Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Chapter Three

It was staring at her; Sirenia even thought she had heard it hoot, so it must have been an owl, but she had never seen an owl like this before. It was too far up for her to make any detail as it perched on its tree. The only thing the darkened forest didn’t conceal was its tranquil blue eyes that glowed like the moon. Why was it watching her? Or perhaps the owl was thinking just the same.

“What are you looking at?”

Amaranth? It had felt like an eternity since she heard her voice. It hit her like a punch to the gut and she froze in place. She felt the tug, the need to turn around and embrace her, but the unappeased anger began to stir within her as fists balled up against her side. She looked back towards the trees for comfort and when she refocused on the owl, it had vanished. Had she imagined it? Owls were silent predators, but silent enough for her ears not to catch?

“Why’re you here, Amaranth?” Sirenia asked coldly and turned around, her eyes refusing to look at the princess.

“Si,” she took a step towards the redhead, “I know what you’re thinking. It wasn’t me. My parents they…they wouldn’t let me see you.”

“You want me to believe that?” Sirenia’s messy red hair fell over her face as her head sank towards the ground, “Just admit that you’re ashamed of me.”

“If I was ashamed of you, why would I have risked coming out here to see you?”

As she spoke, she reached out and placed her hand on her friend’s shoulder, willing her to turn around.

“It’s not like the other times weren’t risks,” Sirenia mumbled.

“No, you’re wrong. My parents have a guard right outside my room now. I wish I had hard proof, but you have to believe me. I don’t have much time before they find out I’m gone. If they find out…” she trailed off, looking towards the direction of the castle, thinking about how awful the consequences could be.

“Your room is as high as that tree,” Sirenia pointed upwards in disbelief and stomped her foot as she turned halfway around in stubbornness, “You couldn’t have just crawled out of your window.”

A small grin slid across the brunette’s face.

“Oh, but I did!”

“Stop playing games, Amaranth.”

The princess’s eye rolled with irritation, “I’m not! I made a rope out of my clothes.”

The response took Sirenia aback and she tilted her head. She wanted to dwell in her own shadow for just another moment so that Amaranth could realize the hell she had been through without her. Would she have even admitted to that though? How it had made her sit up at night without a stitch of laughter? It didn’t matter. Or at least it shouldn’t have, but for once in her life there was someone else who actually wanted her company. The reality of that hadn’t hit her until Amaranth stopped showing up. Either way, she probably would never voice these thoughts.

She wanted to be mad, but how could she be? That wasn’t fair and she knew it. Even if life hadn’t been fair to her, it wasn’t right. Was Amaranth being serious though? She actually fastened a rope of clothes out her window?

The outrageous thought of the princess climbing down poorly tied garments made her almost burst into laughter, almost, but she bit down on her tongue, perhaps a bit too hard. Was that blood?

“If you don’t believe me, then I’ll just leave,” Amaranth replied and began to turn away.

“Wait, Amaranth,” she paused to collect herself, “I missed you.”

“I’m sorry,” the brunette spoke, her feet moving across the dewy grass, “I didn’t expect my family to react like that. I thought the things you told me were only from that heartless caretaker and the kids around you. I didn’t…” she couldn’t get them out. She couldn’t believe her parents were just the same as everyone else.

“There’s something wrong with me,” Sirenia grabbed her head, pulling at her hair. Amaranth was close enough to touch now and she felt a small hand begging her to quit.

“No, there is nothing wrong with you. Stop that. They just…I just don’t know what’s wrong with them. Or anyone.”

“So let’s run away”.

“What? Are you crazy? No, we can’t do that.”

“Why not? No one accepts me here and no one ever will. Why won’t you come with me? We can discover the world.”

A hopeful light filled her emerald eyes as she dreamed of the world outside Altolia; she had been thinking this idea through for some time now. She could finally see the worlds that only books spoke of. She and Amaranth could be wanderers. Surely, she could steal a dagger from the blacksmith, some rope, food, and whatever else they might need. It seemed so simple.

“I can’t,” Amaranth admitted with a sigh. How could she let go of this life? She could feel the clutching shackles that kept her away from outside dangers, but the call for something more tugged at her. Sirenia’s words over the months had planted a seed of discovery, a need to push aside the veil to sate her curiosity, but there was so much fear of that unknown. Of the shadows that leaked into the sun on cloudy days.

“…I understand.”

She really did. Amaranth had it all. An entire palace, meals to die for, beautiful art on the wall to gaze at every day. She didn’t have to worry about finding a family, though that hope had abandoned Sirenia long ago, because she had one. She remembered that painting of the royal family in the palace, Amaranth’s happiness glowing like a thousand suns.

How could they do this to a child? Wasn’t Altolia the land of promise and hope? Of light and love? She raised her hand to touch a line of dried red on her cheek, remembering that it wasn’t only the King and Queen that fueled her anger and hatred.

“Your cheek,” Amaranth noted and reached towards it, her warm fingers brushing around the wound, “Si, what happened?”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“Did you fall?”

“Miss Ayda hit me,” Sirenia mumbled; that wretched caretaker who battered her soul would come to an end one of these days. “She still wears that ring of hers from her dead husband.” She didn’t remember him much; she was so small when he passed on.

“She what?”

“Well I kinda encouraged it,” I scratched my head.

“…what do you mean?” Amaranth asked, eyebrow rising.

“She was screaming in my face about how much of a heathen I was and that the Gods had forsaken me,” she bit her lip.

“And?”

“So…I hit her. In the face.”

“Sirenia! You can’t just—”

“Why the hell not? She hates me! She yells at me all the time! If I have to live another day in that place, I just might kill her.”

“Don’t say things like that,” the brunette sighed.

“I mean it. She could die for all I care. I’d be better off without her.”

“Why didn’t you call the Guard? Tell someone?”

Uncomfortable laugher seeped from the crack of Sirenia’s lips.

“You think they’d believe me? I know they’ve seen me sneaking off into the woods before. I could have just as easily fallen into the bramble.”

Amaranth looked to the Heavens wondering if the Gods really had forsaken Sirenia. Altolia was meant to be a safe haven and yet it seemed only a nightmare to the redhead. It wasn’t simply an illusion of the mind. Even her own parents, the ones Amaranth looked up to, had shattered the single strand of silver lining that traced Sirenia’s heart.

The princess could see the pain shadowing over the pale child’s face; it was as if the moon was illuminating every crack and blemish; even the emerald gems of her eyes danced, but they sparkled from tears. For the first time in her young life, Amaranth felt as if she was lost within an eyeless dark, reaching for the cure, begging for the light to shine down, but there was no answer. The gods would not give aid. They had forsaken this child everyone called a Heathen. It didn’t feel just.

“I won’t leave you again,” Amaranth whispered, “I promise.”

“Promises are easy to break.”

Amaranth wanted to fire back, but she stopped when Sirenia smiled softly. She knew Sirenia couldn’t help it; someone had to fill the role of the pessimist. The stars danced in their path as time passed. A little more time and Amaranth had to be on her way.

“I should start walking back,” Amaranth said, standing to her feet.

“I’ll walk with you.”
_*

Amaranth was wide awake; the ceiling felt as if it had a thousand eyes staring back at her, threatening to crumble down. Claustrophobic panic is the worst. She may have had the escape, but it only begged her to crawl back out into the starlit night. However, daylight would soon be meeting the horizon.

Her mind raced through all the things she had to do the next day and how tired she was going to be. She saw the face of Sirenia; she knew her friend was hurting but how could she fix it when even her parents turned their heads? There had to be a way!

“Killawey,” she whispered, pressing her hands together and put her thumbs against her third eye just as they had taught in the Chapel.

“Light me the way, oh Divine One, Guardian of Altolian Gates. Grant me your wisdom and intellect to understand what I cannot see. Why have you deserted Sirenia? Why do your rays not shine down upon her in her time of darkness? I know her way of thought is different, but surely you have not turned your back? Would you offer her Light on my behalf?” she paused for a few anxious breaths, “Are my words enough? Whatever I need to do, I’ll do it.”

For now, this is all she knew. Her arms fell helplessly to her sides as she whispered for sleep to come.