Queen of Ashes │ Season 1 │The Journey

3 │Mother's daughter

She knew very well that the moment they shared wouldn't have happened if they hadn't been alone. Her father was a strong man, an excellent king, and very tough when necessary. But somehow Freya had always drawn out of him all the emotions he normally kept deep inside. Only with her did the king allow himself to be weak. She didn't understand why, but in the long run, it didn't actually matter. This made him, apart from being her father, also her best friend and it broke her heart to think that she would lose him forever.

The King chuckled through his tears.

"You're just like your mother," he muttered, patting her gently on the back.

Freya froze and looked at her old man in shock. "You never talk about her. Why now?"

"It's just impossible to stay quiet seeing you all grown up and turning out just like her. You two are so much alike. Starting from your appearance, ending at your personality traits like your courage, strength, and tendency to get into trouble..." His eyes showed a sea of emotions and somehow Freya knew that her father's thoughts were far away.

"Tell me more, please," she whispered, scared that if she was to be louder her father would change his mind.

The King got a peek at her, only to drift away again.

"She was breathtaking. I had to work hard to woo her, but I've never been more sure of anything in my life. She was worth every obstacle I had to overcome."

"What happened?"

Her father's lips quirked. "We just weren't meant to last."

"Who was she, dad? Why didn't you tell me about her earlier?"

"I made a promise that I would never tell anyone. That's the only reason they let me take you with me. I won't tell you, baby, I can't. Even now, when we have to part, I can't put you in any more danger." This time he stroked her cheek with his thumb, looking utterly miserable. Freya was a stubborn woman though. If she was to leave this place, she had to know more.

"What was her name? Surely it's not as dangerous so your own daughter cannot name her mother in her mind. Don't be cruel like that, please."

The King sighed, indicating that his walls, indeed, had started to melt. "Nefre. Your mother's name was Nefre."

There. He actually gave her something. And it wasn't some petty grain. It was one enormous piece of information—information she wasn't supposed to share with anyone, but nevertheless, a crucial one. Her mother had been given a name in her mind. A real name... A beautiful name.

"Why did you have to part? Why am I with you, not her?" Freya was digging deeper, taking advantage of her father's openness.

If her choice of words stung him, he didn't let himself show it. That was her father. Always careful to show what he felt. His gaze was distant. Freya was sure, he'd been living his past once again in his head.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this, you know. Even despite our differences, we were going to make it work. Raise you together. Create a family. Maybe even give you some siblings..." He stopped mid-sentence, realizing this part came into realization from his side. However hilariously amiss in the end. "It was a silly dream. So, so silly indeed."

Freya gently wiped away a single tear that appeared on her father's cheek. She was afraid to speak. She was afraid it would stop him. His story was heartbreaking, so miserably bitter, she wanted nothing more than to take his sorrow away. But she needed him to continue. She would have had no more opportunity to learn her origins. At least, the second part. So strange and unknown to her until now.

"A man nothing more than a scum killed her. My beautiful, fierce Nefre..." King's voice cracked. "I saw the act, having you in my arms. You were a few months old that day, not aware of a single thing happening and in how much danger you were at that point." His eyes focused on her tearful face. He was giving her everything at that moment. Everything that was essentially important. Everything she wanted from him. And she knew that he was giving her all of this for only one reason alone and it was love. Love for her, love for his former partner and love for their shared history—no matter how short-lived. Freya couldn't feel closer to him than at that very moment, as well as she couldn't feel more close to her mother. "After that, I was forced to fight for you. To take you with me and raise you as it has always should have been. I'm breaking my promise not to tell anyone by saying all of this today. But I need you to know. Now, I do understand that I cannot let you leave knowing absolutely nothing."

The king took her hand and kissed it as if trying to transfer all of his care into her heart by that mere gesture. "Sadly, I cannot tell you everything. You have to understand, that it's for your own safety as well as to keep everything you got to know today a secret known only to yourself. Promise me that."

Freya wasn't even going to deny him. Her promise. She knew that for her father, giving her a safe life was the most important thing. Now, when that wasn't possible any longer, he needed assurance that she wasn't going to jeopardize all of his efforts just by telling her family story to other people. She understood it. And she was going to give him that.

"I promise," she rasped, her throat tight.

Her father stood up, forcing her to follow him. He took her face into his hands. "Good," he said gently and laid a single kiss on her forehead. "I need you to do it for me. Try, at least, to be safe." His gaze focused on her eyes alone. "Don't let that foul mouth of yours be an end of you, my dear daughter."

Freya chuckled. "I can promise you a lot of things, father, including not telling anything I've learned today, but I cannot possibly promise you that this mouth of mine will be stoic and gentle. You know me far too well to demand it from me."

This time it was the king who chuckled.

"I know, Freya, I know. You could at least try though."

"That I can promise you," she gave him her brightest smile."I will try..." The young woman straightened, showing signs ofdetermination. "Now, Father, tell me everything you know about thesepeople and how can I make them return me to you."