CHAPTER SEVEN

“I do not think we should?” Isabella’s tone was sad. It was foreign for Angela to hear or see her mother sad. Her mother hadn’t been sad for a long time. To say the truth, she had never truly seen her sad. Hearing her sad tone was giving her a weird feeling in her stomach. It wasn’t the butterfly effect but more like bats fighting in her stomach. “She is our child and ours alone.”

“How can you say such a thing?” her father said softly but angrily.  

His voice was hard but yet soft. He seemed annoyed by something. Were they fighting? Angela had never seen them physically fighting before, though they had arguments and she liked neither. Fighting was always something she dreaded. Seeing people fight was something she hated. 

 Her parents barely fought. The last time they fought was five years ago when her father left the house for two days and didn’t come back until the morning after. Isabella was very angry demanding where he went but he didn’t say a word. That was a story that had died long ago but now they were fighting and Angela wanted to know why. 

“I will not let you take her from me.”

“Remember that she is not ours.” Her father’s voice grew angrier and harder with every word he said. 

“She is my daughter.”

“We raised her together she is ours and when you think about it well she is not even our daughter!”

“Keep your voice down Robert,” mother said angrily and harshly.

What do they mean by she isn’t ours, who is the she? Could it be her—Angela—were they talking about her? But it didn’t make any sense. They were her parents and she was her daughter, right? 

“Why will I keep my mouth shut? She has a right to…”

“Do not misquote my words. I said you should keep your voice down not keep it shut,” Isabella added with folded arms. 

Her husband shook his head and sighed. 

“If we do not follow the paper, it might cause grave consequences.”

“We can face those consequences later!”

“Now you are the one shouting.” Robert sat on the bed and rubbed his forehead. He did not have the power for what they were doing that morning. He wanted a peaceful day but Isabella did not have that in mind for him or even herself. He knew she loved Angela with all her heart but letting go was the most sensible thing to do. “There is no need to fight. She needs to know who she is.”

“She is my daughter and will always be!”

“No! She is a princess!”

Angela had been listening to the conversation since and she couldn’t handle the unanswered thoughts in her mind any longer. She tried putting the little pieces she got to make a complete answer but nothing meaningful came into her mind. 

Anytime she thought she was close to the answer something else would come up, putting her in doubt.  

She wanted and needed to know three things, one, who they were talking about, two, why it was causing them to fight and, three, what the hell was going on? Did she hear princess? 

Angela’s feet were moving fast and her breath was pacing up. She placed her hand on the doorknob rethinking her decision. Is it best to enter or should I just let the sleeping dog lie? She was not going to let the sleeping dog lie if it meant her mind won’t be at rest.

One, two, three I can do this. 

Without thinking any longer she barged in giving each of her parents a confused look. They were both in shock. The other did not know who to speak first. Angela was clearly angry. She demanded an answer to the question ringing in her head. 

“What is going on? Who is not your daughter? Do you have another child outside and who is the princess?” Angela asked angrily as her parents sighed.

Robert looked at Isabella as Isabella looked back at him. 

“Nothing darling.” She was trying to change the subject but Angela was not going to fall for that. “Are you finished with your muffins?”

“She deserves to know,” Robert said walking forward and holding Angela’s hand. “Darling what we are about to say will change a lot of your perspectives towards us.”

“Do not mind your father, he is delusional,” Isabella said pushing Robert from Angela. 

“The only one that is delusional is you!” Robert barked back.

“Mother! Father! Stop all this. What is going on? I want to know now!” Angela’s voice was unsteady and cracking. What did her father mean by changing perspectives?

Weren’t they are parents? She felt like they weren’t. They didn’t seem or act like the parents that were dancing with her yesterday. They were different. Angela still wanted an explanation. 

“Come Angela, and Isabella, hiding this from her will not help her,” Robert said as Isabella shrugged. 

“It is best.”

“No, it is not! Stop fighting!”

Isabella decided it was best to keep quiet. She knew how her husband could be anytime he was angry. 

He wasn’t violent but still…

Robert walked with Angela and Isabella’s side to the living room. So many things were troubling Angela’s mind. She had lost appetite for everything around her. The anxiety was eating her up instead. 

She was taking deep breaths every second as her heart had begun to race. 

After a small walk that seemed like forever to Angela, they finally took their seats. Her father rubbed his hand while her mother gritted her teeth repeatedly. Angela raised a brow at their actions. The two of them were waiting for the other to say something. 

“I think we should show you something first,” Robert said turning over to Isabella as she groaned.

She did not answer at first but with Robert’s continuous glares, she succumbed.

Isabella brought out a small piece of paper. She handed it to her husband as he took it unhesitant. He looked at the paper remembering the memories of the past. It felt like yesterday to him even though it didn’t look like yesterday.

He was a young fine man then, though it had only been fifteen years, the signs of stress and old age were growing on him. He looked at it one more time before handing it to her. Angela hesitated but took the paper at last. She looked at it well. 

It had signs that it had once been wet before. It looked wet but it wasn’t. It was old and had this weird connection with her that she couldn't place. The handwriting was so defined and familiar. Angela wasted no more time and read what was in it to quench her anxiousness. 

Please accept her, she is the princess of Prestoria and the kingdom has just been wiped out, do not tell her this until her 15th birthday, take her as your own daughter and name her Angela, she has a greater destiny ahead of her.

Angela was confused. What did it mean? She processed the information. She was Angela and she had her fifteenth birthday recently. Her parents were telling her now and that meant…

Angela dropped the piece of paper quickly like it was diseased. 

“I…I do not understand.” 

“You are the princess of Prestoria.” As he said that she felt her heart trying to beat out of her chest. “The whole kingdom was wiped out. You are the lone survivor, everyone else is dead but you can save your Kingdom Angela,” Robert said signaling Isabella to say something.

She hesitated at first but went with it. 

“Yes Angela you are a…princess. We found you on our roof and saw this letter.”

Angela was hurt. “So I am not your real daughter.” 

Robert had a sad look in his eyes. “It is not like that, we will always be your parents.” 

He would miss his daughter dearly, but she can’t stay hidden forever. That was what Isabella did not understand. She has a greater destiny ahead of her, as the letter said and he knew it. She was special. From the day he saw her, he knew she was something special. 

“T-this must be some kind of a joke, mama, papa what is happening?” Angela’s voice had finally cracked and was breaking. 

“You are a princess.” 

“I am…” Angela placed her hand on her chest catching her breath. “…a princess?”

“Yes, princess.” Robert put on a smile but everyone knew it was fake, completely adulterated.

Angela did not believe it.  

“No, this must be one of those after birthday pranks, right?”

If she knew her parents well, she knew they hated pranks. That was why they hated April first more than any other day of the year. She was surprised they were able to pull the birthday surprise off but it was not much of a prank. They saw it as doing something nice and sweet for their daughter. 

They shook their heads genuinely as her heart stopped beating. She closed her eyes assimilating everything she heard. 

“Angela…”

“You are not my real parents.” The comments scared her parents but they relaxed when they realized she did not say it in an angry tone. Her parents nodded as an answer as she coughed loudly trying to take everything in. She didn’t know how to act. Should she be angry or grateful? “Where are my parents then?”

Robert cleared his throat before answering. 

“They are dead…” Angela’s eyes widened in sadness. “…and alive. You can save them but not only them. You can save the whole of the Kingdom…your kingdom.”

“My parents are the king and queen?”

“Yes darling,” Isabella answered, finally agreeing to say something against her wishes. 

There was no use trying to hide it from her anymore. Angela knew everything now. 

“I am a princess? I have a kingdom. I can live in a castle. I can rule my own kingdom!” Angela said gladly. She didn’t know why she believed so quickly. She always had a feeling that something was wrong somewhere. She just needed to confirm it and now it was confirmed but… “What is going to happen now?” Angela said sitting back on her chair in sadness. 

“We are still deciding on what to do?” Robert said as Angela went into thought.

All these years, the people she called her parents were now here saying the exact opposite. She had a kingdom? She was a princess, heir to the throne of Prestoria. She had heard that kingdom before in a book. 

The book described Prestoria as a beautiful place that flowed with milk and honey but the place was taken down by another horrible Kingdom. It said their kingdom vanished, never to be seen again. The location of Prestoria is unknown to date. 

Angela needed some air, a break. She needed to be away from the hut to think. She needed to get away from everything here. 

She looked at her staring parents and stood up from her chair, walking out of the house. 

“Angela!” her father called out but her mother held him down. 

“She needs time,” Isabella said softly. “Let us give her time.”

Robert blinked twice before nodding and landing back on the chair. He hoped she would be okay. 

*** 

MILES woke up to see another horrible day. Had he ever woken up happy, waiting to embrace the day, probably not? If he did, he had no idea how it felt anymore. Sleep was the only time he enjoyed because he got peace but once it was time to wake up, nothing but sadness. 

He looked beside him. Kale was still asleep but Justin wasn’t around. He sat up, rubbing the dirt from his face and looking for Justin. Where was he? 

He rubbed his eyes again to get his full vision back. He looked again and saw Justin this time. He was resting on the wall, brooding. What was he thinking about? Why won’t he think? There was much on ground to think about. 

The winter coming, the daily scarcity of food, and the likes but Miles thoughts got jumbled when a smile formed on Justin's face. Unexpected what on earth was he thinking at this time of the day that made him smile. 

“Justin, are you okay?”

Justin started coughing loudly. He looked around darting his head from one place to another sharply. He sighed in relief seeing it was only Miles. 

“You startled me.”

“What are you thinking about?” Miles asked standing on his feet, walking towards him.

“Me…thinking?” Justin said laughing. “I was not thinking about anything.”

Miles raised a brow at him.