."I promise, Momma." She threw her arms around her mother and buried her own tear-stained face against her shoulder. "I can't leave," Flindra finally said in a sob-choked voice. "This is my home."
"You must go. You’re a princess, Flindra. Your fate is not just yours – you have duties and responsibilities that go with your rank. You no longer have the luxury of living for just yourself. Take courage and do what you must. Don't try and escape your responsibilities to your people."
Flindra sobbed in answer.
"Little one, I don't want you to leave but I know in my heart that you must. Fighting your fate is only going to make things harder. We must also remember we are alive to carry out the Will of the Spirit."
"How will I know what to do, where to go?"
Dakra drew back from Flindra's embrace and reached within an inner pocket of her cloak. She took out a small bundle and handed it to her.
"Kewero left this for you. I think it’s time for you to see what is yours and perhaps it will help answer some of your questions. I'll go home. When you are through, return to me and we'll talk some more."
Dakra rose and started to walk away but something made her stop. She turned and said with a voice hoarse with emotion, to the child who had been hers, and yet not, "I love you, Flindra. I love you no matter what the future holds. Always remember that."
"I love you too, Momma."
Dakra then walked away, leaving her to search for any clues to be found within the package.
Flindra looked at the bundle through tear-fogged eyes. It was a crudely made leather bag. The seams were stitched with a heavy leather lace and the leather itself was stiff and cracked with age. She opened the bag and dropped its contents in her lap. There were three leather pouches of different sizes, all with drawstrings around the tops.
She opened the smaller of these bags and discovered an unusual silver ring. The silver had oxidized with age to such an extent that it was nearly black. The outstretched wings of a great bird, possibly an eagle, formed the circle of the ring. An oddly shaped amethyst was held in place by the beak and talons of the eagle. Flindra looked into the depths of the gem and saw that it wasn’t entirely clear. At the center of the stone, there was an opaque shape that suggested something to her deepest memories. She struggled to remember the meaning of the shape, but the thought faded before she could grasp it. Flindra placed the ring on her finger. It fit on her finger as if it had been made for her. It was odd for the band had appeared larger when she first looked at it. She shook her head in wonder.
The second pouch contained a golden hair comb. The back of the comb was carved into the shape of the spread wings of a swan with the bird's head gracefully folded over the right wing. The fine teeth of the comb were closely spaced so it would stay securely in a woman's hair. The only part of the comb that would be visible in her hair would be the swan. It would make a pretty ornament.
There were fine strands of auburn hair in the comb, which she pulled free and fingered gently. Could these delicate strands possibly have belonged to her mother? She tried to imagine what her birth mother must have been like.
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