The Queen's Keeper

The gate opened so suddenly it startled Evangeline, causing her to jump back. It seemed so strange to her that such grand doors could be opened with such ease. Henry waited patiently behind her, Evangeline’s belongings still cradled in his hands. “After you,” he whispered, looking around them.

The night sky was now settling; all was silent and grey. There was a single star in the sky, twinkling down at them. Evangeline looked up and smiled. “They say you’re supposed to make wishes on stars,” Evangeline said in a hushed tone, so quiet Henry hardly heard her. “Do you believe wishes come true, Henry?”

“I believe wishes are a lazy form of getting what you desire. If you want something, you should not pray to a God who may or may not answer; you should go after it yourself.”

Evangeline nodded silently and walked through. A strange sensation passed through her body that made the hairs on her arms stand up; she felt almost as if she had fallen into an icy cold lake. And she had done so before, only the year before. She turned to Henry who had paused; they were both staring wondrously at one another. “I believe you are right,” she said, turning away. “I have made many wishes on many stars and each has led to one disappointment after another when they do not come true.”

Henry did not reply; instead he gazed up at the star. It was different, somehow. It had a reddish orange glow to it – very much unlike the golden color it had been only moments before. It seemed to grow larger and the edges pulsated angrily. He looked beyond the fence and gasped. Everything had changed. It seemed to him that he was in a world separate from the one outside of that fence. The grass appeared to be ten foot tall and the hills appeared as if they went on forever and ever. Flowers swayed in the wind and a soft melody could be heard playing.

“What on earth?” Evangeline questioned, now looking around.

Their eyes were wide with wonder and they could not comprehend the change that had overcome them or the surroundings and atmosphere. It was lovely. Evangeline shut her eyes hard and lifted her head up towards the sky. She spread her arms out and curled her hands into fists and pondered a wish she could make. It had to be something she had never wished for – something impossible.

Perhaps wishes will come true here, she thought.

When she had settled on one wish, she said it over and over in her mind until she was afraid she was speaking it aloud. Her eyes opened and she stared at Henry. He stared back. “I believe there is something d… different about this place,” he whispered, taking a step forward. He took her hand into his and led her down the small gravel path. Flowers lined the edges and their petals danced towards Evangeline, caressing and tickling her legs. It was as if they were welcoming her to their castle – their home.

After she passed them, they leaned closely to one another and the wind blew what sound like hushed whispers towards her. “What exactly does Eleanor train you for?” Henry asked quietly. He looked down at Evangeline who admired the beauty around her.

“She runs the manor… it’s a family business, I suppose. It’s funded completely by the king and she trains young girls of all ages year round to serve the kingdom in the best possible way.”

“Ah,” Henry replied. “Seems a bit strange that it’s only girls… but then again, it is the king who funds it. I guess I understand.”

Evangeline looked at him with a knowing smile. “Yes. I do believe some of the girls who are trained for simple things like maid service end up being his mistresses… but these girls come from poverty, most of the times.”

“Do they have a choice?”

Evangeline nodded. “Of course. But these days, it’s either work – no matter what the consequences are – or be homeless.”

“And what of you? Did you have a choice?”

Evangeline eyed him angrily. “I was a different case. I had no choice.” There was a sad undertone to her statement that hung heavily in the silence; Henry was smart enough not to ask.

“My parents died,” she stated. “Long ago… six years I believe it is. I hardly keep count anymore.”

Henry remained silent, expecting her to go on.

“I remember when I was younger; I would keep record of everyday I spent without my parents. It went by so slow as first… all the days blended into one. And then I found myself wishing they had never existed. The pain… it was too much. So one day, I just stopped. I was a coward.”
“I do not think you are a coward, Evangeline,” Henry said. They stopped in front of the entrance to the castle and watched one another warily.

“You do not?”

“No. There is a difference between being a coward and taking a coward’s way. But there is only one problem with taking a coward’s way.”

Evangeline found herself forgetting to breathe; her heart was pounding in her head and she could feel her face growing hot. She leaned closer to Henry so that their noses were almost touching and whispered.

“And what is that?”

He leaned down towards her and placed one hand on the smooth surface of the castle and stared into her haunting eyes.

“Because you are not a coward, one day you will face all that haunts you.”

He opened the door abruptly and stepped in and Evangeline stood watching him, breathless. She could feel her face growing crimson once more as she stepped in behind him. She closed the door quietly and gasped when he appeared in front of her. He held a lantern in his hand that was already lit. “How…”

“Magic,” he replied with a grin. “Follow me.”

He led her up the cool cobblestone steps that winded endlessly for what seemed an eternity. Their silence did not make it go by any faster as they made the trip up the stairs. There were no portraits or decorations hanging to help her pass by the time.

When they finally reached the top of the stairs, Evangeline saw that they had reached a small hall with a wooden door that was closed, obviously. The hall stretched on in two directions though she could not see what was down them, for all was dark beyond Henry’s small light.

“You sleep in the right wing. I sleep in the left wing.” Evangeline gaped at him and made way for the door. He was in front of it in an instance.

“I know you have probably figured out what is in there.”

She nodded. “Then you know why you cannot go in.”

She nodded once more and looked down at his hands. She looked away and then a double-take when she saw something that glittered drop into his pocket. She instantly guessed it was the key to the door. But it made no sense to her why Eleanor – or whomever – would give him a key if they did not want anyone entering. And where on earth had it come from?

She knew she would either have to act now or later, when he was sleeping. She decided to try now and it she did not succeed, there was always tonight. She pulled at the end of her dress sleeves, as to make the fabric fall from her shoulder and reveal her flesh. “Oh Henry,” she whispered, taking a step forward. He eyed her warily as she continued creeping forward. “I have nightmares when I sleep alone.”

He swallowed audibly and lifted the lantern up to his chest, creating a barrier between the two. “Then don’t sleep,” he replied, side-stepping her. He walked swiftly down the hall, his footsteps echoing off the walls. Evangeline sighed, knowing she had been defeated. She cursed herself, realizing he must think her a harlot for coming on to him in such a way when they barely knew one another. His footsteps were heard approaching once more and Evangeline could see two lights. When he reached her, he held one forward and she took it. “I’ll show you your room,” he informed her, placing his free hand on the small of her back.

She smirked to herself. “And what of my clothes?”

He paused and looked down at her and coughed a few times. “I… have already put them in your room.”

“How? I have been with you the whole time.”

“Magic,” he replied once more, resuming his walk. He looked down at her as she lifted her lantern and observed the grotesque paintings on the walls.

“Oh dear,” she muttered.

“Family of the man who owned the land before the Queen,” Henry answered.

“The Queen?” Evangeline repeated in an irritated tone. “What of her real name?”

“Her subjects never knew her real name and so no one else does either. She made them refer to her as ‘Queen” or ‘Majesty’ and nothing else.”

“Queen,” Evangeline muttered. “I could think of a few names to call her.”

Henry paused awkwardly at the entrance of what would be her room. “I would not say such things if I were you,” he whispered darkly.

“Henry, how old are you?” Evangeline asked curiously. She leaned casually against the door with her arms folded precisely under her chest – with the lantern dangling by one finger - so as to make it appear larger.

“I am twenty, miss, and you?”

Evangeline laughed. “Old enough for a lot of things and too young to be an old maid.” With that, she put her hand on the door knob and turned it. Cool air greeted her back and she stepped in backwards. “Good night, Henry.”

She reached her hand forward suddenly and could hear a sharp intake of breath. “Relax. I only wanted to thank you.”

He reached his hand towards hers and handled it delicately; as if afraid her bones would crush beneath his fingers. She took one more step backward and felt herself falling, until something caught her. Warm flesh wrapped around her waist and the lantern came clashing to the ground, the glass shattering into millions of pieces. She laughed out loud and looked up at Henry, with a look of pure awe. “Thank you,” she whispered. She wrapped her hands around his waist and gave him a light hug before letting go.

“Are you my savior or my captor, Henry?” she asked, when he did not release her.

He removed his arms and looked away, pretending to cough. Laughing, she stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. Henry stood there a moment, not sure of whether or not he should go. Evangeline waited silently, listening for his footsteps. And when she heard that familiar echo, she smiled wickedly to herself and opened up her hand.

Inside it, a golden key glowed in the darkness.