The Dandelion System

Chapter 33

I went to the castle often after that. Sometimes to talk to Otto inside the tower. Sometimes to ask if Princess Oda was fine.

One day when it snowed lightly again I couldn't find Otto. No one knew where he went. But I knew. It wasn't Otto, but I knew where he went.

I trudged around in the forest until I found him at the fountain.

"Oscar," I called out to him. He turned slowly, snowflakes landing on him, his eyes landing on me.

"Karlina."

"What are you doing?"

He turned his head up to the sky.

"I was thinking about things."

"What were you thinking of?"

"The Queen. The Kingdom. Otto. Oda. You." I smiled.

"Oda is busy as the new Queen," I told him. "She's going to be the third female to ever rule in Taraxac, and the second youngest to rule. It took a long time for the King's advisors to decide on it, but eventually they did because she has so many supporters."

"I always thought she was more suited for the throne than Otto or me," Oscar said. "She's stronger than us."

"Maybe. But she is scared too, although you wouldn't be able to tell. She always wears a mask so people can depend on her, and she supports them in return." He nodded.

"How are things between her and the Queen?"

"She hasn't went even once to see her mother."

"I see." He didn't sound surprised. "Is the King any better?"

"No, but everyone is sure Oda is replacing him permanently, not temporarily. It will be hard for the King to rule even if he recovers now because all the secrets have been revealed to the public."

"Oh." Oscar's face still didn't show any emotions. I wondered what he is thinking of.

"Oda has made plans," I continued, "for Otto to finally leave Taraxac, this place with bad memories. He's going to a village in the south, where the kingdom is less oppressive, under a new identity. I doubt he will be coming back."

"That's good," Oscar said, and started to walk. He turned back to see if I'm following. I laughed. Royals sure had something for having people follow them

"It is. It's really good." I had to force the next words to come out. "Oda wants me to go with him."

Oscar didn't reply immediately. I only heard the snow pressing under our boots, making a sound akin to that of something breaking very softly.

"That's good too."

The blizzard inside me grew. I tried very hard to keep the smile on my face.

"Yes, it is."

I didn't know where we were going, but I continued to follow him. Trees covered with snow passed by us, and the ground was perfectly smooth and white. It's like we were in the fountain, on the frozen water.

"It's a beautiful world, isn't it?" I asked. "I never realized how beautiful this world is."

"Me either." He stopped, and turned to me. "I never realized until the very end."

His calm voice and steady eyes and the silence and stillness surrounding us scared me. It scared me so much, even more than when I was in the same room as a murderer. Is was a different kind of fear, an expected and unavoidable fear.

"Oscar?"

"When I was small I hated the snow." With each word he said, white clouds escaped from between his lips. "I remember once when I got lost in this forest during winter. That time the trees seemed so big and scary. The snow was so thick and cold. I couldn't walk, and I didn't know where to go, and there was only silence—my voice couldn't reach anyone. I was so afraid."