Chapter Three

As the years passed, the baby grew into a healthy toddler that was curious and inquisitive. Growing more into her looks and appearance, but knowing that something was wrong. Her mother had surpassed her depression, however at the cost of regaining her mental health she focused solely on her sons. Forgetting that she ever had a daughter. Making her father pity the child even more and coming out into the woods to Amistad's grandmother's old house to visit her once or twice a week. To those that didn't know the actual reason for his lately night visits believed that he was having an affair with Amistad.

Tonight was one of the nights for his nightly visit, 'Ursa,' Amistad called out for the young toddler, who hid within her pillow fort. 'Your father is here to see you. You should come out and greet him.'

The three year old was stubborn and wouldn't be coaxed out of her hiding place. 'Ursa,' she heard her guardian call out to her again and she placed her small furry hands against her ears to block out Amistad's voice.

'Leave her be,' Julian told Amistad as he cast a frown over at the fort made of pillows and blankets. 'Tell me how she is doing?'

'All is the same,' Amistad answered, knowing that he meant if her appearance had changed or improved.

'Has she started to talk yet?'

'No,' she sadly stated, 'the Doctor stopped by and said that nothing was wrong. It's more of her own choice not to speak.'

'I see,' Julian nodded and looked over once again at his daughter's shelter and refuge.

Amistad wished that she could tell him the truth and give him hope that one day she would be normal. That right now she was like a fairytale character waiting for her true love to arrive and break her curse. However, her grandmother forbid her from telling anyone the truth. For if they knew, the child would forever remain cursed. With the ways things were going and her trapped within the woods inside the small house, finding true love would be impossible.

Julian sighed, wishing that he knew of a way to help his daughter. However, no doctor or specialist were able to found what was wrong with her or a cure. To make matters worse, his wife refused to acknowledge her or her existence. Abandoning her own daughter and leaving her alone, his frowned deepened at his daughters pathetic fate. He got up from the arm chair he sat in, 'Amistad, please continue to watch over her. Hopefully, when I come back in a few days she will be willing to see me.'

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Ursa heard the muffled noise of their voices stop, so she dropped her hands from her ears and listened to the heavy footfalls receding into the distance. A lighter set following close behind, once they were far away, a dark head poked out from underneath the fort and crawled out. She raced for the window and pulled the curtain over so that she could see her father. He walked on never looking back after he said his good-byes to Amistad. She frown slightly as he disappeared into the woods, back to the mansion that was his home. Where her brothers and mother lived, but she was never allowed to appear. She had snuck away once to go and explore, but was caught by Riku, who brought her back home. Amistad had been extremely disappointed in her and she had gotten in trouble for leaving the boundary of the house.

'Ursa,' she jumped from her spot by the window, letting the curtain fall as she turned around to find Amistad watching her. 'If you wanted to see your father, you should have come out earlier.'

Ursa shook her, she didn't want to see someone that only visited her out of pity and every time he came to visit asked if she was better. If she looked like every one else, she looked down at the floor and her shoulders dropped. She didn't look like everyone else, it didn't take a genius to figure out that she was like the monsters in the fairytales that Amistad read about when she went to bed. Riku would sometimes watch scary movies and she would see herself in the monsters that ran around scaring people. She lifted her head up to look at Amistad with tear filled hues.

'Oh, Honey,' she walked over the the small child and opened her arms so that she could walk into the embrace. It was hard to understand the small child that refused to talk and seemed wise beyond her years. For even if she was small, she understood and knew that she was different from others and even if her father came to visit her she was still ostracized.

Ursa tried to control her tears, however being unable to speak and express herself, the tears came rolling down her soft furry cheeks. 'It's okay, Sweetie,' Amistad rubbed her back and picked her up so that she could take her to the couch and sit with her there to rock her and soothe her tears.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Riku walked into Ursa's room with a mountain of books too heavy for his small arms to carry. 'Help me,' he cried out to the five year old that sat in the middle of her room reading a picture book.

Quickly she placed her book down, rushed over to his aid and helped him with the books he carried. 'Why so many books,' she asked him as they went and put them down at her small table by the window. 'Because they are teaching me to read at school,' he proudly stated as he showed her more advanced picture books.

'Oh,' Ursa nodded and frowned because she was envious of the fact that he got to go to school to learn and make friends. She on the other hand was forced to stay home and learn from Amistad.

'I can read to you anything you like,' Riku told her with a huge grin on his face. His bright aquamarines hues shining at the idea of impressing the five year old.

She didn't need him to read to her, but she didn't mind the idea of him staying beside her. He was always off at school with his friends or playing a sport that took him away from home. She looked amongst the books and picked one with the Berenstain Bears, 'This one.'

'Okay,' Riku pulled out one of the chairs by her table, sat down and waited for her to do the same so that he could show off to her.

After a while, they heard a knock in the distance, both children looked away from the book. 'It's your Dad,' Riku told her as he saw her look out the window at the dusk filled sky. It was common knowledge that he would come one or twice a week before night completely fell.

'Maybe it's yours,' she told him, knowing that his dad came on the weekends to visit him.

'Nah,' his father wasn't due to visit until next weekend, he was taking him out to an amusement park for his eighth birthday.

'Ursa,' they could hear Amistad call out for her.

'See, I told you,' Riku got up and walked over to her door to stick his head out and see if he was right. 'Yup, he's here,' he told the girl who had got up and disappeared. 'Ursa?'

'Ursa, your Father is here,' Amistad called out as she headed down the hall with Ursa's father close behind.

'She doesn't seem to like me much,' Julian commented as his own daughter's refusal to see him. The older she became the more aware, observant and understanding. She knew that she wasn't normal and didn't live under normal circumstances.

'She's just shy,' Amistad tried to save.

They arrived at her room, it was a simple room with bare furnishings painted a light pink. 'Riku,' Amistad greeted her son as he was looking under Ursa's bed. 'What are you doing?'

'Ursa disappeared,' he answered as he lifted his silver head and turned to look at the grown ups.

'I see,' Amistad looked around the room and the only one place she could be hiding in. 'Come along,' she held out her hand for her son and turned to Julian, whom she gestured with her head in the direction of the large wooden armoire. 'We'll leave you two alone.'

Julian nodded, waited for them to leave and after they left went and grabbed one of the small chairs so he could sit before the armoire. 'Hello, Ursa,' he greeted her. 'Won't you come out to greet your father?'

Ursa shook her head, she didn't want to see the handsome blonde haired man with the sad blue eyes. Always disappointed to see that she hadn't gotten better or improved over the years. That she was still a hideous monster. 'I don't want to see you,' she told him. 'Go away.'

'That's not a very nice thing to say,' Julian sighed at his daughter's continued rejection. 'I came to tell you some good news,' he tried to coax her out.

'You won't come any more,' she wanted to be left alone with the people that loved and cared about her.

'No, of course not, you are my daughter,' he stated, 'I would never leave you.'

Right, she was his daughter that was why he didn't abandon her completely. He wasn't like her mother that never came to see her, she sniffled at the thought and wiped away at her unshed tears. 'Ursa, I came to tell you that I want you to come lived with me at our house.'

'I don't want to go,' she told him. 'I am happy here with Riku and Amistad.'

'But being at the house will be safer for you,' he told her, not wanting to tell her that the reason was that they were afraid she might slip away from Amistad and come to the house were she would be seen. Plus, her curious older brothers had already taken to exploring the woods and following behind him. His wife had become more fearful of the fact that she could be seen, even if she didn't intend for it or it was out of Amistad's control. Therefore, they took to remodeling two rooms inside the manor and blocking one from access to the main house. She would just have access to the conjoining room, where Amistad would reside. 'Your room would be much bigger, you'd have more books. Amistad told me that you like to read.'

'I don't want to go with you,' she told him. Going with him would mean that she would have less freedom than she would have here.

'I would visit you more often, that way you wouldn't have to be so shy about being with me.'

'I am not shy,' she rebuked. 'I don't want to see you. I don't want to go with you. I want to stay here with Amistad and Riku.'

He got up, fighting with her about the inevitable would be pointless, she was a child and would have to do as he said. After all, it was for her own good. He just wanted to protect his child even if it meant keeping her locked away in closer proximity. 'Amistad will have your things ready to move once the time comes. Hopefully, next time I can see you.'

He wasn't going to listen, he would never listen or really care about her, Ursa concluded as she wiped away her tears. They weren't of sadness, it was more of anger at her own inability to do anything for herself. She stayed in the armoire and continuously cried until she couldn't cry any more and she fell asleep amongst her clothes. Every now and then there was a small whimper that would escape her lips.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Shortly after her father's visit Riku, Amistad and herself were moved into the mansion's west wing where two of the rooms had been remodeled into joined suites. Her room was the biggest with shelves filled with books, colored pink with stuffed animals adorning her twin bed, a desk for her studies, a big closet and another door that led to a private bathroom. 'This is your new room,' Amistad came behind her and watched as the young girl looked around. 'Isn't it nice?'

They had moved in while the house was empty, the family had gone on vacation and they had given the staff time off. So that Ursa could adjust herself to the new surroundings and no one would see them, see her. 'No, I want to go home,' she answered as she turned back to her and rushed to hug her legs.

'But this is your home,' Amistad told her.

'Why?' She lifted her face up and looked at her with large teary puppy eyes.

'Your Father wants to see you more often. He is afraid you don't like him,' Amistad told her a half lie and a half truth, however inquisitive dark hues told her that she knew more than what Amistad gave her credit for.

He just wanted her in a place that no one would see her and he could keep her locked up and that was how it was. For the next few years that was how she lived, trapped within the walls of her confounding prison. Only allowed to leave when the family was away and the servants were given time off. Which wasn't often, only once or twice a year, but it allowed her the opportunity to look around and explore the mansion. She could see pictures of her family and get a close look at them instead of gazing afar from her bedroom window. Tonight was one of those nights where she had snuck out of her bedroom to roam the dormant and silent manor. Her family was off on vacation for two weeks and the servants were given the time off until then. Amistad was more lenient about letting her out and explore, but she choose the cover of night because as she passed by windows or mirrors she wouldn't catch more than a shadow of herself passing by.

It was nice to get away from her books, studying and her prison. It didn't matter if she had all the books or things that she could ask for when she was bound to her room twenty-four seven. She passed through the hallway, down the stairs and to the kitchen so she could step out into the beautiful garden in the back yard. A place were all her family gathered for family picnics, get togethers and birthday parties. But for her it was a place were she could escape and be free, expressing herself without the fear of being caught. As she walked around the rose garden she began to sing and letting go of all her repressed emotions, suppressed voice.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Riku couldn't sleep, so he had gone down to the kitchen to get a glass of milk to see if it would help. When he heard the soft melody of what sounded like a sad ballad, the voice was too young for it to be his mother's and the other person inside the residence was Ursa. He never knew that she could sing. He followed the voice out into the garden, he searched out within the dead of night, but she blended into the darkness that he needed to call out to her. However, calling out would cause her to stop sing and her song was too nice to interrupt.

He decided to wait, he took a seat on one of the patio chairs and listened to her. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw a shadow move and knew that it must be Ursa. He watched as she moved across the garden, wondered from one area to the next. His friend wasn't like normal girls and her circumstances weren't the most desirable. However, that didn't stop her from being able to dream big and desire to be free one day. He wouldn't blame her, if he were older and kept locked up, he would want to run away.

After getting some fresh air and freedom, Ursa found herself opening her mouth to yawn. Her eyes were getting a bit droopy, signifying that it was time to head back inside. She made her way towards the kitchen and stopped just outside the line of moonlight as she spotted her best friend, well only friend. 'What are you doing out here? Aren't you supposed to be in bed?'

'I should be asking you the same thing,' Riku jumped up from his spot. 'I came out to see what all the noise was out here.'

'Oh,' she was sure that she hadn't been loud enough to draw attention. 'Well, now that you know that it was just me, you can go back to bed.'

Riku frowned lately she had been treating him like she did her father, always shooing him away or refusing to see him all together. Now that he visited her more often, she became more desperate to refuse him. He asked her once, but she didn't say. Her father was a nice man that was always helpful to his mother and him. 'What are you too good to hang out with your best friend?'

'You are my only friend, but your mother will not only have my hide but yours too. It's late and we both should be in bed,' she told him. 'Plus, shouldn't you be will rested, I heard that your father is coming to see you and tell you some good news.'

'Ha,' he mocked laughter, 'my father actually coming to see me will be a miracle.'

Ursa found that the corners of her lips turned down at his statement, she knew that his father tended to miss their meetings but he meant well. He still seemed to care and love Riku as much as the next father, after all Riku was always happy and thrilled after their reunions. 'Your mother said that the last time, he couldn't make it was because of work.'

'The time before that was because his other family and the time before that was because of business that he needed to attend too,' he ranted off his father excuses.

'Wasn't you step-sister sick the time before that and they had to take her to the hospital,' she pointed out.

'Humph, he's never come when I am sick or have to go to the doctor,' he stated annoyed that his new family was more important than him and his mother.

Ursa stepped out of the shadows and walked over to Riku and took a seat beside him. She sighed, 'I think that you have to give your father a chance.'

'Don't you have to do the same,' he threw back at her. After all her father made a conscious effort to spend time with her.

'Yeah, but it's different with my dad and I,' she muttered, not really wanting to get into it.

'At least your father has always been honest with you and never failed to come to your birthday party or school functions.'

My dad doesn't even let me meet my siblings or anyone else in the family because my mother is ashamed of me and acts as if I never existed, she wanted to say, but held her tongue. At least his father made an effort and was there if needed. She lifted her hand up and ruffled his soft silver locks, 'Yeah, but I am sure that if you ever really needed your Father he'd be there for you because he loves you. Even if he has another family, you're his son and he understands his responsibilities.'

'Deep words for an eight year-old,' Riku stated enjoying the way she ran her hand through his hair.

'Didn't you know that am a genius,' she ruffled his hair and pulled her hand away as he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.

'Sure you are,' he stated as he watched her get up.

'That's why this genius says we should go to bed. If not you'll be too crabby to enjoy the day with your dad,' she reached out her hand for him.

Riku took the warm and soft hand that she held out to him, 'I am never crabby.'

'Right,' she beamed up at him as they entered the house and locked the door behind them. Hand in hand they walked to the staircase where they bid good night and went their separate ways. For her room was upstairs and his was downstairs, away from his mother's.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

At fourteen, life hadn't changed much for Ursa, she was still confined to her room and only let out when there was no one in the house but Amistad and her. Riku had left and been sent to a good private school with an excellent academic program. His Father's great news years ago had been that he had won the lottery and wanted to be able to provide for his child the best education money could buy. Of course, Riku had refused. He didn't want to leave his Mother or Ursa, they were his family. Amistad had to convince him that it was a great opportunity for him and that given time he would get used to it and he could always come and stay for the holidays.

He did for a couple of years, until he decided that it was best if he just stayed at the dorms year around. He probably figured out that he had more freedom being alone than always watched by his parents, on top of that he was always there with his friends. So slowly but surely he forgot about coming back home or of writing her. Therefore, the only friend that she had now was Amistad and she was still expected to perform her normal duties as a house keeper.

That was why she lost her self more and more in her studies and books. Which had its advantages, it turned out that she at least had one redeeming feature and that was her intellect. So at fifteen she finished her high school classes online and got her high school diploma. At seventeen she had finished her online business diploma and finished writing her first book that she had sent off to multiple publishers. Her father had plans to keep her locked up within the four walls he called her home. She understood why he wanted to protect her. It didn't take a genius to know that she was a monster in the eyes of others, that as a child she would have been bullied for being different and unique. They would have criticized and pitted for having such a monstrosity of a child.

She finished her transaction and was satisfied with her account balance, she had enough to buy her own home and support herself independently. With the money she had gotten from entering writing competitions she had took it and started investing. At first it had been a disappointment, she had lost and not really gained much profit. After studying and learning the hard way how to make money off the market she began to flourish and grow her fortune. Now she could present her father with the papers of emancipation. It was true that she only had one more year till she was eighteen and could leave, but why wait when she had the chance to do it now and meet the requirements.

'Ursa,' Amistad entered her room without knocking, causing her to jump at the sudden appearance of the older woman. 'I brought you lunch,' she told her as she walked it over to her desk.

'Thank you,' she moved the papers and laptop aside.

Amistad couldn't help but notice what those papers were about, 'Are you really going to do it?'

Ursa looked up and turned to follow her glaze, she saw it was on the legal papers for her emancipation. 'On the bright side I'll finally talk to him,' she reached out to turn the papers over and hide them.

'Really, that's the bright side.'

'I'll gain my freedom and independence,' she told her as she picked up the fork so that she could get a bite of her salmon.

'But he is your father,' Amistad tried to talk her out of her decision.

'I accept that, but as long as I am under his control I will always be locked up here and I don't want that,' she countered. 'With me leaving, it will offer you more freedom. You won't always have to be by my side and you will be able to see Riku more often. As well as not have to suffer all the backlash from the family.'

'What are you talking about?'

'I heard Terra, he's convinced that you are his Father's lover,' Ursa answered as she recalled overhearing Terra asking Amistad to leave once, because her presence at the house was a bother. That she caused so much stress and worry to his mother that it was unbearable. In addition, he had asked her if she had no shame. How could she come into their home and up hold a romance with his father, in front of his mother.

'He's just saying that because he doesn't know the truth,' Amistad brushed her off.

'Still it has to hurt that he thinks of you like that,' Ursa looked up at her with black pitiless hues.

'No,' she shook her head. 'He can think what he wants, but as long as I know the truth there is no harm.'

No harm, right, she thought as she poked her poor salmon into pieces. 'Either way that won't change my mind, I am asking him since I know that he will be a huge hurdle to jump over.'

'Because he loves you.'

Ursa didn't want to tell her what she really thought of her father's love, because Amistad was so convinced that he did love that she didn't notice the pity and remorse he had for her appearance. It hadn't been hard to spot when she was little and even more so when she moved to her pretty prison cell. Looking out her window, she was able to see all the family parties and functions that she wasn't able to attend. The way her mother dotted on her two older brothers and cousin. A cousin that like her was female, but unlike her normal in appearance. Beyond normal if you took into account that her mother was beautiful and she a mini replicate of her, meaning she would grow to be beautiful herself someday.

She was an adorable and cute looking little girl when she was younger and the light that shone brightly within the family. It was no wonder her parents kept her hidden and locked away. Being compared to Namine back then and now would put her to shame. She had grown up to look more like her mother, a beauty, just as she had predicted. 'Than if he loves me he will understand and let me live my life.'

'He is only trying to protect you.'

He is only hiding the hideous monster from the world, she thought to herself as she stopped poking her fork into her now unappealing piece of salmon. 'But I don't want this kind of protection anymore,' was all she answered.

Amistad sighed, she had wanted the young woman to at least try and form a bond with her father, but it was to no avail she had failed. She was set in her decision and even if she understood her completely, she knew that it was best that she be with her family and try to convince him to at least allow everyone to know the truth about her. To tell her sibling that she wasn't dead and be able to face her mother. However, that wasn't what she wanted. Maybe she feared that she would never be allowed the freedom that others were allowed or the recognition. That for her would be the worst and being locked up would never give her the chance to undo her Aunt's curse. 'Fine, I will support you,' she finally agreed. After all she couldn't allow her little girl to run off alone and face the cruelty that the world had to offer before she found happiness.

Ursa looked up at Amistad in shock as her words sank in, 'Thank you,' she got up and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. 'Thank you, so much.'

'You know this won't be easy,' she said into her shoulder, like her siblings and father the girl was tall.

'Yeah, but I have it figured out, so it's okay,' she told her as she continued to crush her against her.

'I know you do,' she wrapped her arms around her waist and hugged her, 'and I will be there to help you if you need me.'

'I love you so much,' she told her and in the deepest reaches of her heart wished that Amistad were her real mother.

'I love you too,' she Amistad admitted with a soft smile on her lips.

—

U: I was finally able to make a full appearance with lines.

R: As was I. I hope the readers enjoyed the interaction between us and have a better understanding of our history together.

U: Right, we know that this chapter was a bit confusing with the progression of our ages, but once our ages are set in concrete the Author will make a not.

A: Correct, (the author nods her head in agreement) there are so many ages that the two go through, that it's kind of confusing to put them all at the being of the chapter.

Am: I thought that there were a lot of sweet moments in this chapter (mainly referring to the last few moments in the chapter.)

A: Cute moments too (the author refers to the adorable moments between Ursa and Riku).

U: Aww, you guys are making me blush.

R: Be happy that is all they are pointing out.

A: On that note, we'll call this a wrap. Until next time!

U: Wait! Aren't you going to do a bio on one of us?

A: Not today.

U: But I didn't get to say much.

A: What you did had great meaning.

U: But…(the lights start to subside as the chapter comes to a close.)