13 Chapter 13: The Darcy History
“Eliana, please, you have done enough. Take a break, you deserve it. Jasper’s friend Evyn is outside. He will accompany you and show you around the sanctuary, since papa is off meeting with some old friends.” Mama explains quietly as they both sit near Jasper.
Eliana blinks away the fatigue wracking her body. “I am okay, mama, I prefer to stay here.” She forces a smile on her lips, but it fades almost immediately.
Beatrice’s gaze softens, “Dear, you have done so much for us, truly. Take some time and relax.”
Eliana wonders in her mind, “Once I leave this tent, I will be surrounded by strange werebears.”
“Is it safe,” is what she ends up asking.
A smile tugs at Beatrice’s lips, “Yes, the sanctuary is peaceful. The Chief casts out any individuals that cause a ruckus. You will be safe.”
Eliana tightens her grip on her shirt, nodding softly. She cannot help but think, though, “I barely trust the Darcy’s, much less the entire werebear sanctuary.”
“Go, honey, I will watch over Jasper.”
Eliana looks over at him, her heart aching, before she glances down, standing.
“He will be fine,” Beatrice reassures as the Princess exists the tent.
The sun blinds her for a moment, before revealing a young man with sandy brown hair. Eliana is drawn to his multi-colored gaze. She does not know whether to look into his bright blue eye, or the dark, almost ebony one.
The man’s expression lightens as he sees her. “Eliana, right?”
Swallowing the bundle of nerves building in her chest, she nods.
“I am Evyn. I am an old friend of Jasper’s. We lived next to each other for years, until we were forced out of Drein,” he huffs softly, rolling his shoulders.
Eliana drops her head, guilt weighing heavy. “I am sorry for what has happened to you.”
“It all worked out,” he chuckles. “Come, I will show you around. Mama says you need to get some exercise, to work on your injured ankle.”
She tests the strength of her limb by putting excess weight on it. When it holds strong, she smiles, “It has healed a lot since being here.”
“That’s terrific,” he beams as he begins walking down the dirt road.
Eliana briefly watches as many of the werebears glower at her, or whisper as she slowly follows after. She breathes in deeply as her fear sends every nerve on fire.
“You know, we moved here to Viptan after the initial expulsion. King Omion was kind enough to give us sanctuary. We have not had trouble since. Except for a few incidents.”
“May I ask, what happened to the Darcy’s?” Eliana intertwines her fingers, trying to act unconcerned.
Evyn sighs, “Oh, that is a complicated one. I am not sure I am allowed to even utter tale. Though, I will give you a brief description.”
Eliana holds her breath, focusing on his words. She even ignores the continued stares from the Xefol.
“Our Chief has three wives. Now, the normal mating process is only one partner. He decided that keeping the bloodline pure is more important than finding a true mate. He also does not agree that we should tie ourselves down with a singular partner. He chooses his wives, simply by their beauty, strength, and prowess. Jasper’s mother was once a candidate, before she met papa.”
Eliana snaps her gaze up, “She was to be married to the Chief?”
Eagerly nodding, Evyn smiles at a few girls that pass by. Their eyes sparkle in return. “Yes, when she was only fifteen. It is the age when a Xefol comes of age. We hold a ceremony to attract our mate as quickly as possible. The only problem is, we never know when it will come to pass. When the Chief approached her, she had a decision to make. Wait for a mate that may never come, or marry the Chief and be secure. It is a difficult decision, especially when there is pressure from your parents.”
Eliana raises her brow in surprise as she listens.
“Luckily, papa’s family came through Viptan, in order for papa to go through his own ceremony, days before mama was to be married.”
“What happened?”
It is hard to hide her shock at the story. Eliana did not know that their way to each other was so difficult.
“Chief did not want to give Beatrice up. She was to be his second wife at the time. He tried to rush the wedding, knowing that there was a chance mama’s mate might appear. In doing so, though, he only accelerated their meeting. Mama noticed papa first, on her way to her soon-to-be husband. She was in her wedding dress and immediately knew papa was her soul bond.”
Eliana’s stomach flutters as she contemplates the story and what mama had to go through. “What did the Chief do?”
Evyn scoffs, “He was furious, of course. He was not able to do much, though. His people put up with a lot with his actions, but they, us, would not allow him to force a wedding when mama had already found her mate. It was her decision to be with papa. Enraged, the Chief cast them out. Even now, sixteen years later, they are still not allowed to live within Viptan.”
“Why did mama say that Conrad has history with the Chief? Does she not as well?”
He raises his brow momentarily, “Oh, papa demanded a fight, to win over Beatrice. Our Chief declined. If he were to lose, he would have lost the clan’s support and eventually, he would end up being kicked out.”
As Eliana opens her mouth to respond, her abdomen is hit by a small, leather ball. The weight causes her to lose all of her breath for a moment and she tries to catch her bearings.
“Eliana,” Evyn gasps, moving to her side, “Are you injured.”
She shakes her head as she catches her breath.
The chatter of children grows near and Eliana glances up to see a horde of young werebears, shuffling uneasily as they stare at her. Leading the group is a small female, maybe eight years of age. She halts once she is three yards away. She fiddles with her intertwined hands, staring at the ground.
As the other children force the young girl up, Eliana finds herself pitying the young cub. She is petrified, her doe eyes larger and her bottom lip quivering.
“E-Evyn,” she mumbles almost inaudibly. She slinks over to his side as Eliana bends down to hand her the stray ball. The young girl squeaks, but zips out, grasping the object before sprinting back to her friends.
As she straightens, Eliana cannot help but to realize, “The Xefol are just as afraid of me as I am of them. In their eyes, I’m the bad one.”
On her next step, she winces, her ankle landing wrong. She catches herself before she falls, though.
“Are you alright,” Evyn questions. He places his arm out, just incase Eliana collapses, but does not touch her.
“I am fine,” she huffs, gaining control of her body once more.
“Come, I will bring you back to the tent.”
Eliana turns to follow after, her body trembling. Her mind is on repeat, the same thought replaying, “My family is the cause of the Pivurlion’s sufferings. We are not innocent in this war.”
As they continue back to the tent, a booming voice causes them to pause, Evyn’s face falling into dread, “Halt right there human.”
