Bellatrix's Journey

Bellatrix had to get out of there. There was a gate in the gardens that led into the city and she ran to it. Thanking the gods that it was unlocked (the gardener must have forgotten to lock it), she ran out into the streets of Upper Charn. Here there were only mansions of the higher-ranking lords and temples to the main gods on every corner. But as she ran on, the houses became smaller and soon gave way to shops owned and run by wealthy merchants. And then even these stopped and instead there were humble one-story houses in quiet neighborhoods.

Nobody stopped her, probably because she was running too fast to give anybody a chance to ask questions. She did not know how long she had been running but the palace walls were no longer in sight, although she could barely glimpse its tallest towers in the distance. There had been no witnesses and Jadis would just deny it. Everybody would be sure to believe her since she was going to be queen.

All of a sudden, Bellatrix felt more alone than she had ever felt in her life. She was in a strange part of the city unable to go back to familiar surroundings because she had a mad sister. Angry tears filled her eyes and then began to flow slowly down her sweaty face. Tired from running and beginning to feel hungry as smells of cooking began to emerge from the houses, she sobbed in anger because of Jadis and in sadness because of her situation. The tears made her face look even more grimy but this did not stop her from bawling her eyes out.

She could not stand there forever so presently she wiped her face with the sleeve on the arm that was not paralyzed. Looking down at her rich, palace-made dress, she plucked a few sapphires decorating the hem. Clutching them in her hand, she walked back to the place where there were mainly shops. Choosing a shopkeeper who appeared to just be locking up at that moment, she walked up to him and showed him the sapphires. The greed on his face matched his curiosity when he saw them.

"There are more where these came from if you will give me a place to stay for the night," said Bellatrix. If she had had Jadis' firsthand experience outside the palace gates, then she would have been careful not to approach just anybody. But she was desperate and this was the only plan she had. The man instantly grabbed the sapphires and ran off quickly. Bellatrix was a princess and had never been treated this way so tired as she was, she took chase.

Because she had always been good at running and even though her paralyzed arm was a burden, she began to catch up with the more squat and less fit man. She finally cornered him in a deserted alley. As one having royal blood, she could also do a bit of magic even though she did not use it for cruel purposes like Jadis. In a minute, the man was writhing on the ground as he was tickled by the five mice that had suddenly appeared in his clothes. He still resolutely clung to the sapphires.

"Give back what you have stolen and I will make them go away," said Bellatrix, holding out her good hand. The man held out his hand and dropped them into her outstretched one as the mice squeezed through his sleeve and popped out one by one. He got up and dusted himself as they scattered into corners of the alley. Bellatrix waited until he had caught his breath. This time she held tightly to the sapphires as she offered them to him in exchange for shelter.

"Right this way, madam," he said grudgingly. He led her back to the small middle-class neighborhood where his house was a few blocks from where she had stopped and cried. The disapproval on the face of his wife at her husband bringing home a strange young woman melted when she saw the sapphires. She curtsied to Bellatrix briefly and smiled. They shared their dinner with her and gave her a place near the warm stove to sleep.

While the couple slept, Bellatrix stayed awake wondering what her next move should be. By midnight she had come up with a plan and soon exhaustion coaxed her to sleep. The next morning, the wife of the stout shopkeeper shook her awake for breakfast. After the meal, they smiled widely as she put the sapphires (which she had held on to tightly during the night) into the hands of the wife for their hospitality (they had tried to take them before but they could not without waking her up). Then she revealed her plan to them.

"I will give you the rest of the sapphires if you will take me to the royal court of Affinis."

The smiles instantly dropped.

"My lady!" exclaimed the shopkeeper's wife. "That is halfway across the world!"

"By the time you get back, you will be sapphires richer."

The couple had never done anything very exciting in their lives and the prospect of an adventure with personal gain was extremely appealing to them, so they immediately made preparations for the journey for a fortnight and finally set off. Transportation was paid for in sapphires and in a month they were at the palace gates of King Altor. Bellatrix showed the guards her signet ring bearing the red sun of Charn to present the position of her house above all and by this they were able to reach the throne room. Finally, it was time to say goodbye to the middle class couple and surprisingly there was some regret on their part. They had come to think of Bellatrix as the rich daughter they had never had but she gave them the last of the sapphires off her dress and they went home happily.

King Altor was amazed and almost thought that his ears were failing him when the doorman to the throne room called out, "Presenting Princess Bellatrix of Charn!" There she was indeed walking across the throne room toward him in a shabby dress frayed at the hem. In four of five years, she had blossomed into a beautiful young lady. Since she was the identical twin sister of the betrothed to his son, he was glad to see that the wife of Alacer would be fair and graceful like this vision. Still, he was burning with curiosity as to why she was here and dressed as she was.

Curtsying low in the fashion of Charn, Bellatrix greeted the king briefly as they do in Charn and wished the pleasure of the almighty Ambrosius upon him and the protection of the war god Armo and all that. Then she got to the purpose of the sojourn and explained to him the circumstances in which she had run away, recounting everything from the night Ancilla shook her awake to tell her that Jadis was up to something. King Altor was extremely concerned that the heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world was searching for a word that could wipe out all life. He gave orders that Bellatrix be properly fed, clothed, and accommodated and then called his advisors.

As Bellatrix rested from the long trip, King Altor told his advisors everything that she had told him. He asked them if it was wise to continue the betrothal of Prince Alacer to a woman so dangerous. Breaking their covenant with Charn could displease Jadis enough to take drastic action. But what if Alacer and Jadis got into a fight in their married lives and Jadis let the Word slip? They talked about the dilemma long after Bellatrix had fallen asleep.

The next day, eighteen-year-old Prince Alacer returned from patrolling the eastern borders of Affinis to find the courtiers looking strangely grim. He went at once to the throne room where he found his parents speaking in anxious tones. When they saw that their son had returned, they greeted him and told him to sit down because they had some bad news for him. Alacer summoned a servant to bring a chair and he sat down thanking him. In Affinis, the servants were treated infinitely better than in Charn. Then his parents proceeded to tell him that his fiancée possibly knew a secret that could destroy the entire world.

"How do you know that this is true?" asked Alacer.

"Princess Bellatrix escaped the clutches of her sister to come and warn us, bless her heart," said King Altor. Despite his consternation at hearing that his betrothed had diabolical powers, Alacer was pleased to know that the friendly girl from Charn was there. But when his father told him that Jadis had tried to silence her by paralysis and had succeeded with her arm, he was angry that anyone would hurt such a nice person. He knew that Bellatrix would never be cured because her handicap had been brought on by magic. It would take a great magician to undo it but nobody in Affinis was that powerful and it was too dangerous for Bellatrix to go back to Charn with Jadis hunting her. Prince Alacer made his decision right there and then.

"I no longer wish to marry Princess Jadis."