Black Butterfly

.: 04 - Locked Away :.

They barely made it to the dining room before a lecture ensued.

Isabella couldn't meet her mother's stern gaze and only hastily apologized, "I'm sorry for being late." She ducked her head further, Joyce stopping beside her.

"Come on and sit before the food gets cold." Their father ushered them over with an amused tone. Isabella looked up to meet those familiar eyes and had to suppress a sigh of relief. She could always count on her father.

Delighted by their father's save, the two princesses took their seats.

"I was just about to call the guards to go after you two," The Queen huffed, but let it go.

Isabella was thankful they didn't get scolded, her mother tended to be harsh with her punishments.

"Let's eat, shall we?" The King spoke with a smile, and with his notion they started filling their plates.

One thing Isabella could never complain about was the lack of food every meal. There seemed to always be something new to try. They had the best cooks in all of Atriartch, as was expected for Royals.

"Does something trouble you, Joyce? You are not eating very much." The Queen's voice spoke then, and Isabella was quick to look at her sister, who looked at her half-eaten plate with a finished look.

"I'm sorry, I'm not very hungry." Joyce responded in a soft tone and Isabella grew concerned. Joyce was starting to look thin.

Their mother huffed, rubbing her mouth with a towel. "Very well, but don't complain when you're hungry later." Mother was strict about their meals. She was never one to give free cookies, you had to earn them.

Isabella grew so worried over her little sister that the food tasted bland and stale on her tongue, and that couldn't be because this food was of the finest. Her mind wandered, and through her heavy thoughts her actions ran by memory.

She needed to find out more about this new marking, but first, she really needed to start talking to Joyce more often. Get her to open up like how she used to be . . .

The evening meal was spent planning for Isabella. She had to make things right, and the intense focus of her desire caused her to miss the first part of her mother's conversation.

". . . since you are of age, it is time to find a suitable partner to court you. He will aide you when ruling the kingdom. Of course, you will have only the best, so I will think further on what needs to be done." Isabella just stared at her mother as she gripped at what she was telling her. "Rest assured, I will take care of everything."

"You're going to make me marry someone?" Isabella's tone was flat. She knew arranged marriages were custom and almost traditional among Royals, but her mother never seemed the type to do that when she was younger . . . Brief flashes of a smiling young woman praising her came to her. Why was her childhood so different?

The Queen smiled at her heir, displaying pearly whites of a perfect smile. "I will have many suitors that you can freely chose from, dear. You know I will only choose the best men for my princess."

The way she said that made a vile shiver race up Isabella's spine. She wasn't an object! It certainly made her lose her appetite, and she failed to notice the concerned look her sister shot at her.

It was enough to silence the room once again, only the clatter of plates could be heard when the servants came in to clean. Isabella was the last one to leave the dining room.

* * *

One thing she realized was things changed more and more as she grew up. Isabella felt more like a treasured princess when she was a little girl. Her parents smiled more, and her family was intact. She used to show Joyce around outside, and even introduced her to one of the Maegie that frequently came out of the forest.