A legend is released and they must fight to save their planets and the ones they love. But they are enemies, and nothing is as it seems when the Gods get involved…One Legend. One Girl. One Heart. And the destruction of Time!

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The Twilight Child

Part One

CHAPTER FOURTEEN        SAKURA

My will fractured…

It had been three days since my argument with mum. We tried to stay away from each other as much as possible, and when we did talk we were so formal and polite that you’d think we were complete strangers. I guessed that mum had told dad what had been said, as he seemed uncomfortable whenever he saw us together. The weekly meeting with my parents was just one long awkward silence only broken by polite enquiries about my well being, which only elicited monosyllabic replies from me. I hated the way things had turned out. My perfect plan was not as perfect as I had thought. All I had wanted to do was get away, but when I felt guilty about leaving Brooke behind, the plan turned into a rescue mission. I wanted to free Crystal, and in my mind everything had been well planned and easy. In my mind all I’d had to do was run into the dungeons and free her and then just take my punishment, it had never occurred to me that mum would have known me well enough to guess my plan and have Crystal moved away from me. But then, it had also never occurred to me that I would speak my true heart to mum, and her to me. What I would give to take those words back, to turn back time and restrict myself from hurting her. What she had said to me about being no more than a peasant didn’t affect me. I like peasants; I didn’t see what was so awful about them. They were human beings, just like us, but without all the royal names and restrictions. But mum’s thoughts were the complete opposite to mine, and my answer would have torn her apart. How I wanted to say sorry, but every time I tried the words would get stuck in my throat and all I could do was stare.

As much as I hated to admit it, I was the one in the wrong. Mum was my mum, my parent, right? And she was wiser than me and knew what was best, no matter how much I tried to make out that I was just as sensible, the truth was, I wasn’t. Maybe I didn’t agree with what she had to say or what she thought, but everyone has their own opinions and I was wrong to try to change that. I wanted to stand up for what I believed in, but getting angry was no way to go about it. And so, when I couldn’t take it no more, when my conscience caught up with me to mix with the guilt, I apologised. It was during lunch on the day that Mathew and I would meet for dinner wearing our wedding clothes. It was tradition and considered good luck, but to me it sounded like a very bad idea. Not only did we have another chance to break each other’s limbs, I had a very bad tendency to break things when it was important, in this case I had a sneaking suspicion that I would rip my dress. I know what you’re thinking, wouldn’t the wedding be postponed if my dress were ripped? The answer is not on your life! If my dress was ripped I’d be forced to wear my mum’s or mum would shout at some dressmakers to scare them into making me another one. I really didn’t want someone to be sacked just because I tore my dress on purpose.

Anyway, it was lunch and I was alone with mum. Dad had had to go to the planet of Sopradio to sort out something or the other, I didn’t know, as I was never told anything to do with the political side of running our planet. Leto had eaten early and then gone out with some of his mates to a carnival. I, on the other hand was being chained to the palace like I had been since I was eight. When I was little and someone saw me on the street they all said, ‘oh how sweet! Look at how she runs!’ or how about ‘isn’t she lovely? Look at her helping that old woman. Oh, she doesn’t like courtier Gordon does she? Look, she’s tickling him! Ha ha!’

But now if I were seen out, smiling and laughing and helping, everyone would turn up their noses like the snooty people they are! But that rule that I hated so much actually helped me that day. It helped me connect with mum.

The heavy silence settled over us in the dining hall just like it had over the past week. It had grown so thick that I was sure you could see it. As I ate, I sneaked a few small glances at mum. Her eyes were their same cold blue but somehow they didn’t seem as hard. There were huge purple bags under her eyes as if she hadn’t slept the whole week. Maybe she hadn’t. The air was so quiet that I felt uneasy until I could take it no more. The silence was pierced by the loud clang of my cutlery as I threw them down onto the table and jumped up, running to mum’s side. Her eyes were wide with astonishment and didn’t have time to formulate her anger before I leapt at her, throwing my arms around her neck. Now, I knew that this was considered un-princess like and on any other occasion I would have got a firm scolding. But at that moment I didn’t care, and to my surprise, neither did she. For the first time in my life, she returned my affectionate hug. We held each other close as tightly as we could without hurting the other, both sobbing into each other’s shoulder. I was the first to say it.

“I’m so sorry!” I cried, “I never meant it! I love being your daughter! But I was so angry, so hurt that you couldn’t be bothered to listen to what I thought!”

“Oh Sakura! My baby blossom!”

That stopped my tears immediately. My baby blossom. That had been her pet name for me when I was younger. But when she had seen that I wasn’t going to grow out of my determinedness and that my strong will was going to stay, she had stopped using it. I had been too young to understand why, but when she started using my christened name I thought it was because I was grown up. How naïve I was.

We both continued to cry and then slowly separated as mum said through her tears,

“Why Sakura? Why are you continuing to behave like you are not worthy of your title? Why do you go against me so much?”

She had gone back to using ‘Sakura’ but the once had been enough to let me know that she still cared and always would. Now was the time to talk, and I knew that this time, she would listen and so would I.

“I just don’t agree with what so many people think. Peasants and servants are people just like us, they breathe, they love, they care, and they have feelings. The only thing that is different is that they don’t have the privileges and titles that we have, they don’t have the money or the restrictions we have. Nothings wrong with them, so why do you hate them so much?”

“Sakura, we are of higher class. We were born into royalty and money, they weren’t. I know what you’re saying and its not that we think they’re animals or not people, it’s just that they’re lower than us. High and low don’t mix Sakura. I’ve allowed you to mix with our servants, I’ve allowed you to adopt Brooke, I even allowed you to be friends with that handmaid of yours, but that’s as far as I will allow your strange feelings to go. Now, I’ve let you say your piece and so I want you to stop being this shell that you have put around yourself and allow yourself to be the princess you are inside, do you hear?”

I listened, and listened, and listened, but still no answer eased my many questions. Yes she had given me the textbook reason for not liking peasants, but not why she felt that way. Somehow, I knew she wouldn’t tell me.

“Mum, you can’t change who I am. I haven’t got a shell, what you see is what you get with me.” I whispered, looking down as I knelt on the floor.

“But I want you to try for me Sakura. Please.” My mum pleaded.

“I do try. I’ve always tried! Every day I try to make myself who you want me to be! But it never works.” I looked up and saw mum’s teary eyes and my heart filled with guilt again. “Alright. I’ll try harder.” I whispered. Mum sat up and smiled at me, but I knew it wasn’t the warm smile that I wanted, it was a triumphant smile. Giving me a small pat on the shoulder she strode out of the room, leaving me knelt on the floor, my will fractured.