Separated

Part XIII: Rosaline

"So what will we do to reunite the sides, exactly?" I asked, stirring around my mushroom stew with my spoon.

"There's really not much to it. All we have to do is convince your mother..." my father said, hesitating. "Never mind. There is a lot to it."

What did he mean by that?

"Will it be hard to convince my mother?" I asked him. He didn't say anything, but he shifted in his seat. He looked at me, somehow hoping I wasn't interested in the answer anymore. He took a deep breath.

"Your mother...she was the one who had the idea to divorce me and everyone else. I insisted that she didn't, but she wouldn't change her mind. There is almost no hope if we have to convince your mother."

I couldn't help but think he was wrong, somehow. Every time I tried to talk to her about the other side, she would brush off the subject immediately.

"Mother, what's on the other side, anyway?" I heard my own young voice echoing inside my head.

"Nothing of your business, Rosaline. Go walk around the courtyard or something," my mother said in my head. I still remembered her expression when I asked her: longing.

"But mother..." my thirteen-year-old voice said.

"Not right now, Rosaline. Go!" my mother said, her imaginary figure pointing away. The image disappeared.

"She might," I said flatly.

"I don't know, Rosaline..." my father said doubtfully.

"It's worth a try, Father. All we have to do is walk over and tell her that you want to be together again. Then she'll get all emotional and say, 'Oh, my love, how I've missed you!' and you will send out a decree to reunite male and female once again!" I said excitedly.

My father laughed. "Oh, Rosaline, you always had such a wonderful imagination." His expression turned to worried. "...But what if she doesn't love me anymore? What will I do then?"

"She has to, Father! If you were so determined as to enter the other side just to tell your love that you love her, she will have to accept the grand gesture and agree to reunite the sides!"

My father smiled again. "Maybe she does still love me." He leaned over and stroked my hair. "Rosaline, you give me something I haven't felt in a while."

"What is it, Father?"

"Faith."

"Faith?"

"Yes, Rosaline. I lived here for almost seventeen years without having the courage to reunite the kingdoms because I was afraid she may not have wanted to, but now...you've convinced me to tell her how I feel. Thank you, Rosaline."

"You're welcome, Father." I didn't know what else to say.

My father chuckled. "How about we make that journey right now?"

"Yes, please!" I said with glee. My father stood up and offered his hand to me. I took it, and he led me to his stables. I saw a white horse that looked just like Tulip.

"Father, can I ride this one? It looks just like mine!" I asked. My father laughed.

"Sure, Rosaline. You can ride it."