A Forgotten Love

Witch's Memory

"You" she hissed when she saw the man that was supposedly her father in a armchair facing another empty one.

Instinctively she ran her eyes around the room for an escape route if she ever needed one.

"Come, sit" he said, gesturing towards the empty chair opposite him.

Esperanza didn't move, instead watching him through narrowed eyes. A dry laugh came from behind her. "Oh, I see you've got your hands full with this one"

"Divina, you're not really helping the situation any, really" the Duke said sipping from a fragile looking teacup.

"But it's true James. She's looking even more like her mother now than before" the dry voice whispered, as an old woman stepping out from behind Esperanza. Wild hair, bony hands, and piercing purple eyes made Esperanza back away warily.

The Duke glanced sharply at Divina. "How many times have I told you not to mention her ever?!" he practically shouted.

"More times than I can count, but your reaction has never changed. Just accept it already instead of denying it" the old lady said, shuffling over to stand on the other side of the chair. Turning her attention towards Esperanza, she gestured towards the empty armchair. "Aren't you going to sit down?"

"I'd rather stand" she said, as sitting made her escape even more difficult than it had to be, wearing a dress and all.

"Suit yourself" the old woman said, with a cross between a cough and a cackle.

"You'd better sit down, Esperanza. There are some important things to must tell you" James said.

"Oh, like how I'm your daughter? Was that not important enough to tell me immediately?" Esperanza snapped.

Divina made the strange noise again. "More like he's going to tell you who your mother is and what you are. Also what you were doing in the desert and who Obitus is" she said in a lilting murmer.

Esperanza found herself listening to Divina's catching voice, almost in a trance like state. "Sit down, now. That's a good girl" she said as Esperanza slowly sank into the soft, deep, leather chair.

A few moments later she began to feel like herself again and she glanced sharply at Divina. "What was that?" she asked.

"That my dear was only the beginning" she said in a purr like voice.

Esperanza stood and, backed up several steps and stared at them both accusingly. James stared back at her, his gaze almost threatening, while Divina's gaze was full of amusement.

"Esperanza, sit down!" James thundered, smashing the teacup down onto the table.

Esperanza glanced down at it, surprised it didn't break or even crack. "I'd advise you to listen to him. You do not want to be on his bad side, my dear" Divina said in a more serious tone than before.

Esperanza, hesitated, glancing between the two of them, before hiking her loathsome skirt up to her knees and plopping down into the chair, shuffling around until she was comfortable. "Whose going to start?" she asked.

James looked ready to kill her, with his fisted hands and narrowed eyes, while Divina stood next to him, studying Esperanza as if she was an interesting specimen never before seen.

"Your mother was a witch-" James began but Divina cut him off.

"James! I thought we agree to give her the truth!" Divina admonished, a sly smile working its way up her face.

James glowered at her, but made no move to correct his words. After a few more moments of silence, Divina began to speak.

"Your mother... your mother was one of the most important people I knew. She was sort of a witch. But she was also so much more than that, she was full of magic and wisdom, older than me by almost a millennia. And she was beautiful, had brilliant red hair, and green eyes that reflected the world's deep unknown forests. She was a mystery in herself, she would sometimes talk in riddles that no one could figure out. She met James when he was traveling the American coast 20 some years back, he brought her back to England, amazed by the vast knowledge and beauty she contained. Then you came along. Two weeks after you were born, she disappeared, taking you with her. No one knew where she'd gone or if she might ever return. James was distraught, he sent out search parties but they all returned empty handed. Some nights she would take you out into a courtyard and whisper illegible things to you. Even I could figure out what she said. You were gone for 19 years and then I had a vision, a vision of you, crawling across the sand, in the shadow of a dragon. James sent out a boat and you were transported back to England. And now, here you are" she finished.

James had left the room about halfway through, his face turning a dark red color, out of anger or embarrassment, she couldn't tell.

"So your saying I have some magic on me?" Esperanza asked hesitantly.

Divina nodded. "Maybe less than your mother had but still a considerable amount" she said.

"What about Obitus, you said You knew something about that" Esperanza said.

"Obitus is something of a legend. He is the last surviving dragon with a bloodline tracing all the way back to the Ancient Dragon-"

Esperanza gasped. "He did mention something about an ancient dragon or dragontounge"

Divina nodded. "There is, or should I say was only one recorded person who knew the Ancient Dragontounge. I think she was hunted down and killed some time back"

"Who's Veto?" Esperanza asked.

Divina looked over at her, shock in her eyes for a split second before they faded back to calm, amused look from before. "How do you know about Veto?" she asked.

"Obitus was fighting him before I got taken" she explained.

"Child, you are truly lucky to have seen the last two major fighting rivals in the Dragon race" Divina said, something of respect in her eyes.

"I don't feel lucky, what if Obitus is dead? What if Veto killed him? What will happen?" Esperanza asked.

"That, I truly do not know" Divina said sadly.

"Please! I need to go back to see if he's okay or not!" she pleaded.

"You won't be going anywhere" a sharp voice said, splitting the air.

Espernza looked over her shoulder and saw James, who had come back in, glaring down at her from his half a foot height difference.

"You don't own me! I can go where I please!" Esperanza shot back, full of fury towards the man who thought he owned her.

"You'll do no such thing! You are royalty, and royalty does not go running off to dangerous lands!"

"It was not dangerous! I was safe there until the stinkin' pirates showed up with their bloody dragon!" Esperanza said, glaring at him furiously.

"Esperanza! Do not swear!!" James shouted, drawing himself up to his full height.

"Don't you dare call me Esperanza! That is a name reserved only for my mother, and you- you are nowhere near family enough to call me by my real name!" Esperanza screamed at him.

James looked a taken back, and he stared at her, fury rising steadily in his eyes, swallowing up the tiniest flash of grief in his eyes.

"Your mother was the only person in the world I loved, and you took her away from me" he said in a strangled voice, that was slowly rising. "She was perfect and then you ruined her life and mine!!"

The door opened behind him, and Esperanza saw Will standing in the doorway, a determined look on his face. In front of her, James raised a hand as though to strike her, but then Divina was pulled his arm back and to the side.

Apparently, the old lady was stronger than she assumed, she thought, and Will strode forwards to pull her out of the room. Esperanza glanced back over her shoulder, and saw James being restrained by Divina, still yelling, before she was whisked out of the room.

Esperanza was still looking over her shoulder as Will pulled her down the hallway, his hand locked over her wrist. "Just keep walking away" he whispered next to her ear, as she turned her head around again.

"What just happened? Why did you take me out of the room?" Esperanza asked, looking at his calm face.

"I'll tell you in a few moments, but right now, when the Duke is in this kind of a mood, it's best not to be around, especially when you're his target of anger" he said, pulling a wry smile. "I had to learn that the hard way"

"So where are we going then?" Esperanza asked, as he led her through the carpeted halls.

"A tour around the city" Will said with a smile.