"Father." I motion for him to pull his wife away from her iron grip on my body as she hugged me. She's been like this for the past twenty minutes. "Dear, let the child breathe." With Father's words and gentle pulling, mother finally released me and stepped back. She touched the jade mask in my face and tears welled in her eyes again.
"Can you take it off? I want to see your face." She requested. Bira took a step forward, ready to say something but I stopped her. "It's alright, Bira." She stepped back and nodded. Reaching up, I take the mask off and hand it to Bira.
Mother gasped and Father's eyes also filled with tears. "Ri." He called out to me; pain was evident in his voice. Not the physical kind but the emotional kind of pain. I smile and take the mask back from Bira. "Alright, you two sob babies. You'll make me leave earlier than I thought."
They wiped their faces. "Don't leave yet. You've always refused to come home before so now that you're back, you should stay longer." Father said. "I'll be staying for a few months before leaving again."
"Alright. Let's sit and eat dinner." Mother said as she pulled me to the table. "Where's the second prince?" She asked a servant nearby as we all took our seats. "His highness is on the hunting fields and has refused to come back."
The door bursts open and Kana walked in dragging Pikla. "Kana! Release me immediately!" I stood up and walked over to him. He stared at me. "Are you my older sister?" I smile. "What do you think?"
"Welcome back. Mind untying me?" I stoop down. "That depends. Are you going to run off again?" He nods. "I was in the middle of a bet." I glance at Kana and she nodded. "What was the bet?" I asked him. "Live targets." I chuckle and here I was thinking that he might be a bigger idiot than his brother pretends to be.
"I like those kinds of bets too. Doesn't it feel good when they scream and beg to stop? The sound of every slash of a dagger across their flesh and every arrow sticking through their bodies..." All the color from face drained and fear filled his eyes.
"What?! No! I'm talking about animals, not people." I smile. "You aren't but I am. The feeling is more enjoyable than animals. As a token of a ten-year reunion, I'll allow you to take this pleasure." I stand up and Kana pulled him to his feet.
Lai appeared next to me with a bow and a few arrows. I run my fingers over the bow. "This bow is my fifth birthday present, something that father personally made for me. I think it's perfect to teach you some manners. What do you think?"
The bow was carved from green jade with golden tips and a string made from twisted silk threads. It's old but very useful. This silk is harder than normal silk and rare to find.
"Older sister. I apologize. I'll never be late or disrespect-.." I dock the arrow, a thin silver arrow with owl feathers as a tail. "Too late." I released the arrow and it pierced his shoulder. Kana cut his ropes as he stood there holding his shoulder and screaming in pain.
"You're going to stand there and get shot again? I don't think you would've been able to survive in a war." I grab another arrow. "Please." He begged as I docked the arrow. "Please what?" I raise the bow again but didn't make a move to shot because if I did, he would be dead.
Although I want to change the Crown Prince, I don't want to kill this seemingly less useless brother of mine either. "Is begging for your life a culture? The only two Princes of the Palk Kingdom are really doing it easily." Pikla dropped to his knees crying.
"I've lost my appetite." I lower my hands and give the bow and arrow back to Lai. "Dawn on the eastern training fields. Be there or I'll come for you myself." I turn to my parents who were eating and talking to each other like normal. "Mother, Father. I'll head back to my courtyard."
"I'll have the servants send over your food so go get some rest." Father said as he fed mother a grape. I bowed to them and left.
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Two months later
"Ri~" Mother yelled as she passed by the training field in a palanquin. She waved at me and I waved back. "It's been years since I've seen her so happy." Pikla said as he wiped the sweat from his neck. "If you were sensible and your brother had his mind of better things she would be this happy every day."
He scoffed. "What about you? You were missing for the past ten years and mother was worried sick. Maybe if you came home and saw her from time to time instead of denying to coming at all then she wouldn't be the way she was for the past ten years."
I turned and punched him in the face. "Older sister!" Palin squeezed himself between us. "Move." Palin didn't hesitate and moved aside. "Brother!" Pikla called out desperate help. I scoffed.
"I thought you were just willful and that your brother was a little love dumb but I was wrong. Are you pretending to not know anything or do you really not know? Which child would want to be away from their parents for ten years? Which parents would want their daughter to leave them without a trace and not even visit them? I just didn't think you were this stupid."
This is annoying. "Training ends here." I walk off the training field. Bira approached me. "Your highness." I shook my head. "I'm drinking and you can't stop me. Let's head back to the mansion." Bira nodded and followed me to the Palace gates. I get onto the awaiting carriage and look out the window at Bira. "Get everything ready. We're leaving tonight."