After they left the priestess's sanctuary, Elysara walked alongside Aureth as they journeyed to the northern lands of Eldoria. Everything Katherine had revealed lingered heavily on her mind. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to her mother's past than she had ever known, more than even her grandmother might have shared with her.
As the day slowly faded into night, they set up camp under the cover of an ancient oak tree.
Elysara sat down by the fire, pulling her mother's diary from her satchel. She flipped through the pages, the familiar scent of parchment filling the air. Her fingers hovered over the next entry, the one that had last caught her attention. Her mind kept returning to the question that had been gnawing at her ever since. 'Did Aureth know about the relationship between Lyanna and Vanessa?'
Her grandmother had never once mentioned the connection between them. But then again, there had been so many secrets in her mother's life that she had kept hidden, even from Aureth, that it seemed plausible her grandmother might never have known.
Elysara scanned the diary, but the answer didn't lie in the inked words of her mother's journal. She thought of asking Aureth, but something in her gut held her back. She wasn't sure if she was ready to confront the truth, especially if it changed the way she saw the woman who had raised her.
"Is everything alright?" Aureth's voice broke into her thoughts.
Elysara looked up, meeting her grandmother's concerned gaze. She smiled faintly, nodding. "Just thinking."
"About your mother?" Aureth asked gently.
Elysara hesitated before answering. "I never asked you… if you knew about my mother and Vanessa. Were you ever aware?"
Aureth didn't answer right away, her brow furrowing as if she were carefully considering her words. Then, after a long moment, she sighed. "Yes, Elysara. I knew."
Elysara's breath caught in her chest. She hadn't expected her grandmother to admit it so easily. "You knew? And you never said anything?"
Aureth's gaze softened as she reached out, her hand resting on Elysara's. "It wasn't my place to say, child. Lyanna was always private about her relationships, and that one… well, it was complicated. But yes, I knew they were more than just friends. I saw the way they looked at each other."
Aureth sighed softly. "Vanessa left without a word, Elysara. It broke her. Lyanna loved her deeply, but after Vanessa ran away, she… she was never the same. I could see the hole it left in her heart. She didn't speak of it much, but I knew."
Elysara's heart ached, her mind swirling with images of the woman her mother had once loved. Vanessa, with her bright green eyes and dark brown hair, a woman whose name had become more of a ghost to her than a memory. "But… why did she leave? Did she just… disappear?"
Aureth shook her head slowly, a sorrowful expression clouding her features. "I don't know. It was as if she vanished into the night, without even a note. Lyanna tried to find her, but it was as if Vanessa had slipped through the world's cracks. And after that, your mother tried to move on, though it was never easy for her."
"It wasn't long before Valen came into her life," Aureth continued, her voice growing softer as if the memory was bittersweet. "I wasn't entirely sure about him. Their relationship was… unconventional, to say the least. But I saw how he brought a spark back into her eyes. He made her laugh again. She seemed to glow in a way she hadn't in years."
Elysara's heart clenched. "So… she loved him?" she asked quietly.
Aureth paused, her gaze far away for a long moment. "Yes, she did. She loved Valen more than the world itself, Elysara. I saw it in the way she spoke of him, in the way her entire being seemed to light up when she was with him. She never stopped loving him."
"But did she ever forget Vanessa?" Elysara pressed.
"I don't think she ever forgot. That kind of love doesn't just vanish. But she had to let go, for her own sake. Valen brought her back to life in a way no one else could. And though I doubt Lyanna ever fully healed from losing Vanessa, she loved Valen with all of her heart. And, in time, that love gave her you." Aureth replied.
"I never knew," Elysara murmured, her hand clutching the pendant around her neck as if it could somehow anchor her to this new reality. "I never knew she loved Vanessa that much."
Aureth's expression softened, and she placed a hand on Elysara's shoulder. "Sometimes, love is complicated, child. Your mother loved fiercely. First Vanessa, then Valen. And now, you carry both their legacies with you. You have the heart of the Songbearers. Don't forget that."
As the night grew darker and the stars twinkled above them, Elysara helped set up their small tent with her grandmother.
After everything was set and they settled in for the night, Elysara pulled her mother's diary from her bag, her fingers brushing over the worn leather cover. Aureth, already lying down on her mat, gave her a soft glance before closing her eyes.
"Go ahead, child," Aureth said quietly. "One last entry, then we sleep. Tomorrow will be another long day."
Elysara nodded, pulling the diary close to her chest. She opened to the last entry she had not yet read. The faint scent of her mother's handwriting lingered on the pages.