Jeopardized Future

Chapter 3

The guest chambers were aired and readied. Balls were planned and new dresses were made. Nobody, least of all Amy, could hide their excitement at the coming of the queen. I never see her that excited unless she knows that her mother is coming. I will admit, it is hard for me not to be jealous of Amy. I obviously had a mother at one point in time, but because I have grown up without one for most of my life... let's just leave it as I wish I had had a mother-figure in my life growing up.

The day our guests were to arrive, Father was out of his office on business. We started the day out as we normally would except for the last minute preparations. At ten-thirty, someone announced that a carriage was in sight. Eagerly, my sisters and I assembled on the front steps of the Ice Palace. The carriage was just entering our drive when Amy got a peculiar look on her face. The look was not one of excitement, but one of confusion and a look that said 'something's out of place.'

"Is it just me?" She began. "Or did it just get warmer?"

"You're right. It is a little warmer." I said noticing the difference in the weather. "But it's probably not anything." I said that so that my sister would not worry, even though I already was. No one calls these the Snow Islands without a very good reason and it was already feeling too warm for our normal summer days.

"Do you guys smell something funny?" Gina asked wrinkling her nose.

"Smells like burning coal or sulfur or something." I answered certain by now that something was not right and deciding not to hide my ever-growing concern.

"And that noise," Clair put in over a growing rumbling sound. "That sounds like the Inimican volcano."

"But that volcano hasn't been active since ... Girls, look!"

Amy then pointed to a sight that I shall never forget. The sky went from a beautiful icy blue to a harsh fiery red. Thick ash clouds unnaturally formed in a matter of seconds. Out of the biggest cloud came huge fireballs directed towards the Ice Palace causing my sisters and I to cower back with fear. While the fireballs were falling, a strange black shape, vaguely like a triangle that looked like it had come off of a volcano top, made its way down to the ground where the carriage was. From where I was cowering back looking for cover from the fireballs, I saw two shapes that looked relatively like men but were too black for me to be sure that they were, ransack the carriage. With their bare hands, they tore it in two as if it were no more than a piece of paper. Two women-like figures fell to the ground and struggled with all their might to get away from their captors but were dragged into the big black thing. Suddenly, but horribly, the thing left. As it left it seemed to be sucking up the ash clouds and red sky and everything returned to the way it had been before the occurrence – except for a ruined carriage a little ways off.

Panicked and confused, my sisters and I took off running towards the carriage. When we got there, we met a sorrowful sight. There was not much left of the two-piece carriage. Pieces of luggage had been turned into ashes, and the driver was dead, a mere skeletal shell of burnt flesh now. Whatever had been pulling the carriage must have either escaped or was now part of the ash pile.

Amy started breaking down in tears and Gina and Clair stood frozen in shock. But I ran as fast as my legs could carry me to the Ice Garden. Although Inimicus is too far away to see from the garden, I could see dark cloud far away, breaking up and getting smaller as it might after a bad lightning storm. A cold fear came over me: it was the fear that Hannah and her mother were killed in that volcanic inferno. In vain, I ran to the shed and started tugging at the iron bars, foolishly hoping I could break in and that inside would be a guardian who could look into the crystal ball and tell me what was happening. I tugged for several minutes before I broke down in tears myself. I'm not sure how long I had been crying like that with my face buried in the snow but soon I felt strong, comforting arms around me. At first, I thought it was my father so I cried even harder. Then I realized the soothing voice had a younger tone to it than my father's voice and the shirt I was crying into was scratchy cotton instead of smooth silk. Startled, I tried to tear myself away but found myself looking up into Rowan's face.

"Your Highness," He said desperately trying to calm me. "Tis I, Rowan, the gardener. What's wrong?"

"They've been kidnapped and I'm sure they're dead!"

"Who, Your Highness?"

"Hannah and her mother!"

"Princess Amy's relations?"

"Yes."

Managing to control my sobs, I related what had just happened. Rowan just sat and listened to me without letting me go anywhere. I am glad he held me firmly. If I had been freed, I most likely would have gone back to the useless task of pulling at the iron bars all over again. When I had finished my tale he said, "I will say that we don't know for sure whether or not they are dead. They could still be alive for all we know. Is there anything I can do to help you, Your Highness?"

"You've already helped me by doing what an elder brother would do- coming alongside me and being there for me and...and especially for just letting me cry."

"I will always be here if you need someone to talk to Your Highness. But now, may I suggest that you wash your face and change your dress? Your father awaits you."