The first thing they did was laugh.
Not cruel laughter. Not mocking.
Surprised laughter—like we'd pulled off a prank so well it deserved applause.
I blinked.
Hope blinked harder.
The two hooded figures stepped back, shoulders shaking, and for half a second, the tension snapped so fast it almost gave me whiplash.
"Well," one of them said, pushing her hood back, silver-threaded dark hair catching the light, "I'll give them credit. That was convincing."
The other laughed softly. "I almost felt bad."
Hope stood up so fast the stone scraped. "—Excuse me?"
I stared.
Because the woman lowering her hood looked exactly like the face I'd tried not to forget.
Older. Sharper. Still unmistakable.
My chest went tight.
"Mom?"
Nova's smile faded instantly.
She crossed the distance in two steps, then stopped herself—like she wasn't sure she was allowed any closer.
"Hi, Xylan."
Hope turned slowly to the other woman.
And froze.
The resemblance hit like a wave. Same eyes. Same bone structure. Softer now, but unmistakable.
"You—" Hope's voice cracked despite herself. "That's not possible."
The woman straightened.
"My name is Isadora," she said gently. "And I'm your mother."
Silence slammed down.
Hope laughed once. Short. Sharp. Unbelieving. "No. No, that's— You can't just—how do you even know my name?"
Isadora met her gaze without flinching. "Because I gave it to you."
Hope's breath stuttered.
Nova cleared her throat. "Maybe we should sit."
No one argued.
We sat on the stone where the sea couldn't quite reach, four of us in a circle that felt too deliberate to be coincidence.
Isadora folded her hands in her lap.
"I was once queen of Lumigrove," she said.
The word queen landed heavy.
"Former queen," she added. "Before the throne was stolen."
Hope went very still.
"The king," Isadora continued, "was never meant to rule alone. Lumigrove is built on balance—between crown and current, ruler and people. But he wanted control."
Nova's jaw tightened.
"When I gave birth," Isadora said, her voice steady but edged, "the king stood before the council and declared that my child would never sit on the throne."
Hope sucked in a breath. "What?"
"He didn't want you as his servant," Isadora said. "He wanted you removed from the future entirely."
My fingers curled against the stone.
"I defied him," Isadora went on. "Publicly. Loudly. I told him the throne is not his to decide—it answers to blood and balance."
Her eyes flashed. "I told him a ruler who fears a child fears his own weakness."
Hope whispered, "What did he do?"
"He accused me of treason," Isadora said. "And ordered me imprisoned beneath the palace."
Nova leaned forward. "That was before Elowen sealed the court."
Hope frowned. "Elowen?"
"A spellcaster," Nova said flatly. "The king's closest ally. She bound half the kingdom to his will. Not loyalty. Obedience."
Hope's hands trembled. "So the messengers—"
"Cursed," Isadora said. "None of them serve by choice."
Hope swallowed hard.
"I escaped," Isadora continued. "But not before making a decision that nearly broke me."
She looked at Hope like she was memorizing her.
"I left you on the shore. Wrapped in magic. Hidden from the sea and the land both."
Hope shot to her feet.
"You abandoned me!"
The word cracked the air.
Isadora flinched like she'd been struck.
"I protected you," she said softly.
"By leaving?" Hope snapped. "Do you know what it's like growing up not knowing where you belong?"
I spoke before thinking. "She kept you alive."
Hope rounded on me. "You don't get to—"
"I know," I said evenly. "But don't pretend the king would've shown mercy."
She hesitated.
Nova took that moment.
"The same king gave me a choice," she said.
Hope turned.
"Work properly," Nova said. "Stop crossing into the human world. Or perish."
My throat tightened.
"She had a human child," Isadora said quietly.
Hope's eyes widened.
Nova smiled faintly at me. "You."
I exhaled. "So the sea didn't take you."
"No," Nova said. "I chose it."
She glanced at Isadora. "There's a passage. Old. Hidden. It leads from Lumigrove to the land. I used it to help her escape."
Hope whispered, "So you're—"
"A mermaid," Isadora said. "And you are too."
Hope staggered back a step.
Nova looked at me. "You're half."
I swallowed. "That explains the calls."
"Yes," Nova said. "And why you never quite belonged anywhere."
I looked away. "Figures."
Isadora straightened. "We intercepted the letter meant for the king."
Hope snapped up. "You did?"
"We couldn't risk him finding you yet," Nova said. "But we haven't been watching. Not since the day we left."
Hope searched her mother's face. "Why now?"
Isadora's voice softened. "Because the sea is stirring."
I met Hope's gaze.
Our guesses hadn't been wrong.
Just incomplete.
And somehow, sitting between land and sea, with truths finally spoken—
Everything felt like it was only just beginning.