A Fairy Tale of Lies

“How do you know,” she sobbed. “How do you know what my intentions are…”

“You don’t understand either, how could you!?”

“Of course I don’t understand! My baby is with me in this realm. And she will be until the day I die...”

“I just…”

Before she knew it, tears had welled up in her eyes, and she was clutching the baby as if it wanted to fly away from her.

“All I want is to raise my own baby…that’s all I want…Leo doesn’t understand. Nobody does…”

Sighing, Ashe looked up at the sky. No, she couldn’t understand that. Ashe had all the time in the world with Stella. She and Gilbert both did. But the way Maria worded it had Ashe convinced that her friend was doing this for the wrong reason. 

“Think about what you just said, Maria. ‘Raising your own baby’? So...They reach the age of five and you cast them out? Do you hear yourself? You don’t want a child. You want a baby.”

“Okay…”

Maria held the child close, adjusting his blankets. “…God, I wish,” she breathed. “I wish I could keep one…”

“.....”

Clenching her fists, Ashe heaved a deep sigh. She could guess where this was coming from. She could definitely hazard a guess. 

“W-Well at least let me go with you!” she cried.

“Let me hold him. Please, Ashe I just want to hold him…”

She looked stricken, like a child whose toy had been taken away.

“…You’re taking him now?” she whimpered. “I…wait. Can I at least have him…until the day ends? Please.”

Ashe shook her head, frowning. 

“Hm?”

“Oh…sure, for a little while. Here…” gently, she handed the child over.

Taking the child from Marie, Ashe held him close. Bringing up a finger, she ran it down the bridge of his nose. “So tiny and fragile you are,” she murmured. “You will do many great things. The Gods have foreseen it.”

“Mama says....!”

Here she goes. 

“You are growing so big. It seems like yesterday that you were a little baby.”

“And you still look really pretty, momma! Everyone says that you and Papa haven’t gotten any older!”

“Well, all the treasure in there once belonged to a previous king of Nohr.”

“When a king dies, one of his most precious possessions is immortalized in that room, along with his portrait. It’s really something.”

“...Oh.”

Well, that was kinda scary. 

“Oh, no,” Maria chuckled, clasping Stella’s hand in hers and walking towards the door, while maids came to silently clean up the dirty dishes. “It’s not exactly the most romantic place. But it’s very interesting.”

Her eyes darted about as they made their way to the gardens, but tried not to make this obvious to Stella. Krakenberg was not exactly safe all the time, especially for a child. “There are lots of treasures inside.”

“Oooh. Well, Mother and Father go in there all the time back home. So, I just...Oooh...”

She looked up at Maria, her eyes wide with wonder. She couldn’t help but imagine what all sorts of cool things rested in Castle Krakenberg. Then again, not like her aunt would ever let her out of her sight. Oh well. 

Maria: One of many places.

Stella: :O Huh?

“Hmmm, no…you missed a spot.”

She picked up her own napkin and tapped the girl on the nose. “Here! Now it’s all gone! Now let’s go. We will visit the gardens and then the secret place~”

Laughing, Stella wrinkled her nose before getting up from the seat and pulling on Maria’s hand. 

“Oh, yes,” Maria teased. “What would a big spooky castle like this be without a super-secret part that no one can visit?”

“Also use your napkin, love, you are spilling.”

“Can we break the rules and visit it? Mother never lets me visit her and Father’s! She says I have to wait until I’m an adult.”

“...Oops!”

Taking up her napkin, Stella quickly wiped at her face before putting the napkin on her plate. 

@asheisms

“After we eat lunch,” Maria sing-songed. “I’ll show you to the gardens! It’s my favorite place in the entire castle.”

Ashe’s daughter would be under her care today, and Maria had been all smiles since she was dropped off. Stella was the closest she’d have to a third child…at least for now.

“Do you like flowers, mon canard?

Flowers? Finishing up her lunch, Stella looked up at her Aunt Maria in sheer delight as she swallowed. She was used to the garden her mother took her in but it was always the one part. Never the super, secret, special part of the garden. She hoped Aunt Maria could show her THEIR super, secret, special section of the garden. 

“I love flowers!” Stelle said, putting down her fork. “They’re so pretty, Auntie Maria! Mother shows me all her favorite flowers every day! She always has a new one to show me!”