The Portal Soldiers

Chapter V

V

The Mean Girl

———

Amy walked down the streets of The Portland Goldens with Lance, as promised. The old and modern styles of houses and stores made them too distracted. On their way back to the castle — a path they've never used, something interesting caught their attentions. They saw a school and it's free for everyone whoever wants to learn something new about the Portland Goldens, its history, and its enemies.

"Let's enroll!" Lance said.

"I would like, too," Amy said.

"Come on," Lance said.

"Wait!" Amy said. "I need to ask permission from Mom first. Also, look at the sky. It must be late."

Lance looked up at the sky with objectivity. What he saw was a partly orange and darkly blue sky.

"Alright," Lance said. "It's late."

They ran back to the castle, probably annoying some people who are on the alleys, asking, "is there a commotion?" There are some people looking at Amy, finding her somehow identical to Queen Ellen. At the main gate of the castle, they found the guards in white of the palace too strict.

"Tell us your identity, kid."

"I am her daughter," Amy said. "Haven't my mother, the Queen told you?"

"How can you prove us?" the guard talked and stood steadily.

"Isn't my look enough?" Amy boringly asked back to the guard.

"The boy with you, the messy-haired boy, who are you?" the guard glared.

"I'm Lance. Smith is the surname. Why do you mind?" Lance answered.

The guards looked away from them. The only thing they did was to hold their spears tightly and put their guards up.

"Hey, please," Amy whispered. "Wouldn't you let us in?"

The guards ignored them and it pissed Amy off. Amy turned her back to the guards and faced Lance.

"I'm losing my patience," she mumbled. "Please don't let me lose it, Lance."

Lance can't do something. I don't even belong here, Lance thought.

"Let my daughter and the boy in, please," a voice same to Ellen's ordered.

Amy faced the gate again, with her braided hair swinging. Her mother was there, smiling at the two of them on the other side of the gate. The gate opened widely for them, as ordered by Queen Ellen. Lance and Amy entered the palace walls with their jaws hanging and their eyes roaming around the place. Amy looked at her Mom who was dressed in a long-sleeved gown, not too fancy like the ball gowns, just elegant enough for a queen.

"Mom," Amy started. "We've found a school! It's just somewhere near here. Can we enroll?"

"Yes. Of course. Don't worry about the payment. It's free," Ellen said.

"That's good . . . and fancy!" Lance exclaimed.

"Let's go tomorrow, will you let us, Mom?" Amy asked.

"I will let you tomorrow," Ellen smiled back as they walked down the main hall of the palace. "Now, you two, kids, get your clothes changed for dinner. See you at the dining room."

---

It took too long for tomorrow to come. The breakfast in bed was as good as heaven, over-satisfying for an average expectation of enormous kingdoms. On that day, Lance and Amy first so each other while the lunch is being served. After the lunch, they were finally allowed to run outside the palace walls to enroll.