The Chronicles of Guertanna: The Sword of Light and Shadow

Chapter XXVIII

It was around five-thirty. The sun was rising up, the warmth heating the city. In the Palace, Gulders and servants stayed wide awake the whole night, either helping the citizens or waiting for any news about the Empress. Rinna sent a telegram to her brother explaining the current reasons a lot of strange people came into the house. Erderik must know already the story, so she didn't need to worry. The agonizing hours were passing by, and all of them stayed expectant.

They were gathered in the Dining Room, all strained in ashes, smelling of burned plastic and dirty. There were no clean clothes, clean face or hands. They were all just spacing out, looking at the nowhere, holding their heads in their hands, arms on the table. No one could sleep even if they wanted to. Rinna had her elbows on the table, her head resting in both hands, her eyes looking at the nowhere. She wanted to think blank—to not think. Kenor was across her, wearing the same expression as her, with crossed arms and lying back on his chair.

Alice suddenly opened the door and all pairs of eyes in the room darted at her. She entered calmly without looking at anyone in particular. Her hands lay in the table, "She woke up..."

There was a choral sigh of relief. Rinna buried her face on her hands and rubbed it hard; it was too much time for such news. She kept her hands on her face, covering the sudden shiver of emotions hitting at her face. Kenor rubbed his face as well, irritated, followed by a sign of curiosity over what happened to her after she fell on his arms.

"How is she?" Marco was the only one daring to speak up.

Alice sighed, probably shaking off her worries too, "She is alright, but she isn't in a great humor today..."

"I guess we can understand..." Kenor commented, his eyes still locked up in the nowhere.

Rinna glanced up to him, then to Alice, and then to the rest of the Gulders. Inside, she felt no more desire but to see the Empress herself. She rose from her chair and walked out of the room, without being stopped by anyone. She walked through the hallways, passing the big ballroom and then to the door of Dia. The door was dark-wood made, with the seal of the flower that looked like a sun stamped in the center. It was made of pure gold, and it still shined with so small light. She looked at the door several seconds, debating in her mind what she would do once she was inside.

She swallowed hard and knocked the door gently. The door was slightly open, which she didn't notice, and the soft knock made it open even wider, growing a great desire to walk in. She slowly peeked inside, the light of the sunrise came through the large window illuminating the whole room. Rinna loved Dia's bedroom, it was filled with paper made birds and butterflies, the bed beneath tree's branches with leaves and flowers. The walls had all kind of drawings in them. There were plants and flowers in all furniture, and a fishbowl with a big golden fish that she just noticed.

She swallowed harder when she took a step forward, "Hello...?" She murmured, afraid to be rejected.

She found Dia, sitting at the edge of her bed, giving her back to Rinna and making something with her hands. The large window was opened, making the bedroom feel a little chilly. Dia didn't sign any awareness of Rinna's presence, but if it either pleased her or disliked her, she didn't say anything. Rinna watched carefully as her hands worked fast on something that looked like a piece of paper. Rinna's curiosity rose at the image.

Dia folded the paper with fast fingers, in the end just putting the small figure in her hand. It was a tiny bird. She did perfections in the peak and the head, folding then a little bit of the wings. She stopped moving for a moment and Rinna froze, but then she realized Dia was just admiring her creation. With one simple blow the golden dust flew away, elevating the paper bird. As the paper started floating, it expanded, grew in size and changed color. There was a small burst of light in it, and the paper bird was gone, replaced by a singing blue bird, moving its head everywhere.