The Princess and the Queen

The Queen's Skills are Off Point

Alethia froze with fear. She looked around the room, but there were no hiding places. She gripped the book, watching with growing fear as the Queen came closer and closer to her room until—

The Queen put her hand on the door and it burst open. She smiled evilly.

"Aha! Hiding here, are you?" She murmured something and a cage descended over Alethia.

Alethia was secretly glad that she still had the Crystal Book. Had the Queen really not noticed it? Man, her mother was so dumb sometimes. She covered it with her arms as best she could after snapping it shut.

The Queen muttered something again and the cage shrunk, along with Alethia and the book. It was strange looking up at her mother, who now towered over her.

The Queen ran back to her husband.

When she came back into the room, she looked more angry than gleeful. "Guess what I found?" She growled. "This!" The Queen grew the cage, and Alethia with it.

Alethia's father looked shocked. "My darling! How did you capture Alethia? Did you have a trip to Flowerland? And why?"

"No!" The Queen shrieked, her face reddening with uncontrollable rage. "I found her wandering around in the Three Caves! How did she get in there, do you know?!"

"No." Alethia's father frowned. "Wait a moment... " After a moment of thought, he smiled knowingly. "Aha! Your portal skills are off point!"

Alethia stifled a laugh.

The Queen turned crimson with embarrassment. "No! There must've been a mistake! Someone must've teleported her back! She's here now, and she wasn't before!!"

The Queen sighed with exasperation. "Jeez, this meddling girl is so annoying. Why was she here?"

The Queen looked at her. "But she won't be here for long!" She cackled and smiled evilly.

The Queen murmured something, still smiling, and the cage disappeared. With another flick of her hand, another portal appeared. It was green and yellow, and because she was a smart girl, Alethia knew she was going into Flowerland.

But before Alethia could do anything about it, the Queen grabbed Alethia by the arm. And again, she pushed Alethia into a portal, yelling "Buh-bye!", which was kind of weird.

Alethia didn't know what happened then. Maybe she didn't do a good job hiding the book. Maybe the Queen was wanting the Crystal Book, and just saw it. Maybe the book was just an easy thing to spot.

Nevertheless, at the last second, the Queen saw the Crystal Book. Her eyes widened, and for a moment... for a split second... for the tiniest amount of time... her face was eroded with fear and desperation. She made a lunge and screamed, "No!" The Queen made a wild grab for the book—

But Alethia was already gone.