Emerald And Aharon

Chapter 17

I looked up when Aharon entered the room and smiled at him, then my eyes fell on the person who came in behind him and I felt my mouth fall open.  I first thought it was my sister Tresa, but she was too young and the feeling was wrong.

My mind registered that Aharon was speaking to me and I caught the last of what he was saying, “You have a child by me and give her up?”

I shook my head, “No I wish we did have a child though.” I touched my stomach discreetly for a moment, knowing I would have my wish soon enough.

The young woman looked at my face, hope still in her eyes, and “are you my mother? I was just told Aharon’s name because he would know where to find you?”

I sighed, “Who raised you?” I asked, though I had a feeling I knew who.

The young woman blinked, surprised by my question, “Aunt Tresa, she said that you had left me with her.”

I gestured for her to sit on the couch I had in my sewing room, and moved to the couch to sit next to her.  “I’m not your mother,” I said quietly. “You’re the spitting image of our mother, so I would hazard a guess that Tresa is your mother.” I glanced at Aharon before focusing back on her, “but I don’t know why she would give you Aharon’s name.”

“I remember Tresa,” Aharon finally said. “I got drunk one night while traveling and meet her, and one thing lead to another.”

My eyes went back to Aharon and I smirked, “her body is one that would drive even the most loyal man to thoughts of adultery.” I shook my head, “then drive them away when she opened her mouth to speak.”

Aharon shrugged, “it was before Desiree,” but said nothing else.

The young girl’s face fell, “Tresa is my mother?”

I touched the girl’s arm and nodded, “I think so, you are welcome to stay here if you have nowhere else to go.” I saw Aharon nodding his head in agreement out of the corner of my eye.

The young girl slowly nodded, and sighed, obviously confused and upset. “I think I will, I’m not sure what I would do if I went back to Aunt...  I mean back to Tresa.”

I left it at that, I knew Tresa had been in a bad situation, but thought she had gotten out of it on her own since she had been so determined to get herself out of it.  So, that was how my niece, whose name was Acarliana, came to live with us. Her and Fire got along great, and I started teaching her sword fighting.

One day after Acarliana had been with us for a few months Aharon was watching us play fight. Acarliana was good, but had a lot to learn.  After I won the fight I sheathed my sword and caught Aharon staring at me. He had probably noticed that my sword was at my side instead of across my back like it normally was.  I smiled faintly at him.

He stared at my face, then looked at my stomach, then back again, but said nothing.

I laughed softly, “Yes love?” I asked.  He was noticing that I was starting to gain weight.

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it and stared at my stomach and I laughed.

“You have to say what’s on your mind Aharon, I try and avoid reading minds.”

“Are you pregnant?”

I grinned at him, “consequence of having fun in a tree house,” I teased.

His eyes flashed, not in anger, but surprise and another emotion that was gone before I could really identify it.  “So you’re going to have a child?”

I rolled my eyes but kept my smart remark to myself, “yes Aharon,” I said quietly, “I’m going to have another one of your children.”

He came up to me, a look of awe on his face and I kissed him.

Acarliana spoke up, “so I’ll have a sister?”

I laughed, “Aye Carli, a sister, and a cousin.” I shook my head, “what a tangled web we weave for our family,” I muttered and Carli laughed.

4 months passed, and Aurianna had her baby, a little boy.  While I was visiting we were talking, trying to decide on a good name for him.  While I was holding him Aurianna asked me, “what happened to the rest of your family Em?”

“My brother was killed when I was about 9.  My parents died soon after that. All that I have left is my sister Tresa.” I smiled faintly as I looked down at the little bundle in my arms, “well, I have Acarliana now.”

“You were only 9 when your parents died?”

I looked up at Aurianna, thinking back to those long past days.  “About that yes.  Tresa was about 5 and we were all we had.”

“What was your brother’s name?  How did he die?”

“His name was Jacobis Astros. When I first meet Talatiana, she was traveling with another immortal that I didn’t care for.  He and I wound up fighting, and I took his head, was my first kill.  Not long after that, Jacobis and Talatiana fought, and Talatiana took his head.”

“Astros,” Aurianna said thoughtfully, and took the baby from my arms.  She kissed his forehead, “that’s this little one’s name, Astros.”

I hugged both of them and kissed Astro’s forehead and headed back to the castle.

A few months later when I was about 10 months, immortals are pregnant for 12 months instead of a mortal’s 9 months, Talatiana came for a visit.

“What do you want Tala?” I demanded.

“A word with you, and pending on what the word is will decide what will happen next.”

I nodded my head slightly, watching her warily, “And the word is?”

She looked at me, “Will you come back to the sisterhood, Sherata wants you back.” She glanced down at my left wrist where I had a strip of leather wrapped around my wrist.  “I know you still have the tattoo.”

I clenched my fists and unclenched them, “You know my answer Talatiana.  I left the guild for good.  The only reason why I have the tattoo still is because I still kill.  If it wasn’t for that, it would have long since faded.”

Talatiana sighed, and shook her head slightly, but there was hollowness to her actions and I tensed.  “I told them you wouldn’t come back, but she insisted I asked, and if you refused, to do as I see fit to get you to come back.”

“I never thought she would go back on her word,” I started as I backed up but was cornered, and I eyed her as she gripped the hilt of her sword. “I can’t fight you!”

Talatiana shrugged her shoulders, “there is an easy way to avoid bloodshed, Emerald, come back to the guild.” She drew her sword an odd look in her eyes, “but I know you won’t do that, so I guess it's bloodshed.”

As she came forward to swing her sword a hand grabbed my shoulder and yanked me  away and I saw a line of blood appear across Tala’s neck as she registered someone else was there.  She never got a chance to make another move as Aharon moved in spearing her through the middle and back handing her across the face, knocking her out.

Without saying a word he pulled out his sword, scooped Tala up and threw her out of the castle activating the magic wards.

When he came back he hugged me, “she won’t be back.”

I hugged him back and laughed softly, “She might be, but not for a bit, I think you really surprised her.  No one has gotten the jump on her like that in a very long time.”