39. Lullaby

Brooke listened and her heart ached for the the happy times with her mother, but her mother's grave responsibility couldn't be hindered by family.

“How did he claim my throne then?” Meredith asked. The power was real; she felt its intense pressure, an ancient power that her father sought. Was he really her father? She wondered. This information had her heart beating differently, hotly in her chest. She felt shame for him, shame that he was her father. What would her people think? What would her mother had thought? Did she even know? Did anyone know? Did they not tell her? If so, why? She had always been honest with them, with everyone. What next, what more of this irony was there? What more did she not know?

             “Probably married the princess as she was to be wed. I wouldn’t be surprised to discover he murdered the king and queen, seizing the country before you were born.” Rain shrugged as she drank from the cup. Those ideas didn’t appeal to her and made her face shrivel in disgust. It would have been nice to find out he at least entered the royal family honorably, but no part of him was good. What did that say for her, who’d tried to be o-so kind? “I don’t know for sure.” Brooke placed a hand on her shoulder and Meredith glanced at her, and then returned to looking at the ground. “I just know he followed me.”

            “When I was in that prison, the interrogator kept asking me for you-”

            Rain’s eyes wavered in sorrow and her voice lowered. “They must have assumed I’d told my family who I was which would have been the most responsible thing to do, but…” Her gaze turned away from Brooke. “I didn’t want to disrupt your lives and have you guys run with me. I wanted you to enjoy your normal life, Brooklyn.”

            Brooke’s hatred for her mother dissipated and became awe. Her mother left to protect her. Her question was finally answered, but it opened a new set of questions. Once her mother dies, she will bear the responsibility of guarding the Celestial Command. What did this mean for her? Did that mean one day Victor will pursue her? “Do we go home?” Meredith asked.

            Rain set her lips on the cup and thought. “Well, you two are in a bit of an awkward situation, aren’t you?” she said. “If you go home, Meredith, befriending my daughter and now knowing she did not murder your sister will tell Victor to release her and he will be thrown into suspicion, which puts you both at risk. He doesn’t like it when anyone knows this much about him.” She drank some more. “Brooke could not return home-”

            Brooke punched the ground, thinking about her father now in Victor’s hands. She gave Meredith and her mother a hard glare. “Absolutely not. That b*****d has my father for no good damn reason. I won’t stand for this.”

            “And what would you do, huh, barge in there demanding the father of a murderer of the kingdom’s youngest princess from a king armed with forces and a sword?”

            Brooke gave her a dramatic look of betrayal. “I didn’t.”

            “I am speaking from a universal view, sweetie.” The endeared word sounded funny to Brooke’s ears, old, ancient, forgotten. “How about we sleep on it, no?”

            “Yes, a bright day might refresh my mind as well,” agreed Meredith.

            Rain finished the last of her tea. “There is a spare room next to the anymalis.”

            “What about Ross?” Meredith asked.

            Rain smirked and Meredith blushed. She had not meant it that way. “He has his own room.” Meredith nodded and went off to bed, apparently knowing where she was going. “Come, dear daughter,” her mother beckoned her and she obeyed by following her mother down to a small room with one window, its pane raining streaks of silver. A piano sat in the middle, darker than the night, shinier than the polished wooden floor. Brooke didn’t see any kind of light switch. Rain pointed to a fit bed in front of the piano. “Allow me to rekindle a memory.” Rain sat at the piano and a lullaby played. Brooke’s heart remembered it, but her mind did not recognize it. She went over to the bed and lay on it. The melody weighed its beauty against Brooke’s eyelids and her body relaxed, her mind at complete ease. She closed her eyes for a minute before she heard her mother’s chuckling intervene. “On the nights you could not sleep, I played this for you.”

            “On Gloria,” Brooke finished and suddenly she missed Gloria. She used to stand in its shadow and listen to her mother serenade her father. Dad wasn’t good with music. A business tycoon, Mom had called him one time. Her music was what made Dad fall utterly in love with her. It was hard to think about them together now- the romance they shared. It was so old and Dad worked so hard to forget about it. Brooke will never forget how happy they all were at one time. “Mom?” The word felt strange coming out of her mouth.

            “Hmmm?” she asked, but continued playing. “What is it, Brooke?”

            “Do you still love Dad?” She felt as if she were five years old watching them argue, asking the same question.

            “Of course,” she said quickly. The melody seemed to sadden. “I love Benjamin and always will. He stole my heart after all, and my heart is like the Serphnx Jewel in the pyramids of Catalroph, set with booby traps and dead ends.” She chuckled. “If anything, I broke the rules when I fell for Ben because with such a tremendous amount of power, I must be on guard at all times. I wonder sometimes, how the hell a nerdy businessman managed to break my guard so easily.”

            Brooke wished they could meet one another again. Rain could move back. Rain could kick Mary and her horrible daughters out of their house. It was foolish. Brooke understood that Rain had a responsibility that could not be hindered by family. Knowing, however, that her mother had not changed made Brooke relieved. “Mom, when did you pick up sword fighting?’

            “Well, I was already knowledgeable with swords due to my priesthood.”

            “I thought priests use bow and arrows?”

            “Bow and arrows are for elves and they’re boring.” Brooke chuckled. “I remember when I entered priesthood, the council tried to stick me with a bow and arrow, and my father didn’t approve. I was the first to object of course. My dad taught me and passed his love of weapons to me. When I arrived in Alagracia, Rogue helped me more.” Brooke missed Rogue at the mentioning. “I see you’ve inherited my love?”

            “Yep.”

            “Rogue was good, huh?”

            “The best.”

            “How is his grandson?” Brooke was surprised to find out she knew about him.

            “Good.”

            “Rogue brags about that boy to anyone who’ll listen. You two met once I believe it was during a festival.” Brooke didn’t remember. It was too long ago, and as much as she didn’t want to admit it some things, Brooke chose to forget about too, just for the benefit of relief. The good times made Brooke sad. She’d end up talking about them and Dad would become moody. She kept them to herself until they became too painful to remember. Brooke told her mother about Shawn and her night with him.

            Rain gasped and then saddened. “I can’t believe I’ll miss a wedding one day,” she teased.

            Brooke blushed. “Mom!” she exclaimed. She blew a breath and shook her head against the mattress. “He probably forgot about me already anyways.” The room turned somber.

            “Nah, I doubt it,” Rain said with confidence.

            “How do you know Ross by the way?” Brooke asked to change the subject.

            “Him, oh, a runaway kid I took in, but I told him he’d have to leave once I leave. Stuck with me until then.”

            Brooke decided that was enough of questions and fell asleep to the peaceful lullaby. 

Author's Note

Dear Reader,

This chapter is meant to rekindle the bond Brooke had with her mother and answer a few questions that you may have had. Actually, Victor is not a king, but a collector. You will know about that some time later.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely JazzSoulKeke,

God bless