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Maria finally meets Ivan's family. Backdated to about a week ago.
"I'm so excited to finally meet your family after so long, Ivan," Maria said as she followed him to the door of the modest house. "I hope they like me!"
Ivan smiled as best he could, trying to quell the pit of dread in his stomach. There's a reason I never talk about my mother, Maria. There's a reason I waited so long to bring you home...will you still want to be with me after you find out?
"I'm sure they will," he assured her, taking her hand. "Why, you nervous?"
"No! ...well, maybe a little," Maria laughed. As Ivan knocked on the door with his free hand, she felt his grip tighten, as if he was trying to ensure she didn't run away. Is he as nervous as I am? She remembered what Garion had told her. "You're a wonderful young lady and part of House Freege, too! How can they not like you?" She sighed. I hope you're right, brother.
The door opened to reveal a man she guessed was Ivan's father. They didn't look much alike; Ivan was tall and slender, this man was short and plump with curly hair and a thick moustache. But they had the same deep brown eyes and warm smile. At the sight of Maria, the smile widened.
"Well, what do we have here? Kids, your big brother brought something home for us!" he joked.
"Father, this is Lady Maria of Freege. I told you I've been seeing her for some time now," Ivan said.
"Yes, and she's every bit as lovely as you said she is!" The man extended his hand to Maria. "Roger Foreman, my lady, it's an honor to finally meet you." His jovial face became distant for a moment. "I apologize for not having invited you here sooner, but..."
"It's quite all right...Ivan said something about bringing me here when the time was right?" Maria said.
Before Roger or Ivan could answer, two children rushed over.
"Papa! Is this big brother Ivan's new girlfriend?" the smaller one asked; she was short and stocky just like her father and had the same curly hair.
"He never said she was this pretty!" the boy said. His own curly hair was wild and stuck out in all different directions, and he was thin as a stick.
"Holly, Chris, I'd like you to meet Lady Maria of Freege." The childrens' eyes grew wide.
"What's a lady of Freege doing with you, Ivan?" Chris teased. Ivan glared slightly.
"I believe that's her business," he scolded. Maria giggled.
"It's very nice to meet you all," she said. The tone became somber once more as Roger gestured down the hall, his round face cold and sad. Ivan's stomach hardened. Now came the moment of truth.
"And now, Maria..." He clutched her hand. "It's time to meet my mother."
The prospect made Maria both nervous and excited at the same time. Ivan had avoided talking about his mother for so long she assumed the woman was long dead...she was relieved that obviously wasn't the case, but why was he so nervous? From the looks on everyone's faces she knew it was more than a simple case of "we're afraid she might not like you".
With a sense of trepidition, she followed them down the hall, into a small room.
"Ilsa," Roger said softly. "We have a guest."
The woman turned her gaze from the wall and regarded Maria with a small nod. She was so tiny and frail compared to the rest of the family, with stringy black hair and pale gray eyes devoid of life. If not for the drumming of her fingers on the arm of her wooden chair, Maria would have mistaken her for a statue.
"Hello...ah, is today a bad day? You don't look well," she said, absently twisting and untwisting the cloth of of her skirt. Ilsa shook her head and returned her gaze to the wall.
"Sadly, this is one of her better days," Roger said. "She's been like this for three years, ever since the accident..."
"There was a carriage accident," Ivan said. "Mother was three months pregnant with what would've been my youngest sibling. She lost the baby...after that, she just shut down. Stopped laughing, stopped smiling, stopped functioning...people started talking. It was almost a year ago they finally stopped." He looked down at the floor. "I'm so ashamed...after the talking stopped I'd pretend she didn't exist, just so people wouldn't recognize me as the son of a woman who lost her mind."
"We all did that," Chris said, running a hand through his wild hair. "Me, I just wanted to protect Mom from more rumors, even though she obviously didn't care."
Holly didn't say a word, only sniffled and clung to her father's side. Maria's own eyes filled with tears as she turned to look at Ivan.
"So that's why," she said. "Ivan, I..." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to say."
Ilsa turned her head again and opened her mouth.
"May I speak to my son's lady alone, please?"
Roger nodded, silently leading Chris and Holly out of the room. Ivan put a hand on Maria's shoulder.
"I'm sorry...I wish I didn't have to leave you alone. You'll call me if you need me, right?" he said.
"Yeah...I'll be okay."
He kissed her, then slowly walked out of the room.
"Come closer, young lady," Ilsa said. Her voice was weak, as if each word she said would be her last. Maria stepped closer, trying not to appear as scared as she was.
"I...I'm just so sorry to hear about-" she started to say. Ilsa reached out and touched her hand to silence her.
"My Ivan is quite taken with you, isn't he."
"Yes, I'm just as taken with him."
"If you tell him something, he listens, doesn't he."
"Yes..."
Ilsa reached up and placed her cold, bony hand on Maria's cheek.
"I want Ivan to put me in an asylum."
Maria blinked.
"...you..."
"I'm a burden. All I've done is cause them undue sorrow and shame. I'd tell them myself, but they'd only say no to spare my feelings. My son adores you. He'll do it if you tell him to." Ilsa's eyes filled with tears. "Please, Lady Maria...I don't want to be a burden any longer."
Maria stood frozen on the spot, staring into the woman's eyes, completely numb even to the tears running down her cheeks.
"I'm so excited to finally meet your family after so long, Ivan," Maria said as she followed him to the door of the modest house. "I hope they like me!"
Ivan smiled as best he could, trying to quell the pit of dread in his stomach. There's a reason I never talk about my mother, Maria. There's a reason I waited so long to bring you home...will you still want to be with me after you find out?
"I'm sure they will," he assured her, taking her hand. "Why, you nervous?"
"No! ...well, maybe a little," Maria laughed. As Ivan knocked on the door with his free hand, she felt his grip tighten, as if he was trying to ensure she didn't run away. Is he as nervous as I am? She remembered what Garion had told her. "You're a wonderful young lady and part of House Freege, too! How can they not like you?" She sighed. I hope you're right, brother.
The door opened to reveal a man she guessed was Ivan's father. They didn't look much alike; Ivan was tall and slender, this man was short and plump with curly hair and a thick moustache. But they had the same deep brown eyes and warm smile. At the sight of Maria, the smile widened.
"Well, what do we have here? Kids, your big brother brought something home for us!" he joked.
"Father, this is Lady Maria of Freege. I told you I've been seeing her for some time now," Ivan said.
"Yes, and she's every bit as lovely as you said she is!" The man extended his hand to Maria. "Roger Foreman, my lady, it's an honor to finally meet you." His jovial face became distant for a moment. "I apologize for not having invited you here sooner, but..."
"It's quite all right...Ivan said something about bringing me here when the time was right?" Maria said.
Before Roger or Ivan could answer, two children rushed over.
"Papa! Is this big brother Ivan's new girlfriend?" the smaller one asked; she was short and stocky just like her father and had the same curly hair.
"He never said she was this pretty!" the boy said. His own curly hair was wild and stuck out in all different directions, and he was thin as a stick.
"Holly, Chris, I'd like you to meet Lady Maria of Freege." The childrens' eyes grew wide.
"What's a lady of Freege doing with you, Ivan?" Chris teased. Ivan glared slightly.
"I believe that's her business," he scolded. Maria giggled.
"It's very nice to meet you all," she said. The tone became somber once more as Roger gestured down the hall, his round face cold and sad. Ivan's stomach hardened. Now came the moment of truth.
"And now, Maria..." He clutched her hand. "It's time to meet my mother."
The prospect made Maria both nervous and excited at the same time. Ivan had avoided talking about his mother for so long she assumed the woman was long dead...she was relieved that obviously wasn't the case, but why was he so nervous? From the looks on everyone's faces she knew it was more than a simple case of "we're afraid she might not like you".
With a sense of trepidition, she followed them down the hall, into a small room.
"Ilsa," Roger said softly. "We have a guest."
The woman turned her gaze from the wall and regarded Maria with a small nod. She was so tiny and frail compared to the rest of the family, with stringy black hair and pale gray eyes devoid of life. If not for the drumming of her fingers on the arm of her wooden chair, Maria would have mistaken her for a statue.
"Hello...ah, is today a bad day? You don't look well," she said, absently twisting and untwisting the cloth of of her skirt. Ilsa shook her head and returned her gaze to the wall.
"Sadly, this is one of her better days," Roger said. "She's been like this for three years, ever since the accident..."
"There was a carriage accident," Ivan said. "Mother was three months pregnant with what would've been my youngest sibling. She lost the baby...after that, she just shut down. Stopped laughing, stopped smiling, stopped functioning...people started talking. It was almost a year ago they finally stopped." He looked down at the floor. "I'm so ashamed...after the talking stopped I'd pretend she didn't exist, just so people wouldn't recognize me as the son of a woman who lost her mind."
"We all did that," Chris said, running a hand through his wild hair. "Me, I just wanted to protect Mom from more rumors, even though she obviously didn't care."
Holly didn't say a word, only sniffled and clung to her father's side. Maria's own eyes filled with tears as she turned to look at Ivan.
"So that's why," she said. "Ivan, I..." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to say."
Ilsa turned her head again and opened her mouth.
"May I speak to my son's lady alone, please?"
Roger nodded, silently leading Chris and Holly out of the room. Ivan put a hand on Maria's shoulder.
"I'm sorry...I wish I didn't have to leave you alone. You'll call me if you need me, right?" he said.
"Yeah...I'll be okay."
He kissed her, then slowly walked out of the room.
"Come closer, young lady," Ilsa said. Her voice was weak, as if each word she said would be her last. Maria stepped closer, trying not to appear as scared as she was.
"I...I'm just so sorry to hear about-" she started to say. Ilsa reached out and touched her hand to silence her.
"My Ivan is quite taken with you, isn't he."
"Yes, I'm just as taken with him."
"If you tell him something, he listens, doesn't he."
"Yes..."
Ilsa reached up and placed her cold, bony hand on Maria's cheek.
"I want Ivan to put me in an asylum."
Maria blinked.
"...you..."
"I'm a burden. All I've done is cause them undue sorrow and shame. I'd tell them myself, but they'd only say no to spare my feelings. My son adores you. He'll do it if you tell him to." Ilsa's eyes filled with tears. "Please, Lady Maria...I don't want to be a burden any longer."
Maria stood frozen on the spot, staring into the woman's eyes, completely numb even to the tears running down her cheeks.