Dark Kingdom

Stories

I wake up to Edie scowling at me, sitting on the edge of my bed.

I groan. "How long was I out for?"

"Maybe an hour." Edie replies, still looking at me with a sour expression.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I ask.

"Probably because of the bag she found." Ivana says from the door. Huh, I hadn't even noticed her there.

"If you can call it that, more of a sheet really." Ivana continues.

"Care to explain?" Ender asks me.

"I heard a guard's family wasn't being fed, I planned on sneaking him some food. Apparently, he isn't paid enough, isn't that horrible?" I ask.

Edie surprisingly softens, Ivanna does not.

"Don't be fooled, you forget her mother taught her how to survive in court. That includes lying." Ivanna says with a slight smile.

 I gasp. "I would never."

"You're the nicest and sweetest person ever but yes you do. Not often but you do." Ivanna argues.

I huff, looking away from them.

"Now care to explain what's really going on?" Ivanna asks.

"Since when have you and Edie switched roles?"

Ivanna doesn't respond and just stares at me instead.

"Fine." I concede. "I planned on going to see if I could find the trolls body.

"Are you insane?" Edie burst out. "The whole guard would have been forced to look for you. There's no way you wouldn't have been caught."

"That was kind of my plan." I scuff.

"Now you lost me..." Eddie confesses.

"I planned on them finding me with the troll and then explain what had happened. They couldn't say we were lying then."

Ivanna looks semi impressed.

"Except you've never been in the forest before, don't know how to navigate and would have died that was a genius plan." Ivanna tells me.

"Yes, I realize that."

"The troll's body is probably gone by now as well." Ender tells me.

"How do you figure?" I ask.

"The guardian and other mystical creatures wouldn't have just left him. I'm sure they had a burial."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" I ask.

"Oh, now you're including us?" Edie asks.

"Okay I get it, I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"It better not." Ender tells me, getting up from my bed. I move to follow but she stops me.

"Get some rest, it looks like you need it."

"I'm fine." I tell her.

"If you were fine, you wouldn't have fallen. I'll have a servant bring you some soup."

"I don't want to be coddled." I hiss, which is very unlike me, and I feel bad. Edie on her part though doesn't even blink.

"Good thing I'm not coddling you then, just telling you to get your rest if we're going to go on an adventure in the woods."

"What?" I ask incredulous. "You said..."

"That I don't think the troll will be there anymore, but you never know. Push comes to shove we might find a couple of clues."

"On what exactly, there's no way we'll be able to figure out who did it." Ivana says with a scuff.

Edie shrugs. "Regardless I think Miriam really wants to do this."

"Why?" Ivana asks me.

"I never do anything. For once I'd like to go and do something stupid and crazy and maybe even adventurous. My mother used to read me stories of adventurous knights venturing off on a quest. Sometimes though she would change it to a princess, or a common girl and they would always face more grotesque and horrible things, but they always came out stronger. Even stronger than the knight."

They're silent for a moment. Then finally Ender speaks, looking at Ivanna when she says it.

"Sounds like Miriam's mom was a rebellious and tough woman...Queen I mean."

Ivanna nods, getting a distant look in her eyes. "To bad my mom never told me stories like that."

"Were you told any?" Edie questions.

"Sort of."

"What's sort of, you either were or you weren't."

"I was but they were about blushing brides and getting married."

Edie gets a disgusted look on her face. "At what age?"

"Six, apparently you're never to young to learn the importance of marriage. What about you?"

"Fairies who trick mortals."

"I wonder which one is scarier?" Ivanna jokes.

"Probably both." Ender replies.

I lay back down, drifting to sleep to the sound of their voices. When I wake again, they are not there and I almost think I see my father standing at the threshold of the room, where Ivanna had been but that can't be right and I'm so tired I can't even keep my eyes open to figure out if it's part of a dream.