Lavender -- Part 1

In the subtle morning breeze, before the sun rose, there was a quiet cry of a humble creature. The surrounding area was a beautiful landscape painted with elegant maple trees, scenting the area with a sweet aroma of maple; lilac bushes, coloring the horizon purple; and a beautiful meadow of rich, green grass, accompanied by plentiful bushes of berries. A babe has not been seen or heard of since the barren era, yet, in the stillness of this beautiful land, a cry was heard. A mother wandered alone with her baby; it was wrapped in swaddling, lilac clothes, lying in its mother’s arms.

          This child was like no other. Her hair was the color of silver, shining in the sunlight, and was as smooth as silk. Her eyes were the color of fresh red grapes, almost looking like wine. Her pupils were a light silver, and sparkled like newly polished coins, instead of the black of night like her mother’s. Her skin was as soft as velvet. Although she was just a babe, her voice chimed as an angel’s, pure and soothing. Her name was Lavender.

          The mother hummed softly while she rocked her new child. The tune she sang was one of a pure and holy place where no human had roamed, yet no human had known its tune until now. She sang with a beautiful voice, soothing her baby into sleep. The small babe rested her head in the crook of her mother’s elbow, sleeping soundly. Here and there the mother would start singing the words, then shrink back into humming.

          This land that bore the mother and child was a land of promises, peace, and holiness. Never in the history of man had this land been corrupted. It was a saved, peaceful, and untouched land to those who sought to harm others or gain

wealth. Softly, the wind whispered happiness, bringing joy to those who had none and hope to those in despair. All the creatures strengthened and sustained each other.

          The sound of a flute could be heard playing over the land, reaching the ears of the dear mother and child. The notes were heavenly. It perfectly matched the song the mother had been singing. Singing along with the flute, the mother gracefully sauntered toward the music.

          Cottontail rabbits, red foxes, songbirds, and other wild creatures trailed behind the mother. They swayed and sang with the music with their own unique, melodic voices. Songbirds chirped with a high-pitched tone, twittering the melody. The air filled with melodies and harmonies, intertwining so beautifully one might think they were dreaming. Each voice worked magically together, enforcing the peace in the wonderful land. The mother continued to sing and started twirling with the music.

          The flute stopped playing suddenly, and the animals went quiet. The mother stopped, her long hair and dress flowing in the breeze. Silenced engulfed the meadow. Sighing to herself, the mother sat down on the soft grass while smoothing the clothes of Lavender. Mumbling under her breath, Julia repeated what she always did when she was down or lost in the world. Reminding herself of who she was always made her feel better and less lost.

          Still waltzing along behind her, the animals started chanting. They used a rhythmic beat, their voices sounding like an incantation. Unbeknownst to the mother, they were weaving a spell. Fairies and pixies fluttered around and joined in with their beautiful, tiny voices. The music started out slowly, sounding like trees swaying in the breeze, but soon began to pick up speed. It seemed to Julia as if the air itself was filled with the music. It was as if she could reach out her hand and literally snatch the melody from the air.

The animals started dancing around Julia in a circle. They wove unimaginably around each other in intricate patterns, circling Julia and her tiny babe. Julia stopped what she was doing, surprised, but then suddenly calmed and closed her eyes. As the animals continued to dance around her, Julia found herself relaxing. She began to slouch, her baby sitting in her lap.

Fading away, Julia slowly lowered herself to the ground and began to lie down on the soft, lush, green grass. Unable to stay awake, her eyes closed. Subconsciously, her motherly instincts kicked in and made sure to keep her beloved daughter on her lap upright, despite herself being caught in sleep. Slowly tightening the circle and continuing to chant, the animals danced around Julia, sending warmth and comfort through her.

Julia’s mind wandered as she escaped reality, sleep taking over her psyche. Her eyelids fluttered as she dreamed. A peaceful smile lit up her face and she let out a small sigh in her sleep.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Seeing the animals around her, Lavender clapped her hands with joy. She sat on her mother’s lap calmly and steadily, waiting for the next thing to happen. The animals tightened the circle around the mother and babe. Once the doe stood only a foot away in front of Lavender, the chanting stopped, and the animals went still. They stayed there, staring at Lavender for an entire minute; not one of them moved or blinked. The air itself was still. Not a single blade of grass moved, nor bug, nor a cloud in the sky. The world seemed as if it had frozen in time.

          Lavender was suddenly surrounded by a bright purple light, glowing around her like a magical haze. She looked around in wonder, mouth hanging open. Her mind grew sharper and her skin tingled. Lavender’s eyes enlarged in surprise. Gulping in a breath, she swallowed some of the purple mist. When she did, it was as if someone had turned on a vacuum.

All the mist went into Lavender’s mouth. Once all the magical haze was drawn into her, Lavender’s eyes shone bright purple for a second, and then returned to normal. She looked around, surprised. Lavender now had the blessing of the wild; it granted her gentleness and the ability to speak with all creatures, as well as a few magical abilities. With a little peep escaping her tiny, beautiful lips, she fell over on her mother’s lap, her head landing on her mother’s breast. Lavender slipped into a deep sleep.

          The animals dispersed into the trees and bushes - all but one tiny little blue bird with golden wings and a white belly. It perched on the tip of Julia’s toes. It chirped a few sing-song notes before it closed its eyes and fell asleep.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Julia woke up a few minutes later confused, but relaxed. She sat up slowly and maneuvered Lavender so she lay in her arms, allowing her to continue to sleep soundly. She eventually peered beyond Lavender and saw the bird still perched on her foot. Julia reached down with her tender hand and picked up the bird slowly, trying to not startle it or Lavender awake.

          The bird stirred a little but did not wake. Julia smoothed her finger over the tiny bird’s white belly. She brushed her fingers over the soft feathers; they seemed like silky short fur. The bird started to hum, and Julia could feel the small vibrations against her fingers. The bird awoke slowly, fluttering to stand on Julia’s soft hands.

Humming a low, slow, and joyful tune, the bird warmed up its voice. Julia quietly “la’d” along with the bird’s hum, making sure not to wake up Lavender. They bounced melodies off of each other and combined their voices into one beautiful tune. Julia always enjoyed being able to sing with birds - their voices were always the most fun to match melodies to and were the purest sounding out of any animal she had yet heard.

          Songbirds from nearby trees and bushes gathered around together and chirped along. Their voices made the song louder, stronger, and purer. Julia wondered if the song would wake Lavender but soon set the thought aside. She sang loud and joyfully, expanding her diaphragm and singing from her heart.

          Lavender woke up in her mother’s arms with beautiful melodies all around her. She blinked a few times and gave a large yawn. She then opened her own mouth to join in with the others. As she started singing, everything else paused, awed by her remarkable voice. Her mother stopped and looked down at Lavender in surprise. She then smiled and started singing again with her child. Their voices echoed throughout the land.

          The sun seemed to shine brighter as they sang, and the plants around them seemed to enrich in color. Julia put Lavender down on the soft grass and just basked in the sun, letting the heat wash over her body. After a while, she started dancing slowly. To Julia’s amazement, Lavender also decided to dance, and she cavorted around with the birds. Lavender’s moves were graceful and professional; it was like she was an accomplished dancer. The songbirds twittered and flew around the amazing duo of mother and daughter, weaving wonderful patterns in the air.

          To Julia, the poses and positions came almost naturally. She could feel her limbs moving about melodically and in sync with the song. Lavender, on the other hand, moved with pure, natural grace. She effortlessly used the gift of the wild and her true divine nature to dance like no other person before.

As she danced, Lavender started to grow right before Julia’s eyes. Julia had already been befuddled when she saw Lavender dancing, but now she stopped in complete astonishment. She watched as her little baby grew taller; Lavender’s hair grew longer, and then her whole being lifted into a column of light. Lavender began sparkling and shining with a beautiful radiance. The light surrounding Lavender became a violet cylinder of light. Lavender continued to age and grow.

          As the phenomenon ended, Lavender was slowly brought back to the earth. She now looked like a virtuous young woman. Her skin was flawless, and her eyes shone with kindness and understanding. Her hair shone silver in the morning light, and her lavender clothes had changed into a lovely, formal, purple gown that ended just above her ankles.

As she touched down to the soft grass, her nimble feet contacted the ground, toes curling into the grass as it tickled her feet. Her dress undulated around her. Her silver hair fluttered behind her as if a breeze were gently blowing it, though the air was absolutely still. She slowly closed and then opened her eyes. With the spectacle over, she swayed a little before getting her bearings. She looked at her mother, almost as if she did not recognize her, but then she smiled and walked over to Julia, arms extended. To Julia, the scene seemed to go in slow motion.

“I feel so divine,” Lavender said to her mom, “It feels as if I have grown up within only a second.”

“Well, sweetie,” Julia started to reply hesitantly, “um... you kind of did.”

She let out a little nervous chuckle. Even Julia could not believe what she had just said. Lavender looked at her mother, confused.

Continuing, Julia explained, “I set you down and then you started to dance around and suddenly a column of light surrounded you while you magically grew up right before my very eyes.” Julia raised her arms in a shrug.

          Lavender swallowed and tried to comprehend what her mother had just told her. She did not feel like she had just been born. Lavender knew how to walk and talk, and somehow she had the knowledge of all the things she would have learned growing up – running, jumping, eating, even proper etiquette. She knew that there could not be any other explanation because she had no memories before this day. She finally accepted the truth and breathed in the fresh morning air, calming her thoughts. Her hair flowed in the light breeze, and her dress swayed around her thin figure.

          Out of nowhere, a young gentleman, no older than Lavender, stepped out from behind the nearest bush; he had meaning and pride in his step. He was dressed in a highly decorative silk gown, long and flowing with tight-fitted sleeves. A brown leather belt was cinched at his waist, holding a fantastical sword. A red cape flowed behind him as he walked. He came to stand before Julia and Lavender and bowed a low, fancy bow.

When he again stood upright, he proclaimed, “Welcome Lavender. Welcome Julia. We are honored to have you here.”

Lavender curtsied, bowing her head in a small swoop. Julia did likewise with her flowery dress.

“Might I ask who you are?” Asked Lavender with a princess-like voice, laughing to her herself a little.

“My name is Chris, Your Highness,” Chris replied with a smile, “But you may call me whatever pleases you.”

He gave Lavender a little wink and a sly smile. He spoke to them as if he already knew them.

“I will just call you Chris,” Lavender said with a small, shy giggle.

          “Please,” said Chris, “Come with me.”

He held his arm out for Lavender to take.

Before Julia could protest, Lavender linked arms with Chris and let him lead her away. Lavender somehow felt like she had known Chris her whole life. Something within her urged her to trust him and caused her to feel as if they had been friends since birth.

Julia followed behind them closely, not wanting to be left behind, but also wanting to keep an eye on her daughter. Grown up or not, she was still Julia’s little girl. She and Lavender walked with dignity and took graceful, balanced steps as they followed Chris past the bushes.

          Chris led them into a small forest filled with trees, tall bushes, and flowers. He guided them down a naturally grown staircase; they had taken shape as the inhabitants sang to the land when it was first established. Chris held Lavender’s hand as he helped her down the steps.

When Lavender tripped on a small root, she lost her balance and pitched forward. Chris caught her with sturdy, protecting arms. Their bodies pressed together, and their breath and heartbeats mingled. Lavender looked into Chris’s eyes thankfully, a tinge of pink coloring her cheeks. Chris lowered Lavender slowly to the next step.

          Continuing on their way, Julia drew a little farther behind. She felt as if she was already losing her only daughter, but she also wanted to give Lavender and Chris some room. She could see the bond they somehow had, even only having just met. Even though she felt defensive of her daughter, she also felt she needed to keep her distance. After all, her daughter was now a teenager; Julia felt as if Lavender needed to be let off the leash.

          Chris stopped at a particularly large oak tree and turned to it; he mumbled something under his breath, only loud enough for himself to hear. There was a bright light instantly within the tree, and then it vanished as fast as it came. Chris continued forward after the light was completely extinguished.

“We must be especially quiet as we travel through this section of the forest,” he whispered, “the trees can hear what we say, and the message will travel through their branches until the whole forest knows.”

“Can they hear our thoughts?” Lavender asked, thinking that Chris was joking around.

“I was getting to that,” Chris replied, not hearing the hint of sarcasm in Lavender’s voice, “That is why we must keep our thoughts to our deep inner selves and clear our minds of any real thought.”

“You mean we cannot even think?” Asked Julia in a harsh whisper.

“That is right, so be quiet,” Chris snapped back with obvious annoyance in his voice, “from now until I say it is safe, we must not converse.”

          Julia flinched from the sting directed to her heart from his striking words and depreciating tone. She kept walking, trying to keep at least some of her dignity. She fell silent again and tried to clear her thoughts. They walked like this for what seemed like hours when Chris stopped in front of a small hut.

“Wait here,” he said, “I will only be a few minutes.”

With that, he kissed Lavender’s hand and headed into the hut.

Before he entered the hut, he turned back and spoke, saying, “No matter what you hear, do not come inside the hut.”

Lavender’s eyes filled with concern, but she nodded her head; tears came to her eyes.

When Chris entered the hut and closed the door, Lavender turned to her mother and asked, “Why do I have a feeling he was saying goodbye?”

“I do not know, Lavender,” she replied, shaking her head, “Sometimes men are just like that. They are mysterious that way.”

          A large bang on the wall of the hut interrupted their thoughts and canceled any more conversation. Lavender turned in surprise. A few bangs on the door startled Lavender and tears came to her eyes, fearing the worst. She brought her hands up to her face, covering her mouth. As more ruckus sounded out from the hut, Lavender headed for the door, wanting so badly to open it and do something to help, but Julia stopped her.

“Remember what Chris said,” Julia said sternly, “He is a big boy. If he said not to come in, he meant it. He would not have told us that if he knew he could not handle whatever he is facing in there.”

They heard many different shouts, sounding like a child being brutally beaten. Lavender shrank to the ground, her tender hands covering her face; she started weeping from worry. Julia crouched down to comfort her crying child.

“It will be okay, Lavender,” she said comfortingly, “You will see.”

          The whole earth shook with a loud bang, and the door splintered partially.

Lavender ran to the door, banging harshly, calling, “Chris! Chris?!" She tried to open the door, but the lock held fast.

An agonizing cry rang through the door; it shocked Lavender like a bolt of lightning to her heart. It was like the cry of a tortured animal. Lavender’s eyes were overflowing with tears, so much so that she could not see through the river of them. Her heart filled with anguish, and her mind raced with thoughts that Chris was dead or dying.

          The wails ceased, and the quakes ended. Hearing footsteps coming to the door, Lavender stumbled back. The door opened and out came Chris. He was still just as dignified as before. No marks could be seen that would indicate that there had been a fight. Lavender ran to him with extreme joy. She grasped him in her arms, squeezing tightly and laying her head on his shoulder. She let out a sigh of relief. Chris returned the gesture and then came out of the embrace.

He smiled and inquired, “Why did you worry? You knew nothing could keep me from you.”

“But I heard horrible noises,” Lavender answered, “and someone screaming.”

“Oh, but there is nothing to be afraid of,” he said with a loving smile, “not even death could keep me from you.”

He then gently lifted her chin up to look into her vinaceous eyes. Lavender saw the awe in his eyes, and he could see the lingering worry fade in hers.

          Leading Lavender back to the path they had previously been on minutes ago, Chris softly held her hand. He did not want to ever let it go again. They headed down the path once again. Julia kept her distance as before and started thinking about what would happen to her if she let this relationship go on. Would she be forgotten and left behind? Would she... Julia stopped her thoughts in their tracks. She terminated her thoughts, not wanting the trees to spread all her thoughts throughout the country.

          They walked on through the forest, continuing quietly. Chris led Lavender along with the crook of his elbow. They seemed to be having a conversation, but not a word was being spoken between them. They continued walking along, passing by many trees and bushes. Chris and Lavender did not seem fazed or worried about the many animals staring through the bushes at them, but Julia noticed them and wondered if they were friendly, or if they were just waiting for the perfect time to attack.

          Fortunately, the animals attached to the eyes did not attack. Lavender and Chris still seemed to be having a silent conversation between themselves and Julia could hear Lavender’s small giggles. Julia hoped they would soon be out of the forest so that they could talk again. She wanted to converse with Lavender about her thoughts. They kept walking and soon came to a clearing.

          They sat down to rest. Lavender sat on the ground with her dress fanned around her slender legs. Chris continued to stand, keeping watch during the resting period. Julia sat down on a stump with her flowery dress covering her legs and flowing down the short trunk onto the grass. After about five minutes, for it was difficult to keep track of time in the beautiful forest, they got up and started moving again. Julia started humming a little tune to keep her spirits up; she did not think it would do them any harm. Lavender could sense her mother’s discomfort, so she hummed along with her mother, causing Julia to beam. Julia sighed, glad at the reassurance that her daughter still loved her.

          While continuing to stay on the path, Lavender started gamboling along to the music. Chris decided to join Lavender in frolicking around.

“As long as we stay on the path while we dance happily around, we should be fine,” Chris thought to himself without a doubt.

Lavender started giggling with excitement and fascination. Suddenly, Chris stopped and held onto Lavender’s arm to stop her as well. Everyone went quiet, listening for what might have made Chris come to such an abrupt halt.

“What is it?” Lavender asked in a quiet tone.

“Nothing,” Chris replied, furrowing his brow, “Let’s just get to the edge of the forest.”

          Knowing Chris was lying made Lavender even more nervous and scared. She knew Chris was just trying to comfort her and keep her from worrying, but she could see right through his protective mask. Though scared, Lavender tried not to show it in order to give her mother a little more courage, but Julia could see through both of their lies; she was a mother, after all.

          They got to the edge of a clearing and Chris whispered something under his breath, which was followed by a short, bright, white light, just like what happened at the beginning of the forest.

They walked into the clearing and with a big sigh of relief, Chris said, “I am glad to be out of there. It is the only ‘bad’ part of this land that everyone must pass through to get to our home. It is almost like a giant security guard.”

He turned aside, waving his hand, gesturing to some buildings that were shining in the distance.

“Welcome to my home,” Chris said to Lavender, turning to her, “and it may be yours too if you so choose.”

          Lavender’s initial thought was, “YES!!! THIS WILL BE MY HOME! MY HOME WITH YOU, CHRIS!!!"

But she thought about her mother and her mood dropped a little. What if Mother does not want to live here? Would she let me stay here? But I do not want to be without her... These thoughts had to be discarded right there; she could not think about them right now. Lavender let Chris escort her the rest of the way into the city, with Julia following right behind, thankful to not have to be quiet anymore.

          After walking through the entrance of the city, Julia stood there, stunned. It was nothing like she imagined, with streets bustling with angry people going about their usual business. Instead, the streets were deserted - all except a few people - and the buildings seemed to glow, not only from cleanliness but from something else. Seeing that Chris and Lavender had not noticed her sudden stop, Julia sped up to catch them.

          Both Lavender and Julia thought the place was beautiful, and they were not afraid to say so.

All Chris replied was, “Oh, it is not much, really.”

But Lavender and Julia wondered how there could be anything greater. While walking through the streets, Julia was embraced with awe and could not help but stare and gawk as they walked past. She was not the only one gawking, though. People stared out windows and whispered amongst themselves, wondering who these strangers were. Lavender also occasionally found herself staring and tried to focus on not doing so.

          They finally made it to their destination - a large stone building. It stood about six stories high, was cylindrical, and measured twenty feet in diameter. It was completely smooth until the last story at the top, where there was a balcony and a few windows.

“How do we get in?” Lavender finally asked with her head tilted up, looking at the unreachable balcony.

“Just watch,” was all that Chris replied with a small half-smile. He knocked on the building three times with three short rap-tap-taps.

All of the sudden, Lavender felt herself being lifted up off the ground. Soon, they were all flying through the air, straight up into the sky. She looked around, trying to see what was making them soar, but could not. She could see her mother next to her, just as confused as she was, but Chris was sitting calmly. Wait... sitting? Sitting on what?

Lavender looked closer and finally she saw it. There was a cloud under him, but it was not any ordinary cloud. This silver cloud sparkled and was not wet at all. Looking closer at her own little cloud, she saw tiny fairies controlling it like a machine, but it seemed to mostly work off of their magic. She wondered if they ever got tired or needed a break.

          When they landed on the balcony, the clouds disappeared.

Lavender then asked the question that swirled around within her thoughts, “So... why are there fairies controlling the cloud?”

She noticed her mother staring at her with a perplexed look on her face, and Chris gawked at her, almost as bewildered.

“You saw the fairies?” Chris asked incredulously.

“There were fairies in the clouds?” Julia asked, looking between the both of them, baffled.

“I saw these tiny, glowing creatures with wings controlling the cloud from the inside,” replied Lavender, confused by their reactions, “Didn’t you?"

As Julia shook her head, Chris started explaining why he was stunned, “Only rarely gifted people can see the fairies, and it is even rarer that you saw them through the cloud.”

          “Those with extremely rare abilities, and those who are granted the gift of sight - or more commonly known as the gift of the wild - are supposed to be able to see magical creatures,” Chris continued.

Julia was starting to understand now. “That’s what the purple light was! She has the gift of the wild!"

“What?” Both Chris and Lavender exclaimed at the same time.

“When the... the animals and... they... they chanted, and you were surrounded by... by this purple light... and you... inhaled it into your soul,” Julia said, hyperventilating while trying to explain, “and maybe that... that is why you grew up so fast...”

          “And you say she grew up within a second?” Chris affirmed, ruminating on the matter.

“Um, yes,” Julia stuttered, “I... I think so... It all just happened so fast.”

“Well, this would explain why she can see the fairies,” said Chris, “and also why she shines like an angel.”

Lavender was flattered by the comment and blushed, not knowing that to his eyes, she literally shone.

“Well,” Chris said, “enough chitter-chatter. Shall we be going?”

Chris escorted Lavender along with Julia right on their heels. He led them to a beautiful, spacious room with a large crystal chandelier. Music started playing out of nowhere as Chris asked Lavender to dance. Julia stood off to the side, watching her daughter and Chris dance with ultimate grace.

Out of the blue, a handsome man appeared next to Julia. He looked like Chris, but quite a few years older and had some scruff on his face.

“May I have the pleasure of a dance?” He asked, his deep voice resonating inside her.

“Why certainly,” Julia replied, blushing slightly.

The mysterious man escorted her to the dance floor. Now men and women, in a range of years, were dancing. Beautiful gowns colored the room in a magnificent array of colors. Many shades of blue, purple, yellow, green, orange, and red were scattered across the floor, painting a picture of unique blends and shades.

Julia had not danced with a partner in years, but still, she danced gracefully across the floor. She had not felt this fabulous in a long time. She let herself get swept away by the music, letting her thoughts flow freely. Joy coursed through her whole being. Lavender felt the same as her mother.

She was having such fun dancing with n elegant, young man her same age. Lavender could feel her love for Chris blossoming in her chest; by the look on Chris’s face, so could he. They glided across the floor in each other’s arms.

The song stopped and everyone clapped. Chris bowed to Lavender.

Then, in the middle of the floor, a tall man’s voice rang out, “Attention! Attention!”

Everyone became quiet.

The man went on, saying, “I would like to thank you all for coming. My son has finally returned, and he has brought with him a beautiful young maiden.”

Chris offered his arm to Lavender, and they walked to the center together. People moved out of their way, making an aisle as they came through. When they got to the center of the room, there was a slight pause, and then Chris let go of Lavender and hugged his father.

He stepped back again, seeing the love in his father’s eyes, and returned to Lavender, taking her hand.

Still holding her hand, Chris turned to his father and announced, “This is Lavender. She has been given the gift of the wild and is the most beautiful and kind woman I have ever met.”

The crowd clapped, and his father hugged both Chris and Lavender out of pure joy.

Suddenly, Chris knelt down on one knee and held onto both of Lavender’s hands.

He started talking in a loving voice, “Lavender, lady of the wild, will you take me, Chris, protector of all that is good, to be your husband?”

With that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful gold ring woven with golden flowers. Lavender had never seen anything so exquisitely designed. Overwhelmed with joy and love, Lavender could not speak at first but nodded her head slowly.

Her nodding increased in speed, and she leaped into Chris’s arms shouting, “Yes! Yes, I will marry you!”

The crowd exploded in joyful clapping and tears.

When the excitement had died down a little, Chris’s dad, Steven, spread out his arms to silence the crowd. “I, too, have an announcement,” he stated boldly, “I have chosen Lavender’s astounding mother, Julia, for my wife.”

Julia looked a little nervous, but all could tell she was happy. The room burst with excitement and surprise. A surprised gasp came from Lavender’s mouth, but she quickly recovered and a smile rose on her face.

          “People, please,” said Steven, “Settle down!"

“Our weddings will be consecutive,” stated Chris after the crowd had quieted down. “My father shall first be wed to Julia, and then I, Chris, will be wed to my ever-lovely Lavender.”

He looked lovingly into her eyes and Lavender’s heart thrummed harder in her chest.

“Yes,” said Chris’s father, “in two days’ time at sunset we will be wed.”

          After the announcement, the dancing continued as usual, but now with a little more excitement. At the end of the night, one last song was played - a special song played for young princes when they find a wife. The floor was cleared while Chris escorted his new fiancé to the cleared floor.

Taking Lavender’s hand and her waist, Chris began to waltz, leading Lavender with a practiced hand. They danced with steady, rhythmic steps. Lavender’s smile was small and polite, instead of ear to ear like it had been earlier. She acted like the princess she was going to be. Christ led Lavender, twirling her around smoothly, for the entirety of the waltz.

          The music ended and Chris bowed to Lavender as she curtsied back. They came up and embraced each other in a kiss full of love and joy. The crowd burst into ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ and cheering. At that, the day ended; the guests left, and Lavender and Julia were shown to their rooms.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Stepping into her room, Lavender gasped, amazed at the beauty. Her bed was a fancy, queen-size bed with a pink-purple bedspread. It had a nap, so depending on the way you looked at it, one way was pinker and the other way looked more purple. It had a cute canopy with purple fabric - embroidered flowers dotted its surface.

The room was painted like the outside; the floor was painted with all different greens blended to look like grass. Flowers colored the floor with rich pastel colors, and the walls contained beautiful maple trees. Lavender could almost smell the almond scent from their flowers.

There was a wondrous horizon that floated into the ceiling. The sun had started to set, painting the scene with beautiful oranges and pinks. There were a few clouds in the sky, the bottoms of them shadowed purple with the setting sun. Lavender felt as if she could actually sense the warmth of the sun on her face and hear songbirds in the trees.

She spun around in amazement but soon felt the sleepiness that had crept through her body and into her mind. She checked the drawers of the dresser that had been placed in her room and found a comfortable nightgown, and anything else she might need; all the clothes were just the right size to fit her. Lavender dressed into her sleepwear and snuggled under the covers.

“Good night,” she said to the chirps she could hear, and they went silent.

The room grew dark. Peering through the sheer canopy, Lavender could see a moon creeping up her wall into the night sky, and stars started to dot the ceiling. Letting the drowsiness take over, she drifted off to sleep.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Julia found her room to be exquisite. It was beautiful, and it was much like Lavender’s room. The only differences were the bed’s colors and there was no canopy over the bed. Julia, too, looked around her room until she felt drowsiness taking over. She slipped into her nightgown and crawled into bed, staring wonderingly at the twinkling stars on her ceiling. She soon fell asleep with a slight smile on her face, and she let herself be carried away by pleasant dreams.

In the morning, Lavender awoke, fresh and ready to go. She sat up and stretched out the remaining tiredness in her body. Looking around, she found there were no clouds in the sky, and the birds had just woken up. The sun was rising in beautiful orange, red, and purple hues. Lavender noticed brand-new clothes laid out on her dresser. The outfit included a purple dress with lace - shoulders puffed out a little, just like a stereotypical princess dress. The outfit also contained a pearl necklace, white shoes, and an assortment of things she could use for her hair.

After looking at the clothes, she noticed a door on the other end of the room. She walked over to it and opened it. Behind the door, she found an alluring bathroom; it contained a shower and a bathtub, a toilet, a chrome and seashell sink, and white, plush towels. The night before, she had used a bathroom down the hall; she did not even consider that her room might have its own exquisite bathroom.

She took a nice, hot, steaming shower. Waiting a while after she turned the water off, she toweled off and got dressed in her new dress. She checked herself in the floor-length mirror standing in the corner. Lavender’s eyes caught sight of some parchment on the ground in the reflection of the mirror. Curious, Lavender walked over to pick it up. She realized it must have fluttered to the ground when she removed the dress from the piece of furniture. It must have been underneath her clothing. She picked up the paper and realized it was a note for her.

It read, “If you would like to accompany me for breakfast, follow these directions: out your door, go down the blue hallway to your left, turn right at the first staircase, and go all the way down. Turn left, then left again, and then enter the doorway. You will then find another note waiting for you.”

Lavender smirked and followed the directions. She went down the stairs and got to the door, just to find it locked.

Confused, she looked at the note again. She found a little writing in the bottom left corner, “The note is the key.”

“What could that possibly mean?” Lavender asked herself. She turned the paper over, looking for more clues. Nothing. Then, she noticed the creases, indicating it had been bent in particular ways. She started working on the puzzle, bending corners, and working out how to make the note into a key.

A few minutes later, she had all the folds right, making the paper into the image of a small key. She pumped her fist and jumped up in excitement. She put it into the keyhole of the door– it fit. Not sure if the folded paper would take the weight of the lock, she turned the key slowly. Surprisingly, it turned smoothly. She then turned the handle and the door opened quietly. She stepped into the room and looked around. There was a piece of paper lying on the desk. She looked at it, but it was blank.

“Does he want to eat breakfast with me or not?” Lavender asked out loud, “It will be lunchtime by the time I figure this out!”

She let out an exasperated sigh before turning her attention back to the piece of paper.

          She examined the note for clues, hoping to find something useful. Finding nothing, she looked around the room, trying to find something that might help. The only other items in the room were a desk, a chair, a small couch, flaming lanterns, and a small mirror.

She sat down on the couch, frustrated and a little disappointed. One of the lanterns cast a glow on the paper momentarily and Lavender saw a golden message appear, and then disappear just as quickly. She got an idea and moved over to a lantern. She held the blank paper up to the light. The message appeared only where the flame was directly casting a glow on the paper.

Holding the paper up to the flame one section at a time, she slowly went through the note. Lavender read it word by word, sentence by sentence until she had read it all. When she finished, she read it once more to ensure she understood it all. Lavender went over to the far wall by the desk. She looked up to see the hole that the note had described. The note had also told her there was an object in the room that would fit into the hole. Lavender looked around the room, searching for something that might fit into the it. She found a golden quill in the only desk drawer and tried both ends; it did not fit. She found nothing else even close to the size of the small hole in the wall.

Lavender was just about to give up when she saw herself in the mirror. She had tiny fingers; maybe they would work. She stuck her pinky into the hole. Lavender could sense that it was a short hole, but her finger did not fit all the way in. She pulled her hand back and looked for something else. Nothing on her clothing would fit, or even had the right shape.

Sitting down and brushing through her hair, she tried to think. She then remembered the hairband that she was wearing. She hurriedly pulled it off and examined it closely. The two ends were too thick and flat to fit, but the butterfly on it had antennas that would fit perfectly. She jammed the butterfly antenna through the hole and the wall opened with a click. Now more invigorated, Lavender took the headband out of the hole, put it back on her head, and went through the passage. The wall slid back into place behind her.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Julia woke up refreshed and a bit excited. She had had a dream where she was dancing around forever with Chris’s father across a field of clouds, sunshine, and beautiful flowers. An unknown song had been playing through the air in her room, bringing her joy. She freshened herself up in the bathroom and got dressed in the clothes she found on her dresser. She opened her door and decided to find somewhere she could eat a nice, healthy breakfast.

A small creature walked by and Julia called out to it, “Excuse me, can you tell me where I can get some breakfast?"

The creature turned and walked toward Julia. She could now see it had big, round eyes and was about a foot tall with hands and feet. It did not possess many other characteristics, as if someone made it simple, yet cute.

          The small creature made a little chirp, made some gestures with its hands, and then turned away. Julia stood where she was, confused. After a while, the creature turned around and stopped. Seeing that Julia was not following, it chirped again and gestured for her to follow it. Julia finally got the message and followed the tiny critter.

          It took her around a few bends and down a staircase. When the floor leveled off, there was a grand room filled with tables and chairs like a giant restaurant. The creature clapped two times, and the place sprang to life. People walked in and waited on Julia; they sat her down in a chair and tied a napkin around her neck and then they retrieved food for her. They brought out the most delicious breakfast Julia had ever tasted. She took a bite, tasting the succulent food.

“This is the best food I have ever tasted,” Julia thought. “I wish I could just eat it forever.”

But Julia was getting full and soon, she was sitting back in her chair, relaxed, full, and completely satisfied.

          Steven came over from the stairs asking, “Did you enjoy the food?”

Julia turned around, smiling, and answered, “Yes; I found it most delectable.”

“I am glad you enjoyed it,” he replied with a smile. “I take pride in the grandest food that my chef can make.”

“Well,” said Julia, “please give my compliments to the chef.”

          Julia and Steven spent the rest of the morning together, finding out each other’s interests, likes, and dislikes. Julia learned that Steven’s full name was actually Steven Oliver the Helpful. He had become king after his father had died, and his father from his father, and so on. They had ruled here for as long as they could remember - at least ten generations.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Lavender entered the now-opened wall and went down the stairs that it held; they seemed to go on forever. Lavender finally got to the bottom and then was assaulted. She was blindfolded and her arms were bound behind her back. She tried to fight, but then she smelled something pungent and went into a deep sleep.

          The dream she had was not a pleasant one. She dreamed that she was lost in the forest, and she could hear Chris’s voice calling out to her, but she could not get to him. She was stuck!

Off in the distance, she heard a roar and slish-sloshing to her left. She tried to lift her feet out of the ground, but they were stuck fast, sinking slowly. Something was coming closer. She could now see the gruesome creature coming through the trees. It walked closer with slow steps, like a zombie. It was disgustingly covered in slime and warts.

          The creature reached out and touched Lavender. The slime was cold and wet as it slithered across her skin. Lavender woke up, bewildered, with a choked-off scream in her throat. She looked ‘round about herself in a panic. She saw no one, which scared her even more. Lavender was in the middle of a swamp. Her hands had been unbound, and she could see the rope lying on the ground beside her. What the?

          She stood up slowly, trying to figure out what had happened. She looked around, finding that she had no idea where she was; nothing looked even remotely familiar. Trees surrounded her on every side; a few feet to her left was a pond filled with cattails and lily pads. To her right was just more forest and swamp.

          Lavender thought about calling for help, but the shout ended up stifled as she wondered what, or who, might hear her. She did not even know if Chris was within shouting distance, or whether he would know where to come looking to rescue her. Lavender decided to keep quiet as she stood up and tiptoed through the forest. She hoped to keep attention away from herself; she did not want any strange creatures or people who might want to harm her to learn her location.

          Lavender ran through the forest as quietly as possible, not seeing a single creature. She thought it was a little odd, but kept running anyway. Lavender tried to find something familiar that would take her back to Chris and his wonderful city.

          She did not see the grown-in stairs, nor did she see the little hut that Chris had gone into. Lavender knew she had the gift of the wild, but she did not understand how to use it. Could she call out for nice animals to show her the way? Would they even listen to her if they could even understand her? How did she know she wouldn’t accidentally bring something to herself that would kill her? So many questions were darting through her head.

          She started fighting within herself. If I call will anyone hear me?.... No, no person could hear me, but maybe animals in the wild?... No, I do not think I speak squirrel… I would sound all weird if I started just speaking into the forest... Plus, what would I say? Hey, little wild creatures, take me back to Chris?... Like they would even understand! Frustrated, she went over and sat on a stump a few feet away.

          “Wait!” her brain yelled at her, “Deja vu!”

She looked down and saw the steps. This was the exact trunk that her mom had sat on earlier on their way to Chris’s city. If she followed the stairs down, she should get to the landing with the hut, and then she could continue on to the city.

With new vigor, Lavender hurried down the jungle-grown steps. She soon got to the landing. Lavender saw the hut, and then she noticed that a light was showing through the crack in the door.

“Who is in there?” She wondered. Curiosity got the best of her, and she walked over to the hut, trying to peer inside. When she could not see anything, she knocked. No one answered, but she was still curious, so she tried the doorknob. It was not locked, and it swung right open. It opened to reveal a large golden-lit room with royal-looking furniture and a grand fireplace, which was roaring with warm flames. She looked around. It seemed as if no one was there.

          “What are you doing here?” Inquired a deep, rude voice from behind her.

She spun around quickly, but no one was there. Her head swiveled left and right, trying to pinpoint who had spoken.

“You should not be here,” the same voice prompted harshly, off to her right now.

“Who is there?” She inquired tentatively.

No answer. Looking around, she still could not spot the speaker.

“Hello?” Lavender asked a bit louder, “Anyone there?”

Still no answer. She went to sit by the fire, feeling a slight chill by the door.

“I said LEAVE!!!” The same voice shouted, now coming from the fire.

          Lavender was so shocked, she stumbled backward, tripping over a

footstool. She quickly got up, not wanting to stay another second.

She turned toward the door and ran out, hearing behind her, “And good riddance!”

She ran out of the hut and slammed the door closed, trying to trap the awful experience she had had inside.

          There was a rustling off to the side of the hut. Lavender froze, already filled with terror. She turned toward the noise and backed away. Then, a short little thing emerged from the bushes. Stunned, Lavender was at a loss for words. The little creature seemed confused and surprised at first, but then his frown turned into a big smile.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Feldspar walked through the forest floor, picking juju berries for his mother. He always enjoyed going out and exploring - Feldspar didn’t mind picking berries on his way. He hummed a song as he gathered sweet fruit into his pouch.

          Feldspar heard a rustling nearby and went to investigate. Not far from where he foraged was the human’s passage hut. He tried to keep his distance, but this time he was too curious to stay away. Feldspar peered around the bush he was behind, trying to find the source of the noise he had heard.

          Feldspar’s eyes landed on a human woman. That’s curious. He stepped out from behind the bush, trying to get a better look. He had never seen this woman before. Maybe I should bring her home. My mother should know what to do.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Recovering from her shock, Lavender asked, “Hello? Do you know how I can get back to Chris?"

“Follow me,” the dwarf said in a high, little-girlish voice.

Following the little dwarf, Lavender’s curiosity kicked in again.

She started asking questions, “What is your name? Who are you?”

“My name is Feldspar Piperton from the Lithoan clan.”

Taking a better look at the little boy dwarf, Lavender saw that he had grey eyes, like clouds on a stormy day. The dwarf stood about two and a half feet tall with light brown hair, which resembled creamy chocolate. He had no shoes; he wore brown trousers and a white silk shirt.

“What are you doing out here all alone?”

“A better question would be, why are you out here all alone?” He answered, “But I am out here looking for juju berries for my mother, and when I heard a ruckus, I went to find out what it was, and I found you.”

Lavender then noticed the pouch on the dwarf, full of juju berries.

“Where do you live?” She asked.

“In the forest,” Feldspar replied vaguely.

“Where in the forest?” She asked, trying to get a more specific answer.

          Feldspar stopped, and then answered, “Right here.”

Lavender looked around perplexed.

“Where?” She asked.

“Right here,” Feldspar answered again.

“I do not see anything,” Lavender replied with a minor annoyance in her voice.

Rolling his eyes, Feldspar gestured around him and to the ground and said again, “Right here.”

Looking closer, Lavender could now see the few tunnels hidden around the brush just big enough for a full-grown dwarf to fit through. This would mean that she would be crouching, if not crawling on her hands and knees.

“So you live underground?” Lavender asked with wonder.

Feldspar nodded.

“Why?” Lavender asked.

“We are rock people, dwarves, we have homes in the Earth we came from and get our most precious items above our homes. It is also very well disguised and fortified. We do not like war and avoid it, but we still defend ourselves if the problem ever arises,” he replied.

          Genuinely fascinated, Lavender ran out of questions but wanted to see more.

“I will take you to my home,” Feldspar finally said, “Maybe my parents can help you.”

Feldspar led Lavender down a hole a few feet away. After a while, Lavender could no longer see the light from the entrance of the tunnel. Still, she followed Feldspar. Lavender came around a bend and suddenly, she could see! There were crystal-like rocks in the tunnel that emitted light.

“What makes them light up?” Lavender asked Feldspar, who had not noticed that Lavender had stopped.

“The stones?” Asked Feldspar; Lavender nodded.

“They are twin stones,” he answered.

After a slight pause, he continued, “As long as its twin is illuminated, either by sunlight or other means, its twin shines just as bright.”

“So all these stones have a twin?" Lavender asked.

“Actually, they are all from the same stone, so technically they are decaplets,” he said, “but yes, in a way they all have a twin, and they all light up if the mother stone sees the light.”

          “Woah,” was all Lavender could say.

She had never seen anything like it before, nothing so beautiful and peculiar. As soon as Lavender could pry her eyes away from the crystals, they continued forward. After a few minutes, they came to a more spacious room.

There was some furniture, but all were made from stone. It did not look very comfortable to Lavender. In all, there were some things that looked like a chair, a table, and a small couch. All but the table looked like it had grown out of the ground, same stone, same color. The table, however, was movable. It was small, sturdy, and flat. It was no higher than a foot and a half tall.

The chair was slightly lower than the table, so it was not likely to be used as a footstool. Standing a tad taller than the chair, the couch contained two “cushions.” The chair was facing the wall to the right of Lavender, while the couch sat perpendicular to the chair, with the table in front of the two, an equal distance from both.

          “Mom... Pa!” Yelled Feldspar, “Where are you?!”

“Back here, Feldspar, my darling,” a slightly more female voice answered back from the hall branching off from the room.

“Mom, we’ve got company,” Feldspar replied.

“Well, come in dear, who is with you?”

“See for yourself Ma,” Feldspar responded.

A short woman appeared in the hallway with a towel in her hands. She walked down the hall toward Lavender and Feldspar.

“Who is this?” She asked as she emerged from the hall.

“Oh...Oh,” she stuttered, but quickly recovered and asked, “Feldspar, where did you come upon this young lady?”

“She was on a stump, Ma, sitting by the passage hut,” he replied.

          “Oh,” she replied, turning her attention to Lavender, “You must be famished, exhausted, oh you poor dear. Come in, come in. I will get you something to eat... Sit down; Feldspar, be a gentledwarf, and get a cushion for the chair.”

Words and commands were spewing from her mouth as she went back to the kitchen and came back with a steaming bowl of stew.

“Here you go darling,” she said, “nice and hot, right from the pot.”

“Why thank you,” Lavender replied, taking the bowl in her hands.

          Between bites, Lavender took in the dwarf woman; she was taller than her son, but still did not come any higher than Lavender’s chest. Her hair was a soft orange-brown, like some kind of amber. Her facial features were simple, yet beautiful. Other than that, nothing else really stood out to Lavender.

“So, why were you wandering in the woods?” The woman asked.

“Well, I was going to meet my fiancé, Chris, for breakfast. I was supposed to meet him after following clues and such,” she replied, “I got to the bottom of secret stairs when suddenly, I could no longer see, hear, smell, or feel anything. The next thing I knew, I was lying by a swamp.”

“And then?” Feldspar’s mom prompted.

“And then, I wandered until I found the hut and the stump I had seen earlier when Chris first took me to his city,” Lavender continued, “and then Feldspar found me and brought me here. I just want to go home to Chris.”

She covered her face with her hands.

“Oh you poor thing,” The woman said.

She looked as if Lavender had confirmed her worst fears, and then after a slight pause, she introduced herself, “Excuse my bad manners. My name is Jade.”

          As soon as she had said her name, it occurred to Lavender that jade was a type of stone. She imagined its lovely blue-green color and noticed how the color of a jade stone resembled the color of Jade’s eyes.

“You have dazzling eyes,” Lavender blurted out.

“Oh, why thank you,” Jade replied, “they are what I am named after: jade stones.”

          Starting to get tired of waiting, Lavender asked, “Do you know how I can get home? Back to the city?”

The sweet disposition Jade had earlier vanished.

“What is wrong?” Lavender asked, seeing Jade’s dampened complexion.

Trying to recover from her sudden drop in mood, Jade forced a smile saying, “Oh nothing, darling, just that in order to get you home, I would need to put you in grave danger.”

Confused, Lavender asked why.

          Changing the subject instead of answering, Jade replied, “Why don’t I go make us some tea? We can discuss the matter afterward.”

Jade went off and Lavender sat back in the chair, perplexed.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Chris smiled as he waited for Lavender to join him for breakfast. He knew she would enjoy the puzzle he left for her. Chris planned to show her everything she deserved, starting with the most amazing breakfast. He had asked the chef to prepare an array of the best breakfast foods the kingdom had to offer.
His leg started jiggling as the time drew on. He didn’t think Lavender would take this long to accompany him. Maybe he had made the puzzle too hard. The food was starting to become room temperature and Chris’s brow began to furrow. Maybe I should go check on her.
Chris stood up from the table and made his way toward Lavender’s suite. He knocked on the plain wooden door. When there was no answer, he gently pushed it open, peering in to see if she was within. He saw no signs of her. The clothes he asked to be left were taken. She got up, at least.
Chris moved toward the room that the puzzle would have taken Lavender to. The door stood wide open, but there still was no sign of Lavender. Chris’s heart rate began to quicken. Where could she be? He meandered through the hallways of the castle, shouting her name. Maybe she got lost?
When he ran into a servant, he asked the man to gather some more people to search for Lavender. The servant nodded and went on his way. Chris hurried to where he knew he could find his father.
Stepping into the room, Chris panicked.
“I can’t find Lavender, Father. She’s completely disappeared!”
Steven turned toward his son, his eyebrow shooting up with concern.
“What do you mean?”
“I left her a note to follow which would have led her to have breakfast with me, but when she didn’t arrive, I went looking for her. But I can’t find her anywhere in the castle!”
Chris was hyperventilating now, extremely concerned.
“Calm down, son. No need to get hysterical. I am sure we will find her.”
Chris nodded, trying to slow his breathing.
“What should we do?”
“I’ll send soldiers to search the castle and the grounds. She can’t have gone far.”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Jade went to the kitchen and put the kettle on to heat the water for tea, but immediately afterward, she went to find her husband. She went to the next room over.

“Flint, da’ling,” Jade called out, “Where are you?”

As soon as she had asked, Flint waltzed into the room, “What is it, cuddle bug?”

“We have a special opportunity,” Jade replied, “Feldspar found a human wandering about.”

Flint raised an eyebrow, not quite following.

Rolling her eyes a little, Jade elaborated, “It is fortuitous that a human comes to our doorstep this close to the eve of the pathway opening. Y’know, the pathway that only a human can see?”

Flint finally caught on to what his wife was alluding to, “We can finally free our beloved King Gabbro!”

Jade shushed Flint, flitting her eyes over toward the kitchen. She turned her head to listen to whether Lavender had heard the exclamation. After a moment, she concluded that Flint had not been overheard. Sheepishly, Flint shrugged.

“What we need to do now is figure out how to get the human to help us,” Jade said.

The two dwarves pondered for a while, and then Jade’s face lit up.

“What if we create a fake prophecy? Humans love those things!” She said with a chuckle.

Flint hesitated, “Is it right to trick the human? Why not just tell the truth and ask for help?”

Jade answered him, quite exasperated now, “Do you really think she would just help us out of the goodness of her heart? She does not even know us!”

Flint looked down, thinking about her words for a moment, “I guess not.”

After a short pause, Jade continued, “Now we need to make it believable.”

“How?” Flint asked.

“Run to the Clan Elders and tell them of our plan. Make sure they write up the fake prophecy and make sure it rhymes; prophesies always rhyme.”

“They will have to play their part too, to convince the human,” Flint added, “For the good of our people.”

“For the sake of the entire nation,” Jade replied, seriously. Flint nodded and headed out the secret back door to remain unseen.

After Flint left the room to go tell the elders of Jade’s plan to get their king back, Jade went and checked on the water. It was hot so she flavored it with herbal tea leaves and poured the tea into two cups. She set the cups on a tray with some miniature muffins filled with juju berries and some sort of nut in them. Lifting the tray, she walked out of the kitchen toward the living room where Lavender sat waiting.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Jade set the tray on the table and handed Lavender a cup of tea. She went over and sat on the adjacent couch. Lavender was thankful for the tea; it warmed and relaxed her. She tried a muffin.

“These are wonderful!” She exclaimed, “What is in it?”

“Juju berries and koros nuts,” Jade replied.

          There was an awkward hiatus between both of them before Jade finally answered Lavender’s mental question.

“You are the lady of the prophecy, my dear,” Jade started slowly, “You must go to see the elders. They know all and have all the prophecies of the past and future.”

Lavender was greatly confused now.

“What prophecy? What are you talking about?” She asked, flustered.

“Long ago, there was a humble man who had the special gift - the gift of prophecy. He prophesied that our beloved king would one day disappear. A lost maiden with purple eyes would be the only one who could bring him back.”

“And you think I am the one?” Lavender asked.

“If you do not believe me, dear, ask the elders,” Jade replied with a shrug, “How many young maidens have violet eyes like yours?”

“I guess not many,” Lavender replied hesitantly, “Where are these elders?”

“Why, they are in the great temple of Stalagmus!” She exclaimed.

          Lavender finished her miniature muffin and Jade put the rest in a little bag for Lavender to carry on her journey. They went to the temple with Jade leading the way and requested entrance.

The elders let them in. Lavender noticed that the elders did not talk much, and they all looked the same: short, long gray beards, bald heads, and gray tunics. The elders led Lavender to a room that was small and homely with a small fire.

          They sat down around the fire, gesturing Lavender to follow their lead; Lavender sat down hesitantly. The elders started chanting, and the fire turned green and then blue. They ended, and the fire returned to normal.

One spoke, “Lavender, you have been chosen for a noble quest; a quest foretold by a wise dwarf long ago.” The prophecy states:

The noble king that once ruled in peace

Will be taken in the night,

The darkness will not cease

‘til a maiden with eyes of plum

Finds the path of courage

And the dwarves’ savior become.

Pausing, the head elder took a breath, searching for his next words carefully, “If you take on this quest, you will not be able to turn back until it is completed. What say you?”

Lavender sat there, dumbfounded.

When she finally was able to speak, she asked, “What if I fail?"

“Then it will be grievous indeed,” replied the elder.

          With some thought, Lavender agreed to the quest.

“Good,” the elder said, looking relieved, “you will be issued two companions who will help you along the way and guide you on your quest.”

The elder thought for a while and then said, “Feldspar will be one and the other will be a strong dwarf capable of protecting you.”

At the mention of Feldspar, there was a murmur, with Jade on the brink of outrage.

          “I am sure Talc could be of service on the quest,” suggested one of the elders, “he is a mighty dwarf.”

“Very well then,” replied the head elder, “Feldspar and Talc will accompany Lavender on her quest.”

Jade took the elder aside, furious, “How could you volunteer my Feldspar for this dangerous quest?"

Calmly, the head elder answered quietly, “Some payment had to be made for falsely sending this girl to certain death. We do not wish to send this young maiden on a suicide mission. You know as well as I do that Feldspar knows the land like the back of his hand. You should have anticipated this outcome.”

Jade was beginning to calm down, seeing that his reasoning was acceptable.

“You will give them sufficient tools and resources to help ensure their survival,” Jade insisted.

“Of course, we will provide the best items we have for them,” the head elder replied flatly.

          Feeling a little more satisfied, and less worried, Jade let the elder go and followed him back to the room so Lavender and her companions could get ready to leave as soon as possible. One of the elders went to fetch Talc. Meanwhile, the elders led Lavender and Feldspar to the supply hold.

          Feldspar was equipped with a sling, along with a bow and arrows, for he was quite adept at using both. He was also issued an ax. Lavender received only a knife as she had no training with weapons. They were both outfitted with sturdy, but lightweight, chest guards.

Lavender commented, playing with the chest guard, “Seems a little flimsy, don’t you think?”

“This, my darling,” said the head elder, “is one of the best pieces of ‘armor’ we own. It is made of tempered steel alloys and is magically enhanced, making it stronger and also very lightweight - better than it seems.”

“It would stop a blow from even the biggest giant from cutting you in half,” another elder added.

          Talc showed up a few seconds later. He was issued the weapon of his choice - a long sword - and also a concealed dagger. He received a breastplate as well. It was now considerably late. They would stay the night in Jade’s home and then would start their adventure in the morning.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Julia woke up, having a strange feeling that something was amiss. She looked around the room to find it just how she had left it.

“Why do I have this weird feeling that something is wrong?” Julia asked herself aloud.

Her room was the same, except a brand new outfit was sitting by her dresser. The birds were singing, and the sun had just finished rising over the hills.

          She decided to get up and get dressed, foregoing a shower. She then went down to find something to eat. Oddly enough, she encountered no one while heading to the kitchen. She arrived at the kitchen, ready to eat. No one was there. It was like the whole castle staff had vanished. She was not too hungry, so she went to investigate. She stepped into the hallway and looked down it, seeing no one. Trying to figure out the best way to find someone, she decided to go left. She walked down the hallway until it turned. She followed the hall to a T.

“Which way should I go?” She asked herself.

          Suddenly, someone came around the corner and down the hallway toward Julia. Julia stopped him before he could run past her.

“Where is everybody?” She asked with a little edge in her voice. The man looked confused and also anxious to get where he was going.

He finally answered, “Follow me.”

“Where are you going?” She asked, not really wanting to follow him.

“King,” was all he said shortly after, tossing the word over his shoulder.

          Julia let him lead her. He continued at a brisk pace but no longer ran. They wandered down hallway after hallway, sometimes turning left, and sometimes turning right. They went up a staircase and down another. After what seemed like hours, and going in circles, they came to a door and stopped. The man rapped on the door three quick times and stood back, ready for the door to swing open.

          King Steven came to the door with a serious look on his face. The little man said something in a foreign language. Stephen then turned to see Julia inviting her in after dismissing the little man.

“Please, sit down,” Steven told Julia while gesturing to a chair.

Julia sat, now more concerned than ever.

“Have you eaten?” Steven asked.

“No,” Julia replied, “No one was in the kitchen when I went there.”

Steven clapped his hands twice and a servant entered with a plate of food and some orange juice. , and

Julia ate while Steven talked, “Lavender is missing and none of my men can find her.”

          Julia’s mouth hung open, and a bite of an egg dropped back onto her plate.

“What do you mean ‘She’s missing’?” Julia asked anxiously, dropping her silverware. Instead of answering her, Steven tenderly held Julia’s hand.

“Do not worry,” he assured her, “We will find her.”

They traveled through the day and barely into the night before setting up camp. Talc set up the tents while Feldspar and Lavender collected some wood for a fire. The forest was still green because it was the middle of spring, so good firewood was hard to come by. Finally, they stumbled across a dead tree. Though it was small, it was quite dead. It had been dead long enough that all the branches were dry and brittle; no green could be found within or on the tree.

Lavender broke off as many branches as she could hold while Feldspar used his ax to cut some bigger logs from the trunk. They then carried their load back to the small clearing where Talc was finishing setting up the rain fly over the tent.

Feldspar put down his logs and started collecting stones. He put the stones in a circle - about one and a half feet in diameter. When Feldspar was finished, he went over to Lavender and asked for her smallest branches with dried leaves still attached. She handed over a third of her pile to Feldspar. He went over to the ring of rocks and started building a crude teepee with the sticks. Feldspar then went digging in his pack and pulled out two very different rocks. He started hitting the rocks together, trying to create a spark. He finally succeeded, and the brittle leaves caught fire instantly.

“Keep adding twigs and sticks to this until it gets bigger,” Feldspar instructed Lavender, “When it gets big enough, we will put the bigger logs on it.”

While Lavender fed the fire, Talc looked in his pack for something to feed themselves. He came over to the fire with two bags of some kind of meat.

“We can cook this up,” Talc said, “all we need is a strong enough stick to skewer it on.”

Talc looked around for a stick big enough to hold the chunk of meat in the first sack.

He spotted a tree that would have a branch just big enough. He pointed it out and Feldspar took his ax to cut off the branch. He hacked the branch down and cut off the twigs coming out of it. He sharpened the end to a point so that it would go through the meat easier.

He brought the sharpened branch over to the fire and handed it to Talc so he could put the meat on it and cook it. Lavender could not identify what kind of meat Talc was cooking, but she could smell it as it cooked and could not wait to eat it. While the meat cooked, Feldspar retrieved the water packs so they would have something to drink with the meat. Feldspar also got out a large skillet so they could put the meat on something after it was thoroughly cooked.

Once the meat had finished cooking, Talc scraped it off the stick and onto the skillet. He set the stick aside and pulled out a knife to cut the meat. He cut a piece bigger than a third for himself and then cut the rest in half for Lavender and Feldspar. At first, Lavender thought this was unfair, but after looking at Talc, she understood why he cut himself a larger piece; he was even larger than she and Feldspar combined.

After they ate, they sat back for a while, enjoying the heat of the fire. The fire died down significantly after a while of feeding it nothing to burn. They then retired to their tents.

Lavender awoke the next day, momentarily disoriented, but soon remembered her quest. She did not want to get up; she felt lazy, and she did not want to face the new day. Lavender feared what lay ahead. They had just started their journey and had a large expedition ahead of them to find the hidden pathway that would lead to the place King Gabbro was being held captive.

Not only was she not looking forward to the conflict at the end of their journey, but she was not looking forward to the long, windy, and treacherous road that they had to traverse. Who knew what they might encounter on the way there? Who knew which horrors they might find, or what might find them?

          Lavender knew they had to get going, though, so she got up and got dressed in one of the hiking outfits that the dwarves had provided her with. She put on the black hiking boots, which were surprisingly light, and strode out of her tent. Lavender found Talc finishing up taking down their camp; now she felt bad she had not gotten up sooner so that she could have helped. She noticed Feldspar was tending to the fire, getting their breakfast ready so they could leave as soon as possible.

          Lavender went back into her tent and packed up her few belongings. She came back out and started to take down her tent. Talc came over, and without a word, started to help her. She could not tell if he was doing it to help her and to be kind, or if he just wanted to get on the road faster.

          Almost as soon as they got Lavender’s tent put away, Feldspar called out to them that breakfast was hot and ready. Lavender walked over to the fire, wondering what they would be eating. Looking down at the food, Lavender could not even tell what it was. It looked like some sort of stew, but she could not tell what might be in it or where Feldspar would have found the ingredients that made it up.

Lavender thought about skipping breakfast, but Feldspar and Talc assured her that she would want to eat it so she would have enough energy throughout the day to go the distance they needed to travel. They also assured her that it would not hurt her in any way; it was perfectly safe to eat.

          Lavender found that the stew was not as bad as she pictured it to be. It was

flavorful, but a little too salty. She could not identify the type of meat that was in it, but she could tell it was very tender and easy to chew. There were little bits of something orange that might have been carrots if they were not so oddly shaped.

          As soon as had finished eating, they packed up the rest of their things, snuffed out the fire, and left. Throughout the day, Lavender found herself sweating more and more. Looking over at her traveling companions, she found the heat and the exertion of climbing hardly fazed them. The path had quickly gone from being mostly flat and through the forest to quite rocky and led over many hills and through mountains. Although it had only been one day, Lavender felt like they had been climbing the same exact mountain for weeks.

          They finally set up camp just as the sun was touching the far mountains, casting an orange-red glow upon everything in sight. If Lavender had not been so exhausted, she might have taken it all in and basked in its beauty. Instead, she went right into her tent and fell asleep, not even bothering to change out of her sweaty clothes.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Jade paced in their home, worried about Feldspar. She should have realized there would be repercussions for lying, but she had been too excited about the opportunity to get their king back to think of the consequences. Flint tried to calm her by coming up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders, and massaging gently. Jade sighed, leaning into her husband’s embrace.

“He will be fine, honey,” Flint said reassuringly.

“How do you know that?” Jade replied, turning around to face him.

Flint’s hands dropped down to his sides as she turned. He looked straight into her intoxicating green-blue eyes with his eggshell-colored ones.

“We both know Feldspar is more capable than he seems. He knows what he’s doing, and Talc will be there to keep him out of trouble.”

Jade sighed, still not completely sure.

“I hope you are right.”

She leaned back into his embrace, relaxing her tense posture. Flint renewed his efforts to soothe his wife.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Many more days passed. The odd group of travelers spent their days climbing the mountain range, crossing rivers, sometimes going through caves, and sweating buckets of hot, salty sweat. Lavender found that each day was becoming easier for her. Lavender became stronger and more adept at climbing. She had gotten used to the rugged terrain and the hot sun beating down on her back.

Lavender was no longer the only one calling for a break. Along their journey, Feldspar taught Lavender the best places to find berries, edible plants, and those plants she should stay away from.

          Lavender was now mainly in charge of collecting nuts and berries on the trail, as well as finding different herbs and spices to flavor the meat or stews that they ate. Talc was the one in charge of making sure they always had enough meat. More days passed; they were finally almost to their destination. The sun would set within a couple of hours, so they set up camp while Talc hunted. When they were done setting up the tents, Lavender went to look for some herbs and spices while Feldspar started on the fire.

          Lavender went off, looking for the jagged dark-green leaves of mint plants, the tear-drop-shaped green leaves of oregano, and the flat, thin, long leaves of basil. These were the most common herbs she had spotted on the trail so far, and they had flavored the meat most nicely. She had wandered fairly far from their campsite when she saw something amazing. It was a meadow with lush green plants and a small pond with clear, still water.

          Surprised that she had not heard any moving water throughout her wandering, Lavender had a look around to see if she could spot where the water fed into the pond. She found nothing; it was strangely quiet. Lavender quit looking after the second time around the pond. She stooped down and cupped her hands and lowered them into the clear water. Lavender lifted her hands out of the water and drank from them.

          Lavender was suddenly filled with pleasure and happiness. She was no longer hungry, but she became very thirsty as if she would die if she did not get any more water soon. Lavender’s eyes dilated and her hands plunged back into the pond to scoop up more water to quench her thirst. She shoveled more and more water into her mouth, each time feeling as if she needed even more. Lavender soon got so thirsty that she stopped scooping and just plunged into the pond - clothes, boots, and all. She started taking big gulps of water, straight from the source, submerging her head and opening her mouth.

          Just then, Feldspar came through the bushes, calling her name. She had been gone for quite a while and he became worried. Just as soon as he spotted her in the pond, something yanked her right under. He ran over to the pond, searching frantically. He could hear something, but he could not quite tell what it was. Then, a bubble appeared on the surface of the pond; it popped, and out came a laugh. It sounded just like Lavender’s laugh! More and more bubbles came to the surface, all of them popping with Lavender’s laugh. She was not struggling to get to the surface; she was laughing and letting whatever had her drag her down further and further away from him, further away from life.

          Feldspar still could not see anything in the water. He shouted Lavender’s name, over and over again. Lavender’s head briefly popped to the surface, still laughing, but Feldspar could see that something was wrong with her. Her eyes were dilated and glossed over; her skin was turning blue and purple. She was violently pulled back under the water. Feldspar could see nothing in the pond. It was as clear as fire-cured crystals; Feldspar could see no sign that Lavender had been there, or even pulled into the water.

          “Talc!” Feldspar called, frantically, “Talc! Help!”

Talc came running through the trees and into the meadow, “What is wrong?!”

“It’s Lavender,” Feldspar replied anxiously, “I saw her in the pond, and she was yanked under by something.”

Talc looked into the pond. Like Feldspar, he saw nothing but clear water and the bottom of the pond. He stepped away and thought for a moment. Then, he pulled a length of cord out of his small hunting pack and tied it around Feldspar.

“You go in and find Lavender,” he said, “and since you will not be able to swim with her weight, hold on to her tightly around her torso, under her arms, and tug hard on the rope. I will pull you both out.”

Feldspar gulped and nodded. He walked into the water and dove under. Just like that, he disappeared; Talc could no longer see him. He could see the rope above the water, but he could see no rope in the pond anywhere. Feldspar looked back and could not see or hear Talc at all either.

          Feldspar turned back and swam down; he could now see so much more that he could not see before on land. It was much larger and deeper than it seemed from the surface. It extended down quite a ways, maybe a mile or two. He tried to go back up to the surface for some more air, but it was like he was being held under the water. Trying not to panic, he swam on, looking for Lavender. He rounded a boulder with orange coral on it. He spotted her sitting cross-legged. Her skin was purple, and her eyes were closed, but she was still laughing. Her silver hair was flowing in the underwater currents.

          Feldspar swam over to her and tried to reach out to her, but he could not get any closer than an arm’s length and a hair away. He could not touch her. Feldspar swam around her, trying to contact her somehow. Feldspar decided to back up and swim as fast as he could toward her.

As soon as he reached her, he grabbed hold of her, but as soon as he made contact, he felt something clinging to him and a small electrical shock coursed through his body. He lifted his arm to tug on the rope and adjusted his grip on Lavender. Feldspar tugged as hard as he could. As soon as he released the rope, the thing clinging to him crushed his lungs, making him exhale. Desperately needing air, instinct took over, and without thinking, Feldspar breathed in. Water rushed in, filling his lungs and throat.

          He started to laugh; his mind cleared all the panic away.

“Why shouldn’t I stay here?” he thought. He then felt a light tug around his torso.

“That is so funny,” he thought, “why would I have a rope tied around me?”

He looked up from the rope tied around himself and noticed that he was holding onto a girl. How hilarious, he did not like girls! Feldspar was about to let go of her as the tug around his waist became stronger and he started drifting upward. He decided to relax, hang on, and enjoy the ride. Feldspar saw the surface of the water coming closer. He could see himself turning blue and laughed some more.

          Feldspar was suddenly pulled back down by an unseen force; he was only five inches from the surface.

“Haha,” he thought, “I am caught in a tug-of-war!”

Feldspar started laughing louder, sending bubbles to the surface, and swallowing more water. He could feel himself inching slowly towards the surface of the pond; it seemed that Talc was just slightly stronger than the invisible force trying to pull him back under.

          With one last surge of strength, Talc pulled Feldspar and Lavender from the pond. He rushed over to Lavender, who was still very purple, and pushed on her stomach. She quit laughing and now groaned, causing a gurgling noise with the water in her throat. Talc pumped water out of her continuously. Lavender finally took a gasping breath, rolled over, and vomited up the rest of the water and her lunch. Something else was in the mix; it looked like partially solid jelly-like water, but when Talc touched it, it wriggled.

          He picked it up fast and threw it into the water. He then scrambled over to Feldspar, leaving Lavender to recover on her own. It took less time to pump out the water and to get the translucent creature out. Feldspar sputtered and groaned for a while after. Talc went over and checked on Lavender again. She was no longer coughing, but her breathing was shallow and erratic.

“Lavender,” Talc called to her softly, “Lavender, can you hear me?”

She moaned and turned her head to look at him. She managed a small smile to show that she was okay.

          Feldspar quit coughing and stood up; he was a little dizzy but regained his balance quickly. Lavender got up to her knees very slowly, and then stood up. She stood there for a while, using a nearby tree for balance.

“That was scary,” Feldspar finally said, breaking the silence.

“Ya,” Lavender agreed, “part of me understood that I was drowning and panicked, but my brain insisted that I was fine. I kept finding things extremely funny, even things that should not have been funny.”

“Let’s get back to camp,” Talc said. Lavender and Feldspar followed Talc back to camp, and then all three headed to their separate tents. No one was hungry anymore, so they saved the raccoons that Talc had caught for the next morning’s breakfast.

          The three of them stayed there for a whole day, regaining their strength, and trying to recover from the shock and horror they had witnessed the previous day. Talc had set up more animal traps but did not go hunting so he could stay with Feldspar and Lavender in case they needed his help.

          The day ended and they were all ready to get out of there when the sun next arose. They woke up at daybreak, packed all their stuff, and headed on their way. They decided to always stay within shouting distance of each other from now on.

          Three days later, they got to the Valley of Ashes. It was named that because of what the dragon’s fire does to the land. They could see the entrance to the dragon’s lair.

“From here on out, we need to be doubly vigilant and even more inconspicuous,” Talc warned the others, “The dragon could spot us easily in this valley.”

The cave that housed the wicked dragon was at the base of the mountain at the far end of the valley. They stayed near the edges of the valley, which was shaped like a bowl.

“It will take about two days to traverse the edges of this valley to get to the cave,” Talc said, “If we were going in a straight line to the cave, it would take less time, but we cannot afford to be spotted.”

          They walked a little way around the valley’s edge and set up camp within a clearing surrounded by trees. They camouflaged the tents as best they could in case the dragon went hunting. They had no fire that night, no need to draw unnecessary attention to themselves.

          The next morning, they packed their things and continued around the edge of the valley, stopping only for food, water, and bathroom breaks. They tried to eat most of their food while walking to save time. They hiked until the sun touched the top of the peaks. This gave them just enough time to set up camp before it got too dark. This time, they had no choice where to set up camp. The trees were everywhere and there were no clearings to set the tents together. They were fortunate enough to be within shouting distance, but the room between trees was barely big enough to pitch just one tent.

          That night, Lavender lay awake for quite a while. She was becoming nervous. Sure, she was in an ancient prophecy to rescue the dwarf king - what did that prove? How was she supposed to fight a dragon and rescue the king? For all she knew, he was already dead. She could think of no way she could do it; she was just a girl and did not even have any formal training. She then wondered if you could train to fight a dragon. She tried to convince herself to sleep, but her body would not let her rest. Eventually, natural exhaustion shut down the adrenalin pumping through her veins, and she was able to sleep.

          The birds woke Lavender up the next morning; the sun had just risen and

there were no clouds to be seen. They packed up camp and went on their way.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Chris took seven of his best men with him and set out in search of his love. He did not know who had taken his fiancé, but when he found out, he knew they would be in big trouble. He and his men traveled across the country in search of any hint of where his bride-to-be could be. They came across many fairy folk and trolls. None had seen Lavender. Chris was becoming more and more anxious as the hours went on.

          Hours stretched into days. Chris felt so torn apart by the loss of his love, but he would not give up. She was out there still; he could feel it. One day, on their search, they received a hint from a selkie in one of the swamps where Lavender had been spotted.

          They traveled to the part of the swamp that the selkie had mentioned, looking for clues. They arrived at a stony clearing. Little grass could be found and there were boulders everywhere. Chris dismounted his horse and looked around. Three of the other men dismounted and gather around him.

“Search the area for clues; anything that might point to where Lavender has been, or where she is now,” he commanded them, “The rest of you on horses, spread out and look for clues farther away, within a couple of mile radius of here.”

          Chris looked around, carefully. He searched high and low. He noticed a slew of cut cords like one would use to bind someone. He went around to one of the boulders to inspect it and its surroundings for any evidence that Lavender had been there. All of the sudden, the boulder moved. Chris backed up slowly and looked around. All of the boulders were moving now. They rolled over to join the northernmost boulder. When they had made an arc, the boulders unfolded.

“Those are not boulders!” One of his men exclaimed.

“What are they?” another asked.

          The creatures unrolled to show their true forms. There were six of the giant varmints. They were giant rock-like armadillo creatures. Standing on their hind legs, they stood to be about eight or nine feet tall. They had nasty sharp claws and rock-hard armor. Their tails were covered in sharp spikes, each a few inches long.

          Chris drew his sword. The cragdillos advanced, spanning around the small group until they were surrounded. By now, all the men had taken up their weapons to defend themselves and their prince. Those sent away were still oblivious to the cragdillo attack. The circle was slowly tightening. Chris knew that he would have to fight. He charged the closest armadillo creature with his sword raised. The rest of his men engaged their own beast.

          He brought his sword, but it glanced off its belly with no mark to show that the sword had even hit. The cragdillo swung its arm at Chris. He rolled out of the way, narrowly missing getting gored by its sharp claws. He rolled to his feet and parried the next arm with his sword. He then jabbed the cragdillo’s upper arm, where the arm connected to the shoulder. It was one of the very few weak spots Chris could see on the giant armadillo creature. His blade penetrated the creature’s skin, though not far, but enough to send the cragdillo stumbling back, stunned. The weight of the creature yanked Chris’s sword right out of his hands. The cragdillo took the sword out of its arm and flung it away. Chris leaped over to his horse, which was no longer jittering because of fear, but had become completely paralyzed. He drew his extra sword from the saddle and spun around to face his foe again.

Chris and the cragdillo were locked in combat, as were all of his other warriors who had stayed with him. He parried and attacked with all of his strength, but it was not enough. His sword hardly ever penetrated the creature’s tough armor, and he was tiring quickly. His sword dulled due to the cragdillo’s stone armor.

          All of a sudden, Chris was swept off his feet. The cragdillo had swung its tail and prepared for another attack. As the tail came down a second time, Chris rolled to his left. The tail barely missed his vital organs, but one of the spikes had impaled his arm, a few inches below his shoulder.

          He scrambled out of the way, not quite feeling the full intensity of the wound due to the amount of adrenalin coursing through his veins. He could no longer lift or fight with his right arm, so he switched his sword to his left hand and stood, ready to fight. He then noticed that the creatures were slowly retreating. He looked around and saw that the men he had sent away had come back and were now fighting jointly with the rest of his men against the cragdillos. All of the sudden, all of the creatures curled up into balls and rolled away.

          Chris looked around. Most of his men had been wounded, but none of them sustained lethal injuries. He stood up to his full height and put his sword away. He mounted his horse and commanded his soldiers to do the same.

“We need to get back to the castle and receive medical attention as soon as possible,” he said.

          He was about to ride away towards his home when his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He groaned and fell off of his horse, landing roughly on the hard ground. He was laid on the ground motionless. His men dismounted and ran over to him frantically, searching for the reason for his fainting. They tried to rouse him but could not. His head was burning, and he was covered in goosebumps. His breathing came in short, shallow puffs. The puncture on his arm had turned a dark purple and had sickly yellow pus oozing out of it.

“We need to hurry back to the castle and get Prince Chris to the infirmary as fast as we possibly can,” announced the captain, “and no word of this reaches anyone’s ears except the nurses’ and the king’s.”

He lifted Chris into his arms and carried him to his horse. He laid him across the saddle the best he could and mounted up behind him to keep him steady.

“Yah!” He yelled, and their horses followed his back to the castle.

          When they reached the castle, the captain rushed to find aid for the young prince.

“Hurry!” He shouted, “Get him to a nurse!”

A woman with a gurney came rushing toward him.

“Lay him on here,” she commanded him.

The captain quickly complied and gently laid Chris on the bed. The nurse swiftly wheeled him away. The rest of the soldiers that had been wounded went to get their wounds dressed, and for some, stitched up.