The Scarlet Scepter

Chapter Three (Revised)

I wanted to scream again, bump my head into the tree, and throttle that rude man. But instead I stood there, open-mouthed, looking at them.

The rude man spread his hands. "Well, do you want the horses to tell you yourself that we have to go?" The horses whinnied as if they were agreeing with him.

Cepheus smiled at me and without another word, took off his coat and put it on my shoulders. He helped me mount the horse, and then sat behind me. Mr. Rude mounted the other one. And we rode through the chilly night air.

I felt guilty, because Cepheus was riding wearing a tunic. He must have noticed that I kept glancing at him.

"Don't worry about me, Princess. I'll be fine," he said.

It was Mr. Rude's fault anyway. He was riding ahead of us, but he looked really handsome, with the wind blowing off his face. Well, except that he was ill-mannered. If he hadn't poured water on me, Cepheus wouldn't have done this.

We reached the end of the woods, and there were still trees everywhere, but they were smaller and more scattered. We rode in silence as I took in the fact that I really am here. But how did I get here?

Cepheus turned to look at me. "We're almost there, Princess."

"There? Where—" We were riding towards a magnificent structure that I've only seen in movies – a palace. A fairytale palace. "You've gotta be kidding me."

We entered gates, and in the light of the torches, busy soldiers in full armor made way, giving us curious looks. I kept my head down, even when I dismounted.

Annaliese. It's gonna be alright.

I stayed close to Cepheus while trying to match his pace, trying to make sense of what I was seeing, and when another set of doors opened, I had the urge to slap myself again.

The floor was made of marble, and the walls made of gold. My head was spinning from what I was seeing. They led me through the halls of the palace, and I kept my mouth shut. We finally stopped at a huge door, and Cepheus bowed. The other bowed also, though I can see him smirking at me. The men at the entrance opened the door, and the lights blinded me. There was a huge aperture at the ceiling, letting the moonlight in, lighting up the whole room and giving it an ethereal atmosphere. The floor was made up of precious stones, and the moonbeams caused it to glisten. There were twelve thrones, arranged in a semicircle, with the biggest three in the middle. Engraved in the floor was an emblem of a blue lion.

A man stood in the center of the large room. He turned around and smiled. I rubbed my eyes.

"Thank heavens you're safe, Annaliese. I was so worried about you. The whole palace was worried about you," he said in a familiar voice.

My eyes were filling with tears. The man had light sandy brown hair that fell in waves, eyes that seemed to have seen everything and a smile that warmed me down to my toes.

If this is a dream, then I must be talking to my father.

My father look-alike was dressed in royal clothing, with a golden crown at the top of his head. After wrapping me in a warm embrace, he sat down on one of the big thrones and motioned for me to sit beside him. I wondered what I must have looked like, gawking open-mouthed. I tried to curtsy, and then realized I was still in my nightgown! Luckily I was wearing Cepheus's coat. He was studying me with those brown eyes my father had, and I awkwardly sat next to him. He took my hands in his.