by Talia Haze
I paced for a few more minutes trying to calm myself. I wasn’t so angry that he did it, just angry that I let him do it. Why did I go against my better judgement? Because of his kindness? Or his beautiful smile? How foolish! How embarrassing! I finally understood why my sister said she was ashamed…albeit on a much smaller scale.
I brushed my hair out of my face with both hands. It wasn’t so important. Angel went through worse and she prevailed. I would do the same. I looked around quickly. Perhaps I could hide the flag where I was, then pretend to hide it somewhere else. Or perhaps I would hide it on the first floor. Lindius said no one did that as it was too easy. Perhaps no one would even bother looking there.
I put on the cloak and wandered from the room. I mimicked the elves’ slow, deliberate movement as I made my way back to the front of the castle. I wasn’t looking for someone to tag, but I had to pretend like I was. I didn’t want anyone to suspect me of anything.
I walked into the first room that I hid in. I opened the door to the doll’s display case and wrapped the flag around the glass doll’s waist. I leaned back to admire my work. Lindius said at least half had to me showing, and here, the whole showed. It wasn’t as dusty as the rest of the doll, but that was such a small detail I doubted anyone would even notice.
I spun around and left the room. Now to find someone to tag. I looked up the stairs, just in time to see Benjii dash down a corridor.
“Oh!”
No! He had to have seen at least the room where I put the flag! Why was I so careless! I leaned against the doorpost in disgust. My plan was ruined! I knew the elves had years of practice and it was only my first time playing. I just wanted to win so badly. Not really to win, but just to shove it in Benjii’s face.
I sighed loudly and walked past the foyer, towards the other corridor. Perhaps I could find someone before Benjii came back. I passed the great fireplace and paused.
Perhaps I could hide inside the fireplace. He would have to pass the fireplace to come down the corridor towards the door, and the fireplace was along the wall away from the doll room. I would just stand in the fireplace and wait until he passed by me to get to the tree.
I pretended to look around. I couldn’t make the same mistake twice. I had to make sure Benjii didn’t see me go into it. I walked towards the stairs, and grinned when a flash of orange hair disappeared down a corridor. Perfect. I walked quickly back to the foyer and climbed into the fireplace. I stood perfectly still and listened carefully.
Soon, I could hear the door of the doll room open. I gently smiled and leaned back against the brick. Decent! Benjii probably didn’t suspect a thing. Seconds later, I heard the hurrying of feet. I crouched and when I heard the feet right behind the fireplace, I jumped out and hoped for the best.
Chapter Six
The Old Glass Chandelier
I landed right on top of Benjii. We rolled back a few ways before the Pegasus statue stopped us. I kneeled and pinned Benjii on the floor by his shoulders.
“Telo!”
“Get off!” Benjii angrily yelled, rolling out from under me. I couldn’t stop smiling, my thirst for vengeance finally quenched. “I am never it!”
“There’s a first time for everything,” I pointed out. His fury felt wonderful. “If you’re never it, then how did you know where the flag was?”
“I saw the last person hide it,” grumbled Benjii as he rose to his feet. I held my hand out and he begrudgingly helped me up. The nicer I behaved towards him, the more annoyed he got, and the happier I felt.
“As you saw me?” I asked, as I lovingly fastened the cloak around his neck. “I saw you see me.”
“Sure, Gab.” Benjii walked away, sulking.
I would follow him. How could I? He should know I wouldn’t do anything like that…most likely nobody has followed the it one hiding the flag. It was too easy; too simple. Was it cheating? Lindius never mentioned any other rules. He never said we couldn’t follow the It-One around, and Benjii certainly followed me.
The old glass chandelier glistened dangerously in the sunlight.
There was an idea. Probably not a good one. The chandelier hung low enough that I could climb it into the rotting ceiling. Couldn’t I? Then I could follow Benjii freely upon the roof rafters above.
I slowly climbed to the top of the Pegasus statue. Holding onto the wall and trembling in terror, I slowly stood on the Pegasus’ back. After taking a deep breath and steadying myself, I leapt to the chandelier.
I flew at it and hit it hard, the glass shredding my skin. I toppled the floor and groaned in agony as a dark shadow came over me.
I gasped and blinked. No, I still sat on the chandelier. In a panic, I looked over my arms. I wasn’t cut. Nothing had happened; all was well. I closed my eyes, replaying the terrible scene while gripping the chain tightly. Strange vision; it sure seemed real enough. Perhaps my subconscious scolded me by showing me what could have happened before Benjii caught me.
I glanced upwards. The chandelier gently swayed, but the chain held strong. I was glad that what I saw wasn’t real.
I slowly climbed up the chain and into the low roof rafters. Once up, I felt a lot safer. The roof rafters were built so that the spaces between the rafters were only a few feet wide. Most of the plaster from the ceiling had rotted, so I could see into almost every room.
Quickly, I inched my way in the direction the Benjii went. I found him only a minute later, in another bedroom. He carefully hid the flag across an old cloak in a wardrobe, and cracked the door before going out. I watched him walk under me, and back towards the stairs.
How would I get down? The wardrobe’s feet were rotted; surely if I climbed on it, it would crumple beneath me. Perhaps, the canopy would hold. I examined it for a few seconds by bending over, trying to look at it from the bottom. The fabric was a thick velvet. Perhaps if I fell flat it could catch me.
I stood over the bed and slowly lowered myself towards the canopy. I wasn’t nearly as strong as my sister, and at once I felt my strength failing. So, I let go and lay flat. I lay silently, listing for any sounds of Benjii. Instead, I heard a low tearing sound. I panicked, but it was too late. The canopy ripped, dropping me six feet onto the bed. The bed was soft…dusty, but soft, and not completely rotted. I lay only long enough to gather my senses before rushing to the wardrobe, grabbing the flag, and quickly climbing back into the ceiling by using the bed posts and the thick paneling on the wall.
The instant I got back into the rafters and to my feet, the bedroom door swung open. Benjii entered the room and inspected everything. He looked under the bed, in the corners, inside the fireplace, behind the chests, everywhere. He didn’t check the roof rafters, or notice the hole in the canopy, but he did eye the wardrobe suspiciously. I bit my lip. I had left the door open. He had cracked it when he left.
Still, after another look around, he left the room. I walked to the foyer and thought of a way to get down and out. Benjii waited behind the statue of the Pegasus. He knew someone had the flag and was probably hoping to pull the same trick I pulled on him. I walked to a spot where I was almost to the door and right over Benjii’s head. What now? If I climbed down the Pegasus, Benjii would have me in an instant, and there was no other way out.
I decided to go back to where I got up. I planned to throw my slipper at something in another room. Perhaps if I made enough noise, Benjii would go investigate.
I shifted my weight to remove my slipper, but the rafters creaked. I panicked and quickly ran behind a section of plaster that was still attached to the ceiling. Through the cracks, I could see Benjii looking up suspiciously. I slowly backed up, trying my hardest to keep the plaster between us. I was almost to the doll room when I heard a small flute call. It was very faint…I just barely heard it. I paused for a moment and looked up. An upstairs floorboard wiggled, then rose. Lindius poked his head through the hole.
“Alo,” he mouthed. I felt so relieved and excited. He reached out, gently grabbing my arms. In a smooth moti
on, his strong arms pulled me up. He replaced the floorboard and we knelt next to each other, peering through the cracks in the board. Benjii had made his way down the corridor and looked up at us, but because we were behind the floorboards and he did not know where to look, he didn’t see us. After a few moments, Benjii walked back to the foyer.
I turned to Lindius and smiled. “Thank you,” I whispered. I looked down at the flag in my hand. “Look! I’ve got the flag!”
Lindius nodded, his smile growing. “I am glad, Moura! But before we celebrate, we need to figure out how to get you outside to the tree.”
We?
“Someone besides Benjii has to win. No one ever does if he plays.”
“Perhaps you could distract him…”
Lindius’ lips pressed together. Or perhaps not.
“I am in no hurry to get into a fight with him,” Lindius answered simply. “We are already not on the best of terms.”
He looked away quickly. Clearly, he didn’t want to talk about it.
“We can figure out something,” I continued, looking around. There were all sorts of random objects in the room: rope, horseshoes, axes. It was almost as plentiful as Briar Rose’s castle. What could we do? The only way out was through the door. But what if I wanted to go through the window? We stood on the second story. Perhaps, if I were Angel, I could climb down using the rope.
I stared at the tree across the grass. The angle wasn’t so steep. Could I use one of the arrows to attach a rope to the tree then slide down? It would tear my hands! But what if I used a horseshoe? No, I wasn’t strong enough to hold myself up for that long…what if I made a seat? Even so, how could I possibly get a rope all the way out there?
“Moura, do you have an idea?”
I jumped when Lindius gently tapped my shoulder. I did it again. I wasn’t sure how many times he repeated himself. I turned to face him. What was that on his back? A quiver…?
“How talented are you with that bow?” I asked in a loud voice. Lindius beckoned for me to be quiet, but I was excited. I grabbed his arms. “Are you a good aim?”
He nodded. “Yes, Moura, what do you require?”
I pulled him to the window and pointed. “If I were to tie one of these ropes to an arrow, do you suppose you could get it around the tree? Tightly, so it wouldn’t slip?”
Lindius nodded, his graciousness finally vanishing under his confusion. I handed him the end of a long length of rope. Better he tied the knot. He quickly completed his task, and held the bow high.
With a quiet twang the arrow flew around the branch of the tree and around looped itself several times before getting stuck. I tugged on it roughly, but it remained secure.
“Decent, Lindius!” I said before looking up. “Here, tie this end to the rafters above!”
Lindius quickly found a small stool and did as told. He stood so tall anyway that the task was an easy one. While he did that, I grabbed a horseshow and a smaller length of rope and tied both ends of the rope to the ends of the horseshoe and around the line Lindius had made. Twice; one for me and one for Lindius.
I put the rope under my bottom and after making sure the horseshoe slid smoothly along the line out the window, I sat on the windowsill, my legs dangling over the edge. “Follow me!” I said as I scooted from the window. Lindius gave a small cry in horror, and then a gasp as I flew across the air.
I whooped as I went down, forgetting I was to be quiet. Benjii heard me and came flying from the house. He was a very fast runner, but my line was faster. I came to the trunk of the tree and when my feet touched it, I pushed off a little, so it wouldn’t be too hard on my ankles. I reached over as far as I could and rung the bell.
Chapter Seven
Mourn
I gripped the branch and slid the rope out from under me, tumbling to the ground.
“I won!” I cried out, jumping up and down and waving the flag. Several elves dashed down the grassy knoll and talked excitedly. They spoke so quickly that even if I had a wider vocabulary, I wouldn’t have been able to understand. I just smiled and received my chin pats without complaint.
Lindius had no desire to test my line through the window and had walked around.
“Wonderful idea!” he congratulated as he approached. Benjii’s jaw set and he brushed his nose.
“Yes, wonderful.” He stuck his foot out, making Lindius tumble to the ground as he passed. “Should you not be playing your reed to nurse the flowers or something?”
“Oh!” the elves mocked in unison as Lindius slowly stood to his feet.
“Oh, no, Brother,” Lindius answered. “I thought that was the duty of hunters who could not return with anything.”
The elves chorused again, Benjii’s face turning red with fury. In an instant, Lindius was on his back. I suppose he had a reason to fear a fight; I wondered if they always spoke so harshly to each other. He said ‘brother’…perhaps they did.
Lindius tried to protect himself by shielding his face with his hands and pushing at Benjii’s chest with his knee. Benjii was not much taller than Lindius, but was still bigger.
“Stop, Benjii!” I cried out. “You’ll hurt him!”
“Oh, I hope so, Gab,” he answered. The other elves laughed. The brothers tussled on the ground yelling at each other in elvish as the other elves circled, calling for them to fight.
“Teal! Teal! Teal!”
“Come on, Benjii!” I said, reaching for his arm. It did no good; he was as solid as an oak. I leaned back and pulled, but to no avail. “You’re being ridiculous! Let him go!”
Benjii threw his shoulder back, knocking me off balance. I stumbled back against the tree. The other elves forgot the fight and quickly ran to my aid. This startled Benjii, and he let go of his brother to turn.
“Are you fine, Moura?”
“Moura, are you injured?”
“Let me assist, Moura!”
I was completely fine, but Benjii was bewildered. After another elf helped me to my feet and acknowledged me as “Moura” he fell to his face before me.
“Who are you?” he asked so softly and humbly that my heart relented. I was speechless, but the other elves quickly scolded him in elvish. His face became deep red as he listened, and his huge, brown eyes slowly raised to mine. “Upon my life, Moura, I did not know who you were,” he said, almost in a panic. I wondered what kind of punishment I could give him to cause such a change. “I was not here last night when you were crowned…”
“It’s fine,” I stuttered. The whole situation felt so strange to me. I never had anyone so fearful of me, ever. I didn’t know what power I had, but I certainly wouldn’t use it. I knew he didn’t mean it.
“Get up, Benjii,” I pleaded. Benjii only raised his head. “Please get up. I don’t know what you think I’m going to do, but I’m not. I’m fine!”
The other elves still muttered to him in elvish and he couldn’t relax. I had wanted to make friends, not subjects. The whole situation quickly went from fun to serious. Still, I had to do something.
“Stop,” I said to the elves. I wanted to sound like Angel, but my voice was only just more than a whisper. Still, the message got across, and they went silent. I held my hand out to Benjii. “I’m fine, Benjii! And good game.”
He looked up at my hand and shook it with a smile. “Good game, Gab.”
The tension finally released, and the other elves cheered. Benjii gently kissed my hand before taking the flag from my other. He and the other elves turned back to the castle. I smiled and released my crown from my skirt. Perhaps if I had worn it like I was supposed to, Benjii’s attitude towards me would have been different from the start. I turned to Lindius, who angrily watched his brother leave.
“I will end with a win,” I said with a smile. “Thank you so much for taking me here! I think I should probably head back; I haven’t even eaten today.” I paused. Where was back? I turned to Lindius, whose anger had calmed.
“I will lead you, Moura,” he said, his beautiful smile r
eturning. “Whenever you need.”
I couldn’t stop smiling and looked down as he offered me his arm.
He told me stories of the castle as we walked, but I hardly paid attention. I just felt…happy. At peace. The forest, the elves, Lindius. Everything just felt right. Lindius spoke excitedly and quickly but remained attentive of my shorter stride. Soon, I could make out the familiar buildings through the trees.
I started when Lindius stopped suddenly. The walk felt like a dream that I was abruptly awakened from. Did I lean against him the whole time? “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Here, we part,” he responded, releasing his arm from my hands. My stomach lurched. Why did I panic every time he said those words?
“Here? Why? Are you not hungry?”
Lindius smiled politely. “I am, Moura, but I am not allowed in there.”
“Why not?” I asked. I had been given such special privileges, not only as the Moura, but as a guest. I had forgotten this was his everyday home and that everyday etiquette still applied to him.
I looked back to the building. If we parted, how would I find him again? I was only familiar with the council building and the house of the Arohna. No, he did say something about the fires that night. Perhaps he would find me later that day. It wouldn’t be so long.
Then why did I feel so sad?
My expression gave me away again. Lindius’ hand gently brushed mine, making my heart skip. “If you command, I will escort you,” he said, gently.
I shifted and looked back towards the dome building. Must I? I wasn’t Angel, no matter how much I wanted to be. “What if I just ask?”
His face relented, and he nodded. I smiled and exhaled. The feeling was beyond relief; it was joy. I again took his offered arm, and together we went inside.
No one seemed bothered by his presence. People greeted me with “Good morning, Moura,” or “Alé, Moura,” before Lindius was greeted by name. Still, he pulled me closer to him. We navigated our way through the crowd, toward the dining hall.