Let Go Of The Truth

They were both overwhelmed, that much was completely obvious. He struggled to speak, she struggled to respond. It was a huge realization for them both so he was patient as she tried to find the words. He was a little relieved when she admitted that she didn't blame him for what happened and for the fact that he hadn't been in her life, even though he almost felt like her ridicule would have been justified. He was even more relieved when she said that she wanted to join him to go to The Hallows. He knew that if she had refused he only would have continued to worry about her and wonder if she was okay wherever she was in the world. Her existence was a shock that he wasn't sure he fully grasped just yet, but that didn't change the fact that she was his daughter and he would worry about her the same way he worried about any of his other children.

When she told him that she had been alone since she was six months old disbelief and shock crossed his face as his blood began to boil. Bella had just... left her alone? That young? He tried to calm himself, reminding himself that there were plenty of reasons why she might have been alone for that long that wouldn't have been Bella's fault at all. Maybe they were separated by something and Serenity had gotten lost, maybe something had happened to Bella and Serenity was alone because Bella passed away. There was a whole slew of reasons, but his mind immediately jumped to the assumption that Bella had abandoned her daughter. Their daughter. Aranea all but murdered their children. Azariah had disappeared into the night with Everlyse, abandoning their family. And now this... He felt like he was constantly picking up the pieces that others left behind for him, clutching them close and trying to fix the cracks that they caused.

"You won't be alone any more," he assured her, pushing his own disappointment and anger to the back of his mind so that he could focus on this girl that deserved all of the love he had never gotten to give her. "Come on, lets get you back to the castle... I'll get you a good meal and show you around. Maybe you can tell me more once you've settled in." If she never wanted to tell him what happened then that would be fine with him, he wasn't going to push her for it. As long as he knew she was safe and had a home then he could be content. He started leading her back the way he came, glancing at the markings on her legs one more time before he focused on the path ahead of them.

Ulric Adravendi