(Saiph)

Amaia and my brothers leave the room and anticipation hits me. I leave the bed and try to stand up. I don’t want to appear unwell and bedridden. A trait that has been drilled into me and is hard to get rid of at this age.

My legs shake, but I can stand. The door opens and in walks a graceful woman, my mother, my real mother.

She has tightly pursed her lips. Eyes sparkling with tears she is trying not to shed. The eyes that resemble mine. Same shade, same intensity.

Her black hair is slightly greying now, the colour that I have inherited from her as well.

A black shawl is elegantly draped around her shoulders. She moves with grace, stepping towards me.

My movements halt completely. I observe her, a barrage of emotions flooding me with their depths.

"Saiph!" She says with such motherly love. The woman pretending to be my mother never spoke to me in this tone. She was always cold and distant. Then she left me with that fiend.

My mother used to speak to me before, when I was a child, but this is different. This is personal on a level that moves and stirs deep-rooted feelings, the ones I have buried for a long time or maybe they never blossomed.

I never felt safe with constant beatings and abuse. Amaia made me feel safe and that’s why I loved sleeping on her chest as Zille. She has that inner light to her that pulls me and now seeing my mother, knowing none of us is being controlled any longer, has a different effect.

She halts near me. Extending her shaking hand she places it on my left cheek. Any ounce of darkness remaining evaporates with her touch. Every barrier breaks, setting me free.

"My child..." her voice trembles. Tears like pearls stream out of her eyes. "Forgive me for how I wronged you."

My lips tremble. I try to speak but words have evaded me. Eyes brim with salty water. One of them trickles down. I don’t have to hide my emotions anymore, not with her.

"...mom," I finally whisper, barely. Clasping her hand in mine, I bring it to my lips and place a kiss on her palm.

Her scent is soothing, consisting of everything warm and comforting.

Overwhelmed with emotions, she embraces me. "My Saiph, my firstborn." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

A wave of soothing heat cascades from her arms and into my rigid body, melting every bit of stiffness away. Like standing under the warm sun after being trapped in the cold winters for too long.

Her body trembles as she hiccups into my chest, holding onto me. I surrender myself to her, letting all those trapped emotions and sentiments out.

Like a freed bird, I taste the freedom of being able to show my emotions.

We finally separate and tenderly I wipe the tears from her face. "Don’t cry. We are done crying over what that despicable woman did to us."

"You will tell me in detail what she did," she says with finality and my heart hurts.

How will a mother bear to hear what horrors her child was put through?

"Don’t worry about it." My eyes lift to find my father standing at a distance, watching us with desperate and guilty eyes.

He never laid a hand on me although he was particularly strict with Alnilam. But I was always just a servant for him. He did condescend me when he found out that I was mated to Amaia, reminding me of my status.

I know it must have killed him inside to learn that I was his true heir to the throne.

"Go," my mother softly says, nudging me towards my father.

I take a step towards him and watch him draw in a painful breath. It’s not going to be easy for either of us to forge this relationship after how we have spent all our lives.

He simply places his hand on my shoulder. Eyes that Alnilam has inherited from him sparkle with deep regret. "I am such a fool. Couldn’t even recognise my own blood when you were right in front of me. Do I even deserve forgiveness?"

I shake my head. "She played everyone."

"She stole my son’s identity, reduced him to the status of a slave and then she killed him...she is going to regret messing with us." He grabs my shoulders. Determination flashes in his sunken eyes.

"I can forget everything she did to me. But she hurt my mother and my mate. She made me spy on my mate, made me drug her. These offences I will never forgive."

"Fae blood runs in our veins. Your power, it comes from my ancestors moulded with your mother’s magic." His eyes slide towards Mom and then focus back at me. "You are stronger than you think."

"With both of you at my side now. We are only going to rise."

Mom steps closer and places her hand on my back. "There is something you should know." She passes a disturbed glance at my father and continues.

"Your father and I are not real mates. I am mated to Hathial and will return with him to Fudaria after the war is over. But you will always be our son."

This unsettles me. My parents are not even mates, it means she cast a spell on them and fake-mated them. We all know the story of how she opened her heart and welcomed my mother. It was all a ploy.

How it must have hurt, especially my father. He is alone, having lost both his wives.

Not only I but Rigel will be devastated. "Does Rigel know?"

My mom slowly nods. "About that. There is something else both of you need to know." Pain ripples across her face. "Rigel is Hathial’s biological son through heteropaternal pregnancy."

Rigel is my twin but only half-brother. This means he is not related by blood to others. This is going to break them. The agony I experience makes my jaw ache as I close my mouth so tightly, to keep it from trembling.

Father closes his eyes at the revelation. Agony ripples across his face. "He is not?" He asks, deeply hurt.

My mother lowers her head. "No, she made me sleep with Hathial right after we were intimate. I am sorry." She looks away, tears clinging to her lashes.

Father is battling his own emotions and demons. A single woman has toppled our lives, tangled them in a way that we can’t untangle.

I place my arm around her quivering shoulders. I want to let her know that I am here for her as a protector.

"Do Rigel and others know?"

She shakes her head. "No, let me find the right time to tell him."