Valerian, The Legendary

67 Friends.

Fragrantia had already sat down beside him, she took out the bread and jam from the basket and said, “Your mother, liked this jam and bread a lot when she was a child. All the lily-scented jam was for her to eat in the house.”

Valerian heard her but he did not turn his head and kept staring down at the ground. The Empress understood and said, “Your grandmother passed away in childbirth. Flos grew up alone, but our father loved her. When she was five years old, my mother married her father and then I was born.

For all the time I have spent with Flos, I can say, that she was a carefree and loving person, she pampered me a lot. My mother was not good to her though. So, after our father was assassinated, the first talk was to arrange a wedding for her. The candidate was Libra. However, Flos loved Divinus, the strongest mage of the city. So, she left and I was made to marry Libra.

We were one of the strongest families on the eastern continent but all this changed after my marriage. After my marriage, your mother became a wandering battlemage and traveled the world with your father. They gained a lot of reputation, but then ten years ago, suddenly, news came, that Divinus was dead.

I was shocked, I tried to find Flos, but to no avail, and after months, we met here, your mother was hiding in these woods and I was here with my children for a picnic. You seemed to have been born and Flos was alone here.

After meeting me, she was happy. We talked about what happened, but she refused to say, warning me, not to dwell on this. She had no idea that I was so close to her, I tried to get her back to the palace, but she did not go.”

Saying this much, Fragrantia placed the bread smeared with jam next to the tree. Valerian raised his head and asked, ‘What happened to her later?’

He has regained his composure but he did not interrupt Fragrantia until now.

The woman replied, “One morning I found her without breath. I arranged for a secret funeral, and helped rest here.”

.....

Valerian nodded and asked, ‘What about the eastern continent?’

“That part of the world became a graveyard, the land is haunted by death and wars. News is also blocked. I have no idea what happened there.”, replied the Empress.

After she was done, Valerian nodded but his gaze was locked on the tree in front of him. He did not expect to have a family in this world. Yet all this coming up like this was too convenient and he could not help but doubt Fragrantia. He asked, ‘How can I believe that you are really my mother’s sister?’

Fragrantia smiled and said, “You sure take after her in the aspect of alertness.”

She grabbed the chain around her neck and pulled it up. At the end of the chair hung a pendant. Valerian gazed at the pendant and was shocked. He subconsciously touched the chain around his neck and Fragrantia said, “Yes, these two pendants were a pair. One for your mother and one for me. These were gifted to us by your grandfather.”

Valerian could tell that the pendant was exactly similar to the one he wore. He asked, ‘Then why did you not look for me when you knew that my mother had a child?’

“Flos did not want you to live in comfort. She believed that comfort will make you soft. She did not want you to follow in their footsteps. Your father was well known, the reason was his merciful attitude toward other people.”, said Fragrantia.

Valerian asked, ‘Is being kind not a good thing?’

He asked with doubt, his mother did mention similar things in the letter. Today only did he find the chance to discuss all this with someone. Fragrantia replied, “Being kind is a good thing, but will you be kind to someone who harbored ill-intention toward your family and friends?”

Valerian shook his head without hesitation. He had only one person to whom he was kind, and that was Diligentia. He pondered over things and asked, ‘Why did you not tell me this earlier, Your Excellency?’

Fragrantia sighed and said, “Child, would you have believed that a stranger you meet out of nowhere was your aunt, and also, did not see my condition before? Where can I match the splendor of your mother? If only you could have met seen her.”

Valerian replied, ‘I have met her.’

Fragrantia was surprised and the boy told her about the spell cast on his pendant but he did not say anything about Senium to her. It was evident that Fragrantia did not know about this particular matter. So, until it was established that she was really his relative, he would not tell her anything.

Valerian asked her a lot of things about Flos, and the lady replied readily, that the reason he told her about the spell charm was to make her aware that he knows about his mother and that they have met. If Fragrantia messed up in his questions, then the plausible ploy will come to an end.

However, Fragrantia did not slip, she talked calmly with a smile on her face the whole time, she even said that the time she spent with Flos was the best time of her life. Valerian did not know when he began smiling and listening to the tales. Fragrantia passed him a piece of bread smeared with jam and the boy ate it with thanks.

The empress said, “Valerian, I can understand that you do not trust me completely and I respect that, but can we become friends? I always looked up to your mother, wanting to be like her. I cannot bear to see you bow in front of me. You are like my own children to me. Can you allow me that?”

Valerian thought about it and nodded. Fragrantia smiled and said, “You just wait till I tell Azula, her face will be wonderful.”

Valerian imagined the scene in his mind and smiled faintly.