(This is a long chapter).
Aurelia sat quietly, her thoughts steadying after all she had just heard. At last, she understood how Vaelric came to Valkoron..how he had been found and claimed as Valerian's son. Yet, one question lingered in her mind.
"Who was his mother? "And what could have driven her to leave her child behind?"
"So… that's how it happened," Aurelia murmured after a long silence. "Vaelric wasn't born in Valkoron. He was found. And no one truly knows who his mother is."
Levina nodded, the faintest smile tugging at her lips. "We wondered the same thing. For years. My mother...Queen Aelira....was hesitant at first. She thought it unwise to bring in a child whose mother's bloodline was unknown. But Vaelric…" She paused, eyes softening as if seeing him before her.
"That boy changed everything. He had such light in him. Such calm. Before long, we all forgot the uncertainty. My mother loved him as her own. We all did. And I'll tell you this, Aurelia....we would protect him to our last breath."
Aurelia exhaled slowly, her heart twisting at the warmth in Levina's words. "I understand now," she said softly. "I think I always did, but hearing it… makes it real."
She hesitated, then asked quietly, "What of Daeron and his mother? How did they take the news?"
Levina leaned back, a faint shadow crossing her face. "They did nothing. My brother made it clear there was no room for dispute. He declared before the entire realm that he had a son...his blood, his heir...and once the Stormlord makes a declaration, none dare challenge it. Daeron may have resented it, since he now had another contender for the throne, but he would not dare go against Valerian again."
"I see…" Aurelia murmured, tracing the pattern on her gown.
Levina studied her in silence for a moment before continuing. "He also told us why he married you."
Aurelia's head lifted slightly, her eyes searching Levina's face. "He told you?"
"Yes," Levina admitted softly. "At first, we didn't understand it. We couldn't imagine why Vaelric would ask his father to marry you, of all people. But after seeing how the boy looks at you, how he speaks of you…" She smiled gently. "Now I do. I can see that you've already accepted him with your whole heart. You've been in Valkoron only a few days, and even I can tell."
Aurelia's lips curved faintly. "I didn't need anyone to tell me that," she said. "I'll never forget what Vaelric said to me on the night after my wedding. He came to me, eyes full of such innocence… and said, 'Don't treat me as your stepson, lady Aurelia. Treat me as your real son.'"
Her voice softened, breaking slightly. "And I intend to do just that."
Levina's smile widened, relief shimmering in her eyes. "He must have felt it too...that you would love him as his mother could not."
"I think he did," Aurelia whispered. "There's something in his eyes when he looks at me… something familiar, as though he's been waiting for me all along."
Levina nodded softly. "He's always been that way. A strange, old soul in a young heart."
Levina's eyes warmed. "He's lucky, then. Truly lucky."
Aurelia fell silent for a moment, her gaze fixed on the flames. "Even Valerian told me not to be a wife," she said finally. "He told me to be only a mother."
Levina blinked, startled. "He said that?"
Aurelia let out a small, breathless laugh..half amused, half bitter. "Yes. He told me plainly after the family dinner banquet. I wasn't to be a wife to him. Only a mother to his son."
Levina shook her head slowly, disbelief written on her face. "That… sounds like something my brother would say when he's trying to protect his pride."
"No," Aurelia said softly, "it's something he said because he doesn't love me. And I've made peace with that." She looked down at her hands, her voice trembling faintly. "He only married me because Vaelric asked him to. I'm not a woman in his eyes, Lady Levina. I'm a duty."
Levina's brows drew together in a troubled frown. "I don't know what to say. My brother can be prideful, yes, but to say such a thing..."
"It's alright," Aurelia interrupted gently, though her smile was brittle. "I'm cursed, remember? Deformed. A mockery of beauty. What man would ever look at me and see anything else?" She looked up, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "Not to love, not to touch. I've accepted that."
Her fingers clenched against her skirt, knuckles pale. "That's why Lord Neris broke off his engagement to me. He couldn't bear the thought of marrying someone like me, he'd find it hard to be intimate with me. And no one wants a cursed bride in his home."
Levina's breath caught. "Aurelia…"
"Don't pity me," Aurelia said quickly, though her voice trembled. "I've lived with it for seven years of my life. The whispers, the stares, the way men's eyes turn away as if my face offends the gods. I've learned to endure it."
Levina rose quietly, moving closer until she was beside her. She reached out, placing a gentle hand over Aurelia's. "You're stronger than you think," she said softly. "And don't speak of yourself that way.
She took her hand, her grip warm and steady. "Aurelia," she said softly, "you are not broken. Whatever curse you think binds you...it doesn't define you. And if Valerian cannot see that, then perhaps it's his blindness that should be pitied."
Aurelia's throat tightened. "You're kind to say that."
"I'm honest," Levina replied gently. "My brother can be a proud fool, but I know him well. He's not heartless, no matter how cold he tries to seem. If he told you not to be his wife, perhaps it's because he fears he's unworthy of one."
Aurelia looked at her, startled. "Unworthy?"
Levina nodded. "Yes. He's carried more guilt than you can imagine. He's seen blood, death, betrayal. He's lost people he loved. Perhaps he's forgotten how to love at all. But that doesn't mean he cannot learn again. And besides maybe he's too blind"
Aurelia gave a faint laugh, brittle and tired. "Perhaps it's because I'm too plain for his eyes."
Levina shook her head. "No. It's because he's too blind to understand what love looks like when it's quiet."
For a long while, they sat like that...two women, bound not by blood but by shared burdens. The fire crackled softly, the night stretching around them like a warm cocoon.
Aurelia finally whispered, "Sometimes, when I see Valerian with Vaelric, I can't help but envy the bond they share. He smiles at his son. He softens. I wonder if he'll ever look at me the same way."
Levina's thumb brushed gently over her knuckles. "Give it time. My brother has always built walls around his heart. But walls crumble, Aurelia, when someone patient enough keeps knocking."
Aurelia looked up, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. "You think so?"
"I know so," Levina said with certainty. "And something tells me that one day, he'll regret every word he's ever said to you in coldness."
Aurelia smiled faintly, though her voice trembled. "You're kinder lady Levina."
"I'm only being honest," Levina replied with a small laugh. "And besides, I like you far too much already to let him break you. Then one day," Levina said, squeezing her hand, "you may find you've made your mark in Valerian's heart...without even trying."
Aurelia gave a weak laugh. "That sounds like something out of a fairytale."
Levina chuckled softly. "Perhaps. But fairytales exist for a reason. They remind us that even storms can clear, and that hearts, no matter how scarred, can still be healed."
Aurelia smiled, the first genuine one of the evening. "You speak like a poet, Lady Levina."
Levina's eyes glimmered with amusement. "Perhaps I was one in another life."
They both laughed quietly, the tension easing into warmth. Outside, the wind howled faintly, echoing against the mountains of Valkoron. In that quiet chamber, however, warmth lingered...fragile, but real.
After a while, Aurelia's voice grew soft again. "You know… when Vaelric called me 'Mother' for the first time, I thought my heart would burst. I never thought I'd have that. I never thought anyone would look at me with such love."
Levina smiled, her gaze tender. "Then hold onto that, Aurelia. That boy chose you. He saw something in you none of us could name. And I believe my brother will, too, someday."
Aurelia looked toward the fire, her eyes reflecting the light. "Maybe," she said quietly. "But even if he doesn't, I'll still have Vaelric. And that's enough."
Levina, placing a gentle hand on Aurelia's shoulder. "You deserve more than enough," she whispered. "And something tells me… one day, my brother will regret every careless word he ever spoke to you."
Aurelia looked up at her, a faint smile touching her lips. "You really think so?"
"I do," Levina said, her tone soft but certain. "Because even storms must one day bow before the light."
Aurelia whispered, "Thank you, Lady Levina. For listening. For seeing me."
Levina squeezed her hand gently. "We women must see each other, Aurelia. Especially in a world that too often chooses not to."
Levina smiled. "You're part of this family now, Aurelia. And no matter what my brother says..or doesn't say..that won't change."
Aurelia's eyes shimmered, but this time with gratitude, not sorrow. "Then perhaps… perhaps Valkoron doesn't feel so cold after all."
Levina chuckled softly. "That's because you've brought your own warmth to it."
Aurelia let out a shaky breath, her shoulders relaxing for the first time that night.