The Petals of A Dream - II

Compromise ((Chapter 26))

*** Abrielle's POV ***

"Help me! Anyone -"

"Momma! Where's my Momma?!"

"Fire! My house is on fire! Help, my son - "

I desperately covered my ears with both hands, trying to tune out the shrill cries around me. I struggled to keep my eyes shut while I curled myself like a ball.

"Please stop this," I pleaded with the throat thick with sobs. "Leave me alone.."

My efforts were futile. Despite the fact that I was numbed with terror, I could still feel the intensity of their emotions. Pain. Fear. Loss. Despair. Agony. Grief.

"Why didn't you save us? Why didn't you let us live? Why did you let Celes be destroyed like this? Why? Why?!" The angry shouts of the mob filled my head. My stomach twisted in guilt as I bit my lip, muffling my sobs.

"I'm not the one at fault," I whispered back, knowing they wouldn't listen. "I'm not the one to be blamed..."

"You did nothing wrong," said a familiar voice. Thin, cold arms wrapped over me. They felt uncomfortable, but soothing in a sense. "I know you are not at fault."

"You - ?" I gasped as I saw a blond girl in front of me. She silently stood up and took a step backward. She was an exact duplicate of my younger self, with the way her hair was cropped short and even her clothes - black robes I used to wear when I was a thief. She gave me an odd feeling of nostalgia, although she felt wrong in a way. Suddenly, the burning image of Celes in the background disappeared, leaving nothing but darkness. She showed me an impish smile as she watched me scrutinize her.

"Yes, I am you. Or I used to be," she mused. " I am yourself in the past. I am Yolan."

I opened my mouth to say something, but no sound came out. I couldn't speak up. Just then did I notice that my teeth were chattering, although I wasn't cold. Something was off with her.

"You are aware with the power of names," she continued. "How one's name can determine one's Fate. Since you started using 'Abrielle', we lost our Fate as Yolan Rynvard. Thus, I became a separate entity."

"Wait. Originally, our name was really Abrielle," I reasoned out, using the plural already.

"That was a name we already lost. It would be better if you left it like that. But you searched for it, and embraced being a Leone once again, without knowing the consequences."

My heart skip a beat when I realized what she meant. "You mean - ?"

"Yes," she sighed. "You should have known how strong the magical link is between Celes and the Leones. You should have known the weight of the curse of being a Leone. But I couldn't blame you for your ignorance. You were too young back then. You didn't truly understand the reason why our brother Harllen changed our name, and why of all people only we escaped the carnage of our House. It was the curse in our name that said that every Leone is bound to protect Celes at the expense of their lives."

My fists clenched and unclenched as my mind refused to accept the truth in her words.

"You still don't believe me?" She raised a brow skeptically. She then shook her head in disapproval. "Did you know why all nobles have the letter 'L' in their names? Why royalties have double L's in theirs? It was because L is the middle letter of the name of our world. Ce - L -es. It was the center. In ancient runes, it acts as the symbol that balances the spells. It is the essence and core of the magic.

And we both know that Leone is the only clan, the only House with L as the first letter. Do you know why?"

I didn't respond, but she remained smiling at me. She knew that her words have served their purpose. I remained frozen as she knelt beside me, and pulled me into an embrace.