The Monocle's Eye

Chapter 6

 I came to alone in the room, laying flat out on my back. For a moment sleep seemed to rob me of remembrance, and I spent a moment or two simply staring at the walls with a calm unfarmilliarness. Then it all came back to me and I lifted my right arm to my face to see it. To my amazement it was as though I had never lost it, the soft white skin was exactly as it had been before that dreadful incident, so much so it took me a minute to discern that I was neither dreaming nor hallucinating. There was no mark at the shoulder, no difference in it, and it moved beautifully with that mundane comfort I had so long ago lost.

I heard the door creak open and the Silver twins walked in balancing a plate of bunt cake and strawberries between them. "Thank you," I said, almost crying now, I rushed up and hugged them both, "Thank you so much." It was all I could do to restrain my tears, and I could feel their discomfort so I went to eat the cake. They seemed taken aback by my thanks. "How can I possibly repay you for this?" I asked, and they stood silently.

"There is no need," they replied finally, "We did nothing out of ordinary."

"Nothing out of ordinary?" I exclaimed, "You've returned me my arm, the one thing I though for sure I would never get back. If that is not extraordinary and worthy of great thanks I don't know what the people of this kingdom consider is." I replied, but they stayed silent. Once I had eating the cake we heard from the parlor six strikes of the bell, and began out of the room. I made a note to ask the golden twins what the bell strikes meant next time I saw them. I realized then I had been redressed into my pajamas again, but decided that it seemed the norm about the place to be redressed by others, so I made no complaint.

Although I had originally thought it morning, I recognized now when I saw the window that it was actually late afternoon, and the sun was just beginning to set over the mountainous horizon. I followed the Silver twins to the Princess, who sat on the couch reading letters, she looked up expectingly as we approached. She examined my new hand and tossed it away, before reaching out to ring the bell three times. Through the servant door leaped Ebony, like an ashen tiger. She cleared furniture with giant leaps and landed at my feet, before dropping to the floor and rolling around quite like a kitten. "Ebony," The Princess said, fully ignoring the excited display of affection from the giant cat. "Fill in Sapphire on all she needs to know, and let her ask the questions, don't just talk over her like you usually do."

At this the cat began to transfer back, and ended up in a heap of silky black hair on the floor. "but she clearly isn't human, what should she want to know?" She asked, her voice racing in it's high and playful tones like a locomotive.

"She was raised by the human world and her mother neglected to tell her anything of use, she knows nothing. " Master replied, "Oh, and I want her back by one." glancing at Ebony as she sat crisscrossed on the floor, rocking back and forth. She shot up like a rocket and pulled me off by my arm, back into the servants hallway. She practically threw me onto her bed, narrowly missing Diamond who sat there reading a book. Their room was double the size of mine, as it inhabited two, and had a host of things I supposed they had added, as I doubted the Princess was the one who commissioned the large purple stuffed dragon in the corner, or the large collection of books on the shelf.

She plopped herself down half on, half next to Diamond and announced cheerfully, "Ask away, we hardly ever have guests." Diamond seemed wholly unaffected by the whole sinario, and continued reading as if nothing had happened, only pausing to wrap his arm around Ebony's waist in order to turn the page of her book. I supposed I'de start with what was in front of me.

"Are you too dating?" I asked, wondering if I was too forward.

"Married," Ebony almost sang, grabbing Diamond's hand before he could protest and displaying the matching rings. I say they were matching, because in shape they were, but in color, Diamond's was white silver with a diamond, while Ebony's was pitch black with an identical black jewel. I hadn't noticed the ring before among the host of others that adorn their fingers.