Page 75 of Detonation
Suddenly, we're transported into the chambers of my parents and I can't help the wave of grief that pours through me. They look so happy, chasing each other around the room, not a care in the world about the stress that comes with ruling a kingdom. My mother’s silver dress gets caught on the edge of the bed frame, making her squeal, as my father stalks up to her.
I hold this moment close to my mind, wanting to remember them like this, not as the last time I saw them, on the battlefield where they died because of me.
My dad has on a royal blue trouser and loose shirt combo, his raven hair cut short, unlike the majority of the fae in our realm who held onto their long hair as a sign of their age. They misguidedly believed that the longer the hair, the more you deserved respect. My father had never cared for that and had always told me that the way you act and present yourself in the face of adversity should matter more than the length of your hair.
He tackles my mom into the bed, her strawberry blonde hair fanned out around her on their black fur throw. She giggles as he places a kiss to her forehead tenderly. He nuzzles her neck with his nose and whispers, "I promise you, we will have a child one day. We will find a way. I don't care what the doctors say."
The smile on her face drops but as he pulls back to look down at her face, she plasters a small smile on, though I can see the sadness that lingers in her eyes.
She doesn't believe that.
Gaia chooses to make her presence known then, a teal glow around her as she emerges from the corner, lighting up the room. A gasp comes from my parents as they fumble to stand up, my dad placing my mom behind him just slightly, her hand gripping his arm.
"Hello,” she says with a smile. “I am sorry to intrude but I felt a calling to come to you. I see now why that is. My name is Gaia but you may know me as Mother Nature."
My father grins like she’s the answers to his prayers as my mother steps out from around him, the same hope in her eyes as my father’s. She walks towards Gaia, awed. "Can you help us? The doctors say I am unable to conceive."
Gaia smiles softly at her, extending her hand out to hover in front of my mother's abdomen. "May I?"
With my mother's nod of consent, Gaia places her hand on her stomach and a white glow emits, seeming to radiate under my mother's skin. Gaia’s eyes close as she hums a light tune, searching for something, and I walk up next to my dad, watching them.
I glance over at him and take in the joy on his face, committing it to memory, before turning back towards Gaia as she removes her hand and opens her eyes. "I have been searching the realms for the right keeper in each to hold the balance while I preside over the human realm. In times of need, the souls worthy of this call sing to my own, drawing me to them."
My mother's mouth parts slightly. "Do you help create each one of them?"
Gaia shakes her head, her waves bouncing with the movement. "No. This is the first time my connection has pulled me towards the mother of the one I seek."
My dad walks to stand behind my mother, caressing her lower back in silent support, as Gaia continues, "Those that hold the title of keepers typically go on to be the queen of their realms. The greed and selfishness that warps rulers does not seem to be present in either of you. You have not let the pressures of leadership change your souls. They still shine brightly to me, even now." Gaia gestures towards their bed. "Please, Zaria, lay down for me."
As she moves to do so, Gaia admits, "My keepers all hold a large weight on their shoulders. They hold more power than the average person in their realms from my gift to them and they often feel like outcasts because of it. They need strong examples to look up to, to guide them."
My mother lies down. "How did you know my name? Or is that a silly question?"
A beautiful tinkling laughter comes from Gaia before she answers, pointing to her head with a smile. "I have a lot of knowledge up here, enough to drive someone else mad, I think."
As my mother nods her satisfaction with that answer, Gaia’s eyes flare brightly. "Zaria, Xander, I will need to take your memories away of meeting me and of how this child is conceived. She will be the only child of mine in all the realms and many dark entities will come for her if they know of her power."
My father's face hardens, looking like he's ready to face down anyone that will come for his unborn child.
He was always so protective of me. I always felt safe and loved in his presence.
"What will we remember?" my mother asks.
Gaia strokes her forehead lightly. "You will wake up and go about your lives as normal but with time, your stomach will swell with the growth of your child. You will believe that your prayers have been answered and that’s all that you will believe. No one must know of this."
My father purses his lips, deep in though. "If you have never had a child in all your time, why us?"
Smart question.
She looks to him, watching as he hovers over my mother protectively. "You may not understand my answer because I barely have one to give you. I felt a tether to Zaria and upon learning what you both sought, I knew what needed to be done."
My mother grabs Gaia's hand and squeezes it, pulling her attention back towards her, "Thank you. I promise you that we will love her and protect her with a fierceness unmatched by any others."
Tears well in my eyes at her statement because that's exactly what they did.
They pushed me when I barely scraped the surface of my potential, trying to blend in.
They held me when I cried over how much of an outcast I felt like, despite my best efforts.
