Eternity

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Eternity

The name -- of it -- is "Autumn" --

The hue -- of it -- is Blood --

An Artery -- upon the Hill --

A Vein -- along the Road --

Great Globules -- in the Alleys --

And Oh, the Shower of Stain --

When Winds -- upset the Basin --

And spill the Scarlet Rain --

It sprinkles Bonnets -- far below --

It gathers ruddy Pools --

Then -- eddies like a Rose -- away --

Upon Vermilion Wheels

Emily Dickinson

          Ariux Ander hurried down the stone corridors of the Autumn Palace, clutching her gown in one hand and carrying a candle in the other. Her eyes flicked from side to side, searching down dark corridors and in secret rooms for the one thing she could not ever lose.

          Aha! She exclaimed in her head as she turned a corner and burst into the last door to be found. Her queen lounged on the settee, her auburn hair a golden red in the candlelight. She focused on a book in her hands and didn’t look up to greet her assistant as she entered. Her phoenix perched itself on the edge of the settee, looking over the queens shoulder. Ariux breathed heavily; relieved she had found her queen. She cleared her throat before speaking. “Your majesty? There’s someone here to see you.”

          Sable glanced up from her book. “Ah, hello Rux. Is it one of my sisters?”

          Ariux nodded. “Tamsin, your highness.”

          Sable sighed and rose from her seat, straightening the folds of her gown. She laid her book upon the settee and started down the corridors, her shoes clicking on the stone floor. Ariux blew out the candle that rested on the table and hurried after her queen.

          Sable took long strides down the familiar halls, following the path that would lead her to the main hall. Ariux followed close behind. Sable’s pace didn’t slow when she reached the tall oak doors. She pushed all her weight against the heavy doors and continued walking to her throne.

          “Her highness the Autumn Queen,” announced Ariux as she entered the room. The servants bowed and curtsied to the royalty. Sable seated herself on the throne at the far end of the hall and flicked her wrist in the air. “Send her in.”

Two servants hurried to the doors and swung them open again for the other queen. “Her highness the Summer Queen,” Ariux called as the golden queen stepped into the hall. Tamsin walked carefully to the throne, watching her sister.

“Sable,” Tamsin said, curtseying. She walked up to the throne and took the Autumn Queen’s hand. “My dear sister, there is an urgent matter I must speak to you about.” She glanced around at all the servants, eyeing Ariux. “Alone.”

 Sable ushered Ariux and all of the servants out of the hall and pulled two chairs up to the oak table in the corner. She beckoned to the chairs and Tamsin gladly sat, the golden folds of her dress spilling across the floor. Ariux quickly glanced around to be sure no one was watching and peeked through the crack left between the two large doors. The queen’s soft voices echoed across the great hall.

“Sable, how are you dear? You look pale. Have you been getting enough sun? You should visit the Summer Kingdom sometime-the warm weather would do you some good.” Tamsin asked.

Sable shook her head, dismissing the idea. “I assure you I am fine, sister. I would love to visit sometime, but we’re not here to make small talk. What was this urgent matter you were speaking of?”

Tamsin sighed. “A few days ago, my patrol saw signs of human presence by the old well in the Eternal Forest…”

♦•♦•♦

It was her meadow, all of it. Her wide blue eyes held it all, the river, the grass, the flowers. The doe feebly stepped forward, scenting the air. No one was nearby. She slowly stepped forward again and took a deep breath, rising up onto her hind legs. She began to morph, slowly, the magic starting at her head and trickling down to her feet to form a beautiful girl. The magic that ran through her and the others like her allowed them to shift into animals like their companions.  Her companion, a buck, watched her from the woods. He stepped into the meadow also, but his form remained a buck. The girl pulled her fair hair away from her face and twisted it up into a bun. “Come on Rain,” she called to the buck, “let’s go home.”

The Spring Queen followed the winding river back to the hills of Marcha, her kingdom. Its familiar stone walls rose up over the hills, the Marchan flag waving high with the water emblem. At last, she was home.

She had already been spotted from the castle, and servants were pouring out of the tall doors. “Queen Lysander!” Her assistant called. “Where have you been?” Lysander shook her head.

“Marit, you needn’t worry. I had Rain.” Lysander said, looking wistful. Marit sighed.

“Really, your highness,” she started, but stopped and gave her queen a small smile. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

Marit clutched her gown and started up the hill again. Lysander stood still, looking over the trees into the distance. Marit turned back to face her. “Your majesty?”

          Lysander turned away from the view and sighed. “I’m coming.” The buck followed her up the hill, the looming castle resting upon the top. From there almost all of Eternity could be seen; The rolling green hills of Marcha, the Spring Region, the golden fields of Storman, the Summer Region, the sprawling, snowy mountains of Decca, the Winter Region, and the blazing forests of Sunder, the Autumn Region. And in the middle of it all, the Eternal Forest, the leaves shimmering on the tall trees.

Lysander sighed again. It was completely and utterly beautiful. It made her heart ache to see the land. Her subjects’ homes were scattered across the hills, children running and playing in the fading sunshine with the night falling fast. The weak rays of the sun disappeared in the spring sky.

Spring. Here it was always springtime, whether it was night or day. Lysander breathed in the scent of rain and glanced around at the blooming flowers. She tilted her head back and gazed at the darkening sky, the soft breeze tickling her skin. It was the entire essence of spring.

She could feel rain thick in the air and the clouds overhead told her a storm was coming soon. The Spring Queen hurried up the hill with the buck at her heels. The large wooden doors slammed shut as soon as the first drops of rain fell.

Lysander walked down the familiar halls and up the winding staircases until she reached her room. She left her boots at the door and tiptoed across the stone floor. Rain lay down before the fire, ready for sleep. 

She stopped when she reached the tall window, the long pale curtains fluttering in the storm winds. The sun had completely disappeared behind the hills. Lysander leaned her head against the cool stone and closed her eyes. And at that moment, everything felt like it was in its place.

But underneath, it wasn’t. Nothing was. The memory of Tamsin’s visit earlier that day, her sister’s warning, rang in her head. Something was wrong in Eternity.