Chapter 315 The Braid

Chapter 315: Chapter 315 The Braid

Talia’s POV

I woke to the feeling of fingers running through my hair.

The touch was gentle and familiar, and it pulled me from the depths of sleep like a warm hand reaching into the darkness. I blinked, and I felt the softness of the grass beneath me, and I smelled the smoke of the fire, and I heard the birds singing in the trees.

But more than anything, I felt the fingers in my hair, moving slowly and carefully, weaving and twisting.

I turned my head, and I saw my mother.

She was sitting beside me, and her fingers were moving through my hair. Her hands were thin and fragile, but they were steady, and they moved with the kind of practiced ease that came from years of doing this.

She was braiding my hair, just like she used to when I was small.

I felt the tears burning in my eyes before I could stop them. "Mother," I whispered.

She looked down at me, and I saw the tears in her eyes. "I used to do this every morning," she said, and her voice was soft. "Before the fire, and before everything. I used to braid your hair, and you would sit so still, and you would tell me about your dreams."

I closed my eyes, and I let the memory wash over me. I remembered sitting on a stool in front of her, and I remembered the feeling of her fingers moving through my hair. I also remembered telling her about the dreams I had.

"I used to tell you about the dreams I had at night," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. "About the adventures I wanted to have, about the places I wanted to see, and about the person I wanted to become. And you would listen to every word, and you would tell me that I could be anything I wanted to be, and that nothing was impossible for me."

I wiped my eyes. “I remember the sound of your laughter, and your voice was soft and warm, and I remembered feeling safe.” I smiled through my tears.

"Sometimes I dreamed about being a warrior," I whispered, and my voice was thick with emotion. "And sometimes I dreamed about finding you. But I always dreamed about finding you more."

My mother’s hands paused in my hair, and I felt her breath catch. "I dreamed about you too, Talia. Every single night."

I felt the tears streaming down my face. "I remember," I said. "I remember everything."

She nodded, and I saw the tears falling down her cheeks. "I thought about it every day," she said. "I thought about you, and I thought about your hair, and I thought about how I would never get to do this again."

More tears ran down my mother’s cheeks. "I used to sit in that cage and close my eyes, and I would picture you sitting in front of me, just like you used to," she said, with her voice cracking. "I would imagine the feeling of your hair between my fingers, and I would pretend that I was braiding it, the same way I used to do every morning before you woke up. It was the only thing that kept me sane."

I reached for her hand, and I felt the warmth of her fingers against mine. "You are doing it now, Mother. You are doing it right now."

I watched her face, and I saw the years of pain reflected in her eyes. But I also saw something else. I saw hope, and I saw love, and I saw the mother I remembered.

"Mother," I said, and my voice was barely a whisper. "I have missed you so much."

She looked at me, and I saw the tears spilling down her cheeks. "I have missed you too, Talia. Every single day of every single year."

She laughed, but it was a broken sound, and I saw the tears streaming down her face. "Yes," she said. "I am."

She finished the braid, and she let it rest against my shoulder. Then she pulled me into her arms, and I felt her body shaking against mine.

"I never thought I would see you again," she whispered. "I never thought I would touch your hair again, and I never thought I would hold you like this."

I pressed my face into her shoulder, and I felt her arms wrapping around me. She was so thin, and so fragile, but her grip was fierce and desperate and full of love.

"I thought about you every day," she said, and her voice was muffled against my hair. "I thought about your smile, and your laugh, and the way you used to run into my arms when I came home. I held onto those memories like they were the only thing keeping me alive."

I pulled back and looked at her. "They did keep you alive, Mother. You held on, and you survived, and that is how I found you."

She looked at me, and I saw the tears streaming down her face. "You are the reason I survived, Talia. You are the only reason I never gave up."

I held her tighter, and I felt the tears streaming down my face. "I am here, Mother," I said. "I am here, and we will never be apart again."

We held each other, and we cried.

I could feel her heart beating against mine, and I could feel the years of pain and separation melting away in that single embrace. It was like we were making up for all the time we had lost, and like we were pouring fifteen years of love and longing and grief into that one moment, and I never wanted it to end.

We cried for the years we had lost, and we cried for the pain we had endured, and we cried for the joy of being together again.

I could not remember the last time I had cried like this. I had held everything in for so long, and I had been strong for so long, but in my mother’s arms, I did not have to be strong. I could just be her daughter, and I could let go of everything I had been carrying.

"Mother," I sobbed. "I tried so hard to find you. I never stopped looking, and I never stopped believing."

I squeezed her hand softly. "I kept telling myself that you were out there, that you were still alive, and that you were waiting for me," I continued, with my voice breaking. "There were so many nights when I wanted to give up, when I thought it was hopeless, and when I thought I would never find you. But something always pulled me forward, and now I know it was you. It was always you."

She held me tighter. "I know, Talia. I know. And you found me. You finally found me, my brave girl."

Neither of us stopped or pulled apart for a long time.

When we finally pulled apart, I saw Kaelen watching us from the fire. He was smiling, and I saw the love in his eyes.

I smiled back, and I felt the warmth spreading through my chest.

"Thank you," I whispered to him.

He nodded, and I knew he understood.

I turned back to my mother, and I took her hand.

"What now?" I asked.