In Your Eyes

The sun rose on the quiet kingdom of Goldenlocke. Roosters woke the townspeople from their slumbers and men dressed sleepily into work clothes. The women began breakfasts, waking reluctant children and sorting through laundry. It was spring time and everyone’s windows were thrown open to catch breezes and the sweet smell of wildflowers.

Up at the palace, a servant knocked timidly on the princess’s bedroom door.

“It’s time to get up m’lady,” the girl said, poking her head in but the princess was already sitting in front of her mirror.

“Good morning, Jesse,” the princess said, struggling with her waist length red hair.

The servant, Jesse, took up the brush and gently worked on her knots. As normal, the princess hardly said a word. She hadn’t truly smiled or laughed in over three years. Although she never yelled, one look from the princess was enough to silence a whole room and the servants were careful not to cross their boundaries around her.

“Which dress would you like to wear today?” Jesse asked, walking over to the wardrobe.

She sighed heavily and stood up, glancing briefly in the mirror one last time. She flicked through her many gowns and decided on another black one. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jesse’s face fall but she didn’t offer any explanations.

Downstairs in the dining hall, her father was reading a packet of papers and her mother was knitting. The princess sat carefully and ate her breakfast in silence. Her parents shared uneasy looks.

“Why don’t we go down to the marketplace today?” her mother offered with a smile. “You love going to the marketplace.”

“Not today,” she answered. “I’m going into the forest. I want to visit him.”

Her father sighed and put his papers down. “Arella,” he muttered, “don’t you think it’s time to-”

Arella stood abruptly and folded her napkin onto her now empty plate. Her parents watched her walk out sadly. She took her red cloak and draped it over her shoulders as she set out behind the palace. Dew still clung to the grass blades, causing her dress to slap against her ankles. She didn’t care, though. There were worse things that could happen to her.

Despite the sun, she felt cold. Everyone kept trying to get her to move on but she couldn’t do it. They hadn’t known him as she did. They hadn’t experienced the feeling of their soul ripping from their bodies as he gave his last breath.

The trees were thick but she didn’t get lost. He had been buried just outside their favorite place.

“That way you’ll always know where to find me.”

She stepped over some roots, allowing herself to cry – something she never did around others. After his death, Arella very rarely let people close to her. The only two people who she felt comfortable around were her parents and even their relationship had been strained. In her opinion, they moved on much too quickly.

She came to the small stream where they would splash around in on hot summer days and paused at the tree that stood beside it with a branch that hung over. She put a pale hand on the trunk, closing her amber eyes and remembering the swing they had created from rope. Instead of making her smile, the memories only pierced her deeper.

She turned slowly and walked the fifteen feet to his grave. She sat in front of the stone and touched his name on etched into the marble.

“I miss you,” she whispered, not bothering to wipe away her tears. “Everyone keeps saying I need to keep moving on. They keep saying I should forget.” She let out a small sob and arranged the flowers she had brought the previous day. “How can I just forget about you? You’re my twin. I feel like half of me is gone. How do you get over something like this?” She sighed. “I could really use your help right now…. I keep trying to think what you would say if you were here but I can’t.”

She lay down on top of her brother’s grave and cried freely. She gripped the grass that had grown over the years and shut her eyes tightly, sobbing. She stayed that way for an hour before sitting back up and tucking her hair behind her ear.

Suddenly, a warm breeze swept by with a small hint of honeysuckle lingering on her nose. She wiped her tears away and stood, gazing at the stone. Despite what anyone else might say, those warm breezes weren’t from nature. She kissed the top of his stone.

“Good bye, Brother,” she said and headed back to the palace.

-

“How long do you think she’ll be out there?” Johnathan asked his wife.

The queen looked up at the window. “I don’t know. Johnathan, we have to do something.”

“She resents us, you know,” Johnathan sighed. “I can see it in her eyes.”

“Paul was her twin,” Marie said. “I can’t even imagine what she’s going through.”

“Which I understand,” he returned, “but he was our son, also. Life goes on. I hate seeing her like this. I worry about her.”

“As do I, dear husband,” she said, setting her knitting to the side. “But what can we do? She won’t talk to us and I know for a fact that she won’t talk to the doctor you wrote to.”

“She needs help we can’t give her, Marie. Maybe the doctor can help.”

“When does she arrive?” Marie asked, glancing at the clock.

“She’ll be here in an hour,” Johnathan answered. “We should probably prepare for her arrival. I’ll make sure the servants have finished her room. I don’t know how long she’ll be here.”

“In her last note, she asked for permission to bring her son,” Marie reminded him. “Don’t forget to look into his bedroom, as well.”

Johnathan nodded and left, his thoughts confused. The servants had prepared both rooms, adding the special pillows in the son’s room just as the doctor had requested. She hadn’t gone into detail; all Johnathan knew was that he was sickly. Just as the doctor and her son arrived, Arella walked in from outside, brushing leaves and grass off of her cloak.

She had been crying.

“Arella, we’ll be having special guests for a while,” he said, embracing her after she had hung up her cloak. “Come with me to the foyer to greet them, please.”

“Yes, Father.”

She followed behind him, her hands folded in front of her and her eyes downcast. Marie met them and hugged her daughter tightly just as the front doors opened.

“May I present Doctor Dorothy Juniper and her son, Mathias Juniper,” the coachman said, bowing.

Arella shot her father a look but he bowed to the doctor and her son as they walked in.

“Thank you very much for coming,” Johnathan said, coming forward to shake the doctor’s hand.

“Thank you for having us,” she returned and Mathias bowed deeply. “This is my son.”

Mathias shook hands with the king and kissed the queen’s ring. Arella hung back behind and Johnathan could tell she wanted to run. He grabbed her arm gently and pulled her forward.

“Arella,” he said, “would you give Dorothy here a tour of the castle while we bring their bags in?”

Her face clearly said no but she nodded. The doctor gave Johnathan a reassuring smile and followed the princess up the stairs.