Shackled Crown

4

As Edith and I cleaned the three guns I sat stiffly, silent. I was convinced it was her. How could she act like it's all fine and normal?

"Child, are ever going to speak?" Edith interrupted my thoughts of the princess and the possibility of Edith being the culprit of her death.

"Oh, sorry I just got caught in my thoughts." I wasn't too sure that I was succeeding in acting normal, I continued anyway

"Umm Edith, do you ever wonder what happened to Princess Victoria?"

"Well child let me tell you a story," she repositioned in her seat to look at me and set down the gun she was holding.

"Once there was a very kindhearted man. This man was king. He was just and ruled fairly. one day his wife, the queen, announced to the kingdom that they would soon be joined by a young heir. Soon after a princess was born, Millicent, she was a beautiful girl with blue eyes and soft brown hair. The princess grew to be the most obedient and charming child, everyone thought her fit as queen. But her mother thought otherwise, the queen did not like Millicent, she said small things to her husband to try to persuade him. Once the
Queen hid a knife in her daughter's room just so she could 'find' it and claim the princess insane. Finally, when the queen had had quite enough of her husband catering to the child, she screamed at Millicent with anger and as Millicent tried to defend herself she was shoved by her mother which caused her to fall and hit her head against a corner. It's said that the last thing the princess saw was her father's face contorted with anger at his wife, but being in a state of near unconsciousness she thought her father pushed her. A week later when the princess woke she went immediately to her room packed and left. The king became cold. He cut off his wife and was a much harsher ruler. He was devastated. But they had another daughter whom the king was determined to keep safe. She was kept away from her mother and was under almost constant watch." I looked at Edith with concern as she continued.

"But this princess ended up gone as well. And they are left with one son whom they must protect or there will be no heir."

As she finished her story I began to gather the guns to take them back to the cellar, but she stopped me. "Child, not everything is how you see it, you need to look a little harder at things that seem 'ordinary' and you might just find your answers."

I was so confused, it was like Edith knew something I didn't but I knew she wouldn't tell me.

As I walked down the street to our house I looked up the street to see Joseph waving madly at me. I laughed and darted into the house and bolted the front door. he came to the up the front steps and jiggled the handle I looked out the window and stuck my tongue at him. He giggled and I let him in.

"Can you grab me a jar of flour from the shed please?" I asked him

"Uugh fine." He grumbled as he stomped on into the snow.
I started opening cabinets looking for food, as I pulled a bag of potatoes out of the pantry I heard the back door open and close followed by a loud crash.
I ran into the main room. Joseph stood looking stunned and ashamed and in front of him was a pile of glass and flour.

" Joseph, how could you be so careless? We don't have the money to waste things!" I didn't realize that I was yelling until I looked at him. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have yelled."

he stared at the ground not saying anything, so I went to get a broom. handed him the broom and went to get some flour from outside. 

"Iris?" I heard Joseph call from inside, "come see this." he sounded serious so I grabbed a jar of the shelve and hurried inside.

"what?" I asked as I entered the back door.

"well I took out the rug to shake it and when I came back I noticed this weird little latch thingy and the more I looked at it the more it started looking like a door."

I stood dumbfounded "a what?" but I didn't need him to repeat cause I could see it for myself and sure enough there it was, a trap door, in the middle of the room where I had spent countless hours knitting with my mother, reading with my father or playing marbles with my brother. but it all came crashing down. there had to be something down there, something my parents didn't want me to know about, something big.

I had lived my whole life in this house, how did I not find this sooner? How in all sixteen years of my life had I not found this?  I was angry, at myself for being so blind, at my mother for hiding this from me, for my brother for breaking that jar and ruining the almost regular routine we had. we didn't need any more change in our lives. We have had enough for an entire lifetime.

"Iris? What are we going to do?" Joseph was watching me as my anger started to drain.

I had to make a choice. I walked calmly into the kitchen ignoring his question and grabbed the small unlit candle of the counter and lit it. I walked back into the room opened the trap door, grabbed my skirts in my hand and stepped onto the ladder.