Mother and Daughter

“Sori! Quit slurping! It makes my skin crawl!” Nanny shuddered. The little boy glared at her, squid tentacles hanging out of his mouth. “Eew, that’s not any better!” Nanny covered her eye. Mari choaked as she forced her laugh down. “Child, can you not eat normally? We have a guest, for the love of God!”

“Oh, don’t mind me!” Tetra waved a hand as she sipped her wine. “I’m not squeamish.” Sori grinned and sucked the tiny squid into his mouth as Nanny gagged. Mari patted the old woman on the back.

“Was a seafood dinner really a good idea?” Mari asked in concern. Nanny thumped her chest and coughed.

“I just can’t stand octopus or squid. Their tentacles disgust me.”

“But you’re from the Tongan continent, right?” Tetra questioned. “Seafood and tropic fruit are its staples. How did you end up scared of fish?”

“Oh, that has nothing to do with it!” Nanny turned red. “I do like seafood! Just not that seafood!”

Mari snickered. Yesterday, she’d introduced Tetra to Nanny and Sori and the two had instantly accepted the elf. Without any discussion, Tetra had joined them on their adventures. Nanny had wanted to go down to the base of the mountain and try the famous seafood dishes and Tetra had taken them here. The paella was amazing! Mari pried open a oyster and popped the meat into her mouth.

“Hey, Nanny?” She asked, her curiosity suddenly piqued by Tetra’s snark. “What tribal group are you from?”

“I’m from the Vinue people.” Nanny said in surprise. “I didn’t tell you?” Mari shook her head as she licked her fingers.

“Weren’t your people completely decimated by the illegal slave trade years ago?” Tetra asked without an ounce of tact.

“We aren’t the large nation we once were, and we were kicked out of our ancestral territory, but there is still a robust Vinue population living on the series of islands bordering Tonga. That’s where I was born, but I left it as a young girl. I do remember, though. I was trained in my people’s art of textile work and dancing.”

“Oh, so that’s how you know how to make such pretty dresses!” Mari exclaimed.

Nanny chuckled. “The best weaver in the Opal Kingdom can’t hold a candle to our special techniques!”

“Wait, does that mean that you made the clothes Mari’s been wearing?” Tetra asked. At the old woman’s affirmative nod, the elf’s eyes went wide, and she leaned across the table. “Please, tell me more! Everything! I want to know! For my travel writing!” Nanny’s face lit up as she began discussing clothing design and textile manufacturing with Tetra. The two were enjoying themselves, and Sori was happily stuffing his face, but a dark shadow loomed over Mari’s mind.

‘Tetra's right. The Vinue were absolutely brutalized by the slave trade. Slavery has been outlawed for centuries, but there are pockets where people cling to it.’ Mari shuddered internally. ‘The Tongan continent has always been a target because of humanities gross ideas about race, but the Vinue population had it the worst. Their green hair and yellow eyes are considered cursed by the other tribes, and the main reason their population declined was because the other Tongan tribes tried to wipe them out. Not just wipe out; there were periods where massive amounts of the Vinue were being abducted by other Tongan’s and sold to black market traffickers before there was a crackdown.’ She glanced at Nanny with a newfound sense of apprehension. ‘Until I met Nanny, I’d never seen a single tribal person living as far South as the outskirts of the capital on this continent. Could she have gotten here by being trafficked in the illegal slave trade? Azreal had mentioned that he’d found Nanny when she was in a bad place, but not how they met...’

As the family enjoyed dinner together, Mari couldn’t help but wonder about her grandmother’s past.

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“The stars shine even brighter over the water.” Nanny smiled as she adjusted her headscarf.

“Yes. It’s like their luminance is multiplied." Mari stared at the stars sparkling in the dark, yet richly colored night sky. Off in the distance, she could see lanterns swaying on the decks of the fishing boats. The water lapped gently on the sand. Everything was so peaceful, even with the hum of nearby public activity.

After diner, Tetra had invited Sori to see a children’s play at a theater and Nanny had suggested that she and Mari enjoy a moonlight walk on the beach. Mari was awed by the beauty of the ocean at night, and it was refreshing be alone with Nanny for a change. With Sori constantly underfoot, there wasn’t much quiet time to go around.

Nanna looped her arm through Mari’s. “Thank you for indulging an old woman’s nostalgia. I haven’t seen the sea in years. It’s like coming home to an old friend.”

Mari shook her head. “No trouble at all. I’ve seen the Mirror Sea before but that’s not the ocean. This is my first time seeing the actual sea.” The two strolled arm-in-arm silently for a few moments.

“So, how do you feel about living with us?” Nanny asked suddenly. “I know you thanked me, but is everything okay? I don’t know anything about unicorns. Are you enjoying yourself?”

Mari smiled. “Nanny, everything has been perfect! I have nothing to complain about. This is the most content I’ve been in a while. But are you alright? Having another mouth to feed is more work for you.” Nanny paused, causing Mari to let go of her arm in concern.

“Sweetie,” A tearful grin streached across the woman’s face. “I’m so happy! This is a lifelong prayer come true for me! Even since I was little, I dreamed of having a daughter who I could teach our craftsmanship and dances to. I spent so much time thinking about all the pretty outfits I could make for her.... But I wasn’t allowed to have children. I still loved pretty things and making clothes, but it was always a sad reminded of what I couldn’t have.” She looked lovingly at the silk sundress Mari had on. “Those clothes weren’t meant for an old woman like me. There was no one to wear them, but I didn’t have the heart to just sell them. I love Azreal and Sori and consider them my own but...I still can be selfish, even at my age.” She grinned cheerfully. “The day Azreal brought you home was one of the happiest days of my life, along with the day he saved me and when he brought Sori home. You’re such a ray of sunshine! You make me laugh and help me around the house. You always let me hug and love on you, unlike Sori. And you’re so beautiful and always indulge my desire to dress you up. It’s my turn to thank you.” Nanny gently took Mari’s hands in hers and squeezed them. “Thank you, Mari, for being yourself. For being the daughter I always wanted.”

Mari’s heart felt like it would explode. ‘Daughter... ray of light...no one has ever...!’ She recalled the angry faces of her aunts and grandparents. ‘No one ever...no one was ever happy that I was around...’ The smiling old woman before her seemed even more dear than before. The knowledge of that shinning, unconditional love gave Mari the courage to ask her question.

“Nanny...what happened to you? How did you meet Azreal?” Mari asked simply. ‘Saying he saved your life, being a Vinueian, not being “allowed" to have kids...’ The questions whirled around in Mari’s head.

A sad look crossed Nanny’s face, but there was no anger there. “You know how slavery persists in some places?” Mari nodded. “When I was little, I was abducted by raiders while I was out fishing. They sold me to some black-market traders, and I was taken to another continent.” Mari’s heart froze. “I was sold to a noble house there. It was a smaller continent, but the whole place still practices slavery.” Nanny turned and looked out at the water.

“They have quite a system there. They’ll work you hard, especially on the big estates. They rotate your tasks so they can consistantly squeeze as much work out of you as they can without killing you. Most slaves live to be quite old. Not as old as they’d be if they were free but...it’s a pragmatic, calculated evil. I worked in the mines, the field, the furnaces and large-scale textile manufacturing... I worked and worked and worked and before I knew it, I was old. The beatings, hunger...everything wears you down, so you disassociate and stop wanting to feel or remember anymore.” Nanny placed a hand on her stomach. “The slaves were trafficked people from everywhere, but that nation particularly looked down upon those from the tribal islands. They called us insects that needed to be culled. All us girls...they sterilized us so we could never have children.”

Mari clapped her hands over her mouth and stared in horror. ‘That’s an abomination! And to do that to little children-!’ Her mind couldn’t comprehend the level of cruelty that reduced living beings to mere machinery that needed to be managed to avoid wear and tear. Slavery had been outlawed long before Mari had ever began interacting with humans, so she’d never witnessed that hell firsthand.

“They use you until your life dries up. Eventually my usefulness ran out. The nobels who owned me took me with when they traveled across the ocean. Slavery was illegal where we visited but...when it comes to foreign dignitaries, power makes people turn a blind eye. While the caravan was traveling, I got sick. They didn’t want to waste resources on me since I was old, so they just dumped me by the side of the rode to die.” She turned to Mari and smiled.

“But Azreal found me first. The King of Opal had sent him on some mission, and he stumbled across me on his way back. I was so ill and dehydrated that I don’t remember much, but he got me back across the sea somehow. He nursed me for weeks, even when doctors told him that I was going to die. If it wasn’t for that boy, I’d have died years ago. He was so sad that I couldn’t bring myself to leave leave him, and the rest is history.”

“Uugh!” Mari couldn’t form words; all she could do was let her unattractive tears roll down. She couldn't image something so horrific happening to anyone but hearing that it had happened to this person who she loved so much...Mari threw herself into Nanny’s arms.

“I’m so sorry that happened to you! It’s so cruel and unfair! I knew your past was bad and I had guessed...but I didn’t think it was that bad! How could anyone want to hurt Nanny?” Mari wailed, half incomprehensible. “I’m sorry I asked you!”

“Shhh, it’s okay.” Nanny pulled her close and stroked her head. “I’m not mad anymore. I overcame it. I still get sad or angry from time to time when I think about the things I lost and all the years that were stolen from me, but I only have so much time left. I don’t want to waste it being angry when I can’t do anything to get back at the people who hurt me. I just want to live and be happy. I was finally able to have a family and home of my own. I can make clothes to my heart's content. I have a kind older grandson who takes good care of me and a little rascal who constantly keeps me on my toes. And now I have a granddaughter who I can spoil and make pretty clothes for. Even if I wouldn’t choose my past, I’m happy with what I have now. I feel so blessed to be alive, so don’t cry for me.” Nanny gently wiped Mari’s cheeks.

“Nanny...thank you for being both my mother and grandmother. And thank you for trusting me with your story.” Mari sniffled and rubbed her eyes. “I’m glad we were able to meet.”She slipped her hand into the old woman’s, who gave it a reassuring squeeze as they resumed their beach-side stroll.

 “Me too, my dear. Me too.”