Her own way

Chapter 34 part 2

Hannah picked up another full tray of food and quietly walked out of Kate's bedroom heading into the kitchens. Yet another day had passed and Kate was still wrapped up in her mind., not talking and not eating. The longer she stayed like this, the more concerned everyone was becoming. It was not just Hannah and Peter who shared their worries, Ellen and Ethan were also worried about their sister and there was also the owners of the extravagant home they were staying in: King Thomas and Princess Sarah of Eardheorte. Both the King and Princess had stayed back to see if either Hannah or Peter could break her out of her trance but so far it was not going well.

"Hannah?" Sarah's soft voice called from the other side of the kitchen. "How is she?"

"She-" Hannah struggled to find the right words without bursting into tears. "Oh my Lady, I don't know what to do!" 

"Hush now dear, you know her so well and I can't thank you enough for raising my child to be the beautiful, independent young woman she has become. Have faith, that's all I can say. I believed I would see my daughter again and now I have, so trust that something is going to happen and we will see the bright light in her eyes once more."

"I pray you are right, my Lady."

"Hannah, when are you going to start calling me Sarah?" Sarah teased, "I think you've earned the right to use my name!"

"Sorry my La- I mean Sarah. Oh I can't help it, it isn't every day royalty tells you to use their name and not their title!" Both ladies giggled at that, relieving some of their worries.

"It's nice to hear some laughter in here for a change." A deep voice spoke from the doorway out into the gardens.

"Tommy! You know better than to sneak up on women!" Sarah scolded her older brother.

"And why is that baby sister?" Thomas asked, coming further into the kitchen with a cheeky grin on his face. Sarah quickly scanned the kitchen and grabbed a container before spinning around and covering Thomas in flour.

"That's why!" Sarah yelled with glee. Hannah just stood frozen, absolutely astounded at the childish actions of the royal siblings. The two continued to bicker and all Hannah could do was stand there and listen, cradling a cup of cool water. She had to give them credit for staying positive about the situation. A slight movement out of the corner of her eye had her turning quickly, dropping her cup to the floor with a crash. Both Sarah and Thomas stopped their antics and followed Hannah's stunned stare to the entrance of the kitchen.

Kate stood in the doorway, swaying slightly. Her eyes examined the occupants of the room and an expression of vague recognition crossed her face.

"Mother?" She rasped, looking at Hannah before turning to Sarah and asking "Mamma?"

Both women looked at each other before nodding. Hannah slowly stepped forward and reached for Kate's hands.

"Yes sweetie. We've missed you so much." Hannah broke off in a sob and wrapped her arms around Kate.

"I.. don't understand." Kate mumbled, rubbing her head slightly.

"I know my love, we're going to get you some food and then we're all going to sit down and tell you everything. Okay?" Kate simply nodded, she was too tired, confused and hungry to disagree.

Several hours and many tears later, Kate found herself curled up between her two mothers on a large sofa. It was a lot for her to take in, especially learning that she was a princess and that one day, she would rule the kingdom. Hearing about Josh was a bit surprising. He had been one constant thought for her and now she wondered if she would ever see him again. All the while Hannah and Sarah had been explaining everything to Kate, Thomas had been watching her to see just how much she understood. Eventually he went over to Kate and spoke softly to her.

"Don't worry if it's  too much to take in, my dear. It's going to take some time but know this: we all love you and will be with you no matter what happens, and if one day in the future you want to know the everything then just ask. I hope that you will be able to trust us with your stories soon. Now, I think it's time I go back up to my office and do some proper work, and you little miss need to eat a little more and head off to bed. We have a long few days ahead of us so you need to rest up!"

"Yesh uncle..." Kate mumbled, starting to drift off to sleep. Thomas chuckled and made his way towards the stairs.

Upon reaching his office, he pulled out a sheet of paper and began to note down the events of the past few days. When he had finished, he turned to a large leather bound book and opened to the next empty page. In the top right corner he neatly wrote the date and starting a fresh line, he started to write in detail everything that had happened since Kate had arrived in the castle. This was her story. The story of how she was loved, how she was lost, and how she was found. It was important not only for Kate, but for everyone to know just how much life can change in one small instant. That one small event can change the course of a lifetime, and for Kate there is still the rest of her life ahead of her. But one thing was sure, she would do it all her own way.

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***A/N***

Whoa did not expect to get this written at all tonight, especially since I'm getting up for work in like 5 hours. So I believe all that is left to do is the epilogue... then back to the beginning for editing and adding in! So please, anyone who reads this can you please comment on things you would want to see, recommendation for thing to change or even add in, feedback is most helpful!!! Thank you :-)