The Princess Who Returned

Chapter Twenty

Tristan

I crashed into Lily and was afraid that she was crying since this scenario had happened before but was relieved albeit surprised to see that she was not crying but instead looked at me with determination and asked, "Can I speak to you now?" I nodded puzzled and she smiled pulling me with her towards the tree house. Once inside she spoke, "So the reason, I called you here is because I wated to apologise." I didn't stop her because I did deserve an apology from her for the diary situation, "Go ahead." She smiled gratefully, bowed and said, "I am really sorry for saying all those things but most of all I am sorry for invading your privacy by reading through your diary. I was insensitive and pushed you too hard, You were right about you not owing me anything including your trust. You had no obligation to share your feelings with me, I have been a terrible friend and you don't have to forgive me."

After that she looked up at me again scared and I smiled reassuringly, it was now my turn to apologise, "I accept your apology and want to apologise as well." She looked at me questioningly and I started, "I am really sorry for how I've treated you so far. I forced you to act like my sister and prevented you from being able to leave. I also yelled at you a few minutes back and said some very hurtful things just because I could not face the truth. I am really sorry for everything and like you said to me. You don't have to forgive me either but please let me help you." She replied with a smile, "I accept your apology because I understand your situation but what do you mean my helping me."

Glad that I had that settled I smirked and said determinedly, "We are breaking out of here. You were right about everything you said about my mother. She might be troubled but the way she is dealing with everything is not right in the least. The best part is that she knows it but she refuses to try and change, despite the many warnings and talks I gave. There are only so many chances I can give before giving up. I have done my best, now it is all up to her while it is my job to end this toxic cycle." When I was finished with the speech she practically leapt on me and hugged me tightly while saying, "I am proud of you Tristan. I will try my best to ensure that you won't regret this decision." I returned the hug and said, "I know I won't regret this Lily." When she pulled away I saw tears in her eyes and commented, "I am hoping those were tears of joy, I would hate to make you cry tears of sorrow again." She chuckled and said, "Those were tears of happiness, now what is the plan?"

I explained, "I think we should do the same thing we do for these lessons. Slip her a sleeping potion then make a run when she's asleep but before that I need to create a counter spell to the memory charm I used and whip up the invisibility potion to hide the wings." She said, "That seems fair, we can go with the standard potion since I know the border isn't that far from here. Once we cross it though, she might chase us so we need protection. Are there any potions or charms that will help?" I thought for a moment thinking of all the potions and spells I knew and found seven potential matches aka spells or potions I had mastered. I could not risk a shaky potion born out of inexperience. Once I came up with the names I listed them down on a piece of paper while she stood watching me. Once I was done, I handed the list over to her. "These are all the potions and spells, I've mastered that I am sure will help." She examined the list while I waited anxiously for her feedback. . Once she was done examining the list, I felt myself holding my breath only to get, "I don't know anything about these potions but I will trust you."

At first her reply shocked me but later I started chuckling and she joined in. She really was something and I was glad I decided to help her because now all of a sudden that easy friendship we had developed had come back. The bond that had been forged between us was once again light and a string connecting me to freedom and being with her was once again something that made me feel as light as a feather and as free as a bird. She made me happier than my mom did after Trista died and I would forever be grateful for that. I knew then that I was going to stay loyal to Lily throughout my life. I could no longer see myself loyal to anyone else at least to the degree of loyalty towards Lily. I hoped our plan went smoothly and that we made it to Yale.

Lily

The moment Tristan said that he wanted to help me, I felt myself tear up but this time with tears of happiness. I was so proud of him and vowed to make sure that he did not regret this decision. I was going to make him the happiest boy alive and give him the childhood he deserved. I was going to try my level best to make sure he received all the love he deserved but missed out on. I was also going to get him therapy because well he needed it. Anyone would need it after what he had gone through, after what we had gone through. We were both going to get the necessary help and protect Yale from her clutches. This cycle was not going to repeat and would end with our escape. We now knew what the forest held and how the threat worked so if people believed us we could effectively protect Yale and the children in Yale.

Everything seemed more hopeful and the easy friendship we had appeared again. The bond we had forged not only made everything bearable but had also graduated to making things seem brighter. My world was becoming brighter after dimming because of losing Aasha. I would always miss her and that hole would still be there but I had a new friend as well who I cared about. I had finally fulfilled all the tasks on her list and felt much more at peace. I was happy again and had learned so much over this one of a kind adventure. I had learnt to value the things I had and no longer felt like I was alone. Aasha would be proud of me for how far I had come over this journey. Issues were finally fixing themselves and I felt so happy. There was no way anything else could go wrong or so we thought but we had one last obstacle left before we could actually cross over to the bright future.