Royal Pains

Day of Visitors

***Terra's P.O.V.***

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know, someone's lightly shaking me awake. I lift my head from my arm, it being my temporary pillow, and slowly open my eyes.

The lighting in the room is dim, telling me it's either late at night or early morning, or someone just turned off all the lights to be nice. Either way, my eye adjust quickly to see  the last person I thought it would be.

"Mom?" I ask before a yawn manages to escape. "What time is it? What are you doing here?" She takes a step back and sighs. It's then that I notice how she looks.

"It's seven o'clock, and I was visiting my sister when I heard what happened. The doctor talked to your father, and I'll be the first to say he's not happy."

"Are you wearing sweatpants?!" I exclaim, disregarding her words. My mother always, and I mean always, wears skirts or dresses. She'll occassionally wear jeans or slacks, but never have I ever seen her wearing slightly baggy, with a hole in the knee, sweatpants. To make things more bizarre, her usually neat hair is pulled back into a sloppy ponytail. I think the world may have just ended.

"Yes, but I've been avoiding as many people as I can today. I have a reputation to uphold and can't have people seeing me look like this." She gestures down at her current attire. "I haven't been feeling up to par since Maggie was attacked and today, I just couldn't put in the effort to look nice." I nod slowly, still processing things. Similar to Aaron, she has small purplish bags under her eyes from lack of sleep and look mentally, as well as physically exhausted.

"Has anyone found the copied security tapes yet?" Unfortunately, the tapes are still missing. Someone has them and Aunt Maggie doesn't look like she'll be waking up anytime soon to tell us herself. It's the perfect attack, especially if my aunt isn't strong enough to wake up on her own.

"No, and stop changing the subject." She snaps, pulling up a chair next to the ont I'm currently in. "I want to know how you're feeling, not to listen to you criticize me on my attire." Even in this situation, I find the corners of my mouth turning up slightly.

"Seems like the roles are reversed now." She rolls her eyes, but doesn't comment knowing it's true. Usually she's the one harping on me to wear nicer clothes and act like a proper lady.

"Not everything has changed since you still hide behind your quick remarks. Tell me, and I want an honest answer, how are doing?" I shrug, feeling the stiffness in my shoulders from the awkward position I was laying in so long.

"What is there for me to say that you haven't already guessed?" She frowns and pushes a stray piece of hair away from her face to tuck it behind her ear.

"Atierra, I know I haven't always been the easiest person to get along with, but I'm trying." She pauses. "Growing up, my mother always pushed me to be better than other girls, having me dress nicer to stand out, act with the utmost respect- not that you don't do any of that, but it was hard. I never felt good enough for her, but on the day the prince visited my pack, all those feelings vanished." She smiles softly and her eyes have a faraway look in them, lost in the memory. I sit quietly, listening, never having heard this story before.

He found me in my room getting ready for my Prom, of all things. I was frozen in shock that I of all people was mates to the prince. He didn't waist any time in whisking back to this very castle with him the next day, having all my belongings brought a few days later. What I'm trying to say, is that I'm sorry. I never should have pushed you so hard to be someone you weren't. It was how I was brought up and I thought at the time it was the right thing to do, but now I see the beautiful woman you are. You didn't need my help." She reaches for me and moves a lock of hair from my forehead.