The Matheneya Realm: Princess of Matheneya

Chapter 4: Justice

   "Dear?" Father called out to me as a young child.

    "Yes, Father."

    "Do you know why I have to go away?" He had asked me.

Since I was born, he's had me wrapped around his finger.

  "You must fight for our lands."  I told him in reply, "'Tis what a good king must do." I was naive and innocent. "Yes, May. Very good." 

"But why must we kill the people?" 

His face turned angered.

     He grabbed me by my two shoulders, crushing them as he pushed me to the nearest window by a stone carved mirror. I cried but stayed silent; I was used to such a treatment. I began to whimper in fear. "SHUSH, YOU!" I'd only cry harder until he pinned me to a wall. He brought me back to the window with an irritated look on his face.

     "Do you see them?" I glanced all around at the new child slaves. "Ye - yes." I stuttered, still weeping. "That, is justice. You see now?" If I said no, then I'd have a ruff week. I stayed silent, pitying the women and children. "MAY!" He screamed so loud that the people below us glanced for a moment.

    "May?" A voice called, "May?" Another repeats. My vision become white, then black and when I reopen my eyes, they're blurry. I blinked a few times before I gain back my vision.

   "May, are you okay?" I find myself looking straight at Dell's hands waving in front of my face. "Huh?" I dose off in my flashbacks, "What happened?" I cluelessly ask Dell and Rose. "You probably had another memory vision of some sort." Rose shrugs in guess.

   My bedroom door suddenly bursts open. Panting, Melony murmurs out of breath, "I stole some pastrys from the second pantry in the kitchen downstairs to the left." She takes a generously large breath, "Polly was chasing me like a chicken. I'm lucky I lost her!" We all laughed at this. Polly was another kitchen maid who was like a nurse to us. We'd have so much fun hiding from her as younger girls. Dell, Rose, and I would take turns carrying Melony and hiding with her while she was only just a baby.

    Since our parents were so busy, they forgot her birthday was today. It's better off that we leave it we all decided. They wouldn't bother anyway.

   Melony slowly walks to the couch by my bed across from Rose and me, sitting across from Dell, to sit by Dell. Rose awes in amazement with her eyes lit up in delight and excitement. "Which one has raspberry filling?" Dell asks Melony, still in a trance from her 'Yummy land' daydream. "It's...." Melony thought for a moment, "The tart with cheese cream frost." We all grabbed something from the white lace cloth napkin in Melony's hands. "Aren't you going to eat some?" I say to Melony while munching on my bite sized pumpkin pie. "No. I already had a few while I was running." I hear high heeled shoes on the floor outside. Clomp, Clomp. "That's Mother!" Mel (Melony) shrieks, "She's come to check on May! She'll find you two in here!"

     I quickly grab the empty napkin and toss it at Dell, who catches it. "Rose, pretend you're organizing the room!" I panic out, "Dell, go and dust something with that!" Mother would banish the girls from the castle if she ever knew that we were friends.

   Delicate, yet stricken knocks come from the door. Without a word, my mother lets herself inside before I could say a thing. "Hmph." She snorts rudely, "Hello girls." She said 'girls' with a grudge and hesitation. She suspiciously glared at Dell and Rose who were pretend cleaning. She knew something  was going on. I felt it in my stomach. She didn't want to name it now without evidence. "Melony, come with me darling." I knew that she wasn't in trouble. Polly would never tell on us. She loves us. Mel obeyed Mother like a dog. 

    I felt something bad. You'd be able to tell something was off just looking at my mother's mysterious eyes. I didn't like the fact that Mel would have to leave without me.

Half an Hour Later:

    Mel walks into the room like a zombie - with no emotion. Melony is a happy, joyful girl. She had lighter colored eyes and no facial expression. Her color seemed to be drained out. We all stared at her in curiosity, frozen still. 

"Melony?" 

Murmurs back. 

The sky outside goes black. The candles go out. A green light next to Melony flashes and flares and flickered like a fire.