Royalty

Five

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The night air was cool and refreshing as it rushed past. My hair had long since come out of its styled up do, and was now whipping behind me as I ran.

There was a festival of some sort going on in the village. Cheerful music played through the air as colorful lights sparkled against the dark sky. I didn't stop to explore. I had one thing on my mind and one thing only.

There was definitely a mystery behind those rocks and I was going to find out what it was. I slowed my run down to a walk.

I felt like a ghost as I approached the woods. My gown flowing eerily in the breeze. My light skin reflected by the moonlight.

I walked as if in a dream, passing through the trees silently. The stars peered through the foliage, twinkling in and out of sight as I walked. The music from the village was faint now, the lights just a soft glow.

Finally I arrived at my destination. The rocks looked majestic in the moonlight, towering over me like silent guardians.

I walked into the center of the ring of rocks, turning a full circle. The rocks looked identical. I kept turning, staring up at the rocks that must have been six feet taller than me at least.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, a very small voice in my head said. My
father would be worried. They would be expecting me back soon. I turned to head back, only realizing then that I had know idea from which direction I had come.

The lights from the festival had disappeared and no music wafted from the nearby village. I peered around the rocks, looking for anything that looked familiar. Nothing. It was dark in the forest beyond and the trees all looked the same.

I turned to the rocks. One of these had to look familiar. I had passed between these two...no these two...

Suddenly something caught my eye. A glint of something in the moonlight. It was the first time I had noticed it. Etched into the stone of each boulder was an image of a flower, a different type on each one. I found the one with an Iris. My kingdom's flower.

Looking around I noticed in total there were twelve rocks. That's when I made the connection. There were eleven kingdoms surrounding our own. Each Kingdom was named after the flower that grew mainly in their domain. Our kingdom was the Iris.

I realized that all the flowers etched into the rock represented one of the kingdoms. I looked back the rock that held the Iris, tracing my fingers along the petals. I traced the entire image, ending at the tip of a leaf.

Instantly, a shudder ran through the ground. I gasped jumping away from the rock.

I could hear a series of clicks from within the rock, as if there were gears turning inside. Was it magic?

My heart was hammering inside my chest. What had I done?

I jumped when the rocks behind me shifted. Whipping around I saw that the ground in the middle of the ring of rocks was moving, spiraling downward, the grass unwinding into a spiraling ramp.

I leapt out of the circle, watching in amazement as golden light shone upwards from below. What was once the solid ground had turned into stone steps, leading down to what ever lie below.

My breathing was shallow, however my fear was quickly turning into excitement.

My mind raced at thought at what was down there. Theory after theory popped into my head,
then vanished just as quickly as it had come. Each one more exciting than the first. And then a twinge of anxiousness.

What if something terrible was down there? What if there was a devilish monster just waiting for me to descend so it could have me for dinner?

I shook these dark thoughts from my mind. These rocks have the engravings of all twelve kingdoms. Why would there be a satanic creature down there?

My curiosity was growing stronger by the minute. I desperately wanted to see what was down there.

After attempting to peer past the stairs to see what lay below, and failing miserably, I made my decision.

Picking up my skirt, I took one tentative step on to the winding staircase. To my surprise it was solid stone. The grass that had once covered it had simply vanished. I took a deep breath before beginning my descent.

Using the stone wall as support, I made my way carefully down the steps, trying to avoid stepping on my skirt. Falling down these stairs would not end very well.

Finally, I arrived at the bottom. The sight before me all but took my breath away.

I had descended into what looked like an enormous boat house. There were large pillars, stretching all the way to an ornately decorated ceiling. My footsteps echoed across the hall-like structure as I walked across the marble floors.

I saw a small set of stairs leading between two pillars out onto a little dock. A sleek golden rowboat was tied to it, bobbing gently in the waves of an enormous lake. It glinted in the moonlight as the waves lapped up against the side of the dock.

I crossed the bridge, admiring the sparkling water below my feet as it flowed softly underneath the dock.

Stepping gingerly into the boat, attempting to steady myself with the edge of the dock. The boat rocked gently as I tried regaining my balance and took a seat towards the front.

Now that I was settled in the boat, I looked around from oars or some sort of paddle. Nothing. Well what's the point of a boat if you can't go anywhere in it? I was about to crawl back out when it began to move on its in own.

It startled me so much I fell backwards back into the boat with an unladylike grunt. My lower back throbbed where I had crashed into the bottom of the vessel.

"Ow." I grumbled under my breath, sitting up and rubbing my sore back.

The boat hardly made a ripple as it glided across the calm lake. Looking across the lake for the first time, I spotted what looked like a glimmering castle in the distance. The lights in the windows seemed to shimmer and flicker in the distance, as if they were lit by hundreds of little candles.

It loomed over me as the boat neared the shore. It was an enormous castle, turrets rising up, twinkling against the dark sky. Round towers of different heights spiraled up giving the castle an impressive demeanor.

After I had finished gawking up at the magnificent fortress, my nerves began to settle in. There was no doubt that someone was inside. Had they been waiting for me? Were they trustworthy?

The boat came to a rather unceremonious stop. Catching me by surprise, I was thrown forward slightly, landing on all fours. I really did not like this boat. Eager to get off I stepped out of the boat and on to the sandy shore. The soothing sound of the waves washing onto the beach calmed me a little.

Should I go in? There was a grand staircase leading up to the massive main doors. They were intimidating to say the least. I could go back. I should go back. My father. Edmund. I had left without a word. They must be worried. Edmund seemed genuinely concerned. He wouldn't be such a bad husband would he? We talked only once but he was polite enough, rather charming too.

I should return. Apologize for leaving. It wouldn't be so bad.

But I'd discovered this magical alternative universe. It seemed silly to leave without exploring. I only just got here. It wouldn't hurt to explore a little would it? I took a deep breath, then started up the large stairs.

Approaching the doors, I tried to ignore the warning bells going off in my head. This is a bad idea. This could be dangerous. What if there's a grown man living here? I'm about as vulnerable as I can be. This could end badly.

Arriving at the doors I shook my head, ridding myself of any thought. I would be fine.

I mustered up all my courage.

Then I knocked.

To be continued...