by R.G. Strike
The moment the prince and princess arrived back at the Palace, looking strongly frustrated and aghast, none of the servants noticed them. Godfrey appeared like a street child, with his face sprayed with dust powders and his eyes narrowing into almost nothingness. He was panicking. His hands around his sister were agitating. He could not breathe normally, and in his mind was only one question: What was it?
Since Godfrey had carried Eliezer, she never spoke about anything. He was, in fact, planning to ask her much more about what they had just seen for he was not so sure, but Eliezer was demented and pale.
Her face was obscured by her blond hairs and some sands on her eyelids. She was crying, and when she finally spoke in an evident hiccoughing and sobbing tone, Godfrey was relieved.
“F-Frey, are we g-going to b-be killed?” she asked.
Godfrey stopped in front of the sandbox. He looked at her and smiled. It was for the first time that he could recognize the pity in her face; at this moment, he felt the pang of real brotherly responsibility.
“No, we’re not. Everything is going to be okay, El,” he said rather comfortingly.
“Are you s-sure?” she retorted, then gradually closed her eyes.
“Believe me.” Godfrey wiped her blonde hairs away from her face. He smiled, apparently overwhelmed.
He resumed walking again towards the castle; Eliezer still sobbing softly.
What was happening? Godfrey could feel that Eliezer was not telling him something very crucial about what she had seen behind the bush. And those scarlet eyes – what do they mean? If they were really pupils, why had they not attack them so immediately? Godfrey was shocked to see the peeled skull. He had even quickly imagined himself being ripped off by a hideous monster. And how would he be able to escape in case?
Maybe there could be a case that if they were not the prince and princess, the scarlet eyes would have flashed out from that bush and gnawed them. But he could feel that it was not the reason of their escape – there was something else . . . something they do not know . . . yet.
He was annoyed and obnoxious yet hyperventilated by a breeze of fear and horror. Even in his mind, he was thinking rather feebly about his father: His reaction if he knew what had happened to them. Would he panic? Would he order a couple of knights to have them guarded all throughout their life? Or would he just sigh and ignore them?
Godfrey was not so sure now who to trust. His father, King Elvandork, was a terrible person; but he believed in one thing – that all would be alright at the end of these.
What would happen next, anyway? Would they get imprisoned inside the dungeon for behaving mischievously? But what he did to his sister was not a bad thing . . . comforting and carrying her all along her somber in the vast maneuver he could do. And he felt so assured, also, because he had all the evidence when explaining –
“Godfrey!”
A woman with an elongated face and white hairs reaching her shoulders came running towards them; her face was filled with shock.
Eliezer opened her eyes, and together they looked at the woman as she came near them. She was like a witch: Nose nearly reaching her chin and her lips rumpled inside, she almost looked lipless.
“Godfrey!” she repeated. “Is that – oh, how did you get yourself so dirty! My goodness, how on earth am I going to explain this to the king! He’ll be in more madness! Oh my . . . oh my. . . .”
For a few seconds, Eliezer and Godfrey made no sound. The woman in front of them glanced towards her back then went to face them in a way again. Her face apparently obnoxious at the moment, and she seemed to be breathing not in the normal way.
“I – oh. . . .” Godfrey’s eyes could not be seen through his eyelids. He looked down at Eliezer and swallowed. “We – er, well it’s – it’s difficult to explain to s-someone who’s n-not there, except that there is a monster at the end of the hedges..”
“M-Monster, what are you talking about?” she asked, rather shifting to another mood. She seemed as though they were attempting to joke her. Then after a second or so, she gasped. “Let’s see it here . . . have – have you gone crazy, too? Oh, this is so much horrible!”
Although his eyes were so earthy and narrow, Godfrey’s frown was evident through his face. He stared at the woman for a long moment before considering his term to speak.
“Lady –”
“I’m Lady Janis, thank you,” the woman interrupted, with gleeful emphasis.
“Yes, Lady Janis, I am under the impression that we are not to be questioned so insultingly about what had just occurred or else we would revolt against the empire. What had j-just taken place was . . . was. . . .” Without noticing, Godfrey had drowned in silence.
“Was what?”
“– was so unprecedented. In other words, it might not have occurred in your wildest imagination of possibilities but – uh – yeah. So even though we explained what happened, as you wanted us to do, I’m sure you would never, ever, believe us.”
“Well, yes, but –”
“Please,” he said. “I want us to be cleaned immediately.”
“Oh, yes! Yes, of course.” She clutched them both on her wide arms, and for a moment they hugged each other. She ushered them inside a large room, on the walls were arrays of racks filled with luxurious herbs and toiletries; on one corner lay a pearly white, large bathtub. When they entered, Eliezer and Godfrey’s filthiness were purely discriminated with illumination protruded by the two golden chandeliers that hung tightly above.
Lady Janis closed the huge door behind them, and again, ushered towards another door at the back of the bath tub. There, however, was another spacious room, but unlike the first, this one was only containing one decorative pool that was emitting bluish reflection from the bottom. On the rocky walls were a line of hooks hanged with long robes of diverse colors and design.
“Where is my sister?” Godfrey asked quickly as he noticed that his sister was not around with them.
“She stopped on the other bathroom.”
Godfrey digested her words for a second or so. He gnawed his fingernails, and then looked back at the bluish pool.
“Why are you with me, Lady Janis?” he asked.
“Oh,’ she replied, “I – I can get out of here if you like. But I suppose it would be unhealthy for me to do that since I had to take Victoria’s job after she set off to the. . . .”
She stopped. Her eyes blooming with regret as her lips curled. When she gulped, Godfrey was staring at her like she had said something dangerous.
“Where did she go?” he asked, unmoving.
It had taken a few minutes of silence to pass before Lady Janis was able to respond spontaneously.
“I don’t think that’s a healthy stuff to discuss,” she said, moving away from the topic as far as she could. “Because what Victoria was up to, yes, must be in total secrecy. I mean – yeah. Merely discussing it will spoil the goal, though I found myself fraudulently crossing vows, you will never take yourself to understand. . . .”
“Well, I don’t want it to be explained in a forceful sense, anyway.” Godfrey was partially disappointed at what Lady Janis had said. “I’ll just take bath alone since I – well, I definitely don’t know you.”
Lady Janis was speechless.
“You may go,” Godfrey added. “And don’t get El watched, she just don’t want that.”
“Alright,” Lady Janis responded.
Without smiling, without looking, she twisted aback and disappeared behind another door that was concealed on the corner. Godfrey undressed and soaked himself on the bubbled pool, relaxing and enjoying what seemed to be a bit of rest available.
__________
Over the next few weeks, the weather had gone wild. The sun was ferociously scorching the lands, then getting into a hard rainfall. The case of the lost Leviota had gotten so much worse than it had been, making the servants and employees of the palace fearful of king Elvandork’s wrath.
Eliezer and Godfrey were ignored by their
father when Lady Janis had told their story about seeing a monster at the end of the labyrinth. The other servants who had overheard her had concluded that it might be the source of all the wreckage in the garden.
“So what is more fatal than that?” she questioned. “. . . beyond invisibility, beyond normality? It’s – it’s a strange thing to think that in that manner it could be definitely right to say and understand that a monster could exist.”
“Monster, you said?” asked the king. “To be totally honest with you, I’ve never been a fool towards nonsensical stories. I know in my power that events like that oughtn’t to be believed. Ageism was the solution to you, servant. Go now and celebrate your senselessness.”
Lady Janis stormed out of the king’s chamber without any word, evidently embarrassed as she softly sobbed.
__________
And so fall finally fell over the Switzarnel Empire. Leaves swirled after leaves, flooding the pavements and the streets with citrus orange and brilliant yellow. Some had gathered on the roof of the palace, some entering the chambers through the huge windows.
Eliezer had, in fact, recovered from the incident that had taken place in the labyrinth. She was now playing with Lady Janis even though her face was still punctuated with scars. Godfrey had concluded that enough time have passed because he could clearly see his sister laugh, which was a rare thing to happen just after they saw the scarlet eyes.
“El, are you okay now?” he asked, as they ate in the glass-walled dining room.
Eliezer smashed a great victual in her mouth as she talked.
“ ‘Cof I ’am,” she said, munching food in her mouth. Godfrey was sure she had said, “Of course I am.”
“Well, that’s a good thing to know, El.” Godfrey ate his own food but kept his eyes locked on his sister almost all of the time.
“Yef yer righ’, Fwuey. Vat vos wrong viv’vat?”
“Oh, nothing. Nothing, El.” He bowed over to his plate and looked at his vivid reflection.
The servers standing around them were still that they almost appeared like a photograph posted on the walls. When Godfrey and Eliezer spoke, in a manner that they were not taught to do, some had panicked.
“What’s wrong?” Godfrey asked furiously, eyeing the servers around.
They quickly flinched, apparently startled. Godfrey turned back to look at his sister and said, “El, better finish your breakfast so we can head to the playground right away. I am completely annoyed by these people watching and talking about us while we are eating.”
“My lord,” a fat man had said, “we didn’t mean –”
“Stop,” said Godfrey without moving. The authoritativeness in his voice could not be diminished; every day, he became stricter about his conversation. Since Vick’s disappearance, Godfrey had talked arrogantly. “I’ve never been a fool to servants.”
The fat man gulped, and then whispered, “Just like his father, this idiot.”
“You supposed I wasn’t able to hear your bearings?”
He froze halfway towards the line, biting his lips, and his eyes bulging.
“N-No, my lord –”
“In fact, if you yourself supposed that I wouldn’t be able to hear you, then let it be as you wanted it to be. . . . No more explanations, perhaps you can butt out of this palace and find another decent job.”
“My lord –”
“I can’t hear you, can I?” Godfrey frowned. “And when I mean you butt out, you must butt out.”
The fat man did not move, shocked, and eyeing Godfrey with more wonder.
“Why?”
“My lord, please, you father –”
“Has the only authority to fire? I’m afraid, no. My father has the power, so do I.”
The fat man scrambled, trembling, out of the room; the huge door banging as he vanished in the hallway.
“Any complain with that?” Godfrey asked, looking back to Eliezer, whose mouth was hanging as she stared at him.
“Frey, that was great! In fact, that’s perfect! Sit down and fire servants, live up!” she said joyously, clapping her hands as she smiled in mirth. “That was what dad was waiting for.”
“Hey, what do you mean, El?”
“Dad was trying to –”
“Stop, we need to go to the playground.”
Godfrey had not let Eliezer continue with another set of words; he grabbed her out of the chair, the servants gasping again, and led her out of the dining room into the wide playground covered with red and yellow leaves.
“What was dad . . . ?” he asked with definite urge.
Eliezer slid down on the winding slide and landed with a thump onto the sandbox.
“Well, the reason why he isn’t talking to you is that. He thinks you’re too kind,” she said clearly.
“But,” Godfrey began, “you’re also kind, El.”
“That was different.” She stood before him and continued, “I’m a girl, and you’re a boy. Girls don’t behave furiously. Uh – I mean to say – boys are boys in front of the servants. You get what I mean? Dad expects you to treat the servants in an arrogant manner. You don’t need to be kind all . . . the time.” She giggled and climbed the slide once more.
Godfrey sat down on the edge of the sandbox, thinking for a minute or two about Eliezer’s statement. Was that true? Or was she just making fun of him so as not to get embarrassed? Godfrey knew that she was capable of doing that, so there was a little hope that she wasn’t up to that.
He looked over at Eliezer, who swiftly got whipped out of the slide, giggling. She was happy, Godfrey was sure; sliding in and out of the curly slide, that was extreme fun. But just as Godfrey remembered he was supposed to be arrogant, he bowed down and frowned.
A possibility for which he was near into being his father’s favorite swept over him. Would it be beneficial to be a king’s favorite, well, of course, that would be beneficial. Who wouldn’t want that fame? However, Godfrey was not up to fame. Fame is just a thing to enjoy yourself, but too much fame could freeze you until you could no longer go out and liberate yourself on things you want to do.
“AIIHHH!”
A scream had echoed on Godfrey’s side, shaking him and bringing him face down into the ground. He knew that scream, he had heard it before, but he could not determine who it was; not until he looked up and saw the most terrifying thing that had ever existed in his life. Two scarlet dots brilliantly shone upon the surface of a little sand castle, gleaming towards Godfrey’s eyes.
Eliezer had scuttled beneath the slide and kept on screaming. Standing up, Godfrey ran towards his sister and carried her on his shoulder; her weight forcing him to collapse on the ground as he ran with incredible speed, as if some supernatural creature was chasing them.
But when they curved the corner of the turret’s wall, they stumbled into the wide, greenly plantation of the palace; glitters shimmering on the surfaces, apparently the evident traces of the enchantments the gardeners had casted. Rows after rows of successfully growing cabbages and carrots and celeries bloomed out of the ground, gracefully bending over them as they ran rather faster and faster.
There was a thick, brownish root that had swiftly whipped in front of them, locking one of Godfrey’s footfinger; he unintentionally dropped Eliezer, and he rolled over into the cabbages. The root had gotten his foot thumb tightly; he was trying to remove it, biting the crop as hard as he could, but it was slowly moving, tightening its grip. Godfrey felt the blood drain from his foot thumb, Eliezer looking over at him, shocked.
“Frey! Remember Mrs. Hagaire’s warning!” she shouted loudly.
Frey tried to squeeze his brain of that stupid lesson Mrs. Haigaire had taught them. But he could not, there were a millions of lessons they took; it was impossible to recall one.
Once again, Eliezer shouted. “Spit at it, that will kill the root!”
“What?” he questioned, but he immediately gathered as much saliva in his mouth. Breathing hard, he spit at the root clutching his thumb fi
nger.
Almost immediately, the brownish root smoked like a watered fire, turning thinner and darker, until it was no longer gripping his foot thumb. Godfrey quickly stood, though with difficulty, and approached his sister.
Eliezer met him, and together they hurried past rows of onions, and out into the portion where the garden had ended. There, however, were wagons, horses, and chariots. Behind huge carriers were large gray stones, spears, shields, swords, and arches.
“There!” Godfrey exclaimed, almost excitedly, pointing at the back of an open wagon, where they immediately approached.
It was dark and a little space for them, but they eased the difficulty, curling inside to fit themselves. Godfrey sighed, breathing hard and panting.
“El, close the c-cover,” he said.
Eliezer groped at the cover dangling above, but before she could move it down, she collapsed. Curious to know what had happened, Godfrey looked over at the cover. And there, shining as bright as it could, were two red dots that fell upon a greenish, roughly scaly face of an alligator.
Almost after seeing it, Godfrey closed his eyes and fell onto the tiny cavity of the wagon, unconscious.
CHAPTER ELEVEN:
THE FLAMEFLY