Breaking a tale

Dawn - A year without Luna

Dawn – A year without Luna

Everything changed after Luna left, Mother became more reserved and paid less attention to me. It was as if her meeting with the tale master man that had taken Luna away had changed the way she looked at me, that she wasn't telling me something important. She stopped all our lessons and isolated herself from the outside world, she avoided me as much as she could, only speaking to me at mealtimes. I felt it was all my fault, that my angry outburst the day Luna had been taken away had made her feel like all her work was for nothing, all she had tried to teach me had been ignored, everything she worked for had unravelled.

I thought about this a lot during the year Luna was gone. What had really happened to cause such a drastic change in Mother's personality? Was it something I had done or had the man from the tale master told her something that she didn't know before? Several times I tried to bring up the conversation at dinner, but mother always quickly changed the subject or just went silent. I tried to apologise for anything I might have done but she always ignored me or brushed off the apology.

She also began overcompensating for not being around as much, as if she was the one who should be apologising. This confused me greatly as she was avoiding me but at the same time giving me presents and gifts, she was also nicer to me in that year than she had been in my entire life. For the first time ever I was free to do what I wanted, at least within the confines of my home. I still wasn't allowed outside the house, but inside I could do as I pleased. The frustration of years gone by was forgotten in weeks as I relished in my new-found freedom. After spending the day painting I often found gifts in my room that mother had left for me.

I received gifts at least three times a week and the gifts varied all the way from new paints to the latest flat screen tv. I loved getting all these gifts and I began to feel annoyed on the days I didn't receive anything. I felt that I deserved to receive all these presents every day. I began talking about things I wanted during mealtimes, and sure enough, I would find them on my bed within the next week. Looking back, I realise just how entitled I became. All the training mother had given me to make me the best princess I could, went out of the window as I threw tantrums and broke plates when I didn't get what I wanted.

My tantrums got so out of control that even the staff started to avoid me, and I was the loneliest I had ever been. When I wasn't painting I spent my time wandering around the halls, alone, with my thoughts. I couldn't even talk to the servants, they all disappeared as soon as they saw me. Before Luna left if I had any free time in between lessons I would spend it painting, I used to wish I had more time to paint, more time to do what I wanted but when I got it I found I didn't want it anymore. My paintings had also taken a darker turn, canvasses that used to be filled with blue skies and flowers became filled with lightning storms and demonic looking dogs. Even if I tried to paint something different I always ended up on the dogs. It was if the paintings had a mind of their own. That they were trying to tell me something, this really soured painting for me.

I began missing Luna. Even though the only times I spent with her was when she was doing my chores, I realised that I should have appreciated my moments with her more. Even though she had taken my phone and laptop she hadn't even tried to contact me, mother had replaced my phone within a week but I still hadn't forgiven Luna for taking it in the first place. As the year progressed I began to feel lonelier and lonelier, I think mother noticed it too. I became almost as quiet as her and would spend most dinner times pushing food around my plate. Mother began showering me with even more gifts but for the first time in my life, material items could not buy me happiness, I wonder if they ever really did. A few weeks before Christmas I came back to my room after a productive day of moping around the hallways and sulking in the garden to find a small cardboard box on my bed.