The Lunar Chronicals: My Headcanons

The Aunt You Never Met

  Old writings part 2/2

Yue ran into the palace, her wet hair falling into her face as the light rain outside began to pour down. The young eight year old held a flower wreath made of pink peony flowers outside and cherry blossom petals. Yue ran, wanting to show it to her mother, but she was nowhere in sight. It was odd. Her father and Rikan were at a meeting and her mother would've usually been in the sitting room, but she couldn't fine her there. After a few minutes of searching she finally located her in a room overlooking a balcony. Yue's mother was kneeling at what seemed like an alter that paid respects to someone who'd died, the empress lighting a little candle that wasn't yet lighten.

"Mommy?" Yue says tilting her head to the side.

Cinder jumped and turned, surprised to see her youngest child standing in the doorway.

"Yue what are doing here sweetheart?" Cinder asked.

"I was looking for you.....um......what are doing?"

"Nothing just.....paying my respects to someone I once cared for....."

Yue walked up to get a better look at the alter. It was deinfietly one that was created to honor someone who died, but Yue had never seen it before. The little table was covered with some pink cloth with candles on the ends of them, a little chip was in a small display case with clear glass covering it in the center with peony pettles scattered on it. But what really caught Yue's eye was a picture of a fourteen year old girl. Someone she didn't recognized.

"Who's she Mommy?" Yue asked pointing at the picture.

Cinder looked at Yue with a sad smile," Her name's Peony. If she'd lived she'd...probably be you aunt."

"What happened to her?"

"She got very sick and died a long time ago before you were born....."

"She's really pretty! But her name's Peony, like my middle name?"

"Yes, I named you after her. You see Yue, the reason I'm here is because...well today would've been her birthday, and I come here every year to light this candle to......honor her."

Yue looked at the picture again. She did remember that her mother did mention a sister on some occasions with her Aunt Iko. She wan't like those other cruel people her mother had to live with, she was one of the only people who loved her mother, but she never knew what happened to her.

"Mommy I uh...made this wreath outside. Do you think i could put it on the alter? As a birthday gift?" Yue asked looking up at her.

"Of course. I..think she would've loved that."

Cinder takes the wreath her daughter had made and places it beside her ID chip. The ID chip she literally had to fight to get, so that it wouldn't be destroyed. Because she cared about Peony that much, the sweet innocent girl who was like a little sister to her......and the so called "family" she was apart of blaming her for getting the sickness she got.

Cinder didn't know how sad she looked when she felt her daughter put one of her tears under her eyelids, looking over to see her crying too. Crying for the aunt she never had the chance to meet.

Cinder and Yue sat there paying their respects as the the rain pitter pattered outside.