Amelia Merlin

Part 108: From One Home to Another

At a long black table sat five people. Three of the four Monatheon's, Al, and Amelia.

"Right." Roderick smacked his hand down on the table, starting the meeting. "We've got things to sort out before our queen leaves in a few hours. Don!" He bellowed although his son was right next to him. "What's the first thing on our agenda?"

Don glowered at his father and said, "We are looking at which places to conquer first."

"Right. Any ideas people?" Roderick boomed.

"The eastern coast." Moira spoke up. "The Dellisandro family will help us."

Roderick shook his head, "Those fuckers always want something in return. Apologies for my language your grace."

Amelia nodded politely and Moira continued. "Fortunately for us, we have something they want. Marry Blaxton to their oldest daughter, Rose. That gives us a permanent tie to them and secures the East Coast without any bloodshed."

Roderick laughed. "Perfect!"

"The wedding has to be when the queen gets back." Al said. "So the Dellisandro's know who they fight for now."

Roderick nodded. "Don, send an owl to the Dellisandro's and invite them for a hunting party, we can suggest the marriage to Lord Dellisandro then."

Don rolled his eyes and left the room.

"What else did we have to sort out?" Roderick laughed.

"Arrangements for when I return in the summer." Amelia said.

The Lord of Castle Rock waved a hand aside, "No issue there. We will just have The Red Tree pick you up again and take you to the Eastern Coast instead of the North."

"The Eye will be joining you in the summer as well." Al said quietly. Amelia looked at him, he had mentioned this person before but never elaborated on them. She was curious to find out who exactly this person was.

"The Eye?" Moira said in a hushed voice. "You're sure?"

"Yes." Al nodded.

"Very well." it was the second time Amelia had seen Roderick be serious about something, the first was when he swore loyalty to her. "So The Red Tree will pick the queen up on the Foreign Shores and take her to Ortus Castle where the Dellisandro's live in the City of Re'na. The Eye will meet her there and the wedding between my son and Rose Dellisandro will take place. We will secure the Eastern Coast and from there move inwards towards the Gentle Woods."

"What do you think, your grace?" Al said, his eyes were completely unreadable and Amelia was strangely reminded of Jeremy for a moment.

"I think it's a good plan."

"I agree." The Lord of Stone Garden replied. Everyone nodded their heads and the room was dismissed. Sir Schwann escorted Amelia back to her tent on the outskirts of the city. Roderick had offered her a room in Castle Rock but she didn't want to be stuck in a building with the Monatheon's despite their generous loyalty to her. When she got back to the tent Oliver was passed out on her bed, his hair was damp with sweat and he was covered in mud. Apparently his training with Blaxton had been exhausting. She chose not to wake him until the very last minute when they had to leave.

"Oliver." she whispered and shook him. "It's time to go now."

"Mmmmm. No." he mumbled. Jeremy came in at that moment and rather aggressively shook him until he woke up. Then her brother lit up one of his purple cigarettes and walked out of the tent. Sir Schwann had already packed everything for them and it was time that he escorted the royal party back to The Red Tree. When they got on board Amelia went immediately to talk to the captain.

"Why is it called The Red Tree?" the question had been bothering her the entire trip and she decided she had to know.

The captain smiled, "It's made from arbutus wood. It's a special tree that only grows along the west coast and it has a red peeling bark that is very unique-"

"Yes I know the tree." she said with a brow furrowed. "My wand is made from the same wood."

The captain nodded and looked out to the sea, she got the impression the conversation was over so she went to go find Oliver. He was sitting on the bow with a small strange looking white flower, twirling in his hand.

"What's that?" she asked as she plopped down beside him.

"I found it growing out of the ship. Weird, it's like the whole boat is really alive." he smiled and offered the flower to her. "For you."

"Well thank you," she laughed lightly and tucked it into her hair. "How do I look?"

"Not hideous." he smiled.

Amelia laughed again. "That's the best I can hope for."

They sat and watched the birds flying over the ocean. They had a small rock throwing competition and Oliver tried pulling every rope on the boat to figure out what they did, which made the sailors very frustrated. It was only a few hours before they reached land and when they did Amelia felt very homesick for Kalishterya. Even though it had only been about a week there, and she had stayed with the Monatheon's, she still knew it was her home. She wanted to go back. She loved the great trees with little nests in them. She adored the enormous open fields with rushing winds that whipped her hair around. She missed the black stones of Stone Garden and the strange looking people who lived there. She yearned for Sir Schwann to follow her every move and stand so still sometimes she thought he had fallen asleep standing up. She even wished to see Don's pale hair and glowering eyes sitting across from her or Blaxton's agressive jawline barking out nonsense. Amelia wanted nothing more than to go back to her home.

But when Jeremy and Al dropped her off at King's Cross Station and she boarded the Hogwarts Express, she did feel happier. She had missed Lavender and Parvati and Fred most of all. She couldn't wait to tell Fred everything that had happened and to see his smile.

When the train stopped Amelia had a great sense that Hogwarts would feel different. She felt, what was the word, scared? Nervous? She didn't know.

"It's all going to be different isn't it?" She asked the dark haired boy next to her.

"Yes. But it's going to be okay."

"How can you be sure?"

"Trust me, darling." He adjusted the arbutus flower in her hair and smiled.

Amelia smiled back. "I do."