MoonLove: a mythological story

Hiding from fate pt.2

-          I know you have already heard the legend about us, well there are details no one could know unless they were there. No, do not get me wrong, I know it sounds like bad things, but no, it is not even near. The man who raised me, (yes, the man who is called the sorcerer) was so loving and protecting, even if I was not his actually daughter. Yes, he knew I was not his daughter, but even so he raised me as if I was. He taught me how to make elemental magic to heal and to protect. He also taught me what was the meaning of love, friendship and loyalty, and asked me to keep my respect for my biological father even if I had not met him; I could not understand the reason to this request, nevertheless I tried to achieve that, I really did but I could not. After all I have never met that man, but considering the way, the so called “king” acted, I could not feel anything but despise him. If he was able to steal a new born just because he was jealous or whatever, he did not deserve my respect.

Time went by and I began growing and changing, it is a natural process, but every day that I changed from a child to a girl and then to a young woman, I could see deep inside his eyes a terrible pain and a great loneliness. It hurt me, not because I felt it was my fault, but because I knew he missed his daughter, the real Odile, he had already missed her first words, steps, and now he was missing the transformation of his daughter into a woman.

It always broke my heart to see my father suffering so much be a use of what had happened, but every time I asked about it , he told me that I was like a real daughter to him and that my existence brought light to his life; that used to make me really happy, but I was still terribly Surrey that my biological father had done so much damage to that kind soul. While time went by, he became keeping more things to himself and his light even if strong it was not as it used to be, just then he began telling me that there was another side of magic, the dark side where the king inhabited. That dark place where people could get corrupted really easy, with no turning back; but when he told me that, he also made me promise I was not going to go there or experiment with it, because it might get me trapped, after all I was still a child. That happened when I was a few weeks before turning 15.

That last year I spent with the sorcerer, was one of the happiest and saddest at the same time, because I loved to spend time with him; he was my father after all. But it was also the last time I would spend with him, because when I turned 16, I would be presented into society and probably that same night I would be engaged to someone I barely knew.

Lilith’s shock face was hilarious to Odette so she could not help but laugh, of course interrupting her story. Lady Lucy could not understand why the story teller was laughing so hard until she followed Odette’s gaze to Lilith’s face, and could not avoid following her into the laughing.

-          Do not put that face Lilith! – said Lucy holding her laugh – remember those e times where not as these ones, there a girl was just a product and was sent to marry soon after she was presented into society.

-          Yes, I know, but listening it from someone who actually lived it is really different than knowing the story first handed. I thought it was just on some specific cases! Apparently I refused to accept the reality of those days for what I can see.

-          Probably, but we were used to it, after all I would have exactly the same fate if I had not got this curse. But well, Odette please, resume your story.

With that Odette tried to hold back her laugh to keep on with the story, but she was not able to, after some more minutes of laughter she finally calmed down and was able to continue.

-          Ok, keeping on. That last year I spent with the sorcerer was the happiest for me because he began getting his light back and seemed to be somewhat happier than before. He even smiled more! It was great for me to see that, but actually I was not aware of the reason yet. I would learn it the bad way only a few months later. Those days were great, he taught me a lot of new things about magic issues and began teaching me to raise plants and help animals also, I was so happy about it, that I began doing it constantly to practice so I would never forget about it, even if I might be accused of being a witch, which after all I was. But at the same time I felt every night sadder and sadder. I could not accept the idea of leaving him alone to get married with someone I might never tolerate. And every night I dropped one more tear while thinking on that idea, I would miss my adoptive father so much, and probably I would be hide and locked away because of what he had taught me.

To this point I was not aware about his situation at all. I did not know the town began hating him because of some rumours the king had spread, about him killing his actual daughter and cursing his wife not to be a le to have kids anymore, or things like that. I was not aware that if I was presented in society I was going to be hated and put to the side too. It was a reality with which I was not familiarised at all. I thought I was just another girl with a normal fate, but I was not at all. Everyone thought I was dead, so when I was presented into society the shock of reality hit me really really bad; especially when the king attacked the sorcerer. It shocked me so badly that I did not react at all until it was too late. But let me explain a little better.

I did not know there was a special protocol for a social presentation, I assumed there was, but I don’t know how it was, but I began noticing some changes in my environment, because out of the blue, my father tried to teach me how to sew, cook, get my hair done, some tricks to keep the house perfect, and what actually took me by surprise, he explained me what was expected of me as a member of normal society. That was interesting for me, because I thought I was doing good until he told me those things. Suddenly I lost all my self – confidence. I tried to do what he told me, but I completely failed more than once; I felt so useless and unworthy that I could begin crying at any moment. But one day, he came to me again and told me not to worry; that I was doing really well and that those “arts” were expected for me to know even if I would never actually do them. And then he gave me some tips of social behaviour, after all I had to be a lady. He told me that if I got married in a few weeks, I should analyse my husband and understand fast what he needed or wanted, but mostly he told me three things “to obey mostly everything he said, not to talk unless I was talked to first, and most important always offering a smile on my face no matter what” I did not understand that sudden change in him; before, he always told me to do what my heart commanded and never to let anyone throw me away or humiliate me. I really could not understand, but I promised I would do as he told me. After all I knew he wanted the best for me, and if I had to do that I would.

After that my father began getting away from me, not suddenly but slowly I could feel him going away. I could feel his pain by doing it but still he did. Just then I got conscience of what was happening, in a few weeks I was going to be presented and probably in a few more days I would be married, and probably I would never see my father again. That broke my heart, but I decided to forget about it until the day before of my presentation.

Lilith could feel the pain which appeared in Odette’s soul, it was nothing as she had seen before, and it was deep, lacerating and still very fresh, even if it had happened a very long time ago. Lilith’s eyes filled with tears by recalling the way she felt when she had to leave her father to go to the college campus and actually begin her independent life as a grown up. That pain was terrible, and he solitude one felt once alone it was awful, but still she kept those feeling for herself and listened to the rest of that beautiful woman story.

-          That day, my father took me to the river; I had never seen it before, it was an amazing place, the water actually shone as diamonds instead of water, and the plants around it looked out of his world. I asked him the reason of it, and he just smiled and said “because they are not from this world” then he explained me that it was a complete magical place where fairies, and all their relatives lived, including nymphs, goblins, sirens and all those creatures. That actually got me so curious I could not understand why he took me there just that moment when I was about to leave, and as reading my mind he told me “I brought you here today because I want you to be happy and to protect your soul even if I am not able to be with you from tomorrow on, I consider you my heart daughter and I want to keep you safe from any evil you might encounter” with that he took me to the river and told me to get inside. The feeling of it made me freeze. It was not water, not even similar to water, it was like the softest caress, he told me it was one of the most pure energies in the existence plans. He took my hands and closed his eyes after asking me to do the same. I began listening to a beautiful song inside of my head. And it was not just a voice, there were hundreds!

The song was beautiful and made me feel safe. I could not understand the reason of it, but even so, I let myself go with every single word pronounced by those voices.

I did not notice that on some point I began singing along with them. I could not know where that impulse came from, but while I did it, I felt so full of happiness and love coming from every single one of those tones that I suddenly needed to know from where those heavenly sounds came, so I opened my eyes.

The image I had in front of my eyes was unbelievable! Around us there were about eight nymphs holding hand with their backs to us, on the outside of that circle, there was another one which was formed by sirens laying on their backs as if the energy water was solid enough to hold them there, and in the air, there were a lot of tiny lights as stars; I did not understand what that was until I looked carefully, Those were tiny fairies singing that wonderful piece of music, which then, I was sure it was not from the world I have been raised on. It was made of magic, love and protection. A few seconds later the sound faded slowly until it disappeared. I felt sad that it was over, but at the same time, I was filled with peace and my soul felt so good, I could not believe it had just happened. My father opened his eyes, and with him all the other creatures surrounding us; he let my hands go, smiled at me and turned his back going forward to one of the nymphs. She looked to be the wiser and older, even if all of them looked my age, but she had that aura of respect no one could deny. She took on her joined hands a tear collected by one of the sirens with a smile, turned around and raised it over her head, where one of the fairies put her dust on it, once this was done she blew the mixture. Something unexpected happened then, the tear turned into a red fire on the nymph’s hands until she closed her hands as a book. I did not understand what was happening at all, especially when my father received what the nymph gave to him.

He thanked her and came back to me, and asked me to join my hands, I did, and he gave me what he had just received. It was a crystal. An incredibly red crystal, which was similar to a sunflower seed, with the shape of a tear, sparkling like all the fairies, and cold as the wind. My father smiled at me and told me to always keep it with me, near my heart, so I could be always connected to him and to every creature I had just met. That energy would always protect me and guide me to happiness and love, I smiled back and thanked every creature with had accepted me there and for the incredible gift I had just receive from them.

Suddenly, my father took my hand and guided me away of that magnificent place and in less than 5 minutes we were back home, getting things ready for my presentation the next day.

-          After finishing preparing everything for the next day I fell asleep without noticing, and actually woke up too late, but my father did not wake me up. I got up too fast and looked d for him, it was not common for him not to intervene, but he was not there anywhere. Then I got a moment of light and knew where he was. The enchanted forest. I went there, but I had no idea how to get in, so I quit and decided to get ready to my presentation with a bittersweet feeling. I would have loved to spend the day with him, our last day together, but then I noticed that his real daughter would be presenting herself today too; just then I understood, it was another thing he would lose, and the last thing he could have shared with her. I knew he lived me as his own, but still I could feel the pain of not being with her too that day. It took me quite a while but I got ready and presentable fast and also got a little of makeup, I was ready and just on time when he arrived home. His eyes were red and he had dressed with completely black clothes, except for the inner of his Cape, which was dark blood red. It surprised me that both of us were wearing the exact same colours, he did not speak to me, he only gave me his hand and we disappeared, appearing next to the door of the castle where the king lived and where all girls were presented on their 16th birthday. We were carried inside and just before we entered the ball room my father asked me “did you bring the crystal I gave you yesterday?” I nodded and we entered. Then the apocalypse occurred.

That part of the legend is true, the king called me by my name and I answered as I was supposed to even if my father always called no Odette since he noticed I was not his real daughter. And the encounter with all the back story is true, it happened and my black and red dress turned white, but water shinny white. Then is when the legend turns fake. The real Odile, the one raise by the king, went jealous, because that meant she would not keep living with all she had till that day, and she had turned into a greedy girl who could not understand the value of love over material things. She refused going with my father, and I was forced to go away from him, but I could not avoid feeling sad so I went to him and hugged him with all my love and thankfulness, I loved him so much. I told him I loved him just before I felt an awful pain going through heart, at first I thought it was pain from the separation,  but was feeling too weak by moments; then I understand, I had been hurt. I looked down and saw an arrow going through my heart and joining it with my father’s one. It had been Odile. She shot us, and then screamed “I am not going with that person, he is just a male witch! I would never live with that poor and unworthy outsider and hated man! No, I refuse!” it was too cruel, after all, I gave seen my father crave for her and cry for knowing she was not with him and he had lost so much time with her. But then something happened. I felt my father’s he getting broken and hate go through it. Then he cursed the king because of all the pain he had caused him. His heart was broken, and he had been blinded by rage. I could understand, he never spoke badly about him to me, even if he could have for what I had just seen, but he did not. Hatred disappeared as fast as it appeared, and he saw me in the eyes, I felt his love and how proud he was of me,  and I felt my blood getting combined with his, then I was officially his real daughter, I smiled lightly and told him I loved him too just before we both died.