The next morning, I woke up and found a piece of pepper by my bedside which read 'I'm glad you could see the truth. Meet me by the river if you really want to save your mother's legacy. You have six hours or I'm gone and never to find you again. Dolores.'
I sighed and hid the paper under my pillow before I left for work that day. My mother somehow got to see the letter from Dolores and went to meet her.
"She's Naya. What do you really want from her?" She asked Dolores on getting there.
"I know she is, no matter how hard you tried to deny it." Dolores responded, keeping her face straight and her neck left high.
"She's not going with you." Mara said.
"Yes, she is."
"I know what you really want Dolores."
"And what do I want, Mara?" She asked now turning her stern gaze towards Mara.
"Revenge. You seek revenge on Cleopatra."
"Cleo is dead Mara." Dolores said, acting unaffected by her death.
"Then you just want to use her. You want to use Naya to get to the throne?"
Dolores chuckled calmly before speaking "If that is the case here then you will have enough time to rescue her. You know we can't just walk into Devon and surrender Stefan." Dolores replied. "Well, I hear she's quite a warrior."
"And she will slit your throat if you ever mess with her." Mara responded.
"That I would not worry about."
"Just yesterday you were begging."
"Because the girl was yet to realize who she was." Dolores said before she walked closer to Mara, stopping a few inches from her "This is a family matter, stay... away... from it." She said with stress in her last sentence.
"We'll see about that." Mara responded and left.
When I returned from the stables that day, Mara had the letter Dolores had sent to me in her hands and would not even let me speak before she start to thunder.
"Have you been communicating with that witch?" She asked.
"She's not a witch." I responded realizing she was referring to the one who sent the letter she had in her hands. "And no. I only spoke to her last night." I added, placing my side bag on the floor.
"You're not going anywhere with her." She said.
"Why? It's my throne mother. My family legacy." I said.
"My Decision is final Karen, you're not going with her." My mother insisted.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because...." She paused for a moment then swallowed hard and spoke "Because I don't trust her."
"Well, you thought my how to defend myself with a sword, it might be time for a real practice you know."
"I can't put your life at risk just for some real-life practice. That will be absurd. Listen, I know you're a good fighter but...." She paused and took a deep breath.
"Mother, this isn't about not trusting that woman, is it? There's more to it than trust."
"I... I can't lose you. I promised your mother to protect you with my life."
"Well you agreed to what she said earlier, she's my aunt so why do you think she would want to harm me?"
"You'll never understand Naya."
"Naya... You denied it wasn't my name."
"It was to keep you safe. That is really your name. Your mother Queen Cleopatra called you 'my little sweet Naya'. I'm so sorry I left you in the dark the whole time. I just couldn't tell you because I thought... I thought it'd mean endangering your life."
"Mother, staying here is already endangering my life and you know it. I have to fight if we ever have to live freely in this world and I can't do that by staying hidden." I held my mother's hands with passion and love "mother, you've protected me for seventeen years now and you have made sure I learn a very proper way to defend myself against danger."
"But Naya..." Mother said before I put my finger over her lips.
"No mother. I can do this. I can fight him. I just need you to trust me."
"I trust you Naya but I don't trust that woman, Dolores. She's a snake. How come she never cared about your mother and now she wants you to get back the crown? She might be using you Naya." Mara said, genuinely worried.
"I don't think so. She seems... Tough and evil but I think it's all a facade. Behind that toughness is a soul that really cares. Don't you ever worry about me mother, I'll be fine." I tried to convince my mother.
"Then let me come with you."
"No. I can't stand the risk of losing you. You'll stay here in Damitro and be safe for me. Okay?" I said.
"Okay." Mara said with hurt in her eyes and voice. "But before you leave, I have something for you." Mara said.
She pushed her bed aside and opened up an underground safe that I had no idea existed, then she carefully pulled out a small beautiful silver box and handed it over to me.
"Here. It was your mother's, her heirloom. She... She wanted you to have it at the right time... She ah.." Mara smiled and sniffed with tears that could not fall out, welled up in her eyes. "Cleo, your mother. She had no idea when that right time would possibly have been, but I think it's now." Mara said.
I slowly but eagerly opened up the box to see a ring in it. A shiny onyx ring that looked magical.
"A ring." I said as I smiled and sad tears fell out of my eyes.
"Yes. She always kept it for you. That day she was murdered, I went back in a disguise just to get it. It was her only fraction that you could ever get to me so I risked it all for it." Mara explained.
"Oh, mother." I said and pulled her in for a big hug. "I love you very much." I said to her.
"I love you Naya, even more than you could ever imagine." She smiled weakly "Your mother is going to be proud of you. Just remember that." She said.
"I will." I responded with great determination in my eyes.
I left that day to meet Dolores at the river as she instructed me, almost about to leave on her ship.
"Dolores...!" I called out to her and she turned around to meet my gaze.
"I'm ready." I said to her as she smiled complacently.