The Heir and her Guard

Chapter 22

"My parents divorced when I was 2." Max began, hesitant. "They used to argue a lot, so I often climbed out my window and ran to the pretty flowers here. The colours used to cheer me up. That's how your mother grew to know me, she always caught me out there. She never got upset though."

Jane smiled, still using the cream with her gentle fingers.

"One day, I must've been around about 2 or 3, I saw a little baby crawling towards me on the grass. I didn't know who they were, and they didn't say anything. Probably because they barely looked 9 months." She smiled although Jane couldn't see it. "I soon learnt that the baby was you, Jane. You would fall a couple times on the way, but every day without fail you'd escape your mother's arms and come over to me near the flowers." The princess chuckled as Max continued.

"You used to like the pink and white tulips the most. Which is still your favourite now, right?"
"Mhm." Jane hummed, enjoying the moment between the two.
"I'd like to think that over the next few weeks we got pretty close. We used to have some meaningful conversations, although I couldn't quite understand you."

Jane laughed and Max grinned, her heart lighting up.

"I used to come home at sunset, but it wasn't so bad. My father would pick me up and kiss my cheek before tucking me into bed. My mother was a fierce woman then, she wasn't afraid to stand up for herself. But that changed the day my father left. He never prepared me, and my mother never told me the full story. Whenever I asked she would just say that he's gone but will be back soon. I believed her, but after a few weeks it was becoming clear that wasn't the case."

She held Jane tighter as her back stung, it was just the after affects of the cream, but it was enough to make her wince.

"I cried a lot that day, and I ran straight here again. I don't know why, my mother was also heartbroken, so I should've been there for her too. But I was so angry at her. I always used to believe she was the reason father had left, and I'd never forgive her for that. I ran here, and just like everyday, you were out there playing with Will. Your mother was there, watching over you both. She heard me rustling in the bushes, and brought me into the palace to wash all the mud off me and calm me down."

She sniffed as Jane finished with the cream, screwing the lid shut before placing it on her bedside table, lying down fully with her head on the pillow. Max kept her head on her thighs and her arms around her waist.

"I told her I didn't want to go home, I was still too upset. So she let me sleep here, in the room I have today. I couldn't sleep without Waddles yet, and there was no way I was going home to get him at like 2 in the morning."

A smile smile crept onto Jane's lips, she already knew what was coming.

"I suppose you heard me crying, and you came crawling into the room. You tried to reach up to the bed but you ended up falling onto your chin, and then you started crying as well. I felt bad so I picked you up and put you on the bed. For some reason you stopped crying as soon as I did that so you were obviously faking." She chuckled. "I put pillows around you so you wouldn't fall off, and so I wouldn't accidentally suffocate you or something. Then I laid down and spoke to you for a bit, I forgot what about, until you fell asleep. I fell asleep after, and I guess your mother took pictures. I'm surprised you remember that."

Max relaxed as she felt Jane stroke her hair, not as tense or as worried as she was before.

"But we grew older, and soon I was 5 and you were 3, almost 4. My mum married Neil, my step-father, and I got a new brother, Billy. He was already 14 at the time so he moved out as soon as he could, which meant I was alone with the adults ever since I was around 8." She paused for a moment, "Neil began to grow more angry here, and Billy wasn't here to defend me from him any more. He used to go to the bar after his shift, and came home drunk. Whenever I used to get in his way, he would hit me with either his hand or belt."

Tears entered her eyes as she continued.

"He began to get into this rhythm where every night he would hit my mother with his belt, and she's my mother, I mean-" She sniffed, "I just wanted to help her out. She was already struggling enough and I could tell she was too afraid of him to stand up to him. So I told him to hurt me instead, and he did. And it hurt so bad Jane, it stung for days afterwards. I never knew it would stay with me forever, I just wanted to help my mother." Max said, beginning to sob. "And she hates me now. She doesn't want anything to do with me. I love her so much, even after everything that's happened."

Jane held her close, slowly rubbing her back as she shivered. "Why don't we... go visit her sometime?" She offered.
Max shook her head, "I haven't seen them since I was 16. They're not going to want to see me."
"I'm sure they will. I know your mother will. She loves you."

Max thought for a moment, "I'll think about it." She concluded.
Jane hummed, wiping the tears from Max's cheeks. "That's all I ask for. I'm so proud of you Max."
Max snuggled closer to her, using her thighs as a pillow. "I love you Jane."
The princess smiled, "I love you too, so much." She leaned down and kissed the top of her head before lying back down on the pillow, lifting the blankets over them both.

Together they both fell asleep, just as they did all those years ago. Only this time, the circumstances were different.