Heir To The Iron Crown: Dyrith

24 - Tuttugu og Fjórir

Sylvia's eyes were burning with anger as she saw me.

Renee hurriedly held the boys' hands and took them upstairs. Otto seemed to look confused at the woman who'd just invited herself in.

As I started to get up, Valente stopped me, placing a hand on my lap and giving my thigh a slight squeeze.

He gave me a forced smile, as if to say, "I'll handle it" before standing up to face his aunt.

"Let's go home Aunty," he said calmly. He was waving a white flag in front of her red-tinted sight.

Sylvia on the other hand was raging.

"How could you bring her back here? You know how I feel about her and you brought her back! Tomorrow you'll tell me she's moving in too! You expect me to sit and watch as you bring our enemy to Fathilagt again?" Sylvia said, almost screaming.

She looked at me, her words spewing venom.

"I thought you were dead. You were better off dead!" she said so loudly, I was sure the children upstairs would have heard her.

She cut through me deep, and I could see Valente's fingers twitching as he tried to control himself.

"Aunty stop it now," he said, his voice as level as he could manage.

I stood up, next to Valente.

I had to face her.

But standing wasn't enough to bring me the courage I most needed. I couldn't bring myself to say anything.

Not because I didn't have anything to say to her, but because I had lost the ability to form sentences. I was disoriented almost, unable to see through my blurry eyes and hazy mind.

She watched as I stood, walking closer to reach me.

"You took everything away from me. You took away so many from our homes. You cursed this land and I lost my mate, my child, and even Rosa. You've come back to take Valente from me and I know it," she said angrily.

"I'm not taking anyone away. Valente and I-," I said, now a little shaky.

The guilt I carried over Gramma's death that I so painstakingly had pushed down was slowly coming back.

I looked at Valente, who was seething.

"Valente and I are mates-,"

The words had barely left my mouth before she slapped me hard on the face.

"You are nothing. You were nothing before you tricked him into choosing you," she said.

The shock hadn't even fully registered from her slap before she had words in her mouth again.

I could feel both Sterkur and Ima's restlessness, but nothing was as bad as the anger dripping off of Valente.

I knew he was on the verge of doing something, but his moral code prevented him from hurting his own aunt.

Sylvia on the other hand, seemed to be on a high horse. She looked as if she had wanted to do that for a very long time.

She had so much to say.

"You are nothing but a-"

"Sylvia."

It was Renee. I heard her quiet voice from the stairs.

She was composed, yet the look in her eyes could burn our uninvited guest alive.

"Did you know how much mom loved you?" she said, now walking down the steps, her movement slow, controlled.