Chapter 21: Memories

"A child born with the royal seal, born under the red moon. Eyes of violet, will bring forth the end of the light."

An excruciating beeping interrupted the quiet yet melodious voice that echoed in Astrid's dreams.

The morning sun shone through the gap in her bedroom curtains and highlighted the dancing specks of dust that floated by the window.

"What is that?" True's voice groaned by her side. She stretched and switched her alarm off.

"Have you not experienced an alarm clock yet?" Astrid giggled at True's scrunched up morning face.

"I have not, James did not have such a torture device in his home," True declared whilst giving an unimpressed glare at the small device that sat on Astrid's bedside table.

"Well, I don't have Naomi here to wake me." Astrid shrugged with an amused smile.

"I didn't much care for her waking me either!" True's words strained through a yawn and a stretch.

"Well you haven't changed at all, have you?"

It was within seconds of those words leaving Astrid's mouth that they got replaced by True's lips in a deep kiss. The hand that was not holding his lazy body up from the mattress made its way across Astrid's front and squeezed the top of her thigh. Electricity spiked her at his touch, making her pull him closer. She kissed him hungrily, in the nook of his neck. He then took over and made his way across her cheek, nibbled at her ear. Then left a trail of kisses down towards her chest.

"No," Astrid started to answer her own question. "You definitely have not changed!"

She glanced at the time and wished that she hadn't. There was practically no time for her to get ready for work.

"I have to get up," she groaned as he carried on serving her. "True, my love, I need to get up," she repeated, as she realised that he was paying no heed to her words.

Trying to get this man out of bed was close to impossible! She found it so strange that she could remember this about him, as well as so many other things, after eight years of not knowing who he or indeed she was before that day in the forest.

"Come on, True, I'll be late for work and Amber will also be late," she said as she pushed him off of her.

"What am I going to do whilst you're at work?"

"That's up to you, my dear," Astrid said as she grabbed her towel and clothes and made her way to the bathroom.

True managed to throw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up after rubbing his hands down his tired face. He pulled on his trousers, so to make himself presentable enough to venture into the kitchen. The last thing he wanted to do was traumatise his estranged, tween daughter.

A deep sadness pinched at his thoughts as they began to explore the lost years of bonding between him and Amber. When she looked at him her eyes no longer twinkled with happiness, instead a look of bewildered wonder sat on her face and this weighed down upon his heart.

"Good morning, True," Amber said with a friendly smile as she watched True study the kettle. She left him to struggle for a short time and decided to put him out of his misery.

"Are there no kettles in Natanstrelle?"

"No, I can't say there is," True said with a quick glance over his shoulder, "How do you? Erm..."

Amber could not stop the laugh that fought its way out of her as she came to his aid. She filled it at the sink, replaced it on its stand and pointed her finger at its "on" switch.

"Flick that switch and it'll begin to boil the water," she instructed the man that hovered over her shoulder, then moved out of his way.

True turned the kettle on with a quizzical look on his brow.

"And that's all it takes," Amber said with a shrug. "It'll turn itself off when the water is hot enough."

"Ingenious!" True exclaimed and gave Amber a satisfied grin.

Something made him hesitate in that moment. His eyes got lost on his daughter's face, his smile dissolved into a look of despair. Haunted by the past and the loneliness he had to endure since the dreadful day that his family was torn from him.

Although he knew his little girl was all grown up, he couldn't help but see his gorgeous red-haired toddler look back at him. Those beautiful blue eyes reminded him of all those years he lived alone in Natanstrelle; yearning to be close to his girl again. That yearning caused his heart to ache so much that he very often thought it would paralyse him.

"True?" Amber's voice echoed in his mind. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head and forced himself back to the present.

"Kettles. What a world!" he said in an attempt to banish his sadness.

"Indeed..." Amber said, giving him a confused side glance as she reached for a clean mug on the draining board. "Tea and coffee is in that cupboard there and milk is in the fridge - the white cupboard type thing over there," she continued whilst pointing in the various directions in the kitchen. "I'll leave you to it."

She then left the kitchen and began to pack the things she needed that day in her school bag.

A small woman with large, olive green eyes and waist-length, brown hair stood on the doorstep of Slànacus house.

"I am so glad that you agreed to have me around!" the woman's quiet yet melodious voice said with great gratitude.

"How could I not? I mean, you are my neighbour now after all. Luchinda is it?" Astrid replied with a smile.

"That's right! Luchinda Fiosolim."

Astrid nodded her head, then led her inside, to the living room.

"Did you enjoy the ceremony last week?" she asked, to break the silence.

"I certainly did, you were so beautiful," Luchinda gushed. "But, forgive me, this is not just a social call."

"Oh?" Astrid sat down and silently invited Luchinda to do likewise.

"I'm terribly sorry to be so forward, but my dear, I know who you are and I know who you are to me," Luchinda's voice shook as she spoke. She perched on the edge of the leather sofa and focused her gaze on her fidgeting fingers.

"To you? What do you mean?"

"My dear, you are my niece!" Luchinda announced with a shy smile.

"Your niece?" An involuntary gust of air left Astrid's chest in a sudden sigh as she contemplated this information. "So, you're Jameh-Lius' sister?"

"I am," Luchinda affirmed. "And, as such, I feel duty bound to help you, dear."

"Help me?"

"Yes, I've seen what may become of you and I must help you prepare for the events that the smoke has informed me of!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't understand..."

Astrid couldn't look away from her Aunt's face, it was as if her large, puppy dog eyes had her captive.

"My dear, please. I am not permitted to tell you any further detail. But I have found a way around the rules of my family trade to help you!"

Astrid could not bring herself to argue. Luchinda was so intense! Even though she was timid like a mouse and head and shoulders shorter than her niece, she managed to speak with such powerful authority.

"Alright. What must I do?" Astrid didn't know what else to say.

"You must learn to paint, my dear."

"Paint?"

"Yes paint. Only through art will you be able to overcome the obstacle in which you must face."

Astrid blinked her eyes and the sight of her art students staring at her made her start.

"Oh, I am sorry, I was miles away there!" Astrid rushed to compose herself. "Now, what was I saying?"

One student at the front of the class - Lucy Brown, raised her hand before answering. "You were saying that we will be doing watercolours today then you stopped when you picked up that brush." She pointed at the paintbrush that Astrid forgot she was holding in her right hand.

"Oh yes, of course! Thank you, Lucy," she said with an awkward tremor in her voice, then carried on with her lesson.

Similar moments repeated at various times of the day. Memories that seemed long lost fought for her attention and she longed for the end of the school day. She wanted to escape the confused looks of the teenagers that witnessed, what seemed to be, her having a mental breakdown.

Finally, the last bell rang. With a relieved sigh, she packed her things away as her class left in a rushed blur. She followed them out and made her way to the school's car park, to meet Amber.

"Are you alright, Mum?" Amber asked, concern present on her young face. "Lucy said you were acting weird today."

"Oh really? It's nothing, it's just, my memories are very vividly coming back," she explained, not wanting to hide anything from her daughter. "It really is a nuisance at work. But I see it as a good thing."

"Of course it is a good thing!" Amber squeaked, with excitement. "We wanted you to remember!" Her encouraging attitude brought a smile to her mother's face.

"Are you ready to go home and see your father?" Astrid asked as she pulled her seatbelt across her front.

"My father..."

"All of my memories of him and you came back when he kissed me yesterday," Astrid told her daughter, as she stroked her long hair - such an action came so naturally to her now. But Amber was not ready for this much affection, she shook her off and as soon as she did, guilt rose up inside her like pins and needles.

"Sorry..."

"Oh no, I'm sorry. It's all so unfair for you. I have memories to retrieve about your Dad and your early childhood. But you were so young..."

"I want to remember," Amber mumbled. "I see how True looks at me, he knows me. But I feel so weird around him, he just feels like a stranger." Amber's sapphire eyes began to glisten with tears that reflected the light that shone through the car's windscreen.

"I'm so sorry, Amber."

Amber shrugged and wiped her eyes in a vain attempt to put on a brave face.

"I have the answer that I was looking for. I have found my parents. How can I be anything but happy?"

But Astrid could see through her daughter's mask.

"But finding an answer very often leads to more questions," Astrid said with a sigh.

Astrid was met with silence.

"Don't worry, my Amber, we will find out the truth, the whole truth. Together."

True managed to surround himself with Astrid's paintings. His curiosity made him look like Amber when she, herself, searched for answers within the illustrations of Astrid's subconscious.

"True?" Astrid's voice made him jump and scramble to his feet. He looked as if he was doing something shameful. Astrid and Amber watched his suspicious behaviour and glanced at each other. He stopped as if frozen, with a painting in his hand. He couldn't bring himself to put it down.

"What are you doing?" Astrid asked through an amused smirk.

"I- I was just erm..." True mumbled, not knowing where to look or what to do with his hands.

"It's hard to resist isn't it?" Amber asked with suppressed laughter.

"You can certainly say that," True agreed, relief washing over him.

There was a pregnant pause and he glanced down at the picture he was holding.

"So, Luchinda was right then?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"You know, she entered my thoughts today!" Astrid admitted with a smile. "And yes, she was right. But you knew she would be. You're the one that has faith in the seers."

"Am I wrong in doing so?" True met her eyes, his mouth curving upwards.

"I suppose not," Astrid replied and lifted her hands up to rest on her hips.

"Am I just meant to pretend that I know what you guys are talking about?" Amber enquired, whilst crossing her arms in an annoyed fashion across her chest.

"Sorry, love," True chuckled. The scowl on his daughter's face melted his heart. But he quickly regretted being so familiar when he saw how self-conscious his behaviour made her.

"Sorry..." he breathed, his gaze falling to the ground.

An awkward silence took over the three of them. At the corner of his eye, True saw Amber glance at her mother, who gave her a shrug in response.

"Erm, I'll look through the paintings with you, if you like," Amber suggested, which encouraged him to look up again. "Maybe you could tell me some stories about you and Mum."

"I would love that," True said with a smile, as relief washed over him.

"What painting is that, you're holding?" questioned Astrid, interrupting the moment of reassurance.

She reached for the paper in his hand, but he couldn't part with it. It disturbed him. He wanted to talk to Astrid about it. But his encounter with Amber made him forget that it was still in his grasp.

He glanced at the dark eyes that stared out of the flat surface, the blackness of the shadows deep within the pale sockets clawed at his mind. It wasn't just the eyes that bothered him- the face that surrounded them also struck a nerve; for he knew whose crooked smile was painted there also.

"True?"

"Luchinda taught you to paint your memories, you kept that skill all this time? Even without realising that you were doing so..."

"Yes, she told me that painting would help me come back."

True nodded, yet his face remained solemn.

"True, what painting are you holding?" Astrid's voice began to rise in volume as worry began to take over her nerves.

True hesitated, but decided to hand it over.

"Do you remember who that is?" he asked, the seriousness in his tone made Amber shudder.

"Yes..." Astrid couldn't speak above a whisper.

"Why? Who is it?" Amber demanded, the scowl on her brow displaying her unease.

"Pugnum," Astrid whispered, the sound of his name took a tight, uncomfortable grip onto True's stomach.

"Whose Pug...?"

Before Amber managed to get her question out, True grabbed the painting back and tore it up in anger.

"He's the reason we ended up here," Astrid explained to the bewildered tween, as the destroyed painting drifted slowly to the floor by True's feet.

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