Caitlyn!!! Drop that and come here!" Oh no!! Don't give me those puppy dog eyes; they're so hard to resist. Grandma sighs, "Alright, Caitlin, five more minutes, then I'll come get you."
"Why, Grandma?" Little Caitlyn asks.
"You need to take a nap, young lady," Grandma says cheerfully.
Grandma enters the planetarium to cheer herself up, gazing at the stars that bring back lots of flashbacks and memories of her daughter. The planetarium is her place of solace, refuge, comfort zone, and memorial space.
"Mum!!! I knew I'd find you here. You really won't stop thinking of her, right? I know I miss her too. It's not easy losing a sibling. I couldn't have imagined things would be this way now," Grandma says, trying to hold back tears but eventually surrendering to a paroxysm of grief.
Alison embraces Grandma, tears flowing down her eyes. "It's okay, Mum; it's going to be all fine."
"It's Caitlyn's nap time; I need to go get her," Grandma says.
"For how long are we going to hide the truth from her, Mum... for how long?" Alison asks.
"Alison, stop it!!! I insist you desist from mentioning this topic henceforth, not in this castle, not near Caitlyn. I do not want to hear it from you ever again!!! Understood!!!"
"Yes, my Queen," Alison speaks in dismay, almost breaking down in tears.
Queen Amelia, breaking down in tears, feels the need to call her daughter back and hug her tightly. Her heart beats intensely as she hears the footsteps of her beloved baby walking out of the planetarium in pain.
"My daughter, my little baby Alison, you've grown so much; I'm so proud of you," she soliloquies in pain.
Alison turns back at her mum in pain. "Mum, you really need to let go and focus on the present. Caitlyn needs us more; I need you more." Alison exits.
Amelia sits there in pain, staring at the stars with mixed feelings of pain, anguish, sweet memories. She wipes away her tears, takes a deep breath, and steps out of the room. She makes her way to the playground, where Caitlyn is.
"Baby Caitlyn! Baby Caitlyn!" she calls out. "Where are you? Come on! This isn't the time to play hide and seek; it's nap time, baby Caitlyn."
Amelia's mood changes, and she feels a surge of worry. "Guards! Alison!" she calls out to the palace households as she searches for her.
All the guards are summoned to the playground and begin searching for little Caitlyn. Alison heads to the garden and finds baby Caitlyn staring behind the apple tree intently, as if she sees something invisible.
"Baby Caitlyn! Here you are! Come over here, pumpkin head!" Alison grabs her hand as they exit the garden.
"Found her, Mum," Alison says.
"Oh, thank heavens she's safe and sound! Where on earth did you find her?"
"In the garden, Mum."
"It's nap time; take her to her room, Alison."
"Yes, Mother."
"Emily, please fetch a bottle of milk for Caitlyn. A glass of milk should help her sleep soundly." Emily, the chief maid, quickly obliges and brings a glass of milk for baby Caitlyn.
Alison gently takes baby Caitlyn up to her room, where she weaves enchanting stories and serenades her with soothing lullabies, rocking her gently until she drifts off to sleep.
Alison holds baby Caitlyn's tiny,fragile hands. "We can't hide the truth from you forever, one day you will face your destiny, and I promise to always stand by you,"As she speaks, she kisses baby Caitlyn's forehead.
Alison exits the roam closing the door so gently.
"It's dinner time, everyone is at the table except Alison. 'I'll go fetch Princess Alison, my Queen,' Emily volunteers. 'Do not worry yourself, Emily, I will go fetch her. I know how to handle her best.' 'If you say so, my Queen,' Emily says.
"'Alison! Open up, it's dinner time!' 'Come in, Mother, the door is open.' Amelia comes in quietly, closing the door behind her. She stands there for a while, staring at her daughter with a gloomy mood.
"'Alison, listen, dear. Whatever is bothering you, please let it out. You know you can share anything with me, right? Yes, I know a lot has happened in the past few years, but let's leave all that behind. Remember what you told me? The future is now. We need to start concentrating on the present. Let's leave the past behind. Yesterday is gone; we can't bring it back. Unfortunately, it took our loved ones with it, but there's nothing we can do about it, dear. So please, cheer up, let's have dinner.'
Alison sobs as she embraces her mother tightly. 'Mummy, what's your plan? How do you intend to tell Cait...?' 'Stop it, Alison!' Amelia cuts in. 'I won't have you talk about this again.'
'No, Mother, I won't cease talking about this,' Alison insists. 'You're capable of hiding this from her till eternity, which is unfair. She has to know...'
"'Magic is forbidden, Alison!!' the Queen yells. 'You know the harm it has caused us in the past. It took your father and sister away. It took Caitlyn's parents away! It is forbidden!! I do not want to talk about this ever again.'
'You cannot hide the truth from her, Mother,' Alison says in tears. 'She will face her destiny someday, and we have to be there for her. Magic isn't evil; the people who use it to destroy things are evil, not magic! You know nothing about magic.'
"'You are banning the one thing that lives with us,' Alison continues. 'How would you think Father and Evelyn would feel right now? They would be shaking their heads in disappointment and disagreement with what you have done. You abolished the one thing they fought for, the one thing they died for.'
Amelia's eyes welled up with tears as she gazed at her daughter,her face a map of pain and regret. Alison's words pierced her heart like a dagger. 'But you know what? It's fine. I will never talk about this ever again. Do whatever you choose, but remember, it's still out there, waiting for us.''' Alison speaks in annoyance.
Amelia's eyes brimmed with tears as she gazed at her daughter, her face etched with pain and regret. The flickering candlelight danced across her features, casting eerie shadows on the walls. The weight of Alison's words settled heavy on her heart, like a dagger's piercing blow. "But you know what? It's fine. I will never speak of this again. Do as you choose, but remember, it's still out there, waiting for us."
The air was thick with tension as Amelia's sigh whispered through the silence, a mournful sound that seemed to echo off the cold stone walls. "I've been a bad mother and grandmother," she sobbed, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions. "Yes, I know. All I've ever wanted was to protect us, our city... our very way of life, when it's time we will let her know,I promise".
Alison's expression softened, her anger melting away like mist in the morning sun. She took a deep breath, the scent of old books and dust filling her lungs, and went back to hug her mum, holding her tightly. The warmth of their embrace seemed to thaw the chill in the air, and the silence was filled with the sound of their heartbeats. "I love you, Mum," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"I love you too, my darling Alison," Amelia replied, her voice trembling with emotion, her heart still heavy with the secrets she kept. The candlelight seemed to flicker in time with their heartbeats, casting a warm glow over the tender moment.