Blackstar

When I woke up, I was curled up in front of the fireplace. The air around me was still. In the two rooms I could hear the royal family sleeping. I had shooed Alexi to bed when I felt him starting to doze off beside me. I got up and stretched just as my stomach growled. I glanced out the window; thankfully the horses had made it in before the barrier closed.

I slipped on my old slippers, aware they were tattered, and grabbed a basket by the door. The air was warm and smelled of honeysuckle. The horses were standing by some trees, enjoying the sweet grass. I ran my hand down one horse’s silky neck before relieving it of the food bag. Inside was a chunk of meat wrapped up and salted to preserve it.

I wandered over to the trees, looking among the different fruits. I recognized apples, oranges, and pears but the other ones were foreign to me. As I picked the fruit, I noticed a small path made of stone. It was overgrown with the grass and I followed it around to the back of the cottage. There was a small garden of sorts fenced in with some kind of sharp purple wire.

I put the basket down and approached it carefully. I could feel some kind of aura pulsating from the wire.

“This is probably a bad idea,” I mumbled but touched the wire anyway.

A shock spread through my body and I was frozen in place. In my mind, I could see the purple wire twist into the form of a woman. It watched me until finally curling back to allow me access into the garden.

Shaking from the encounter, I walked in. The wire closed behind me and I had the feeling this was my mother’s garden and whatever was in here was incredibly powerful.

There were at least 20 wooden pikes driven into the ground. Each had a small wooden sign with a picture of whatever was growing there. Vines from the plants wound up the pikes and some even reached over to the pike next to it. I wanted to touch them but something held me back. I remembered the poisonous herbs I had found and wondered if this was where they came from.

I turned to leave, touching the wire gently. It immediately curled out but closed again when I left. I picked the basket back up and went into the cottage. Everyone was still asleep but that didn’t worry me. I placed the basket on the small counter I had missed yesterday and took the fruit out. I turned to chop up the meat and froze in fear.

A spirit of some sort was walking with the meat in her hands. She crossed to the fireplace and a fire immediately sprang up. She put the meat into the cooking kettle. In her arms she also carried a mixture of herbs and chopped vegetables. She put them in there and smiled warmly at me. My whole body shook in fear as I filled a bucket with water from the well and poured it into the kettle.

The spirit grinned and put her hand on my cheek.

“Mother?” I whispered.

The spirit vanished.

Pushing my tears back, I refilled the bucket with water and washed the fruit, my mind so preoccupied I didn’t hear Queen Vittoria come out.

“What are you cooking?” she asked.

“Stew,” I answered, glancing over at the pot. “Will you stir it for me?”

“Of course,” she said. “Is this the meat that we brought with us?”

I nodded. “I hope it’s okay.”

“That’s why we packed it,” she smiled. “How are you feeling?”

I dried the fruit off with a towel and frowned. “I don’t really know. I feel…. I feel a peace here that I haven’t felt ever before.” I looked around the small cottage. “It almost feels like this place was waiting for me to find it again.” I laughed a little. “But I’m also scared.”

The Queen sat at the table and patted the chair next to her. I passed her an apple.

“Why are you scared?”

I took a bit of the apple, admiring the taste. “It feels too peaceful. It’s almost like the land is preparing us for what we’re going to experience with Lucian….”

The Queen dabbed at her chin with her napkin. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with Lucian,” she began, “but I can tell you what’s happening now.” I looked at her eagerly and she smiled. “You’re home.”

“Then why doesn’t it feel like home?” I sighed. “I mean, I feel so much peace but, when I think of the word ‘home’ I envision the palace.”

“It’s a cliché, but home is where the heart is.”

“What if I never find the runes?” I whispered.

“You will. I know you will.”

I smiled.

-Alexi’s POV-

The smell of cooking meat woke me and I stretched. Vera was still asleep so I didn’t bother. When I walked out, my mother and Raven were at the small table eating apples.

“Would you like one?” Raven asked, holding it out and I accepted it.

“How long have you been awake?” I asked.

“A few hours,” she said evasively. “There’s something in the back I want to show you when you’re done,” she added.

My father came out, scratching his head in weariness.

“Excuse me,” she whispered.

I frowned as she walked into the room that had once belonged to her parents.

“How did you sleep?” I asked my parents.

“Very well,” my mother said, gathering the apple cores. “I haven’t felt peace like that in a while. Raven’s right; there’s something about this place.”

“I wonder what she wants to show me,” I mused out loud. “Did she mention the runes?”

“She hasn’t found them. I don’t think she even knows where to begin,” my mother added in an undertone.

“Are you ready?”

I turned and smiled. She was in one of her mother’s old dresses. It was a simple red with a white cloth smock tied at her neck and waist. She wore a pair of white slippers. She looked quite beautiful in such simple clothing that I wondered why we had her in those elegant dresses.

“Yes,” I said, recovering myself quickly and following her outside.

She led me around to the back where a purple wired fence encased a small garden. She hesitated.

“I don’t know if it will let you in,” she said. “Stand here and place your hand on the wire.”

I did as she said and my body froze up. She was watching me intently. The wire formed the shape of a woman.

“You have arrived.”

The wire curled open and my body was released.

“Did you hear that?” I asked but she shook her head.

“Come and look at these,” she instructed. “None of them look familiar to me.”

I knelt down in front of the pikes with the pictures. “Well, I can easily recognize the foxglove, nightshade, and hemlock. The rest aren’t poisonous, though.”

“That must be where she got the herbs for the stew,” I heard her mumble.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly. “So, other than those three, the rest are safe?”

I nodded, standing up and dusting the dirt off my knees. “Many of these are used for creating medicine.”

She walked away, looking extremely thoughtful. I followed behind, watching her carefully. She had changed since we got to this place. She was quieter, reserved; she was constantly thinking. I didn’t want to interrupt her. Not now that she was somewhere that had answers for her.

We arrived to the edge of the barrier. I could tell only because she rebounded and I caught her. Our eyes met and she kissed me gently.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” she whispered and I smiled, caressing her cheek.