Going Back to Serdania

Chapter 4: Mrs. Mother Dear

Scarlet and Serena took me to see Mother. They told me they doubted she would live much longer.

"Mother never leaves her room anymore. She always has the servants give her everything in bed. Father takes care of everything, for she is far too weak. She has the mermaid plague." 

The mermaid plague is similar to the human plague, except it is worse. People with the human plague die within a few days, so the suffering is minimal. However, mermaid plague looks the same as human plague, but lasts for months to years. The only reason why mermaid plague is better is that it is not contagious, unlike human plague. It is simply caused by eating toxic fish.

I entered Mother's bedroom slowly. I tip-toe as not to disturb her. She is in bed and looks very different. Her hair used to be dark brown, but now it is a platinum blonde color. I could still see past the blemishes on her face from the plague. She still had the same beauty; her blue eyes sparkled, and her lips still had their red color.

Mother sees me. "Annika, is that you? I must be hallucinating. This plague is getting the best of me."

"No, mom. It is me. I am finally home."

I tell her the whole story of how I was kidnapped, used for science, and escaped. She was even more shocked than Scarlet and Serena.

"Mother, in your condition, it is not good to have too much stress. The doctor says you need to stay calm," Serena said. Serena was probably the most caring person I have ever met. She always was so sweet and empathetic towards everyone. She was a great sister.

My sisters took me to see my younger brother, David. He was not nearly as shocked as everyone else. He said that he believed I would eventually come back. It was nice knowing he had faith when everyone else gave up.

I am now going to see my father. I have mixed emotions at the moment. On one hand, Father will be so relieved to see me. On the other hand, he might freak out. The last thing I want to do is cause trouble.

"Father," I trembled and cried. "I am back. And I promise I will never leave again."

He could not stop staring at me. He was puzzled and confused. "Annika sweetie, what happened to you?"

For the fourth time today, I told the story of my kidnap and escape. By the end, all of us are emotional rollercoasters.

Father exclaims "We need to throw a ball. We need to inform the public that our princess has finally returned!"

I hate balls. I never was one to enjoy them. Small talk is not my thing, and neither is dancing. I do not care about being married because I do not want to leave Serdania and rule another kingdom. I am third in line for the crown and perfectly fine with it.

"It is time to make the pubic announcement," Father said with joy.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this story leave a nice comment or follow me :)