All Chapters of A Daughter’s Revenge: Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

“You must always have a connection to the earth.” My mother declares. She holds a blackberry cane in her hand. “The bramble provides protection, the berry sustenance, and when you are older, wine.” She giggles. My mother is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. The sunlight follows her, as if Helios himself uses the golden rays to highlight her beauty. Her golden hair, looking like a crown of gold, regal and elegant. Even now, on her knees in the garden, her face flecked with dirt and sweat, she is ethereal. A painting worthy of display. I hope to have even a drop of her beauty in me. “Planting is a sacred ceremony.” She says. “Yes, mama.” I squeak, my baby voice not yet gone. Before Dmitry was in my mother’s womb. Before my father was gone. Before. “Never take the creation of life for granted.” She says as she holds the crane in her hand. “We call to the Northern Spirit. To the Guardian of the soil and earth. Hear our call!”I giggle. Mama always has strange ways of sayin

Only the wealthy have space for massive libraries. The books themselves are all independently expensive of course, but the real luxury is space. Space to devote solely to storing paper. Building furniture specially and specifically designed to hold books with no other utilitarian purpose. Temples never seem to have a limitation on space. The rooms used to house the priestesses are all modest and small. All other areas are massive. Massive hallways, cavernous sanctuary, and this impressive library. A system of ladders and walkways, quiet reading nooks, study tables with lamps, and where the queen takes her tea. My gown hugs my body perfectly. The dress a simple A line with three quarter length sleeves. The soft fabric is a rich berry purple with blue undertones. Small blackberries, gooseberries, and boysenberries are embroidered along the bottom hem of the dress. Small heels are on my feet. They feel alien to me, I am used to walking on flat feet and prefer to do so. My natural gait,

“First, you need to bathe!” Monica scolds. “Where is your lady’s maid?” “I have no maid.” I say plainly. “The baths are down the corridor and I cannot move about freely. If I may go there I am happy to bathe.” I say with a shimmer of shame. Like a caged bird longing for freedom, but always reminded that her beautiful wings have been clipped. “I— I just want you to be perfect for dinner.” She stammers. Embarrassment blooming on her cheeks. “I did not realize you could not leave.” She says barely above a whisper. I look into her eyes. I see the empathy of understanding within them. I offer a small smile. “It’s okay.” I push my smile wider on my face, a small signal of reassurance. “Tell me what you have in mind for dinner this evening on the way?” I ask after a moment of silence. “Of course.” She graciously smiles. We step into the hallway. For a moment I consider running. Just to see how far I can get. I know I cannot escape my destiny. I want to run to feel my mate chase me. To g

I stare at the bauble on my finger. The stone looks like a sapphire with a golden crest on top of it. Small diamond stars sparkle in the golden crest. A wolf calling to the moon. It is easily the most beautiful thing I have ever owned, even if it is just a marker to convey ownership of me. “We will never be property.” Asteria whispers into the corners of my mind. “Not again. Not in this life.”“It doesn’t have to be the same as it was with Prince Aares.” I say softly. My body is relaxed in the tub as I stare at the ring and the way the candlelight reflects in the facets. “Princes are all the same I fear.” She says softly. “He is our mate. He would never harm us.” Theia counters. “I hope you are right.” Asteria sighs. I let myself slide into the tub, allowing my head to slip under into the warm water. I embrace the silence that the bottom of the tub brings. The soothing embrace of the water on my body. I feel a sudden chill. I emerge, seeking to add some hot water. “We always se

An untethered witch is a waste of a bloodline. The line forever marred by embracing the wilds. Broken bonds, separated from the Force. A grain of sand forever lost to the winds, a home never to be found. The Covenant of the Coven“Your duty is always first to the King.” Phoebe announces after breakfast. “Your mating and marriage do not change that obligation. The Goddess herself has made it so.”I sit at the small table where the Immaculate Mother had once shared a meal with me. It is now a small classroom to teach me to act with a greater pedigree. “We praise the Goddess for all the Gifts that She bestows upon us!” Phoebe calls.“We give our devotion to the Goddess!” I echo in refrain. Several days of morning prayers have taught me the cadence and script. “After your sealing you will be a Princess. Princess of Fives. You will never outrank a Royal of the bloodline. Your children will even be superior to you.” She says matter of factly. I never much cared for the concept of rank.