Wow guys its been two months, sorry for the totally late update and the crazy short chapter!
Chapter Eight
Dauphine slowly opened her eyes. Her head was throbbing and her vision was blurry. "Mom?" she saw a shadow move closer to her, rubbing her eyes she started to focus, seeing her Mother's face. "What happened? Where am I?"
Andrea sat down on the bed next to her daughter. "Oh, honey, just relax okay. You fainted after you almost drowned!"
Dauphine frowned, trying to sit up. "Drowned? What do you mean? The last thing I remember was seeing Pete at the beach." She leaned back against the pillows trying to think. She tried hard but after she saw Pete and turned to the ocean it all went black. Her mother brushed some of her blonde hair out of her face. "Don't force your memory, my dear. Just relax and it will come back on its own."
Dauphine nodded her head. "Okay. But can't you...um...bring my memory back with magic?" she looked around her, she was in her room, except it looked different, her flowers were dead. She gasped, throwing the covers off of her, not even giving her mother time to answer.
"Dauphine, what are you doing! You need to rest," her Mothers protests fell on death ears.
She moved to the window where she had planted that first flower and made it grow. Now they were all black like they were rotten. She touched her finger to one of the petals, expecting it to fall off and crumble. But it didn't, instead it glowed a dark green where her finger had made contact, the glow disappearing immediately when she removed her finger.
She turned, wide-eyed, towards her mother.
"Mom?" Dauphine moved back to her bed, taking a seat next to her mother. "Do you know about my magic?"
Andrea looked at her daughter. When Dauphine had been born she was in a frenzy of worry. She knew that her son would be fine, males in her family absolutely didn't carry the gene, but Dauphine had a sure chance of being a traveler. Just like Andrea's mother and just like Andrea and her sister too. And when Dauphine had run up to her in the field near their home talking about how she thought she might be magic, Andrea had almost died with anxiety. She had been a bit too mean, waving her daughters gift as if it were normal. And she had been feeling guilty ever since.
Now Dauphine was looking at her, a pleading look in her beautiful brown eyes. She sighed. "Yes, my dear." She stroked her daughter's hair, continuing. "I'm sorry I never told you. I was afraid. Magic isn't all good. There are some travelers that are evil, "Andrea got up and walked to the dead flowers, touching a black leaf."So evil they bring death wherever they go."
Dauphine shook her head, "But I'm not evil!"
Her mother giggled. "Of course not! You could never be like that! But you have to understand! You can't use your magic so freely, people will..."
Dauphine frowned, suddenly remembering all the times her Mother had shot her down. Had told her that her gift was normal. She felt mad and betrayed. "This is who I am, Mother! You can't change me; my magic is who I am! You wouldn't understand! You obviously don't have any!" Dauphine felt a sharp pain as the words left her mouth, but she also felt relieved that she had spoken her mind. Andrea only smiled at her daughter. Turning towards the dead plants she reached out her hand and with one single touch, the flowerpot glowed. Slowly the flowers came back to life as Andrea watched her daughters eyes widen. "I do understand. I also understand that having magic scare normal people, so much that they try to...kill us."
Dauphine gasped, tears starting to form. Without another word, she flung herself into her mother's arms, crying and laughing. "Mom! I'm so sorry! I'll listen, I will. I didn't mean anything I said!"
Andrea stroked her child's hair softly humming. "Don't worry, Dauphine. You couldn't have known. I kept it to myself all these years because I was afraid. Because of what happened to my mother. I didn't want the same thing to happen to you!"
Dauphine moved away from her mother a sad smile on her face. "Grandma? You never talk about her."
Andrea nodded, leading Dauphine back to her bed and tucking her in. "I guess now is a good time." Dauphine snuggled in. "I was still young, only sixteen when it happened. Lilith was twenty, already a woman and pregnant as well. It had been a scandal, drawing unwanted attention to our family. My mother had wanted to know the name of the father, and your aunt simply didn't know."
Dauphine's eyes were wide as she gasped. Nobody talked about Pete's father and now she knew why. Nobody really knew who he was. Her mother continued and she listened intensely as she revealed the lost family history.
"My mother set off to the forest, this very forest," she pointed out the window and Dauphine followed her finger. Her longing to enter the forest suddenly flamed inside her.
"So our family have always lived in the house aunt Lilith lives in now?"
Andrea nodded. "My mother had wanted to raise us in a steady environment. Even though travelers like us almost never stay in one place too long. So she went into the forest to perform a spell that would draw the father out, only she was interrupted. Some of the nearby villagers had followed her without her knowing."
Andrea took a deep breath. "They took her; first she was thrown into the dungeons at Sanko. After about two days, they finally brought her out. Lilith and I were gathered in the square. There the King had her hung and burned for witchcraft."
Dauphine lowered her head, taking her mother's hand in hers. "I'm so sorry Mom."
Andrea smiled getting up from the bed. "Its okay my dear. Everything happens for a reason. It was in that very square that I met your father and just a month after that we were married and I was expecting your brother."
She bent down and kissed Dauphine on her forehead. "Now rest, and get better."
Once the door closed behind her Dauphine jumped out of bed and made her way to the window. Her flowers were absolutely glowing with life. She smiled touching one. Beautiful. She sighed looking out into the forest.
Suddenly she couldn't wait anymore. She needed to go inside. Even if it was on her own.
She crept silently out of her room, trying to be as quiet as she could she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen.
To her delight it was empty. She moved for the door that would lead her outside. But before she could open it a voice called from behind her.
"Dauphine?" it was Pete, "what are you doing? Aren't you suppose to be resting?" he was eating an apple while he spoke. Dauphine shook her head.
It was just her luck that he would catch her, but then she realized, she could ask him about what had happened at the beach. He was there!
"Pete! I was looking for you." She lied smoothly. "I wanted to know about what happened to me! I can't remember anything."
Pete frowned. "I don't really know, it was like you were possessed. You really had us worried, running into the ocean like a wild woman screaming about saving someone that wasn't even real. Kale had to drag you out kicking and screaming."
Dauphine's mouth dropped. What happened? This was so strange. She tried to force herself to remember, but all she could see was dark hair between the waves and dark eyes pleading for help. Was there someone in the ocean? Was it a spell? Who would want to bewitch her?
She took a deep breath. "Oh, thanks but I don't remember anything." She turned to leave, but Pete stopped her again.
"Dauphine? Did Kale get a chance to talk to you?" she shook her head and he continued. "Maybe you should just try and forget about him. I don't want you to get hurt."
Dauphine frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"He...he just...oh forget it. I just don't want him to hurt you!"
Dauphine shook her head and turned, opening the door. She stepped outside breathing in the fresh air. She could hear Pete following her. "Where are you going?"
She ignored him, trying to move faster, trying to get him to leave her, but he easily kept pace with her.
She stood at the edge of the forest, Pete babbling on, but she didn't listen. Without a word, she went inside, deeper and deeper. When she couldn't see the castle anymore she stopped.
"Magnificent."