way that their love could be hidden. Although Cyrene had always known of her daughter?s love for the storyteller, she waited
and kept her silence until her daughter was comfortable enough to tell her. Once the secret was revealed, and she showed only
acceptance towards Gabrielle, it seemed like a weight was lifted from her child?s shoulders.
With a smile, Cyrene remembered those days with fondness as the sounds of pleasure came from the closed door. Although she
did not know how many years had passed since she last saw her children, she assumed that since her own death, many years
had passed. When she first saw Meg, and noticed the uncanny resemblance of the woman, Cyrene thought that her child had
aged considerably. But after learning that Meg was a mutual friend of Xena?s, and then seeing Xena?s family riding home
together, she realized that although the years had passed, it was not enough to cause a visible change for her daughter.
Before she could think more of this, the spirit heard the silent whimpers of the oldest girl and frowned. Like other nights, she
knew that her grandchild would not sleep well. Despite the silence that the girl showed by day, she knew Ari was filled with so
much pain, fear, and sadness that it only came out in the middle of the night when the house was dark.
Certain to not do anything that would cause fear, the ghost of Cyrene moved to stand in the shadows of the girl?s room and
watched her eldest grandchild from afar. She felt the sorrow pouring out with each tear Ari shed. As she stood there in the dark,
the ghostly figure allowed herself to feel the total anguish of her eldest grandchild. Her ethereal tears mirrored the droplets that
now fell unheeded upon Ari?s pillow as the dark child slowly drifted back to sleep. When she felt Ari between the two worlds,
Cyrene began to hum the familiar lullaby that had always soothed her own daughter.
No, Cyrene did not know how it was that her spirit had returned. She only knew her grandchild needed her and although she
was no longer in the land of the living, Cyrene vowed she would do anything to help Ari heal from her past ordeal.
As she glanced down at her granddaughter, she felt Ari drifting into sleep. With the change, the spirit moved and smiled down at
her granddaughter. She noticed Ari?s dark hair, so much like her mother?s, and her sensuously curved lips and thick lashes.
Cyrene?s ghost could not help but see Xena in the girl. At this thought, the older woman gracefully sat on the floor beside the
child. She continued to hum a soft, melodic song as she reached down and lightly ran her ghostly fingers through the girl?s hair.
As of a few nights ago, it was always the same. Alone and in the dark, the girl would cry herself to sleep. Sometimes she would
waken and pleasure herself, but as soon as her pleasure ended, the girl?s tears would begin. Although Cyrene could do nothing
about this, whenever her granddaughter cried in her sleep, the ghost offered what little comfort she could. Each time Ari?s
dreams took her into dark memories, the ghostly touch would soothe her brows and banish away the dreams.
?You?ll be all right baby, my little girl. Grandma is here for you, nothing can ever hurt you again,? she whispered in the dark as
the child was pulled back into her dreams.
No, Cyrene was not at all certain how she had managed to leave the comfort of the Elysian Fields. She only knew that for some
reason, she was needed. If all she could do was hold the dreams at bay or help her granddaughter fight whatever voices
beckoned to her, then she vowed that this would be her sole purpose for returning in the spirit form to the home of her youth.
Nothing, not even death itself, could force her to abandon the child that needed her the most.
The End Of
Chapter 7
Sins of the Mother
