Chapter 34
Acceptance
The clanging of metal and the laughter of men woke Breanna up. At least two hundred soldiers surrounded her, and none of them paying attention to the sleeping girl by the fire.
Bre scurried to her feet and backed away from the herd of men. The morning sun shone brightly, blurring her already sleepy vision. Not only was there nowhere to hide, but there was also no way she could grab her sword undetected. Even if she could get her sword, she could not fight two hundred men on her own, no matter how good she was. In order to save her and her friends, she would have to use her powers.
She forced her power to swell in her chest. She remembered Cole directing her to feel her powers’ warmth take over her body and soothe her nerves. All fear disappeared as The Power filled every crevice of her body. The irises of her eyes turned silver and her hair pitch black.
Bre’s voice changed into multiple voices as she said, “Earth and air bend to my will. Destroy those who threaten your protection.”
The air around her swirled and the skies turned grey. Thunder rang out and crashed to the ground. A deep rumbling from the earth got the attention of the strange men in the camp. The men fell silent as they stared at Bre opened mouthed, in awe.
Before she repeated her spell, Brian grabbed the side of her face. “Bre look at me. Stop it. Stop it now. They are not our enemies. Breanna!”
“Oh, let her go! This is entertaining,” a man’s voice laughed. “Besides, uncle will have some more soldiers to use against the demon woman.”
“Breanna,” a sweet voice whispered into her ear, “Calm down, Amica Mea. Come back to us. You and I have catching up to do.”
A hand stroked the back of her head and Bre felt her powers retreating against her will. Her hair and eyes returned to normal as she focused on Brian, distressed by the sight of her. She turned to see the woman who stroked her hair and gazed into the golden brown eyes of a beautiful woman dressed in a red and black toga with a smile that made Bre smile.
“There you are, Princess. My name is Rhea Silvia. I am your grandmother,” Rhea said and grabbed Bre’s hand to guide her back to the fire. “This is your grandfather, Mars, who apparently, after centuries, still doesn’t know when to demote violence.”
Rhea glared at Mars as he laughed.
Lupa growled and bit Mars’ hand, causing him to stop laughing as he grumbled in pain.
The Men moved out of Bre and Rhea’s way as they walked back to the fire, fearful of the princess. Once back to the fire, Bre’s heart jumped and her body released the tension it still held from the day before. Standing next to Cailean was Lysandros.
“Lysandros!” Breanna squealed and ran towards him. She jumped into his arms and tightly squeezed him.
Lysandros laughed as she refused to let him go. He gave into her bear-like clutch and held her, wrapped around his neck.
When she finally let go, she gave him a shove. “Where in the worlds have you been?”
“He came to find me,” a familiar rough, raspy voice answered.
The voice gave Bre butterflies. She never thought she would hear that voice again. It instantly brought tears to her eyes. She whipped around and gasped at a man who looked and sounded just like her father. “Who are you?” she demanded, taking a startled step backwards.
“Well that was a rather dumb question,” Mars added. Rhea shoved him and pointed a finger to warn him to remain silent.
“I am your Uncle Romulus. I know we’ve never met, but I know all about you, Your Majesty.” Romulus bowed his head in respect.
“We needed more firepower to take on Elpis and Eversor. Since Romulus has a large kingdom, I figured his army would be perfect to recruit,” Lysandros explained. “I called Mars the night before last. I needed divine help to get to Roma and to your uncle in time.”
“No thank you needed, just a good war in repayment,” Mars wiggled his eyebrows excitedly and grinned at Bre.
“Help to get to the man who absorbed Breanna’s kingdom by violent conquest and killing his own brother,” Eoghan said as he strolled up the hill from the practice field. He spoke evenly, and his face remained expressionless. He showed no fear of Romulus.
“Eoghan, that’s enough,” Brian warned, surprised by his rude, although truthful, statement.
“Merely stating facts,” Eoghan shrugged off the warning as he walked past Bre without a glance.
Eoghan carried himself with cold confidence. Bre sensed the intense feelings they shared the night before were gone. The only emotions coming from him were those of a soldier to his general. Even their close companionship was gone. Bre winced at the harshness of his demeanor, unsure whether she should be relieved or hurt at his sudden change of heart.
“We need to prepare for the impending battle. It is approaching much quicker than we expected,” Eoghan addressed the group without looking at Bre. “I met with Andraste last night, and she showed me that Elpis and Eversor are on their way and will arrive shortly.”
“You met with Andraste?” Bre’s anger flared. “Why on earth would you meet with that hag?” she felt nothing but distrust and anger towards the goddess for what happened to her brothers.
Eoghan answered her in the same indifferent tone, “You know full well why I did. I keep my promises.”
Cailean and Brian watched Eoghan closely, concerned about his change in attitude.
“What did she show you?” Cailean asked, deliberately stopping Bre from pursuing the issue.
“The Morrigan performing a location spell, and unfortunately, she found us. As we speak, The Morrigan is working to bring down our protection charms. Once she does, Eversor and Elpis will be here in seconds.” Eoghan’s face remained impassive.
New Eoghan was an oddity. He used to be full of emotion and life. Now he stood as if he cared for nothing. Bre walked away. Eoghan’s stone heart made hers sink into her stomach. The men continued discussing their battle plans without her.
Rhea watched Bre walk down the hill, struggling with her emotions. She leaned up and whispered in Mars’ ear, “I have to go. She has no mother to help her understand and answer questions.”
Mars looked over his shoulder at Breanna, now clutching her chest as she walked. He nodded and kissed Rhea on the head. Rhea warned him to behave in her absence and then followed her granddaughter down the hill.
“You are the cause, aren’t you?” Rhea gave Bre a sympathetic smile.
Bre lurched sideways at Rhea’s sudden appearance next to her. She let her heartbeat slow down before answering. “Eoghan or this war?” Bre replied sardonically.
Rhea raised an eyebrow. Bre chuckled, now seeing where her father got his reaction to sarcasm. It was their way of saying, ‘You know full well what I am talking about.’
“We couldn’t afford to let emotions affect the battle. It was too much to handle. I would not be able to concentrate on Elpis if I was worried about his safety. I would constantly be feeling his concern for me. Not to mention, I know he would involve himself in my battle with Elpis, or worse, he would sacrifice himself to protect me.” Rhea tried to interrupt Bre but Bre put up her hand to stop her. “You are a goddess of soldiers. You have seen him and you know what he is willing to do for me. ”
Rhea released a troubled sigh, followed by a pitying smile. “Amica Mea, it is his emotions who have changed, not yours. Your concern has not dissipated; otherwise you would not have walked away from him. You need to understand that war is passion. The Power in your soul was created as a result of that passion. You have empathic abilities because you are meant to feel the adoration of life with the stimulation of fear. Eoghan is a gift from the universe because of the sacrifices you must and will make.”
“You mean is he a pity gift” Bre interrupted.
“I mean he is meant to make you fight harder for the world, because he is your world.” Rhea said, guiding Bre towards a group of trees that provided shelter from the valley breeze.
 
; “My powers are too new. I do not have full control while his emotions mix with mine,” Breanna tried to explain.
Rhea disapprovingly shook her head.
“Breanna, your powers are older than you, and wiser. They are the perfect balance in the universe, the root essence of life. You have to understand, the most repeated trend in history is Love and War. They are fundamental aspects of the universe.”
Rhea sat poised beneath a shady tree and patted the ground for Bre to sit next to her. Rhea held Bre’s hand in between her warm palms. “Your father and uncle were born from the love of a war god. Do you understand how rare that is? It is why the power chose to exist in your father, who would later find its other half in your mother. The Power wanted to conceive its future vessel. You were chosen, Breanna, after centuries of The Power hiding. That has never happened in the history of man or the gods. Even Etruria has been reborn into Rome, A kingdom forged from the love and war of two brothers; a sacrifice The Power commanded in order to live.”
Delusional from the news, Breanna half laughed and half cried. “You are saying that my soul demanded the death of my parents, and now you expect me to be Love and War? It destroys everything near me,” Bre tried to hold back tears.
Rhea sweetly replied, “Oh, Amici Mea, what have I been telling you? War and Love are the roots of our universe. Even the gods bend to their authority. You are upset about Eoghan because love is a battle because you fear it. From the moment you received your father’s half of The Power, emotions, especially loving ones, will be a constant struggle for you. You need to accept what you are and life will be easier.”
Bre once again breathed a laugh of disbelief at Rhea’s explanation of her emotional conflict. “Why couldn’t you make me understand this earlier? You are direct, and I appreciate that, but it’s too late. I forced Eoghan to give up his feelings for me. Even worse than that, he did it through magic. Who knows the consequences that will follow?”
Rhea had no further explanation or words of comfort. The two women silently sat under the tree. Rhea gazed at the beautiful scenery while Bre picked at blades of grass. As Bre twirled the blades between her fingers, a small stream of water rose up from the ground next to her. The water startled Bre, but Rhea seemed more suspicious than scared. The water continued to flow closer to Bre’s hand until it reached her fingers and swirled around her wrist and up her arm.
Bre wildly shook her hand to stop the water but Rhea grabbed her. “Don’t move. The water will not harm you. Water is used for divination. It opens the mind to glimpse what the eyes cannot.”
The water reached the base of Bre’s neck and sunk into her skin. Her eyes turned ice blue and her face became expressionless as she was forced into a deep trance. Bre grabbed Rhea’s hand, and the goddess fell into the same trance.