Redux Vol1 Ch4: A Mother's Love...

Jean opened the front door, it was a little difficult to get the key in, the tears obstructed her vision. To much. She paused and attempted to calm down enough to get the key into the lock, taking deep breaths she closed her eyes. And there waiting for her was the image of him laying with another woman.

It was branded onto her eyes, he was with another woman.

She had known him for almost 14 years and had realized she liked him as more than her sister's friend almost five years ago, but she had not seriously contemplated pursuing him except for in the past three years. He had a few girlfriends in that time, and she was well aware of what men and women did when in a relationship, but it was a different thing to know and to see it for herself. She had thought she was making progress these past three years, in that time he had not had a single girlfriend. It was wrong, the saying, good things come to those that wait. Well, she had waited for years, and now he was in the arms of another girl.

"Stupid stupid STUPID!" she screamed as she slammed her head into the door repeatedly with every repetition of the word. She rested her head against the door and let the tears slide down her face. Her older sister who she lived with opened the door and held her back as she tried her best to brush past her.

"What happened?" her sister asked as she pulled Jean into a hug, holding her tight against her chest. Jean didn't want to say, didn't want to relive those moments, to speak of how she felt and what she saw. She just shook her head as her sister held her sobbing body. With a gentile ease her sister pulled her in and shut the door, leading her over to the couch. She settled them both down onto it and sat her down so that her head as resting on her sister's lap, and she stroked her hair until the sobbing quieted, they sat like this until Jean could talk.

"I was going over going to cook, surprise him. but when I entered, there was another woman there."

"Aren't you overreacting, it could have been a relative or something." Jean looked up at her sister and her mouth worked for a moment before she was able to force the words out.

"Do you have sex with a relative?!" she screamed, before dissolving back into tears, rotating to bury her face into her sister's lap. Her sister opened her eyes wide.

"Wait wait, you're telling me you walked in on Jack having sex with someone?" a hungry look appeared on the older sister's face. "Oh this you have to tell me all about, what did she look like, and how big was Jack?" she asked shaking her little sister vigorously with each question. But when Jean started wailing she changed her tactics. "Shhh, shhhh, you can tell your older sister anything," she said softly even though she still had a hungry look and was panting slightly.

***

"So how goes the hunt for our wayward daughter?" She asked, looking at the holo-projection on the gilded screen in front of her. The room and the woman all spoke of wealth and success, deep reds and golds were everywhere to be seen, a thick rug covered the floor worked with elaborate designs.

She wasn't a trilska, she was a different race, but it was obvious where her daughters had all gotten their coloring and shape. Her skin was practically completely white, and her hair was a deep-sea sort of blue, her eyes were blue but unlike her husband or daughter's eyes she had visible pupils and whites, from her forehead rose a set of horns covered by skin that curved back and into her hair, giving her a natural crown of sort. Her long digitigrade legs moved in a seductive way under the red silk garment as she crossed them and looked at her husband.

"Well, I found her." He stated, obviously trying to skirt around an issue he would rather not like to discuss. He always looked right at her when he talked to her unless he was trying to hide something.

"What crazy situation had she gotten herself into this time?" she sighed, there was a tad bit of a smirk on her face as she thought about her daughter's hijinks and how they often mirrored her own when she was younger. Of course she would have to rebuke the girl, what sort of mother would she be if she didn't? But the irony was not lost on her that she was punishing her daughter for the very things she herself had done when younger.

"Well I think it would be best if she was the one to tell you." He stated before quickly dragging Hisra onscreen. As soon as their daughter was on screen he exited the frame, practically fleeing away from her perspective. Liras looked at her daughter and narrowed her eyes, there was something different about her daughter, she could almost see it, something big had changed and she had no idea what it was.

"Hi mom," she shyly waved her hand in an overly cute manner.

"There you are you, naughty child, don't you know you have a date planned with the Primark's son in three days' time-"

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"Mom-"

"And besides that the baron's son has come calling twice since you left- and"

"Mom!"

"Not to mention that nice boy from Hildensire, honestly Hisra, when are you going to pick a husband and settle down, none of this running away nonsense?"

"Well about that mom, you see, you will have to cancel, all my future dates, and congratulations you got your wish!"

"What?" Hisra's mother's face was scrunched up as she tried to make heads or tails of her daughter's last statement. A deep-seated feeling of worry knotted her stomach.

"You see, I met a guy, and I kind of got engaged." She gave a nervous little laugh, she then lifted up her shirt and showed her mother her midriff, displaying the bonding mark proudly for her mother to see.

"WHAT?!?!" Her mother screamed and fell out of her chair, looking at her child. "What have you done? Are you trying to ruin our family's image? Do you want to send me to my grave early child?!"

"I was afraid you would say that," Hisra's face grew tight; there was some sadness and some anger present. "All you have ever cared about is the face of the family, our reputation. You talk about love and all that goes with it, but when I find it you dismiss it as some act intended to smear your reputation. Well I'm sorry I am not up to snuff, but please mother, don't try to pretend you care for me or my safety, it's always reputation this and reputation that." Tears started to fall down her face as she ranted and raved at the holo image. "You never asked if I was happy, you never cared, well I am happy here with Jack, so I am going to be staying here with Jack." She ran off of screen crying and wiping angry tears from her eyes,

"Like hell you will Hethuk!" It took several moments for her husband to show back up on the screen, but when he did he had a blank expression on his face, "honey please bring our child home, I think I need to have a long chat with her."

"I can't," he stated simply, she froze at his words and tone of voice, he was never so emotional with her, and it felt like he had stabbed her in the heart with his words.

"And why not?"

"She is engaged to Jack, as such she is now a legal citizen of his homeworld, to take her back would break almost a thousand laws." He looked at her in the eyes and said. "And besides, it is her choice who she marries."

"But-"

"You know perhaps Hisra is right, all you do care about is our image to the other royal families, I wonder did that come into part as you considered me for a mate? Was I all just part of your goals to better the family, part of your calculations?" He looked her in the eyes. "I am not going to bring our daughter back, she can come back if she so wishes, furthermore I am not even going to tell you where they are, I'm going to stay here and take a nice vacation until you realize what is truly important goodbye honey."

The screen shut off, and Liras stared off into the emptiness, lost in the shock of it all. Her daughter was now engaged, and bonded with a man she had never met She didn't know anything about his lineage, his standing, or even what race he was. She knew nothing, absolutely nothing. And this was the most angry she had ever seen her husband, she shivered at the feeling, and closed her eyes breathing in deeply.

She glanced at the holo screen display as it lit up again, and making up her mind she decided to not put off what she would now have to do, after all, what was done was done, and she would just have to make the best of it. She opened up the line with a flick of her hand on the display set into her chair's armrest, "Liras, you look…." the Primark paused for a second, truth be told he was going to say she looked well, but looking at the dread-filled vacant expression on her face, he felt silence was his best option. "Well, anyway," he cleared his throat.

"Uh? Oh Primark, I apologize my mind was elsewhere, how can I help you?" she asked, snapping out of her trance to answer the Primark.

"Oh don't pay any mind to it my dear," the Primark smiled, thankful his first statement had not registered. "Actually it is not me that comes calling but rather my son he has a few questions to ask you." A young man stepped onto the screen, he like his father had skin so pale it was white and orange eyes.

"Hello, Madame Liras, I was wondering which of these do you think your daughter would prefer?" he then proceeded to pull two long gorgeous dresses out of his dimensional ring. both were the definition of elegant, and seeing those dresses Liras's anxiety tripled, she would have to break the news to the boy and face the Primark's rage. "Also, do you know when she will be back from her trip?"

"Damn girl," she growled under her breath.

"I'm sorry I didn't hear that?" Liras took a deep breath, and prepared herself.

"Both of those dresses are excellent and I am sure it would make almost any woman's heart melt," the boy smiled proudly. "Unfortunately my daughter cannot be the receiver of those dresses." Both the Primark and his son's faces shifted.

"What do you mean by that my dear?" asked the Primark, he was still smiling, but it was only a mask at this point in time.

Liras sighed again. "How to put this, well on her trip my daughter met a man," the Primark's son's face tightened at the word man. "And they got engaged, so she will not be needing those dresses. Furthermore she will be staying with him on his planet for an undisclosed amount of time, most likely until they are both prepared to get married."

"You are joking right?" the Primark asked stiffly, and when Liras shook her head no he flew into a rage. "This is an outrage! My son is more than enough man for her! Who is this that would take my son's woman from him?"

"Excuse me? Your son's woman? I am sorry, but since what point was my daughter your son's woman?" she growled. "I am terribly sorry for this, but it is not in my hands, I do not think we have anything else to discuss, so if you'll excuse me I think I have many matters to attend to." She said, reaching for the controls to shut off the screen.

"Now you listen to m-!" the Primark started to say before his image disappeared from the screen. She sighed, and sank down into her chair in a very un-ladylike position.

"Ma’am, I am sorry to bother you, but the Baron's son is at the door." Said one of the servants as she peaked her head into the room. Madam Liras sighed deeply.

"Take him to the parlor, I have some things to discuss with him," she said, straightening up her silky dress. Standing up she had a determined look on her face.

"Damn that child." She growled, as she went to break the news to the Baron's son.