Sorry for the delay, it's not as easy as I thought to get a character out of a jam. But it is not all my fault, because the site has been down for a while also. To make up for the wait I have made this a nice long chapter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I waited eagerly for nightfall, when Chrys's shift began, and it seemed to take forever. I paced the length of my room again and again, praying that I was doing right in trusting Chrys. I felt drawn to him, somehow, he gave me a sense of security, that I had rarely felt before. As night drew near, I wondered if I was doing right trusting him. Maybe after all, he was not on my side at all. But I needed an ally and he was the only one who had presented itself. I decided that I would listen to his plan and then decide what to do. The clock struck seven and then eight and still I didn't hear his knock. I became anxious, wondering if something had happened, and my fears were justified. At half-past eight, a letter was slipped under my door. My fingers shook as I opened it, wondering what it contained. I finally steadied my hands enough to open it. A small vial full of an amber liquid fell into my hands. I looked at the letter and read:
"Dear Princess, I am sorry I cannot meet with you as planned. I wanted to desperately, but apparently your father found out that I have no reason to love Vonecart and therefore has decided it would be best (for his purposes) to place me someplace else tonight. I have managed to write this letter and deliver it to you to make my apologies. But I know that is not what you want to hear about. I assume if you are reading this letter, you also received the vial of liquid it contained. This is part of my plan. You see when I was a boy, my father believed strongly in the magical arts and brought a mage to live on our manor. This man taught me about magic and poisons. The vial you have contains a potion which will change you into an old woman. The transformation will take about five minutes. My posting ends at ten o'clock. Drink the entire potion when you hear the chapel clock strike ten, I will be there about ten minutes later to deliver a sleeping potion to the guard at your door. I will tap three times, when all is safe. You must burn this letter as soon as you finish reading it. Good luck and I will see you soon. Chrys Gergoret.
I read the letter thrice over and then thrust it in the remains of the fire. I watched as it burned and then began my pacing through the room again. I decided the plan was all right and that I should follow Chrys's directions but I still had my qualms. I wondered what the potion would do. I looked down at my dress and realized I should change, seeing my outfit was not exactly old womanish. I went to my wardrobe and pulled out anything that might work, but didn't find a lot. I settled on a dark brown one. I heard the clock strike 9:30 outside my window. And finally it was ten. I slowly took the cork out of the vial. It exuded an odd smell of peppermints and dust. I took a deep breath and swallowed it down. For a moment I thought maybe nothing would happen and then I felt the strange sensation of my whole body changing. First my hair grew grayer and grayer and then I felt my face grow wrinkles. It turned out my scavenge through my wardrobe were unnecessary, as the potion apparently also effected ones clothes. My dress grew plainer and more old-fashioned. As the metamorphosis ended, I walked to the mirror. I was scared at first, but then decided I was not a horrible looking old woman. After a frightening several minutes, I heard the three soft taps on the door. I took the cloak off my bed and opened the door. Chrys stood there, but somehow he was different. He had removed his helmet, revealing a head of wavy, light-brown hair. I wanted to reach up and touch it to see if it was really as soft as it looked, but I refrained.
"Princess," he said. "You look enchanting this evening." He smiled and it lit up his face. I laughed also, trying to lighten the awkwardness of the situation. I looked down at my feet where a huge man was lying face downward. I stepped over him carefully and followed Chrys down the corridor. We didn't go the way Mari had, however. We followed a path I had never gone before. I noticed we took many flights of stairs downward until I was almost positive we could go down no more. Finally, Chrys opened a door practically hidden in the wall. We entered a small room that I had never seen before. Apparently Chrys knew what he was going, though, because he pulled down a hidden staircase from the ceiling. He beckoned and I followed him upwards. Then I saw where we were. We had come up in the stables. Naturally I went up to my horse but Chrys pulled me back.
"We can't take that one," he whispered. "They would notice it was gone. I have two horses ready. Oh, and take this." He handed me something cold and heavy. He led me to the horses, one of which was gray and the other black. They were not excellent animals, but they looked strong and useful. I didn't look into my hand because Chrys was handing me the reigns of the black one and I was mounting as did he. We slowly opened the door of the stable. The night was pitch black, and I could hardly see Chrys right in front of me. As we approached the gate house, I heard a voice saying, "Who goes there?" and a sleepy looking guard appeared to match the voice. It was my turn to be useful.
"Oh, hello there, sonny," I said in my very best old lady voice. "You almost scared me to death, you wouldn't want to do that to an old woman would you? I didn't think so. Now you just go back to sleep in your little house there and we won't bother you anymore. I just came to fetch my grandson here," I pointed to Chrys. "because his mother is very ill and he has to go to her. So you see, sonny, there ain't anything to worry about." The guard just nodded throughout my story, and waved us through the gate when I finished.
"Sorry about your mother," he added to Chrys as we left. We took the road toward the town just in case the gatekeeper was still watching, but turned before we entered the city.
"That was great, Princess!" Chrys laughed when we were out of earshot. I pulled my horse to a stop and said to Chrys.
"Before we go on there are a few things we have to get straight. First off, stop calling me 'Princess'. I'm not a princess anymore, my name is Arina and I would appreciate it if you called me that. Second of all, I need to know a little more about this plan of yours."
"What is it you want to know, Arina?" Chrys asked, as I paused for breath.
"Well, for starters, how long is this potion going to last? Am I going to be an old woman forever? And are you going with me or staying here and if you are coming, where are we planning on going?" I once again paused for breath and Chrys began to explain.
"The potion will last for 24 hours, at which point you will change back into yourself. If you will let me I would like to accompany you to wherever you were planning on going."
"Of course I want you to come, Chrys, you're my only friend in the world. But as to where we are going I'm not sure. Mari told me to go to her daughter's house, but I lost my map and Mari probably told my father were I was heading."
"No she didn't, I was there when he talked to her. She said she didn't know were you would go. And as far as I know he believed her. Maybe we should head there."
"But, Chrys, as I said I don't know how to get there."
"Well, Arina, do you remember anything that the map looked like? We have 23 hours to get there."
"I remember the house was on the other side of the royal forest and that it was about half a mile east of the castle. But that's about it." I said.
"Well, we can work with that. Come on." We urged the horses into a gallop and took off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's all for now, guys, but there is more coming soon, I promise. Please review!! Thank you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I waited eagerly for nightfall, when Chrys's shift began, and it seemed to take forever. I paced the length of my room again and again, praying that I was doing right in trusting Chrys. I felt drawn to him, somehow, he gave me a sense of security, that I had rarely felt before. As night drew near, I wondered if I was doing right trusting him. Maybe after all, he was not on my side at all. But I needed an ally and he was the only one who had presented itself. I decided that I would listen to his plan and then decide what to do. The clock struck seven and then eight and still I didn't hear his knock. I became anxious, wondering if something had happened, and my fears were justified. At half-past eight, a letter was slipped under my door. My fingers shook as I opened it, wondering what it contained. I finally steadied my hands enough to open it. A small vial full of an amber liquid fell into my hands. I looked at the letter and read:
"Dear Princess, I am sorry I cannot meet with you as planned. I wanted to desperately, but apparently your father found out that I have no reason to love Vonecart and therefore has decided it would be best (for his purposes) to place me someplace else tonight. I have managed to write this letter and deliver it to you to make my apologies. But I know that is not what you want to hear about. I assume if you are reading this letter, you also received the vial of liquid it contained. This is part of my plan. You see when I was a boy, my father believed strongly in the magical arts and brought a mage to live on our manor. This man taught me about magic and poisons. The vial you have contains a potion which will change you into an old woman. The transformation will take about five minutes. My posting ends at ten o'clock. Drink the entire potion when you hear the chapel clock strike ten, I will be there about ten minutes later to deliver a sleeping potion to the guard at your door. I will tap three times, when all is safe. You must burn this letter as soon as you finish reading it. Good luck and I will see you soon. Chrys Gergoret.
I read the letter thrice over and then thrust it in the remains of the fire. I watched as it burned and then began my pacing through the room again. I decided the plan was all right and that I should follow Chrys's directions but I still had my qualms. I wondered what the potion would do. I looked down at my dress and realized I should change, seeing my outfit was not exactly old womanish. I went to my wardrobe and pulled out anything that might work, but didn't find a lot. I settled on a dark brown one. I heard the clock strike 9:30 outside my window. And finally it was ten. I slowly took the cork out of the vial. It exuded an odd smell of peppermints and dust. I took a deep breath and swallowed it down. For a moment I thought maybe nothing would happen and then I felt the strange sensation of my whole body changing. First my hair grew grayer and grayer and then I felt my face grow wrinkles. It turned out my scavenge through my wardrobe were unnecessary, as the potion apparently also effected ones clothes. My dress grew plainer and more old-fashioned. As the metamorphosis ended, I walked to the mirror. I was scared at first, but then decided I was not a horrible looking old woman. After a frightening several minutes, I heard the three soft taps on the door. I took the cloak off my bed and opened the door. Chrys stood there, but somehow he was different. He had removed his helmet, revealing a head of wavy, light-brown hair. I wanted to reach up and touch it to see if it was really as soft as it looked, but I refrained.
"Princess," he said. "You look enchanting this evening." He smiled and it lit up his face. I laughed also, trying to lighten the awkwardness of the situation. I looked down at my feet where a huge man was lying face downward. I stepped over him carefully and followed Chrys down the corridor. We didn't go the way Mari had, however. We followed a path I had never gone before. I noticed we took many flights of stairs downward until I was almost positive we could go down no more. Finally, Chrys opened a door practically hidden in the wall. We entered a small room that I had never seen before. Apparently Chrys knew what he was going, though, because he pulled down a hidden staircase from the ceiling. He beckoned and I followed him upwards. Then I saw where we were. We had come up in the stables. Naturally I went up to my horse but Chrys pulled me back.
"We can't take that one," he whispered. "They would notice it was gone. I have two horses ready. Oh, and take this." He handed me something cold and heavy. He led me to the horses, one of which was gray and the other black. They were not excellent animals, but they looked strong and useful. I didn't look into my hand because Chrys was handing me the reigns of the black one and I was mounting as did he. We slowly opened the door of the stable. The night was pitch black, and I could hardly see Chrys right in front of me. As we approached the gate house, I heard a voice saying, "Who goes there?" and a sleepy looking guard appeared to match the voice. It was my turn to be useful.
"Oh, hello there, sonny," I said in my very best old lady voice. "You almost scared me to death, you wouldn't want to do that to an old woman would you? I didn't think so. Now you just go back to sleep in your little house there and we won't bother you anymore. I just came to fetch my grandson here," I pointed to Chrys. "because his mother is very ill and he has to go to her. So you see, sonny, there ain't anything to worry about." The guard just nodded throughout my story, and waved us through the gate when I finished.
"Sorry about your mother," he added to Chrys as we left. We took the road toward the town just in case the gatekeeper was still watching, but turned before we entered the city.
"That was great, Princess!" Chrys laughed when we were out of earshot. I pulled my horse to a stop and said to Chrys.
"Before we go on there are a few things we have to get straight. First off, stop calling me 'Princess'. I'm not a princess anymore, my name is Arina and I would appreciate it if you called me that. Second of all, I need to know a little more about this plan of yours."
"What is it you want to know, Arina?" Chrys asked, as I paused for breath.
"Well, for starters, how long is this potion going to last? Am I going to be an old woman forever? And are you going with me or staying here and if you are coming, where are we planning on going?" I once again paused for breath and Chrys began to explain.
"The potion will last for 24 hours, at which point you will change back into yourself. If you will let me I would like to accompany you to wherever you were planning on going."
"Of course I want you to come, Chrys, you're my only friend in the world. But as to where we are going I'm not sure. Mari told me to go to her daughter's house, but I lost my map and Mari probably told my father were I was heading."
"No she didn't, I was there when he talked to her. She said she didn't know were you would go. And as far as I know he believed her. Maybe we should head there."
"But, Chrys, as I said I don't know how to get there."
"Well, Arina, do you remember anything that the map looked like? We have 23 hours to get there."
"I remember the house was on the other side of the royal forest and that it was about half a mile east of the castle. But that's about it." I said.
"Well, we can work with that. Come on." We urged the horses into a gallop and took off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's all for now, guys, but there is more coming soon, I promise. Please review!! Thank you!