Adrian paced his room, his mind full of thoughts. Her eyes had been blue. But this made no sense. It was impossible! One's eyes do not just suddenly change colors… perhaps it was he who had something wrong. There had to be an explanation… but what? Someone knocked at his door.
"Adrian, darling, are you alright?"
It was Ivy. Her voice was still the same – the cloud returned. He walked to the door and opened it to find Ivy… her eyes as green as they ever were.
She smiled, and the stupor came back over his mind full force. Adrian smiled back and numbly followed her to the ballroom.
***
Later that week, the ball was in full swing. It was a glamorous event; everyone was dressed in their finest attire, the decorations were decadent, the cake was fifteen layers, and fireworks went off in the sky. Adrian stood next to Ivy, nodding at nobles passing by. His mind was thicker than usual; he had been with Ivy all day. The tumultuous week had left him tired, but his conscience had been silent all day.
"Well, I do think it is high time for a dance. Ivy, will you join me?" the king said, graciously offering his arm to Ivy.
"Of course, your majesty," she said, and they swept off to the dance floor.
Adrian followed them with his eyes. He was beginning to feel quite jealous when an angry voice spoke from behind him.
"I must speak with you, your highness."
He turned around, and came face to face with a very incensed Lady Evelyn.
"Lady Evelyn, how do you-"
"There's no time." And with that, she grabbed his wrist firmly and forced him away from the dance floor and to an adjoining room.
"How dare you!" he said, when she finally let go of his wrist.
"That is not Ivy," she said softly, but very dangerously.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that that wench of a stepmother took Ivy away! Besides I just asked her if she would be so kind as to look at the lilies she planted, and she stared at me as if she had never seen me before!" She was yelling now. "That duchess is no ordinary duchess, your highness, she's done something to Ivy and she's doing something to you!"
Adrian continued to look at her, the fog still covering his mind. The words she had said weren't sinking in.
"Your highness? Are you even listening to me?"
"Pardon?"
Her face livid, Evelyn stepped toward him and slapped him hard across the face. Instead of being angry, though, it seemed to finally clear his head.
"Now, are you just going to stand here?" Evelyn asked furiously.
"But wait, if that isn't Ivy, then who is it?" he asked, horrified.
"I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of her cockney stepsisters," Evelyn said resentfully.
"This doesn't make any sense," he said his mind reeling. A feeling of guilt was welling up inside of him.
"Yes, it makes perfect sense! The duchess, who must be a sorceress of some sort, deliberately revealed Ivy's identity to you so that you would hate her so that she could take Ivy away to do heaven knows what to her, and send one of her spoiled brats to trick you into giving up the throne!"
He stared at her.
"I've given this a lot of thought," she said.
"But where is Ivy? What has she done with her?" he said quickly.
"Oh, so you care now?" Evelyn asked, her eyebrow raised.
"Yes! I was being stupid, I shouldn't have…I shouldn't have done a lot of things," he said, all his regret and remorse washing over him like a tidal wave. What if he was too late?
"Well, it's no use just standing here, let's go try and find her!"
***
The sleep that Ivy slept was a tortuous one. To ensure that she did not regain any of her life energy, the duchess was slowly filling Ivy's head with painful, agonizing thoughts and dreams. Although her body lay still, Ivy's mind was dreaming; thoughts and images racing across her mind's eye. Not conscious thoughts, but thoughts that the duchess sent to her brain, tormenting Ivy even as she lay almost lifeless.
By causing Ivy to suffer even in her lifeless state, it was only a matter of time before the duchess could do away with Ivy forever.
Images of her father's death played out slowly in her mind; Ivy's young face full of unknowing grief and fear; her father's last words echoing in her mind.
Then, the image shifted to the duchess' sneering face. As if someone were whispering in her ear, Ivy heard,
"I killed your father."
***
"What am I supposed to do? I have no idea where Ivy is!"
Adrian and Evelyn had escaped the ball and were running with all their might toward the stables.
"You're lucky, because I think I do," panted Evelyn, reaching for a strawberry roan.
Adrian was too worried to ask how, and instead mounted his black mare.
"This way!" Evelyn shouted as she began to ride north.
They rode as fast as the horses could go. Soon they were deep within the forest, where the trees were so thick and the sky so dark that Adrian wondered how the horses knew where to go. He strained his eyes to see Evelyn; he caught glimpses of her every so often in a sliver of moonlight. By and by she would yell, "Turn left!" or "Make a sharp right!" After over an hour of riding, Adrian was practically frozen to his horse. The poor mare was still trying to gallop, trying to keep up with Evelyn's lively roan.
Suddenly, Evelyn yelled back to him, "We're almost there! Look!"
Adrian lifted his eyes to see an enormous black castle, glittering through the trees. His heart leapt into his throat.
A few minutes later, Evelyn slowed down her horse, and Adrian's was only too happy to follow suit. The castle rose up before them, at least six stories high, with countless turrets and towers. Adrian leapt off his horse and was running down the drive when he stopped.
"So nice of you to come."
The duchess had appeared on the steps, her hand rubbing the orb on her staff. Her daughters were behind her, including Souzan, who waved teasingly. Adrian felt Evelyn come up next to him, breathing heavily.
"I would let you in, but I'm afraid you will find nothing to your fancy," the duchess continued, in an icy cold voice.
"Where is she?" Adrian demanded, glaring at the woman.
The duchess cackled.
"Who, you're poor little servant girl? She is… indisposed, at the moment," she said, and then laughed again.
"What have you done to her?" he said, beginning to unsheathe his sword. The duchess noticed this and laughed even harder.
"What are you going to do?" she began, stepping down the stairs, her staff glinting oddly in the moonlight. "Kill me?" she said softly, dangerously, coming so close to him he could have stabbed her straight through her black heart.
Adrian remained still, his hand frozen on the hilt of his sword. She smiled.
"I thought not. Follow me," she said, sweeping back toward the castle. Adrian felt a pull at his navel and his feet began to walk behind her.
The duchess led him and Evelyn, with the sisters trailing behind, through the great hall, and down a narrow passageway which Adrian knew could only end in one place: the dungeons.
"Here you are your highness," the duchess said mockingly. "You'll stay here until I decide what to do with you."
Adrian and Evelyn were thrown into the small room, and the duchess locked the heavy metal door.
Adrian groaned and sunk onto the cold floor.
"Now what?" he said.
Evelyn didn't answer, but instead slipped her hand through one of the bars and tried to feel the lock.
"Damn," she muttered. "There is no way we could break that lock," she said, kicking the door for no reason.
"You don't think she's…" he started, but he couldn't finish the sentence.
Evelyn shook her head firmly. "No, definitely not. The duchess is just wants you think that."
"Then what is she doing in a tower?"
"She probably just has her locked up there," Evelyn said, her calmness not quite believable. "She's probably fine."
An uneasy silence fell over them. The hours passed by, the dungeon cold and damp. Adrian felt helpless, but somehow not hopeless. Finally, they could see a stream of light shining through the barred window.
"G'morning," Evelyn mumbled. Adrian stood up and looked outside.
"This is all my fault," he said.
"No it isn't," Evelyn said shortly.
"Yes it is! If I hadn't been so insensitive, Ivy wouldn't have felt scared to tell me the truth right from the start."
"Yes, except you're forgetting one tiny detail. She has a lunatic stepmother!"
He had no answer to that, but instead leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
"We just have to find a way out of here, that's all," Evelyn said.
He laughed sarcastically. "Great plan."
"You're not going to give up now," she reprimanded.
"I'm not giving up! I just… have to think about it," he said, examining the window.
"Excuse me?" a voice came at the door. Adrian started, but it was just one of the sisters, Parveneh.
"I was told to bring you breakfast," she said, unlocking the door. She handed them plates with pathetic-looking bread crusts on them, but the two prisoners ate them ravenously. Parveneh seemed to be looking around nervously.
"Alright, I don't think she's around," the nervous girl said, closing the door behind her, and beckoning the two captives closer.
"I want to help you," she whispered. Adrian could see she had a large gash on her forehead and several bruises on her chest. "My mother is planning to take the rule from your family." She paused, seeming to listen, but when only silence was heard, she went on. "Tonight, when I bring you your supper, you must leave and go silently to my mother's lair. My mother will be there; I cannot tell you how to defeat her, because I do not know myself, but I know you will find a way. Ivy is in the north tower," Adrian gasped here, "she isn't dead, but you must save her."
The sound of a footstep was heard from the hall, and Parveneh's eyes widened.
"Here," she said hurriedly, snatching the plates from their hands. She ran to the door and closed it.
"Tonight," she whispered with a knowing look to them, and then she locked the door and walked away.
***Evelyn to save the day! The next chapter is our last *tear* unless I decide to be evil and stretch it out even longer. MWHAHA! No, I probably won't. Don't mind my random insanity. But you can review!!! Yay! ~Emma