The Heart of King Travis

A Great Mistake

I froze with my hands over my mouth. Some people would take actions in moments of panic, but I was always one to shut down. I imagined my thoughts as little bubbles in my head. There was Noah, Avery, Mika, my aunt Tremaine, and the parents I never knew. Those all took up a lot of space in my head, but a new thought bubble covered up the rest. Someone would find the heart and deem me as a traitor to King Travis. I would be killed along with Spencer, Tremaine, and Vince. The king would NOT put it back in and the kingdom would continue to run in shambles for the duration of Travis's rule.

I let out a small breath and tried my best to squeeze into a tiny ball. A sort of weight grew in my stomach and it felt as if I started to turn invisible. My face sunk into my cobalt gown and I let out quick and uneasy breaths. My fear of what was to come next took full force, and I began to slip into a moment of hysteria. Without even thinking, I tore the frilly dresses down from the racks in my closet and threw expensive shoes everywhere. I ripped off my silver necklace and slammed it into the ground. The dark wood was cool on my fingers as I pressed it down.

Before I could do anything else, there was a tap on my door. For a second it seemed like something fell, but then there was another tap. Slowly, I rose up and gained my balance. Clothes and jewelry littered the floor and there was a little mark from where the silver necklace was slammed down. I quietly treaded over to the closet door and opened it very slowly. There was a figure on my bed. A small scream blast through my throat and I jumped back into the closet. Nothing happened for about five seconds, and then there was a small laugh. It was quiet, but clear.

"Arden, it's just me. Spencer," a voice whispered. Spencer. He would be so mad. "How did you get inside?" I asked, suddenly wanting the person to prove that they were Spencer. I obviously wasn't thinking clearly after the missing heart. "I used a spell to teleport myself here. There was a map of the castle and where everyone was staying, so I knew where to find you. Do you have the heart?" It was him. I opened the door once more and looked at him. He was sitting on the edge of my bed staring right at me. His whole look was put together and his hair was combed straight back. In his right hand, he clutched the little bag that had caused me so much trouble. "Because I do," he whispered with a frown.

A deep sigh of relief came through me and I felt my shoulders relax. In an instant, I was back to normal. "Thank god!" I exclaimed. "Why did you take it out of the box? You scared me," Spencer responded. I looked at him in confusion. I hadn't touched the heart since my arrival at the palace. "I...I didn't move it," I stuttered, suddenly reaching another moment of shock. Spencer quickly jumped up and dashed over to the door. He opened it with the quiet quickness of a mouse and glanced outside. No one was there. He shut the door and turned back to me with wide eyes. "You must have moved it. No one else knew about it besides me, and I didn't move it until I retrieved it from some chess room on this level."

"I didn't go into any of the chess rooms. I mean, I guess I peeked in some, but I didn't step inside of them," I whispered. He looked absolutely bewildered. "Did you tell anyone about it?" he asked. I shook my head. He looked back at the door, although nothing was there. "Someone must have gone through your things," he concluded. "Maybe you could ask some of the staff members about it. If they've seen it, you could offer some sort of explanation and try to make it seem less suspicious. Lots of people use hearts for magical purposes in Harmelshire and the whole kingdom of Pleamonte." I nodded. He was right, but I still felt uneasy.

"I could talk if anyone asked about it, but I would seem a bit odd if I just went around asking everyone about going through my things. If it was in a chess room, whoever brought it there must have had little care for it." Spencer shrugged. "That's fine. I trust you. Just stay safe," he replied with a hint of worry in his voice. Another question popped into my head. "Why are you here? I thought you were supposed to be in the cave with Arialis." That prompted him to shake his head and give a sort of know-it-all snort.

"I told Tremaine that I was going on a business school field trip for a while so she wouldn't come looking for me. I don't think you expect me to sit in a cave all day," he said. We both laughed at the same time and I began to see him as a brother. He was distant and stone cold before, but in that moment I realized he was just having a hard time in a bad situation. He smiled to himself for a moment before his eyes darted back up to me. "I think it's time to go. You'll probably be wanted downstairs soon," he said cheerfully. I raised my hand at him in a sort of goodbye and he waved his arm to produce a golden dust. It encircled him before he disappeared into the fresh evening air. The emptiness of the space where he had been standing struck me in a way that made me truly think about what I was up for. I had to return Travis's heart.

With that in mind, I picked up the little velvet bag and scoped the room for a place to hide it. The nightstand and bed were both places that would be disturbed by servants and the closet would no doubt be cleaned by countless pesky people. My eyes quickly caught a loose floor board and I walked over to it and knelt down. With a gentle tug, I pulled it up and realized there was a decently sized space that would hold the heart. Servants didn't clean under floors, did they?

With a small smile, I tucked the bag in and put the floor board down. It looked to be the only loose one, so it would be visible to people who went through my space. I pushed it lightly a couple of times to try to make it blend in, but it wouldn't budge. I even tried sitting on it, but it was quite the stiff little thing. No one looked at floor boards, so maybe it wasn't anything to ponder over. I let out a sigh. It was time to leave it alone.

Right before I could get up, there was a knock on the door. That was when I remembered Avery Morgan, the girl he killed, and the fact that I ran away from him. He was back.

With the quickness of a dragon's claw, I swiped the shade off of my bedside lamp and picked up the sturdy base. My fingers turned white as I clenched it and my breaths grew heavy once more. His magic was enough to beat me (and most other people), so I had to be quick. If he was there, which he probably was, I had to knock him out with the lamp base before he could even ponder a brief thought. If it wasn't him, then too bad. Better safe than sorry.

I tip toed up to the door and then swung it open with all of my might. I paid no attention to the figure, swiping the lamp base at its head. The person reached their hand up to block my blow and darted back. That was when I noticed his red hair, tall figure, and handsome face. It was Noah.

He looked like a startled deer with his wide eyes and frigid posture. I looked like a scared little girl with my disheveled hair, rumpled dress, and lack of shoes. We were shocked for a moment before anyone even bothered to try to make sense of the situation. "Um...are you OK?" Noah asked hesitantly. He smiled like he was talking to an insane person, and I was immediately embarrassed. I let out an awkward laugh and held the lamp base to my side like it was some fancy clutch. My other hand was used to run across my hair in a failed attempt to make myself look somewhat presentable. "Um...yes," I mumbled, unsure of what his reaction would be. Unfortunately, he seemed annoyed.

"That was hilarious. Were you just going to hit the next person to show up, or were you aiming for me? Or are you just insane?" I tried come up with a lie to play it off, but random noises came out of my mouth and I sounded like a wild monkey. "Can you speak now, or are you just REALLY crazy?" he asked. Finally, I came up with a lie. "I'm just a bit uncomfortable. Everyone here just seems so...hostile," I said with a false confident tone. He glared at me. "I think you're the one to worry about."

My mouth gaped open and I just stared at him in awe. I screwed up, I really did. His face was stern, but it became soft after a moment. Before I could even think, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me. My eyes were wide open in shock when I pulled away as quickly as I could. Don't get me wrong...I always wanted to kiss him. It's just that I was hoping the moment would be more planned and I would actually be on a date with him. His motives were unknown, but they made me nervous. Very nervous. In fact, he had no right to do that. Suddenly, I got very angry.

"Do you think you have the RIGHT to kiss me out of nowhere? Do you think that's some sort of apology for being mad at me? You treated me like garbage before you kissed me and I just can't get over your sense of entitlement!"

That was the moment when I saw Noah freeze. He was surprised at my outburst, but it was an outburst that had to happen. He wasn't going to treat me like that.