Faded Memories #1: Forgotten Princess - Part Six

     “Abbie, could you hand me that paper please,” asked the young queen. The air faerie obliged.

     Fyora was just about to ask Rani, the water faerie a question when a guard burst into the room. The light faerie was frantic. Her golden colored eyes cast about the room until they landed on the queen. The guard beckoned hastily.

     “My queen, come to the court yard. Hurry!”

     “Why?” questioned Fyora as she stood. “What’s wrong?”

     “It’s Princess Navaleen. She and her guards were attacked by rebel dark faeries in the city. The princess is okay, but she’s in hysterics. Her guards are in bad shape.”

     The guard didn’t need to explain any further. Fyora and the council members were on their feet and out the door in seconds. They rushed to the courtyard and were greeted with total chaos. Guards and palace servants tried to restrain a hysterical Navaleen from approaching her unconscious guards. Healers surrounded Lydriel and Anna, trying to heal the faeries and block their view from the princess at the same time.

     As the council members ran to the fallen bodyguards, Fyora went to help restrain her sister. The queen grabbed her sister’s arm and desperately tried to get her attention. Tears rolled down Navaleen’s pale cheeks as she tried to pull away. Fyora and the others were shocked by how strong the eighteen year old was. With a little persuading and much forcing, Fyora managed to get her sister to sit on a bench away from the scene before them. She sat down and held the trembling Navaleen and tried to coax the princess into telling her what had happened.

     “It was that fortune teller,” whispered Navaleen. “The one that attacked us in the marketplace.” Fyora felt anger rise in her throat. She dearly wished she could teach that faerie a lesson, but instead, she continued to listen to her sister’s tale.

     “They attacked us and the fortune teller used a spell on them,” her voice trailed off. Fyora had a bad feeling of who "them" were. She beckoned to Navaleen’s maids, who had just arrived at the scene.

     “Take her to her rooms,” ordered the queen. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

     Fyora walked up to the council members, who were standing in a tight circle, while the maids led their weeping mistress away.

     “What happened?” she asked. “Are Lydriel and Anna okay?”

     The council members shook their heads sadly and their queen’s face paled with horror. Seeing what they had given the impression of, the faeries hastened to ensure their queen that the guards were just very badly hurt, but not dead, as she had originally thought they had meant.

     "They're okay, but they got hit pretty bad," began Lilia, the earth faerie.

     “That dark faerie used a powerful spell on them,” said Prilla.

     “Neither of them were very highly gifted when it came to magic,” added Lilia.

     “I don’t think they would have been able to block it even if they were,” snapped Rani, who was an excellent healer. “That was powerful dark magic she used.”

     “How’s Navaleen?” asked Sira the fire faerie, trying to keep an argument from breaking out. Fyora’s face fell.

     “I think she’s in shock,” she said weakly. “Unhurt for as far as I could tell just confused and more than a little frightened.” The council members nodded in understanding.

     “I’ll drop by with a calming potion,” said Rani, trying to be reassuring. Fyora looked at her gratefully.

     “Would you? That would be wonderful,” said the queen. The water faerie nodded.

     “Let’s try to get this mess cleaned up,” stated Prilla, who hated disorder. The others nodded.

     “It might be nice to try and keep rumors from spreading also,” said Lilia. She always was very good at viewing problems with a calm eye.

     The queen and the others began to sort out the mess caused by the attack in the city. None of them realized that the worst had yet to come.

     ***

     Navaleen lay on her bed in her rooms. It had taken her forever to get rid of her maids. She was glad they left. It gave time to think.

     She reviewed the day’s events. The shock of the dark faeries’ hostility had worn off after drinking Rani’s potion. Navaleen had to give the water faerie credit. That potion worked like a dream. She had been glad to learn that her bodyguards were now resting in the infirmary but something still troubled her.

     She couldn’t understand why those faeries in the city could be so cruel. Why did they blame her and Fyora for crimes they didn’t commit? Why did they take their anger out on them? Why not Thyora instead of her daughters? The distraught princess could come up with no answer to these questions. All she knew was that she dearly wished she were somewhere far away. A place where she didn’t have to worry about faeries becoming upset with her. A place where she could be Navaleen and didn’t have to be the princess at the same time.

     As she lay there in the shadows of the approaching night, an idea formed in her head. It would mean leaving everything she had ever known and loved behind if she carried out her plan. Was it worth it? Finally, she decided that, yes, it would be.

     Getting up from the bed and walking across the now dark room, she pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. She quickly scribbled a small note explaining what she was doing and sealed in a small envelope. She stopped and seemed to think for a second, before laying the small locket she had always worn on top of the envelope. Satisfied, she turned to get ready. She grabbed her cloak and, after a moment’s hesitation, she reached out and buckled her swords onto her waist. She didn’t take anything else. She wouldn’t need it. As quietly as she could, she moved out of her room, whispering an invisibility spell as she did so.

     ***

      Fyora had finally managed to escape from the dreary meeting she had been sitting in for hours to go check up on Navaleen. She reached her sister’s rooms and knocked. There was no answer. Puzzled, the young queen knocked again, this time a little harder. Still no answer. Fyora reached out and opened the door. She was surprised to see that the room was unlit.

      “Navaleen,” called Fyora quietly. Was it possible her sister was asleep? “Navaleen, are you okay?” Once again, no one answered.

      The queen quickly said a spell which caused the candles in the room to instantly light themselves. Fyora gasped when she saw Navaleen wasn’t even in the room. She was about to leave and look for her sister when something caught her eye. Approaching the desk at the far end of the room, Fyora picked up a small envelope with Navaleen’s old locket wrapped around it. Staring at the necklace for a moment, the queen opened the letter and read it. Her face paled at the note’s message and the locket dropped from the queen hands to land on the floor with a small clatter.

      The shocked queen sat on the bed, staring at the piece of paper in her hand. She didn’t know how long she sat, staring into space. Getting up she looked outside. The beautiful day had suddenly turned a frightening night. The wind howled outside, demanding to be let in. What was worse was that Fyora knew her sister was out there somewhere, going to some unknown place.

      The queen laid the note down and walked slowly out of the room. She knew she had to tell the council, and now was as good a time as ever.

     ***

Back in present day

      The queen Fyora quickly wiped away the tear which had fallen down her cheek. She hated that memory. She hated her sister for leaving and she hated herself for never looking for her.

      She had just put the locket and picture away when an air faerie guard came into the council room.

      “Fyora, there is a visitor waiting in your study,” she said with a bow. Seeing her queen’s weary expression she asked, “Shall I send her away and tell her to come back tomorrow?”

      “No, Lydriel, it's okay,” said Fyora, rising. She walked past her friend, giving the guard a reassuring smile. As she walked, she wondered who would pay her a visit so late at night.

      Her question was answered when she walked into her study. The cloaked figure that stood near the hearth turned to face her, at the same time pulling her hood down. Violet hair fell down her shoulders and green eyes blazed. Fyora paled.

      “Hello Fyora,” said Navaleen with a smile. “Long time no see.” Fyora could only stare in bewilderment and happiness.

The End