Chapter 43 - The Past

"How?" I said, my lips trembling. "How are you even alive mother? I saw you die. In this same place." Mother didn't utter a word. She merely gazed at me with steady green eyes. My eyes. I placed both hands on her shoulder, shaking her. "Answer me mother!" I cried. My throat burned. I wanted to puke.

The first thing she did took me by surprise. Mother pushed me away and ran out of the cell, past the guard, to a place that only she knew. I pushed myself up and ran after her. For a woman who has been inside a cell, she was very fast. When I turned, I saw her disappearing around the corner. The only sensible thing was to get to her before the other guards did. I didn't dare cry her name, though my heart was screaming for me to do so. People would hear us.

I went after her trail, seeing her round another corner. Where was she going? I moved past the surveillance room. My eyes caught sight of her black hair. Again, I scrambled after her, feeling like I was suspended in purgatory. Why was she doing this? Mother was just closing the pantry door when I slipped my foot on the crack, preventing her from fully shutting it close. "Mother," I whispered, seeing her green eyes from the space. "Please let me in."

She shook her head stubbornly. Mother tried to close the door, pushing it forcefully from the other side. I winced in pain. My foot was wedged there. It hurts. "Stop it mother!" I said, trying to keep my voice down. "It's me. Don't you recognize me?" I prevented the door from closing by putting my weight against it.

Mother didn't listen. She continued pushing, breaking out a sweat. "You leave me no choice," I said, bracing myself. I slammed my shoulder on the door, forcing it open. Surprised by the action, my mother stumbled backward. I ran past the door, shutting it behind me softly. "I didn't mean to," I said, as soon as I turned to face her. "Are you hurt? God mother, I'm so sorry." I inched my way towards her, wanting to touch her somehow to make sure that she was alright.

Mother stood still. She wasn't even paying attention to me. I took another step forward, afraid that she'd run away again if I made sudden motions. I raised my hand. "See?" I said, walking nearer. "I won't hurt you. I'm your daughter after all." Mother locked eyes with me. There was no recognition in her face. "Did you forget about me?" I asked, beginning to feel sadness creeping in. Maybe she did. We have been apart for so long.

I made another step to her. And another. And another after that until I was standing inches away. My hands were trembling on my side. It was surreal to be this close to the person I thought was long dead. She was older than I remembered. Lines that weren't there when I was younger were now etched on her face. But that didn't bother me. What made me sad was her state.

She was dirty. As if she hasn't bathe for days. Mother was wearing an ill-fitting dress. Something that was patched up. I clenched my teeth. My mother was the queen. She didn't deserve to look like this. Her hair was tangled and dirty too, with bits of paper stuck on it. It looked like she hasn't combed it in a while. As I took a look down, I saw that she was barefoot. Her feet were almost black with soot.

My eyes traveled to her face. I tried to stay calm. "Who did this to you mother?" I waited for her answer patiently. A few seconds passed. She raised her finger and beckoned for me to come closer. My heart swelled with love and pity for her. I would make sure that whoever did this would not see the light of day. "Mother," I said, coming closer. "I will avenge you for this-"

It was too late when I saw the pan that she was holding. It crashed to the side of my face before I could defend myself. I crumpled to the ground. Before I closed my eyes, I heard her whisper. "I'm not your mother."

"Can you pwease read me another story Cybele? Pweeeeeese!"

I shut the book I was holding, turning to my companion. Talia looked at me with hopeful eyes. "No can do Talia," I said, tucking the book under my arm. "The maid said that your servants will pick you up soon. We should go back inside the palace and wait for them." Talia blew her cheeks into small balloons. She always did that when we were little, when she couldn't have her way with me. "There, there," I said, patting her small legs. "I'll tell you another story when we see each other again."

Her cheeks deflated. "Pwomise?" I nodded. Talia frowned. "But next week is your mama's birthday. Reading is not allowed. The queen will get mad."

I smiled endearingly at her. "Don't worry Talia. My mother the queen doesn't get mad easily. And we can read any books we like, even on her birthday. She won't mind."

We both stood up. Talia place her hands on her small hips. "But Alex will be there. She's nasty." Talia stuck her tongue out. "She teases me and kisses you on the forehead. Yeeeuccck!"

"Alex only does that because you cry easily," I said, leaning to her. I pecked her on the cheek. "If you don't do that, she'll stop it."

Talia spread her arms wide. "Airplane!" she screamed, beginning to run in circles.

"Talia," I groaned, picking her shoes from the ground. "Please wear this first. You'll hurt your feet."

"Try it Cybele!" she shrieked, still running in circles around the garden tree. "It feels goooood." I sighed. No matter how I cherished her, this little kid was a handful. I wonder what she'd be like when we got older. She'd probably still force me to read books, along with other activities. "Try it!" she said as she ran past me.

"Okay. . . Just to get you to quiet down." Supporting myself against the tree, I began to take my shoes and socks off. I dug my toes on the dirt after. It felt nice. The grass was still warm against my bare feet. The afternoon sun was responsible for that. I walked away from the cool shade of the tree. The sun's rays enveloped me. I took a deep sniff. It smelled like cinnamon and pumpkin pie.

People from the kitchen were cooking supper by now. The scent probably got carried by the autumn wind through the kitchen windows. Talia finally stopped running. She jumped up and down, trying to reach something from the sky. "What are you doing?" I asked, watching her curiously.

She smiled. "Trying to get taller. When I grow taller, I'm a grown-up. Then I can run away with you."

"That's not how it works Talia. And why would I even run away? I have responsibilities. I was meant to be queen."

I was alerted by the sound of footsteps crunching on dry leaves. A maid was coming towards us. "Princess Cybele," she said, bowing in front of me. "Miss Talia's servants are here. They wish to pick her up." The maid's eyes continued downward. She frowned when she saw that I was barefoot. "And please wear your shoes," she added. "Your majesty the queen and king will not be pleased with your appearance."

"Alright," I said curtly. "Talia and I will be right there."

After a few minutes, the car that would take Talia home vanished in the distance. Like always, I was sad to see her go. She was the only one who dared get close to me. All the other noble kids, with the exception of Alex of course, were uncomfortable around me. They were too stiff, too formal. They called me princess instead of Cybele. I understood why that was the case, but they could still act normal when we were alone. I sighed, going back to the palace.

"Pardon me," I said as I bumped into someone. I raised my eyes. It was an adult. Whoever it was, she was wearing a black hooded cloak that obstructed her face.

"Sorry," she said meekly, pulling her cloak tighter around her. "Be careful." The woman hurried away, just as I was going to say that I would try to be mindful of my actions.

Someone touched my shoulder. It was my mother the queen. "Mother," I said, looking at the retreating back of the woman in cloak. "Who was that?"

"An old friend of mine," she said. Mother stirred me back to the palace. "Are you hungry? I heard the kitchen staff made your favorite, cinnamon and pumpkin pie." My stomach growled at the mention. "See?" she said, her green eyes twinkling. "I know you'd want that after playing with Talia. Come Cybele, we'll peek in the kitchen. It will be our secret."

After one week, the queen's birthday finally came. Every noble from the country came to visit her. Even Talia whom I missed greatly. The only downside was her mother the creeper came too. I never did like that woman.

"Cybele," Talia said, grinning from ear-to-ear. She was wearing a pink frilly dress that looked good on her "Hi."

"Hello Talia," I said, hiding my own smile. Everywhere around us on the garden, noble after noble were greeting each other or catching pleasantries. It was no place for children, though I could see the other noble kids talking amongst themselves in a corner. Alex noticed me and waved. Before I could wave back, Talia took my hand. "Want to play hide-and-seek?"

"Why would you even pick that game?" I said as we walked pass the buffet table. We nearly collided with a servant who was bringing wine to several guests. "You know you'd lose Talia. And besides, playing that game here is not advisable. This place is huge." Not to mention I'd use one of the hidden tunnels that mother and father showed me the other week. There would be no way that Talia could find me there. Only royals knew of that.

"That's why we're playing inside the palace," she said. "Palace equals smaller."

"Not that small," I said, avoiding another servant.

"You pwomised that we can do anything today."

"True." I faced her. "Okay. . . We'll play it for a short period. If I don't find you after 20 minutes, we'll meet back here."

Talia scrunched her eyebrows. "What is 20 minutes?" she asked shyly, scuffing her pink shoes on the ground.

I removed my wristwatch and put it on her. "See this hand?" I said as I pointed to the watch. "When it goes all the way up here." My finger traveled to the 12. "It means that 20 minutes have passed. If I don't find you by then, we go back here. The game is over and you've won. Okay?"

She nodded. "Okay Cybele."

"Great. . . And Talia? You really should study more. I don't run away with kids who don't want to learn." I winked at her.

She smiled, tapping the watch. "I will study and study until my head explodes. Oh and bye!" Talia ran away to the direction of the palace, nearly slamming into another servant. I chuckled. Like I said, she was a handful.

When it was time to find her, I quickly made my way to the palace. Save for a few guards, it was pretty quiet there. "Have you seen Talia?" I asked the first guest that I encountered.

He shook his head. "Le princess Cybele should not ask where the little mademoiselle is. That is what you call la tricherie."

"I see that the king and queen are telling the guests about how I mastered French last month."

"Indeed little princess," he said, removing his cap and bowing to me. "The king and queen are so proud that you learned your fifth language. You are the most intelligent princess we've seen yet."

"I'm just a child. A cute one. Mignon." I nodded politely at him before running to the direction of the throne room. "Now where is this girl," I said as I pushed the door to the throne room open. It took some effort on my part, seeing that the wooden doors were heavy. No guards were stationed there. Looks like mother and father wanted them all in the garden. I peeked inside. It was dark. "Talia?"

Of course she wouldn't answer, I thought with a shake of my head as I entered the room. We were playing hide-and-seek after all. My footsteps echoed on the marbled floor as I made my way to the throne. I saw the vague outline of the golden chairs from the near distance. It was where mother and father would sit when they had a formal meeting. Someday, it would be mine. And I wanted Talia to sit there beside me.

"Are you sure no one saw you?" someone whispered. I halted, searching for the source of the sound. Ghosts? Couldn't be. According to quantum physics which I have enjoyed studying, so-called ghosts, if there were any, exists on a parallel plane or universe. They are actually real, living, breathing people that we are witnessing from another time through another parallel plane. And why was I quoting quantum physics? Was I scared?

I jumped when voices whispered again. "Yes I'm sure. I slipped past the guards. I bought something for you. I handpicked it. My husband helped me." The sound was coming from another room. If I wasn't mistaken, there was a chamber at the left side of the throne room, at the head part. I tiptoed there, curious to see who was talking.

"The woman in black cloak," I murmured to myself as I peeked on the corner. "And mother." The two of them were talking. I could only see the side of the woman's face. She was beautiful, yet for the life of me, I wasn't sure what she really looked like.

Mother took out something from her pocket. It was wrapped in a silk handkerchief. "Here," she said, putting the thing on her friend's hand. "I hope you like it."

"How can I possibly accept this?" said the woman. "It's your birthday, and you're the one giving me gifts."

"Don't say that," mother scoffed. "You're very important to me. Because of your sacrifice-" Her eyebrows furrowed. She turned to my direction. "Cybele?" Caught in the act, I thought, closing my eyes momentarily. "I know that's you princess," mother said with a stern tone. She faced her friend. "You better go Lizzie. I'll visit you as soon as I can." Her friend nodded, pulling her cloak closer to her like the last time I saw her.

"Wait," I said as she started to walk away. "Are you not staying for the party? It's my mother's birthday."

"No," the woman whispered. "Some other time perhaps."

My eyes opened. Ugggh. . . My head hurts. It felt like someone slammed a pan on the side of my face. The memory of my mother doing it earlier flashed in my mind. Bloody hell. . . The woman lost it. I groaned as I stood up. Dizziness was predominant. Everything was spinning. I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. If I didn't go after her, the palace guards would catch mother. I couldn't allow such a thing to happen.

I hurried down the tunnel, escaping the villa a few minutes after. Talia, I thought as I ran. I should check on her and the others first. They could help me find mother. I went to the well area, expecting to see my princess and the two girls there. They were gone without a trace. Maybe they went to the car as instructed. Who should I search for first? Talia or my mother?

Something caught my peripheral vision. It was mother's dark hair. She ran straight to the forest. My mother it is, I thought as I ran after her. For a few moments, I thought I was running blindly after a ghost. But after I confirmed that it was really mother, I hastened my steps, even though my head was still protesting and my lungs were ready to burst. "Mother!" I shouted when she was a few meters away. "Wait!"

My boots got caught on a root, causing me to tumble down. "Ooof!" I groaned as my chest slammed on the ground, nearly knocking the wind from my lungs. Bloody. . . It wasn't the time to be clumsy. I tried to sit up. Everything hurt. The flashlight that I was holding a while ago was there on my side, blinking. I slapped it against my hand until the light steadied.

Where did she go? I stood up, pointing my flashlight to the north. There was a vague movement on the west. Gotcha! I ran in that direction, a smile on my face. I'd kidnap her if that was the only way I'd get her to come with me. Blimey! I was getting used to this kidnapping thing. It was becoming a hobby.

The forest suddenly ended. I ran to the other side, seeing a road. The same road that Talia and I took earlier. Mother was there, panting next to the car that Talia and I used to get here, her hands on her knees. "You shouldn't have run," I said as I walked steadily towards her. "There's no point in it. And my friends will catch you too. They're around here somewhere."

"Talia?" I said, looking around. "Van? Brooke?" I noticed the car tires before anything else. I swallowed hard when I saw that it was slashed, deflated. "Something is wrong," I murmured, spinning around. My eyes landed on him.

"Glad you can finally join us," Ronaldo said, sneering. Beside her was Talia, biting on a rope that was tied to her mouth, looped all the way to the back of her hands. Van and Brooke were in similar situations, being held captive by four guards. "And you took so long too." He glanced at my mother's direction. "Aaah. . . So you've come to rescue her. Too bad you failed."

I snatched the gun from my side holster, pointing it at him. "I will kill you!" I spat, feeling venom on my blood. "You're a traitor!

"Do you really want to do that?" he said, smirking. "I have Talia."

"You won't kill her. She's Esmeralda's daughter."

"I won't," he said, his eyes gleaming. "But I can still hurt her." To prove his point, he unsheathed a knife and cut Talia's shoulder with it. The princess cried in pain, blood already staining her shirt.

My hands shook in rage. "Stop it!" I shouted, wanting to hurt Ronaldo in the worst way possible. If only I could shoot him, I would have done it already. But I didn't have a clear shot. I could hurt my princess in the process. "What do you want Ronaldo" I asked, trembling. "I'll give you anything at all."

He sneered. "It's simple really. You." He grinned. "For Talia." Though in pain, the princess met my eyes. She shook her head wildly and tried to run away. Ronaldo had her in a death grip. There was no escape.

"No Iris!" I turned to Brooke. She managed to remove the rope from her mouth. "He'll kill you and still have Talia! Run while you have the chance. Don't mind us." Talia nodded in agreement to Brooke.

"Your friends are probably right," Ronaldo said, wiping the bloody knife on his clothes. "But it won't change the fact that I'll hurt Talia slowly in front of you if you don't get your ass right here. Join the party." He pierced the princess other shoulder with the tip of the knife. It was merely the tip, but I understood from Talia's contorted face that it hurt her deeply.

"Okay!" I said, breathing hard. "Okay. . . Just stop hurting my princess."

I advanced towards Ronaldo. Someone pulled my arm, holding me back. "Noooo. . ." It was my mother. "You're Cybele yes?" she said, looking desperate.

I smiled. "You remembered me?"

"Yes, yes. . ." she said excitedly. "Only now did I remember. You mustn't go with that man." She pointed to Ronaldo. "He's bad."

"I know mother," I said, touching her face. "But he'll hurt what's important to me if I don't." I pried her fingers from my arm. "I'm so sorry we had to meet again this way."

"No Cybele! He's bad! He's bad!"

I pushed mother out of the way. She tumbled backward, landing on her bottom. It was for the best. "Run! Run mother!" I said, repeating her words when the villa burned years ago. My mother scampered on her feet. I watched in satisfaction as she fled for her life. My attention focused on Ronaldo when she was gone. I dropped the gun. "I'm all yours," I said in defeat.

Ronaldo threw his head back and laughed like a maniac. His eyes gleamed evilly as he looked at me. "I'll finish the job I started years ago," he said. "Come here Cybele." I walked mechanically to him. He pushed Talia to the other guards. "If this runt makes a move, kill the princess. Esmeralda will understand eventually that I did it for her."

Ronaldo watched me as I approached. I didn't feel anything. If it was for Talia, I would gladly die right now. It was more than enough that we met again and fell in love. It was a miracle really. I took a glance at her and smiled. If her face was the last thing I saw, it was more than I could hope for. I reached Ronaldo in no time.

My eyes were still on Talia as I felt something pierced on my skin. It felt like I was burned by hot metal. I glanced down. It was the knife. My knees buckled. I fell to the ground. Perhaps this was the ending to my fairytale book. Perhaps.