Disclaimer: Yes, I've decided to rewrite this story again. No, I'm not crazy, and yes, this is the revised version right here. Hm? Oh, no, I don't claim to have any rights or ownership of the Enchanted Forest or its respective characters. Yes, I will take claim to original characters, being Medea, Jerald, and Herald.

0000

Chapter Three: In which Cimorene speaks with her parents, a plot is discovered, and worries are expressed.

0000

Cimorene stopped and took an apprehensive breath as she stared at the whimsical designs of the throne room door. She was stalling, and she knew it. Taking another breath, she closed her eyes to recollect her thoughts. 'There is absolutely nothing to be worried about. Herald reassured me of that fact. If my father were ill, he wouldn't be in the throne room.' Cimorene nodded, and placed her hands upon the door in renewed confidence.

The door moved with ease as she applied her strength, and the two figures from within looked up at the entrance.

"Cimorene!"

The young Queen smiled at the image before her; both her father and mother were sitting upon their respective thrones. It was as if she was a young girl again, sent before her parents because of another foiled attempt of liberating herself from her proper duties. Her parents residing in this room was an image that she fondly associated with her childhood. She smiled when they both stood to greet her at the base of the steps that elevated the thrones from the common ground.

"Cimorene dear, what a pleasant surprise!" Her mother exclaimed, hugging her daughter tightly. She moved to hug her father, and he pulled back to hold her at arms length.

"That husband of yours giving you trouble? Already? How disappointing." He said, and shook his head slightly.

Cimorene blinked, and quickly shook her head, "No father, nothing is wrong. Mendanbar and I are very happy." She smiled at the mention of her husband, but her smile faded away when she remembered the letter. "Father, how do you fare? Are you well?"

"Quite well." Her father said strongly, and then glanced over to his wife. "The both of us."

Cimorene let out a sigh of relief, and she smiled. "I'm glad." The relief was quickly melting into anger. Had she been tricked? By whom?

"What's going on Cimorene? Don't try to tell me that you rode the distance to Linderwall from the Enchanted Forest just to ask questions of health." Her mother remarked in good humor.

"Well, actually…" Cimorene looked over to her mother, "Did you send a summon? One with the red seal?"

Her mother's eyes widened, and shook her head. "Of concern and caution? Never did I send such a thing, not with everything in well condition here."

"It's what I have received. One informing me of you, father." She shook her head slightly, "Of an illness close to death itself." The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, and Cimorene began to rummage though her small bag to pull out the note. "Here." She said solemnly, lifting the notice for them to see.

The paper within her hand began to heat up, and Cimorene quickly dropped her gaze to examine the parchment. She felt a faint pull of magic tug at the paper as it emitted a small poof of blue smoke. Cimorene resisted the urge to roll her eyes at such flashy magic, but then watched as the paper fell from her fingertips and landed as ash upon the floor.

"Really dear, I wasn't finished reading." Her father huffed as he followed the paper's trail. Cimorene looked up to her parents and shook her head innocently.

"Wasn't me." She said as she fell to one knee to get a looker look. "But…" She extended her hand over the small pile, and began to mutter some words under her breath. The dust flashed a bright white light, and then faded with a light hue of blue before the whole display of lights disappeared. "I thought as much." Cimorene spat out in disgust, and stood up to fold her arms over her chest. A stance reserved for anger, annoyance, or amusement. She was pissed.

"Dear. Hello?" Her mother tried, and continued when she caught her daughter's gaze. "Yes, what was that? If you don't mind."

Cimorene sighed lightly, "Wizards. Those dastardly old buzzards, setting such a trick for me to fall for."

"Wizards? The white light, and the blue?" The king questioned, not knowing much of magic.

"Hm? Oh no, that test proved two different sources. But the annoying bright blinding light, those were the wizards."

"And the blue?" Her mother asked before her husband had the chance.

Cimorene tilted her head to the side slightly, to think. "Sorceress, I believe. How bothersome." A puzzled expression befell her, "I wasn't aware that I even knew a sorceress. This complicates things just a bit."

"Just how? Obviously, someone wanted you here, but why?" Her father questioned, and held out his hand for his wife. Her mother gave a small smile, and quickly glanced out the window; it was around the normal time for them to retire from the throne room. She took her husband's hand and looked again to her daughter.

"And why go through all the trouble of the notice, the seal? Someone must have been watching…"

Cimorene nodded, and began to walk with her parents across the room. "I know. But I don't understand. If someone wanted to kill me-"

"Cimorene!" Her mother interjected, appalled by the idea.

"They would have intercepted me on my journey here." Cimorene continued, unfazed by her mother's outburst.

"Perhaps you're not the target." The king suggested, trying to help.

"What? Not the target…." Cimorene thought silently for a moment, then she gasped. "I have to get back home. Right now."

Her parents moved to stop her. "Tomorrow. You've just arrived, and you've been riding without rest." Her mother argued, and her husband nodded. "Rest for tonight, the sun has already set. First thing tomorrow." Cimorene looked at both her parents, and sighed.

"First thing tomorrow."

0000

It was cold. Very cold.

Cimorene reached out in the darkness for the warm pillow that was almost always there, but she found nothing. Frowning, she opened her eyes and remembered where she was. "Argh…" She groaned while she pushed herself up into a sitting position. It had been a rough night; her mind was flooded with all the possible outcomes that the counterfeit summon had brought her. And it didn't help that she couldn't talk to Mendanbar about it. She would have, had her parents owned a magic mirror in the kingdom, but Linderwall was not caught up in the advancing ways of magic or communication. She was worried. What if Mendanbar was the target, as her father indirectly implied?

Cimorene glanced out the window and caught the first rays of sunlight. She ignored the sting of the cold as she quickly got out of bed and prepared for her journey back. "Those wizards. Always a nuisance." She mumbled as she looked around the room, trying to remember where she placed her sword the night before. "I knew they were up to something." With a smirk she found her gear but momentarily paused, "But what of this sorceress?"