To be continued (late night tales of the Kingdoms)
The Backstory Part 2
***
As the girl arrived at the marble kingdom, she paused in front of the grand fortress doors. She took in the sight for a moment before entering. This kingdom was one of the most beautiful of all the kingdoms in the land. She was first greeted by the spirits in the castle. They were excited to see her. There were certainly more playful ghosts here. There were also some not so friendly spirits, but she didn't mind. They were all quite fascinating to her. The moment she walked through the doors of the palace, she was instantly glad that she chose this as her first stop. She was delighted to see so many people!
Being here reminded her of the days when people from everywhere flocked to the kingdoms for weeks at a time. Times were different now. There was a great fear of pestilence and there was fear a growing fear of those who did not agree with the laws of the land. The guard had increased its presence around the kingdoms. The girl was not afraid for herself, but she was saddened by the current state of affairs. Not something to dwell on, she reminded herself. There was still hope for the land and for all of the kingdom. That was something to focus on instead.
Since she arrived at the kingdom just after dusk, she missed her most favorite ritual in the castle. The lighting of all the candles, which made the already beautiful entrance hall even more glorious. It was, however; a delightful sight to walk into. After all the travelers had gone to their chambers for the evening, the girl sat by the warmth of the fire and pulled out the letter she kept in her robe. She opened it and read it to herself. All the eleven letters held the same message for the lords of the kingdoms, but this letter contained a special message. This letter she would be sure to hand deliver to its recipient. She placed the letter back in her robe. The glow of the fire lit up the entire room. She smiled as she stood and walked up the beautiful candlelit staircase to her chambers.
The next morning, the girl awoke to an inexpressible stillness in the air. She slowly walked over to the window of her favorite room and pulled back the dark wine curtains, which were a stark contrast to the beautiful marble white of the castle walls. The sun was rising, and the sky was overcast. Beautiful, she mused with a content smile. Well, beautiful and moody was more accurate. Somehow, she knew this day would be different, but she was not expecting the events that followed. Today was a big day! She had packed some exquisite outfits in her portmanteau, and she was excited to wear the stunning dress she had prepared for the days' events. She was a bit nervous, as she would be dining with the lord of the kingdom. It was not because of the lord she was apprehensive; it was for the message she had to deliver. She felt the spirits watching her as she slowly went down the dim-lit hallway. In truth, she felt better knowing that they were there. She also knew they would not follow her outside to the private courtyard where she was to meet the lord.
It was chilly out, so she took the robe that the king had given her and draped it around her shoulders. She had not seen the mysterious lord the night before when she had arrived. He must have been tired or otherwise detained, she thought to herself. As she waited for him to join her, she noticed a path that led around the castle. She was growing weary of waiting in the cold when she realized the path was lit up and there were golden light arrows pointing forward. She waited in silence as she admired the way the path’s magic light danced with the shadows in the darkness. It seemed to be calling her name. She could not wait a second longer. She walked briskly down the small trail and found herself standing in front of a grand table, the same marble as the castle, with two chairs to match. One at each end of the table. The lord was not yet here. She took the chair to her left. On the table, was a magnificent spread of all the food you could imagine. Fresh fruit graced the center of the table, as well as some beautiful flowers. She stood up and walked over to the center of the table. Dahlias. Her favorite. And black pearl roses among many other lovely flowers. At that moment she heard someone walk up behind her.. she paused before she turned to greet the lord...
She spun around holding the black dahlia in her hand. To her surprise it was not the lord of the castle. Instead, it was a small girl, with deep gray eyes and a solemn expression on her face.
"The lord is not here," she said.
"What do you mean?" the girl inquired, "Where is he? I'm to meet him for..." her voice trailed off.
"The lord has gone missing." the small girl said simply.
The girl looked down at the flower in her hand. How could he be missing she pondered? She'd not heard of him taking a trip or having business at any other kingdom. The small girl had gone away as soon as she relayed the news of the lord's disappearance. The girl took one last look at the beautiful table full of food. All the flowers were starting to quickly wither, except for the one in her hand. She sighed with worry and swiftly followed the trail back up to the castle. The lord of her own kingdom had been away on business for several months. She was trying to recall the last time she had word from him. If her memory served her right, it had been about two weeks. That was not anything out of the ordinary.
The girl walked into the beautiful entrance hall and was immediately concerned and slightly disappointed. The candles did not burn! Not a single candle in the marble castle was lit. It was starting to get dark. She ran through the castle frantically trying to light the candles, but they still would not light! Frustrated now, she stood at the edge of the stairs facing the center of the room and yelled "Light!", as she closed her eyes and raised her arms up over her head, before throwing them back down at her sides. She opened her eyes and gasped. The castle now glowed fiercely with the light from the candles and the light from the magnificent fireplace.
She turned to climb the stairs, reaching down with one hand to slightly lift the flowing edges of her dress. She climbed the stairs two at a time. Once she reached the top, she ran down the dim hall with her hair and dress flowing out behind her and her heels making angry clicking sounds on the marble floor. She must find the lord!
To be continued…
About the Creator
Jennidoll of (jennidoll.inc)
I am a writer, photographer, and a storyteller. I gain inspiration from the haunted and the beautiful, and the mysterious 'in between'. Music is my Muse and so are all of you. Everyone is a character in my story. Welcome to my storyland.
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