Brianna thought her grandfather was lying and as soon as they arrived at the castle, everyone went their separate ways, looking for memories in every part of the place, except Brianna. She went to her mother's room. There was a painting right above the headboard. Her grandmother didn't let her in there when they lived there. She realized that everything there had belonged to her mother. Brianna didn't want to think about it, so she went to the painting, and when she took it down, she discovered the safe. She typed in the date of her birthday and the safe opened with a small pop. Then she got emotional and cried. Her mother had really been with her and talked to her. She saw that there was a lot of money in the safe. She could live comfortably for the rest of her life, without working.
She went to the closet and realized that her mother's clothes were all there. Clean and perfumed. Her grandmother probably told her to keep her room clean. She took a pillowcase and put all the money inside. Then she took it back to her room and put it in two suitcases. She wouldn't be able to take any clothes, because if she took more suitcases, it would arouse suspicion. And then she didn't have to worry about it, because whatever she decided, she could buy new clothes. But she knew one thing for sure: she wouldn't make a decision until she had met the blue-eyed man.
She went downstairs to have coffee with her grandparents, whom she called mother and father. Her grandfather glared at her when he saw her come in. Her grandmother, on the other hand, smiled in response to her greeting. Brianna sat down and helped herself.
"It wasn't polite what you did yesterday, my child. - Grandpa said patiently, despite the irritated look on his face. "We had to finish our conversation. I... I thought it would be better to talk about it here, in a more wizard-friendly environment."
"I needed some time to digest the information. And I made a decision tonight."
"What decision?"
"As I promised, I'll leave with the boy you chose for me. What's his name again?"
Brianna saw her grandfather's face soften instantly, and the fury in his eyes replaced by relief.
"His name is Dester. He's a person with friendly manners. You'll like him. He follows our customs and traditions, and the marriage will take place properly. But it won't be possible for you to run away from him after the wedding, as we were thinking. He would persecute you and our family. You need to stay with him. But I'm sure you'll be very happy, and it won't be a burden for you."
Brianna saw that her grandmother was uncomfortable. Her grandfather's words sounded like a lie to anyone who could hear them. He knew she wouldn't be happy, but he was pushing her towards that fate anyway. And so she would run away from Dester and never return to see her family. She would leave, without looking back, and with no regrets.
"Is he in Ireland?"
"Yes... He's waiting for an answer from you so he can leave for the United States. He wants to leave, already taking you as his fiancée."
"Are you going too?"
"We're only going for the wedding celebration. Once you're pregnant, he'll allow me to take and raise the child. You can have more children. But I need the firstborn. And I promise you, I'll raise him with all the comfort and love he needs."
"So it's not just my freedom of choice that you want to take away from me? My son too?"
"Don't be selfish, Brianna. You're young and healthy. You could have many children."
"I see, Dad. Can you call him today? I want to get out of here as soon as possible. Today. Tell him I can't wait to leave and start a family with him."
"Why the rush, my child?"
"I want to get to know him well before I marry him." Brianna lied.
"I'll give you an answer by lunchtime, as soon as we get back from the island."
Brianna agreed and concentrated on her coffee, while her grandfather talked about his plans for her wedding, but she didn't listen to him. Her mind was on the money. She couldn't understand how her mother managed to keep money in that place, because they seemed to live in a century where there were no dollars and coins were made of gold or silver. There were no modern conveniences like paved streets and cars. They still used horses and carriages.
As they headed back to the port, Brianna became more aware of the people they met on the way. They had similar physical features to her own and even seemed to belong to the same family. However, there was something different about the way they looked at her. Disappointed? She didn't care, although she wanted to understand why the Bruma uprising was important to them. Her mother, Kellen, was a Bruma, but she had never manifested any magic other than that of the witches, and she believed that the same would happen to herself. Something inside her told her that the rising of the Bruma should be done through the union of two species, and she remembered that her future fiancé was not human. Perhaps her grandfather, being an old man, had come to that conclusion much earlier than all the other wizards.
They traveled for less than an hour and arrived back in Ireland.
At home, after hiding the money, Brianna felt the need to walk around the estate, as she knew it would help her think about what action she should really take. When she reached the living room, her grandfather was there, sitting with his hands on his cane, staring into nothingness. He turned to her when he saw her.
"Brianna, your..."
"I'm going for a walk through the labyrinth." She said, interrupting him, and went out into the garden.
She strolled through it, slowly. Some memories came back to her that day. She remembered seeing her parents strolling through that same garden as if they were lovers, with an air of mystery between them. They were married, but it seemed that they took pleasure in joking that they were secretly dating. She was aware that it wasn't possible. Her mother had never left Avallon Island. But she knew that they had experienced something like this. They were few and far between, but she was glad to have them back. From the demands her grandfather was making of her, she imagined that her father would have no chance of taking her and raising her with him, but he didn't even try. Thus demonstrating his lack of affection.