IV.

The Promise of the Rose





Darrin was frowning at her when she woke up. She sighed and turned away from him.

"I am not in the mood to talk."

"What's the matter?" He asked.

"I just told you." She grumbled.

"Is it because of what happened with the Umbadao?"

Ani said nothing.

"That's it, isn't it?" he cried. "You're embarrassed that you weren't able to kill it off."

Ani frowned. "Just leave me alone."

"You know, you did kill it, it just got to you before the effect of the sword could take its toll. As soon as you blacked out it began to die. All it took was a thrust of my sword and it was gone!"

"I don't care."

He shook his head. "You're just too stubborn."

She groaned and tried hide from him under the covers. "I have already asked you to leave me alone and still you disobey my commands. I am starting to feel that even if I accepted my position of Princess that I would not be listened to anyway. I ask you what's the point?"

He smiled at the girl hiding under the covers. That was indeed what she was. A girl. "Hiding won't help. Even in this situation. You are destined to become Queen and there is no escaping that whether you like it or not. You must face up to the facts."

"Facts? What facts?" She threw the covers away and sat up angrily, growling at him. "Alright, I will list them." She began to count the points on her fingers. "One, my parents are dead. Two, Umbadaos are everywhere and they are up in arms with Des. Three, the woman I trusted has turned against me. Four, my uncle is evil. And, finally, point five: I am not going anywhere. No matter what anyone says."

He chuckled, but caught himself. "But all the points, except for number five, suggest what I have been suggesting to you."

"I do not care." She grumbled. "I am through with the Princess thing."

He sighed but suddenly perked up, a resolution coming to him. "I have a present for you."

Her eyes lit up suddenly. "A gift? What gift? Where is it?"

"This is your gift." He held up a red rose and continued as soon as she let out another groan. "You know as well as I do what this symbolizes. To the people of Southern Cebra it remains a reminder of what once was and is the symbol of the returning rightful Princess. To you, it represents the meaning of who you are. Princess to Southern Cebra. It also gives a reminder of your responsibilities to those people. For every day you do not realize what your duty is and take up the responsibility you will receive a single rose. Fair enough?"

She rolled her eyes. "That's stupid."

He shrugged and changed the subject. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." She paused. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"A couple of days. It really had an effect on you."

A silence followed, the two not sure what to talk about.

"How is Cecile?" she asked.

"Worried to death about you. She really likes you."

"Ayah. I know. What of her father?" She whined. "Do you know him?"

"Yes, and perhaps it is best I not tell you of him."

"Why not?"

"He's a natural ruffian."

She frowned at the term. "What are you saying? That he doesn't take decent care of her?"

He nodded. "And more."

"The poor girl. I wish I could do something for her."

"You already have, you know."

"Ayah. Just not enough." Exhaustion crept up on her. "Will you go? I am tired."

He nodded. "Of course. Rest up. As soon as you feel better come downstairs and eat with the rest of us."

"Ayah." She yawned and watched him leave the room.

………………………………………………………………………………..

Two days later, Ani woke up to another single rose on her bureau. She frowned at it and immediately tossed it in the waist bin with the others. She had had enough of it. She was going to march straight down to breakfast and tell him straight out to stop the nonsense.

She found no one, however, in the Hall. Odd, she thought. They should all be eating.

"Hallo?" She called, her voice echoing through the floor. Through the strange dimness a single maid passed her quickly. "Hallo? Madame, can you help me?"

The woman glanced at Ani over her shoulder and continued to hurry away.

Ani frowned. Something was up and she didn't like the feel of it. She hurried to a window to look at the sky. Perhaps they had all gone outside for a picnic. But that didn't make any sense. Lightning streaked across the sky, and the thunder rolled at her like a massive boulder accelerating down a hill.

The air was extremely heavy.

"Hallo?" She called out again, and shuddered, as her voice didn't echo this time. Her angry mood had officially worn off. She ran to the wall of swords and pulled one down with a sheath. The matching shield slipped on her arm.

Her heart beat faster as she attached the sword-belt. She cautiously turned the corner into the kitchen, where the woman had gone. It was deserted like the rest of the castle, but held the clue of chaos. Batter and flour were strewn about as if everyone had left in a rush. She suddenly wished she could call on Owen, but she knew the rules. Perhaps she could have defeated Des on her own after all.

Ani stepped over a pile of broccoli that had been knocked off a counter. The darkness of the room was penetrated by the light of the storm every few seconds. She frowned. That was something else. The only lanterns lit were in her room. Everywhere else had been dark; she hadn't noticed that before. She had been too worried about the flowers.

She sheathed her sword, leaving it out just enough so that it would be easy to pull out. She grabbed a nearby candle and whispered the words for fire. The candle lit at her command. She continued towards the door to her right. It was closed and seemed to radiate with something. Evil, perhaps? She nervously touched the doorknob and turned it, opening the door. She screamed in horror as she saw something clothed in darkness hovering over her. She dropped the candle, it went out, and all was dark again. The thing was gone. It had just been a figment of her imagination. Or so she hoped.

She turned around and headed back towards the Great Hall giving up on the candle and gripping both her hands on the hilt of her sword. Her footsteps echoed, her breathing sounding loud to her. She reached the hallway and carefully edged out, keeping her back to the wall. She headed left, towards the sitting rooms. Suddenly, footsteps echoed through the hall. She stopped short and faced right, from where the footsteps were coming. A candle shimmered just down the hall, coming closer and closer very fast, along with the increasing noise of the footsteps. She bit her lip and held her sword out in front of her.

"Who's there?" She called out, but it only came out as a whisper.

The candle was only five yards from her now. A shadow-hand reached out for her arm and grabbed it, trying to drag her back where the thing had come from. She tried to pull away, but it was too strong. It yanked at her arm.

"What are you doing?" A voice whispered.

"Who-" she asked confused but was interrupted.

"Shh. Be quiet. You're a fool of a Princess, walking around here like this, screaming your voice out. Do you realize how dangerous this is?"

"Darrin? What's going on?"

"Shh. Be quiet. How many times do I have to say that? Once we get out of this architectures nightmare I'll tell you!"

He led her down several corridors and then stopped in a dusty hallway just in front of a large picture. Ani couldn't make out what it was of, but it really didn't matter to her. What had happened? Where was the King? What was the danger?

The captain handed her the candle to hold and reached out and pulled the picture off the wall. He motioned for her to hold the candle close to the wall. When she did so, she saw an entrance to another corridor. She stepped through and turned back towards him. The candle dimly lit his serious face.

"What now?" She whispered.

"Go to Berkswaine. There will be an old lady sitting on her stoop about noontime. Tell her your name is Arwai. She will let you in. Owen will be there. He will inform you about what's happened." He frowned at Ani. "You're too recognizable. Here" He took off his cloak and handed it to her. "Keep it on at all costs. Leave the hood up, no matter how hot it is. And hide the sword. Now go."

"Where?"

"Just down the end of the hall is the door. Go on towards Berkswaine. Don't talk to anyone. Just get there at all costs." He turned around and lifted the picture into its place, leaving her with her candle in an old hallway.

She frowned at the dark wall and turned around, walking the opposite way. She did soon come to a door at the end of the hall, and put her sword in its hilt. She turned the knob of the door, pushing it about an inch out. But it would not go further. Carefully, she set the candle on the floor and looked through the crack. A hedge blocked the door. She pushed harder at it, the cloak in her hands delaying her. Finally she was able to push it open just enough so that she could climb through. She did so and closed the door behind her. Deciding she was conspicuous, she put on the cloak Darrin had given her.

Climbing out from behind the hedge, she saw that she was just outside the castle gate. She hurried down the main street throwing her hood above her head. She walked quickly through the city, knowing every street from years of wandering it.

The sun, that had mysteriously parted the clouds, pierced down on her like a beacon. She felt out of place. No one was on the street. She quickened her pace. She felt like a hundred eyes were watching her. Her mind concentrated only on getting out of the City.

She was burning up in the cloak by the time she got to the City wall. There were no guards at the wall. She hurried towards the gate and pulled at it. It only moved a little. A padlock locked the gate. She groaned and looked up at the wall. It was nearly ten feet tall, but because it was so old, rocks protruded from its side in various places.

She made sure her sword was tight in her belt and grabbed one of the rocks on the wall, climbing upwards. She soon reached the top, and climbed over the side. But it was too high for her to jump down. She searched for some more misplaced rocks and found only a few. She edged down as slowly as she could and when she got about 5 feet from the ground the old rocks disappeared. She jumped.

As soon as she landed, it began to rain again and she headed towards the main road.

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