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Chapter 52: Answers to the Past
Isobel looked shocked at the king for a moment. "No," she said softly, "It cannot be."
The king tilted his head at her. "Is this bad news?"
Isobel shook her head. "I…I cannot believe you have just told me."
"Please do not be angry." The king said as he took her to sit down on an ornate bench. "Your parents wanted it this way. In this land, no one knows who you are. Talamaru does not exist to anyone here. Here, you are safe. And to keep you even safer, I was told to not reveal your true identity to you. Not until you were old enough."
Tears leaked from Isobel's eyes. "Was my mother or father the sheikh?"
The king smiled grimly as he placed his paw over hers. "Your mother passed away on the night of her coronation."
That is why I remember the dancing. Isobel though. The people were celebrating.
"So, your mother was the sheikrah." The king went on to explain. "Even if it was just for one day. She was the rightful heir. I do not know who rules now. I remember she had a brother, so perhaps it is he."
Isobel nodded, trying to absorb all of this. "Can you tell me how they died?"
The king shook his head. "You have heard enough for today."
Isobel let out a shaky breath, regaining her composure. "Did the people not want me?"
Her father smiled sadly at her. "Oh, Isobel. They were broken-hearted beyond repair. They mourned for you as they mourned for your parents. They would have given anything to keep you. But it was your parents' wish, and they knew you would be safe here with me, that you would grow up to become the beautiful woman you are today."
Isobel looked to the king, also smiling sadly. "I gather that you have not spoken to them since."
The king shook his head. "No, that would have been potentially unsafe. They know nothing."
Isobel nodded, looking about the garden. "In the spring, we are going back to Talamaru."
"What?" The king sat closer to her. "I do not think that would be wise."
"It has been fifteen years." Isobel said quietly. "I have to know. I miss them with all my heart. And after so long, wouldn't I be safe again?"
Her father was silent for a moment. "If this is what you truly want. You have grown strong. Who will accompany you?"
"Jack, of course." Isobel began. "And the penguins, Julien and his friends, and…Another friend." She had not told her father about Mikhailov just yet.
The king nodded. "This is well. Surely, you will see me before you leave?"
Isobel nodded. "Yes, as many times as I can."
They parted ways, and Isobel left Atlantis altogether.
Princess of Talamaru.
She felt something new spark in her. She felt a little foolish for not realizing this earlier, but she was also full of wonder now. Would this make the journey and entrance into Talamaru easier? Or more dangerous?
Either way, she needed to decide how to tell her friends about this information.
She thought it was funny, how all this time she had resented living a royal life when she had always been a princess. But now, she wondered if it was because she knew deep within herself that it was because Atlantis was not her homeland to rule one day.
She did not even shiver in the cold wind that blew once she reached the park. She was too busy remembering lying on hammocks in the filtered sunlight on days when it was too splendid to do work. Songs of the people wafted through her memory and she quietly sang a few words that especially stuck out to her.
And then she remembered what Mikhailov had said before, about knowing that he reminded her of home. Or had he said "I know" to what she had said about leaving home when she was young? She shook her head, as there was too much in it.
She began walking towards the home of some certain flightless birds who understood her woes best.
