It's Too Late

Chapter 19

We enjoyed a lovely dinner, my father and Leo's parents were catching up on everything and I just enjoyed everything. Just being here, in this moment, with the man I love and my father. Never in my dreams did I think it would be possible.

After dessert me and my father played music for everyone. We even played a duet!
Leo's parents were now saying goodnight so it was just me, Leo and my father. "Well then, I have a busy day tomorrow. Ana,you'll have to excuse me."
"It's oky Leo, I know, have a lovely night." He kissed my lips. "You as well Ana. King Erick, pleasant night for you as well." and he went to bed.

It was now just me and my father. "Let me take you to your room." I offered.
Once in his room he turned around. "I have something for you, if you'd like." I join him in his room. He hands me those things that scrolls are usually put in. "Open it."
Inside was my birth certificate. Anastasia Bloom Aelfdene, my full name and surname, was at the top. Under it, my father, Erick Finn Aelfdene. Beneath him, my mother's name, Julianna Wolvegard. Under her name was a seal. "That is a birth seal that only a doctor can give, to prove the authenticity." Under it was three thumb prints in blood. I can only assume it was my father's, my mother's and mine.
There was a necklace. "Your mother and I designed that necklace for you. It's customary for the elf race to present a piece of jewelry for their daughters and daggers for their sons.

It was absolutely beautiful and priceless because my parents made this for me. "Anastasia?" My father calls and I realize that I have been crying. "I'm sorry." I wipe my tears away. "It's just that I never thought in my wildest dream that I would ever meet my parents and now I have you." I hug him as tight as I could. "I can't believe after all these years that I finally found you." He whispers, from his voice I already knew that he was crying as well. "I promise I will protect you, I couldn't protect your mother. I was too late, but I will protect you." He wipes my tears away. "What happened all those years ago?"  My father holds me tight. "I just about had enough of my family and the counsel..."

~

"Why can't we marry a different race!? Love knows no boundaries, so why are you putting them there!?" I yell at the counsel. "Prince Erick, the elf kingdom is one of the oldest to exist. Our blood is pure and that is what keeps us strong. Mixing blood will only bring ruin upon the land."
"That's bullshit and you know it! You are an arrogant piece of shit!" The court gasp at my outrage but I didn't care. "The public will leave at once!" The counsel says, that just leaves me, the counsel, my mother and father. "Prince Erick..." The counselma begins, I can hear he is tired of me. "Tell us why you are so adamant on mixed mating." I pursed my lips, my hands were shaking. There was only two outcomes to this meeting today. "Because!" Jules, give me strength. "I met someone." I begin, the counsel's eyes grew with shock. "She's a werewolf, turns out she is my mate." Everyone gasp and then my mother started to yell. "I won't allow it! I won't allow you to be a scandal in the royal family!" She storms out of the room. Everyone else was in quite a shock. "Son." My father puts his hand on my shoulder. "Think carefully about what you are doing." I did, "Prince Erick, even if we did allow mixed mating. We still would not allow you to marry your mate." They will not come to reason. "This was one of the easiest decisions I had to make." Everyone's attention was now on me, waiting for me to speak. "I abdicate my position to the throne." Now it was total chaos in the court. "If I can't be with her, here by my side. I don't want to be ruling at all!" I turn around and walked away. My heart felt so much lighter. I couldn't wait to reunite with Jules and our Bloom. We'll live in the cabin, or travel somewhere else, all that mattered is that we were together."Prince Erick!" A maid runs my way totally out of breath. "It's Queen Fiona, she says it's urgent. She sounded quite in distress! She's on the line in your office." My first thought went to Julianna. As fast as I could I got to my office.
"Fiona..."
"Erick! Come please, I don't....Something happened." I didn't waste any time as I got on my horse and rode off. I got closer to the cabin, my heart couldn't settle until I see her.
I froze when I see the cabin, that which was left of it. Fiona there on the ground crying. "What happened?" She turned around when she hears me. "I don't know." She cries further. "When I got here the place was ruined." I enter the cabin. Everything was broken, black after the fire. I couldn't find any evidence of Julianna or Bloom. I walk to the bedroom, our bedroom. I needed to find something of her. I found a hair lint. She always wears it. I channeled my energy into it and then I saw it.

How people broke into the place, she put up a good fight, but they got to Bloom. Jules in rage, transformed and rook on the intruders. She didn't believe in taking lives, so she only injured them. Bloom was crying, Julianna took her in her mouth, and ran off. The intruders followed.

I got out of it and rushed in the direction that I saw her going in the vision. I ran for days, but I couldn't find her. Another vision came to me, the intruders wore a batch, a batch I knew all to well.

"What have you done!" I barge into the room I know my mother is. She is sitting there drinking her tea. "What I should have done to that woman a long time ago." She knew about Julianna all this time. "And what is that?" I tried to contain my anger. "I got rid of her. Our blood will stay pure." She didn't know about Bloom, that's good. "I can't believe you! Why would you...." Fear took over. "She is my mate mother!"
"I don't care! You will not be mixed with with some mutt."
Rage took over. "Well it's already to late. We have a daughter together!" Mother grew pale. "You can't be serious!" There was a knock and a guard enters. I pinned him to the wall. "You!" I recognize him, he's the one who had Bloom. "What did you do? Answer me now!" He was shaking. "The queen ordered us to kill the woman in the cabin a few miles from here."
"And the child!?" My child!
"We did not know there was a baby, but we had our orders." The guard's face was beginning to turn blue. "She... She was too strong. We chased her until..."
"Until what?"
"She fell off a cliff."
Nothing in my mind, nothing could have prepared me for this. "We couldn't find her or the baby." She's not dead, I know that. I would feel her die, she told me that was how the mate bond works. She had marked me, I would know. "Get your group together now!" The guard ran away. "Don't think you can order them to find her. She'll be dead before you know it." My body was shaking. "Mother, I suggest I don't see you for a while."

~

Our tears kept flowing, I could feel hia pain as he told me the story. He takes a deel breath.
"I was mad, but the only thing keeping me sane was knowing your mother was still alive and protecting you. I got a group ready to search for you." His eyes holds so much pain, his hands was shaking so I held onto it.
"I met the group that attacked the cabin, but in that moment. There in the office, I felt your mother die."