What is a promise made to Aria and broken, that she can never forget?
Spinning a tale here and pulling in some of the ideas we've thrown around about the Stafford parents:
From the start, Aria was her mother's daughter. Not to say that Léna didn't have a connection with her other daughters nor to say that Aria didn't have a bond with her father, but from a young age she was always at her mother's side. It made sense, then, that it was Léna who finally realized that all the stories her daughter had been telling about strange creatures whispering in her ear was not an imaginative tale but her powers manifesting: Aria was a Seer who could see and hear the Guardians that protected the people from the actions of the gods.
Aria's mother did what she could to educate her daughter on her powers when the family realized that Aria was a seer. Léna, not possessing the gift herself, turned to books and scholars to help her better understand how to guide her daughter in these new powers.
One of the first people Léna sought out was Aine of Kil-Kennar, travelling there with her young daughter, which caused a bit of a stir about the court as no concrete reason was given as to why the trip occurred. Upon arriving at Kil-Kennar, the Queen and Princess had an audience with the Seer that was completely private.
The secrecy and privacy was, of course, to protect Aria's secret from being exposed to the masses. While her parents did not fear the people of Astaira fearing their daughter's connections with the unseen-- it was outside of Astaira that they feared. There were those who wished to destroy the old ways of the gods and the guardians by any means possible. The Queen begged Aine to tell no one of Aria's gifts which the woman immediately agreed to, having been on the receiving end of some near death experiences due to the public knowledge of her own powers.
Aine and Aria bonded quickly on that trip, Aine telling the young princess of her own struggles with harnessing her powers when she was young but also of what Aria might be able to do with those powers one day, should the Guardians continue to bless her. The Princess felt a comfortable familiarity with the Seer of Kil-Kennar, not having to hide her true self for the first time outside of her family.
When the Queen and Princess were set to return after their short stay in Kil-Kennar, Aria pleaded with her mother to bring her back as soon as they could so that she might study more from Aine. Léna promised her, and Aine, that they would return to Kil-Kennar soon.
But they never returned.
Aria had been abuzz with energy upon their return, eagerly telling her Father everything she had learned from Aine on their visit. She still remembers he was rather stoic through most of her description of the trip, not saying much in response to his middle daughter's excitement.
The next day, Léna made a last minute decision to travel to her seaside cottage near Hanthom, taking Aria with her. Along with them came every bit of information Léna had found in the citadel regarding Seer magic. Aria remembers, even now, how distressed her mother looked in the carriage as they road away from Stafford in the early afternoon.
"Aria, I'm sorry," her mother said as the tall peak of the citadel finally disappeared from view. "I should never have made a promise I could not keep. We... we will not be able to return to Kil-Kennar."
"Why?" the young princess has asked quickly, distraught. Why would she be kept away from Kil-Kennar, away from the one person who could help her, train her to use her powers?
"There... there are security concerns. And it is a long trip for you and I to make on our own."
"Can Papa bring Aine to Stafford?" the young princess asked quickly.
"No. No, that is not possible. Aine has many responsibilities she must attend to at Kil-Kennar. We cannot ask her to leave."
While the Princess had slept, the Queen and King had argued. The King had only agreed for one trip to Kil-Kennar, one trip to visit the Seer, Aine. It was not meant to becoming a reoccurring trip. It could not be a reoccurring trip, the King demanded. His queen insisted on a reason. The King would not reply.
Léna stared at her husband. He would not meet her eye. That is when she had a thought-- could Aine of Kil-Kennar be Domhnall's first love, the woman that was spoken about in whispers amongst the court, the woman he had been in love with since he was young.
"You cannot take our daughter back to Kil-Kennar, Léna. I will not allow it."
Aria never knew the real reason why she was unable to return to Kil-Kennar to study with Aine. She blamed no one, of course, but often wondered what would have happened if she had been able to study with another Seer, learn to better control her powers, might she have been able to do more?
Unfortunately, now, she will never know.
