StarFall (Completed)

Ch. 31 - On traveler's wind

We huddled close in the darkness as the nameless queen--witch--stood proudly before us, my captive self beside her. The vortex ceased as did the chiming, as silence filled the circle. 

"You've come far, child."

I wanted to scream, spit, cuss. But, I held my tongue. "Yes. Yes I have." I looked to Miller close behind me. "We have."

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, of course. Let's not forget your prince." She lifted her hand towards Miller. "It's always good to bring some light with you when venturing into the dark."

He gulped down hard and waved.

I pushed his arm down. "Don't wave at her." I whispered.

"Well what am I supposed to do, not wave at the big scary queen?" He whispered.

I eyed myself next to her. "Look, we figured it out. We solved your little riddle, so please just let me go..I mean...that me...I mean us?" I groaned.

The queen laughed softly. "All in due time child."

I crossed my arms. "We don't have time. You've made that very clear." My words snapped gently at her but with a quiet force.

She hushed me. "Mind that tongue of yours, girl." Her voice bellowed. "We have time if I say we have time."

My arms fell to my sides as I swallowed the nerves building up in my throat. "W-what do you want from us then? What do we still need to do?" I tried not to look her in the eye.

She grinned. "Speak with me. Tell me of your exploits, your adventure in getting to me."

My eyes grew wide as I tried not to vomit the words I wanted to say at her. "Adventure?"

"Yes. I'm sure it was quite the adventure, wasn't it?"

I balled up my fist and squeezed until the rage subsided. "Yes...it was something, that's for sure."

Miller touched his hand to my shoulder, calming me. "It's okay. Just bear it a little longer." He smiled softly at me.

"Yes, child. Listen to your prince." Her grin devoured her face. 

I breathed in deeply and exhaled. "You want to know how our adventure was? Okay. I'll fill you in, although I'm sure you already know." I stepped forward a little. "We were chased by monsters, hell, some of us became them. We faced death more times than I'd want to count, we damn near lost our minds, some of us maybe even did." I stepped forward again, my head lifted. "But we made it. We're still here. We won." I couldn't help but let a grin seep through. "Now end this so we can go home."

Miller moved next to me and steadied me. I felt as if I would fall at any moment.

She stepped forward, standing before the crystal structure on the podium. "You want the end, do you?" Her hands waved over the crystal as lights pooled around inside, shining bright. "Then, go on. Tell me the answer you found."

We looked to one another. "Well--"

"Come closer, child." With her finger outstretched she motioned it towards herself and pulled me along with it.

My feet dragged me further away from Miller, and brought me closer to the queen. "We think it's about life...and death."

She nodded slowly. "Go on." Her voice wafted towards me and clung to my ears.

"It's about my journey. What I lost, and what I went through to gain it back." I dared not meet her gaze.

"Yes....almost there." 

I looked up. "Th-that's it though." My eyes grew wide as her smile deformed into a callous grin, her teeth on full display as she laughed.

"You were so close." She cackled as she towered above me.

"No, no, no." I shouted. "That's it. That's got to be it."

She bent her neck down and stared into my pleading eyes. "Abandon all, for hope is lost. Wishes paid, collected cost."

Miller whispered and mumbled somewhere off behind me as she spoke.

"That's how it began, with my wish, my curse."

"A troubled journey, wandered long. Missing parts have left you wrong." Her words grew louder yet came out in the coarsest wisp of a whisper you could imagine. Grating my ears like sandpaper.

"That's how we got here. Our journey, my curse taking over." 

Miller continued talking behind me but I couldn't hear him over her voice.

"A heart of love both vast and deep."

The words made my heart thump against my chest, as if pleading to escape.

"Must lose the light its chambers keep."

"That's me. I must lost hope. I must..."

She cackled wildly.

She waved a finger before me back and forth as her head shook. "No...no...no."

I wracked my brain. My eyes darted back and forth as her incessant voice filled my ears and suffocated me as I searched for an answer.

"It's me."

Everything stopped as I turned around to face Miller. "What?"

"It's me." He looked up at me.

"My, what a brilliant light he is, your prince."

I turned to her. "What? No.." I turned back to Miller. "I don't understand."

His gaze met the ground before slowly rising to meet my eyes. "I love you, Adeline..." He smiled. "It was staring us in the face this whole time."

My chest tightened as I gripped it hard. "No...no that's not.."

Behind me the queen bent over and whispered in my ear. "Congratulations, you did it." She smiled. "You won."

Her voice echoed in my ears as my stomach twisted into knots. "So..you'll let us go home?"

Her hands wrapped around my shoulders. "Yes. You may go home."

Thank you to everyone for reading to the end of the chapter! If you enjoyed this then please vote and share the story with others! I'd really appreciate it. And feel free to comment as you read or when you've finished a part of the story. Don't be shy! Thank you again, and I hope you come back for more!