Bridges can be mended

Plague held her tightly, allowing her emotions to run over. Though her regrets about her children were not the only thing that spilled over. All of her regrets, all of the paths that she should have chosen, and she was right here right now. Ostracized from most of her offspring, alone after being given a tiny taste of her heart’s deepest desire, and guilty for everything she could have done better. Her son tried to tell her differently, that everyone shared the blame and the mistakes. She shook her head but didn’t argue as he pulled back slightly so he could help dry her tears.

He was a man now, in his prime, everything she hoped that he would become. He had much to tell her as well, and Deathbelle easily made herself comfortable in his embrace as he spoke about what was happening in their family that she had been blind to. She had heard that Ashen celebrated a wedding, but she hadn’t heard Plague chose a man to share his life with. Deathbelle was the last wolf to judge anyone on their choice of partner, so she grinned in echo of his own happiness because that was what truly mattered to her. His happiness, and if he found that in Void she would support that decision to the very end.

”Congratulations,” the once empress offered softly. ”On both fronts!” She gasped quietly, surprised he would follow up his choice in partner with the fact they were expecting. His own joy was obvious in the way he grinned as he told her, and Deathbelle couldn’t have thought of much better news than this. Somehow he did as he asked her to be a part of their lives. Deathbelle cried again, but as Plague spoke to her she could feel him returning her sense of self. She had been empty and devoid of hope for so long… The warmth of it as Plague offered nearly burned her.

”I’d be honored…” She offered breathlessly but they had much more to discuss than his personal life. He went on to mention his brother. Chimera and Siren felt even further removed than Plague and Venom. She didn’t deserve to even know how they were with how she treated them. Another dark cloud over her past and regret that continued to haunt her. Chimera too. He suffered loss as he brought children into the world.

Mismatched ears fell to Deathbelle’s skull at the news, she felt her heart clench like it hadn’t in a long time. Her emotions swung like a pendulum back and first in the span of minutes. ”Chimera… I... Losing a child…” She choked up, remembering exactly how she felt when she thought Fortune dead. What could she do for Chimera though? The broken woman who couldn’t even call herself his mother anymore? Belle shook her head and lowered it in a moment of silence as her mind reeled.