The Royal Secret

~The Biggest Lie~

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"Sweating sickness...? What on earth is that?" Violet asked. Vander cleared his throat.

"Your mother is very tired, Violet. You have to understand."

Powder was still an infant. She lay sleeping in Vi's little bed. It was barely sturdy, but it would protect her. Vi looked into her mother's room to see her eyes half open, a cold piece of cloth on her head.

"Will she get better?"

"I do not believe so."

Before Vander could say anything else, Vi's mother had her arm hanging from the side of the bed. She was gasping for air but was too weak to breathe in the oxygen.

"Hazel!" Vander shouted before running into the room. Before Vi could follow him, he had closed the door.

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In her dreams, Vi's mother would stay lay dead in her arms. She would reach up, gasping for air. She had goosebumps all along her body, still drenched in her sweat. Vi was much older now. Old enough to understand the severity of her mother's illness. She remembered Powder being an infant. She remembered the questions the young girl would ask her. About their mother.

Vi would pant and sweat after seeing her mother in her dreams. Used to, she would let the damage of the attack heal itself. She would lay down and hug her knees as if it were the comfort of another human. She would lay there and wait for her body to stop shaking. She would then cry herself back into slumber.

Now she didn't have to hug her knees. She had the perfect comfort laying down next to her. Peacefully sleeping.

Vi laid back down and gently wrapped her arm around Caitlyn's sleeping body. She snuggled her face into the woman's neck and closed her eyes. Even if that didn't help her go back to sleep.

The Princess let out a sleepy groan before moving her hand to Vi's and holding it. Almost as if she would never let it go. Then she went back to counting sheep.

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Vi held her baby sister in her arms.

Powder was still an infant.

She was screaming and screaming Vi's hears off. Her face was reddening more and more by the day. Her fists were clenched and she would occasionally curl her legs up to her stomach. Almost as if she were angry. Vi understood. She was angry too. Angry at everything.

Violet was a baby herself.

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"Mm, Vi...," Caitlyn mumbled.

"Sorry if I woke you," Vi said, moving her face away from Caitlyn's neck a bit.

"You didn't." She felt the noble sweating a bit and questioned, "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine. I just had a nightmare."

The Princess rolled over to face the noble's bloodshot eyes. She cupped her face and gently caressed her under eyes with her thumbs. "I love you," the Princess told her.

Vi took her hand and kisses her palm, "I love you as well, Caitlyn."

"Just get some more rest. You need it to deal with me, do you not?"

The noble gave her a half smile, "I enjoy dealing with you. You say that as if it is a bad thing."

"With me, comes my father. And now there's Eudora."