Love Falls

Elisa’s steps slowed as she approached the ward, her gaze fixed on a figure seated quietly by the window. 

Her chest tightened.

Kael had wanted to join her, but at her quiet insistence, he'd relented, remaining outside the ward. This was something she had to face alone.

The nurse gestured ahead, unnecessarily pointing her mother out, as if Elisa wouldn’t recognise the woman who raised her. “She’s waiting in the lounge area, just over—”

“I see her.” Elisa nodded, eyes not leaving her mother. "Thank you, Cassie."

Her mother sat motionless, wrapped in a plain shawl, staring out at the valley.

“She… responds well to biscuits if you want to get her to talk,” her nurse-friend offered.

Elisa blinked, finally glancing at her. "I… heh. Sounds like her. Biscuits are instinctual to everyone in my family. But aren’t they…”

“In the Petrichor Valley? We have a dragon-courier that drops off supplies every morning. You should both say hi someday. You two act like you grew up in the same family. Who knows, maybe you are, considering you breathe the same fire.”

“Hush, you.”

Then, Cassie, softer—"Being her daughter and all, I’m assuming you’ll have an easier time than I did. Just… don’t expect much. It’s been five years."

Elisa nodded once, her voice quieter now.

"I’m not expecting anything. But it’s worth a shot. I owe it to her."

Cassie’s gaze softened slightly, then, with a small exhale—"We’ll talk later, okay? Tell me everything.

“About what?”

“You know… the Count, the one that upended your life?"

Elisa gave a dry laugh, shaking her head. “Cassie, there’s no tea left to spill—it’s flooded the whole damn room.”

Cassie smirked gently. “Well, swimming in gossip is one of my favourite pastimes.” She stepped back, eyes softening. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Elisa turned slowly, facing her mother again. She exhaled, steadying herself, then moved quietly forward.

“Hey, Mom.”

A slight twitch. A subtle shift in the silence between them.

Then—

“Elisa?”

She barely registered her own movement before her arms were already around her, pulling her mother into a hug so tight, so desperate, it was as if she could anchor her to this moment—keep her here, keep her whole.

Her mother stiffened at first.

Elisa squeezed her eyes shut, breathing in the familiar scent of home.

Her voice came out choked, shaking.

"I’m sorry. I’m so sorry… I shouldn’t have left you here…"

Her mother’s grip tightened, just slightly—fingers trembling where they met Elisa’s hand.

The recognition was there, flickering behind her eyes. But it wasn’t relief. It wasn’t warmth.

Her lips moved slowly.

"They said you'd come back… but only to finish it."

Elisa froze. "What? No—Mom, it's me. I’m here. I’m not here to hurt you."

Her mother’s eyes brimmed with something darker—fear, confusion, the fractured remnants of something that used to be trust.

"Please don’t hurt me," she whispered.

Elisa’s chest tightened. No. No! "Look, ma. Listen to me. I will never hurt you."

Her mother’s breath shuddered, her fingers curling into her lap, her voice dropping to a hoarse whisper—

"Why do you always lie? Just say it to my face. I’m a no-good killer. Killed Daddy."

Elisa’s stomach plummeted. She stepped back, every step sounding like eggshells breaking.

"You didn’t. I swear. I—I am not mad at you. I don’t think you did it anymore."

Her mother’s hand shot up, the air around them thickening with power.

"Stop lying!"

Elisa’s breath hitched. "Please, Ma—gods, please. Calm down."

The door creaked open slightly. "Elisa?"

Elisa didn’t turn. She held up a hand, voice firm but trembling. "No, Cassie. Stay right there. Let me handle it."

Her mother’s hands were shaking now—fingers twitching, shoulders drawn tight. A ticking time-bomb wrapped in skin and memory.

Cassie knew she should listen. But watching Elisa’s mother come apart at the seams—she’s seen this before.

"I haven’t seen you with our Martial Leader for years. She fights something rabid-like and I had to get the Arcanists in here on more than one occasion. Last I checked, Daniel wasn’t working in the Institute!"

Elisa clenched her jaw. "What’s it gonna take, Mama?"

"I—I—I left you there with Daddy… You were so mad. Who wouldn’t be? I’m guilty, I’m guilty, Gods help me."

Elisa sucked in a breath, trying to keep her voice even.

"Time…"

Lie or not, it was all she had.

"Time changed me."

She met her mother’s eyes, searching for something that wasn’t there.

"You weren’t the one that put a sword through him," she said, low and shaky. "You did what you thought would protect me. I shouldn’t’ve let him do what he did to you. Half the things he said—hell, most of it weren’t true."

Her mother shook her head, teeth clenched. "You screamed bloody murder."

"I changed my damn mind!" Elisa snapped, voice catching. "I forgive you! I do! I swear, I—"

The words tumbled out.

"Ain’t a day gone by I don’t regret what I said. And I left you when you needed me most. You oughta be mad at me, not yourself!"

Her mother’s face crumpled—somewhere between grief and something worse. Hysteria maybe.

Hands clutching at her shawl now, knuckles white.

"I’m a no-good mother," she whispered. "No-good killer. Killed Daddy."

Elisa felt bile rising in her throat. "Ma, stop sayin’ that—"

Her mother gasped, eyes wide, darting around the room like a trapped bird.

"The Gods won’t forgive me. You hear me?" Her voice cracked. "Just send me down the Steps, Elisa. Please, just do it..."

Then suddenly—Stillness.

Eyes dulling, the breath caught in her throat.

A whisper.

"Kill me."

Elisa’s blood ran cold.

Her mother’s gaze locked on her. Hollow. Glassy. Still.

"You’re the only one that can do it."

Her voice shook, but the words were clear.

"You the only one can send me well."

Elisa stood frozen. Her hands trembled at her sides.

"I don’t wanna burn, ‘Lise. Don’t wanna suffer in the Fires. They’ll strip me of my feathers. All of ’em. I ain’t ever gonna fly again!"

No. No, no, no.

She pushed back from the table so fast her chair scraped against the floor.

She didn’t look back.

Didn’t stop.

Didn’t breathe.

Tears burned her eyes as she stumbled out of the room, pulse pounding in her ears. Cassie rushed in after her, as did a couple of guards. They knew the consequences if they didn’t ground her.

For her friend, Cassie took a risk.

"Miss Jasmine, calm down!"

A shuffle. A sharp gasp.

"Elisa."

She snapped her head up.

Kael stood before her.

His gaze flickered past her, toward the closed door, the muffled shouting. Then, back to her.

Elisa’s breath shuddered out of her.

Her throat tightened, her voice coming out broken.

"H-hold me, Kael. I need to get… Oh, gods…!"

Kael hesitated for only a second.

Then, without a word, he closed the distance between them.

Strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her against the solid weight of him, anchoring her in place.

Elisa let out a sharp breath, burying her face against his chest, hands gripping the fabric of his coat.

"Fuck’s sake…!"

\\

The Falls of Haven rumbled in the distance, their steady roar grounding her—or trying to.

They found a sheer drop to sit on. For most people in Highcliff, a good, high-altitude view was therapeutic.

It was good to get out of there. How quickly things can descend to shit...

"All started when Dad had his episodes. Erratic. Borderline abusive."

The words came clipped, like she was forcing them through a sieve.

"Then he started getting physical. But not against me."

Kael said nothing. But she could feel him listening.

"A long time with nothing to do. Living off a military stipend." Her breath shuddered. "It was a recipe for disaster."

She swallowed.

"I was on his side on the whole Concordant matter. When they started getting more expansionist. My mom was so passive, wanted to leave whatever happened to Highcliff well enough alone, so..."

Considering what her mother wielded in her blood right, and the lack of doing anything outside her comfort zone… it pissed people off. 

It sounded pathetic. To get mad at someone for having an opinion, when they weren’t even hurting anyone.

But it was the truth at the time.

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Everyone around me hated her, so I hated her too. That's no excuse."

Her throat tightened.

"She didn’t have a life outside of… cooking, cleaning. She was too scared to speak up."

Her fingers dug into her arms.

"And when—when my dad finally got help, well…"

A humorless laugh. Quiet. Bitter.

"The demons invaded."

A pause.

“He took up arms, ran out the door.”

Then, softer—

"Mom got caught under the rubble. Her head bled. Saw it did. I passed out soon after, and for some reason I don’t remember… we ended up here. Safe and sound. The last thing I remembered… and I was probably hallucinating; the wind blowing against me, high up the air, bright orange sun washed over me… biggest I’ve ever seen. Then I woke up. Here."

Her nails pressed against her palm.

"She’s been like that ever since." She swallowed down the lump in her throat. "She never got to experience much life beyond that little household."

Her voice cracked, just slightly. 

"Her mind’s in the past, always. Looking for something to do… for anyone. Doesn’t matter who. Bonus points if it was a man. But what hurts the most?"

Her jaw tightened.

"Some days, she’s as lucid as can be. Like the Gods offered her a little piece of relief, only to take it away the next day."

A pause.

"But the one thing I will never, ever forget…"

She lifted her head, but didn’t look at him.

"Is how her eyes looked at me, during those moments."

Her fingers curled into her sleeves.

"They were still scared."