Seren returned to the guest quarters in the evening after spending the day exploring the kingdom with Ember. Exhausted, she fell asleep soon after dinner. She had hoped to wait for Drayce, who had been busy building their new home, but her tiredness overwhelmed her.
In the middle of the night, she stirred awake. Drayce was still not by her side. Sitting up, she noticed a figure standing quietly by the window, gazing out into the night.
"Dray?" she called softly as she got out of bed and hurried over to him. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, holding him close. "When did you return?"
Drayce gently placed his hands over hers. "Just a little while ago."
"Why didn't you come to bed? Are you tired?"
He shook his head, his silence unsettling.
"Did you finish building our home?" she asked.
"I did—well, Erebus did," he replied, his tone unusually calm.
Sensing something was off, Seren released him and moved to stand in front of him, her worried eyes searching his face. "What are you thinking about?"
Drayce met her gaze, his expression calm but distant. "I'm not sure how long it will take before I see you again after tomorrow."
Seren understood what he meant. After Marking, Erebus would be with her for as long as he wanted. She had promised Erebus she would be with him after he marks her and Drayce won't meddle in. Now the time was there, she felt worried about Drayce.
"I'll find a way to bring you back sooner," Seren reassured him. "Erebus listens to me. But I did promise him equal time—just like the time I spent with you when we consummated our marriage. I can't go back on my word."
"I know. I am not blaming you. But the thought of not being able to be with you, is unbearable."
She closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around him. "Erebus will be with me starting tomorrow. But we still have tonight. How about we make the most of it?" she whispered softly, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. "Hmm?"
"When my wife seduces me like this, how could I possibly say no?" he murmured against her lips before capturing them in a heated kiss, leading to yet another passionate night they spent together.
----
The next day, Seren and Drayce were preparing for the marking ceremony. Evanthe approached Drayce with a folded red robe in her hands.
"Dray, you need to wear this," she instructed.
"Having you do this in her place isn't the same," Seren countered. "It's meaningless if her only concern is making up for what she missed. What about what I've missed in my life?"
Sierra's grip tightened on the robe. "I apologize for that," she said quietly, still holding the robe open, waiting for Seren to accept it.
"You don't need to apologize," Seren replied, her tone curt. "And I don't expect my mother to apologize either. I just want you both to stop being selfish."
The room fell into a tense silence as Seren watched Sierra through the mirror. After a moment, she finally moved her hands, slipping them into the sleeves of the robe, not expecting anything more.
But then Sierra spoke again, her voice trembling. "I'm not apologizing on anyone else's behalf. I'm apologizing for myself— I, your mother."
Seren's heart skipped a beat. The room felt heavy, filled with emotions long kept hidden. 'Did she accept she is my mother?'
"I apologize," Sierra repeated, her voice soft and raw. "I didn't have the courage to face you before... not after everything you endured because of my decisions. But I don't regret them. I did what I had to in order to protect you. I was ready to watch you from afar for the rest of my life, even if it broke my heart."
Seren could feel her mother's emotions, her pain.
"I told you before, I don't blame you," Seren said gently. "But you shouldn't have waited so long to come to me."
Sierra's voice trembled as she confessed, "I wasn't brave enough."
Seren turned to face her, her eyes moist with unshed tears. "I thought that when you finally accepted you were my mother, I'd have so much to say. I wanted to tell you how hurt I was when you denied it, even when I asked you directly. It broke my heart. But now... I can't seem to say anything. All I want is to have a mother like everyone else. I want to be able to say, 'Yes, I have a mother too.'"
Sierra's voice was thick with sadness, her own tears spilling down her cheeks. "Your mother isn't someone you'd want to show around proudly."
Seren glanced at the scales on the back of Sierra's hands and understood. "Is that why you didn't want to tell me? Because of how you look?"
"I would only embarrass a beautiful child like you..." Sierra whispered, her voice trembling with shame.
"I don't care about that!" Seren interrupted, her voice fierce. "I don't care how you look or what anyone else thinks. You're the woman who gave me life, who endured all the pain to bring me into this world. You are the only one who matters."
Seren's mind flashed to Edith giving birth to her child, and she couldn't help but imagine the pain her own mother must have gone through. She knew that giving birth to a child with powers was far more difficult. She had heard about how Evanthe struggled to give birth to Draven, despite being powerful herself. The thought made her heart swell with gratitude for the woman standing before her.
"For me, you are my mother. I am not going to judge you on how you look," Seren repeated. There was a silence on Sierra's side before she spoke, "Though I was not with you, my daughter was raised into an amazing person. I want nothing more..."
"But I want," Seren interrupted, tears now streaming down her face. "I want you to treat me like your child—a child who still needs her mother, even though she's grown." Her voice cracked with emotion, her expression desperate. "I want a mother. Do you hear me?"