16. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Valpar

I refused to venture too far from the mouth of the cave. The queen was standing just at the edge, talking to my brother. They were highly engaged in conversation.

Too engaged.

Were they plotting something?

"I'm not going to sugarcoat about Calliope's past, Valpar. I don't think orcs appreciate fluff in conversation," Osirus said as he put his hands behind his back.

No, we didn't. We took what we wanted; we meant what we said. We don't like formalities with other species. They were pointless. The peace treaties we all signed with each kingdom were not straightforward. There were balls and handshaking, bowing, for-mal cloths and showing best behavior before we signed a piece of paper. I would rather poke out my own eyes with my sword and willfully let a vampire feed off my ass than do the extra fairy-glitter defecating nonsense these creatures wanted.

"Is it about my miresa not knowing her past?" I snapped. "I do not care where she comes from. She is mine and I won't give her up."

The king's eyes widened slightly, and he sighed. "Ah, at least she has told you that much. And that her parents aren't her blood?"

I nodded. I still haven't figured that out, and I knew my miresa didn't understand it either. She didn't care to know though.

"I have brothers," the king began. "Five of them, to be exact. They all left Bergarian many years ago for Earth to look for their destined ones and explore new lands. My brother Birch was one of the lucky ones, and he found Theresa. A human. She agreed to be mated, bonded and become like him, but before she did so, she worried for her niece. Theresa's sister, Hattie, was—troubled." Osirus' lip curled into a snarl and his wings turning a hint of black.

"Hattie was sick, both in mind and body. Theresa said it happened to humans when they consumed drugs that were meant to heal the body, but used them to make themselves feel good. They got a high or a rush. They didn't think straight, and they couldn't take care of themselves, let alone a child." Osirus stared out over the sea, a distant look in his eye.

Does this mean she couldn't take care of a child, of my Calliope?

"Hattie couldn't get enough of these human drugs. It started shortly after Calliope was born, when the father left. I'm guessing she was trying to numb her heart."

"Father —?"

"Her seeded orgamo. He left her and her ogamie." Osirus knew of our terms, thank the Moon Fairy. These creatures had many words with the same meaning. It was frustrating.

How could an orgamo leave his seeded? I have never heard of such a thing. An orcling was precious, cherished. How could one leave a female and their seeded? My drum beat furiously in my chest. And then her mother, she made herself sick. She wanted to forget the orgamo, but forgot her orcling. Why? Why would she forget such a beautiful person like Calliope?

Hattie could have given that love to her child instead of ignoring such a precious gift. I gritted my teeth, my brow furrowing in anger. I let out a low growl, my fist balled up and I banged on the tree that we stood under.

"I do not understand human thinking, Valpar. Each soul deals with pain differently, especially humans—"

"No excuse," I snapped. "What happened? How was Calliope raised? What happened since this human was tainted with these drugs ?"

Osirus' jaw clenched, his wings' veins now fully black, filled with anger. I do not believe I have seen them this black since the war.

"Calliope was ignored most of her life. Neglected. She went to school, but received bare minimum attention. Several times, Theresa went to collect Calliope from Hattie, even called the proper authorities in the human realm, but like most things in the human realm, Calliope slipped through the cracks. Calliope was stuck with her mother."

A growl erupted from my chest as I heaved my breath in and out.

"With Birch's help, they stole Calliope in the night and took her away. It took them several weeks to get her strong enough to make the journey to the portal and arrive at the palace. She slept the whole way, slept for days, like she hadn't slept in years." He rubbed a hand down his face, pacing in front of me.

"I knew Calliope was going to be stunned when she woke. She was slowly waking up as Birch carried her up the steps to me. Melina and I greeted them, when Calliope finally opened her eyes." Osirus winced. "Calliope was weak, thin, tinier than she is now. She had raven black hair, gray skin, but those eyes, they were still as blue as the ocean. Still light in there, even after all she had been through." Osirus swallowed and turned to me. "She was a fighter. She hadn't given up. I was waiting for her to scream, to shout, something, because she still didn't know that Birch was a fae yet and here she was, at a palace with Melina's wings on full display and me in my garments." Osirus put his hand over his mouth as if he couldn't speak.

"She didn't, though, she didn't scream. Your mate looked straight up at me and asked me, ‘Did I die? Am I in heaven, now?'"

I had never seen King Osirus shed water from his eyes, except for when Melina was stabbed during the war. He thought he was losing her; thank the Moon Fairy he didn't. Now, he looked as if he was going to shed water again.

For the second time in my life, I felt heat in my eyes as well. Water gathered there, and I wondered if I might let a stream run down my face. To imagine if my Calliope would have never arrived, to not have gotten well? I would have been a lost orc and truly alone. I would have never had her.

"Calliope spoke little. She wouldn't tell us everything that happened in that house. Theresa said the house was worn down. Men and women frequently came in and out of it, and Calliope slept in the cold basement. That's where they found her," Osirus sobered.

I growled. "This female better be dead, or I shall go and hunt her down."

Osirus' wings faded back to their opaqueness, his shoulders relaxing. "A year after Calliope's arrival, I ventured to Earth with Melina to do just that. She's gone. There is nothing to worry about there." He waved his hand and turned his back.

"The reason I tell you these things, Valpar, is that I had a powerful sorceress, Taliyah, rid Calliope of her nightmares and memories of her past. That was Calliope's one wish. To start a new life, here." The king turned to me, with his hands folded gently in front of him. "At first, I was against it, but the way she pleaded to forget her mother, what she went through, I couldn't say no. She was old enough, and been through so much I could not deny her such a request."

I swallowed heavily and gazed back at the cave. My brother was yelling inside, most likely talking to my miresa to keep her company. I didn't care. My insides were out of sorts. My miresa had suffered much before me, and she didn't even remember it.

"What sort of memories did she want to forget?" I rasped.

Osirus shook his head. "As I said before, she didn't want to talk about it. She wrote a letter, however, when she was trying to get through the pain on her own, the first couple months before we wiped her memory. She thought writing it down would help her get her emotions out. It never did." He pulled a parchment out of his coat. It was worn, like it had been folded and unfolded many times and held the king's seal.

"I'll always remember the scars on her arms, how skittish she was. Calliope feared for everything that moved. She trusted Theresa the most because she knew that Theresa always tried to get her away from that situation. It took longer for her to trust the rest of us, but soon we were a close-knit unit."

I licked my lips. My pain for my miresa was now my own, yet she did not feel it. How was I to keep this from her, to know that her life before Bergarian was troublesome, and now it was all sunshine to her.

I let out a frustrated grunt. "And why are you telling me this? I would have accepted her no matter what." Even if some male had touched her. She was mine, and I would find out who had touched her, even if that meant going to the Earth Realm.

Osirus smiled and his wings fluttered in excitement. "I knew you would, and I know you would never give up on her. I think that is why the Moon Goddess chose you for her. You are strong, capable and possessive. You will protect her at all costs, especially now that you know what she's been through."

"I would protect her as fiercely as if I had never known of her past, King Osirus. She is my gem, the third light source of my life. There is no other." I vowed.

The king's smile widened, his fangs descending. "Of course. And with that, I have advice and a warning."

I did not need to be given a warning. If he thought I would hurt her he was mistaken, and I did not care if he was a royal; I would run my blade, my claw, my teeth through his tiny little neck if he thought I would do anything to hurt her.

"One," Osirus held up one finger. "The spell we cast, took away her memories of her past and her scars. She has no fear. She trusts everyone, like a child would. The fears she may have could be irrational, such as thunderstorms or a tiny bug." He smiled at that.

I grunted. Good, then I would appear even stronger to my miresa.

"Two, she needs boundaries set, even punishments." He raised an eyebrow. "Theresa and Birch have been too soft with her. She gets into trouble. Falling off of balconies and trees, not doing what she's told. She needs warnings and punishment. Theresa and Birch don't have the heart to do it, but it is necessary. She needs a good spanking, and not just the fun kind." He winked.

I rubbed my chin and smirked. "We have already talked about this. I will make sure she will not leave my sight."

"I figured as much. And three," Osirus rubbed the back of his neck. "The spell we cast; it erased the memory of the abuse. She is who she is; her personality, her love, the hope, is all who she is if the darkness did not befall upon her." Osirus' eyes softened and he crossed his arms. "When you mate her, bond her—"

"Brand," I said. "When I brand her."

"Yes, that," Osirus replied uncomfortably. "When you brand her, the spell, the block we have on her mind, it might break."

I stopped breathing. "W-what do you mean?"

"I mean, the spell might break. The memories she once had might come flooding back. Calliope may remember who she was. She could have nightmares again; she could become sad. Relive what she never got over." Osirus frowned and stepped forward, putting his hand on my arm. "I'm telling you this to warn you, Valpar. It may not happen at all. It was a powerful spell, but with you branding her, making her your own and your kind being immune to magic it—it's just a possibility. If it happens, we can't do the spell again."

The drum in my chest shook, beating several times before I thought it stopped completely. I did not want my miresa to feel any pain once I claimed her as mine. I didn't want her to think of her past. I did not want her to know what it was like before she came here. I want her to always be my happy little fairy.

If I claimed her, branded her—she would be sad.

"Valpar, do not overthink this. You must brand her. You have to make her yours." Osirus said firmly. "The Moon Goddess demands it. It will hurt both you and her if you don't."

"I do not want to hurt her," I whispered. "I don't want her sad. I never want to see her cry."

Only cry for pleasure, not pain.

Osirus patted my arm again. "The Moon Goddess takes care of all of her children. I know of a mated couple where the female went through many, many trials in her life. They have lost a child, they were kidnapped —"

My head darted to Osirus.

"— despite that, they love each other. The trial has made their bond stronger. They still look for her and have hope. You have forever together, only if you complete the bond, Valpar. You and Calliope will get through this. Do not wait because of your fears. Or hers."

That was easy for him to say. I just received my female, and now I feared I might ruin everything. She came to me so easily, unafraid and now I knew why. She feared no one, because of a spell.

The bond was still there, but now there was a pain in my chest. I rubbed where my chest felt heavy. I did not know if it was my pain I felt or my female's, my Calliope's.

"Don't." Osirus took the parchment from his pocket and put it into my hand. "Do not treat her differently now that you know. She hates it. She wants to be normal, and you see her as normal when no one else sees her as such. You are irrational, demanding, controlling, and she needs that. Be the orc you were before you came out of the cave."

I groaned and held the parchment in my hand. "What's this?"

"Calliope's letter to herself. Her past self to her future self. You have the choice to give it to her or not, she has no memories of writing it, but once she sees the handwriting she will know it's from her." King Osirus pointed to the parchment in my hand. "Her family wanted to keep it from her. Keep her in the dark and never put her through that pain again, but I am giving it to you. Let her read it and let her have the choice." I promised I would make sure her mate would receive this when the time came. That he would know when the right time would be to give it to her."

I did not like this. I did not want to be the one to give my mate pain. I did not want her to open this letter, either. How could I be the bearer of bad news to the other half of my soul.

I let out a painful grunt, casting my eyes down and away from him.

Osirus chuckled. "You know, Calliope didn't believe she would get a mate after all that she had been through. Let alone have someone to care for her. And here you are."

"And you knew?" I eyed him suspiciously.

Osirus eyed the parchment. He put his hands behind his back, walking back toward the cave where Queen Melina and my brother were nowhere to be found.

Bassza. Those fools.

"I'm a king, Valpar. I know everything."