I don't remember falling asleep. But I remember the way Serenya's voice sounded, soft and low like a river moving through flowers. She sang in a language I didn't recognize—maybe a prayer, maybe just a melody that meant something only mothers understood. I remember the warmth of her arms, the faint movement of her breath against my cheek, and Ruby, curled like a kitten against my side.
We were all wrapped together, like a woven blanket of warmth and quiet. Two months ago, I couldn't even stand someone brushing past my shoulder. Now… I couldn't sleep without someone beside me.
My body had changed before my mind noticed. Somewhere in between falling into Caelum's arms and crying on his tunic, somewhere in the soft cradling of Serenya's lap and the way Gabel knelt to tie my shoes, my skin stopped flinching at contact.
It started seeking it. Gentle hands. Quiet voices. A warm lap. A hand resting on my head while I read. Touch had become part of my everyday life. Like food. Like sleep. Like air.
When I woke up, sunlight dripped through the soft curtains like honey. The room smelled like violets and soap. Ruby was gone—disappeared somewhere between her dream and her spirit form, probably off chasing birds in the garden or curling up in Serenya's study like she always did.
But Serenya was still there. She was seated in a chair near the window, braiding her hair with patient fingers. Her belly had grown since last month. I noticed it more when she stood or moved slowly. She smiled when she saw me stir. "Good nap, little one?"
I nodded, sitting up slowly. "I had a dream."
"About what?"
"Nothing bad," I said. "Just warm."
She helped me down from the bed and poured a cup of warm tea into a tiny porcelain cup. It tasted like peach and chamomile. She let me sip it while I sat cross-legged on the bench beneath the window. Then, in the quiet that followed, she spoke. "Would you like to know more about your mother?
I stopped breathing for a second. Then nodded.
"She was my mentor," Serenya said, her voice soft but steady. "Long before I became Empress. Long before I married Alric. I was still just a girl from the House of Eirlaine, training in the arts of spiritual magic."
I looked up at her, lips parted slightly.
"She was called the Last Saintess. The last one born with the rare Light Affinity strong enough to carry the blessing of the gods. That's why she had more than one familiar." Serenya smiled faintly, brushing her thumb along the handle of her cup. "She had "three."
My heart fluttered. "Three?"
"Yes," Serenya said. "The first one you've already met."
She looked toward the door. "Lisa." The white panther. The one who watched Serenya with such loyalty. The one who laid near her belly every evening, tail wrapped around her paws, golden eyes always on the horizon.
"She was your mother's strongest companion," Serenya said. "But not her first."
My fingers tightened around my cup. "Who?"
Serenya smiled. "A black cat. With emerald eyes. Quick, sharp, and endlessly loyal."
I stared. My throat felt tight.
"His name," she said, "was Nareth."
The cat. The one who came to me in the orphanage. The one who sat at my feet when no one else saw me. The one who brought me a ribbon on my birthday. "That was him?"
"Yes," Serenya said gently. "He watched you. All this time."
I pressed my palm against my chest. "He's… my mother's familiar?"
"Yes. When she passed, he should have disappeared. Familiars die with their mages. That's the natural order. But…" Serenya paused, her gaze tender. "Sometimes, when the mage's wish is strong enough, the familiar can stay. Until it's fulfilled."
I didn't speak. I couldn't. Tears prickled behind my eyes before I even noticed them. "She made a wish?" I whispered.
Serenya nodded. "To keep you safe. To see you home."
I remembered the soft press of that satin ribbon on my wrist. I had never untied it. It still looked brand new, even after four months. A gift. A promise. A mother's wish.
"What about the third?" I asked after a moment, my voice barely audible.
Serenya's smile turned wistful. "A robin," she said. "Small, with coppery feathers and the sweetest voice." "Her name was Baby." Her eyes softened.
I blinked.
"She used to talk about you before you were born, you know."
I looked up sharply. "She loved you, Elarion. She never wanted to let you go. But things happened—things beyond her control. And she had to choose the safest path for you. That path… meant letting Nareth take you. And hiding you from the world."
I curled my knees to my chest, resting my chin on them. "She died… thinking of me?"
"She died loving you."
We sat in silence for a while. Serenya didn't push. She didn't pat my back or fill the air with noise. She just let me sit, tea cup cooling beside me, heart slowly wrapping itself around everything she'd said. A Saintess. Three familiars. A mother's wish. A cat who had never left me. A bird I hadn't met. A panther who guarded more than a crown.
"Lisa's old," I whispered.
Serenya nodded. "Very old." "She was the First Emperor's familiar. And when he died, he gave her a task." "To protect the family." Serenya smiled. "And she still does. That's why she chose to bond with me, too. Because of your mother. Because of her promise."
My hands trembled slightly. So much of my life had felt like it belonged to no one. Not even to me. But now… it had a thread. A history. A name. "Do you miss her?" I asked quietly. Serenya blinked. "All the time," she said.
I looked up.
"She was also like a mother to me." She reached across the table and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "She would've been so proud of you."
That night, I didn't cry. I didn't sob or bury myself in Caelum's chest or run through the halls in search of comfort. I just sat on my bed, ribbon wrapped around my fingers, and whispered into the air: "Thank you." And somewhere, in the garden beneath the palace, I swore I heard a bird's song. Sweet. Light. Familiar.