The carriage ride to the kingdom of Ataliya was a smooth one. The two were given royal treatment and nothing terrible happened on the way. The portals were dizzying but they had potions to shrug off the effects.
"I heard in Ataliya, women have more power than men. Is that true?"
"Yeah, that's about right"
"How's that possible?"
"For one, polyandry is allowed but polygamy is banned. Women cannot be kept as slaves but men can be sold as slaves. Men were not allowed to govern until much recently. Men are basically useless in Ataliya. They are only good for breeding, child-rearing and heavy lifting. In fact, the lives of men are not very much valued since there seems to be a lot of them. If a man dares to disrespect a woman, he'll be beaten to death"
"Wow, that's like an alternate reality"
"It was my reality. It's about to become it once again"
"Did you enjoy living in Ataliya?"
"I did. I loved my home. It was absolutely wonderful. I had almost everything I wanted. My father raised me to be kind and smart. He taught me everything I know. I can't wait to see him again"
"How about your mother?"
"She's very strict and cunning. Most of what she does is for her gain or the state. She's a good leader but she's not a good mother"
"Hmmm. You're strong Feri"
"And so are you, Alea"
"Lady Feriella, we are approaching your mother's office. I have notified them of our approach"
"Thank you King Sol"
"Please, call me Sol"
"Call me Feri then" Feri says with a gentle smile.
"Okay, Feri" the way her name rolled off his tongue, one would think it was a delicious snack. He stared at her with warm eyes and she looked away, blushing.
"Urgh, you guys. Get a room!" Alea says with mock disgust. She's not against the budding romance. It's just the fact that they couldn't be together that bothered her.
The carriage stopped in front of a huge white building. Sol gets off first and helps the two of them out of the carriage. His lone guard stands behind him. He walks up to the building and presents his seal. He is identified and they are let in.
Alea and Feri are both wearing veils, as per Feri's request. No-one identifies them as they are ushered into the waiting room of the Governor.
It was not an hour later that an older looking version of Feri rushes out of her office into the waiting room. Her eyes scan all of them and lands on King Sol.
"King Sol"
"Governor Marielle" he greets with a nod.
"Come into my office" she says and leaves. They follow after her. Her office was big and official-looking. On her table was a missing poster of Feri.
Immediately after they enter the office, she surveys the two veiled women. She stands in front of Feri and hesitantly lifts her veil. A tear rolls down her face as she sees her daughter's face.
"Your prodigal daughter has returned mother"
"My Feri, is that you?"
"Mother, I have returned" she replies with a courtesy.
The Governor pulled her daughter into her embrace and hugged her tightly. Feri froze at first but relaxed into her mother's embrace. She had never seen her mother so vulnerable before.
"Oh my daughter, I've missed you so much"
"As have I, mother"
"There's no need to lie Feri. I know you have hated me, cursed me, and even wished my death when you were away. I didn't even notice you were gone, taken from under my nose. I'm a horrible mother. I shouldn't have pit you girls against each other. I'm so sorry"
"It's fine mother. I didn't curse you or wish you death. Although I hated you for a while, it wasn't much of your fault. I wasn't careful enough"
"You're here now. That's all that matters. Now, tell me daughter, which one of your sisters sold you out?"
"It wasn't my sisters. It was one of your consorts"
"Hun?" Both Alea and the Governor said in surprise.
"Although my sisters were very competitive and wanted to win the position so bad, they didn't have the heart to take each other out. All five of us have a weird bond with each other. We would never hurt ourselves.
So, one of them found a way to circumvent that. She used her father who had manipulated her to kidnap me and sell me out. That's why I said I wanted to hit them if I saw them. I love my sisters but they're so annoying"
"Which of the consort?"
"Consort Ayi. Amila's father"
"That bastard!" The Governor growled.
All three watched as she stormed out of her office in a rage.
"That's your mother? She's different from how you described"
"What? Don't look at me. I've been gone for almost 12 years. How am I supposed to know how she is now?"
"Well, we'll just wait for her to be back, so calm down girls"
"Alright"