“I’m Chloe and this is my brother Casper,” the female, Chloe, said.
“Well, let’s get going. We need to see the king and queen. I suppose you need help getting up the stairs?” Samara asked mockingly. Samara went to pick up Chloe but as soon as Samara’s hand touched Chloe’s stomach, Chloe jolted around, teeth bared and attempted to bite Samara’s hand. It happened incredibly quickly.
“Don’t ever try to pick me up again you stupid goblin!” Chloe snarled, teeth still bearing. Samara got the message and set off to follow Chloe up the golden steps leading to the castle doors. Samara, Brido, Ragon, and Maddie followed, moving much slower than the two puppies in front of them.
Casper gave one last sorry look and set off to catch up to his sister after saying, “Be careful. She’ll use the fact of us being Doobi’s brother and sister against you,” The goblins stood there gaping as they followed the two dogs going up the steps. Each goblin and Maddie were in awe at what they had just found out: These two puppies were related to the Great Doobi.
Chapter 6
The Royal Family
The only possibility now scaring Maddie was meeting with the Royal Family. As soon as she stepped into the humongous castle, she could tell they meant business and were not going to tolerate having a complete stranger walk into their land unless they were to be trusted. The king and queen sat on top of their solid gold colored thrones.
The thrones were lined with designs that were meant to fit each personality of the royal. Each royal had a cushion on a seat of a dark red color. Next to the king and queen were smaller thrones that clearly belonged to the children. Only one seat was occupied on the children’s side, however. Maddie fidgeted with her hands, nervous to speak to the king and queen. The good and lucky thing was that they seemed to be perfectly normal humans, that was until Maddie needed water.
“Um, excuse me ma’am, I don’t want to bother you, but may I please have a cup of water?”
Maddie prepared herself to look at the Queen and was shocked to find a beautiful black-haired woman. She was incredibly fit and skinny for a woman who was always wearing a ballgown. But, then again, wearing the gown alone was a workout itself. She wore an amazing silky ivory and gold threaded ball gown that was very soft and light. It was accentuated with tulle on the skirt and it seemed to put the dress together perfectly. Her tiara was filled with diamonds, left and right. It seemed that the queen hardly noticed the size of the jewels on her head and that she seemed to not feel the weight of the heavy outfit pulling her down.
Having looked at the queen in awe, Maddie decided that the king was equally as handsome. She saw him wearing the royal red color that had strips of gold. His cape was of the same shade red with streaks of gold making a wave pattern. His pants went down to his ankles and he wore gold colored wrist cuffs. The only similar item shared between the king and queen was a ring on their finger made of diamonds. Behind the king and queen was a plaque which read: “I am my beloved and my beloved is mine”. The king stood up and said, “My name is King Caimal and this is my lovely wife Queen Rosa—,”
“All hail the queen!” shouted the crowd of servants wondering around. The crowd truly adored their rulers.
The king continued, “My beautiful wife Queen Rosa! And over there,” the king said as he gestured to a pretty girl around nine years old. She wore a pink gown with crystals as dots and a tiara like her mother’s, “is one of the most important people in my life, Princess Luna.” Maddie was now dying of thirst. Luna rose from her throne and held out her hand. Maddie went to shake it but was shocked that the princess pushed her hand away. Instead was a little fog, and a swirl appeared around her palm. Almost instantly, a cup filled with water manifested in the princess’s hand. That’s when Maddie realized how they were different: this family possessed magic.
“Maddie! Look at your face!” Brido laughed as he made a stupefied look the way Maddie had been gazing at the water. Luna still had been holding the water respectfully, knowing Maddie’s shock. Maddie took the water politely and bowed to Luna, which followed by a nice well deserved thank you. Maddie was simply amazed and couldn't have employed more respect with her bow and thank you. The king stood up and retrieved the now empty cup of water from Maddie.
“I can’t help but notice that you all seem very tired and most likely need a place to rest tonight,” the king said, a mysterious glint in his eyes. He proceeded to sit back down and used magic to make the cup disappear.
Maddie looked at Ragon who seemed very pleased with this idea. Samara on the other hand was eyeing Chloe nervously. But, it seemed all the goblins would be excited to spend the night in the royal palace. The king seemed to understand they wanted to stay because he rose and gestured towards a long hallway filled with paintings of past royal Enchanted rulers. As the king led Maddie and the others to the room where they would be sleeping, Maddie heard whimpering. She looked over at Ragon.
She saw him stop, bend over Sparky, and quietly shake his head. That’s when it hit her: Sparky was beginning to die. Something had to be done or she would lose Sparky forever. She stared at Ragon. As soon as he noticed her watching, he picked up Sparky and smiled to make it seem as if nothing really happened. But, Maddie knew the truth. And if she didn't ask for help quickly, Sparky might die today.
“Maddie?” Princess Luna inquired. “are you alright?” Maddie was completely oblivious to the tears streaming down her face as she looked at Sparky. Maddie ignored the question and continued to walk. She felt that a night with Sparky in a somewhat normal-like-home area would alleviate her homesickness.
“Right here.” Princess Luna gestured to a room on the right side of the hall. It was one of the many rooms located in the hallway. The hallway had been made of beautiful brown bricks. The previous Enchanted rulers all had their pictures hung in every hall, making it look like the royals were trying to summon thousands of ghosts at once. Although the hallway and entrance were incredible, Maddie couldn’t stop gaping at the room.
It had four beautiful beds. The window had a view of a lake with a fountain. The curtains were white, and the room walls were adorned with a white and gold colored wallpaper. Each bed was a four post, with luxury blankets and pillows to make the night as nice as possible. The bathroom contained a diamond-laden bathtub and sink. Clearly, whoever built this palace possessed high living standards. The bathtub had an incredible view, looking out to the entire city. Which city? Maddie had no idea.
“We’re all staying here?!” Maddie said, gaping at the room. Luna simply giggled.
“Your majesty, I thank you for allowing us to stay here,” Ragon said with a little bow.
“Yeah, um, thanks,” Maddie said awkwardly. She went for a bow and promptly tripped over her shoelace, causing her to take a tiny fall. Luna, unfazed by this, held out her hand in order to help Maddie up.
“Well, it is late. So, I shall leave you to it. Good night, fine guests,” Princess Luna said sweetly.
As Maddie lay down on the bed, she looked at the goblins then Sparky and realized that she needed something done right away. And the only helpful solution that popped into her head was to sneak around the castle to see what magical and helpful ingredients might be lurking in corners not meant for others than the Royal Family’s eyes. Maddie thought back to the moment she had spoken with the young girl in the village.
She had been walking around, heading to the shop when a little girl around the age of seven came up to her. “What are you wearing?” she asked quizzically.
“What do you mean?” Maddie had asked, offended. To her, at the time, she didn’t understand why people didn’t seem to appreciate her style. So, a question like this seemed to annoy Maddie a bit more than usual.
“Well, it’s not every day a child comes into our village dressed like that!” she said with a suppressed giggle.
“I come from a different land. This clothing in my land is quite popular,” Maddie responded, trying her best to sound professional.
“I supp
ose it could be,” the girl began, peering at the outfit with a slight look of distaste, “but here, well, I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
“Look, I am going to call the spirit of the Great Doobi. My companions are planning to go with me.”
“Hmm. And I supposed you want to cross through there?” the girl pointed to the king and queen’s land. However, Maddie hadn’t known it belonged to the king and queen.
“I guess that would work, yeah.”
“Well, do you see that gorgeous palace over there? That’s the castle! And I hear they have the most lavish rooms, hallways, and meals. One time, a young boy in my grade told me they have SECRET rooms as well. Hidden with all sorts of magic that would benefit us in many ways. Of course, it is hidden from the public. Nobody would DARE to steal any of it,” she said, a mysterious glow casted upon her little face. Maddie had stared, unwillingly drawn toward her stories.
“What is your name?” Maddie asked the girl.
“Kaya. I’ve lived here my entire life. So, forgive me if I am all over you…we don’t get many visitors in this village.”
“Oh. Well, thank you, Kaya. I really should be on my way now,” Maddie said as she turned around, getting one last look at the little girl.
An abrupt sneeze from Samara jolted Maddie out of her memory. Kaya had told Maddie about the secret magic here. Magic that nobody would dare to steal…if Maddie grabbed it, she might find one strong enough to save Sparky. What secrets could be unraveled from this family? she thought, mind racing.
As the stroke of twelve on the clock drew nearer by the minute, Maddie was wide awake. No signs of exhaustion were allowed to show. This entire time Maddie debated whether to steal her way through the castle but, in the end, the argument always ended at: this is for Sparky. She knew sneaking around the king and queen’s castle to most likely steal bottles of magic seemed like a stupid idea. And, it was definitely not one of her greatest.
At the stroke of midnight, Maddie peered at the other side of the room to make sure the goblins were sleeping nicely in their lavish beds with their thick sheets and tended pillows. Maddie kissed Sparky’s head making sure to not wake him up and then she slowly but quietly left the room. She whispered, “This is for you, Sparks.” And proceeded to head out the bedroom door.
Chapter 7
Midnight at the
Royalis Castle
As Maddie opened the door to exit her room, she felt a scary sensation develop at the pit of her stomach. As if she was doubting all the choices that she was planning to make. She kept walking, hoping that all the emotions building up inside her would go away. That if she stopped the death of her brown bundle of joy that meant so much to her, all her problems would be resolved. Then, she would finally be able to go home. See her mother and father! And as annoying as she was, Avery. But she couldn't do that until she saved Sparky. After all, taking him to a world without magic was like setting him onto his deathbed.
Sadly, Maddie could not guarantee that the magic she was searching for would be strong enough to heal Sparky. His condition continued to worsen. Maddie took another step. The sinking feeling went away because Maddie accepted that whatever consequences might happen, she would face them with a healthy Sparky by her side. Maddie crept through the hallway and decided that she needed to check the king and queen’s room. But there had to be a way to distract Casper and Chloe. The only problem was that the queen let it slip that the puppies had training and would be hard to distract.
Maddie realized that there had to be some magic in other areas that would somehow defeat Casper and Chloe. She figured the magical ingredients would sit in the kitchen. After all, it seemed like this would be the natural place for herbal ingredients. She hoped she would find a magic cookbook alongside those many magical ingredients. The family also might have a stash of weapons which Maddie felt would come in handy when defending herself against guards. As Maddie took the first step into the kitchen, she was flabbergasted at its beauty.
Though the curtains covered up the windows, Maddie wondered how gorgeous it could possibly look in the daytime. The huge window offered a perfect view of the Enchanted horizon and mountains near the garden. The kitchen had counters made of diamond. An island sat in the middle where a vase stood on top filled with white roses. Maddie realized the castle was entirely white other than the exception of a few rooms. White in this world clearly stood for good.
But if the Royalis castle stood for good, who stood for evil? Maddie tried to get the idea out of her head, but it just seemed to hang there like a lost child seeking guidance from a parent. Maddie arrived at the conclusion that the pantry should have the ingredients that would help Sparky to at least stay alive for enough time for her to say goodbye, spend nice last moments, or find the healing potion that should heal him once and for all. As Maddie searched the pantry, she was shocked and disappointed to find only normal foods.
“No!” she cried, “there has to be some sort of magic in here! Maybe even a trap door or hidden object!” she began tipping cans while trying to make as little noise as possible. She stared at the pantry shelves and remembered one of her favorite ideas from the movies. Maybe some object is actually a passage to a secret door! She furiously kicked and pulled cups and cans off the shelves, but nothing seemed to happen.
The only important idea she could remember from a movie, and it didn’t even work. She stared furiously at the pantry. If this family was so magical, where was the secret room Kaya had told her about? What if she was lying? After all, Kaya was seven. She wasn’t old enough to be trusted. If Kaya was an adult, then maybe. But Kaya got her information from some little kid on the playground. Why did Maddie ever believe her?
She seemed to be having absolutely no luck with finding anything important until she kicked a cup off the shelf once again, this time in anger. The cup instead pulled forward then ricocheted back into position; it revealed a spiral stairway into a dark chamber lit by torches. I did it! As Maddie stepped in, a cold feeling hit her. It’s really happening, she thought. Now there was no turning back. Maddie knew that it was time to accept that if she didn't walk down the steps, she would lose Sparky forever.
As Maddie slowly made her way down into the chamber, she noticed a lot of mice and bugs crawling around, giving her the hint that this place had not neither been visited nor cleaned in a very long time. It also gave her the idea that this was a place where she could locate a great number of family secrets. Maddie checked her watch and decided to keep walking now that it was 1 a.m. She managed to reach the end of the spiral staircase. There, she stood face-to-face with a giant iron door.
The first thing Maddie noticed about the door was its incredibly large size. It reminded her of the portal except it was much larger. Both this door and the portal had an amazing and magical aura. As if something was hidden behind it. To Maddie’s disappointment, she noticed there was a keyhole. The only place the key could be located was the king and queen’s bedroom.
Maddie understood this place would be highly guarded but at the same time she understood that she had absolutely no choice. She had come this far and if she was caught now, she would leave empty handed. If she didn't try to find the key, Sparky would die a painful and sad death. His death scared Maddie more than anything. What would she do without the brown furred companion that had been so loyal to her? Maddie quickly turned around, walked back up the stairs, and left the chamber door open while keeping the pantry door shut. She grabbed a knife from the kitchen. Without glancing back, Maddie ran down the hall.
Maddie held the knife tightly in her hand and noticed Casper and Chloe sitting by the door. It was a heavy two-foot knife, almost a sword, really, that would make a loud noise if dropped. Maddie threw the knife in the opposite direction. The two puppies immediately ran in the direction of the sound in order to “catch the intruder”. As Maddie snuck into the king and queen’s room, she started to feel very nervous all over again. Sooner or later, she would enter a world of trouble. So, she w
ould have to be incredibly careful.
Maddie quietly opened the door to find the king and queen sleeping in a lovely and enormous room. The room consisted of two desks along with a vase filled with red and white roses sitting on a tall glass table. Maddie investigated the room for any sort of suspicious sign that could be related to or pointing towards the location of the key. Maddie decided that she could always search a little more (later tomorrow, of course), but she knew that staying in the castle too long would expose her.
That’s when the epiphany hit! The key might be under the queen’s pillow. During dinner with the Royal Family, the king stated that he would trust his queen with anything. If he trusted her as much as he said, he would obviously trust her enough with a key that could most certainly unlock the family’s secrets!
Maddie crept up to the queen’s bed and peered over her. In one way, she felt bad for attempting to steal this key, but the other side of her only cared about the life of Sparky. As Maddie drew in closer to the queen, she noticed that with every step, she moved slower. So much was happening in her life. She needed time to herself, but in this new and strange world, everything around her just kept moving.
Everyone in this land seemed to always have something to do, not allowing her to fully process the fact that she was now alone in a strange and new world with no-one by her side to tell her everything would be ok. She officially made up her mind within that few seconds; she would grab the key, take whatever she needed from the chamber, and use it to defend herself from this crazy place until she found a way home!
Maddie slowly and carefully reached her hand under the Queen’s pillow. She pushed her hand just a little more forward and… she felt something! She pulled it out and…it was the key! She decided to take a good look at the object. It was like the one she had worn around her neck. That thought led to the realization that after she opened the door, she would have to retrieve the other key from Samara so she could have a twin set of keys. But just as Maddie was walking out the door, she heard the voices of the puppies.
Maddie Shirkoff: World of Odds Page 4