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“What was my name?”
Nahyuta frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t understand, Your Benevolence.” He laid the scroll he was reading on the coffee table in front of him, waiting patiently for her to explain herself.
“Before I was taken by Mo…by my aunt. I was named something different, was I not?” Rayfa clarified. She spoke with firm clearness, despite her slip.
There was a pregnant pause. “Officially, you had no name. Your name has always been Rayfa Padma Khura’in.” He normally had no problems with the summer sun shining directly over him, but Nahyuta found himself wishing he had decided to sit under some sort of shade. Sweat could feel like it was burning and it wasn’t pleasant in the least.
She crossed her arms and looked at him down her nose. Or…up it, rather. Even when sitting, Rayfa was shorter than Nahyuta. He doubted she would ever grow much taller, but kept it to himself. “You know very well what I meant, Braid Head.”
“You did indeed have a different given name,” Nahyuta fudged.
“What was it?” She repeated.
“Perhaps Her Mercifulness would be a better person to ask about this topic,” he replied slowly. It was beginning to become difficult to keep eye contact with her. He was told specifically by their mother to not answer her question like this, to which he of course agreed. He didn’t expect to be put under such scrutiny, however.
She looked away at the floor forlornly. It made Nahyuta feel a sudden pang of guilt. “Mother told me that I am who I am and any previous names I may have had should no longer have power over me.”
“She would be correct in that regard.”
She glowered at him. “Surely what I had been named shouldn’t be something that either of you are hiding from me.” Rayfa crossed her arms. “Is my birthday even when I was born?”
He sighed. “Your Benevolence, do you know why names are so important in Khura’in?” Nahyuta asked.
“Of course I do,” she replied with a sniff. “It’s because it’s the name of our soul and will allow us to be channeled.”
A butterfly landed on the small plate holding sweetened water placed on the table. “Yes.” He nodded. “The name of your soul is Rayfa Padma Khura’in. While it was originally changed in order to hide your lineage, it is the name placed on your soul, and always will be. Knowing another name is of no importance, nor is its origin. It is your name and your name alone.”
“You’re avoiding the question,” she accused angrily.
He smiled a little at her outburst. “Perhaps,” he admitted. “You will understand with time. I’m sure Her Mercifulness has a good reason for not telling you. It is best that we not question her for now.”
She sighed. “If you insist.”
Nahyuta pursed his lips. He couldn’t have her feeling so crestfallen. “Why are you so intent on learning the name of your birth?”
She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well…I assume Dhurke at least helped named me,” she said. “I might not consider him my father, but I think it wrong to simply ignore it. I imagine that it must have been painful for him that I didn’t even know the name I was given.”
“He did not know you were his daughter at all,” Nahyuta told her tersely, much more so than he had intended. “He thought you dead up until the day he died. Ga’ran did an excellent job at hiding you from him.”
She looked even more distraught. “…Oh. I see. I wonder what he thought of me, then.”
He wished he could answer her question. He wished that he could ask the same thing. Apollo was lucky. He had the opportunity to see their father before he left the earth for his eternal rest. Nahyuta didn’t deserve such closure after all he did, but Her Benevolence was guilty of none of the sins that tainted his soul. She at least deserved to speak with such a great man at least once.
“When you are older, perhaps Her Mercifulness will channel him for you,” he told her. “Or if you travel to the United States, you could seek out Miss Maya Fey. I have no doubt she will perform a channeling.”
“Of course. You are quite right, Prosecutor Sahdmadhi,” Rayfa said, straightening. “I most certainly will speak to him once I am grown.” She sounded confident, which was always a good sign.
Of course, from the research he had done about Kurain Village, their method of earning money was channeling the dead for anyone who asked. Nahyuta had to suppress a grimace when he'd discovered such a fact. To think that their spiritual power was so immense that an entire village was capable; were blessed by the Holy Mother so abundantly, and all they used it for was petty change! He was certain that Her Benevolence would not react kindly to that, and he hoped that Miss Fey would not be offended if she went on a tirade if she was told to pay.