by J P Anderson
"Where did you get the horse?" she asked stroking the horse's snout.
"His story is the opposite of mine." her fingers curled.
"Oh," she said thinking of the man that must have died and given his horse to her brother on some blood soaked golden hill in Corinth and shuddered.
"So tell me everything, how is your fiancé?" he asked.
"I don't know anything other than that he is very old and a very dignified man," he looked at her with astonishment. "That's all your father has told you?" Therius's eyes widened and worry and fear were hidden deep beneath his chocolate brown eyes and tussled bangs that went into his eyes if he looked down.
"Little sister, your father swore to me that he would never force you to marry anyone."
"I want to help my people." she said with no doubt that her father had told Therius it wasn't and arranged marriage to keep him from making an unnecessary scene.
Chapter 8: Get In The Car
"Ms. Crumm?" she whispered, squinting her eyes trying to see the driver. She ran all the way down the sidewalk to where she was parked.
"Get in the car Genevieve," she ordered, "Now!" Gen hesitated but walked around the car and got in and looked awkwardly from side to side.
"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods?"
"You" she said abruptly looking behind her to pull out.
"Why?" She looked at Gen. Just then, her skin started to go darker until she was a light brown caramel color, her hair turned from gray to brown and grew longer, falling from its bun and curling around her shoulders, down her back so it almost touched her knees. Her face became to look younger and her eyes turned from brown to grey. She tucked her hair with her young hands and her ears were pointed. She took off her glasses and threw them out the rolled down window.
"Oh dear God," Genevieve said.
"Genevieve listen," Ms. Crumm, her voice light and young, she looked no older that mid-twenties.
"What, are you?" Gen asked scooting as far away as she could from the imposter, her back against the window.
"Gen, I need you calm down, I'm going to tell you something very important."
"Tell me what's going on Ms. Crumm or I'm getting out," Gen threatened and reached for the handle.
"I'm an Elf!" Ms. Crumm yelled as if it were 'make way, wide load!' Gen turned her head slowly back, trying to remain calm as she reached into her pocket to dial 911. Ms. Crumm's face was comical, although beautiful, her eyes were squinted with fear after her rather unorthodox confession and she was biting her lip and holding her breath until Gen spoke.
"What did you just say?" Gen asked slowly holding her finger over the second one on her phone behind her back.
"I said, I'm an Elf, and if you don't mind, can you call me Paige." she said in a rush, taking a huge gulp of air after every other word.
"Paige?"
"Yes, that's my name, my actual name. Paige Grey." she repeated the last part in a whisper as if revealing a secret to even herself.
"I'm sorry, I really shouldn't have done it so abruptly, but I found that note and I, well I panicked." she said moving her hand in every direction as she often did when she spoke.
"Wait, is this about the note, Ms. Cru- I mean Paige it's no problem I…" Gen babbled, trying to make her voice less shaky.
"No, it's not about the note; it's about your father." Paige said in a more serious tone cutting her off.
"My, my father? Ms. Crumm, where can I find him?" Gen asked in a taken aback whimper.
"It's Paige please. I was sent by A-err-your father to look after you for these eighteen years, I didn't know who would be looking for you so I went incognito…" Her voice sounded even younger than it did only a moment ago.
"Why would someone be looking for me?" she asked, turning off the ridiculous heater.
"Honey, I really can't tell you that until we discuss it with your father," she hesitated, Genevieve pounced.
"I want to see him. Can you take me to him?" she asked leaning forward.
"That's actually what I was going to ask you. If you want to I will take you right now. But we have to go now. Before the sun sets on Earth…"
"What do you mean on Earth?" Genevieve asked.
"Everything will be revealed in due time…" Paige somewhat answered.
"I hate riddles…" she moaned.
The rest of the car ride dragged on by the most awkward silence you could ever imagine. Paige parked the car at the edge of a dense forest about three hours away from New York.
"Well that only took forever!" Gen complained as she slammed the SUV door. "Wonder whose ancient car that is…it looks like it's been there forever," she continued, pointing to a rusted and weed covered old purple Volkswagen bug.
"Wait," Paige said extending her arm to stop her.
"Before we go any further, I'm going to change into what I use to wear before the whole protecting you thing happened…" She swirled in a circle and when she stopped she was wearing a brown skirt with a brown corset with purple lace. She wore brown parka boots and two braids of hair where tied in the back. Her hair was to her waist and wavy, completely different than '' who apparently was just Paige in the most opposing costume she could think of. As they walked into the forest and Paige seemed to know exactly where she was going.
Gen couldn't help but wonder if she and Paige were somehow the same. For instance, how Genevieve can stop time for short amounts of time or heal unnaturally fast. She thought it a foolish thought and tried to ignore it ever being thought in the first place. About twenty minutes later of walking in one direction and then swiftly turning to go another they reached maybe the weirdest sight of Genevieve's short life other than, of course, Ms. Crumm turning into Paige.
A huge arched mahogany door with ivy swathing the entire door was before her, and this shocking amount of Déjà Vu. But there was nothing on either side of it or behind it, just a door. There was a huge knocker with a gold crested A on it, Genevieve felt slightly drawn to it, but said nothing to Paige about it. This is majorly trippy, is she taking me out here so she can kill me? Rape me? It just doesn't make any sense. Is my father meeting us here? I suppose that would make logical sense. But I mean, there is a Starbucks ten minutes from my "home" why do we have to meet three hours from New York, in the middle of a deserted forest in the middle of the night? Nothing adds up.
"Are you critically insane? It's just a door!" Gen yelled quite plainly.
"This doesn't lead anywhere." Gen told her moving her hand behind the door and making dramatic up and down motions with it. Great, I here with some crack whore, and she has somehow drugged me as well. This is all a crack induced fantasy.
"Yes, you're totally right, it is, just a door." Paige mused, a little too dramatically. Finally, here comes the "this is all a joke, teehee," part. She came at her, poking her solar plexus. Gen scrambled back against a sycamore. "And your just a normal orphan, I'm an old house keep and dreams mean nothing, keep living in denial, it's so attractive, and it makes my job so much more, exhilarating," she said sarcastically. Paige turned from her and walked back to the door. Gen stared at Paige for a moment and then shook her head. Screw this. She bolted, running full force towards the car. Paige sighed, and closed her eyes.
"I hope I remember how." she whispered and disappeared into a cloud of brown dust. She reappeared in front of Gen and cloths-lined her to the ground.
"Sorry Gen that was for your own good." she put her hand on Gen's arm and closed her eyes and bowed her head, Gen and her vaporizing into dust and blowing away in the passing wind. Moments later they reappeared at the door. Gen sat up and felt her throat, which now had a bruise appearing. She looked up to see Paige put her hand loving over the 'A'knocker and moved her hand down to the door knob, and turned it slowly. A hand pad slid out from above the door knob. She looked from side to side and put her hand into the goo on the pad and the door slowly creaked open. Genevieve's mouth fell even more open when she saw the content on the other side.
Aka
dia awaited her, although Genevieve did not know that at the time. A dense forest is all she saw, but the trees were not as trees usually are, these trees are black, there buds glowing red. There was an enormous planet six times the size of the moon at any given moment gliding above a spectacular medieval castle that stood proudly in the near distance and there was a lovely little city with a harbor below where they stood. Paige looked at her and smiled.
"Welcome home princess." Gen didn't even hear her, she was too busy staring in awe as she scrambled from the ground in a zombie like state, stepped forward eager to take a closer look into this mysterious new world she would soon call home.
Chapter 9: Return of the Princess
About twenty minutes later Therius, Alister and Andria entered a tiny cavern called Perfect Poison. Although it was technically a bar by title, the owner, Samuel Bates, was a known and one of the few, psychics. His intuition and knowledge of the world makes him perfect for therapeutic sessions. Perhaps too many times Andria herself had sought comfort and guidance from the original and ever sage Sam. They walked into the bar, and seated themselves in the back in the corner. Royalty, although not afraid of their public do not enjoy conversing with them. They usually hide from their subjects or are subjected to three hundred questions about what they were going to do about raised taxes. A man about the age of Andria walked over to them with a tray held in his palm with glasses of different alcoholic beverages.
"Well hello, fancy meeting the Royals out and about today." The man chatted perhaps even with a hint of sarcasm.
"Hello Regulus, this is my brother Therius, I don't believe you two have ever been introduced." Andria presented. Regulus looked at Therius with a curious eye, as if seeing something familiar but not being able to pin point its location in your mind. Therius stood and held out his hand for Regulus to shake. Regulus put the tray under his arm, whipped his hand on his apron and shook Therius's hand enthusiastically. Therius eyed him, a grim smirk painted on his face.
"I was away for some time." he stated, not really paying much attention to his own words, merely looking over the boy.
"I'm sorry but you look dreadfully familiar, have we met before?" Therius finally asked with an exasperated undertone. Regulus shook his head.
"No, unless you were hanging out in Corinth's least likely to success corners." Regulus joked. There was a certain glint in his eyes that made Andria feel for him. The simple sadness in his blue eyes that cried for love and attention shook her core with familiarity. Not because she had seen his face or heard his voice but more because she herself cried for love and attention that she rarely got from whom she wanted.
"Andria, happy birthday, I got you a present." he congratulated. She grinned from ear to ear. He was the only person other than her Joshua that was her age. She knew it was foolish, but her heart thumped at the fact that he remembered her birthday and had gotten her something.
"Regulus! You know you didn't have to get me anything!" she squealed.
"Alright then I'll return it, that will be a funny sight," he started with a playful tone but his best poker face.
"You will do no such thing!" she yelled, swatting at his shoulder. He, not unlike most young gentlemen in the working class had very burly arms, perfectly tanned and with a ripped blue plaid shirt and plain blue jeans he was quite a nice sight to behold. Along with his curvy cute nose and sharp angled upper lip and cerulean blue eyes.
"I'll be right back then," he whispered. "What would you like to drink?" he asked, now addressing everyone.
"Beer" Therius ordered without a thought to the matter.
"Ditto" Alister said with a laugh. They looked to Andria. She shrugged.
"Whiskey, straight" she ordered. Regulus looked up from his scribbling and cracked a smile.
"As you wish" he laughed and left them to their secluded corner. Sam walked out from the back with no glance at them, and carried out someone's drink and returned behind the bar.
"I'll be back momentarily." Alister mumbled getting up from his seat and walking to the bar.
"Samuel," he addressed.
"Alister Grey, what a surprise and I see you have brought young Therius with you, he looks well." Sam greeted.
"As well as he can be without my sister," Alister joked.
"You have just missed Acruz," Alister's head shot around before he even finished.
"Acruz was here? How long ago?" Alister asked.
"Not but twenty minutes, isn't that his fiancé, the young most beautiful one with the dress that equals my entire shops rent for a year." Sam raised his eyebrow as he dried off a glass mug with an old rag.
"She is rather beautiful isn't she?" Alister commented.
"Looks just like her mother, same air of childish happiness about her, could get her in some real trouble if she isn't careful, not that she isn't already in some amount of trouble." Sam commented.
"Yes I suppose she is in quite a pickle right out of the gate, but never fear, we have it under control." Alister assured even though he didn't really know what would happen in the next ten minutes much less three days from now.
"She'll be alright, good hands are making sure of it," Sam told him. Alister hated the gift of sight, it was too vague. That was the normal type of vision; usually however, they include a horrible catch. "If you do this, this will happen." The Bates families, along with the Deveartae's were known for their power of sight. They received their power from a curse, before any girl came through a door and people went off to war there was a time, as Alister can rightfully remember, when there were no such witches in existence that could see into the beyond, but such statements can no longer be said.
"And who are the good hands, mine?" Alister asked, even though he knew the answer.
"The vision never says." Sam answered. "Although you will be surprised to know a rather intriguing vision I received not but thirty minutes ago." Sam tempted.
"Lay it on me Bates." he asked. Sam leaned in.
"The one that is coming, you know the one, will be the cause of more than one death of people you claim to be your foe." Sam explained. Alister nodded.
"But, I must warn you," Sam continued.
"Here we go, here comes the catch, make it quick, that alcohol is sounding better and better." Alister snapped.
"Do not come between fate Alister Grey, it will mean the death of a sinless life, and will cause you much heartache." Sam warned.
"Come between fate, me?" Alister asked innocently, leaning back against the withered counter. "Like what, stopping something bad from happening?" he asked.
"No and yes, you mustn't come between what you know to be the way it is suppose to be, the way it was meant to be, if you do, great-"
"Yeah yeah, great heartache Sam, I got it, death of the virgin, or whatever."
"Death of the sinless," Sam corrected, "are you listening, this is of most importance Alister Grey. By the Fates, Acruz Deveartae pays more mind to me than you, although the little bugger was after something, calling in most disturbing favors, most intriguing to be truthful. They had, ironically, much to do with Grave." Sam, unbeknownst to Alister, was making a most important announcement but Alister had merely shushed him and swiftly looked behind him as he tucked back his hair to listen.
He listened to the opening of the door, to the two voices and the chopping of black burr trees in the forest of Eaton. He looked to his right and Therius was looking at him. He had heard the door open as well, Alister guessed. All men of war had been trained to hear for the opening of the door. Andria's smile turned into a look of worry as both of her breakfast dates ran out of the bar.
"But, the whiskey, my birthday presents, the whiskey." she whined but quickly ran after them. They had jumped on their horses and where riding towards the forest of Eaton.
"Assholes!" she yelled, jumping on her horse and following them to the point where the city ends and the forest begins. They all stopped.
"Therius take your sister to the castle." Alister ordered not bother
ing to look at either of them, straining to hear his elf ears fully prominent instead of their usually hidden behind gobs of hair look.
"Like hell I will. I want to see who opened the door just as much as you do and she is old enough to come with us." Therius complained.
"You don't know the world on the other side. There not beings. They're savage. They will kill her without a thought of her being a woman." he lied, hoping Therius would question him.
"I'm a big girl. I can handle it Alister," Andria pointed out.
"This is not a democracy, take her back Therius or so help me!" Alister threatened. To the naked eye Alister looked just a little older than Gen and Andria and younger than Therius, being an elf he was actually considerably older than them all combined but his appearance did limit his public face. This was their brother's defining moment. Challenge him or fold.
