silence
Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.
Chapter Ten
"How are you feeling?" Kat asks as Tommy settles in in his section of the guards' quarters. The other guards had gone back to their respective sections, but she found it harder to leave him just yet.
"I'm fine, Kat." His voice is serious, but there's an undertone of something she couldn't quite recognize. She slinks back, shifting from foot to foot.(She was happy that he was okay, but a part of her would miss their conversations in the infirmary. Talking until one of them became too tired to continue, or Dr. Campbell kicked her out, whichever came first.) She goes to leave, but turns back around.
"Are you sure that you're-"
"Kat." He grabs her shoulders gently, before repeating what he'd said earlier. "I'm fine. I'm just glad to be back."
"And I'm glad to have you back. We all are. We missed you a lot."
"I'm sure. You visited me everyday while I was in the infirmary."
"Well, I didn't want you to get lonely. I don't think a guard has ever been in the infirmary that long since I've been one."
He laughs. "Well, I really enjoyed your visits."
She blushes, suddenly realizing just how close he was. The sections were pretty small, so there wasn't a lot of space to start with. She bites her lip, as something unrecognizable flashes on his face. Then something clatters to the floor behind them, and they both pull away as far they could get. "Um, I should get going. The queen might be in a better mood this morning."
And with that she walks out of the quarters, before she could do anything else.
"Your highness?" Kat knocks on the door, receiving no response. She knocks on the door again, speaking a little louder this time. "Your highness, it's time for breakfast."
Still no response. Kat bites her lip, trying to decide what to do now. Her hand hovers the doorknob, debating whether or not to open the door. The guards and the other various royal staff members didn't make it a habit to go into the royal family's respective bedrooms. And for the guards, they tended not to do it without good reason. And this seemed like a good reason. But the queen would have her head if she walked into her room, even if she had knocked. Twice.
Despite this, Kat turns the doorknob. Or rather tries to. Furrowing her brows, she tries again, before realizing that the door is locked. Sighing, she turns away to walk to the dining room. She was both happy to not have to deal with the queen's moods, but also dreading the moment the queen did decide to come out of her room. And somehow she knew that things weren't going to be good when the queen did decide to come out of her room.
The queen is careful not to make a noise when Kat is outside her door. ( It had taken most of yesterday to find the amulet among her husband's things. Her husband had always been much more accepting than her. But when he had gotten sick, she found herself slipping back into old habits, without him there to guide her.) Kat knocks one last time, before her footsteps can be heard. Getting fainter and fainter until they couldn't be heard. At that, the queen unwraps the brown cloth the amulet was wrapped in. The amulet glows red before her one time before stopping. She picks the amulet up, throwing the cloth to her bed.
"I hope I remember how to use this." It's hard to think that there was once a time when people could study all things magical, back when she was just a young princess. When the royal library was filled with books on the subject, before her husband had gotten sick. When his health started to decline, she banned all books on the subject of magic from the kingdom when Kimberly was still young enough to not remember. And she had only witnessed her husband use it a handful of times, and it feels like a lifetime ago. While at the same time it feels like just yesterday that he had died in the infirmary from a condition that not even Dr. Campbell could save him from. (And sometimes her cures bordered on the miraculous.)
The queen closed her eyes, focusing hard. Several minutes go by and nothing. Opening her eyes, she swears under her breath. Closing her eyes again, waiting for something to come to her. Finally, a feeling overtakes her in a way that she couldn't put to words. It was like information was entering her mind at a rapid pace. Then it stops, and she stumbles, almost dropping the amulet. She quickly regains her balance, looking at the amulet one last time before wrapping it back up. With that, she leaves her room, making her way to the dining room.