by S R Ahuja
Jade was quiet for a long while before she finally said, “That story is true.”
Aunt Anna didn’t nod this time. “Jade, it might have true emotions, but it isn’t something that really happened. That story is just pretend.”
“No,” Jade shook her head. “It’s true. You told me it was true.”
“It’s fun to pretend that stories like that are true, but at the end of the day, Jade, you need to understand that it is just pretend. Fairies and dragons and goblins, they’re not real, Jade. You are fighting with your classmates over something so small as a pretend bedtime story.”
Aunt Anna reached out to her, but Jade didn’t move. She stared at Aunt Anna, not fully understanding. Fairies were real. Jade had proof. Out in the forest, not a mile away, there was a very real fairy waiting for her. She knew that. She knew it. She’d thought Aunt Anna knew it too.
“Fairies are real,” Jade said, slowly rising with her back still pressed against the wall.
“No, Jade.” Aunt Anna did not smile. She stared at Jade, and her dark green eyes, the eyes that Jade shared, turned hard and cold. “They’re not.”
“You’re lying.” Jade shook her head. “Why are you lying?”
“I’m not lying…” Aunt Anna began.
“No!” Jade closed her eyes and shook her head. “Fairies are real. I know they’re real! Why are you lying to me?!”
“Jade…”
Jade felt Aunt Anna’s hands brush her arms. She threw her hands against the sides of her head, covering her ears to block out anything else she might say.
“No!” Jade screamed. Her eyes flew open. Aunt Anna was crouching right in front of her, stroking her face with her hands.
“No!” she cried again. Pushing her aunt to the floor, she took off out of the kitchen door and ran straight for the forest. It was dark now, but Jade knew the path well. She could hear Aunt Anna calling her name hysterically from behind; she could hear her heavy footfalls too, but they were fading as Jade gained distance on her, and she just kept running. Soon enough, Lali was flying alongside her.
She ran for only a minute before she reached her favorite tree. With one hand, she grabbed her backpack and with the other she grabbed her journal.
Without stopping, she ran right for the fairy circle. She knew this time it would work. It had to work. There was nothing left for her here. Her future was on the other side of that fairy circle. She squeezed her eyes tight and jumped.
Her feet struck the ground, jarring her brain inside her head. She didn’t open her eyes. She had been absolutely positive that it would work this time, but nothing felt different. It was still dark. It was still cold. She was still standing on a ground of grass.
She was afraid to open her eyes, afraid that all she would see was her own forest. Lali was ringing in her ears, but Jade didn’t listen. She focused solely on the grass beneath her feet, but then some part of what the fairy was saying sunk through her concentration. Aunt Anna wasn’t calling for her anymore.
Jade opened her eyes. She was still in the forest. She spun around quickly, taking in her surroundings. It seemed darker than a moment ago, like the trees had suddenly grown thicker. She spun on the spot, searching for her trail, the trail she had worn through the trees by walking the same path over and over again. It wasn’t there. Her trail was gone.
“Where are we?” Jade asked the silence.
Lali jingled near her right ear. Jade whipped her head around, her long braid smacking Lali in the back. She immediately started yelling, but since it was still just bell tones, it was easy enough to ignore.
“Sorry, Lali,” Jade said absent mindedly. She stepped out of the fairy circle, and her ears felt like they were assaulted. The moment she left the circle, the sound of music hit her like a brick wall. It was raucous to say the least. Great loud bangs of some kind of percussive instrument reverberated off of the trees around her, making the whole forest feel as though it were vibrating. Stunned at first, she kept walking. As she walked, the music seemed to get louder and the colors of the world just a bit lighter. Finally, she broke through the line of trees, and she was not in her backyard.
It was lighter out of the forest. A great full moon, the largest Jade had ever seen, shone down through the clear night onto the open meadow. Lined up near the trees, near where Jade had just stepped out, there were five grown up men hitting great, large drums with their bare hands.
They were singing, or at least, some kind of sound was coming out of their mouths that seemed to go with the music. Everywhere, people were dancing, the long, silk skirts of the women flying out into huge circles around their wastes as they spun. Everyone was yelling and singing and laughing. It was clearly a joyous occasion, but it made Jade’s head hurt to try and take it all in at once. She looked all around herself but couldn’t see an easy way out of the chaos.
“Jack!” Jade heard a woman cry.
Jade turned to see the woman who had shouted. She was dressed like the other women there. She wore a long navy skirt that brushed the ground and a cropped top with long sleeves that fell off her shoulders. She had pulled her dark red hair back into a perfect ponytail.
The woman began to approach Jade, calling loudly over the music and the yelling, “Who are you? Where is your mother?”
Jade just looked up at the woman’s face, overwhelmed by the chaos around her and unable to think of what to say.
The woman looked very serious, even angry. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
Jade just shook her head quickly.
A man suddenly appeared over the woman’s shoulder.
“What is it, Shae?” he asked impatiently.
As Jade watched, he wrapped his arms around the woman, his hands on her stomach.
“Jack, stop,” Shae said, reaching up and turning his chin forcefully so that he was looking at Jade.
“Oh,” he said.
“Come here,” Shae said, grabbing Jade’s hand a little too roughly.
The woman pulled her through the crowd. It was all chaos, and she had no idea where this woman was taking her, but after a while they broke free of the crowd. The music was much further away, so they could hear each other without the need to shout.
“Now,” Shae turned back to Jade, “what’s your name?”
“Jade,” she whispered.
“What?” the woman asked.
Jade really didn’t want to open her mouth again, but the man came to her rescue.
“She said her name is Jade,” he said, and then he turned to Jade. “Are you here on your own?”
Jade looked around, but she couldn’t see Lali at all. She must have gotten lost in the crowd. “I was here with my friend, but she must have gotten lost.”
“Do you know how to get home from here?”
Jade shook her head.
“Do you know the name of your home? Do you live in the Hamlet?”
“What’s a hamlet?”
The man exchanged a look with Shae.
He kneeled down next to Jade. “Jade, are you from Avalon?”
Jade shook her head. “What’s Avalon?”
The two exchanged another look, but this time Shae looked scared. They stepped away from Jade for a moment, but despite the noise from the party, Jade could still hear exactly what was being said.
“How does she not know what Avalon is?” Shae asked.
“Think about what night it is. The only night a year it’s open.”
“Sweet Sisters, you don’t think? She couldn’t be… Why did we have to find her? She’s going to be such a hassle. I just don’t want to deal with this!”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” the man said, looking over to Jade. “I’m going to take her back to the castle. If she is from here, that will be the easiest way to find her home, and if she’s not from here… the King will want to talk to her.”
“The King?” Jade spoke up. Now that she was out of the chaos of the party, her curiosity was peaked once more.
T
he two exchanged looks again.
“His name is King Henry,” the man told her before turning back to Shae. “I’ll take her to the castle. You go back to the party.”
“Jack,” Shae whined, “we were supposed to go together. You never get a night off.” She glanced over at Jade and stopped talking.
The man smiled. “I’ll only be a minute. I promise I’ll be right back.” He kissed her on the cheek, but the woman continued to scowl at Jade like she had wronged her in some way.
“Come on, Jade,” he said.
The man led her away from the party and down a very long road that eventually led to an enormous castle. There were two men standing on either side of the double doors. They were dressed identically in blue gray uniforms with dark cloaks fastened at the shoulders. Gold hilts gleamed in the faint starlight at their hips. The man nodded to them. They nodded back and opened the doors for him. Jade hurried right behind the man as he walked through the castle. He clearly knew his way around, and Jade wondered what his job was, why he knew the castle so well. Eventually, they came to a stop in front of a set of double doors that were just as large as the front doors, but these were decorated with beautiful swirls of what looked like real gold. Once again, there were two guards, dressed exactly the same, standing outside of the doors.
“What are they talking about?” the man asked the guards.
The left guard glanced at Jade before he spoke. “It is a matter of security within the kingdom; that is all I know.”
“Well, you must let me in because I bring a serious matter of security to the King.”
The guards exchanged a look.
“Sir Jack, we were told not to let anyone inside.”
“By whom?”
“Sir Galeron.”
“Well, now I’m telling you to let me in. Blame it on me if you like. Tell Sir Galeron I overpowered you, but I need to speak to the King.”
They still looked uncertain. “Does the girl need to accompany you?”
He glanced down at Jade. “No, actually, it would probably be better if she stayed out here with you. Just for a moment.”
Jade reached out to grab Sir Jack’s hand, afraid for him to leave her alone again.
The guards finally nodded and stepped aside.
“Jade, stay here with these men. I’ll come back for you in just a moment,” Sir Jack said, shaking off Jade’s hand and entering the room.
Chapter II
Meeting the King
____________________________________
Jade stood there staring at the guards. It really did only take a minute though. Soon, the doors were open again, but it wasn’t Sir Jack coming out. Several men all dressed in simple clothes and wearing red cloaks over their shoulders exited into the hallway. Each one stared at Jade as they passed. She wanted to turn and hide her face, but even more than that, she wanted to find Sir Jack. He was the last one to exit the room.
“Follow me,” he said, leading her into the enormous room that was twice as tall as the hall outside. Windows rose from the floor all the way to the ceiling, but they were all covered by thick, red curtains. There was also a very simple, wooden round table standing in the middle of the room. Around it were thirteen wooden chairs. In one of these chairs, there was a man who rose as they entered.
This man was dressed just like the other men had been, but instead of a red cloak, it was a purple cloak that hung from his shoulders. His sandy colored hair matched the well-trimmed beard that covered his face. His deep brown eyes looked kind as he watched Jade enter.
“Ah, here is our little anachronism,” he said, opening his arms to welcome her. “What do you call yourself, young one?”
“Jade,” she said quietly.
The King smiled at her and then turned to Sir Jack. “Thank you, Jack. You may return to the festivities now.”
Sir Jack bowed to the King and left so quickly that Jade didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye. She stared up at the King who seemed as tall as a giant.
“Please, sit down.” He motioned to one of the wooden chairs as he sat down next to it.
Jade hopped into the chair, letting her feet dangle. She watched the King who was watching her. Finally, he spoke.
“Is Jade your full name?” he asked.
“My full name?” Jade asked.
“I mean, do you have any other names?”
“I have a middle name and a last name,” Jade hedged. When the King smiled at her, she continued, “My name is Jade Elizabeth Green.”
The King nodded. “Elizabeth, that’s a beautiful name. Fit for a princess. I wonder, Jade Elizabeth, do you live with your mother and father?”
“No, I live with my aunt.”
“And what is your aunt’s name?”
Jade paused. She felt like there was something off, like the King was really asking her a different question, but she couldn’t figure out what that question was. “Her name is Anna Marie Green.”
“Do you know what your mother’s and father’s names are?” he pressed.
“I know my mother’s name. Her name was Fay Evelyn Green. I never knew my father.”
The King was quiet for a while before he finally said, “Your name was never meant to be Jade.”
“What do you mean? I’m Jade. That’s my name.” Jade shook her head.
“Your aunt called you Jade, I believe, because she thought your full name was too ostentatious, too flashy, if you will, for a little girl. But it is the perfect name for a young princess.” He paused.
It took a moment for his words to sink in, but once they did, Jade’s eyes grew wide. “Am I… a princess?”
“Yes, Princess, that you are.”
Jade jumped off her seat. “But… if I’m a princess, and you’re the King, does that mean…?”
“Yes, Princess. I’ve been waiting for you to return for a long time.”
Jade was speechless. She had dreamed of being a princess. She’d watched the movies and played princess with her friends, just like every girl did. Never, never had she thought this would really truly happen. All she could do was stand and stare.
She was silent for a long while, but then she asked, “What is my name?”
“Your full name is Princess Amalthea Gwendolyn Pendragon, heir to the Round Table, daughter of King Henry James Pendragon and Queen Fay Evelynn Green Pendragon,” he said the words with great pride, and Jade liked the way they sounded.
“Amalthea Pendragon,” she tried out the sounds on her own tongue. It certainly sounded more like a princess name than Jade Green did, but she wasn’t sure that she really felt like an Amalthea. She felt like a Jade.
Jade suddenly realized something that she should have thought of immediately. “Is my mom here?” She looked around the room like she might be hiding in one of the curtains.
“No, Amalthea. She’s not,” the King said slowly. “It is a sad story, I’m afraid, and one you may not want to hear tonight.”
Jade backed up and sat back in her chair. “Is she dead?” she asked quietly.
He didn’t answer for a few minutes. Those few minutes felt like an eternity to Jade, waiting to hear the fate of her mother, the one person she’d longed to meet her entire life.
“Yes, your mother is dead,” he said and heaved a great sigh. “You see, Amalthea, many years ago, when you were just a little baby, your mother was tricked by a demon. He is a creature of evil who can change his shape to whatever is your greatest weakness. Your mother always had a weakness for helping children. She followed him one day, and he led her to an evil sorceress. She captured your mother and would not let her go unless I gave her you.”
“Me? But wasn’t I just a baby? Why did she want me?”
“You were not just any baby. The day you were born, one of the Nine Sisters who have been here since the beginning of time foretold a prophecy about you. She said that when you grew up you would be the only person who could rule Avalon the way it should be ruled. I believe that the Sorceress meant to kill y
ou so that she would one day be able to take over the kingdom.”
“Did she kill my mom because you wouldn’t give me to her?” Jade asked.
“I couldn’t speak to your mother, but I know in my heart that she would have made the same choice I made. That is why I sent you to your aunt, to keep you safe. No one can pass through the portal into the Northmanni World except the One Rightful King of Avalon.”
“But I came through the fairy circle,” Jade protested.
“The one exception is on the Autumnal Equinox, or Halloween as you call it, any child who is pure of heart and soul may pass through. I knew you would come back to us one day when you were ready.”
“Did Aunt Anna know about this?” Jade asked, wondering if she had been living a secret life for so many years.
“All she knew was that your mother could no longer care for you. I thought it was best that way. Adults in the Northmanni World have trouble believing the way children can. The way you can.”
Jade nodded and then stifled a yawn.
“Look at us talking so late. You must be exhausted,” the King said.
“I’m not…” Jade began but was cut off by another yawn.
“Come with me,” the King said. He stood and placed a hand on Jade’s shoulder, guiding her out before him. Once in the hallway, he said to one of the guards, “Go find Menelwen – she should be nearby – and return at once.”
In no time the guard had returned with a woman by his side. She was quite short for a grown up although still a foot taller than Jade. Her skin shimmered somehow; in the candlelight, it seemed to glow almost green. There were other oddities about this woman; her eyes were thin and slanted, and her ears were pointed and stuck out from her black hair.
“Ah, good. Amalthea, this is Menelwen; she will make sure you find your bedroom and anything else you might need. Menelwen, this is Princess Amalthea Pendragon,” the King introduced them.
Menelwen curtsied slightly to Jade. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess.”
“Hi,” Jade mumbled quietly.
“Follow Menelwen, Amalthea. I will see you in the morning.”