| |
Ep.1
––––––––
YOU KNOW HOW THEY SAY your life flashes before your eyes right before you die?
Well...mine didn't.
In fact, I didn't see or feel shit.
All I could make out was the ground rushing fast to meet my face, and the air scattering to get out of my way.
At least the impact to the ground didn't hurt for too long. My body ricocheted a bit off the rocks but the hard impact to my head knocked me clean out, and that's all I remember.
So why the hell am I opening my eyes right now to a bright golden sky and setting sun trying to blind me?
You're guess is as good as mine.
I sit up, my head pounding and my neck tingly and stiff. Gingerly I wiggle my arms and legs.
Well, it doesn't feel like anything's broken. I don't know if I'm alarmed or relieved. My body is tingling, but that's about it.
"Ugh, my aching head." I tilt my head back to look up at the steep cliff I fell from. I can't even see the top from here. But I definitely remember taking a tumble through the air and hitting the hard ground. So how am I here now?
I squint at the jagged cliff.
Better yet, how did I get up there?
A panicked voice filled with rage echoes around in my head, tugging at the edges of my memory.
I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna kill you!
A shiver zips up my spine.
Was that my voice. Is that what I was thinking when I fell off the cliff? The thought feels intense and personal. Like maybe I was thinking it to myself because... I was angry at myself?
I look back up at the cliff and feel a trickle of anger zip through me all over again. There's definitely some hatred there. I must've couldn't forgive myself for something.
Is that why I jumped?
I slowly get to my feet and dust my legs and butt off. My joints let out gentle pops as tears prick my eyes while I smooth a hand over my frizzy curly hair.
I tried to kill myself... and I survived?
It's a miracle!
I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth. Maybe I was given another chance! Another chance to...
I squint in confusion.
Another chance to what? What was I doing before I got on that cliff?
I look around at my surroundings.
Where even am I? There's nothing but rocky grassland for as far as the eye can see, besides the cliffs that randomly jut up from the ground and impale the sky.
The harder I try to remember the more my head throbs. I gently put a couple fingers to my temples and rub to release the tension. I must've gotten a concussion or something when I fell. I can't even...remember who I am.
The sky takes on deep indigo purples and pink hues in the silence of the dusk.
Well, I can't be wandering out here in the middle of nowhere at night. There's no telling what kind of animals could be lurking. I have to find someone who can help me, tell me who I am...and probably get checked out by a physician.
I peer closer at the horizon to see which way I should go and spot shingled buildings and homes in a town off in the distance. Lights in many of the windows pop on and I spot a gated entrance into the town, illuminated by giant lanterns that blink on as the sun continues to set.
Oh thank goodness, it isn't that far away! Maybe they'll have food and water. I head towards the town excitedly, feeling the world go topsy turvy every once in a while as I gather my bearings. But I soon gather my equilibrium and find a paved road that leads me all the way to the entrance of the settlement, just as the sky turns completely dark purple.
Just in time.
Tall, open wooden gates welcome me past the stone walls as people mill about on the evening lit cobblestoned streets, finishing up what's left of the day's work. The street lamps lining the cobbled road are all lit, casting a muddy orange glow against the buildings and people.
A couple of street vendors off to my right catch my attention as they close up their stands and put their handmade merchandise away.
"Excuse me sir?" I call to a middle aged man who's loading his produce onto a wagon. He continues to work without glancing my way, engulfed in his task at hand. I walk up behind him as he turns back to his stand to grab something. "Excuse me?" He suddenly whips around with a heavy sack of potatoes and heaves them towards the wagon behind me. I dive out of the way, my body hitting the ground like a brick. The sensation is oddly familiar.
"Hey, watch it!" I growl, getting back to my feet and dusting myself off. He ignores me, not even concerned that he almost beheaded an innocent woman. "Rude! Has your mother not taught you any better?!" I huff, storming away. If he didn't want to be bothered he could've just said so. I'll just find someone else to help me since the merchants here are so grumpy.
Maybe it's because it's evening and everyone's trying to get home. But that's still no excuse to act so rudely to someone just asking for help.
I head further down the streets, lined with modest looking houses and shops, until I come upon what I assume is the town square. Well, more like a town circle since the center of the town is just a big circle with more shops, taverns, and inns lining the perimeter.
An inn to my left catches my eye. It looks fancy with its giant wooden porch and rocking chairs sitting in front of it. There's already a couple of men lounging in them smoking. The windows are lit with a warm and welcoming glow and framed with matching purple curtains.
I'm sure the desk clerk or someone could help me in a fine establishment like this.
I head toward the inn, the sweet smoke coming from the older gentlemens' pipes curl towards me, as well as bits of their inquisitive conversation about politics and the monarchy.
I climb the porch steps and slip inside the open door of the inn to a well lit comfy sitting area. A giant fireplace to my right warms the space with a long reddish couch and matching red chairs in a semi circle around it. A petite woman in a long dress is already lounging on the couch with a book, looking content.
I turn to my left and mosey towards the counter sitting in the back of the inn. A middle-aged woman, seemingly in her late forties, is giving a young man instructions on cleaning the rooms.
"Pardon me?" I clear my throat. They don't seem to hear me in the intensity of their discussion. "Excuse me?" I try again. The young man nods his head and takes some folded up sheets from off the counter, heading down a long hall to the right.
"Wait!" I call after him. The woman disappears from behind the counter to a backroom that says employees only.
Great.
Of all the places I could have stumbled upon I just had to come to a town where everyone is rude and hard of hearing. I'm gonna get some help whether they like it or not.
I trudge after the young man, brisking past a couple of patrons heading to and from their rooms.
I follow the young man with my fists balled and my teeth gritted as I watch him open a door to a room using a set of keys on his hip. He walks in and I'm right on his heels. This is an establishment. You're supposed to help customers!
I barge into the room after him like a bat out of hell and glare at him as he puts new bedding on the bed and cleans the room.
"So you're going to play it like that hunh? Is this how all of your guests are treated? You ignore them and let them fend for themselves?"
Nothing.
I huff.
"Fine then, I'll just follow you around until you give in." I turn my back on the boy, looking around the room frustrated. What am I going to do now? If he would just point me in a general direction then I can be out of his hair, but he's stubborn. Just like everyone else in this god forsaken town. No one will help me, I don't know where I am, nor do I have a place to go.
The boy finishes his cleaning and I turn back around just as he gathers his tools to leave.
"Well... since you've already cleaned this room I might as well take it right? It's the least you could do for ignoring me." He says nothing. "I'll take your silence as a yes." He takes his belongings and closes the door behind him. leaving me to myself.
That was easy. How curious.
I flop onto the bed, looking around.
This is a nice place. The queen sized bed is soft and the sheets smell fresh, like lavender. There's a really nice closet and wardrobe for my belongings, unfortunately I don't have any. I don't have anything. No money, no identification.
Who the hell am I?
I ball over to my side, sadness sinking in as my body deflates from fatigue. Now that I've stopped running around trying to get someone to help me, it's beginning to set in how truly alone I am.
My eyes drift towards the window framed by purple curtains and I gaze out at the darkening sky.
Well that's not entirely true. Someone has to be out there looking for me, right? Someone has to be wondering where I am. Maybe someone in this very town. I had to have come from somewhere...from someone.
Exhaustion washes over me as I close my eyes, my body feeling completely drained and light. I should have tried to get something to eat before laying down. It really isn't good to be running around on an empty stomach, but no matter. I'm too tired to move, and once my eyes settled for the night, I slept like a corpse.
******
A SHUFFLING AND SCRATCHING sound coming from the door startles me awake. I sit up, the sun shining in through the windows hurt my eyes as they adjust. Like I was just in pitch darkness before someone turned on a light.
The sound continues.
Maybe the boy from last night has come back with a peace offering for ignoring me.
"Just a second," I call.
I yawn and stretch my limbs as a key rattles in the lock and suddenly a group of people burst into the room.
I jump in shock and outrage.
A loud, chatty man with a stern looking woman and two children bustle about my room, opening drawers and the wardrobes as they haphazardly throw their stuff about.
"Have you people no shame?!" I shout. A different young man from last night is helping them with their bags.
"Excuse me s—" the two children immediately jump onto the bed without warning. I scream, rolling out of the way so neither one of them impales me with their tiny bony bodies. I give out a short yip as I hit the floor, then scurry to my feet.
"Can't you see that someone's in here!? You don't know how to control your children from jumping on strangers? How rude!" They ignore me and continue dashing about the room, talking about places they want to visit in town.
The man they're with chucks their big heavy luggage right at my legs and I have to jump to keep from losing a toe. I stumble into the wall and slyly inch my way closer and closer to the entrance, keeping my back flush against the wall so as not to get pummeled by this chaotic family. I squeeze past the young man who I'm guessing works for the inn, and stumble out into the hall with a huff.
"Arrg, I hate this place!" The man turns around to leave the room and I stand right in front of him with my arms crossed. "Is this how this inn is run?"
He doesn't say anything, in fact, he doesn't even react. It's like he's looking right through me!
"Hellooo?" I call concerned, waving my hand in front of his face. Nothing. Instead, he unexpectedly learns forward and time completely stops as my hand slips right through his face, dispersing into little particles before snapping back into shape as the young man moves his head, shaking as if he just got the shivers.
I freeze.
My heart plummets into my stomach and my body turns ice cold as I stare at my shaking hands.
What is this?!
I stumble backwards down the hall and run straight through a woman coming out of her room, my body going cold as it disperses into a million specks before snapping back together as she passes through. I feel like every atom of my being has just been violated.
A scream rips from my lips as my ears fill with the rushing of my own blood. They can't see me?...They can't feel me!?
This town is cursed!
I take off down the corridor, gasping for air as my legs walk right through luggage sitting out in the hall and my shoulders go right through people leaving their rooms for breakfast.
What's wrong with me?!
I make it to the den and burst right through the front door of the inn, stumbling down the porch stairs on shaking jelly legs.
The sun blazes high in the sky as the town square buzzes with people. Women in classy dresses visit the surrounding shops to barter, children kick around balls and toys, newspaper boys on street corners call out today's news, and the hustle and bustle of people trying to get to work send me into a dizzying frenzy.
None of them even glance my way. No one stops to see if I'm okay. They walk right past me. Right through me...as if I don't exist.
Tears of fear and confusion prick my eyes and burn my throat.
I thought I walked away from that cliff unscathed. I thought I was lucky.
My breath hitches as the childrens brown ball gets loose and bounces through my chest without losing momentum.
I thought that maybe I had been given a second chance, but I don't think I was given a second chance at all. My heart sinks as it finally dawns on me.
I think I'm...dead.
EP. 2
I stare down at the cobblestoned street in a daze, sitting on one of the porch steps to the inn. After thirty minutes of having a complete breakdown I felt like my energy was fading. So I sat, the shock of my discovery finally passing and leaving me exhausted. People continue to walk through me on their way up and down the stairs, but I no longer care. I'm too numb to care.
How could this have happened?
I mean...well, I know how it happened.
I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna kill you!
The memory of my own voice floods into my head.
I jumped off a cliff. I didn't survive like I thought. But why am I... like this? A ghost. Why am I still here among the living and not in a never ending dark abyss or entering some pearly gates somewhere? Is this really how the afterlife is?
I look around at the people dashing to and fro, carrying on with their mundane lives.
Is this how I'm supposed to spend eternity?
Suddenly, the sea of people walking the streets part as the clopping of horses fill the town square and a troop of soldiers emerge through the crowd. Their blue and gold uniforms are a stark contrast to the muted pastel and brown clothing of the surrounding people.
My body jolts and terror shoots through me as flashes of soldiers' faces contorted in snarls and grimaces appear in my mind before dissipating.
Instinctively I get to my feet and dive behind a couple of barrels sitting out in front of the inn. My heart thrums in my chest and I slowly peek out to watch as the soldiers stop a couple of pedestrians to hold up posters.
Their uniforms are so familiar. An insignia of a sword is embroidered on their upper sleeves along with a couple of other interesting looking designs.
I swallow hard. Dear god, please don't let them find me. Just let them hurry up and move along. Please don't let them—
I catch myself, stopping mid prayer.
Wait. Why am I so afraid of them?
I look down at my shaking hands and back up towards the soldiers.
It's not like I've seen them before. I mean, their uniforms look familiar, but I don't think I've seen those particular soldiers before.
The soldiers continue to show the pedestrians their posters and even place a few in the shop windows and on street lamps.
I think they're looking for a criminal.
The soldiers hop back onto their horses and trot in different directions down the other streets, away from the town square. I come out from behind the barrels, eyeing the directions they went. My heart slows the further and further away they trot.
When the coast is clear, I trudge towards one of the posters they hung up in a nearby dress shop window. It's a picture of a man with a crazed look in his eyes and a scar across the left side of his face. The word "WANTED" is printed in big bold letters beneath the picture, with more information in smaller print underneath it, along with the royal symbol.
They're looking for a criminal wanted by the king! I take another look at the man's face.
Ugh, and with a face like that he definitely did whatever they think he did.
I take a step back and turn around to gaze into the crowd of people going about their day. Familiar information tickling the corners of my memory.
Is that why I was afraid of them? The soldiers. Was I a criminal? Is that why I threw myself off a cliff? Because I was angry with myself. Did I do something unforgivable?
I think for a moment. Really trying to pull the memory from the pit of fog clouding my brain, but I come up with nothing.
"Ugh!" I groan in frustration, kicking at the cobblestone. I wish I could just remember! Then I could figure out what I'm still doing here stuck like...this!
I stare back at the shop window and the poster, and think for a moment.
Well...If I'm a wanted criminal, then they must have a poster of me hanging up somewhere in town as well. If I can find it then it can tell me more of who I am! It could tell me what I did and why I killed myself! Then maybe I can figure out why I'm a ghost. Or at least finally be at peace. I just have to find the jailhouse.
Relieved, I make my way through the streams of people, the air smelling of harsh perfume and horses. I'm assuming that the jail wouldn't be in the town square where all the "fine upstanding citizens" are. It would be somewhere that wouldn't disturb the bubble of peace for the everyday person.
I traverse down a couple of streets, they mostly lead to surrounding neighborhoods and local shops, but I eventually circle back and find the jail not too far from the town square. It's a lone building on a corner with a stable of police horses next to it.
Just my luck, the bulletin board is right out front with pictures of wanted men and women, as well as missing people, tacked to it. Relieved, I jog to it and scan the board, looking for my face. Nothing. Not one of these wanted posters are about me!
Did I suck at being a criminal?
Frustrated, I huff, putting my back against the board and resting my head.
What now? How am i going to figure out who I am now?
As I contemplate what to do with the rest of my non-existence, an older man with graying hair and a mustache slowly shuffles up to the bulletin board with something dangling from his fingers. I watch him out of the corner of my eye as he steps up next to me and stares at a picture of a young, smiley boy with warm brown eyes and freckled brown skin.
A sob escapes from the man's lips. His red eyes glisten with unshed tears, and his mustache twitches as he tries to keep his composure. He lifts the object in his hands, shakily placing a colorful necklace on the peg holding up the picture of the boy, and giving it a gentle kiss.
My heart tugs as I watch the older man shuffle away with his shoulders hunched in silent agony.
I push off of the bulletin board and stare at the child and the necklace. Poor guy. It's probably the hardest thing to have to endure, missing one of your loved ones. Not knowing what happened to them. Especially someone so young. At least if you had a body you wouldn't have to wonder, and you'd be able to put them to rest, but to have nothing...
The necklace sways in the breeze and a thought dawns on me.
If there was a body he'd know what happened! Material things don't just disappear. They get left behind! If I go back to where I woke up by that cliff, then maybe I can find some identification or something that fell off of me that would tell me more of who I am!
A fire reignites in my belly. I tear my eyes away from the young boy and hurry away from the jail, making my way back to the entrance of the town. It was dark when I made my way here last night, but it's not hard to see the rocky cliff drop in the distance in the daylight. All the other rolling hills behind it are too far away for it to have been any of them.
I retrace my steps back to the cliff, it doesn't take as long as it did last night. Probably because I can actually see where I'm going, and my head's not swimming from a recent concussion.
I make it to the base of the rocky cliff. It looks much different in the daytime. The ground is a lot more brush than I remember.
Okay, where to start?
I start scanning the ground for any items left behind. Maybe a locket or some papers.
I get on my knees and look under some of the bushes, making sure nothing had rolled and hidden under there. Then I spot a piece of dark purple fabric hiding under some leaves and branches. My heart pounds in excitement as I step over twigs and brush.
See! I knew it! I knew there had to be something her—.
I stop short, a gasp escaping my lips as my heart plummets straight into my stomach.
A shuddering breath racks from my chest as I stare down at my body laying on the cold hard ground. I swallow to re-moisten my mouth. This was a little more than I expected to find.
Material objects don't disappear... and neither do bodies.
I'm wearing the same dark purple dress, except the one on my actual body is tattered and dirty. I shuffle a little closer and bend next to it. I mean, me.
I look like a large doll. Even though I've been laying out here all night in the dirt, my dark brown skin still looks soft and smooth. My neck is contorted in an awkward shape, and so is my leg, but other than that I still look nice. My curly black hair has gotten tangled and looks a mess, but, I didn't die too bad looking. I look almost... regal.
There are two large pockets in the front of the dress. Once I get over the fact that I'm next to a dead body, I try to look through those first, but my hands refuse to wrap around the fabric. Everything just keeps slipping through my fingers.
Really?! I can lay on top of things and sit but I can't lift anything?
With a frustrated sigh I settle for looking for any noticeable markings or jewelry, but there are none. Nothing. Which is strange. The dress looks pretty expensive, so I couldn't have been that poor to not have jewelry or a family pendant. And to not even have little studs in my ears like girls from poorer classes do is strange. Did someone loot me? If they did, they would have taken the dress too. If you're gonna steal off a dead body, why leave something so expensive.
I get a closer look at my hair, thinking that maybe something got caught or fell into it, when the clopping of horses in the distance catches my attention. I freeze and tilt my head towards the sound, staying crouched in the bushes beside my body as a caravan pulled by horses approaches to my right.
I peer through the foliage from where I'm squatting as the caravan fully emerges from the side of the cliff into view.
The driver guiding the horses is in nice attire. They're workers' clothes, but they're very nice workers' clothes. Two soldiers on horseback pull up beside him and their uniforms make my heart race and my stomach curdle. They're very similar to the soldiers' uniforms I saw in the town square, but these are obviously elevated. The blue is much darker, almost a navy blue, and trimmed in a more sparkly gold.
They hop down off of their horses, talking amongst themselves.
Please don't come over here, please don't come over here, I mumble to myself. But apparently this world hates me and wants me to go to hell in a hand basket.
They immediately head in my direction and I back away hurriedly. My chest hammers as the two soldiers stride over to me confidently. Like they know exactly where I am.
Oh shit, oh shit. They've caught me!
I brace myself to run. I can probably hide better back in town. Maybe if I throw something at them it'll give me a head start before they can hop back on their horses. I get to my feet and prepare to dash away when they stop short, moving branches out of the way and bending towards my body...my dead one.
Oh... right, they can't see me.
As one of the soldiers turn, I notice her insignia on her shoulder is a little different from the soldiers in the square too. Instead of just a sword, there's a dragon wrapped around the sword with extra patterns around it.
I've seen it before.
My head suddenly throbs and I keel over in pain as that same symbol on a row of soldiers flashes in my mind. Soldiers standing on either side of me create a pathway, while the soldiers on the ends blow trumpets with long flags hanging from them and the same symbol sewn with gold thread. A sword with a dragon wrapped around it.
I gasp, rubbing my temples.
These are royal guards. That symbol is the symbol of the royal family.
The other guard looks up at the cliff.
"Looks like she didn't come to a peaceful end," he says. The other soldier scratches her head.
"Yeah...let's make this quick and get back before dark."
Two more soldiers exit from the back of the caravan with a stretcher and lay it next to my body. Then all of them proceed to lift me onto it and carry my body back to the caravan.
I follow them hesitantly. My curiosity piqued.
What would royal soldiers who belong to the royal family be doing picking up a criminals body and taking it with them? Were my crimes graver than I thought? Am I a better criminal than what I gave myself credit for?
The soldier's load back into the caravan and the other two, who I assume are in charge, hop back on their horses.
Well, they seem to know what they're doing. Maybe if I follow them they can lead me to finding out more about myself.
I hurry and jog the rest of the way to the back of the caravan before they take off and hop in, huffing and puffing as I take a seat next to a soldier whittling a spoon.
Jeez, for a ghost I'm really out of shape.
The man sitting next to me doesn't say much. Some of the soldiers try to make light of the situation, but I can tell they're all uncomfortable having my body lying on the floor in front of their seats.
You would think that soldiers who are trained for this kind of thing wouldn't be so uptight being next to a dead body.
After a while, they all go quiet.
The silence is odd and deafening as we sit around my covered corpse. You would think they were mourning me. The tension is so thick, I almost can't endure the long quiet ride east, but somehow I manage to survive without dying a second time of complete boredom.
EP. 3
I don't know how long we rode in that rickety dark caravan, but the sun was beginning to set by the time we approached our destination.
It feels strange that only a few soldiers are riding in this big caravan designed for a whole troop. It makes it feel bigger than it actually is...and more empty. The same question plays over and over again in my head since the moment they picked me up.
How did they know where I was?
The sounds of city life seep in through the caravan walls as we pull into what I assume is a bustling town. Even the pavement beneath us turns smoother as we ride past the sound of workers and people milling merrily about the streets.
There must be a lively nightlife here compared to the other town I just left. As soon as the sun started to set there everyone was already packing up to go.
I sit patiently with the four guards and my stiff body as the town life fades and, minutes later, we slowly come to a full stop. One of the soldiers that was riding horseback comes to the back of the caravan and opens the flaps.
"Were here, take the body discreetly."
"Yes Ma'am," they nod. Then they proceed to gather my wrapped body and lift me down from the caravan.
I step out behind them onto the pavement and into the fresh evening air, then gasp as my wide eyes travel up a massive elaborate structure looming over us. Gargoyles sit comfortably in discreet corners and arches of the building, scaring away any unseen threats with their snarling faces. Intricate patterns are carved into the stone at varying peaks of the fortress and frame the windows. It's beautiful.
This has to be the king's castle. I don't know of any other place that would be as luxurious as this.
"Watch your feet." I turn to see one of the soldiers talking to the other as they carry my body gingerly.
Do they bring all high profile criminals to the royal castle?
I'm tempted to follow them to see where they're putting me, but peering through the open back door into the warmly lit castle feels much more enticing to explore. Besides, they can't be going far with my body. Wherever they're resting me isn't going to be nearly as lavish as this castle. Plus, I smell something heavenly. Something like fresh baked bread.
I achingly realize I haven't eaten anything since I woke up at the bottom of that cliff yesterday.
Do ghosts get hungry? I doubt it. I may not need food, but boy do I miss it.
I stride into the castle, passing a couple of guards and maids in the halls as they go about their duties. Gold sconces on the walls illuminate the enormous gray bricked corridors, making the gold trimmed red carpets pop.
Wow, these halls are elegant. My fingers trace against the cream fabrics draped along the walls. And the decor looks expensive. Definitely fit for a king.
I walk down the expansive hall that leads all the way to the front of the castle. Many wooden doors and other corridors that venture into the rest of the castle, line the passageway, and I get the strong sense that I could get lost in this place for weeks just perusing the first floor alone.
"It's important to still be on time for dinner, girls. And your father asked me to add to your studies so you're ahead for the upcoming year..." I start at the sound of a woman's voice drifting from down one of the halls and I quickly look around for a place to hide. It's too late to find one as the source of the voice comes around the corner, so I freeze instead. Pretending to clean off a nearby table like I belong here.
The woman is speaking to two young girls trailing behind her. One looks to be around twenty, only a few years younger than me, and the other maybe sixteen or so.
They're both beautiful. Their elegant gowns give them away as royals immediately, and their faces send warmth through my chest.
None of the women seem to be phased by my presence and breeze by me. Then I mentally kick myself. They can't see me. That simple fact is going to take some getting used to.
"Yes Ms. Tao," they say softly. The twenty year old with long braids turns to Ms. Tao with her hands neatly folded in front of her.
"Has there been any word on Princess Sakinah's whereabouts yet?" A worried expression creeps through her poised face.
"Not yet Princess Jeanne, your father said he'll let us know as soon as he hears anything."
Wow...princesses. I don't think I've ever been this close to princesses before in my life...or death.
All three of the ladies head up the grand staircase to my left, using the carved wooden banister for balance. I decide to follow them up the stairs, along with the enticing smell of food. They must be heading to dinner. I don't know if ghosts can pick up food and still eat it but I sure as hell am gonna try.
The stairs are wide and covered in the same red and gold carpet as the halls. Ms. Tao is engrossed in telling the girls about their new lesson plans and they listen quietly. They have the demeanor of people who've always done what they're told. Their postures are regal and well practiced.
I observe them from behind. The teenager's gold dress is stunning against her caramel skin and curly hair piled atop her head. The twenty year old looks equally as elegant in a blue dress that fits snugly against her darker mocha skin.
Maybe I should spend the rest of my eternal life here, just relaxing in the shadows. It's not like I'll be in anyone's way.
Plus...this place has everything!
We walk the rest of the way up the stairs to the second floor and continue down a long hall, past a couple of rooms. While Ms. Tao is deep in her instructions, the younger of the girls falters at an open door, peering inside forlornly. I can't help but notice how her frame sinks and she twiddles her fingers nervously.
"Princess Suki, we don't want to be late." Ms. Tao calls over her shoulder from further down the hall.
Princess Suki turns away from the door and hurries to catch up with her older sister and their servant. I mosey over to the door she was just standing at and peek inside at an empty bedroom with yellow interior.
Wow. This is a nice bedroom. Who would be upset about this?
I continue to follow them down the winding and twisting halls of the castle until we arrive at an intimate dining room with a large wooden table in the center. Portraits line the turquoise walls between the brown mounted lamps. I wonder if they're all family portraits. Like...old royals who've passed.
The table is already set with fine white china and a beautiful centerpiece of dried plants mixed with live ones. A young boy that looks the same age as Princess Suki is already sitting at the table, along with a dignified and solid looking man that I can only assume is the king sitting at the head. He's coated in a layer of lavish jewels and fabric that's befitting of his station.
"There are my late daughters," he bellows as the princesses make their way to their seats. Five maids are lined up against the wall, holding platters ready to be served.
"Sorry father," they mutter. Once everyone is seated, the king motions to the servants who peel off the wall and serve dinner.
The royals all dig in. The conversation seems casual enough, but the atmosphere is stiff. Are these people even family at all? Everyone is acting so formally you would think they were guests at someone else's house and don't actually live here.
While the conversation drifts on, I try my hand at sneaking a couple of rolls from a platter on the end of the table, but my hand refuses to grip the fluffy bread. Dammit.
Just as I decide to try a different strategy that involves knocking down a candlestick to hit a roll, a soldier walks in from the entryway and swiftly approaches the king. He stands behind him and bends to whisper in his ear. This soldier's uniform is more heavily decorated than the others I've seen. Shiny medals and patches gleam proudly from his chest, but it still has the same unique symbol stitched on his shoulders.
The guard stands for a moment, allowing me to see part of his face and scruffy beard. Something about him seems off... and very familiar. I stare at him for a moment more, trying to place his face. Suddenly, my whole body seizes and stiffens as my head begins to throb. Fear shoots straight through me, making my legs tremble. I stagger backwards trying to catch my breath. It's not just the uniform this time. It's him. Everything in my body is telling me to be wary of him.
And to run.
"Hakeem? Why aren't you eating?" The king asks gruffly as he drinks from his goblet, startling me out of my fear induced stupor. The boy looks upset as he stares at his full plate, his jaw clenching and unclenching itself. But I can barely pay attention to either of them as I slowly back away from the table while trying to keep the soldier in my line of sight.
"Why don't you have anyone out there looking for Sakinah?" He asks. Everyone at the table goes silent, their forks frozen in midair.
The king looks at his son, then slowly wipes his mouth with a napkin.
"You think I wouldn't have people out there looking for my own daughter?" He says gravely. Quietly. "I'm doing the best I can."
"Well it's not enough!" The boy shouts, breathing heavily.
Wow, this Sakinah person sure is popular.
Frustration and wariness skitters across the king's face.
"Hakeem—"
Before more could be said the boy gets up from the table and storms off with tears in his eyes, and everyone seems to be in agreement not to stop him. I don't blame him. I can't stand being in this stiff room either. Plus I can't have any of the food, and it's torturous to watch others eat.
I conveniently push aside the fact that the soldier standing behind the king is making breathing very difficult. I can barely look at him without my veins freezing over. I feel like if I do, he might miraculously see me...and come after me. So I follow the boy out of the room. Trailing him all the way down the hall to a study where he slams the door shut behind him. I walk through it with ease and find him pacing back and forth behind one of the couches to the right.
Good, it's getting easier and easier to walk through things.
I look around in awe. This study is impressive. Whoever decorated it has great taste.
The boy kicks off his shoes and storms over to the window seat situated behind a giant wooden desk. He flops down onto the cushion with a huff and stares out the window.
"Sakinah, where are you?" He whispers, his voice cracking. "You wouldn't leave us."
Feeling a bit embarrassed I decide to explore the study to give him his privacy. He seems really upset, and it feels wrong to intrude on such a vulnerable moment.
I make my way to the left and circle around the other two couches. All three of them form a half square that frames a giant fireplace and mantle. Bookshelves cover the entire wall on both sides of the fireplace, housing an impressive collection.
In one of the corners of the room sits a smaller seating area with two armchairs facing each other and a small table between them. There're more portraits hanging on the walls behind them, but most of these must be of the immediate royal family. Pictures of the two princesses, Suki and Jeanne, are hanging on the walls along with Hakeem and the king, and a beautiful woman with reddish curly hair who I can only assume is the queen. I wonder where she's been this whole time. She wasn't at dinner.
I turn to explore more of the pictures on another wall, smiling at their family memories, when one of them makes my heart stutter in its tracks. I stumble as a wave of nausea pours over me.
No. This isn't right.
My head snaps over to Hakeem still sitting by the window, then snaps back to the pictures with wide eyes.
A medium sized painting encased in an elaborate gold frame is hanging on this wall. Only one person is sitting in this portrait, looking regal in an elegant dress and tiara. A pleasant but demure smile is plastered on her face and it makes the hairs across my entire body stand on edge.
It's me...the woman in the painting...is me.
The ground beneath my feet begins to quake and rumble. I stagger and reach for anything to steady myself. My skull feels like it's cracking open and I double over in pain as bursts of memories zip pass my eyes. Flashes of the soldier that was standing behind the king pop in and out of my mind along with the faces of other familiar guards, causing my hands to shake in rage.
I'm going to kill you!
My own voice echoes all around me as the decorated soldier's face twists in disgust and anger. Fire in his eyes. I feel the pressure of his hands digging into my shoulders, then suddenly...I'm falling. A feeling of terror and anger rushes through me, then an immense pain, and finally...nothing.
The world abruptly stops shaking and I slowly come back to my senses. My breathing fills my ears as the scents and sounds of the study come back into focus. It takes everything in me to uncurl my fingers from the back of a wooden chair that has cracked underneath my white knuckles.
I know who I am.
My eyes prick with tears and my face warms in anger as I stare back up at my portrait.
I'm Sakinah, the missing princess. And that guard standing in the dining room with the rest of my family...is the one who murdered me.
Books in the Royal Jelly Series
Royal Jelly
Queen Cells
Queen of Lost Souls
––––––––
Other works by A’alia Zealous
Check out my Kindle Vellas!
(Serialized stories meant to be read in one bite-sized episode at a time on your phone.)
––––––––
Self Helps Books Available on Amazon
Creative Genius in Progress (Unleash your inner creative self)
The Art of Allure and Beauty (Master the art of allure, sensuality, and self assurance)
