Page 135 of Heiress of Fire

Davina recalled all those moments when she cried herself to sleep while covering her lips to avoid anyone from hearing her cries for justice.

The misery she felt when she began to see how Nico and Mae didn’t change even after bearing three more children, how the responsibility to protect her siblings was hers since her parents refused to do so. Every choice she made was for them. Every sacrifice for them. And now, Raven took them.

She failed at being their older sister, their protector. That’s what Emmy called her anyway. Davina, the protector. The savior. The helper. The second mother.

“I knew you were strong enough to go through it.”

She shook her head as she continued to wail as King Magnar cradled her. “I feel so weak, so helpless. I tried, I tried so hard— it’s all my fault. It’s all my fault.”

She felt as if all the air had been ripped out of her lungs. Her throat burned harshly.

All the sobs that she kept locked in for many years forced themselves out of her lips. She couldn’t stop, no matter how much she tried to put an end to her weeping.

“You were never alone. I was there the entire time,” he said gently. “Do you remember when your first battle with Raven ended?”

Flashes of that horrid night rushed back to her. Raven had removed the knife from her chest and stared ahead, at someone or something inside of the house, with a wide smirk. Davina froze before raising her bloodshot eyes to face his honey-brown ones. She sniffed. “Yes, she walked away.”

The King sent her a sweet smile.

“You were there? That was you? You’re the reason she walked away?”

She thought it was Ron who found her.

He nodded slightly. “You were never truly alone. I promised you that wherever you went, I would go with you. You’re my daughter. It is my duty to protect you.”

Davina gulped, suddenly feeling a bit guilty for having barged into his quarters in a raging manner.

“I have been a witness to the battles in your mind, in your heart, and your exterior. I have been that soft voice you hear in your head, the one that has calmed you and the one that has comforted you. Your mother may have forgotten you, but I will never forget you. I never have and I never will.”

Could Davina find in Magnar the parent she never had?

“The greater the struggle, the greater the triumph.” The King stood tall, then held out his hand for her, she took it. King Magnar set both his hands over her cheeks. His thumbs cleaned the multitude of tears that stained her beige skin, a smile over his lips.

Davina questioned him with her eyes. It was as if he understood her thoughts without her having to explain with words.

He nodded.

Is he agreeing with me?

His smile grew larger, nodding again.

I’m sorry.

It’s okay.

“You will overcome Raven. You will save your siblings. I guarantee you that you will. And I will be there with you, in battle, until the end.”

Davina nodded. King Magnar brought her closer and gave a soft kiss on her forehead. Davina gave him a small squeeze.

“All your pain is worth something. You will serve as an example for many others who have experienced similar suffering,” he whispered.

Somehow, it was at that moment that she truly understood that she was never alone. Isaiah’s betrayal struck her deeply, but the thought of Ron betraying her hurt even more. That was the King’s exact same pain when the Revolt occurred.

Now, she was able to understand the King’s position, a state in which he was forced to live for four hundred years.

But the King was a better person than she ever could be because he was fighting for his people through the Island Protectors, giving them their exceptional abilities and protecting them as they fought in the battles. The people, Bellatorm, none of them, deserved the chance that the King was gifting them.

The rest of the Island Protectors, accompanied by Master Abigail, passed the threshold into the throne room, nearing Davina and the King who were wrapped in each other’s arms.

---