too! And you know what?! I did it anyways! So don’t even equate the two together!

I understand that we were both were keeping things from each other! That part is the same. But I already apologized for that, and don’t you think for a minute that hiding my talents, versus your status and where you come from are equal.”

              

Anna closed her eyes tight and bit her lip.

“Lilian… I love you.” Anna said to her with a tight expression.

Lilian looked down at her with a worriedly fond smile.

“And I you, Anna.”

Anna relaxed and looked up at Lilian with a happy smile.

“This right there.” She told Lilian. “Is exactly why I know we’ll make it through all this after our talk.”

“Why? How do you know this?” Lilian asked her, genuinely curious.

“Because… I asked you only one time to not call me by the nickname of Ashu’Rágé for a while. And you loved and respected me enough to follow with what I asked…… even if it was unfair or mean of me.”

Anna stood on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on Lilian’s lips.

To which Lilian reciprocated. Their mouths forming a seal as they turned their heads opposite of each other.

After a moment of connecting with each other. Anna pulled back to look at her love’s shiny eyes.

“When we have our talk in my room here.” She said with a nod towards the room behind her. “You will have my permission to call me that again.”

Lilian looked at her with hope in her eyes.

“R-Really? Do you mean that Anna?”

Anna nodded her head.

“I do.”

Lilian hugged her tight to her chest.

“Thank you!” She whispered into her shoulder.

“No need to thank me my love. It is I would should be thanking you. And I who should be sorry. I haven’t been a very understanding girlfriend to you.”

“Me neither Anna… I… I think I realize—“

“Shh… go to sleep. Think about it and come back to me. We’ll talk then.”

Lilian smiled at her before nodding her head.

“Of course. Good night my love.”

“Good night.”

Anna pushed open the door behind her and went inside.

As the door closed in-front of Lilian, she could have sworn she breathed just a little bit easier for the first time since the swamp.

The attendant and her men, nowhere to be seen.

She smiled as she walked back towards her room.

Her room with guards out front.

Her room.

          

It was a sobering thought from her high she was just having.

Her mother had assigned a room to her for almost twelve years.

Why did she never come get me? Why did have a room for me if she wasn’t sure I would come back?

But she shook her head.

I’m not going to get those answers right now anyways.

She walked up to the door and nodded to the guards before she entered.

“I am going to rest. Tell anyone who comes that is what I am doing, that unless it is a emergency, that I wish to not be disturbed.”

The men at her door nodded.

“”Yes Lady Lilian.””

        

It felt strange to hear people call her Lady Lilian after sixteen years.

She smiled ruefully as she entered her room. After she enter and closed the door. She turned to see a dark haired woman sitting in a chair by a table with a set of refreshments.

*SIGH*

Looks like I am getting those answers now.

                   

“Hello mother.” Lilian greeted Helena with a sigh.

Her mother smiled as her amethyst eyes stared back at her.

“Hello sweetie…… can we talk?”

Lilian was about to argue against it. That she wanted nothing more then to rest and follow Anna’s advice.

But she also thought better of it.

“Sure mother. Let us chat.”

She saw a bright smile over take her mother’s face as she agreed to having a talk.

“Thank you darling! You have no idea how happy this makes me to hear you being amendable to speaking with me.”

As Lilian made her way over to the vacant chair to sit down across from her mother, she release a chortle.

“Actually mother… I think I do.”

                

They sat there in silence for about five minutes. Before either of them made a move.

“Tea?” Helena asked her daughter. “Do you still drink tea?”

Lilian shrugged.

“Not sure. I have not had it since I was small.”

“…Right…”

Helena then busied herself and pour a cup of tea out into a cup for her daughter.

“I………. I always prayed that this might happen one day?”

Lilian quirked an eyebrow at her mother’s words.

“That what might happen?”

“That before I grew to old to have a chance, that I would get to see you once again and talk with you… about everything.”

Lilian just nodded her head in understanding.

             

“So!… A mate already! A human one! And a woman at that! You surely are my daughter! You know how to make peoples heads turn! Hahahaha!… Ha ha ha…” Helena laughed awkwardly before reaching down to take a sip of her own cup of tea. “I’m sorry… I just don’t know what to say…”

Lilian quirked an eyebrow at her mother when she heard her slip up.

“Since when do you use commoner speech?”

“Since I learned that propriety with family is absolutely meaningless… we’re in private dear. I honestly don’t care how you speak to me……” Helena put down her cup with a sigh.

Lilian looked at her with wide eyes as she heard her mother just relax her speech like she had.

“So, now is your chance.” Helena told Lilian. “You can say anything you want, anything at all. If…… if you want to yell at me, scream at me, tell me you hate me for all eternity for what I did. I will listen and accept it all.”

Lilian took in a deep breath at her mother’s words.

She closed her eyes for a second to center herself. She then slowly opened them to look straight into her mother’s waiting nervous eyes.

“Mother I……………… *SIGH*……” Lilian looked down at her hands. She wasn’t sure what it was that she wanted to say to her anymore.

“Mother… at one point in my life. I thought that maybe I had wanted to kill you like you said in the throne room…… at another,— no, not even that long ago; this morning, if someone would have asked me, I would have said I would have been mean or snide to you every chance I received…”

Lilian looked up at her mother’s face. Her eyes shone with emotion and wet with unshed tears.

“Right now. I just…… I just don’t think I want to hate you anymore. The moment I saw you in the throne room mother…… I felt like a little girl again. I just wanted to run up to you and throw my arms around you: just to have you hold me.”

“Oh sweetheart!” Helena exclaimed as she stood from her chair. She moved around and halfway knelt to give Lilian a hug. “You can now my child. Your home now.”

“Oh mom!” Lilian cried out. “I missed!” She too wrapped her arms around her mother’s smaller frame. She worried her lip as a few tears escaped to soak into the dress on her mother’s shoulder.

They stayed like that for a long moment. Just soaking in the long forgotten warmth of each other.

“I love you my little flower princess.” Helena whispered.

More tears spilt from Lilian’s eyes from hearing that long forgotten nickname her mother used to call her, making her release a whimper and clenching her mother tighter.

                                    

After sitting there for a while, basking in one another’s loving embrace and warmth. Just letting themselves heal each other emotionally, after their long separation. Helena reluctantly pulled away from her daughter, wiping her eyes dry of tears as she did.

“So? Tell me. What is all this Warchief business? And explain how you became it. And while you’re at it, tell your mother where on rayala you met this mate of yours.

This brought on a giggle from Lilian as she too, wiped her eyes clear.

“Well mother, to explain how I got involved and became Warchief, It all started about eight months ago, when a woman appeared out of thin air and fell into my life and my heart.”

“Aawwweee! You are a romantic at heart! Just like your father!” Helena gushed.

Lilian looked at her mother skeptically.

“That man? A romantic?”

“Maybe you didn’t get the chance to see it. But he would say the sweetest things to me, albeit unintentionally; but at least I knew he meant every word.” Helena told her daughter.

Lilian just rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, well. He wasn’t so soft or mushy to me. There was no love from him towards me.”

“Was?”

“………”

Lilian realized that she slipped up.

“*SIGH* I won’t lie to you mother. I don’t know what happened to dad.”

“What do you mean?”

Lilian shrugged.

“I don’t know. Literally. One day, we were eating a meal like always. The next, he got up from the table, took his two favorite personal axes. Then left out our door.” Lilian shrugged again. “I haven’t see day for eight…— No, nine years now.”

“Nine years?! Goodness!” Helena had a look of despair cross her face. “Do you have any sort of guesses on what happened or where he went?”

Lilian shook her head.

“Father was a solitary and silent man. We minded each other, only to a point that we relied on one another to survive. But we hardly interacted or talked with one another. Unless you call the beatings he gave me whenever I reminded him of you.”

Lilian saw her mother eyes go wet with tears again at her words.

“I am so sorry baby!” She reached over and grabbed Lilian’s hand. “I was a damn fool to leave you there!”

Lilian shrugged.

“It is all in the past now mother… I have learned not to dwell on the what ifs or close calls.” Lilian looked down at her hands as she thought of the times she almost lost Anna. “I have had one to many in my life.”

Helena looked at the visible scars lining her daughter’s body and curse the immunity of their bloodline.

“I can imagine.” Helena commented. “So you lived alone for nine years?”

“Eight years.” Lilian corrected. “I… mother? This is going to be a long and frightful story. Will you have the time to listen?” She asked her cautiously.

This made Helena laugh.

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” She quipped at Lilian. “I am the Queen of Falaris. People make time for me.” She told her daughter smugly.

This produced a chortle out of Lilian.

“Okay… you asked for it. I am going to skip quite a bit of the parts of my time with dad…” She shrugged. “The early years were boring with nothing but training, yelling, berating me for being born, and you being…… well… I will skip what he said about you.”

Lilian saw her mother take a sharp breath and closed her eyes. Looking like she was recovering from a blow to the ribs.

She opened her eyes and nodded to Lilian.

“Okay honey. Tell me about this mate of yours. Since you said that was a good place to start. And I am already familiar about living and surviving in the mountains.”

Lilian nodded her head back in acknowledgment.

“Okay. So it all began with me going out one night to go hunting for a gawanta I heard scratching at my door, using it like a car post. I couldn’t let that stand, so I let it have a minute head start before I started trailing it. As I got closer to it. Lining myself up into position to attack it with a fine thrust from Tyronious’s Wrath.”

Helena watched as her daughter smiled as she came up to this part of the story.

“Then out of no where POOF! A human in strange pajama clothing showed up out of no where!”

From there, Lilian talked with her mother all about living with Anna up in the mountain. How they were basically, but not actually stuck there for the winter.

She told her all about the mishaps they had. How she had treated Anna at first, how everything that happened lead to Anna getting injured, rescuing Anna, her adventures to get the medicine, then going to trade and make a deal with Xanacary.

This made Helena triple take at her.

“You gave him Tyronious’s Wrath?! You promised to kill Garious?! Lilian?!” She was beyond shocked at what she heard.

“Oh please mother. From what I’ve heard, killing our father’s seem to be within our blood.”

“But!—“

“And for all we know! He might be dead already. Eaten by an ogre. Killed by a pack of gawanta. Who know! I am surprised Xanacary let me have a bottle of Troll’s rejuvenating elixir at all for what I gave or promised with what dad did to him. Let alone two bottles of the stuff. I think I made the right choice all things considered.

“But still! He is your—“

“He may have be the man to help conceive me. But he was never a father to me. I had already vowed to myself that I would kill him on sight of I ever saw him again anyways. So that promise I made to Xanacary is practically a one sided deal.”

“………………………………………” Helena was extremely quiet after hearing this from her daughter.

“I know you still care about him. He was your mate after all. But I doubt you would have recognized him as he was. He was nothing like you described to me as a child, before you left me with him.”

Helena sighed at her words before looking down at her lap.

“Just another thing I blame myself for.” She got up and moved over to a cabinet. She opened it, revealing some very expensive looking crystalware holding probably even more expensive alcohol.

“Mom?” Lilian chortled at her mother as she saw her grab a snifter and pour two glasses of some sort of drink. “Why do you have that stocked in this room you planned on giving me? What is the point of that? We—“

“I know… I know… I just remembered your Garious being a fan of alcohol when he could get it.” Helena shrugged. “I figured he might have imparted that taste of his over to you.”

Lilian scoffed.

“He shared shit of his with me. I earned everything I got.” She shrugged. “Besides, would have been a waste anyways. The whole point of drinking that mammoth piss is to get drunk off of it, so that the next drink won’t taste so bad, and we’re—“

“Immune and incapable of getting intoxicated. I know…… Just… humor your mother okay? I feel like drinking after hearing this part of your story. Even if our bloodline makes us immune.” Helena said as she placed a glass of cognac in-front of her daughter.

Lilian leaned forward.

“*SNIFF* UGH!”

Her mother chortled.

“Yeah… me neither.”

She said right before she took a sip and shivered at the taste.

“*COUGH* *COUGH* oh my! *COUGH* quite Uugghhh… strong!”

Lilian rolled her eyes at her mother’s antics. She eyed the drink in-front of her warily. She picked it up and gave the drink a dubious sniff. Her face scrunching up in revulsion.

She took a sip.

Her mouth and tongue burned from the alcohol, as the spicy fruity aroma assaulted her tastebuds.

“*COUGH* *COUGH* Just!— *COUGH* *COUGH* Why?! Why would anyone ever subject themselves to this shit?! There are better tasting beverages!” Lilian groused. “I would rather just drink fruit juice.” She complained.

“Ah a daughter after my own heart.” She got up again. She reached over and seized Lilian cup.

She took it over and tossed the contents on to the fire, which roar in protest at the alcohol was splashed on it.

“This is why I always come prepared.” She walked back over to the same cabinet, then reached for the bottom shelf, pulling out a small keg, with what Lilian could only assume was a sort of non-alcoholic fruit wine.

“Ah! There we go!” Lilian smiled as her mother brought out the fruit juice. “The good natural stuff!” Lilian said enthusiastically.

Her mother only chortled as she started pour them a couple of new glasses of fruit juice.

But as she was pouring it. Her face turned from jubilant to distraught. She brought a cup up to her nose and sniffed it, then took a drink.

Her mother’s bodily shiver told Lilian all she needed to know.

Her mother’s face looked positively red with embarrassment as she looked at Lilian while pointing at the glass in her hand.

“It…… Umm… Fermented…”

Lilian slapped her hand over her eyes and started laughing.

“I gathered as much mother! Hahaha!” She then made a dismissive wave of her hand towards her mother. “Just ask a guard or someone to bring us some fresh fruit juice.”

Her mother harrumphed before doing just as Lilian suggested. Which only made Lilian laugh harder.

After relaying her wants, Helena came back to sit down at the table.

“I see how you treat my heartfelt attempts at trying to gift you something!” She said to Lilian with an overly dramatic playful tone.

Lilian continued to chortle at her.

“Despite the failure for the products original purpose, it did in fact lighten the mood from the somber topic.”

Helena had to blink at her daughter’s observation before laughing herself.

“I suppose you’re right. Oh my! that was to embarrassing! Hehehe!~”

Lilian shrugged.

“At least the sentiment was there. I can’t say that many have given me gifts recently, for no other reason then just because they wished to give me one.”

“I suppose…” Helena reflected on her daughter’s words. She looked up at her eyes.

“So? You made some deals with Xanacary, then what happened?”

Lilian smiled then continued on with her time with Anna.

Mentioning her being there and taking care of her through her recovery, having to hurt her so that she would recover from her injury,

They’re fight against Lord Ektrin.

Her mother looked faint after she mentioned that fight.

She moved on to talk about how she got involved with the dispute between the clans, the fight itself, who and why they suspected the Fel’Agrian’s were.

“Demon worshipers!” Helena glowered at what Lilian told her.

Lilian nodded her head with her mother’s words.

“Exactly. We believe their goal was to incite a war between our nations.”

Helena breathed a sigh of relief.

“Then thank the Blessed Light that you were where you were needed to be. If you hadn’t been Warchief when that false letter had arrived to the Dracogusse Clan.” Her mother shuddered. “Then we may well have still had a war or incident on our hands.”

“Yeah… very weird…”

“…… You don’t suspect me… do you?” Helena asked Lilian with a pleading trepidation. She wanted Lilian to tell her she didn’t.

Lilian shook her head.

“No. It is not your style mother. I just… it all seems to much at the same time.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“I am thinking… that… what if someone might have known that the Mokra’Torc people were gather. Even before we did.”

“…… You mean? That they were somehow in league with this Fel’Agrian Clan?”

Lilian shrugged.

“It’s a possibility.” She suggested.

“Hmm……. I loath to think that anyone from my delegation would be in cohorts with demon worshipers.

Lilian shrugged again.

“Maybe they aren’t… but maybe they hope to gain something from a war against us.”

“………………………”

Helena was quiet as she pondered this.

“But it is also not like I have proof.” Lilian commented.

“No… but you also gave us a reasonable suspicion of doubt… that letter is pretty damning. If we can find out who changed out my original letter, then we can fine out their intentions.”

Lilian nodded.

“Yes, that would be the next logical step.” Lilian agreed.

“Then I best go, let you get some rest and see how the investigation is going. I am hoping it really is the chamberlain. He is a fossil that has stuck to my era and reign from your grandfather’s time.”

“Why not just get rid of him then?” Lilian asked her.

“*SCOFF* Are you really asking me that?” Helena asked incredulously. “It should be obvious. He is damn good at his job. Despite being a racist and fundamentalist to the core. He is also pragmatic and goes with where the wide blows. He saw what I was doing when I started my upraising, so he made sure he was on the winning side.”

Lilian hummed in thought at her mother’s words.

“Anyways! I should go—“

“Mother! Wait!” Lilian called out to her.

“Yes dear? What is it?”

“It is just………”

                              

But to Helena’s surprise. Lilian started crying.

“Oh my little flower princess!” She called out to Lilian with her childhood nickname. “What is the matter?”

Lilian sniffled and wept as she looked up at her mother.

“How do you know if you’re cut out to lead?!” Lilian asked her.

“Huh?!” This was definitely not the question she was expecting from Lilian.

“I just!……. I just am not sure I am cut out to be Warchief… everything has gone so wrong! And I think Anna hates that I am the Warchief now…”

“Oh baby! What happened? Tell me everything.”

And thus, Lilian then began the second part of Anna and Her journey as they began their lives within the Clan Dracogusse. Then afterwards on their travels through the swamp. Leading all the way up to now.

                     

                     

By the end of her explanation.

Lilian watched as her mother had an excited face at the beginning. As she explained to her what she was doing within the Clans to help change things for the better.

To distraught on hearing what a hard time they had inside the Swamp of Madness.

Now with her elbows on the table as she sat there, with her head resting against her steepled hands above her brows. Looking down cast as she listened to her finish her explanation.

             

Lilian wriggled her hands nervously as she looked at her mother’s despondent slumped form.

“M-Mother?” Lilian called tentatively. “What are your thoughts? Have I been a bad leader? A terrible mate?”

“*SIGH* Before I say anything one way or another, let me ask you a question Lilian Dracogusse Falaris.” She said her full name.

Lilian shuddered as she heard her full name called out for the first time in about twenty years; since she was five.

“Do you think you are more like your father? Or like me?”

             

Out of everything Lilian had expected her mother to say.

          

That was not it.

           

“Huh?”

          

“Just answer the question Lilian…”

Lilian hesitated before she replied.

“I guess I would have to say, I am more like father, I guess… since I spent most of my time living the Mokra’Torc ways.”

“HA!” Helena barked a laugh before she covered her mouth.

Lilian scowled at her.

“Sorry to break it to you my little Flower Princess. But you only think you know about the Mokra’Torc ways.”

This made Lilian’s heckles stand on end at her mother’s words.

How dare she. Lilian thought.

“Now calm yourself you raging mammoth.” Helena scolded her. “I just mean. You really haven’t lived as a Mokra’Torc. You were told by your father and I how they lived. And he has shown you how to survive the mountains… but that is far from being a true Mokra’Torc. Or living like one.”

“You are nothing like your father. You may have learned how to imitate the demeanor he showed you while you lived with him…”

Helena sat forward and looked her daughter in the eyes. Making Lilian feel small and squirm in her seat.

                                   

“But you are exactly like me, Princess.”

             

Helena informed her.

              

“So, let me tell you a story. And maybe this will shed some light on… well? Just about everything.

             

About leadership.

About my reasons.

About sacrifice.

About relationship.

And last but not least.

                             

About yourself.”

                  

                              

                   

Helena leaned back in her chair.

                             

              

“Let me tell you: how I met your father.”