The Hands of Fate

Chapter 22

Farah had hid the ring, hanging it on the silver lining of her necklace so that, like the necklace, it couldn't be seen. The maid had placed the necklace on the inside of her maids attire, now with the ring hanging from it also. Although she had to admit, this was a risky move, she still did so, as the necklace gave her a feeling of somewhat peace and contentment. So, she kept the necklace and ring where they were, unseen so no one would suspect a thing. Of course her fellow maids never asked about it, as the maids were either nipping her about her relationship with Caspian or saying nothing to her, as she was finally being spoken to again after her punishments were fulfilled; but it was also because the pendant was invisible to them.

Though all seemed well and good, there was trouble yet to come, as Amara was as angry as ever at Farah after seeing Caspian hand the maid the ring. She had immediately began plotting, trying to find ways to get the maid out of the palace, though it somehow seemed that after the punishment Farah was acting almost better than usual. She seemingly even stayed away from Caspian, but that wouldn't stop Amara, nothing would. Amara had always been somewhat jealous of Farah, as it seemed that the maid had already taken over Caspian's heart even before he met the Princess. Even though Amara would never admit it, she felt that Farah was better than her somehow. And the only way to solve a problem such as that was to get rid of her; but she couldn't kill her, as Caspian would catch on quickly, and not only that; but also because she was no murderer, for she was a princess for God's sake.

So, after a few days of pacing and thinking, she concluded on what was to be done with Farah.

Amara had been meeting secretly with a "sorcerer" that was from out of the kingdom for a while now. In reality, she had summoned him to work for her, desperate to find ways to get rid of the maid. He was a young, handsome, and powerful man who knew just how to help Amara with her problems. She hated to admit it, but she was beginning to develop feelings for the heartless man, as he always seemed eager to ensue chaos in Allenia, all while helping her. He was the one who made the ring for Caspian.

His name, was Alatar. He claimed to be even more powerful than the wizard of Allenia, whom, according to Alatar, went by the name of Strizor. Even at the beginning, Amara knew that she could trust Alatar, unlike Strizor, who would try and stop her from banishing Farah from the lands. She just wanted Farah out of the picture, was that too much to ask?

So, when Amara went to Alatar to tell him of her wishes, he obliged, telling her what she was to do to make sure that Farah left for good. Amara had smiled cruelly, agreeing almost instantly. She decided she wanted to fulfill this act as soon as possible, and so, that night she had one of the maids tell Farah that she was wanted down in the gardens to meet with Caspian. Amara knew that it would take some convincing, since Farah knew Caspian oh so well. She made sure that the maid made it sound very appealing to Farah, as if it were something Caspian would actually say; but sadly, he hadn't said that, as he was asleep in his bed and wouldn't be meeting with the maid until she was in the royal hall where she was going to leave Allenia forever.

Before Farah entered the gardens, Amara set down a glittering golden ring, which bore markings and symbols along with diamonds and other jewels. She made sure that it was seen, but not too seen, so that Farah would think someone dropped it when trying to flee with it. The Princess then crept off, going to find the royal guards.

Farah soon entered the garden, wearily. She had no idea as to why Caspian wanted her here so early in the morning, as the sun wasn't even beaming down upon the lands yet. Farah rubbed her eyes, yawning, then deciding to go further into the garden to try and find Caspian to get this meeting over with. She knew deep down that something was wrong, but ignored the feeling as she was too groggy to pay attention to her senses. The maid made sure that her steps were soft and quiet as her bare feet touched the silky smooth grass. Her hair was up in a messy bun as it always was at night so that it wouldn't get ruined with her tossing and turning in the bed. She had decided to put on her maids outfit so that if she was indeed caught, she wouldn't be wearing her sleeping garments, which only consisted of a large white 'dress' that was really just an over sized blouse.