Metanoia (23 page)

Leyance sat on the bed in his room, staring
at the foot of the bed without moving. When a knock came at his
door, he did not even look up, did not even stir. Fheyrhil came in
and looked at the poor man still wrapped in his own misery.

“
Leyance, you have to break
your silence. You have no cause to be miserable. Not now.” Leyance
only glanced up at him and then looked back down. Fheyrhil turned
and looked out the door. Softly but confidently, he pulled Gina
into the room. She was wrapped in her cloak in fear of others
seeing her and for a sense of comfort. Her phoenix rested on the
balcony of the room, peering in through the open doors.

“
Go on,” Fheyrhil coaxed.
“Say something.” Shaking, Gina took her hood off and looked at her
husband. He had not even look up. She walked over to his side,
shaking with each step. She kneeled next to him and looked into his
face.

“
Leyance...” The sound of
her voice, shaky as it was, seemed to awaken Leyance as he turned
to look at her. His face was unreadable except for a small twinkle
in his eyes. Without changing any emotion, he reached over and
hugged her. He hugged her so tight that she felt he would never let
go. Then softly, she heard him whisper, heard him speak for the
first time in many months.

“
I love you, Gina. I’m so
sorry.” Gina felt Leyance’s body start to convulse as tears
streamed down his face. He had never cried much in the past, but
months of hurting being held inside finally came gushing out. She
held him and rubbed his back to try to calm him. Looking up to
Fheyrhil for guidance, she saw he had left the room, but her
phoenix now had flown in and perched itself on the bed.

Official news of Gina’s miraculous return was
kept silent for quite awhile after she was found. Yet, rumors
spread quickly and soon enough they were confirmed. Fear still
swept over Gina, though, and she refused to see anyone except
Fheyrhil and Leyance. Fheyrhil assured her that the city still very
much loved her and had forgiven her, understanding that the spell
was to blame, but Gina did not care. Fheyrhil even assured her that
the city felt much in debt to her for bringing all their loved ones
back, for they had quickly learned that through some miracle it was
her doing. Still Gina would not be seen. The girls especially had
pleaded and pleaded with Fheyrhil to let them see her, but Gina
refused. She could not bear to look at them, Jacinda especially.
Gina knew that Jacinda would no doubt still bear the scars on her
wrists and ankles. The thought of this drove shivers through Gina’s
spine.

Leyance had slowly been recovering. He became
more relaxed, more talkative, and more alive. Fheyrhil knew that
Leyance blamed himself for the horrible things Gina went through
and as a direct result insisted that he never leave his wife’s side
again. He made sure that his wife was protected and kept secret
from the city. The fact that Gina lived was all that would be known
to the city while Leyance protected her. Yet Fheyrhil also, though
he wanted Gina to come back to the arms of the citizens, tried to
keep her as safe and secret as possible, respecting her wishes.

The phoenix seemed to be the most relaxed of
all of them. She came and went as she pleased, bringing news to her
friend that only Gina herself would truly understand. Most
importantly, she brought warmth, comfort, and friendship that Gina
needed now more than ever. The phoenix had not been there from the
beginning, and she had not been involved from early on, making her
an ideal companion for a girl who wished for nothing more than to
escape her past. However, Gina became increasingly aware that she
could never do that. She had forgotten her past once, and she would
never be so lucky again.

Now, only the phoenix brought Gina happiness,
as it had done for the city as well. When the blue, green, and
golden bird flew in the skies of Nythagié, the citizens knew their
queen still lived. Yet, this only reminded them of how much they
needed her. Their queen had saved them, in a strange way it was
true, but she still had. They needed to save her.

One morning, Gina and Leyance sat in their
room while Fheyrhil informed the queen of the news of the city. She
had refused to see anyone but still continued on with her royal
duties in secret as she was doing this morning. Softly, a beautiful
chorus of singing could be heard. The voices got louder and warmer
until a definite tune and lyrics could be discerned.

“
We know that you must hurt
inside your heart,

We know that you must feel lost and
confused,

But believe that we never want to part.

We are not as scarred as your soul
abused.

We all stand before you now, not angry,

We are no longer filled with any fear,

Because only love is now felt by we.

You are our queen, the one we hold so
dear,

So believe us when we say we forgive.

Now all we wish for is for you to live.”

Gina had sat still, listening to each word
being sung. Now, she slowly raised herself up and walked to the
window where her phoenix already flew above the vast crowd below.
Each person held a small candle and a bundle of flowers and each
smiled brightly as they sang. Slowly, the queen looked back at
Fheyrhil and Leyance and then stepped forward out of the room onto
the balcony above the crowd. Cheers erupted and flowers were thrown
into the air. Not a single frown could be seen on a single person’s
face, not even Gina’s, who had not smiled in a very long time.

Chapter 14

“Secrets Revealed”

Months passed much quicker now that joy once
again filled the city. Gina and Leyance had slowly adjusted back to
living relatively normal. Leyance had even presented Gina with a
new necklace to replace her old one. Its intricate design had a
flower in the center surrounded by many other crystal and
iridescent stones, all shimmering in the light. She never took it
off from that day forward.

The girls were also reunited happily with
their best friend, and the city was reacquainted with their
returned queen. Fheyrhil watched every new development, every new
smile, every new laugh with eager attentiveness and warmth. Things
were now as they should be, and that brought so much warmth to his
heart. Gina, also, watched him silently. She felt so in debt to him
for not only forgiving her but bringing her back to life here in
her city. Yet, a sense of unease disturbed her. She owed so much to
this man and he knew her so well, yet she hardly knew him. Leyance
saw her stare at Fheyrhil with admiration twinkling in her eyes. He
saw everything she did, no matter how small.

“
What is it with you and
Fheyrhil? Are you going to leave me for him?” Leyance joked. Gina
smiled.

“
Not a chance, Sweetie.
It’s just that I don’t understand Fheyrhil, and I never have. He’s
so distant and yet so close and warm. He brought me out of the
darkness and loved me even though I was so awful.” She glanced at
Leyance who had a slight look of jealousy on his face. Giggles
escaped her lips. “Well of course you did too, but I understand
you. I know you. I don’t know him, but he seems to know me all too
well.”

“
Fheyrhil
knows
everything
,
Gina,” Leyance exclaimed. “Especially you. He senses everything and
always has.”

“
Always? That must be so
amazing to know everything,” Gina stated.

“
I think we would be
surprised.”

Later that day, Gina walked down the hall
toward the council room. She again found Fheyrhil in his usual
spot, staring out the window.

“
Hello, Regina,” he said
before turning to see her.

“
Hi,” she responded. “How
are you?”

“
Just fine. Now, exactly
what can I do for you on this lovely day?” he asked with a knowing
smile.

“
Oh, nothing.” She could
tell that he knew her true reasoning. “Fine. It’s just that I’ve
realized I don’t know much about you.” He smiled hearing
this.

“
You know me, Gina. More
than you know.”

“
How is it that you know so
much though? How is it that you sense those things?” Gina
asked.

“
My senses are no different
than any other could experience. I am just more in tune to my
higher senses. People claim that they do not understand the sixth
sense, but really they fear it. They fear that having the Sight
will unlock their secrets. This is not so. I cannot read their
deepest thoughts, only what is in the top of their thoughts. People
think that those like me know everything. I only have flashes of
what is going to occur, and I do just naturally know things that
others would not. I certainly do not know everything. Nor is my
knowledge always pleasant. Though I see good events to come, I also
see the bad.”

“
And that can definitely
mess a person up, can’t it?” Gina asked. He smiled.

“
Yes, that is one way to
put it. You need to have control and peace of mind to handle it.
Many cannot and so they become fearful of this idea. People fear
the unknown. It is our nature.”

“
How long have you had this
power?” Gina inquired.

He paused as his eyes drifted back to the
outside. “Since my daughter was born,” he whispered. Gina snapped
to attention.

“
You have
a
daughter
?” she
asked shocked.

“
I did,” he said quietly.
“She died when she was very young.” His confidence seemed to
evaporate, and sadness filled Gina’s heart as he turned to look at
her.

“
I’m so sorry, Fheyrhil,”
Gina assured him. “I had no idea.”

“
It is fine. It happened a
long time ago.” He turned to the window again. “A very long time
ago.”

“
Fheyrhil had a daughter?
How come you never told me?” Gina interrogated Leyance one day
while walking through the city.

“
I’m sorry. I didn’t know
that it was that important to you. I only remember being told once
anyway. Not many know,” he assured her.

“
He said he’s had his
abilities since his daughter was born.”

“
Maybe. I don’t know that
much about it.”

“
That must be so hard to
lose a daughter. What ever happened to the girl’s
mother?”

“
He kept it secret, whoever
she was. I suppose he wanted to keep his daughter safe.”

“
From what?”

“
I think she was supposed
to possess a great power should she live. The way I’ve heard it,
she had to pass a test when she was very young. She was only about
a year when she failed that test and paid for it with her
life.”

“
They put
a
baby
through
a
test
? But
Fheyrhil’s gone through so much,” Gina said as her head hung
low.

“
As have you, Darling,”
Leyance whispered, wrapping his arm around her. “You’ve been
through more than he has. You have even had similar losses. Do you
even remember your parents from your first life here?”

Gina tried to remember their faces, but the
relatively new vision was blurry. “No,” she stated at last. “At
least not really. My father died in battle when I was just a kid,
and my mom raised me until I was five. Then she left. I never knew
why or where. That’s why I was adopted in the other world. My
parents couldn’t follow me. I always just assumed I had done
something wrong to make my mom leave me like that.”

“
It wasn’t your fault that
she left. There is no way that she didn’t love you. She just had to
leave for some reason.” He paused. “I wish I had met your
parents.”

“
Me too,” Gina said with a
smile. “What about your parents?”

“
Do you remember them?
You’ve met them before, the last time. We should pay them another
visit. They live about five miles from Kulinai.”

“
You know, maybe Fheyrhil
knows about them more than I do. He might even know where my mom
is.”

“
Don’t ask,” Leyance
warned. “He was the one who found your father had been killed. He
was there when it happened. We shouldn’t make him go through that
memory again.”

“
You’re right. Forget
it.”

That night, Gina and
Leyance lay asleep next to each other. Dreams flowed freely through
her mind.
She skipped through the streets
of Nythagié happily. Ahead of her, a little cottage appeared in the
street. As she approached it, the city seemed to fall away until
she and the cottage were in the woods, far away. A woman’s voice
called out to Gina from the house, telling her to come in.
Gleefully, Gina opened the door and ran in. A man stood there
smiling warmly at her. Though she knew in her heart who these two
were, Gina could not clearly see their faces. The man swept her up
in his arms and started to dance with her. He hummed a made-up
tuned as he swung her around the house.

“
And how is my little
queen, today?” he asked her. She just smiled and hugged him. “Come
now,” he continued. “Show me your royal subjects.” At this, Gina’s
happiness increased, and she pulled the man towards a room. She
opened it and walked into a room filled with toys, mostly stuffed
animals. She picked up animal after animal and showed them to the
man.

“
These are them,” she told
him happily. “And they love me!”