6 To lie, is to protect.

I woke up at dawn, heart racing and drenched in sweat. I try to remember what I dreamed about, but it felt like I was grasping at straws. All I remember was a huge man. Red marks, or maybe it was tattoos covered his body. He had this horrible smile showing all his teeth. I also remember a guy. Blond hair, quite handsome. I remember him smiling a crooked smile, but before I could ponder over it, the image disappeared back into my mind where I could not find it again, no matter how hard I tried.

I looked over toward Yuna's bed and saw that she was still sleeping. I slowly got out of bed, stretching my sore muscles. Today I'm going to find out the truth and why everyone would lie to me. I took a quick shower and got dressed in jeans and a strappy tank top. I wrote a quick note to my best friend and headed out.

I walked to my grandmother's place which was almost on the other side of the city where all the residential homes were. People looked and stared and some whispered. News travels fast in this place, but luckily I'm used to the stares and whispers. I held my head high and quickened my step, because even though my used to it, I still hate being the center of attention.

It took me an half and hour to walk to my grandmother. I stood in front of a two-story house, with big windows on the second floor. I walked up to the door and hesitated a second before knocking. It took only a minute to open the door, but when it did, it revealed a gray haired woman, with a very kind and open face. My grandmother.

It's hard to believe that she would keep something this big from me. She gave me a big smile, before hugging me tightly. She took one look at my face and sensed that something was wrong.

"Child, what is it? What happened?" she asked with concern.

"You haven't heard?"

"Heard what my child?" She layed one hand on my cheek, ''tell me what happened?"

"Grandmother, something happened yesterday and Cid told me something that I don't understand." I felt my voice waver a little at the thought of my parents. She sighed before stepping aside to let me in.

"Ah, I see. I imagine you have a lot of questions. Come inside and I'll explain everything." I nodded and walked straight to the living room. It was well furnished with light, summer colours. She never changed it, it was where mother grew up, and also where she raised me. I sat down while she brought in tea. She always did love her tea in the same old china cup she always uses.

"I know what you must be thinking, how could I lie to you, why did I do it in the first place?" she said as she sat in front of me.

"Is it that obvious?"

"No, I only know you that well." She smiled, but it quickly disappeared when she saw I didn't return it.

She sighed before speaking, "I knew this day would come, eventually. I knew that one day your abilities would emerge and that you would find out the truth about what really happened to your parents."

"You knew this would happen." I said, it wasn't a question.

"Yes, and that means Cid must have told you about your parents. What did she tell you, Snow?"

"Not much, she said that they... they were murdered." I looked at her with wide eyes. Almost begging her to tell me it isn't true, that Cid got is all wrong. But I could see in my grandmother's face Cid didn't. My grandmother looked down.

"Yes, that is true. Your mother and father was killed. Although the circumstances about their deaths was true. They did die in a battle but not here in the city."

"If not here then where, and who is my father? You keep talking about him, and yet I know nothing of him. For years I wanted you to tell me about them. Who they were. What they were like, but you never told me anything! You only said something when I reminded you if them, doing something, or saying something, and then Cid tells me that the people I knew so little of aren't even my real parents. How could you do that to me?" Things in the room started to rattle. I looked around with wide eyes.

What is happening to me?

I tried to stay calm, but it was hard when I had so much anger burning inside me. I never could control myself when I was angry. I clenched my fists tightly together and closed my eyes to keep the tears from falling. There was a moment of silence, then:

"Your mother and father was deeply in love." She said softly. My head snapped up. I stared at my grandmother trying to see if I heard correctly. My heart pounded in my ears, waiting for more. I was so scared and yet excited too. I wanted to know about them so badly. I needed to know who they are.

"Although it didn't start out that way. Your mother was a good girl, always did her homework, gave in her assignments on time and worked extremely hard to get where she wanted to be. Your father was the complete opposite. No regard to the rules, he enjoyed the attention the girls gave him, just like his best friend. The king," my jaw fell open. If I didn't know better, I would say it was on the ground. I did not see that coming, but that just opened up a whole new set of questions and none of my previous ones was even answered yet.

Oh boy, this was gonna be a long day.

"Your father was orphaned from a young age and was raised with the king himself. They became fast friends and an unstoppable duo. They were insepperable and always up to no good and when they hit their teen-years they were even worse. They were about your age when they got into trouble and the King, at the time, had just about enough of them. He had a good sense of humor, but this time they went to far. I don't remember everything but I do remember it involved cows and missing laundry," If it were under different circumstances I would have laughed.

"The King punished them by giving them training duty. They were already excelent warriors, since they were trained at a young age. Especially your father. There was stories about him that he was gifted, but know one knew if it was true at the time-"

"Gifted what does that mean? Like he had powers?" I interrupted. I wanted to ask more questions but my grandmother held up a hand to stop me from speaking.

"All in due time. Their punishment was to help the troops train, unpack the equipment in the morning and lock up in the evening. It took them quite a while to do all this, but I'm sure you know that." It was true. I did know. You had to come in early to unpack everything on time and then to help train everyone took the entire day. That said, you had to wait for everyone to finish training to lock up, and some usually stayed behind to practise some more.

"They had to do this for three months, but one their first day your father took notice in your mother, but because he was so full of himself, nothing happened for quite some time. Your father would tease her relentlessly and everyday your mother would come home, complaining about what an arrogant fool he is." It took a moment for me to understand why she would come home everyday, then I realised that they didn't have dorm rooms at the time, since they didn't have the funding they have now.

"But why didn't she turn him over to the captain if he bothered her that much?" I asked, I wouldn't take crap from anyone, no matter how handsome he might be. My grandmother gave me a knowing smile.

"Your mother had as much pride as you and didn't want to admit that he bothered her. But your mother could only handle so much. So one day she snapped and challenged him to a duel. She said told him that she had enough and wanted a duel. He then asked her what was in it for him. She didn't know what to say, so he answered for her, and said that if he won she has to go on a date with him, then she countered and said if she won, he had to leave her alone and find a different training partner. Your father, confident he would win, accepted. The next day everyone gathered to watch them duel. The whole school heard the news about the duel." I snickered. Glad some things never change. My grandmother continued, ignoring my interruption.

"They both fought exceptionally. Neither holding back. Everyone thought your mother a fool for challenging him. They knew he was stronger than her and had more experience than her in a battle. Your mother knew that too." I waited for her to continue, when she didn't, I realised she was waiting for me and knew exactly what she wanted. She always loved telling a story. I sighed before asking:

"So what did she do?" I asked drily. She smiled brightly, oblivious or ignoring my tone.

"Your mother knew she couldn't beat him with brute strength, so she outsmarted him. Beating him fair and square." I couldn't help but feel proud at my mother. If what they told me about her was true, then no wonder she was the best warrior of her generation. I would have loved to get to know her. Tears brimmed my eyes, and this time I didn't blink them away.

"Everyone was astonished. They never thought your mother could beat him. Your mother took one look at your father's shocked face, and said: 'remember our deal,' and walked away. Your mother didn't tell me much about what happened after that, but I know your father kept true too his word. For awhile." She winked, making me laugh.

"Let me guess, my father found another way to talk to her?"

"Yes, he did. He would wait for to finish training and walk her home, and when it was her day off he would come get her and they would spend the day together. He wouldn't leave until she said yes and every time she came home, their was a goofy smile on her face she would always try to hide and a glint of excitement in her eyes. It went on for at least a few months, but anyone looking at your mother could see she was falling in love, and when those two were together, you could so clearly see the love between them. Your father's eyes would follow your mother around the room and when he looked at her, it was always so full of love. They completed each other fully and understood each other in ways no one else could. Of course it wasn't always perfect, they fought and over-reacted and got jealous, but they could always fix it. Nothing and no one could come between them. After three years of being together, he finally asked her to marry him."

"How old was she when she got married?" I asked softly, my voice rough from trying to control my emotions, but suddenly it didn't seem so important anymore. I wanted to cry so badly. The ache in my chest was growing with each passing moment.

"Your mother was 20 years old, and your father was 22 years old."

"She was so young," I couldn't keep the shock out of my voice. She was the same age as me when she met my father and three years older when she married him.

"Yes, but with them, age didn't matter. They only saw each other in the world, and as long as they had each other, nothing else mattered. But as the years went on, your father's best friend became King, and your father became his right hand man. They fought in wars together and became very famous two young men, but also very feared when it came to their enemies. Even when they were older, they were unstoppable. Your mother became the Guardian Core Leader-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. Did you just say, my mother became the guardian Core Leader?" But that would mean... "How is that possible? So what you're saying is the Leader before Cid, was my mother?" Her silence was my answer. I shot out of my chair.

"But she was the best warrior in history! They taught us about her. We all know the story about how she died!" Seven hells. All this time I was taught about my mother. All this time I wanted to know who she is, and she was right in front of me. But that doesn't make sense.

"She doesn't have the same surname as me." It wasn't a question.

"No, you took your mother's maiden name, Hathaway."

"But why?" Why didn't they want to know that I was the legendary Rose Kingston's daughter. Something about the name bugged me, though. It was like something on the back of my mind I had to remember, but couldn't.

"It was as your mother wanted it. But hush now, before you ask anymore questions," I shut my mouth, because I was on the verge of asking another one, "let me finish with the story. The King got married soon after and a son was born, not long after that. Then three years after that, your mother fell pregnant with you. Both of them was thrilled about you and loved you so much even though they never met you yet and then when you were born they were so excited about you. Words couldn't describe how much they loved you. They would have taken on the world for you, and then they would've given it to you on a silver platter filled with love. They always talked about the different things they would do for you and experience with you." Grandmother didn't say anything and I was grateful.

My body racked with sobs and it felt like I was choking on this sadness and regret. Regret for my parents and regret for me. They were so excited to welcome me into their world, but then they got wrenched away from me, before they even got the chance to get to know me.

My face was buried in my hands and I knew I was shaking. The couch dipped next to me and I was engulfed in a warm hug. I clung to my grandmother for dear life. We sat there for what felt like hours, but I knew it was only minutes. When I finally calmed down, my grandmother asked me softly:

"Do you want to stop for today?" I shook my head and sat up straight.

"No, I can't go to sleep not knowing everything. I'm alright now." I looked straight at my grandmother trying to seem strong. A small smile appeared on her lips, and I could see pride and something else flash in her eyes, but it was gone before I could annalize it. Then I was shocked to find tear stains on her face and I was immediately overcome by shame. I never realised that this might be just as hard for her as for me. To keep everything about my parents from me a secret, could've been the hardest thing she ever did. To never tell me how much my parents loved me, although I never questioned it, it still must've been hard for her to know the truth. Then a thought occurred, but why did she keep it a secret? What was the big deal? And how on earth could she have kept it a secret, surely the whole kingdom couldn't have kept it a secret? Surely they knew someone could've told me at any given moment. If my parents was so famous, how did they keep it from me for 17 years?

"Snow? Are you there?" I heard my grandmother's voice pulling me from my thoughts. She smoothed my hair back with a concern look on her face.

"I'm fine. Really." I added, when I saw the look she gave me, adding a smile to convince her, but it mustn't have look good, since she only shook her head before continuing.

"Before you were born, demons started appearing on Earth, nobody knew where they came from, but there was an old legend of a man seeking power to control the world,-" Of course it is. Isn't it always the case. A man seeks power to control the world, things go unexpected and totally wrong, a hero blasts his plan into oblivion, destroys the evil, crazy person and saves the world.

My grandmother continued, oblivious to my thoughts, "but evil seeks out evil and that led to him getting his powers, but at a grave cost. His soul. He was changed into something else entirely. From him, demons were born. And you know the rest. The king and your father knew this, they also knew they had to vanquish the threat before it becomes a real problem. They had everything planned out, two years after you were born, your father was to lead a few battalion of troops to deal with the threat. But the threat was far greater than anyone could imagine. From 2000 troops, only one survived. But only so that he could relay a message to the King." Mother. Above. My father killed. How is that possible?

"He was too strong for your father, with all his skills and powers, he still couldn't defeat the threats." I sat there for a second thinking how could she read my mind, but then I realised I had spoken out loud. I wiped my hands over my face.

"B-but how could he risk that? He had a wife and a child! He knew it could be dangerous!" I exclaimed.

"Yes," my grandmother nodded, " but he was a soldier first, and a husband and father second."

"But that doesn't make any sense! Family comes first. Always. I thought the King was his best friend. How could he send him on a suicide mission?" I cried, my father would still be alive if it weren't for him. I clenched my fist. The royals are all the same. They take what they need, then throw what's left to the wolfs. Then I felt my grandmothers hand close around myne, in a soft but firm grip.

"It is not the Kings fault. Your father said he was the only one who could destroy the demon leader. Everyone thought he could, including your father. The soldier who came back, told us that the demons overwhelmed them, but your father was extraordinary. He managed to get close, which no one else could do, since the demon leader's powers protected him. Your father almost killed him, but was tricked. One of the things the demon leader could do, was play tricks with your mind, using your greatest weakness against you. No one knew what your father saw, but everybody saw him hesitate and cry out in outrage. That's when the leader struck. Killing your father with a sword through the heart. Then that's when the army fell. Your mother was devastated. She was overcome by grief. The only thing that kept her going was you. You were her whole world, but revenge was always on the edge of her mind. Then a year later she got sent on a mission. It wasn't supposed to be dangerous. The King knew she had you to take care of. He viewed your mother as his sister, and felt he had to take care of her. Especially after your father's death. The King felt responsible and blamed himself. He still does. So he always made sure your mother would take the easy missions. But something went wrong. The demon leader knew about your mother, so he went out of his way to try and kill her. He didn't succeed though, your mother was able to get away, but barely. She suffered grave injuries. It was a miracle she made it back at all. In the hospital she told the King that he knows about you, and will try to kill you, since you are your father's daughter. He knew that you are a potential risk to him. That you might kill him one day. So she asked the King to take care of you. To hide you through any means necessary. And she asked me to see you one last time. She also asked me to raise you, and one day tell you that she loves you so much. And that whatever you do, or become one day, that she is proud of you. She asks for your forgiveness for not being there and for not raising you. She also asks to never hate your father. Everything he did was for you and your mother. She told me to tell you, that they love you both so much." My grandmother finished. It was silent for a long while. I had to process everything she said.

"So you're telling me, the reason you kept me in the dark, is because my mother asked you to?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"What do you mean, child?"

"How? I mean how did you do it? Surely the whole kingdom couldn't have just forgot about me?" Realization dawned in her eyes when she understood what I was asking.

"Well..." she said carefully, " they don't know you're alive anymore."

Wait. What?

"They... they think I'm dead?" I exclaimed, "but how is that even possible? I'm not dead."

"The King made some grand story about your death. Killed in a accident."

"An accident, seriously? And what? I'm just some girl you picked up from the street?"

"Yes." My grandmother answered without missing a beat. I waited for the punchline, but it never came. Then it dawned on me...

"You're serious." My jaw dropped to the ground for the second time that day. Which, considering what type of day it was, is quite an accomplishment.

"Yes and I am not kidding. So don't even ask. Everybody thinks I've adopted you. Since I've lost my whole family. Nobody questioned it. They think you are a girl who lost her family in a demon raid." I stood up, This is crazy. After everything this is the most absurd thing I have ever heard.

"But this whole time I told everyone that my mother was one of the best Guardian Core warriors. So either they must think I'm crazy or they feel sorry for some stupid, naive street girl, because she doesn't know any better!" I realised I was pacing and getting more worked up by the second.

"I realise that Snow, but Cid helped for a cover story, since your mother was her mentor, she wanted to help take care of you and that's how she helped. Nobody thinks your crazy. They know your nother was good, but they don't know who she really was. And we prepared for the future for when your powers emerge, we could explain that, without giving too much details away." I whirled on her.

"Yeah, and how did you think you could explain it?"

"Your father was a royal and that's where you got your powers from." I stared at her.

"And then? What then? Now that I know what happened to them, who they are, I can't even tell the world, because then they would think I'm crazy." I glared at her. Then I thought of something.

"Say, you never did tell me my father's name?" My grandmother blinked, before picking up her cup of tea, which is probably ice cold by now, sniffed it, set it down, then making eye contact. She did all this without blinking. Then she dropped the bomb.

"Your father, is Arthur Kingston."