Her mother stood up, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand, and looked at Anthony angrily.
"How could you let her get into this state?"
"She told me it was normal. That sometimes she got like this."
"I'll prepare the herbs that cured her the other time..." She said, and stopped when she saw her husband standing in the doorway, looking impatient.
"You're not going to give her herbs, because herbs don't work more than once. You two, settle down!"
"Are you crazy?" Anthony asked, as his mother-in-law burst into tears. We have to try everything we can to save her life. We have to fight. We can't give up! It's your daughter! I can't believe you're so selfish and insensitive like that!"
"I've already told you that herbs only do that once per person. It restores the energy, but it doesn't really heal the person. My daughter managed to go beyond expectations. She was lucky."
"Well, if the herbs don't work, then let me bring in a doctor."
"No doctor can save her, boy."
"I don't understand why you're so sure of that, but it doesn't matter what you think. I want to try everything until all resources are exhausted."
"Let him look, dear." His mother-in-law pleaded in tears.
"You're two fools. But go on. Get a board of doctors. Make Kellen suffer through the painful tests they'll perform on her. After all, you won't feel a thing." The father-in-law said angrily and ironically, and left.
Kellen's mother approached Anthony.
"Go on. And get help for my daughter. Her father doesn't care about Kellen's life, because she's already fulfilled his wish. She gave him a granddaughter. But I can't give up on my daughter so easily."
"He doesn't want her to live?"
"That's not it. He just doesn't care anymore."
"Is it true what he said about the herbs?"
"I can't say. I'll administer the herbs to her again, but my husband understands these things."
"I'll go and see a doctor, but first, ask me a question... How does your husband support all this castle and all this luxury? What are his businesses? What does he do for a living?"
"You've never talked about this with your wife?" She looked surprised.
"No. I don't even know why I was curious now."
"Then go, and come back with a doctor. When he arrives, I'll tell you what you need to know about my husband's business."
Anthony nodded and left.
Kellen's mother turned to her daughter as soon as Anthony had gone, and sat down again next to her when she realized that she was looking at her with serene eyes.
"Hang in there, my child. You will win again... I'll prepare the herbs for you, and together with the medicine, you'll get better. It's not over for you yet. There are so many things to live for..."
"Mom... Dad's right. The herbs don't work anymore and there's no medicine for my illness."
"Don't say that." Her mother scolded her, while wiping away a tear.
"I don't want you to suffer when the doctor gives the result of his assessment. I want you to stay with me until the end. I can't be alone... Brianna is still very young, she doesn't need to know pain. She believes that you and Dad are her real parents. Let it be, and don't bring her here anymore.
"I can agree with almost everything you've said, but Brianna will know that you are her mother and that you sacrificed yourself for her to come into the world." She shook her head. "It wasn't right for your father to ask you to make that sacrifice. We could have waited. The blue moon will appear again, among the mists of Avalon, in ten years..."
"It's all right, Mom. You still don't understand. We weren't ten years old. Only Anthony could father a child of mine, and in ten years, he would refuse. He'd be married, and he wouldn't abandon his honor to have a child with me. And then it would be over for us."
"It's not okay, Kellen." Mom said and stood up. "If your father wasn't so obsessed with this story, you could marry a good man and have lots of children. He interrupted your story when he forced you to use your Bruma energy to find Anthony."
"The Mists can't cease to exist, Mom. What would become of all the witches and werewolves?"
"I don't care about them. I only care about my daughter, about you!" She said resentfully. "I'm going to the kitchen to prepare the herbs. I may not see the results I want with the treatment, but that doesn't stop me from trying." She said and left.
Kellen turned her eyes to the ceiling and began to wonder why her mother wouldn't accept something she knew she had no recourse for. Anthony, she could understand, didn't know the whole truth. He didn't even believe her predictions. And he would feel used when he knew. But all she could think about was the happiness she'd experienced over the years with him, and she wouldn't trade that for anything. Not even her life. When she closed her eyes, she could still see the two of them loving each other in front of the stars and the blue moon. It was the first of many nights of love that followed. But curiously, she couldn't remember the last one. She turned away when she heard a noise and saw beautiful green eyes staring at her, startled and surprised, and smiled. No Bruma had the same shade of green in her eyes.
"Mom said you were my mom too."
Kellen just smiled and raised her hand, touching her daughter's soft face.
"Brianna... Don't steer your destiny according to Daddy's will. Go after your love, and never let him know who the man of your dreams is. You'll dream of him, and when you see him, you'll understand, and you'll know who you're truly destined for.
"I don't understand."