Chapter Three
From the dungeons he climbed the stairs, from the stairs he ran down the halls, from the halls he ran and ran and ran until he reached the courtyard where he was able to have some fresh air. He felt sick, he wanted to vomit, and at the same time he refused his body to do so because it was a weakness that would be used against him. He had hoped that he had managed to keep a poker face, however that Mirror had always been able to see through everything.
Trying to get over his anxiety attack and managing to catch his breath, he finally noticed that the courtyard here in this Realm was much different from the one in the Anti-Disney World. The courtyard he knew was constantly flooded in rain and gloom, this place though it looked abandoned and not very well kept flourished with life from the plants, the animals that bobbed and weaved under the bushes, and proved to be a happy place. He pressed his back down against the wall and slid to the ground where he sat in the shade. He closed his eyes and just listened to the sounds to calm his heart.
"Are you all right?" a voice that cooed like a dove came from above him. "Are you sick or hurt?"
He opened his eyes and a little scullery maid dressed in tattered rags bent down to look at him. She was tiny, both in size and stature, with black curly hair held back by a bandana, doe brown eyes, and full apple red lips. All of her features stood out because of her snow white skin, it made her very beautiful.
"I am fine," he heaved a breath to still his heart. "Just a minor spell."
"Oh my goodness," she put her tiny hand to her mouth. "Would you like me to fetch you a pale of water?"
He wanted to say no, but if he said yes she would leave and it would give him a chance to escape.
"Yes," he spoke, much weaker than he realized. His voice was shaky and the world was currently spinning.
"Just stay here, I'll be right back!" She stood and trotted off in her clogs with a wooden pale. Not that he could really go anywhere if he wanted to. He had had an anxiety attack and it had literally rocked his world. He just needed a small moment of rest. . .
"Here!" she panted and actually had a metal ladle banging around in the bucket. She squatted next to him, spooned the ladle into the water, and with a hand held under the ladle to catch the drips she held the ladle to his lips.
He slightly glared at her for overly attending to him, but he did not reject the water and was pleasantly surprised that it was cool and refreshing. He drank the whole spoonful. His heart eased and the world finally settled down into one place.
"Are you all right now?" Those big brown eyes were full of concern. "You've gained a little color back in your cheeks." She looked like she wanted to reach out and touch his cheek, but she hesitated and placed her hand back in her lap.
"Yes," he nodded and sat up. "Thank you."
"I'm so glad," she gave a small sigh of relief. "You were terribly pale. You were paler than me, and that is really saying something." She giggled and he felt the corner of his mouth tug upwards.
"How exactly did you find me?" he asked and looked around. Unless you had managed to climb the wall, he was tucked away around a corner on the other side of some bushes.
"I was doing some chores out here." Her cheeks flushed a soft pink as she fidgeted with her fingers. "You see, despite how hard I work I almost always tend to mess something up. But I have a small garden over there that I tend to." She pointed over her shoulder in a direction that he did not pay attention to. "No one ever comes to the courtyard since the gardener passed, and well this has always been my favorite place; my secret hide out you could say."
"I know the feeling." He raised an eyebrow at her and could not help but wonder just how a woman as beautiful as she was stuck as a scullery maid. She turned her head at him and smiled and he thought he felt his own cheeks flush again. "Did you by chance get lost?" she cocked her head to the side.
"Lost?"
"You see, very few people ever come here," she placed her hand on the grass. "The only people who come here are trying to hide from their chores, or they're lost. You see, I've never seen you here before, and you're so nicely dressed. I just assumed that you were lost."
"I suppose you could say that," he gave a shrug and pulled his knees to his chest. "It is quite a nice little spot."
"Oh yes, it most certainly is," she beamed up at him. "It is especially nice to lay out at night under the sky to see the stars."
"I will have to try that the next time that I visit." He gave her a polite smile before putting his hands on his knees and standing.
"Next time?" she looked curious. "You mean you aren't staying here?"
"Not this evening," he shook his head. "I have my own set of chores that I need to attend to."
"Oh, well, would you like me to guide you back to the main hall?" she pushed herself off of the ground and dusted herself off.
"No, that won't be - " he stopped and thought about it for a moment. Although he knew this place in the Anti-World, it would be nice to have someone give him more details of this Realm. "Actually, I think I will take you up on that offer. This castle is rather big."
"Yes, it is," she nodded and picked up her small basket of tulips and roses. "Just follow me."
Standing next to her, he being six foot two, he felt like a giant because of how tiny she was. She was maybe five foot, perhaps even four foot nine, regardless she was small. As she guided him back to the main hall, some servants stopped and stared at them as they walked past. Their heights had obvious differences and it made Adam feel rather self-conscious. She did an excellent job taking him back to the main hall because she knew even more shortcuts than he did.
"Here we are," she stood behind a column and held her arm out to the hall. "This will take you back to the front gates where you'll be able to exit the castle."
"Thank you very much, madam," he bowed and she laughed softly.
"It was a pleasure, sir," she curtsied for him elegantly and rather surprised him. "I hope to see you on your next visit!"
"As do I, madam," he nodded at her. "So do I."
He turned quickly and began to make his long trek back up the mountain. He took note of the trees, rocks, and plants to create a mental map in his head for his next route when he would return. He passed the stream, hiked through the forest, and eventually found his way back to the Door Between Realms.
He sat on a large mound of roots, pulled out his field journal, quill, and inkwell and began to write again.
February 9
Field Mission One:
Examine area. - Complete
The land is full of natural resources and teeming with life.
The DBR (Door Between Realms) was high in the thick forests on the mountains.
Find subject and weakness. - Incomplete.
Subject was nowhere to be seen, nor was there any mention of her from any of the servants or the civilians.
Find the Evil Queen - Complete
Found the Original Villain in her Realm, practically ready for the change to begin.
She was very open to the idea of having a chance to change her future.
Also found the Mirror on the wall.
She has sent me to return to my realm so I may find out what she did and how to fix things.
He snapped the journal closed and tucked it away in his coat pocket before entering the Door Between Realms to return to the Castle.
Author's Note:
Thank you for reading! I hope you're enjoying the story so far!
Please leave me a review and tell me what you think so far!
Thanks for coming along the journey with me, stay tuned for more!
Ko-fi/SarahtheWriter
