A Mothers Sad Tale CONTENT WARNING: This chapter has scenes of sexual assault that may be disturbing please use your best judgment before reading.

The evening meal was a simple stew comprised of game her eldest brother Rownen had foraged as they had traveled. It was paired with rustic break cooked on stones over the fire. Treasca loved every bite, but tonight she ate more reserved her eyes drifting over to her parents who seemed be even more reserved than usual. Caroline glanced at her sister-in-law with concern. Treasca rarely was this sober.

"Is anything wrong?" Caroline asked putting a hand on Treasca's. Treasca shook her head, and smiled at her dearest friend. After they had finished eating Malena whispered something to Caroline who nodded and glanced over her shoulder at Treasca.

"Come with my dearest." Malena said a sad smile on her face. Obediently Treasca followed her into the big colorful tent her parents shared. Meetings among the clan where held here as well as every birth and funeral. Her mother kneeled on a soft pillow next to Yolan eyes filling with tears. Taken aback Treasca moved next to her mother wrapping her arms around Malena's very small dark frame. Yolan looked over at his wife a frown on a face that smiled much more than he ever frowned.

"Treasca you have noticed that you do not exactly look like a Traveler?" he said eyes studying the rug instead of looking at his eldest daughter. Treasca nodded slowly not liking where this was going. She had often wondered why the rest of the Traveler's where tan skinned with dark brown eyes and hair she was silver haired with very pale skin and sky blue eyes. She thought perhaps her extreme abundance of magic had altered her features. It was something one of her tutors had mentioned once in passing. Her father took his wives small hand in his large one before continuing.

"Treasca you are not just traveler." He met her eyes before he looked down at Malena giving her had a gentle squeeze of encouragement.

"Before I had bound myself to your father. My clan had traveled to this part of the world. We had gone to the very festival that we now travel to." Malena took a deep breath before she continued. " My family set up at the Alonian festival and made a lot of gold in just a few days. On the day before we where to leave I had gone to the meadow to fish and forage when I came across a young man. He was injured his horse had thrown him leaving him unconscious. I was able to use my little magic to help him enough for him to be able to walk. His hair had been blue like steel and though blood covered his face I could tell he was very handsome. Once we made it back to the city I took him to my father who was a much better healer than I. Despite my father's care the man had not recovered by the time we where to leave. We asked everyone we saw about him, but no one knew who he was. He was still unable to even raise his head unaided so we brought him with us. We delayed our journey to the next town for three days before we had no choice but to move on or miss the ship we had ment to catch that would take us back to the Alls Meet. He began to improve about a week after we had set out, but he didn't remember anything still. Since he had no name that he could remember I began to call him Sans. We soon became fast friends even smitten with each other, but our live was forbidden and I never allowed us to go further than simple friendship. Once we made it to the Alls Meet my father began to look in earnest for me a husband, because he feared losing me to Sans. Yolan was a widower with a small infant son who needed a wife desperately. He accepted my father's bargain at once since his own parents had died years ago. When I told Sans I was going to be married the following day he became enraged." Malena paused a sob escaped her she wiped furiously at the tears streaming down her face before she continued. "He threw me on the ground and took my virtue. Once he was finished he got up and left the Alls Meet and no one has seen him since. I married your father and was not going to tell him at all until I discovered I was pregnant with you. Yolan being the kind and forgiving man he is did not shame or turn me out of his clan, but raised you as if you where nothing other than his own child." Her mother took a deep breath still not looking up at her daughter.

"Why tell me this now?" Treasca asked holding her mother tight against her. Yolan cleared his throat before saying.

"Because your mother has been holding this pain in her heart for the last eighteen Summers and we thought it would help her to heal to tell you before she had to face that city again." He said he pressed his lips to his wives hand gently. Treasca nodded before getting stiffly to her feet. She knew a lot about healing wounds, but the heart no magic could simply fix.

"I love you both dearly." Treasca whispered. "That will never change." She turned and kissed each of her parents on the cheek before leaving them to comfort eachother in remembered grief.