Lost Girl

Twenty One

“Uncle,” I bowed to him while he stepped off the gold leafed dais.

            “And your trip? Good I expect.”

            “Yes Uncle, I signed for you just as you asked. The Seventh King and Queen send their respects and he offers you this.” I stepped towards him carefully and offered him the letter that the Seventh king had given me. I had managed to remember to slip it from my backpack before racing off with my plan.

            The king took it from me and inspected it, smiling brightly upon reading it. They were right about him; he was looking ragged and tired. There were bags under his eyes; he clothes were wrinkled and dull. His usually flare and audacity were gone, replaced with boredom, and a burning behind his eyes that I couldn’t quite pinpoint.  He was power hungry, I knew that he’d always been that way but something was different, there was something more sinister about him now.

            “Good! Very good. Thank you my dear niece. You can go.” He was no longer looking at me so I figured I was good to go. I bowed again and turned to leave, when he stopped me, “Oh and Andeline, the next time you come before me looking as you do now, there will be hell to pay.”

            I winced; back still turned, “Yes Uncle, my apologies.” I continued walking, holding my breath until the thrown room doors closed behind me. I took a deep breath, smiled at the two guards, and went about my way.

            I hurried down the hallway, making my way as fast as I could. I had so much to do and this meeting was a big waste of time. As I walked, the hallway seemed to grow longer, and darker. Before I knew it, I was moving slower and my body parts were getting harder to move. It felt like I was moving in quicksand, my body taking several seconds to respond to my brain’s directions. The walls that were once a dark gray were starting to turn red. In fact, everything was starting to turn red, my vision was blurring the longer I stared at things, and my feet were nailed to the ground. I turned my head slowly; there was only one person that could do something like this.

            She walked out of a shadow, long red dress trailing behind her, “It seems your travels were successful.” She smiled at me. She looked different, still the same facial features, her voice still as powerful, but her attitude and dress were very different. Before she always looked like an innocent bystander, with her flowing white gown and flower crown. But now, she looked like an instigator with her bright red dress that tailed behind her and a black rose pedant swinging from her neck. Her flower crown was gone, as was the braid. Her hair was flowing loosely around her, it too holding a red glow.

            “Yea, no thanks to you.” I murmured, still trying to move my feet.

            “Hush your soul my child.” She whispered, coming forward to lay a hand on my shoulder, “You move so quickly all the time. You need time to rest.” She watched me.

            “Well I would have time to rest if you didn’t have me on this crazy mission.”

            She laughed gently, “My child, you have not rested for many years. My crazy mission, as you call it, has not disturbed your life at all. It has enhanced it, given you something to strive for.” She said it as a statement, not a question. As if she knew more about me than I did.

            I denied answering her question and said something else instead, “So you neglected to tell me that Charles Edwards was a girl.”

            “It wasn’t necessary for finding her.”

            “Yea but it sure would have helped.”