Princess of Erodaire III: Part Eight

      Collecting. 11th Day.

He is slowly starting to fall apart before me. His eyes grow dull with each passing day, and his strength seems to diminish before my very eyes. I am older than he, and yet he is weaker than I. I wish there was something I could do to help him. The loneliness must be pressing down upon him. He barely eats any of the food now, and he does not train as often as before. He stares outside the window each day, almost as if he was waiting for something or someone to come and save him from his horrible ordeal which he faces.

I have heard news from the messenger Dragoyles that the Erodaire castle is starting to fight back...reinforcements from our ally Meridell have come, and they have helped drive back some of Lorezai's forces. I shall tell this to King Alastare just as soon as the sun sets; he needs joy in his life, the dear boy.

So young...and yet such a heavy weight has fallen upon his shoulders. I do not think he knows of the death of his adopted father, and of the kingdom that now lies in his hands.

Entry's End

Collecting. 17th Day.

More good news of the war have reached my ears. Meridell has released some of our troops from the dungeons of Lorezai! They are now in the safe vicinity of the castle, willing and able to defend our kingdom. Life is starting to look good, and I could see that the King Alastare's eyes are starting to shine more. He has gripped his sword today after many days of not holding it at all; this may be a good sign of our young warrior King's return.

Oh, and yes, the Queen has requested that the King and I shall come back to the castle in exactly three days. She says that the troops have not been able to locate the Deathbringers, and that she fears for Alastare's safety. I already have a few packs ready to go. It is like the faeries are finally shining a light upon Erodaire.

Entry's End.

      I smiled after reading this entry; I guess that the foreshadowing thought I had before was wrong. Perhaps a happy ending may lie in this journal at the end. Just as I was about to turn the page, a yawn escaped me suddenly. For the first time, I lifted my eyes away from the book, glanced through the door before me, and stared out the large window. It was the middle of the night, and I was still up. I chuckled to myself when I realized how quickly time can pass, and how hunger is a funny thing. It only affects us when we're not busy, and when we are busy, we barely even realize the grumbles of our stomach. With another yawn, I hugged the journal close to me and fell asleep on the bed.

      The sunlight from the large window did not awaken me. Instead, as I lay on the bed, bouncing back and forth between the line that separates reality from the dreaming land, I heard a soft, musical voice enter my ears. It was pure, like a mixture of singing instruments playing a song for the faeries...it made me feel sleepy, and yet I could not drift back to the darkness. Instead, I listened to it while I slept upon the dividing line of consciousness and unconsciousness. It was an eerie feeling, and as I continued to dwell on this song-like voice, I began to catch certain words that were being said. They sounded strangely familiar...

      "...I guess that the castle guards aren't as horrible as I thought they were. The Death Bringers, the troops who were sent to find the king, continue to pillage and plunder every person who does not know the..."

      I instantly recognized the words that were being said. They were passages from Rune's journal. I quickly sat up in bed and stared at the direction from which the voice came from.

      My eyes fell on a Faerie Kacheek sitting upon the sofa in the room that was located at the right side of my bedroom. The bright sunlight streaming in from the windows obscured her face, but I was still able to make out her bright, sharp eyes and the round, cheerful shape of her face. In her arms was Rune's journal, and it seemed as if she was completely captivated by what lay within. Sitting upon the table were two plates of hot borovan and krakuberry pie.

      "Hetal?" I asked as I jumped off my bed and approached the right room's doorway. Instantly, Hetal jumped up with a gasp and gazed at my direction. Quick as a flash, she dropped Rune's journal upon the sofa and instantly fell on her knees before me, her eyes filled with beseeching pleas and her voice filled with guilt.

      "Dear Princess Andra, forgive me for intruding and taking this book from you. I apologize a hundred times over, and if possible, a million more times if I do not run out of breath. Forgive me for my atrocious act of reading this seemingly private journal without your permission. I'm so sorry, please do not punish me," Hetal blurted out in a one hurried breath. She grabbed my hand softly as another added bonus to her pleas, and she continued to gaze up at me with her innocent eyes. I couldn't help but laugh at this odd situation.

      "Hetal, get off the floor you odd thing," I said with mirth and helped her off the floor. Confusion struck Hetal's eyes, and, this time, a look of puzzlement graced her features. I laughed once more. "Do not apologize for anything, dear Hetal. It twas my fault for leaving the journal out, and besides, it wasn't at all private. Just a little night-time reading book, it is. Besides, I could never be angry at the one who brings me breakfast each morning. Now let us eat, for I am completely starved."

      Hetal smiled at this proposal and followed me willingly to the couch. The moment she sat down opposite of me, her bubbly and cheerful attitude came back. "I thought that you might be tired of borovan because of yesterday's meal, so I brought some Krakuberry along, but, of course, our Krakuberry isn't as tasty as the ones that the Meridellians grow," she said, her voice now tinged with laughter, as she took a sip from the hot borovan.

      "Was that really you reading?" I asked out of the blue, completely ignoring the statement that Hetal has made. Hetal looked at me with inquisitive eyes once more. I smiled at how childish she looked and said, "When I was dozing, I heard a musical voice, and I thought that it was someone singing, but, instead and oddly enough, it was you reading from this journal here."

      Hetal's cheeks burned a deep red when she heard this, and she buried her face embarrassingly into her hands. I was confused by this, but didn't inquire at this weird act. Hetal finally lifted her head away from her hands and said, "I'm so sorry, but I can't help but feel embarrassed about this. You see, I love music, and I always read everything in my path in a singsong manner. I don't know why; it's just instinctive, like how a Draik knows when to hatch from its egg at the right moment, or how a Krawk understands that this plant is poisonous and this plant is edible. It's odd, but I can't help it. It's just the way that I was born, and I've become quite used to it as well."

      "You have a magnificent voice, Hetal," I said with a smile, and she blushed even more.

      "Thank you, my Princess, but if you don't mind, I would like to read more of that journal," Hetal said quickly and picked up the journal and handed it to me. "And if you don't mind, I would love to hear it read from you."

      "Oh, I don't mind at all, Hetal. Where did you leave off?"

      "No, just read it from where you left off, Andra. I'll still be able to understand it...I've heard this story told before..." Hetal said in a soft whisper as she took a sip from her borovan. I glanced at her in confusion, but the only thing Hetal revealed was the mysterious glow that seemed to fill her eyes.

      "Um...okay," I began and cleared my throat. Taking another sip of my borovan, I opened up the journal to where I left off and began reading...

      Collecting. 21st Day.

King Alastare and I are upon the road, returning to the Royal Castle. He is joyful, full of merriment, and I could see clearly that he is glad to be able to meet his parents once more. Of course, I would leap for joy as well if I were not burdened with all the packs and supplies, but I do not mind. King Alastare is happy, and therefore, I am happy. The world of Neopia is happy, and I hear the Pteri's chirping upon the branches. It shall be a day and a half more until we reach the Erodairian castle, and I am taking my sweet time. Although King Alastare is fully healed currently, I still believe that he is still wounded by the past. I am not surprised...he is still so young...so full of youth. The past shall be something that he won't forget easily.

He treks ahead of me currently. King Alastare...I worry about whether or not he will be able to take on the responsibilities of a King. He is just a young Draik...

Yes...I have forgotten, I need to ask for a white paint brush in order to change King Alastare back into a white Draik...his mutant form terrifies me...who ever was crazy enough to create a mutant potion should be sent to live in a metal structure in the abyss of space...

To be continued...