Disney Princess Generations: Mystery Mother

Chapter 4

One day left. One day left of being in an orphanage. Of cleaning this rotten man's house, Octavian thought to himself. He was busy scrubbing the dishes from dinner, a chore he hated the most.
After tomorrow, Octavian would have the entire next day dedicated to packing up and saying good bye. Then he would leave. He and his sister would have to find their place in the world. How they would do it, Octavian didn't know.
Octavian passed the clean dish to Cotton and she dried it on her apron. Cotton looked like she was in another world.
"What are you thinking about?" Octavian asked his dreamy-eyed sister.
"I just don't know why..." Cotton said slowly. "I'm letting Charles help us."
Octavian stopped cleaning a tea cup, which was covered with stains from overuse.
"What's wrong with it?" Octavian asked. "You said it yourself. He may be all we need to find out what we have been missing."
Cotton grabbed the tea cup from Octavian's hands. "I know, I know. I said it an hour ago, how could I have forgotten it by now? It's just..."
"What?"
"I hardly believe there is something more to that letter. Why am I trying to make Charles believe it? It's wrong of me."
Octavian took a moment to absorb this. "Your right, Cotton. If you don't believe it, then you shouldn't force someone else to either. But also.. What if you making him believe, gives you the faith to believe as well? Then your problem is solved."
Cotton nodded. "I suppose your right. But if I don't begin to believe.... Should I stop him from trying?"
Octavian smirked. "You can. But if he's shown any signs of cracking the code, I'll take over the role of convincing."
Cotton laughed. "Alright. Get back to cleaning. Just a few more dishes until free time, and we can finally find out if this letter is special or not."
Octavian picked up another tea cup. As he stuck his hand in the water, he scooped some up and splashed it at Cotton.
Cotton gasped. "How dare you!" Cotton also scooped up some water and threw it at her brother.
They made a mess....
••••••••••
Because of the twins' splash fight, Octavian and Cotton took much longer than expected in getting the dish washing room cleaned up.
It seemed everything in the world was trying to keep the twins from looking at that letter.
Finally, they arrived in the parlor. This was where Charles and the twins had decided to meet. It was quiet here because everyone enjoyed spending their time in the great hall.
Charles sat right in the middle of the room. Octavian wasn't used to that. He always sat in a corner, away from everyone else. No one was there, however, so Octavian did not say anything.
"Hello," Charles greeted.
Cotton said, "Hello to you."
Octavian said, "Good evening.
The twins sat at the table, taking the chairs across from Charles. Charles raised his eyebrows expectantly, waiting for either Octavian or Cotton to present the letter and start the meeting.
Cotton looked at her brother and raised her eyebrows as well. Octavian was hesitant. He wasn't used to sharing the letter. Not even his sister would often read the letter, so Octavian took anything that happened to the letter personally.
Cotton nudged him.
Octavian sighed. He took out the letter and laid it on the table. "Here it is..."
Charles put his hand over the picture, looking at Octavian for approval before dragging it nearer to himself. Charles looked at it for a moment, reading intently.

My belowed children,
You are too small. And I'm not ready to leaf you, but I know this must happen. There's no other road. I will miss you dearly. Please do not warry after me. I know it will be hard raising up without knowing who your mother and father are, but it's your fate. Your unchangeable destiny. Know that we are pride of you. Know that within you is a piece of US. There always will be.
Love,
Mother

Octavian and Cotton grew more nervous by the second. Charles remained quiet, eyes on the paper. The twins had questions dancing through their minds. What was Charles thinking about the letter? Was there something more to it, as Octavian believed? Was there nothing, as Cotton believed? Did Charles think the letter was just ridiculous? Would he become angry if there were no secrets hidden in the note? Most importantly, the twins thought: If there are secrets, how will they effect us?