REXANNA
the chains are broken
She isn’t the same woman that mistreated Kiada, and yet Rexanna’s heart sinks with all the implications, with the stories the Harpy speaks. She knows them to be true, to see her naivety, to believe that love would override everything. And yet she hadn’t even loved her own children enough, instead trying to fix a broken marriage that started on broken matches to begin with. Her hands tremble slightly as Kiada spits the venom toward her, and her eyes remain on the girl unafraid, unabashed. “I promised Deimos on my first day here that I wouldn’t turn into that version of me.” She acknowledges, but knows it’s not enough. “I am not her, and if I could I’d prove it to you.” She begins, hands opening palm up toward the girl.“But here? In this world? We’re nearly the same age. I came here directly from Halyven, with memories of the split to Helovia. And things were different there, I was different. I’m not the woman you remember.” She says as a means of defending herself, despite knowing there’s nothing to defend of the golden siren of the Basin and the Edge, too caught up in bearing royals to keep her husband with her to care for the children she did have. “The marriage was rocky to begin with, we hadn’t even planned on remaining together until I found out I was pregnant with you and your brother.” She says, a frown crossing her face.
“And then Calstron came back, searching for me, and your father didn’t like it. I wasn’t smart enough over there, too worried about appearances and what other people thought to make things better for us. But I can’t prove any of that to you, not here.” She laughs a quiet huff, almost in disbelief. “I can’t even have children here, I can never prove it to you Kiada. But I’m so terribly sorry.” And it’s true, it’s all Rexanna can say. It doesn’t sound like Kiada needs a mother here, and even if she did, would the Harpy accept her?
but are you truly free?
