Chapter One: The King and the Princess
The chilly, late afternoon wind rustled through the leaves of the bending treetops, sending the smell of spring wafting through the woods. The sun was sinking lower in the blue-gray sky, as if being commanded by Dark Master to cease its production of light and stop the golden rays from dancing along the undergrowth of the path. Terabithia's king walked purposefully down this very trail, his blonde hair flopping over his forehead from the breeze. His stature had changed; he stood taller, prouder, and stronger. A golden crown was set on his head, proclaiming as if by this symbol alone he was the one true protector of the land. The king offered his hand to the land's princess; though young, was strong in mind and spirit, bringing a whole new life into Terabithia. After the fall of the queen, the people of Terabithia had accepted the new princess with gratitude and love. It had been three years, and in every passing day, Princess May Belle seemed more and more like royalty.
Today, they walked together to the grove of the pines. Their surroundings were dark and suddenly became strangely still as the two of them entered. It was here they would speak with the spirits and here the former queen would appear and give Jess and May Belle guidance. Jess stepped forward and knelt down on one knee.
"Oh Spirits, hear us in our time of need. The Dark Master is threatening our land. Send us a weapon to smite our enemy," he spoke gallantly. A beam of light broke through the treetops, sending a ray of glittering daylight to the leafy floor. Through the brightness formed shapes until suddenly, a figure could be seen clearly.
A smile appeared on May Belle's face. "Oh, it's the queen!" exclaimed the princess as she ran up to embrace her. "Leslie!"
"What evil beseeches thy land?" the former queen said with a slight smile, shimmering with an unexplained brilliance as she stepped closer them. Her short, dark hair was pulled into a half ponytail, with several curly strands framing her face. Leslie wore a light green, medieval-style dress that reached down to the ground, a leafy crown placed delicately on her head.
"The Dark Master, Leslie! He seeks to destroy Terabithia!" shrieked May Belle.
Queen Leslie smiled gently as she sat down on a boulder in front of them. "May Belle, the weapon you and Jess seek to destroy the Dark Master can only be found through a journey, a grand adventure," Leslie said softly, the wind picking up as she spoke. "You know these sort of things don't come easily here…but I know you two have the power to get through anything."
Jess grinned at Leslie and nodded proudly at May Belle, knowing this was just the sort of thing Leslie would have loved.
Together, Jesse and May Belle left the land of Terabithia, crossing the bridge that connected the two worlds. Now it was back to reality, where Jess still had chores to finish that were neglected from the morning.
May Belle kicked at the rocks along the roadway leading up to the house. "I really miss Leslie, Jess," she said with a sigh.
Jess glanced over at her. It had been exactly three years since Leslie had fallen to her death in the flooded creek, and there had not been a day that went by when he didn't think of her. And even now, after Jess got off the bus, his afternoons would still consist of the regular trips to Terabithia with May Belle by his side. It was hard to believe May Belle was now almost the age he was when he first met Leslie. She had grown so much, and Jess was proud of her. Her imagination was just as original as Leslie's had been.
"I miss her, too, May Belle," Jess answered her. "But she's still with us, you know."
May Belle grinned up at him and began to walk backwards in front of him. "You reckon? You reckon she really hears us when we imagine her like that?"
"Of course, now turn around before you trip," Jess said with a laugh, sounding much like Brenda or Ellie.
Mrs. Aarons stuck her head out the back door, her mousy brown hair falling out of her bun. Her eyes tried to focus in the early darkness of the evening. "Get in here and wash up for supper!" she called out wearily.
"Yes'm," Jess shouted to his mother before turning to his little sister. "Last one inside is a rotten egg."
May Belle gave Jess one of her daring smirks before making a dash for the house, her brown hair rippling behind her. Jess grinned gleefully and took off after her, running around the edge of the woodpile and straight toward the house. May Belle reached the porch first and pulled open the screen door, dashing inside like a madwoman. As soon as Jess came in behind her, May Belle gave him a proud look.
"You're the rotten egg, Jesse."
"I guess I do smell pretty bad," Jess replied, holding up his arm in front of May Belle's nose. She gave a girlish shriek, pinching her nose with her fingers.
"We've been waiting forever," Brenda said straightforwardly.
"Children," Ellie replied with an irritated sigh and a quick shake of her head.
Jess gave his older sisters a look and sat down at his place at the wooden table. The luscious smell of food was making his mouth water, making him realize just how hungry he was. He piled food on his plate greedily, but was quickly reprimanded by his mother to save plenty for leftovers tomorrow.
"Honestly, Jesse Oliver Aarons, Jr. What is your problem?" Brenda said in a sarcastic voice, passing the bowl of mashed potatoes to Joyce Ann. "Pig."
"I am not," he shot back. Lord, she was annoying.
"Brenda, Jesse, no fighting," Mrs. Aarons said almost in a bored tone. "Brenda, you should know better."
"I'm sorry, Momma," said Brenda. "It's probably because I'm stressed out. You know, graduation is very important."
Jess rolled his eyes. Graduation was all Brenda had been talking about for the last few months straight. The end of this spring would mark the end of her high school years, and she surely didn't let anyone forget.
"Graduation-smaduation," Ellie replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "My engagement to John is keeping me plenty busy. I've got a wedding to plan!"
Lord, Ellie had the same problem. Ellie spoke of her recent engagement just as much as Brenda spoke of her graduation. It wasn't long before these two would get into a vicious smack down over whose issue was more important.
"Oh yeah? I'm graduating at the top of my class!" said Brenda.
"Yeah right, only because half of your class dropped out last year," said Ellie.
May Belle looked back and forth between the two eldest sisters and rested her large eyes on Jess, giving him a look as if saying, "Here we go again."
"No, I earned my grade point average!"
"You're just jealous because you don't have a fiancé like me!"
"Who cares about your fiancé? He's an ugly dodo anyway!"
"GIRLS!"
Everyone looked down toward Mr. Aarons' end of the table with wide eyes and slightly opened mouths. The room was silent for quite some time, until Joyce Ann began to giggle.
"You two are in big trouble," she whispered matter-of-factly to Ellie and Brenda.
"I want order around here!" roared their father, "and if that takes some major discipline for you girls, then so help me God, I will carry it out, no matter if you are old enough to be out on your own."
"Brenda, Ellie, you two should be ashamed," Mrs. Aarons added quickly.
Jess returned his eyes to his red-faced sisters. Their constant bickering with each other reminded him an awful lot of Cinderella's stepsisters. May Belle thought so herself, as just yesterday she made the comment: "Sometimes I feel like those two are fighting over a glass slipper."
How true that was.
"And that goes for all the rest of you, too," Mr. Aarons said with a slightly lower tone. "I won't be appreciatin' no more damn quarrelling in this household."
The rest of the meal, thankfully, was completed during much needed peace.
Later that night, Jess sat on his bed, back against the wall, his sketch pad open on his lap. May Belle had skipped into the room almost seconds after Jess lay down his notebook, surveying his handiwork with pride.
"Wha'cha doin', Jess?"
Jess kept his eyes on his artwork as he picked up a different colored pencil. "Drawing. One of our fellow Terabithians requested a self portrait to be hung in the castle's entrance," he said as importantly as he could, his blue pencil leaving trails of vivid color in its wake.
"It's of Leslie, isn't it," May Belle whispered as she sat down beside him. She flashed a small smile and leaned over to analyze the drawing. "It's very good. Leslie would love it."
Jess decided he would hang it up at the fort the very next day after school, in honor of the third year.