Emerald And Aharon

Chapter 18

I waited and watched Emerald’s face and she shook her head.

“No I wish that we did have a child though,” I saw one of her hands brush past her stomach and I wondered if Emerald would soon get her wish.

Acarliana’s face still held hope, “Are you my mother, I was just told Aharon’s name because he’s with you?” she asked.

Emerald sighed and shook her head, “who raised you?” she asked quietly.

Acarliana blinked, surprised by the question and replied, “Your sister, Tresa raised me.  She said that you came to her and left me with her.”

Emerald shook her head, “I’m not your mother, child, if my hunch is correct, Tresa is your mother, though I do not know why she would tell you Aharon’s name.”

I spoke up, “I remember Tresa, I came across her before I meet Desiree.  I got drunk, and so did she.” As I remembered back to that day, the image of Tresa came clearer.  She had the same long auburn hair as Emerald, but her eyes were the color of cut jade. 

Emerald glanced at me and smirked, before turning her attention back to Acarliana.  “Tresa’s always had a body that would bring thoughts of a******y to the front, and then chase those same thoughts away as soon as she spoke.” She shook her head slightly, “she had the same sharp tongue our father did.”

I shrugged my shoulders; Tresa had reminded me of Auron with her sharp comments.

Acarliana’s face fell, “you mean, I had my mother?  But why would she tell me that you were my mother?”

Emerald shrugged her shoulders and placed her hand on Acarliana’s shoulder, “I don’t know, but you are welcome to stay here with us.” She glanced up at me as she said it and I nodded my head.  I looked at Acarliana, and felt a little sorry for her  She had been lied to her whole life by her mother.  She didn’t look much younger then Accalon.

Acarliana nodded her head, “I think I will, I am not sure how I can face Aunt...  I mean Tresa now.” Though she said it calmly, I could still see the hurt in her eyes.  I couldn’t blame her much; maybe I was lucky not to have known my parents.

So that was how Acarliana came to live with us.  As time passed I grew to know her better and she did remind me of her mother, the few hours I had known her.  She also reminded me of Emerald.  Fire and Acarliana got along great, she had been lonely since Alleyne had left and she quickly accepted her.

One day I went outside and watched Emerald and Acarliana play fight.  Truth be told really came to watch Emerald more than my daughter.  Carli was a fair fighter, but she was really no match for Emerald.  After she won she sheathed her sword, but it wasn’t strapped to her back as it usually was, it was at her side. I stared at her my eyes going from her sword to her face.

“Yes love?” she asked as she smiled at me faintly. 

I looked at her stomach, and it wasn’t as flat as it had been, and then looked back at her face. “Are you pregnant?” I finally asked.

“That’s a consequence when you have fun up in a tree house,” she teased.

I felt surprise flash through my eyes and a mirage of other emotions I couldn’t name, “so you are pregnant.”

Emerald rolled her eyes at me, but she spoke, “Yes Aharon, I am pregnant with your child.”

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

Emerald looked at her and grinned, “Yes Carli, a sister,” she paused a moment, “and a cousin.” She shook her head and muttered something but I didn’t quite catch what it was.

Time passed and things went by routinely as they could.  There was no word from Alleyne and I found myself wondering about her.  Fire was now twelve, so that would make Alleyne Twenty-three. I wondered how she was doing, and what mischief she had gotten herself into.

Fire asked me about her, “Daddy, what happened to Alleyne, I miss her.”

I shook my head, “I don’t know what happened to Alleyne, little one. All I know is that she left because she and Emerald didn’t get along.”

Fire frowned, “but they used to.” She was quiet for a moment, “can I go stay with Aunt Auri and Uncle Auron again? Aunt Auri was teaching me how to shoot really good with a bow.”

“You can stay with Auri if they say you can,” and of course they did.  Emerald took Fire to see them, as she wanted to meet Aurianna’s newest child, who they named Astros.  He had dark hair and green eyes like his father, and his dead brother Daystar.

While Fire was gone I noticed that Carli was preoccupied with something. I asked her about it one day. She was sitting in the orchard, twirling a wildflower in her hands.  She had a distant look in her eyes and didn’t notice me until I touched her shoulders.

I sat down beside her and said, “what’s bothering you, child?”

She was silent for a moment, studying the flower in her hands, “Did your mother ever lie to you?”

“I never knew my mother,” I replied. “She died when Auron was born and I was very little. She never got the chance to lie to me.”

“What about your father? Did he raise you?”

“He did for a few years, I remember him a little.  But he left and never came back.  He left Auron and me with his new wife and our sister.  He never returned.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I asked,” she said quietly, a slight blush rising on her cheeks.

I reached over and squeezed her shoulder, “Don’t be,” I replied.  “Now what’s this have to with what’s bothering you?”

“My mother,” she replied, “Tresa.  How could she tell me for all those years that Emerald was my mother? She would tell me that Emerald had left me with her for reasons unknown to her...” She crushed the flower in her hand without thinking about it.

I shrugged my shoulders, “I don’t know, Carli.  I only knew Tresa for a few hours, but I remember she didn’t have it easy.”

Carli didn’t look at me; she just stared at the ground.

“Talk to Emerald, she would be the one who knows Tresa the best.  Maybe she can give you the answers you’re looking for.”

Carli nodded her head and glanced at me, “I think I will.” With that she stood up and walked away.

A few days later I was coming into the castle and heading towards the kitchen when I heard 2 voices, one of them making my blood turn cold. What was Talatiana doing here? I stopped and listened.

“Will you come back to the sisterhood? Sherata wants you back.”

“No, you know I won’t go back.”

“I was told if you refused, I could use whatever means necessary to convince you to change your mind.”

“Tala, I can’t fight you, not now!”

Fighting?  Any means?  Knowing what little I knew about Talatiana, any means meant death. I came into the kitchen behind Emerald, the 2 of them totally focused on each other and grabbed Emerald’s shoulder and hauled her back away from Talatiana’s sword swing.

I swung my own sword, an arc that grazed the front of her neck and stepped forward, spearing Talatiana on my sword.  “Get the hell out,” I growled at her and back handed her and she slumped to the floor, out cold.

I pulled my sword out and sheathed it, scooping her up and dumping her outside. After dumping her outside I activated the wards on the castle and came back in, hugging Emerald.  “It’s alright, she can’t get back in.”

Emerald hugged me close and nodded her head.

Things stayed quiet until we went to visit Auron and Acarliana.