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Chapter 35: Theia
Last Updated:
2024-06-13 21:23:35
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A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 36: Reverend Mother
I felt the tingling first. My whole body was on pins and needles. Then came the pain. I understand why descriptions are in riddles or euphemisms, there are not words to describe the feeling. Yes, there is absolutely pain. It is more than that though. The pain is almost disorienting, as your body shifts into a wolf. Then you are a wolf. I am a wolf!The freedom I feel is indescribable. I take a step. The cold stone floor presses against the pads of my feet. It doesn’t feel as cold as it did with my bare human feet. I look up to the sky searching for the moon. I howl. A long sorrowful howl. Like I’m calling for someone or something far away from me. “What was that?” I ask not sure what it all means. “That’s a story for another time.” Theia says flatly. “When will all these stories be told?” “When we are alone. Safe. We are not safe to speak freely here.” She warns. I do not respond. I hear soft steps from the hallway. A priestess peers in through the window of the door. She ga
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The sun's first rays are illuminating the road as I step out of the temple. Acolytes, priestesses, worshippers, and volunteers are starting to shuffle around for morning prayers and chores. Theia and I are silent as a walk through the temple grounds towards the outer gates. I’m exhausted. It is taking all my focus just to put one foot in front of the other. “Do we always walk so slow and awkwardly?” Theia grumbles. “Do you want to be the one to walk?” I ask in a sharp tone. She sighs deeply. We both know I do not have the energy or strength to shift. Silence. “Tell me one of your stories then. I walk, you talk.” I say breaking the silence. Nothing. I reach the edge of the estate. I don’t really want to answer questions or work right now. I walk into the fields towards my garden. I might get lucky and find some ripe tomatoes or berries still on vines. I run my fingers through the fragrant herbs, making the pungent smells waft toward me. I will miss this place. These lands. My
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“Do you plan to tell it or is it not story time again?” I ask. “It seems there are many stories to tell. I’m not sure which you would like to hear first.”“When there’s so much I don’t know, I’m not sure where you should start.” I say honestly.Theia sighs. I embrace the silence between us. On a cellular level we are connected. It’s intimate but also invasive. It’s comforting to always feel someone with you, but also terrifying and claustrophobic. “There are many planes to exist upon.” She begins, thoughtfully. “These planes can exist with or without your knowledge, and are in most cases self-contained.”She pauses before continuing, “The Gods and Goddesses are not bound to a singular plane. They can move and influence different planes of existence. This is the terrestrial plane of your birth.”I can see the fields of the estate in my mind. The wheat grasses bending with the wind, as if ghosts delicately danced upon them, in an invisible ball upon the fields. I could smell the deep
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“Goddess help me!” Agatha cries. “I’m not sure why I have to travel with the Luna so close to my ceremony or why my dress has to be packed away, but that is where I find myself.” I explain. “Two weeks of construction and alterations reduced to only one, plus having to find room on the carriage with all the Luna likes to pack!” Agatha rages on. “She could take Mari with her like she always does when she travels!”“Mari came from those markets. I would never put her in a position to have to go back to them.” I aggressively whisper to Agatha. Agatha takes a breath and considers my point. “Well you don’t always have to be the martyr.” She concludes. “Who should take my place? At least if I’m the one to go, you and Mari will be here for Dmitry. I cannot leave without someone watching out for him!” I plead. “And your wolf? Does she have the strength to protect you out there alone with the Luna?” Agatha challenges. I feel the red hot flare of Theia’s temper. Rage. All I feel is rage.
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“What was that about!” I ask Theia sharply once I have left Agatha’s quarters. “I will not have my strength questioned like that.” She retorts. “What an ego!” I chide. “It’s not an ego if it is fact!” She growls. “I don’t have many friends. Don’t go alienating the few I DO have!” I growl back with equal ferocity. I can feel the tension and anger between us. I take some calming breaths. “Try and be nice to Mari, or just don’t say anything.” I warn. “I can only bite my tongue for so long before it begins to bleed.” Theia retorts. “She literally said one thing. Asked one question. She asked out of love and worry for me. You barely bit your tongue at all!” I correct. “I will not be questioned by an Omega!” Theia thunders. “Newsflash! I am basically a slave. My friends are slaves and omegas. So you better get used to it.” I reply tersely. “We are not an omega and we are not destined to be a slave.” “Tell me, what is my destiny? Am I powerless to change the course? If so, why do
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“We will be together again soon. I promise.” I say to Dmitry, not only to convince him but also myself. “I don’t understand why you have to be away for so long!” He sobbed. We haven’t been apart for longer than a few days since the day he was born. I pull him into my arms and hug him firmly. I rub his back in small circles and I feel his body slowly relax and melt into my embrace. “Nothing will keep me from you. I will move mountains if I have to.” I mean every single word. A promise to him. A promise to myself. “I know.” He whispers so quietly I can barely register it. “I will be going to Kingdom of the Moon with the Luna, then I will travel to the Moon Ceremony. Tell me, what should I know about it? Any animals or birds I should look out for?” It calms Dmitry to talk about facts and science. “Let me go get my map, so we can look at the path of your journey!” He suggests. “Yes, please!” I call to him, as he races to his little library of books. He stretches the map across a s
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I have to pack thoughtfully. We are only taking a single carriage and the Luna’s elaborate wardrobe took up a lot of the space. What her belongings did not take had to be shared between myself and the two carriage drivers. Alpha Warriors accompanied us on horseback, packing their belongings on their own horse. Occasionally, one would request that the Luna haul a box or two on the carriage. “The Luna is not a terrible traveling companion.” Mari muses. “She prefers a quiet journey. When Horus travels along it can be difficult, he’s rambunctious.” She confides. “Rambunctious seems too kind of a word to describe him.” I snark. “You needn’t worry. He will not be traveling with you.” She says. “Oh? I just assumed he would be joining.” I say. I had assumed that Horus would be joining. I was pleasantly surprised to hear he would not. “He is needed to help prepare for the hunt with the Alpha.”“I had forgotten about the hunt.” I say more to myself than Mari. The hunt takes place in the d
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A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 159: Image
“This.” I say as my fingers trace along the filigree. “This is magnificent.” I am in awe of the beauty of it. Diamonds all perfectly matched set in gold. Small crescent moons hide in the filigree, only clear with the moonstones set inside them. The crests of each pack of the realm are hidden and set with diamonds. I would have missed the detail had I not immediately recognized the crest on my own homeland. Perhaps that is the test of the Queen. Do I pick one of the pieces that more heavily represent Harvest Moon? Or perhaps my statement is gaudy wealth, I am sure many will expect that. When you claw yourselves out of the bowels, you tend to display your material achievements like a soldier’s medals. This one though, it tastefully pays homage to each pack of the realm. I am to be Princess of Fives, it is only right to represent all of them. “Take off the gown so that I can attach the sleeve, m’lady.” Monica orders, her attention focused on the work. I dutifully comply, standing
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I look at the sparkling treasure before me. The amount of wealth is astonishing. Just one emerald and some diamond pins cost my mother bushels of food. I trace my finger along the delicate chain at my wrist. This bracelet as well. These jewels laid out before me like a pirate’s treasure, they make my mother’s jewels seem modest and trivial. The weight of the gold and platinum alone is an astonishing show of wealth. The lands of the realm are rich in resources, all part of the royal horde. “We can get you a different bracelet.” Monica offers, noticing my finger running along the golden thread. “No.” I say instantly, refraining from blurting out any explanation. “Very well, m’lady. Are you drawn to anything in particular?” I look into the mirror at my reflection. I am not sure I recognize myself. A witch. A wolf. An Alpha’s daughter. The girl from the kitchens. The slave of Harvest Moon. A bride. This is my metamorphosis. I am being reborn into the Kingdom of the Moon. Princess of
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The dress. “It is an homage to your homeland!” Monica says dramatically, her hands stretched outward to sell me on the gown. “Homage?” I say studying my reflection in the mirror. “Yes, it’s when you show honor or reverence—”“I’m aware of the definition.” I interrupt. We stand in silence. I stare at the reflection before me. I feel like a ball of silk and ribbon. My small frame is completely swallowed in expensive fabric. I’m not sure if I am wearing the gown or if it’s wearing me. “Are there any other options, perhaps something less…” I struggle to find a kind word. “Less?”“Of course.” She frowns at my rejection. “This is beautiful.” I say. “It is just too overwhelming for me.”Monica cracks a soft smile. “Of course. We have a whole tour to build your unique style. I will push, you will reign me in.”“Deal.”“I do have a lovely column gown.” She mutters as she shuffles through her rack of gowns, some finished, some still a work in progress. The silk looks as if it was poured
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 156: Cold Feet
“I hope you are right, Theia. I can’t help but feel uneasy when the majority of dreams I have are directly related to the violence of the monarchy.” Asteria sighs softly. “Violence I endured. Even worse, the violence I witnessed.”“That does not have to be our life. Not every Prince is evil.” Theia offers. “He did not choose his birth.” I offer, considering myself as well. “Witch and werewolf, that match is not accepted. I didn’t choose my birth either, so I struggle to damn someone on that fact alone.”“Ceres, do not lie to yourself. Even you know that the very foundation of the monarchy is dependent upon the suffering of people. Slavery. War. Famine. All necessary for the monarchy to survive.” Asteria declares like a professor from the lectern. “And somehow I am the savior of the world? I’m going to eliminate slavery and suffering? Get a grip, Asteria!”“No, no I am not delusional.”“You sound a bit delusional.” Theia quips. “We will not lead the masses away from systematic abuse
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 155: Words Have Meaning
Some oaths cannot be broken. The thought tumbles in my mind. “It is true. The consequences can be dire when breaking a promise. An oath is sworn with your life.” Theia warns. “A witch is nothing without her word. Our whole existence is built upon the truth that words are powerful and have meaning. A covenant is an agreement, but an oath is a solemn promise. Breaking an oath is not a simple undertaking. The consequences of such actions can be catastrophic and change who you are entirely. To break an oath is a choice of darkness. Embracing the worst that this world has to give.” Asteria chimes in. “Last night, for me, was filled with dreams and nightmares. They don’t even all make sense to me at this point. A mix of my memories, and what I assume the two of you were seeing.” I say. I made an oath to the King, but I would break it in a heartbeat if I thought I could do it and continue to keep my head. Are oaths really oaths if you are under duress? Or is that simply fealty, a forced
