155: Receiving the news of anguish

Receiving the news of anguish

Music Recommendation: Background Noise - Trent Reznor2

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Anastasia felt the cool breeze brush against her wet cheeks, aiding in drying her tears. Faced with her father's inevitable question, she stared at him for a moment before shaking her head in silence. 

"No… She can't be dead, Anna." Mr. Flores refused to accept the truth about his eldest child's fate. Prior to Anastasia's arrival, he had allowed himself to entertain the delusion that both his daughters were alive and were doing well somewhere, even if they were not with him and his wife. He raised his hand to cover his face, as if to conceal his pain. "D—Do you know what happened to her?"

Anastasia clenched her hands, and she said, "She was murdered."

A collective gasp swept through the villagers, their voices intertwining as they murmured amongst themselves about the unfortunate turn of events. Some people in the village of Hawkshead were eager to inquire about the fates of their own family members, wanting to know whether they were alive, whether they were doing well, and why Anastasia had not brought them back with her. 

"Murder…" The news struck Mrs. Flores so profoundly that she lost her balance, and Tomas reached out to hold her hand. 

Mr. Flores's expression turned bitter, and he didn't know what to do. He felt defeated, as if he were lost, even though he had managed to get one of his daughters back. 

Dante stood at the back, silently watching the Flores family further crumble in pain and anguish. While Mrs. Flores was overcome with heartbreak, her tears flowing freely, Mr. Flores's expression radiated anger at the cruel fate his daughter had been subjected to. 

A wise elder, assuming the role of village head, said, "Let us give the family some privacy for now. You can talk to Anna tomorrow, now that she has finally returned and is here to stay." He gestured with his hand, indicating that everyone should heed his suggestion. When he caught sight of the tall, handsome man, he said, "Your journey seems to have been a long one. Why don't you come with me? I will provide you with some clothing. My son's clothes will fit you just right."

"Anna, let us go inside." Anastasia heard her father call her when she turned to look in Dante's direction. 

'Spend your time with your family. We can talk tomorrow morning,' Dante said, moving his hands to relay his words to Anastasia. He offered her a smile before departing with the village elder. 

As Anastasia watched him leave, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, which belonged to her father. She returned her attention to him and acknowledged with a nod, "Yes, Papa." 

As she entered the house waiting for her, her eyes took in the new and familiar items within. More than eight years had passed since she last laid eyes on these walls—a house that was dear to her heart, brimming with the warmest memories. 

The door shut softly behind her, and her mother finally composed herself before enfolding her in a hug. "You have grown so tall, Anna. It's heartbreaking that your father and I were unable to see you and your sister grow up... We missed so many important moments in your lives."

Anastasia's hand gently stroked her mother's back, doubting whether her parents would be thrilled to hear what they had gone through. 

"At least you returned to us. Poor Mary." Her mother's voice faltered as she broke down. 

"I am sorry that I brought such bad news with me, Mama," Anastasia murmured, her gaze softening with a touch of sadness. She continued, "If I knew something like that was going to happen, I would have done everything in my power to prevent it. Mary was supposed to leave the palace with me that evening, but she ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time." 

"Palace?" her mother inquired, her eyebrows furrowing into a deep frown. "I thought you were taken by pirates."

As Anastasia gently disengaged from the hug, she clarified, "The pirates did abduct us from here, but they sold us to a palace. For their…" 

She noticed the expressions of her family members darkening, and her mother asked with great difficulty, "And this palace where you stayed—did they not once think that you girls belong to a family? That the family was looking for you?" Her lips tightened, as if she could already imagine the cruelty her daughters had to endure. 

"Anna must be hungry. How about we have dinner together?" Mr. Flores proposed, as he wanted to celebrate the return of one of his daughters, even though his heart had grown heavier, carrying a weight akin to a dagger lodged within his chest. 

Anastasia's gaze settled on the young boy, who regarded her with apprehension. Mrs. Flores noticed this and said, "Oh, he wasn't yet born when you were still here. This is To—"

"Tomas," Anastasia interjected, her voice warm. "I heard about him from Gabriel."

"You met Gabriel? Why did he not come with you?" Mr. Flores asked her. "Carlos has been waiting for him since he left Hawkshead in search of Stella. Did he manage to find her?" 

As Anastasia's silence hung in the air, her parents understood that the girl was dead too. She finally said, "Gabriel will be arriving in five to six days." 

"Go wash your hands, Anna." Her father gently patted her shoulder while offering her a reassuring smile. 

Anastasia wondered how Dante was doing and if he was being treated well. Once they finished having dinner, she finally approached her younger brother. Sitting down on her heels in front of him, she introduced herself, saying,

"Hello, Tomas. I am your sister, Anastasia, but you can call me Anna." She brought her hand forward, waiting for him to take it, and when he did, she smiled. She paused momentarily before continuing, "You also had another sister. Her name was Marianne, or, as I used to like to call her, Mary. She was the kindest sister, soft-spoken, and beautiful. You would have liked her a lot, as many people did."

The small boy nodded. "Everyone tells me I look like her…" 

"You do," Anastasia replied, and she felt a little less anxious seeing him. Gabriel's assessment had been right. Her brother did resemble her sister, sporting the same green eyes. But it was also the dark brown hair that the three siblings shared. She said, "I am glad to finally be able to meet you, Tomas." She understood what her parents meant earlier about having missed years of seeing her grow. 

She still remembered Marianne and her pressing their ears against their mother's baby bump. Her eyes moved to the spot where the dining table once stood, recalling the image of her mother sitting on a chair while two little girls sat next to her. 

'Are we going to have another sister?' a young Marianne wondered aloud, as if she and her sister could uncover the answer through their ears. 

'Three sisters! Like three little piggies!' Anastasia exclaimed in excitement. 

Marianne pulled her ear away from her mother's belly and stated, 'The three piggies died; we should pick a different animal.'

'Oh,' the younger sister looked troubled. 'Then maybe we will have a brother. Then we won't be piggies anymore, and no one will need to die!'

Things in the past had been much simpler, Anastasia thought to herself. All they had to worry about was when to wake up, eat, and play. Neither of them had ever imagined that one of them would truly die. 

Anastasia spent some time with her brother, learning more about him, before retiring for the night. 

Having fallen asleep quite quickly out of fatigue, Anastasia woke up right before the first light of dawn. Now that she had met her family and saw that they were doing fine, she felt she could finally return to Versailles. But if only things were that simple. 

When Anastasia entered the living room, she heard a sound in the backyard, and she stepped out of the house. There, she noticed her mother milking a cow, and she walked up to her. Her mother, upon catching sight of her, greeted her with a smile, 

"You are awake early, Anna. You should sleep some more."

"I think I caught all the sleep I needed, and a part of me was excited to wake up," Anastasia replied, returning the smile. She inquired, "Is there anything I can help you with here, Mama?" 

"You have just arrived and already want to help? You should rest," her mother replied, even as Anastasia began gathering hay to feed the cow, watching it as it ate. "Anna."

"Mm?" Anastasia asked, her gaze quickly shifting to meet her mother's eyes. 

"I find some solace in knowing that you both had each other, even if it was only for a brief period, but worried at the thought of what they did to you two. Where did the pirates take you?" her mother inquired, driven by curiosity to learn how their lives had been until now. 

Anastasia began, "It is a kingdom called Versailles, surrounded by desert due to a curse that befell it many years ago—"

"Of course it would be cursed if they steal children from their families, tearing them apart, and then kill them at whim," her mother murmured, a pang of sorrow gripping her heart as she thought of Marianne. 

Anastasia decided to skip the intricate details, sharing only what her parents would be at peace with, sparing them from feeling tormented. She continued, "Marianne and I were fed on time. Mary was treated well and provided with fine attire. She even sat with the royal family members—"

"Was she turned into a princess? Is that why they took her life?" Mrs. Flores asked her. 

Anastasia drew in a deep breath before she answered, "She was on the verge of becoming a prince's wife…" 

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