Chapter Seventeen
As the travelers flew over the forest, Simona and Varek moved their Pegasus next to Katie and James. “This is where we part from you.” Prince Varek said, as the breeze blew his hair around his face.
“You’re leaving us? I don’t know what I need to do now.” Katie said, looking over at Simona with concern behind her eyes.
“We will return before the war takes place. We need to go back to our castle and stop Queen Zendra before she is crowned Queen of all Atheness. We will need you to help prepare our troops for the battle. They are already training as we speak. Chadwick knows the way back to Amos; I will need Chait to come with us. I have a feeling I will need his help.” Chait jumped up on Simona’s lap with pride. “You’ve got that right!” Chait said, as he comfortably stretched and relaxed in her lap. She stroked his head and he began to purr.
“I don’t know how to prepare the troops for battle; I can barely fight myself.” Katie said, almost panicked.
“I have nothing but faith in you. You had no problem giving commands on the ship, this isn’t that different, just a lot more people for you to lead. We will return soon enough, good bye, you two.” Simona said, putting her arms around Katie. Varek handed Katie a single yellow rose and turned back to Simona.
“Come, we don’t have much time.” Varek said to Simona, now looking very serious. “Good luck, Katie,” he turned and looked at James. “Take care of her.” He said with a slight smile.
“You know I will.” James said with a nod. Varek smiled and then looked over at Simona as she nodded back and they both turned their Pegasus’ around as they flew off and disappeared over the trees.
“May God be with them,” Chadwick said, watching them fly off. “Well then, we must be departing; the Queen awaits us.” He gave them a reassuring smile, and then led them over the valley, and over two forests, until they slowed and landed in the realm of Amos. A crowd of not only fairies, but men and other creatures, gathered to welcome the weary travelers. Chadwick helped Katie off her horse and James took her by his side once more.
Part of the crowd cleared to make way for Queen Adrianna. “Welcome back! You have returned the royal family to their true form. But that is only the beginning. You now have the choice to return to your home or stay and help save our world. It is up to you, you no longer have to stay here, if you choose not to. You have kept your side of the bargain.” The crowd started chatting with one another with stunned tones. Katie thought she heard one of them say to another “would she leave us in our time of need?”
Katie looked over at James. “This is our chance, they don’t need us, and we can go home.” James said with a smile. Katie looked down at the ground and then back at James.
“I love you very much James, but they need me here. I am going to stay until the end. What do I have back there? Besides you, all I have is a job I’m not too happy with and no friends. If you stay with me, I’ll have no reason to go back. Please, I need you now.” James smiled back at her and took her in his arms.
“I’ll never let you go again. I’ll see you through this to the end.”
“Queen Adrianna, we choose to stay and fight with you.” Katie said with renewed confidence. The crowd cheered around them.
“Wonderful! Let’s feast, then I will lead you to your room to rest; tomorrow we continue training, because the battle is but a few days away.”
Prince Varek and Princess Simona landed in the mermaid cove next to a waterfall. “Why are we landing here? We need to get into the castle.” Chait said, jumping to the rocky ground below.
“There is a secret entrance behind the waterfall. It’s a cave that leads to many rooms in the palace, particularly my chambers. I used it many times to get away unnoticed.” Varek said, dismounting from his horse. He looked over at the sea just as Niela appeared from beneath the water.
“Varek, you’re back, I knew Katie could do it! Oh, this must be your sister Simona; it is a pleasure to meet you in your human form.” She said, pushing herself up onto a large boulder and letting the tip of her tail sit in the water.
“I sure did miss you, Niela, but I’m only human for a few days unless we can get the key back from Queen Zendra and reunite it with both keys. The coronation is in a few hours and if we don’t hurry, Zendra will be crowned Queen, not Simona. There might be a battle in a few days and I will need you to help the pirates, if the battle gets as far as the sea.”
“Anything for you, Varek; you must be going. Good luck, I will be here if you need me. Be careful, I wouldn’t know what to do if you got hurt.” She gave a seductive smile at him and jumped back into the sea. Varek just stood there and watched her disappear into the dark water.
“Come Varek, we must be going.” Simona said, as she and Chait walked slowly behind the waterfall and into the mouth of the cave. Varek took one last look at the water, sighed, then turned and entered the cave behind Simona and Chait.
The beginning of the cave looked like any other you might stumble upon. The ground was dirt-packed with scattered rocks here and there. The walls of the cave were made up of thick rock and were cool to the touch. Chait carefully scurried on ahead of the siblings, being cautious of anything that might jump out at him. The walls and ground soon turned to brick and every so often, a torch was seen on the wall. Varek went up to a torch, lit it and took it in his hand to light the now dark passageway. Chait slowed his pace and trotted beside Varek with Simona close behind.
“So, all my life I never knew of this secret passage that is right between the walls of our palace. This is amazing. Where does it lead to, Varek?” Simona asked from behind Varek, slowly touching the walls of the passage.
“You will soon see. I can’t believe you never knew of this. This is how I always used to leave unnoticed, all these years, even with a guard at my door. It made Father so mad, when I would leave like that.” Varek said with a little laugh.
“Where did you go when you left? You did it more often once mother and father died.” Simona said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
“Most times, to see the mermaids; Niela mostly, though sometimes I would just take my horse and ride through the forest.” He said, as he felt around on the brick walls.
“Niela is a friend of yours, isn’t she?”
“Yes, she is. She is more than a friend… I love her. Crazy, I know she is a mermaid and not even a Princess. It would never work…” His voice trailed off.
“Well, when this is all over and I am Queen, we can figure something out. You are all I have left, Varek, and I want your happiness more than anything.” Varek stopped walking and turned and looked at her.
“You will be a great Queen, Simona.” He smiled and continued to walk through the narrow passage.
“Okay, up these stairs now, and we’ll be almost there. Be careful though, they curve around a bit.” Chait ran on ahead, since as a cat, he had impeccable eyesight in the dark. Simona on the other hand, stayed close to her brother’s side. The flame on the torch lit up the small staircase, casting shadows of the three on the brick walls.
“What I would do to have my sword right now.” Simona said bitterly, knowing that Zendra probably removed it, once she took over her castle.
“We’ll get it back; you’re not the only one that has a thing or two to say to the horrible creature they call a Queen.” Varek said, as they came to the end of the staircase. Chait sat at the top step, swishing his tail back and forth anxiously.
“Okay, which way now?” Chait asked, getting ready to run ahead again. Varek stopped on the top step next to Chait and looked around a bit. He smiled and looked back at Simona, motioning with his head for her to follow him as he turned to the left. Chait took off running, once he knew the direction Varek was heading. They entered another narrow hallway, also lined in thick brick. There were a few cobwebs and fresh spider webs in corners and crevasses of the brick walls, but no one paid notice to them. Varek finally stopped in front of a blank brick wall. Chait skidded to a stop a few feet down and trotted back to Varek’s side as Simona waited by his other side. Varek pushed the wall as it slowly moved forward and then he pulled it over to his right, revealing a secret passage that led right to a very large bedroom. Varek smiled at his companions and entered the room through an unlit fireplace. Chait and Simona followed cautiously behind.
“This leads to your room. Are there any other secret entrances in this passage?” Simona said, helping Varek close the passage door behind them.
“There is one in almost every room, except most of the servant rooms. No one really knows about it, though. Your door is inside your fireplace. That’s probably why you never stumbled upon it. Grandpa showed it to me when I was real young. I have used it ever since. He said to keep it secret, just in case any danger came to the family. That was grandpa, always thinking ahead.”
“I am truly impressed. I am glad we have an escape plan if this doesn’t go well.” She stopped and looked around his room. It was still untouched, and no one had been in this room since Varek left a few weeks ago. She knew her room wasn’t a safe place, since Zendra must have taken it as her own.
“Your room hasn’t been touched; do you have any weapons we can use. I don’t want to try and stop the coronation, defenseless.” She said, as she started to look around his room.
“Yes, look in my wardrobe; I have my battle garments in there, as well. Hand them to me will you?” She opened his wardrobe, removed his garments and handed them over to him. As Varek began to change, Simona went back to his wardrobe to take out his weapons. Lying in the back, were two large swords, each placed in a thick leather sheath, and a large blue ruby lay on the pummel of the swords. On the bottom of the wardrobe, lay two more dark daggers. She gathered up all the weapons and handed a sword and dagger to Varek and then attached the other sword and dagger to her leather belt. Varek attached his sword and dagger and then finished by attaching his dark red cape.
“How long do we have until the coronation begins? She will not be crowned Queen, if I can help it!” Varek said, glaring into a small mirror on the wall.
“Not much time; a little over an hour, at most; everyone should be gathering in the great hall to start celebrating. There should only be a few servants around, so this will be a perfect time.”
“Well, let’s not waste any more time. Chait, Simona’s room is just down the hall, I will need you to sneak in and get her attire, as well. There are a lot of cats around, so you will be unnoticed. If you hear anything, let us know as soon as you can. We will be headed towards the grand hall. Be careful.” They opened the door half way and looked to the right and left of the hall. No one was in sight. Varek and Simona ran to the left and Chait ran to the right.
Chait scurried next to the wall and sniffed the first door he came to. He didn’t smell anything familiar that was in the room. He looked behind him and then scurried to the next door and sniffed the crack under the door. He smelled Simona’s scent all around the door. Then he began to smell another scent that he hadn’t smelled before, although he had only been able to smell or do anything for that matter, when Katie walked through the bushes and into Atheness. He knew this new smell was evil; his first reaction to it made him hiss at the door and even growl a little. His ears then perked up as he heard voices from within. He needed to get inside the room without rising suspicion. He then noticed a large brick that was loose on the outside wall of the door. He took his front paws and scratched at the brick, loosening the sides enough for him to pull the entire brick out. He did this as quietly as he could, so the voices he heard inside wouldn’t stop because of the noise outside of the room. The absence of the brick left a hole in the wall, small enough where it would go unnoticed for a long while, but large enough where a cat like Chait could fit through, effortlessly.
Chait slipped through the hole and into the large room. He was pleased to find that the other side of the hole he made entered under a large bed. He wouldn’t be seen, for sure. He carefully crawled to the end of the bed and looked out to see who was in Simona’s room in her absence. He saw a large older woman brushing the long golden hair of a younger woman. The younger woman sat in a chair and faced the mirror. Chait almost yelped in surprise, when the young woman in the mirror appeared to be Princess Simona herself. He knew it couldn’t be her, for she was the one with the awful scent. Who was she, then?
“Are you almost done?” The young woman snapped impatiently.
“Almost done, your highness, you want to look your best for you coronation, don’t you?” The older woman paused for a moment. “It is a shame your brother has disappeared, isn’t it? Wouldn’t you have wanted him to be here for your moment to be crowned Queen?” The woman asked putting some jeweled clips in the young woman’s hair.
“Oh Varek, he should never have left. It is his fault, not mine that he is not attending my coronation. It is not like he is going to be crowned King, so I don’t care if he is here. Yes, this will do nicely, indeed.”
“You have turned cold, Princess; the Simona I knew and helped raise since she was a baby, cared so much for her brother and would have canceled her coronation until her brother’s safe return. Who are you? For I know you aren’t the Princess, and I will not let you be our Queen!” She turned to the door, but the young lady hit her over the head knocking her unconscious.
“The foolish old lady, she has no idea who she is dealing with. I knew I should have put her in the dungeon long ago, when she started snooping around asking questions about me. No matter, she is out of the way, now.” She laughed a malicious laugh, and looked back into the mirror, this time the reflection that looked back at her wasn’t the Princess, but a pixie with bright crimson hair and an evil grin.
Chait shook under the bed with fear. A knock at the door made him jump a bit, but he held his ground and didn’t move from his position. His claws were now extended and his fur stood up in all directions.
“Who is it?” The imposter Princess yelled.
“Open up, milady, it is imperative that I see you, now.” The voice said from the other side of the door.
“Yes, yes, be right there!” The impostor Princess said, looking frantically around the room. Her eyes stopped on the large wardrobe. She picked up the older ladies leg’s as she lay lifeless on the floor, and began to drag her across the room. When she got to the closet, she got behind the woman and pulled her into the closet, pulling up her legs to get her to fit properly. Then she got some rope and tied up her arms and legs before she had a chance to wake up. She’s lucky I didn’t kill her after a stunt like that. The last thing she did was bind the woman’s mouth before she closed the wardrobe door. She then walked over to the door and opened it with a fake smile. Her smile faded when she saw one of her subjects standing in the hall.
“Faelyn, What are you doing here? Come in quick, before someone sees you.” She led her in and then quickly shut the door behind them.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, your Highness, but I made sure to dress like one of the Princess’s servants’ to go unnoticed. I have followed the human girl as you instructed, and I’m sorry to say that her human man had followed her here too, and they have restored Varek and Simona to their true form. Last I saw, they were on their way back to Amos. They are preparing to go to war. What will you have me to do, your highness?” She pushed back her blonde hair from her face and waited for instructions.
“So Adrianna thinks she is smart, does she? This means nothing. Go back to Rugonden and prepare for battle. Tell everyone to be ready in three days’ time. Tell them that everyone must fight; this is not a request, it’s an order. Those who don’t fight will die. I will return to lead our troops at that time, and as the Queen of all Atheness! Now, go!” She opened the window and her faithful subject turned back into a small fairy in a pink dress, and flew off to prepare for battle. Zendra closed the window and slammed her hand on the wall, yelling out in frustration. She took a deep breath and walked to the door, opened it and slammed it shut behind her.
Chait crawled out from under the bed and scurried across the room to the wardrobe. He heard a moaning from the inside and knew it was Simona’s nanny. He pulled the doors open with his paw and revealed the poor woman sitting helplessly, with her legs and arms tied. Chait climbed into the wardrobe and onto her stomach. He pulled down her gag from her mouth and sat back to look at the poor woman. She opened her eyes and groaned, looking down at the black cat who sat on her stomach.
“Oh my head…” The woman said, moving her head slowly back and forth.
“It’s okay; I’ll get you out of this.” Chait said, jumping up and then gnawing at the bindings around her arms. She looked down at him in alarm.
“You’re a cat, a talking cat.”
“Well, I can do more than just talk, I’m saving you aren’t I?”
“I have heard of your kind, but that was only in stories. I didn’t know talking cats really existed.” The shocked woman said.
“Is that right? Well I am here with the real Princess Simona and Prince Varek. The coronation is less than an hour away, am I right?”
She nodded a yes to the cat, still very much confused.
“The woman that was here is really Queen Zendra. She wants to take the throne and be ruler of all Atheness. We are here to stop her.” The bindings around her arms snapped free.
“Thank you cat, I knew she wasn’t Simona from the moment I looked into her green eyes. You see, Simona’s eyes are blue.” She bent down and began to untie her legs.
“Actually, my name is Chait. I came in here to find Simona’s battle attire. Is it in here?” Chait asked, looking around.
“Oh yes, it is right behind me; ah, here it is.” She lifted the attire that was placed nicely in a bag and placed it on the ground next to Chait.
“Thanks. Now I must be going, they need me. See that you put something on your head, it is starting to swell.” Chait grabbed the tie at the end of the bag and began to drag it under the bed and through the hole he had made. Once he tugged it through the hole, he turned left and ran down the long hallway to find Simona and Varek.
He continued down the hall, still dragging the bag with his teeth. He stopped every so often to hide around a corner as a guard walked up and down parts of the castle. Once they had passed, he continued on his way, relying on their scent to guide him. He came to an open area of the hall where there was only one wall and the other was open, to overlook the grand ball room below. The scent of the Prince and Princess had stopped. Chait looked around, but didn’t see them anywhere.
“Chait, we’re over here.” whispered a voice from behind him; he turned around and saw Simona sticking her head out from one of the rooms. He ran over to her, letting go of the bag and letting her pick it up.
“Chait, I’m going to change; please scratch on the door if you see anyone coming.”
“Be careful and hurry. I saw Queen Zendra, she knows you’re human again, but I don’t think she knows that you’re here.”
“Good, I hope she doesn’t. For we will reveal ourselves soon enough, now we will be out in a second. Stand guard for us.” Chait nodded and sat in the shadows of the hall as Simona shut the door. He looked around for anything that might be coming from any direction. Music began to play in the ballroom as the room filled with people. Chait cautiously trotted over to the railing, and looked over at the people beginning to dance cheerfully below. He saw the royal seat with a beautiful crown sitting in the center of it, waiting for its new owner. He looked around and didn’t see Zendra anywhere. His ear turned as a door opened behind him. He turned around to see Simona and Varek exit and crouch down beside him.
“So, it has started.” Varek said bitterly, looking down at the oblivious people below.
Simona watched the people dance, they seemed so happy not knowing how much danger they really were in. She saw children happily chasing one another and couples having their first dance together. She then realized how much she cared for her people and that she really was ready to be Queen. Why had she been so selfish in the past? These people mattered, every last one of them. She knew it was up to her to save them.
“All right, we must wait until Zendra reveals herself, and then we move. Otherwise, she will get away. It should be soon.” Simona said, not taking her eyes off her people.
“It seems that’s all we can do. We must be prepared. We don’t have powers like she does. Varek said cautiously, watching the entryway for Zendra to appear, with his hand securely around the hilt of his sword.
Suddenly, a loud trumpet was blown and the crowd drew their attention to the trumpet player and stopped dancing. An overly dressed man walked up to the front of the crowd to make an announcement.
“Attention everyone, please place your attention to the grand doors. I present her majesty; Her Highness Princess Simona Adelaide Nola Sceffingten. Please rise to greet her!” He declared in an almost over- powering voice. Two servants each opened one side of the door to reveal the Princess standing tall and proud in a beautiful green dress that made her green eyes shine.
A servant took the Princess’ hand and escorted her through the crowd and into the middle of the dance floor, where a young duke from a kingdom on the other side of Atheness, waited to dance with her. “Now the Princess will do the traditional waltz before she is crowned.” The crowd cheered as the orchestra began to play. The young man led, as the Princess smiled and did the best she could, to follow along.
Varek looked over at Simona with a stern look upon his face. “All right, we move now.” Princess Simona said nothing, just nodded and followed him down the open hallway almost crawling on the ground to go unnoticed into the crowd below them. Chait ran ahead and then stopped next to a grand staircase that led to the ballroom floor. When Simona and Varek caught up, they crouched next to Chait and watched the imposter Princess dance with the young duke.
“Enjoy it while you can Zendra, for this will be your last dance.” Simona whispered bitterly. The music faded and the crowd cheered again. The young duke took the Princess’ hand and led her to the grand chair with the crown sitting on it. She didn’t take her eyes off the crown as he kissed her hand and stepped back. A priest then stood and walked over to the Princess, to anoint her Queen. He took out his oil and was about to speak, when a cry came from the back of the ballroom. The crowd turned around and gasped as they saw Princess Simona standing there.
“Stop, I am the real Princess Simona and she is an impostor!” yelled the Princess, followed by Prince Varek and Chait. Someone saw Varek and cried out.
“It the Prince, he still lives; she must be the real Princess!”
“I am the true Princess, as I have been for the past eighteen years. Don’t believe this woman; she must have changed her form with magic. I am the rightful Queen,” said the impostor Princess as she picked up the crown and put it on her head. The crowd became shocked and started talking amongst themselves about the events taking place in front of them. The priest didn’t know what to make of this odd situation and that one of the women had already placed the crown on her head.
“You have no place here, Zendra! You are already a Queen and that is of the pixies; you cannot have my kingdom! You must leave now and return the key!” Simona shouted as she and Varek removed their swords from there sheaths. The impostor Princess began to laugh a loud evil laugh.
“Oh, I’m Queen Zendra, am I? Then where are my wings and my subjects? You are the one that is deceiving us all. I have the crown, I am the Queen!” The crowd became angry at the actions of the ‘would be Queen’.
“If you are our Queen, then show us the mark of the royal family that all members receive at birth. Show it to us!” The crowd demanded of the impostor Princess. Varek and Simona smiled at each other at this request.
“I don’t need to show you anything! I have the crown; that is enough, it is all you need to know!” she yelled in frustration. Two lady servants then came up and stood next to the impostor Princess in defense. The crowd looked over at Simona and Varek. They both pulled back the clothing that covered their shoulders. A small tattoo became visible for the crowd to see, with the family crest and the emblem of the key in the middle. The crowd cheered for the royal family.
“Long live the Queen!” They all shouted at once.
“Long live the Queen, indeed.” The impostor Princess shouted, now turning back into Queen Zendra and trying to use her power to knock out Simona. Varek saw it coming in a flash of light, and bounced it off with his sword. The magic hit a statue on the other side of the room and shattered it into pieces.
“This isn’t over, Princess! I will meet you again in battle! You will be sorry!” She then was covered by red smoke and disappeared in a puff of dust, with the two servants who turned back into pixies, following behind.
“She took the crown.” Someone from the crowd yelled out.
“We will get it back, along with the key.” Prince Varek said, putting his sword back into its sheath. Princess Simona walked to the front of the room.
“My people, I have not forgotten you and will do everything it takes to protect you. This is just the beginning of the battle. I will need every man willing to fight for Atheness to join me in battle. We leave in the morning for Amos and will have horses and swords ready. This isn’t just my battle; it is yours too. It’s for your family, your friends and for our lost King and Queen. Who is with me?” Princess Simona asked, proudly holding her sword up high. All the men walked to the front and gave a loud cheer.
“Tonight we rest and say our goodbyes to our families. Tomorrow we will fight!” The crowd cheered once more and Simona knew she had her people’s trust again. She had renewed confidence for the upcoming battle.