Not really knowing how his situation compares to anyone else, Aro just lifts his shoulders. It's hard for him to think that he was lucky, given that it would have been better all around if Iessa's mother had been able to stay with her. He does see it as a gift, though.

"I can't speak for anyone else. My mother has no magic, and I honestly don't know about my father. I don't know if I'd have discovered it at all without Iessa's mother. I doubt it, somehow."

There'd never been any hints of it. In fact, no one who's related to Aro has even seen him since it happened, so they'd be none the wiser.

"She didn't really tell me everything it would do to me. There's…well. There's this, though."

He rolls up one sleeve, exposing the skin on his forearm. He holds it up, turning it to catch the light. It's just about possible to see the scale-like pattern reflecting there, barely visible if you're not looking for it.

"It makes my skin stronger, like armour. I know that wasn't there before, that's for sure."