Confrontation

“Do they?”
 
The question echoed in her mind. It had since the moment Victor had asked it.
 
Did they truly have her best interests at heart? Or only their own?
 
They had told her she had a great and wonderful Destiny, all while never telling her what that Destiny was.
 
They had told her that she needed to be ready, all while never actually training her aside from the simplest of healing magics.
 
They had told her she was special, a chosen of Loreali.
 
They had lied.
 
They had been lying for her entire life.
 
They had kept her bound to this place, denying her the ability to grow and learn, never telling her that the prophecy, the Destiny they said was calling to her, was not for Loreali at all.
 
Had they been deliberately stunting her abilities by refusing to allow her to train? Had they hoped that, with limited magics, the Destiny she was prophesied to fulfill would be mitigated or even entirely prevented? Had they expected that she would continue to live blissfully unaware, healing the sick and injured, and never looking toward anything more, waiting for her Destiny to come?
 
Of course they had. They had spent nearly three decades building this fabrication. They had never intended to tell her. They had kept her blind to the truth and prayed she would stay that way.
 
They thought that she would betray them, betray her goddess, for whatever fate the prophecy had in store, and had never thought to give her a choice. Or the ability to make her own decisions.
 
Well, she was done. She would not be a pawn any longer. Her choices would be her own, and if they did not want them to be informed choices, that was on them.
 
And she was going to tell the Benefic that to her face.
 
Despite Victor’s statement that she should not kick down the door, Arinelle stopped pacing and left her room, her path taking her directly to the Benefic’s office. She would not be denied this meeting.