Maura meanwhile had been encouraged by Yami to go be with her sisters. She remembered Jasmine had said she had something for her so she went to her room and knocked. "Maura, come in. I have something for you." She led her to where she had a covered dress. "On our way here I saw this dress and thought of you."
She pulled out a Red dress with the occasional light red flowers and big lace patterns overlayed with white flowers from the middle of the bottom half of the dress down 2 rows of beige ruffles along the bottom. There's a bow from the same material as the dress in front of a beige two sided light ruffle bodice with suspender like ruffles and a ribbon between the ruffles. High ruffle neckline with a dress material bow like tie and ruffle cuffs around the wrists.
Maura hated it with an all fire passion. She gave a tentative smile, 'Why in the world would she think for an instant that I'd like this hideous thing?'
"Go on, try it on. I want to see how it looks."
'I'll try it on then burn it.' Maura thought as she put it on.
Jasmine gushed, "Nitesh will love it. I'd have gotten one for me if they'd had it in my size."
'I am not a puppet to please your husband. This thing is going to strangle me.' Maura thought. Now really convinced her sisters hate that she's living here happily and not miserably married. 'First Mahaado and Diana want me to come live with them. Now Jasmine wants me to impress her husband. I suffered with Hera for months after papa's death. Even before that. Where were they and their offers to have me live with one of them before or even after papa's death? But now I'm living in a happy home with people who care about me. Wanting me to be a child and not forced into marriage. Now they are suddenly falling all over themselves to have me live with them? No chance this is a coincidence.' She had no idea if this was their own thoughts or somehow their stepmother was pressuring them. Either way she wasn't going back without a fight.
She pretended to like the dress and twirled around making sure to get as close to the fireplace as she could. Jasmine was thrilled thinking about how much she loved the dress not knowing or caring about Maura's thoughts or feelings. That she didn't notice how close Maura got to the fireplace. Maura made sure the dress caught fire but tried to pretend she didn't so that the dress wouldn't be salvageable.'
Jasmine then gasped, "Oh my God Maura your dress is on fire."
Maura had learned with Hera how to play act, she pretended to be as shocked as Jasmine and pretended to panic. "What do we do? Oh I'm so sorry I didn't mean to."
Jasmine quickly helped her out and got the fire out. But there was no salvaging the dress. "Oh this is terrible. It's completely ruined. I don't even think Mahaado could fix it with his magic."
'I hope not. If I'd thought of that I'd have waited and burned it somewhere else.'
"Don't worry about it. I have plenty of dresses to wear."
"You don't understand. Nitesh would have been more receptive to the idea of you coming to live with us if you wore something more in keeping with his kingdom."
Hearing her suspicions confirmed pissed Maura off. "I will not now nor will I ever go to live with you or Diana!"
"Maura what are you saying?"
"Where were you when I called and told you about the latest beating Hera gave me? How about the time I told you she only fed me a light salad while being forced to scrub the floors for the day? Better yet when I called you and told you Hera was trying to make me marry Mako. I called you crying that Mako slapped me around and threw me to the ground. Telling me that I was his property and he would teach me my place. I begged you, I pleaded with you to help me. But you told me you couldn't. That this was the law of the land and Hera's choice so I had to live with it. Diana told me the same thing. Now after you helped convince her to allow me to come here and be happy you suddenly want me to come live with you? Why?"
"I was contacted by my lady in waiting last night. She secretly uses her magic to help me. She gave me a local newspaper that said Mako Achelous of Aquarius has threatened war on our kingdom of Kamilah if we don't send you back to him. We're a small peaceful flower Kingdom. We have no chance of winning. He's got allies that have threatened to cut off trade negotiations with us and the Star Kingdom. I asked her to look for dresses in the style of the kingdom. She only found ones in your size. I was hoping, by living with us, you could have contact with Mako and reconsider marrying him."
"You've never loved me have you?"
"Maura, how can you say that?"
"When Hera announced Diana was getting married to Mahaado who's almost 10 years older than her, you stood up for her. You and her stood up to Hera. Then papa forced her to go through with it. But when it was your turn. Diana defied Mahaado and came back to plead with papa not to make you do it. But he overruled you both and you were forced to get married. But me? You both shrugged and said I had to live with it. I told you he slapped me around. You apologized and said there was nothing you could do about it. That I should suck it up and live with it. Then you agree to get Hera to let me live here. Only a few weeks in and you already are deciding to go back on what you said to Hera on letting me live here."
"We can't afford to go to war. You have to understand…"
"I understand you hate me and want to see me miserable by forcing me to marry someone I hate and will make my life miserable. You initially agreed to get back at Hera, but now it's becoming inconvenient."
"The war…"
"Mako's kingdom is water magic. Even then it's fairly weak. Mahaado I'm sure has people that specialize in lightning magic. Meaning the battle would be over before it started. Even if he doesn't, Mahaado himself could probably take on the whole army and destroy them instantly."
"You can't know that!"
"I've had time since moving here to research Mako's kingdom. His kingdom has declared war for far less than a broken marriage. Kingdoms ten times smaller than his have defeated them. And I know you'll say they were long ago. No I found a book from last year that said they declared war with the kingdom of Astates simply because Mako was passing through and didn't receive the welcome he felt he deserved. His kingdom went home limping. Astates kingdom is the size of this castle and the town nearby. While Mako's is double that."
Jasmine didn't know what to say. When she contacted Nitesh he'd made a quick portal over patted her head and assured her that there was nothing to worry about. He'd take care of it and would join her later before leaving. She had even asked Mahaado not long after Nitesh had left.
Mahaado laughed at her. "That kingdom? Yeah, like I'm worried about them. I've sent my weakest men to battle them and build up their strength. Yeah so they cut off our supply chain. We'll just open a portal to somewhere that will be happy to trade with us. Those other kingdoms will come crawling back to us. Not the other way around."
"Me and Diana only want to do what's best for everyone."
"And what's best for me is to go marry a man who will leave me black and blue and treat me as a prized possession. Perhaps even pass me around to a few of his friends."
"He'd never…"
"Never what? Do that? He told me to my face that he might consider letting his friends have a go at me. I'm sorry you didn't get the chance to be free like me. But that's not my fault. Blame papa, better yet blame Hera."
"You're right Hera is to blame. But you're wrong about Diana standing up to papa for me against Mahaado's wishes. You weren't for some reason allowed to attend but we were both married in a joint ceremony. Hera must have lied to you all these years. Made you think that we had two separate weddings. We both stood up to papa protesting getting married. He refused to listen to us and said Hera was right. He shouldn't go against the law. We were on the floor at his feet begging and crying. You could see him wanting to cave and at one point I think he was about to but then Hera took his hand. Then suddenly that resolve was gone."
"She did cast a spell on him."
"I begged Nitesh not to go through with the wedding. But he told me that Hera informed him if he didn't marry me she'd have me killed. Diana begged Mahaado to. Begged him to end the spell our father was under. But he refused as well."
"And me?"
"Hera had a lot more time to cement her spell or whatever she did. We saw no point in trying."
"That explains then, but not now. I admit I don't know a lot about your kingdom. But any kingdom with a competent army could take his kingdom's army out. Mahaado could take out Mako with his pinky. So I don't understand why you would want me. Diana wants to rely less on her nanny. I heard she was sick and that's why she didn't come. So it makes sense. Keep me around until you have kids then throw me to you and back again until you find someone to marry me."
"Maura, that's not true. We love you."
"Do you? After papa died or even before when papa was out of his mind. You did nothing. Only because Yami and Seto were there and you saw how mad Hera was getting. You set me free. But now only a short time later you realize that by setting me free I might get what you didn't…enjoy your teenage years." At that Maura quickly put her other dress back on and quickly left and decided she needed comfort from someone that would give it without questions and asking nothing in return. Her dog Scamp. She could even get some aggression out by throwing his ball.
X-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x
Mokuba had a fun time. He was a little sad to see the day end. As they approached a shop Ryo had never noticed before there was a lady with fiery red hair and blue eyes standing in the doorway holding something. He was smitten with her at first sight. He couldn't help but compare her to Shizuka with her purple hair and green eyes. He remembered asking her once about her real hair color. She had told him it was brown. But she hated it and had it colored purple as soon as she was old enough and has never gone back. They got close and the woman smiled at them. Then unlike Shizuka, this woman smiled down at Mokuba and held out a cookie.
"Would you like a sugar cookie?"
Mokuba reached for it, then thought against it. He looked up at Ryo and asked, "C- can I?"
"Only one. We're heading back soon. It's close to dinner."
Mokuba smiled and turned back and took the offered cookie, "T-Thanks."
"Would you like one?" She asked, offering one to Ryo.
"Sugars cookies are not my favorite. Got anything else?"
"I have chocolate chip, oatmeal, oatmeal raisin…"
"Chocolate chip…thank you. I've never seen you before. Your place is kinda kitty corner from the toy store. I can't believe I've never noticed."
"You wouldn't. My grandmother once had a bread shop here years ago. But she had to shut it down and lived in the back. She wrote to me a few months back that she wanted to go live her last years with my uncle in the mountains. She knew I was working towards owning my own bakery someday. She offered me this shop. Unfortunately I had to take out a small loan with this place as collateral as it was in bad shape. I just opened up a few days ago. I'm giving out samples to help generate business. It's not working so far."
"Do you think you could get help and make enough for a ball?"
"A ball? When?"
"Tomorrow night."
"So soon? I don't know, maybe. Why?"
"I'll buy some and offer them to the king and request you set up a table."
"But most people attending the ball are not from this kingdom. How will that help?"
"The knights and guards attending do though. They can get the word out to their families and it goes from there."
"Do you really think the king will allow it?"
"I'm pretty sure once he tastes these he will. I'm Ryo and this is Mokuba."
"I'm Reinette Kyden. Please come in and look around."
Ryo ended up buying a few more cookies. When he heard she had snickerdoodle cookies he bought 5. He liked them well enough but knew they were Bakura's favorite. Then 4 chocolate chip & sugar and four cupcakes for Mokuba to take home. Then took a dozen of every flavor and was forced to charge it all to the castle as he didn't have enough money on him.
Ryo reluctantly said goodbye as they were going to be late getting back as it was