Family Talks

"Good morning, my lady," Rosalia's voice awakened Aisha from her deep sleep.

She tried opening her eyes, but she immediately shut them tight. The sun's rays were already at their peak. They almost scorched her sensitive organs of sight.

"I must have dozed off from wracking my brains out," Aisha yawned wide. She still hasn't moved on from the King's last words. He will make her his wife!

"Yes, you have, my lady. But it's all right. You must have missed your family. That's why you escaped on your first night. I was like that when I first entered the Castle, too," Rosalia cheered her up as she fixed the blue and white curtains on the sides of the large glass-stained windows.

Then she went to the table and got her breakfast.

Aisha was still in the room where King Leandro left her. She did not dare leave again after her unfortunate encounter with Lord Lycano and the Nagae on Lake Visum. It seemed she really was not safe anywhere outside the Castle.

"Yeah, I'm sorry if I got you in trouble. I won't do it again, I promise," Aisha apologized to Rosalia as she gobbled the soup. But she kept her fingers crossed behind her back. Who knows? There might be someone in the Castle who might want her dead too!

"It's all right, my lady. The King gave me this," Rosalia pulled up a small horn and lifted it in the air for Aisha to see clearly.

"This will alert the nearest guard that you have escaped again," she smiled from ear to ear as if she had just shared a brilliant idea.

Aisha's shoulders dropped with her head bowed down to the table. What did she expect? Of course, they will heighten their security after the mayhem that she caused.

Her palm flew to her neck as she felt like she was literally suffocating. Other normal people may have felt that it was just normal for anyone to be inside closed doors. But not Aisha.

She has too many painful memories behind closed spaces that she couldn't just shake off just because this was the safer option.

She grabbed the glass of water on the table. And as soon as her mind was cleared, she immediately pushed the memories away.

"Don't worry, you will not need it. For now," she reassured Rosalia with a smile.

"I'm glad to hear that, my lady. Don't worry, the King's Castle is one of the most beautiful places here in Gaea. And the King gave you permission to travel anywhere as long as it is within these Castle walls, for your own safety," Rosalia returned the favor as she encouraged her to stay.

Aisha's eyes widened in excitement at what she said. She thought that the King would just keep her locked up in that golden cage of a chamber.

She quickly ate her breakfast and immediately asked Rosalia, "Can we go out now? I want to see what the other parts of the Castle look like."

Rosalia immediately nodded and bowed down to Aisha. Aisha immediately changed her clothes and went out of her Chamber together with Rosalia.

Aisha took in a lungful of air as soon as she was out of the tower where she was staying. Her lips curled up in joy as the fear of being trapped inside those walls melted away.

Just then, she heard children squealing and laughing. She immediately went to where they were. Rosalia followed close behind.

The children were in the courtyard, and they were playing with each other. Aisha couldn't help but draw close to them.

"What are you playing? Can I join you?" She asked them.

The children glanced at one another and then at Aisha. They were wearing ordinary-looking plain clothes, while Aisha was covered in a smooth silky tunic. They must have felt uncomfortable that someone like her would play with them.

"Can I play too?" Rosalia sat down and smiled at them. It seemed that they were more comfortable with her, since they immediately said yes.

"Or was it because they all have furry ears and tails?" Aisha scratched her head as she thought about it. But she was glad that they allowed her to play with them.

They were having fun playing a game that resembled nine-pin bowling when one of the children fell on the ground and his knee was badly scraped.

"Waa!" He cried out in a loud voice. Aisha immediately went to his side and tried to help him sit on a log. "It's okay, little one. It's just a minor scratch," she smiled at him, hoping it would help relieve his pain. But his cry only went louder.

She was about to blow on his wound when a lady came rushing in while shouting, "Astar!"

"Mother!" The boy's face immediately brightened up as soon as he saw her.

Astar's mother quickly embraced him in her arms, making Astar stop crying.

Aisha couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Rosalia whispered to Aisha as she explained the quick appearance of Astar's mother. "I was about to look for her. But she was already rushing here as soon as she heard his voice. Mothers really know best."

Aisha let out a long sigh. "Yeah, I wish all mothers were the same."

Rosalia seemed to be bothered by her statement that she shared her own thoughts, "My mother was also like that whenever we get sick or wounded."

"Well, lucky you. I can't remember a time when my Mom would appear like that, even if my eyes were swollen with tears for a day," Aisha commented as she recalled her childhood moments.

As she did so, a sharp, stabbing pain made its way in her heart, making her remove her eyes from Astar and her mother.

"I apologize, my lady. I wasn't aware. But maybe your father was there for you. My father wasn't always that's why our Mother was making time for us," Rosalia shared thinking that it would somehow lift Aisha's sad recollections.

But Aisha just shrugged her shoulders. "He wasn't there either. Both of them were busy with their own careers and families. I don't even know if they knew I existed on earth for eighteen years already."

Rosalia's eyelids welled up in tears at her statement. "Forgive me, my lady. I shouldn't have asked!" She knelt down at her feet. But Aisha immediately picked her up.

"Silly, it's fine. Don't worry, I have a stepsister. I'm somewhat close to her, so I guess I'm not really that lonely. But I don't know where she is now," Aisha sighed again.

"Don't worry, my lady. I'm sure she is safe somewhere. I will pray to God with you to keep her safe," Rosalia beamed at her with her hands clasped together.

Aisha's cheeks lifted at her encouraging words. Though she wasn't really sure if she was acting sincerely towards her or not. "I appreciate it, Rosalia. Really," she pressed on Rosalia's hands and embraced her.

Then she stood up and asked her to accompany her to the other parts of the Castle.

They didn't know that someone was silently watching them from his window in one of the Castle Towers.

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"No amount of money or success can take the place of time spent with your family." -Unknown