I'm sorry it'a taken me so long to read this. I'm trying to catch up with all the beholder stories, even though it's after reveals now.
I'm so glad that I went back to read this, and sorry that I missed it when it posted. It's a delightful story, and a lovely fleshing out of canon. I love the parallels of mother and daughter, and the very different decisions which they both made in the end. There's a lilt to your prose which made it a delight to read.