The Destiny of Amalah (21 page)

‘Amara!’ Ellora said pleasantly as she smiled at her sister. Ellora’s reaction surprised Amara and she stood still at the door trying to take in Ellora’s reaction to her.

‘Amara,’ Ellora said again cheerfully. ‘Why are you standing at the door?’

‘I don’t know… I guess I was expecting a different reaction. I did not think that you would want me near you, or that you would want to speak to me today, or for many days after that.’

‘Of course I want to speak to you and see you, you are my sister.’

‘But after what I did…’

‘I know what you did Amara; it was not right but I know why you did it. When I showed you Rakan’s feelings yesterday I also managed to see and feel yours. I know you felt alone and I know, that much pain stayed with you and grew and grew until it festered and it became something else. I also know you don’t have the same freedom that I do. Amara – I understand, really I do.’

‘Oh Ellora, I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, really I didn’t.’ Amara said as she rushed to her sister and hugged her and kissed her.

‘I know Amara, I know,’ Ellora said holding onto her sister tightly.

She saw that Amara of old was back and she was very glad. She closed her eyes and thanked the gods and smiled and then squeezed her sister even tighter. Amara loosened her grip on Ellora and took hold of her arms; she gently pushed her slightly back from herself and looked into her sister’s eyes.

‘I promise, I will always be here for you and I will never do anything to hurt you ever again.’

‘I know,’ Ellora said as she reached forward and hugged her sister once again. ‘Amara?’

‘Yes.’

‘What about Rakan? He was hurt quite badly you know.’

‘I know, I will speak to him if he will speak with me.’

‘I think he will, actually I know he will.’

‘I’m so glad you are an empath,’ Amara said laughing nervously.

‘It is not because I am an empath that I know Rakan will speak with you, it is because I know Rakan and I know he will.’

‘Well I have many people to speak with; I hope they are as understanding as you.’

‘They understand you have had a difficult time, they understand we lost our parents and they understand grief – give them a chance.’

Ellora sat back in her bed and caught the back of her head; she automatically put both hands to the back of her head and winced in pain.

‘What is it?’ Amara said worried.

‘My head, I hurt it yesterday.’

‘Let me see,’ Ellora bent forward and placed her head on Amara’s lap and Amara felt the solid lump on her sister’s head. ‘Have you seen a healer?’ she said horrified by her sister’s injury.

‘Yes, Dariel tended to me last night, he gave me that compress,’ she said as she reached for it and placed it on her head. ‘I know,’ Ellora said interrupting Amara’s thought process.

‘But…’

‘I know and it’s alright.’

Amara spent the morning with her sister, like Garrick and Kalon had done with Rakan, and she too took her meals with Ellora and in the evening, Amara went to Rakan’s room to speak with him. When she reached the door she stood outside it for a few moments, it was harder than she had imagined and she had not even faced Rakan yet.

She looked at the door for a while longer and then knocked on it, she heard Rakan call her to come in and Amara opened the door and entered the room. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Garrick and Kalon in the room and they stopped what they were doing and stared at her. Amara was thrown; she had not expected to see Garrick and Kalon there and the looks on their faces made her feel worse: Garrick had a steely look on his face and Kalon was scowling at her.

‘What are you doing here? You hurt my brother,’ he said accusingly. ‘You hurt Rakan and Ellora – you’re horrible.’

‘I know and I’m sorry,’ Amara began, as a lump began appearing in her throat.

‘I don’t like you anymore,’ Kalon said, still scowling. ‘You’re mean Amara and vicious,’ he said, before he stalked out of the room.

Amara was hurt by Kalon’s outburst, she loved him dearly and now he didn’t like her anymore and to make matters worse, everything he had said was true. Amara was distressed and she wanted to cry, but she didn’t, she felt she did not have the right to; not here, not now and not in this room in front of Garrick and Rakan, who was clearly hurting more than she.

‘Hello Rakan and Garrick,’ she began. ‘There are no words and there is no way I can excuse my behaviour yesterday, or the days before that,’ she said nervously standing closely to the door.

‘You can come in.’ Rakan said to her.

‘Thank you,’ Amara replied, grateful for the olive branch. ‘Rakan I am truly sorry for what I did to you yesterday; truly, truly, sorry. I am sorry for lashing out at you and hurting you and doing what I did. I also want to thank you for protecting Ellora from me. I never thought for one moment that the one person Ellora would need protection from, would be me.’

‘You are not alone in that thought,’ Garrick added glaring at her.

‘Garrick, to you I am truly sorry for hurting your son and for behaving the way I have behaved lately.’

‘It’s alright Amara, I understand,’ Rakan said. Amara looked at him and smiled faintly.

‘Thank you.’

Garrick remained silent and his silence spoke volumes, the atmosphere became more tense by the second, as Garrick maintained his resounding and powerful silence. The three of them remained there still and silent, only their eyes moved to watch the other two.

‘I will leave you alone now,’ Amara said breaking the silence. ‘Rakan please get well soon and I wish you a speedy recovery and I thank you for accepting my apology. If you need anything, then please call on me.’

‘He has everything he needs,’ Garrick snapped.

‘Very well,’ Amara replied meekly and turned and left the room.

Rakan looked at his father and his father looked back at him.

‘Son?’

‘Father, it took a lot for Amara to come here; I have already forgiven her – why won’t you?’

‘Because I am still angry Rakan. I will forgive her but my anger must abate first. When I saw you lying there…’ Garrick said, but then he faltered and the sentence trailed off.

‘I know father, she could have killed me, but father you are forgetting one thing.’

‘What?’

‘I could have killed her too, I know it,’ Rakan said looking in his father’s eyes, and the thought of killing Amara tortured him. ‘That is why I can forgive her so easily, if there is anything to forgive, for she could have been the one lying in bed for two days and not me.’

‘Very well!’ Garrick said and then sighed.

He stood up and left the room and went in search of Amara, and when he caught sight of her she was halfway down the hall and Garrick called out to her.

‘Empress,’ he called. ‘Empress please wait, I wish to speak with you.’

Amara stood still and then turned around to see Garrick walking towards her. She waited for him to catch up to her and when he was inches from her she spoke.

‘Yes Garrick,’ she said looking at him with a mixture of uncertainty and fear.

‘Rakan tells me that it took a lot for you to come and face him today – I agree, it did.’ The Empress softened when she heard Garrick’s words. ‘You say you are sorry Empress and I believe you, but I am still angry. Angry with you mostly and angry because for a terrible dreadful moment, I thought I was going to lose my son and I was more scared than I had ever been in my life. I will accept your apology when my anger has abated.’

‘Garrick, I am truly sorry and I understand...’

‘No you don’t,’ Garrick said interrupting her. ‘Empress I swore to your father, mother and yourself my allegiance to you, but make no mistake, my allegiance will not hold if you ever hurt any of my children ever again.’

The two of them stared at each other, Amara was surprised by Garrick’s revelation and she did not hide it and Garrick continued staring at her with that fixed steely expression that could make most people shake.

‘When I wounded Rakan, I wounded you,’ she said humbly. ‘Garrick, I truly am sorry. I will never hurt your children again. I swear it to you now,’ she continued, as she reached for one of his now folded arms and touched it.

‘That is the only promise you ever need to make to me,’ Garrick said, nodding once.

‘And it is a promise I shall keep,’ Amara said, before she let go of Garrick’s arm sensing that she could do or say no more. Garrick would forgive her in his own time and all she could do was wait.

‘If you will excuse me Empress, I have matters to attend to,’ he said curtly.

‘Very well Garrick. I bid you good day.’

‘Good day,’ he said as he strode past her at a hurried pace.

Amara stood and watched Garrick walk away from her and when he was out of sight she continued on her way to her own destination. En route she met Michael who enquired how she was and the two of them discussed Rakan and Ellora and the rest of the day and lastly Garrick. Amara explained what had taken place between them and Michael listened as she repeated their conversation.

‘Garrick is a good man Empress and in all of the years I have known him I have rarely seen him angry. What happened to Rakan shook the very core of his being, give him some time and space.’

‘I know Michael, it is not that alone that upsets me.’

‘Then what is it?’

‘When I see Garrick look at me, his expressions, his eyes, his manner, he shows me, not just his anger but also, just how deeply I hurt him and that is deeply painful for me knowing just how much I hurt the others.’

‘All things in time Empress: peace, forgiveness, understanding, they all come in time.’

Amara and Michael walked to her room and they spent time in her lounge, talking and discussing things. Michael had turned the conversation into a light-hearted one and they were now talking like two old friends; they laughed and joked and reminisced about old times. Amara reminisced about being a child and Michael about before and after the war. They were engaged in each others company and did not notice the time slip away as it seemed to go so quickly. Eventually when the night passed the two of them rose and made their way to the door, and Michael kissed Amara on both cheeks before the two of them went their separate ways and returned to their rooms to sleep until mid-morning.

Humility – that is what Amara expressed in the coming weeks, she spent much of her time speaking with her staff individually and collectively. She apologised for her behaviour and for hurting them and then she promised to put things right and return palace life to the way it was, the way it was supposed to be and she asked that they forgive and understand her – which they did.

Amara spoke to the guard and asked for their forgiveness and understanding; which of course they gave and finally she spoke with her father’s five friends and they too accepted her apologies and her promises. Amara had spoken with everyone she needed to speak with to make peace and before long, even the old staff had returned to the palace. She had apologised and asked for forgiveness and made promises that things were going to return to normal, all she had to do from that moment on was to keep her promises.

Amalah was blessed once again and Amara and Ellora had begun to move on with their lives and started to become happy. Life in the palace had finally returned to normal and everything was how it was supposed to be: peaceful, prosperous and full of happiness and love.

Since things had returned to normal and Rakan had recovered, Michael, Garrick and the others arranged for Amara and Rakan to be taught how to harness and control their power. In the beginning Thaddeus and Raynor taught them the principles of magic and basic spells and sought to find out exactly how much power they had, and to their surprise the two of them possessed a great deal. They had seen powerful sorcerers but had never known any to possess this much when they were beginning their craft or when they were so young. Thaddeus and Raynor wondered how much power each of them would possess once each of them had fully developed and tapped into that power: for now, it was beyond their imagination and they could only wait and see.

Thaddeus and Raynor struggled to continue teaching Amara and Rakan as the two men had other commitments; which included spending time on the council, visiting both schools of magic and doing their own work, and as time went on, they could not always make time for Amara and Rakan. Eventually they brought in Gaerwen from the great school of Lansten. Gaerwen was a powerful, knowledgeable and respected sorcerer in the school.

Thaddeus and Raynor knew Gaerwen well and to them, there was no one else in their mind who would be best suited to teaching Rakan and Amara. Gaerwen accepted the invitation immediately and despite her students’ sadness, she left them and followed Raynor and Thaddeus to Amalah.

On meeting her, Amara and Rakan took to her instantly and she to them and so it was, that Gaerwen remained in Amalah and taught Rakan and Amara magic. Gaerwen had been teaching for fifteen years and she saw that Rakan and Amara had power but she saw what most people didn’t, that one day they would be two of the most powerful people on earth, but her knowledge of that and her surprise – she kept to herself.