Chapter 15: Of Deathbeds and Disownment

Flashback Part 3

Her sister was not in her chambers, or the library, stables, or anywhere on the palace grounds. She had searched for Luna fruitlessly. And that left only one place. Father's chambers.

Abigail strode in there, sure enough, and found Luna sitting in the corner of the room, a book propped open on her lap. Father's eyes were closed and his chest was rising and falling periodically. Arghun and a handful of his attendants were scattered around King Johan's bedside, busy mixing various tonics.

The room was otherwise empty as Abigail entered. The healers paid her no heed, but she could see the corner of Luna's lips twitch upwards in a smirk as her sister's dishevelled emotional state became clear.

"Hello, Abigail. Have a pleasant time with my dear friend Eliza? Shame about her amulet, don't you think?"

That was too much for the middle Valadon sibling. For years, she had put up with Luna's underhanded comments and sly ploys, as her sister isolated her further and further from the family.

For years, she had tried to convince the family that something sinister was going on as animals and prisoners started dropping dead. No one in the palace had believed her, and they had let her live in fear, fear for what Luna would possibly do next.

No.

She was done playing Luna's game.

Luna approached her, her steps graceful and elegant, like those of a Queen. Somehow, that only added to the fuel of Abigail's righteous fury.

Luna leaned over and whispered in her sister's ear. "Cat got in your tongue? Why does that not surprise me? You were never the brightest anyway."

She wasn't proud of it, would come to regret it for many years to come. But she still did it, said the things she said.

And for the second time in her life, Abigail Valadon became the cruel figure her younger sister had always painted her as.

She snapped.

"I'd rather be the most dimwitted person on the Earth then be anything like you, Luna Valadon. You are the cruelest, most vindictive, most awful person I've ever met. I know what you did to me, how you turned this family against me. I have a friend who knows it too."
Abigail's throat was raw. She could see the servants attending to Father staring at her in shock, but she continued on. "The funny thing was, I almost regretted what I said all those years ago at dinner. Comparing you to Lilith. I thought, as cruel as Luna was, maybe that was a step too far. Maybe she wasn't darkness incarnate. But now I know I didn't go far enough.

"But I was wrong, because you're just like the dark goddess. Worse, even because at least Lilith doesn't lie to herself about who she is. She knows that she's a monster who ruins everything she touches, who is unworthy of love.

"No, you're not like Lilith. You see yourself as the hero of your own story, the brave person standing up against your tyrant of a sister. What about all the innocent creatures you killed? What about the prisoners, dead before they could stand trial? What about me?"

Abigail was crying now, but she kept going. "You ruined my life, took everything I loved away from me. And for what? A stupid vendetta for something I said years ago. You're a monster, Luna, and the people will see that soon enough. I just wish you had died years ago, before you had become the person you are today!"

There was a moment of silence. The last words echoed across Father's chamber. She felt her throat. It was horace, yet she hadn't even realized she'd been yelling.

The servants were staring at Abigail with an openmouthed shock. Physician Arghun only shook his head, before returning to the King's side. She could hear the faint sound of whispering from his assistants, and knew that within an hour, half the palace would know what she said to Luna.

Luna... She spared a quick glance towards her sister's face, and saw that tears had started to fall down Luna's cheeks. The young princesses throat wobbled as she tried to choke down a sob.

"Y-you want me d-dead?"

Her little sister glanced at her once, through wet lashes, then scampered out of the room, her sobbing echoing down the hall.

The whispering from the servants increased tenfold. Before the night had fallen, Abigail knew, they would speak of the princess who had been so unnecessarily cruel to her sister on her father's deathbed.

Despite herself, Abigail felt a pang of guilt. She had never apologized to Luna for what had happened all those years ago, had never really tried to make amends.

I wish you had died, years ago, she had told her. Nothing would ever excuse that.

But as the Valadon princess glanced down, filled with guilt, one of the servants caught a glimpse of a self-assured smirk on Luna Valadon's face as she left the room. She didn't look much like someone mourning her father's death or the loss of a sister's love.

She didn't look like someone who cared much at all.

"Abigail."

She turned around at the sound of her father's voice.

It was nothing like it had been just this morning, weak and feeble and clinging on to life. Instead, Father's voice was filled with a righteous indignation, a fury that she had seen in court and prayed would never be directed towards her.

She supposed the King had heard everything she had said to Luna.

Oh gods, she was in so much trouble.

But she couldn't help but feel she deserved what was coming to her. Whatever it was.

~~

"Abigail," her father repeated again, his voice cold and unfeeling. He was sitting up straight. He looked healthier then he had in hours, though his skin was still pale and his brow was dotted with sweat.

The servants had cleared out. It was only the two of them in the room.

She should be glad that King Johan was so much better, but the only emotion she could muster was worry for what was to come. "Yes, Father?"

Her Father laughed once. It was a low, bitter sound. "Time and time again, Abigail, I gave you the benefit of the doubt. You reminded me so much of my sister, the first Abigail, who died before you were born. I allowed myself to gloss over your more... unsavoury habits. Your contempt for Alura and our religion. Your spoiled, selfish nature. And your cruel attitude towards your sister."

"But Luna-" Abigail wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry. Father couldn't really believe all of it, could he."

He raised a hand. "I have had enough, Abigail, of you blaming your sister for everything. She is not responsible for any sort of deaths. The mere notion of blaming a child is ridiculous. She is not, as you say, a monster. And you have no right to wish anyone, let alone your little sister dead. If anything, I'd say the monster was you."

"Father, I would never do anything like what L-"

"I have heard what the servants have said about you. I have heard what your tutorers have said about you. And I have heard what your younger sister has said about you. And I have done nothing. I confess, until your scene today, I didn't believe that you could act in such a manner. You are not the daughter I raised, and you are certainly not someone House Valadon could be proud of. You will have no more warnings to improve your conduct."

"What are you saying?" Abigail breathed, unable to stop the wetness from pricking at her eyes. To hear such things from her father was nearly too much to bear. He and Jason were the two people she had looked up to most in the world. To hear this from him...

She looked into Father's eyes, and there was real grief there. Whatever he was about to do, he didn't like it very much. "Effective immediately, you are no longer a Valadon. You have no claim to our House, to our power, or our connections, until such a time you can prove you understand the error of your ways. You are stripped of all titles, and lose your place in the rank of succession."

Father's voice got quiet. "I want you to know that though I am terribly disappointed in you, I do still love you. I hope that one day you can make me proud."

With that said, the King's eyes closed and he fell back into bed. His snoring was audible, however, and Abigail breathed a sigh of relief. For all the terrible things that had happened today, she was glad that her father was still alive.

Even if he had disowned her. She still couldn't believe what he had done. She had lost all claim to the Valadon bloodline, all chance of inheriting magic, and all titles and wealth. She was no longer Princess Abigail Valadon.

Despite knowing that she had deserved a fair bit of what she got, she couldn't help the sting of jealousy, rage, and above all fear, that came knowing that Luna was now above her in the line of succession.

If Luna ever became Queen, she would lead Alura to ruin. That was why she was thankful that Jay would be there to stand between Luna and the throne. Abigail couldn't shake the feeling that all of this was her fault, if she had apologized to Luna, then maybe her sister would still be sane now. And if she had just treated her sister kindly in her childhood, none of this ever would have happened.

So yes, this was her fault. So what could she do now? What sort of solution could she find? Was there a way to redeem herself, to make her father proud of her again?

She knelt by her father's beside for several minutes, praying to Delos and Diamara for guidance, when the thought hit her.

She could never be a Valadon again, but she could be a hero just as her ancestors were. She would defend the defenceless, stand against Mordan, and embody all the principles of light. Even if she knew she wasn't a good person, she could do good.

So she knelt by her father's side, and made a promise. "I may not be a Valadon ever again, but I will learn to use what you taught me, learn to be a better person. Luna might have lied to you about my actions, but I did something far worse - I made her into the monster she is today. The blood of all those she killed is on my hands. I'm so sorry, Papa."

She felt her voice crack, and took a deep breath. "So I swear, to Diamara, the protector of all that is good, that I will not fail another child as I did Luna. That I will be a force of good for the world. And I will pray that one day, far in the future, you will be proud of me again."

Abigail opened her eyes, and couldn't help the glimmer of hope that shot through her as she saw sunlight fill the room, even though night was beginning to fall. And in the centre of the room, carved into the wood, was a symbol that hadn't been there before.

Two interlocking swords, glowing with a divine, light energy.

Diamara's holy symbol.

It seemed Diamara approved of Abigail's quest, the great goddess herself believed that the former princess had a shot at redemption.

Despite everything, she was not alone.

~~

Abigail returned to her room a few minutes later, ready to pack for her journey. She wouldn't leave until morning - it would give her some time to say goodbye to her brother and mother and servants and caregivers. Hopefully father, if he was still alive by morning.

She decided not to call for servants. Even if she was allowed to, it didn't feel right, and she needed to learn how to dress herself properly anyway.

Judging by how long it took her to put on her nightgown, to fumble with the various clasps, it would be a while. After she had finished dressing, she unclasped her diamond earrings and opened her jewelry box to put them in.

What she saw there stopped her cold.

There were vials upon vials of poisons, things she had never even seen before. Light ones, dark ones, clear ones, all giving off a clear aura of darkness. She uncorked a vial and took the tiniest wiff possible, just to make sure she wasn't mistaken.

It made her head feel light. She put the top back on quickly.

Why? Who would put poisons in her room?

The answer came quickly. It was likely Luna. She just didn't know why. What would that accomplish?

"The King is dead!"
Abigail heard the cry outside of her room, and the murmurs that followed. It clicked.

Luna had been the one to kill Father. She had poisoned him, Abigail was certain. And now it seemed her younger sister was trying to frame her for their father's murder.

She could feel her hands start to shake, as she begged herself to think rationally. She needed to leave as soon as possible. With how quickly Luna seemed to be killing the prisoners in the dungeons, even if she could prove her innocence, she wouldn't likely make it to the end of her trial.

The disownment was another strike against her, and certainly wouldn't make her brother inclined to rule in her favour. It would be Jason doing the trial, Abigail knew, since he would likely be king by morning.

She couldn't bear to put him through deciding between two of his sisters. He could barely bring himself to side with one or the other during petty squabbles, and having to do it in court would surely break him.

So as much as she longed to say goodbye to Jay, she couldn't risk it. She had to leave right now. She quickly changed out of her nightgown, into unused training clothes that had been meant for swordplay. She put a cloak overtop, covering her head.

Then Abigail grabbed a bag and started stuffing all she could in it. Letters from Aunt Mara, a Valadon family ring, and her dress from the masked ball were the only mementos she dared take. She grabbed a few pieces of jewelry that she was certain to be able to sell on the road, a waterskin, and then set off through the servant passages.

It had only taken her a matter of minutes to grab her things. She could shake the feeling that she was missing something, but she didn't dare turn back. She was sure the guards would be looking for her soon.

The girl who had once been Abigail Valadon ran out into the night, the promise she had made to her father still on the tip of her tongue, her eyes wet at the thought of her brother and her former best friend.

And it might have just been wishful thinking, but as a feeling of light soared through her, she couldn't help but feel like her father was watching her now.

-
Sorry for the long wait - school had been really difficult this year.

Hope you enjoyed this new chapter and finally knowing the whole story about what happened to Addy.

Next chapter we switch perspectives to Hayden.