Confessions (Part 1)

JP with mdman and Cindy

His confession surprised her, though deep down Islana knew it shouldn't. He had been nothing but loyal and caring for her since they first met.

Still, as much as she had found an inner strength in herself with or without Sister Locust. There were still insecurities that would pop up like a never ending random battle with herself. These were the things she could never show to her advisors, no weaknesses.

Sitting here with him though, Islana felt safe, but, her past - she certainly never knew when it would be a problem and they were headed to battle somewhere that wanted her dead, even if the war wasn't a factor.

"I feel very close to you. Safe. I cherish you as well but," Islana took a breath, "There is more about me. Things you don't know. Reasons why I responded the way I did when I found out you were sick.”

Now that Ch’Truta had opened up to Islana, he felt nothing could keep him apart from her. “I realize I do not know much of you. I know enough of you and want to learn more,” Ch’Truta expressed with nervousness. After all, he was confessing his love to the chosen one. “I have been through a difficult life. I am certain that together we can overcome whatever life throws at us. We are both survivors.”

"Still I feel I should tell you why I left Helias. It wasn't because of the Inquisition, they did not even know I existed, at the time. I also didn't completely understand what I could do was magik." Islana felt the need to tell him, so he didn't go into anything without knowing because her past affected everything about her now.

Ch’Truta was certain he could handle anything Islana said. He had never felt this way before. His devotion before had been to the spirits and Uctilo’rhu. This was for the safety of the brood. Now, his devotion was to her.

He braced himself for her words. “Go on, I am listening.”

"It's a long story but easier to tell it that way. " Islana began. "When I was young my father had brief times of being sober, a day maybe here and there. We would make money by my older brother and sister and my father going to the festivals. My brother would sell hides and dried meat, my sister would sell dried flowers. My father never took me, he was scared that I would accidentally show my ability. This lasted until my brother, Cathal, was killed in an hunting accident. After that my father stopped doing anything but drinking. I was 8, my sister, Aine, was 10. I took to hunting and fishing, she fell in charge of gathering and taking care of the house. We both took care of father." She took another drink of water. "One day, after we had gotten back from being in the woods, our father was gone. We didn't know where he had gone but he returned a few hours later , so we didn't think much of it. About a week later, I returned to find my father speaking with another man. My sister was gone." One would think that all the times telling this story Islana wouldn't feel it so deeply but she did. She used her free hand to wipe her eyes. "My father had sold Aine, not even giving us a chance to say goodbye. He had also sold me to the man he was speaking with, Lord Vasant." So, begin the retelling of her time with her cruel Master Lord Vasant. How badly he treated her, and how he wanted to use her to bear his children. "Once his wife was dead things got worse. I knew he would never let me go. So, I ran away. Three years, it took me to get to the port, to a ship to take me to Arcadia and he never stopped pursuing me."

She at that point stopped, to pull herself back together and wait for his response.