Happily Ever After.....Maybe

Chapter Three

      Days went by and I kept myself busy with the pub. I worked hard and talked to Tallulah to keep my mind occupied. She was really sweet and fun to talk to. It was kind of her to offer me a job and a roof over my head. Not to mention free food as well, it was more than I could hope for.
       I wiped the tables down after another busy day. "How long have you worked here Tallulah?"
      "For about three years now. But I'll like to see the world some day, to travel and sleep on the bare ground under the stars. You've traveled right? What is it like?!"
     I walked over to stand beside her as we wiped down the bar, "It's magical." I said with a smile. "The stars are so big at night twinkling like diamonds in the sky."
     "How did you know where to go?"
     "I....I followed......my heart." Tears welled up in my eyes but I held them back. Hayden was my heart. He was the thing that kept me alive. That kept me breathing and moving on in this horrible world that kept bringing me down.
     "Wow, I hope someday I can travel like you did! Oh that reminds you this was tied on the door to the pub this morning. A friend of yours must have left it. Do you know a Hayden?"
    I collapsed into a bar stool my face pale. "What?"
  "Yeah that's what the note said." Tallulah moved behind the bar and pulled a brown cloth sack that jingled as she took it. A red ribbon was tied around the sack with a small note attached. She held the note and read "Amaya, my dying wish is for you to have this. With all my love, Hayden." She held the sack to me, "Who ever he is he's really generous. It feels like a lot of shekels."
    My fingers trembling I took the sack from her and read the note myself. The hand writing was wobbly. I have never seen Hayden's hand writing, could it be from him? No it couldn't be I saw him die myself. I watched his heart stop and the light go out of his dark mysterious eyes. I stood up and stumbled for the stairs mumbling, "I have to go to bed." Once upstairs I pulled off the red ribbon and opened the sack to find it full of bronze shekels and another note laid inside. I pulled it out
   Never thought I'll see a princess working in a pub! I could almost hear the Great Wizard's high pitch laugh. I continued reading The shekels in this sack was Hayden's reward for taking you to Agog. Unfortunately he passed before he could have them.
    There was nothing else on the note, no significant signature from the Great Wizard. But I knew it was from him, could feel him taunting me. Angrily I screamed and threw the sack of shekels across the room where it spilt open spilling all over the floor. I fell to my knees and sobbed. I didn't want the Great Wizard's money that was suppose to be Hayden's. All I wanted was Hayden back. I wanted to feel his arms around me and to hear him murmur princess in my ear. I cried letting the tears fall and somehow drifted off into sleep.
    Tiredly I rubbed my eyes as I laid in bed dreading the fact of having to face reality of another day. As I blinked my eyes open I saw that Tallulah's bed was empty. Most likely she was already down stairs cleaning the pub. Did that girl ever sleep in? Every time I woke up she was already downstairs busy as a bee cleaning the tables and floors.
      I climbed out of bed and looked around the floor. Last night when I fell asleep the shekels were spilt all over the floor from when I threw them. But now they where in the brown sack sitting nicely on the table under the window. Tallulah must have picked them up for me. Carefully pulled the tattered worn blanket over the bed smoothing it down. It was nothing like the big fluffy velvet blankets we had back at the palace. But it was better than nothing so I couldn't complain. I slipped into my red dress with tiny blue swirls in it that criss crossed across the bust. Pulling my hair back into a braid I went downstairs to see if Tallulah needed any help.
       She put me to work sweeping the floor with the broom awhile she wiped down the tables.
      I swept the floor brushing bites of dust and food into a pile. Tallulah watched me cautiously like she was afraid I'll crumple to the ground and become a pile of dust on the floor. "What's wrong? I've swept floors before and it's not like you have to do it a certain way." I smiled.
      Tallulah paused as if wondering how to put it into words what she wanted to say, "Do..... Do you sleep well at night?"
     I froze my arms going stiff as I held the broom. "I'm fine, I sleep great. Why do you ask?"
     She shook her head and gave me a tiny smile, "Your reaction to my question speaks different than your words do." She said softly.
      I lowered my head concentrating on getting this floor clean, "I don't know what you're talking about." I said through gritted teeth.
      "You're a horrible liar, Amaya. I hear you. Every night, I hear you cry before you fall asleep. Your cries are from a lot of pain and heartbreak." I held my breath and she continued, "Tell me, why do you cry every night?"
       I looked at her, her face was soft and caring, "I'm sorry you hear me cry, but I can't tell you." I lowered my eyes.
     Tallulah gave me a tight hug, "Is it to do with that Hayden guy that left the money last night? You seemed upset after I gave you that."
   I stepped back, "I don't want to talk about it." I said my voice shaking.
   "I know, but at the same time I need to know why you cry every night, I need to know why my partner is in tears. If you lose it during a shift at the pub I have to be able to understand and...."
    "It's not like that!" I snapped.
  She stopped talking a look of hurt coming over her face like I slapped her. I breathed heavily, this was a mistake coming here thinking I could settle down and forget everything that's happened. I pushed the broom into her hands and before she could stop me I ran out of the pub and down the dusty streets. Walking alone the streets I wasn't sure quite what to do. I could leave and never look back, but my burlap sack and some of my belongings were back there and what about Tallulah? She needed my help at the pub.
     Until I was sure what to do I decided to check out the library that Capricious had. I've been meaning to check the place out, besides whenever I got in a fight with my mother or father I always went to the Royal library in the Palace to read. It comforted me, the feeling of a book in my hand and the smell of old books around me. I could stay there for hours in the palace curled up by the grand fireplace keeping warm while I read a book.
       The library wasn't far from the tavern. It was in a run down building with shattered windows that looked like kids had threw rocks into. The paint that once was blue was now peeling and in desperate need of a fresh coat. The inside of the library wasn't much better, it was a one room library with shelving just on one wall. The shelves that held the books were slanted and uneven looking like any minute they would collapse on top of each other in one big heap on the ground. The shelves were practically bare, very few books rested on the shelves. I ran my fingers over the worn books on the shelves. Some of the books didn't even have a cover anymore it had been ripped off years ago. I counted the books, ten there were only ten books in this tiny library compare to the millions of books that we had in the Royal library in the castle of Rollick. I felt sorry and wished I could buy enough books to fill these uneven shelves.
       After looking around the tiny library I made up my decision. I was going to go back to the tavern. I walked up the streets towards the pub where I could see the open sign hanging in the door. Swinging open the familiar wooden doors I stepped inside letting my eyes adjust to the dim lighting.
     Tallulah turned and stopped stunned to see me standing in the door way. She sat down the empty glass she held in her hands, "I thought you would be half way out of Capricious by now." She said slowly.
       I took the empty glass from her and filled it up with rum and handed it to the guy that sat at the bar. Then I turned and gave her a small smile, "I thought about it."
     "What made you decide to come back."
      "I went to the library, and realized you're right. I am your partner and you need my help in the pub." I took a deep breath, "If you still want to know tonight I'll tell you when we're done."
    "Okay, but only if you feel comfortable telling me, I shouldn't have pushed you earlier to tell me when you clearly weren't ready."
     I nodded and went off to take the orders from the men sitting at the tables playing cards. Besides waiting tables that night I kept my mind busy thinking of how I was going to tell her about Hayden without giving her too much information about my life.  I didn't want her to know that I was really Princess of Rollick, surely news had traveled fast and I was known as wanted for treason and murder of the Queen. Thanks to my wonderful father the King for deceiving me and the whole town by making them believed I did it. No Tallulah couldn't know any of that. All I would tell her would be why I cry at night, besides that is what she asked me to tell her originally.
      Before I knew it the drunks had all gone home for the night and we were closing the tavern.
      "Let's wait and do clean up tomorrow, it can wait." Tallulah sat down on a bar stool and patted the one next to her.
       Slowly I walked over to her and sat down. We both sat there silently each not sure what to say. Taking a deep breath I began, "It's Hayden that upsets me. You were right."
       "What did he do to you?" She asked softly.
        I shook my head and smiled thinking of him, "He kidnapped me from my home." I gave a short laugh remembering how he carried me on his shoulders like I was a sack of potatoes.
      Her eyes widened, "Oh Amaya, I'm so sorry! How did you escape?"
     "It wasn't like that. Well maybe it was at first. But him taking me away from my home life was the best thing that ever happened to me."
     Tallulah frowned, "I don't understand, how can a guy kidnapping you be the best thing ever? You must have been terrified!"
    I laughed, "I was at first! But then he became curious to me and I started to want to know everything about him. Then the Great Wizard he..."
     She gasped, "You've seen that horrid of a man! Please tell me you didn't make a deal with him!"
       There was no need to question that she knew him. I was beginning to realize everybody in every single town knew who The Great Wizard was and they all lived in fear of him. Why parents probably told their children horror stories of him! "I did, I thought at the time it was a fair price."
      "What was the price?"
      I felt my neck for the necklace. I had almost forgotten I had it. The Great Wizard had told me it was rightfully mine. It was a gift he had given my birth mother before I was born. The necklace felt cold against my skin, "Necklace, and in return I got to meet my birth mother."
     Tallulah's eyes widened, "You never told me you were adopted! The necklace is pretty." She marveled. "But why do you have it? Shouldn't the Great Wizard have it? he doesn't like to be doubled crossed, and what about this Hayden guy?"
    I laughed, she sure did have a lot of questions! "Well the Great Wizard sent us on this mission to retrieve the necklace and along the way. I fell for him and he fell for me."
     She sighed dreamily, "That sounds so romantic!"
   Nodding my head I continued, "It was. But there was a catch. Hayden was cursed with the Curse of Love. He couldn't breath the words I love you to someone without dying." Tears welled up in my eyes and I struggled to say the rest, "He...... He couldn't stop his feelings for me, he loved me so much and he.... He told me he loved me." I sobbed crying.
     Tallulah wrapped her arms tightly around me and let me cry.
     It felt good to hug someone and honestly it felt good letting it out and telling someone. I've kept Hayden dying to myself and it had done nothing but eat me up inside. When I had calmed down I pulled away sniffling.
     "Amaya, that is terrible." Tears glistened in Tallulah's eyes.
      "It gets worse." I went on to explain how The Great Wizard never even really wanted the necklace. How he just wanted me to go to Agog and fall in love with Hayden along the way. He knew Hayden would like me back, and he wanted him to die.
     "Oh Amaya! That is awful. I'm so sorry that happened. The Great Wizard is a wicked horrible man!"
      I nodded my head. I left out the part on how my mother turned out to be the Queen of Agog and how I was cursed with the Curse of Unhappiness. Would Tallulah not want me working in the pub with her if she knew I was cursed?