Heart Over Sword - Chapter 100

The dreams surroundings materialised around her. Evanna stood on the balcony on the side of the snowy mountainside like she did once before. She turned around, already anticipating her mother. As soon as Evanna saw her, she raced into her open arms.

“*Oh, child. I have been so worried about you,*” Loraven stroked her daughter’s hair and held her tightly against her.

“*There is no need to worry, mother, *” Evanna replied into her hair.

They pulled away from each other, both observing the other. Like her last dream with her mother, she appeared healthy with glowing skin, her dark hair flowing down in waves above her light blue elven made dress. Evanna’s brows arched together at the realisation that she was wearing a dress similar to what she had been wearing over the past few days.

“*Why are you wearing a silk dress to bed? I hope you are not staying in the same room as Ger..*” Her mother asked, looking her up and down.

Evanna’s cheeks heated at her mother’s observation; she glanced down at her knee-length, golden silk dress with a slit up one side. It was definitely something she would never wear in Dunhurst to bed. More so because they didn’t have such fashion than wanting to wear it. The material kept her cool.

Evanna pursed her lips when she caught her mother’s eyes widening. “Evanna… where are you?” She asked sternly.

She turned away from her mother. This was just a dream, it wasn’t real, so what if she found she is the Flori’s prisoner. Right?

“Ger and the guys are on their way to you, mother. The gem is in their possession and will be with you in no time,” Evanna replied as she kept her back to her mother and gazed upon the beautiful snowy peaks.

“Evanna Amaryll Elwen Goodrich, you will answer your mother properly. I did not raise you up to talk like a councilman to me. There are no secrets between us!”

Evanna grimaced at hearing her full name. Like any child being firmly scolded, Loraven used her full name. With a sigh, she faced her mother. “We ran into some problems on escaping the Flori kingdom.. But the guys are on their way-”

“*You’ve been captured,*” Her mother whispered. Evanna had to look away from her tear-filled eyes. “*Oh, Evanna! You should never have.. Oh, my child. This is my fault. I should have been firmer with you. Oh, my darling.*

She clutched Evanna by her arms. “*What have they done to you?!*” Loraven glanced down at her attire once more with round eyes and tears spilling down her sharp cheekbones.

“*Nothing like that! Mother, I have not been harmed. I am treated..*”

Images of her imprisonment flashed across her mind. The servant’s hand cut off, the fight with Cedric, her kissing Arawn’s cheek/ near his lips, her and Arawn in the bath, Arawn brushing his lips against her knuckles, sending shockwaves of heat through her body. Arawn’s mind games.. Arawn shirtless..

“Evanna?”

Her mother’s voice snapped her from her thoughts of the elven prince. She glanced back at her mother. “I am treated well,” She muttered, “I have a room to myself and have been given clothes to wear, which is why I am wearing this.”

“Why would King Thalanil provide you with a room?” Loraven asked, looking baffled at her daughter. “Does he suspect anything?”

Evanna shook her head, “No. I am Prince Arawn’s prisoner..”

Loraven paled. “I have heard he has turned crueller than his father.. Evanna, you must escape..” She put her hands over her face, suddenly looking exhausted. Evanna noticed their surroundings flickering with darkness before settling again to the vibrant colours. When her mother removed her hands away, her glowing skin was dull, her hair lost its vibrancy, and she again looked how Evanna last saw her before she left on her journey.

“*I came to wish you a happy birthday and find that you are in the company of the Florian king and prince!*” Her mother started crying. Evanna instantly wrapped her arms around her fragile mother.

Her birthday? Maybe her subconscious hadn’t forgotten about her birthday. But, her mother just told her of the king’s name. She didn’t actually know his name. Anytime she tried to read more about the elven kingdoms, her mother would take away the book of their histories and families.

“Shh, I’m fine. Come on, I do not wish to spend my dream crying. If this was real, you know I would never have told you,” Evanna said in a calm, low voice.

Loraven pulled back and looked at her with knitted brows. “Oh, Evanna. You must know that this is real..” She searched her daughter’s eyes. Evanna’s lips parted as confusion settled over her features.

“How..” She trailed off before frowning. “Is this your gift?”

Loraven’s eyes widened. “I see you have learnt a great deal staying with the Flori..” She pursed her lips. “* Yes. It is my gift. I haven’t used it much as it uses a tremendous amount of energy to connect two minds in a dream state.*”

Evanna held her hand in hers. “*Mother!* You shouldn’t have wasted your energy!”

“And miss my daughter’s eighteenth?” Loraven shook her head and sighed. “It is worth it. Especially now, I know you have been caught. I should tell Osian about this-”

“No!” Evanna interrupted. Loraven looked at her with widened eyes at her daughter’s distress. “You cannot! It would wage war between the two kingdoms. Promise me, mother, you will not tell father..”

Loraven shook her head, “I cannot let you rot in a cell-”

“I am not in a cell. I am in a luxurious room three times the size of my own. *Please* let me do this my way. I will escape,” Evanna put as much strength behind her voice as possible with determination set behind her eyes.

Loraven nodded, yet her features showed she was anything but happy about this. “Okay. I will keep checking in on you..” She complied and pushed her raven locks behind her pointed ear.

Evanna glanced at her mother’s jewelled ear. She barely showed them. Evanna had seen them plenty over the years, yet, somehow, her mother was able to keep them hidden from sight from the humans. It made her wonder if all along there had been a spell or she used her powers to keep them hidden. Initially, she presumed her mother was good at styling her hair in a certain way.

Evanna shook her head, reeling over the idea that her mother had this gift all along. It was such a powerful gift. She could not fathom how it worked, but it was truly magical. Her thoughts swirled together as she remembered the last dream they had together, and her mother warned her about staying on the right side of the river.

She was in disbelief. This created a way for her to speak to her mother without being near her. If she could do it, it would be so handy, she could talk to Ger, find out if they are okay..

But now, it also made her wonder about these powers. Did she have a gift? Was her ‘sixth sense’ a gift all along? What about that root?

“Mother, why did you not tell me I would have these powers?” Evanna looked at her mother intently.

Loraven’s brows raised in surprise. “I watched you carefully, and you showed no signs of having such powers. I was not sure if you could. The system of gifts works in the elven hierarchy and..” She shook her head in disbelief, “*It is rare for a lower-ranking elf to even have a gift..*”

“*So it would be near impossible for a half breed like me to have them? *” Evanna finished. “*But I have started having these powers.. I thought at first it might be Arawn. He had been there a few times it happened and-*”

“*Arawn? You do not call him by prince Arawn?*” Loraven narrowed her eyes before her lips thinned disapprovingly. “*And you are more than of elf and human blood, Evanna. What are these powers? Maybe I can give some insight.*”

Evanna sighed and pulled back to lean against the railing of the balcony overlooking the view. Her mother had told her the same before but never explained what else she was. It was frustrating. She had a right to know. “* I have always had this sixth sense.. I can tell if someone is watching if something dangerous is coming. It warns me. But..*”

“*Go on..*”

“* When I entered Direwood forest..*” Evanna trailed off, trying to find the right words. She turned to look at her mother, her lips parted, but Loraven’s figure was starting to fade.

“Mother?”

“Evanna.. if you have these gifts.. your birthday.. it won’t be-”

Her mother vanished, and the world collapsed around her. Unlike last time where the colours of the dream melted into darkness, everything instantly went black. Like blowing out a candle in her room. Evanna blinked her eyes rapidly as awareness seeped in, and she sat up in bed, covering her face.

It was then, her spine tingled, and Evanna snapped her head to the side and gasped at the figure sitting in the dark by her bed. “Arawn!?”