AVERY’S TALE
PART THREE: THE FAMILY REUNION
Avery was surprised that Emre from B-3 even knew her name. Though she had shared a deep love connection with the Emre of her timeline, she had never met Emre B-3 so how could he have known who she was? She pretended that Emre B-3 had not called out to her and instead turned to face her father’s doppelganger still lying in bed.
“Avery, it’s me. It’s Emre from D-1. I came back for you,” Emre said.
Avery was astounded as were Ember, Anna and Erabelle. What was going on with Emre?
“Where is he, Avery? Where is our son Blaize? I want to see him,”
“Listen, I have no idea how you came to know about me or my son but I don’t appreciate your inquisitions considering he is none of your business,”
“Avery, I swear to you, it’s really me. I couldn’t let you go so my soul winded up in Limbo and well- I accepted fate but changed my mind at the last second because I just- I couldn’t say goodbye. I was- was stuck in Limbo for nearly five Earth years- I couldn’t move on because I felt so guilty for dying on you. I- I put an impossible burden on your shoulders- forcing you to be the one to- to end my life was cruel. I should have just endured for you and Blaize. I was so weak… so foolish,” Emre said walking towards her.
“Please stop- stop imitating my Emre,”
“But it really is me, Avery, I am your Emre, Avery and I love you. I am so glad that I have been given a second chance with you. I want to be there for you always. For both you and Blaize. Please Avery-”
Avery shook her head adamantly refusing to accept the fallacy presented to her.
“I- I merged with Emre B-3, that’s what happened. Please, Avery- please believe me. My- my heart just- just led me here. I had the strongest urge to come here. I thought it was because father was in trouble but- but now I see it was your heart calling out to mine. Avery- I want to be with you. I want our dreams to come true- please- please don’t run away from me,”
“Even if that is true, there’s no way we can be together. I’m on a mission so please- please just stay away from me,”
“Is she still alive? Your adoptive mom?”
“Of course she still is,”
“Please tell me that you didn’t leave our son in her care,”
“He is not our son. He is my son. And I no longer wish to speak to you about this matter as I have already explained that I am currently on a mission. You better let me be or else I might be tempted to send out a distress call to the Director,”
“Wait a minute- you can still perform magic?” Ember asked her startled that she was implying that she could use magic even with the Dyson Sphere’s anti-magic protections.
Avery shrugged. “Sorry I lied that I couldn’t, King Ember,”
“You’re- you’re the woman that my son is so madly in love with?” Anna asked her flabbergasted.
“I- I don’t know why your son thinks that he is in love with me-”
“Thinks? My son is very clearly distraught because of you! Can you not see it in his eyes? He adores you. He has been an absolute wretch for days because of you,”
“I’m sorry, Queen Anna, I really and truly am but as I have already explained, I am here on a mission and I cannot let my personal affairs get in the way. I have brought these guests with me in the hopes of having them settle here for a while as I make some other arrangements. If this can’t be done-”
“Of course it can be done! We are honored to host the Oracle and Savior in our home Sphere, right mother and father?” Emre asked his parents.
“What do you mean by the Oracle and the Savior?” Ember asked flabbergasted by his son’s pronouncement.
Avery smiled apologetically. Emre sometimes lacked tact and subtlety.
“I’d hoped to give a better introduction,” she said apologetically.
“Of course we may host the Oracle and Savior but who are these other guests?”
“This is Mistress Catania and her life-mate Master Alradius. They cared for the Oracle and Savior and therefore are in great danger should they remain in the dark world,”
Ember nodded. He then unshackled all the guests including Avery and then said that he would personally see to the allocation of their resettlement to the Dyson Sphere for as long as they required it. Anna volunteered to help and they all cleared the room save for Emre and Avery.
“Avery-”
“Emre, now is not the time,” she chastised him.
“If not now then when shall we resume our critical conversation?”
Avery sighed looking at her father’s doppelganger. “I don’t know just not now,” she said walking towards Protector Leal and then taking his right hand in hers and squeezing it. Before long, she hung her head low and began to cry. She regretted not being able to save her own father but she was glad that she had at least saved his doppelganger and by extension, her mother’s doppelganger as well.
“I’m so sorry, dad,” she said sadly, her tears falling on Leal’s hand. Suddenly, Leal’s right hand closed in on hers and he squeezed her hand gently as if in a way to say that he forgave her.
“Oh dad!” she exclaimed hugging him tightly. Emre was truly touched by the exchange and did not even notice when his Aunt Emilie returned with Aurora to the room. Aurora was significantly calmer than she had been before and when she saw Avery hugging Leal so tightly, she rushed to their side immediately.
For a few moments, Emilie and Emre were terrified that Aurora would snap at Avery and possibly harm her but she surprised them by gently tapping Avery and when Avery turned to face her, tears still in her eyes, Aurora hugged her and held her in her arms causing Avery to weep for a long time.
“I’m… so sorry, Aurora. I didn’t mean to-” Avery began.
“It is I who should be sorry, Avery. No child should ever have to be through what you’ve gone through,”
“You- you know?”
Aurora smiled feebly and caressed Avery’s face as tenderly as a mother would. “I don’t have to know every detail but there’s something in your eyes that tells me you’ve been through more than any one person should go through,”
Avery shrugged.
“And know this, dear, that no matter what timeline you’re from or whatever timeline you travel to, I always embrace you as a daughter. You are my daughter, Avery. You have always been and will always be my special little girl,” Aurora proclaimed causing Avery to burst into tears again.
She embraced Aurora and said, “Thank you, Aurora. I mean… mum,”
Aurora smiled and nodded. She then turned to face her Protector still fast asleep.
“You saved his life. I will be forever grateful,” Aurora said.
“I can’t take any credit for that. It was all thanks to the Savior,” Avery said.
“I am forever indebted to her ladyship then,” Aurora said reverently. She spoke a while longer with Aurora before telling her that she was going to help King Ember and the others resettle the Oracle and her family in the Dyson Sphere.
“I’ll come with you, Avery, to help…” Emre suggested. Avery did not respond to him and completely ignored him altogether even as she reunited with King Ember and Queen Anna as they gave the guests a grand tour of the section of the Dyson Sphere where they’d be living in temporarily.
Emica was still very reluctant to entrust their lives to the mercy of strangers especially fair-folk and Alison witches but felt that they had no other choice for then. Besides, the living conditions in the Section they were allocated to were not only spacious, they were homey and even luxurious in comparison to what they had previously had. She found herself letting her guard down after a while especially after a long, soothing bath, a full stomach and without the constant threat of the dark world weighing her down…
As she and her family resettled and acquainted themselves with their new home world, King Ember, Queen Anna, Prince Emre and Princess Emilie had dinner with Avery to better understand who she was.
“Um… Avery, now that we know that you’re… um… not working for the Entity, we were wondering if you could clear something up for us,”
Avery smiled and nodded. “Is this about the Sidhe Empress Alyona?”
Queen Anna, Ember and Princess Emilie all exchanged worried looks and then nodded although Avery noticed that Emre gave her a knowing look and nodded appreciatively to her.
Avery smiled. “There’s nothing to worry about concerning Alyona. I know it’s hard to believe this but the Empress is on our side,”
“How- how can that be?”
“People change, King Ember. You are a far cry from Lord Kyron and Alyona is no longer a child of evil. I know it is hard to believe but Alyona has changed remarkably. She is helping us hunt down the Sidhes that have not reformed,”
“How can… how can we come to believe this? How do we know that she is not playing some kind of… of twisted game?”
“I know that it is hard to believe but it is so. For instance, in addition to tracking and vanquishing dark Sidhes, Alyona assisted me in overcoming the wards protecting this Dyson Sphere. She is willing to enhance the wards if you allow her to. Further, up on the Mountains of Death in Wintria, had it not been for Alyona, I’d never have managed to safely destroy the dark pillars,”
“That was… that was you that destroyed the dark pillars?” Ember asked surprised.
Avery nodded. “It was a team effort between me and Alyona. I couldn’t have done it without her,”
“So she- she poses no threat to us?” Emilie asked fearfully.
“I assure you that she doesn’t. She is on the right side of history for once,” Avery reassured them. She knew it would take a while for them to accept what she was saying but Avery knew they’d eventually grow to trust her.
TO BE CONTINUED…
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