What was it? What has just happened to me? Ivy lay on the ground. It was too hard for her to move. It was like she really was there, that her mother was really holding her, that here home was really on fire. What was it? Was it really just a dream? Slowly Ivy tried to get up, and after a while she stood on all four legs, but she was still shaking. It was the scariest experience she ever had…
“it’s not a dream, isn’t it?” Ivy turned her head. Her sister stood behind her in the dark garden.
“I saw what happened to you. That wasn’t a dream, wasn’t it? You were having a flashback, weren’t you?”
Ivy stared at her sister. Why was she saying this?
“What… what do you mean?” Her voice was still shaking.
“I’m scared, sis. I’m so scared! There is something strange going on here and everybody seems to know what it is, except us. Haven’t you noticed it’s the same every year? Every spring people look so depressed but they try to pretend there is nothing going on. Why are they hiding it from us?”

Ivy stared at her sister. So she had noticed it, too. And she was to afraid to tell her. Poor Fleur.
“I think there is something more to this place, Ivy. Something they never told us. And I want to know why, I want to know what it is, but mom isn’t telling us. You are not the only one who has been having bad dreams, sis! I see them every night! Those scared faces, they’re so scared and sad. I tried to pretend they are just that, dreams, but now that I have seen you tonight… They’re not dreams!”
“So… how do you want to find out, then? What they mean?” Ivy asked. She wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know, but somehow she felt she had to.
“I… I don’t know. I don’t think there is anyone who is allowed to tell us.”

Ivy looked at her sister. “What about Tsuyo? I know she is only a little older then we are, But I think she knows, she’s bound to know something, right? If we remember, I’m sure she must remember something as well.”
Fleur nodded. “You’re right, she might know something… oh Ivy, I’m not even sure if I want to know.”
Ivy sighed. She was finally calming down a bit, knowing that she wasn’t going crazy after all. Only now she realised what a quiet night it was. There was no sound whatsoever; no birds, no wind, nothing.

“I’m not sure if I really want to know either, Fleur. There is something horrible going on. If my dreams are true, I can’t believe they have been able to live with it. And I don’t understand why they kept it a secret from us. It must have hurt so much… I think mom lived in denial.”
Fleur nodded. “But there is nothing we can do about it now, Ivy. Lets get some sleep. The only thing we can do now is wait for tomorrow.”
Ivy agreed. She passed her sister and walked into the castle.

Ivy couldn’t sleep that night. She was still shaking from the flashback she had had some hours before. She also had a hard time figuring out why her sister acted so scared. She was so happy usually, so bright… Why did she seemed so sad? What were the sad faces she remembered? And why didn’t she remembered the faces? Ivy had the feeling her life was going to change so much. The next time she was going to bed there would be nothing like it was before. She didn’t really wanted to change it, but there was no way back. All her life she lived in peace, with her sister and her mother.

She was going to be the future queen, she had to prepare for that. Her path was all laid out before her, she never even thought of changing it. But was it really her future now? She had so many questions, so many feelings she couldn’t even describe. But slowly her thoughts faded into a dark, dreamless sleep. When she woke up the next morning the sun was shining again, and for a second all that happened the night before seemed like a dark, bad dream. But as soon as she saw the burning castle again, she knew it was not so.

When she left her room she noticed how quiet it was in the castle. There wasn’t a single sound. When she entered the dining room her sister was there, alone. She looked so sad, so alone. Ivy knew Fleur was feeling the same way as she did. Ivy walked towards the table, rying not to make a sound. They seemed so disturbing in the silence, and every footstep was like the sound of thunder while the sky looked so clear.

“Hey Fleur. Where is everyone?” Asked Ivy, almost whispering.
“Mom is gone already. Tsuyo is working in the garden. There is no-one else. How are you doing? You had some sleep?”
“I think so. I can’t really remember it, to be honest. I didn’t have any dreams anyway. How about you?”
“I did. I saw them again, ivy. The faces. I don’t think if I can. Asking Tsuyo, I mean. I’m scared, Ivy, I’m just so scared!” Fleur cried.
Ivy saw tears in her eyes. She cuddled her sister. “I know sweetie, I know. I will go. I am scared too, but I have to know, or it will scare me even more. I will go ask her, and I will tell you, ok?” Fleur agreed.

Ivy didn’t really look forward to asking Tsuyo alone, but she had to know and it was clear her sister wasn’t ready for it. Fleur was only a year younger than Ivy, but Ivy felt she was a lot more mature then her younger sister. She acted childish sometimes, but Ivy didn’t matter; she loved her innocent little sister. During breakfast they said nothing. When they had finished Ivy walked out of the castle, after she gave her sister one last smile. It was a fine morning.

The silence of the night before seemed to have disappeared; the birds were singing again, small breeze made the young leaves dancing a little. Ivy couldn’t see Tsuyo first. Tsuyo had been the maid of the royal house for a while now, after the old Mimo retired. Mimo had adopted Tsuyo. Apparently her parents had dire during some accident so Mimo had raised her as her own. Fleur and Ivy liked Tsuyo; as children they had always played together. But ever since Tsuyo began working for the family something had changed. Tsuyo avoided Ivy and Fleur.

They had thought it was because she was a little ashamed to work for them. But was it? Wasn’t there something else? There is nothing certain anymore, Ivy thought. Once again she felt as if everything was going to change if she told Tsuyo about her dreams. There would be no way back. Why couldn’t she just forget about it, and ignore it? But the castle was there again. Burning. There was no escape. Whether she would find out the truth or not, that castle would still be haunting her. To know was the only way to understand.

“Is everything ok?” Ivy asked, when she finally met Tsuyo. Tsuyo was in the back of the garden, but she didn’t seem to be ok. She was trying to water the plants, but she had way to much water in her watering-can, so she couldn’t lift it from the ground, so she was dragging it, but this wasn’t really working because water was all over the ground.
“You need a hand?” Ivy asked.
“No, it’s ok.” Tsuyo answered when she let go of the watering-can.
“What brings you here in the morning? You have the day off, right? I thought you liked it to sleep in.”
“Yeah, well… I couldn’t sleep anymore. There is something I wanted to ask you, Tsuyo. But its hard for me and even harder for my sister, that’s why she isn’t here.”

Tsuyo nodded. “Sure. What is it? What do you want to know?”
“Well… I have been having weird dreams lately. There is a castle. It was huge and beautiful at first, but as the dreams continued to come back it became dark. And later it was burning. The whole world was on fire. It felt like the end of the world. I thought they were dreams first, but I am not so sure anymore. I had some kind of flashback yesterday evening. It was there. My mother was holding me and she was running. It was so real… I really felt it. It was as if I really was there. Then Fleur told me she was having dreams too. Of scared faces, scared people, and sad people. They were crying, she said.” Ivy paused.

Tsuyo’s eyes had become sad. She wasn’t crying, but it was as if she remembered something horrible and she was afraid.
“It aren’t just dreams, are they, Tsuyo? You know they aren’t. Please, you have to tell me! Fleur and I have to know. I cannot live with these memories, knowing everybody knows, except me. Please Tsuyo, tell me!” Ivy begged.
For a moment, Tsuyo stood motionless. She just stared into the blue sky. This alone confirmed what Fleur and Ivy had suspected. It wasn’t a dream. But what was it?

“Tsuyo?” Ivy said. Tsuyo looked at Ivy.
“I… I am sorry Ivy. I am so sorry you have to go through this. But I can’t tell you.”
“Why not? Why can’t you?”
“Because I promised your mother. We all have. She wanted you to be happy. She didn’t want you to know. Nor your sister. Your sister doesn’t, she had never witnessed it. And after you hit your head that day, everyone thought you had forgotten all about it. But I guess its finally coming back to you. I can’t believe it is coming back so clear though. You were only a baby. But I can’t tell you. I promised.”

With this, she turned around and began to walk away from Ivy.
“Hey! Wait up!” Ivy yelled and she trotted towards Tsuyo.
“I won’t let you get away with this so easily. I want to know, I have to know. Even if you can’t tell me, can’t you persuade my mother to tell us? Please! I… if she really wants me to be happy, she would tell me. I can’t live on like this, Tsuyo!” Tsuyo stared at Ivy.
“I am sorry, Ivy. I am sorry nobody told you before. You have the right to know and I always have said that. To my mother when I found out, and to yours as well. But they said they couldn’t, not now. You were so full of joy back then, and so was your sister. I remember the day they told me. It was like… you suddenly figure it out and you understand. ‘Why didn’t I see it?’ you ask. But you couldn’t. Its too much.”

 Ivy saw Tsuyo’s eyes fill with tears.
“I will talk to your mother as soon as she gets back, Ivy. I will do what I can, but I won’t break my promise. So please, hang on just a little longer. You will find out the truth, I promise.” Tsuyo gave Ivy a last smile, and left.

“Ivy? Ivy, can I come in? You have been there for hours now. Mom has returned, you know. Shouldn’t you go and say hi?” Ivy heard her sister asking.
 “Come in, Fleur.” She said. Ivy noticed her sister opening the door. Ivy lay on her bed. She went to her room straight after her conversation with Tsuyo, she didn’t even tell Fleur about it.
“Ivy? Are you okay? Have you talked with Tsuyo yet?”
“Yeah.”
“And? What did you find out?”
“Nothing. Well, we were right all along. But she couldn’t tell me. She said mom made everyone promise not to tell us, because she wanted us to be happy. I don’t really feel like saying hi to mom now, Fleur. Not until she is ready to tell me what on earth is going on.”
“Yeah, well… I think you should come. Tell mom we want to know ourselves. I think it will work better than letting Tsuyo tell it, right?”
“Yeah, maybe so. You’re right. Let’s go.”

They walked together to the throne room. Their mother was sitting in the throne, while Tsuyo was standing next to her.
“Mom,” Ivy began as she entered the throne room, “mom, I think Tsuyo has already told you what I had told her, but please tell us! We have to know. It has been haunting me and even if you don’t tell me I will never be able to forget. Why can’t you tell us mom? Why have you made everybody keep it a secret for us?”
Without intending so, Ivy had raised her voice and she was almost yelling. She didn’t mean to, but she was a little mad. Why had she been lying to her for so long?

“Ivy, honey, don’t be mad at me, please. I have always intended to tell you two when the time was there. But I wanted you two to be happy, I didn’t want you two to worry about what had happened so long ago. I wanted to tell you two when you became adults, and I didn’t want you to hear it from anyone else. That’s why I made everyone promise. But now it seems you begin to remember… and I don’t want you to be so unsure. You have the right to know, and so does Fleur, even though she indeed never witnessed it. But it is her family too, it concerns her just as much as it concerns you. So Ivy, Fleur, please come here. Don’t judge me now for what I kept from you for so long, for after I have told you, you will understand. Now, let me tell you what happened sixteen years ago, only a week after you were born, Ivy.”