Part Thirty-One

Blue ran from her room and headed to Georgeanne's room where she found her sister sitting up in bed, a single candle on her nightstand lighting the bedroom. Her back pressed up against the door, she stared at her sister from across the room. "You felt it, too," said Georgeanne. Blue nodded unaware if her sister could see her or not. Slowly she peeled herself from the door and crossed the room to the bed.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I don't know," said Georgeanne, "but it felt... angry?" She tilted her head in thought. "No. That doesn't seem to be the right word."

Blue leaned on the wooden frame at the foot of the bed. "Yes," she agreed. "It was angry, but it was also something else."

"Whatever it was, it was strong," Georgeanne stated.

"Agreed." Blue rounded the bed and sat beside her sister. "Do you think we should be worried?"

"Why?" she answered plainly. "I don't even know what that really was." She paused in thought a moment before asking, "B?" Her sister looked at her. "Were you scared?"

Blue thought a moment. When it had happened, it had woken her, and she felt the need to rush to Georgeanne to see if she had felt the same thing, but as to it scaring her? "No," she replied. "I was scared at all." Thinking on it some more, she added, "In fact, I felt-."

"Loved," said Georgeanne completing her sister's thought.

"Yes," said Blue. They sat in silence a moment, wondering how something so angry could also make them feel so loved. Georgeanne was about to say something when the door opened. Both princesses turned to find the Queen standing in the doorway.

"What is going on here?" she asked eyeing both girls suspiciously.

"I had a bad a dream," said Blue.

"A bad dream?" repeated the Queen.

"Yes," she answered. "And I came to Georgeanne to seek comfort."

Her wary eye turned to the other girl. "Is this true?"

"I had been soothing her nerves for the past few minutes before you arrived," said the princess.

"Indeed," said the Queen. "Are you feeling better now?" she asked Blue.

"A little," she said, "though I was thinking of sleeping here tonight if it was all right with Georgeanne."

"It is all right with me," said Georgeanne patting Blue's hand. They both turned to the Queen, and she couldn't help but ask, "Is that all right with you?"

The Queen stood, staring at them both. Feigning as sincere a smile as she could, she said, "Of course it is." She reached for the knob and said, "You two let me know if you need anything." The girls thanked her, and the Queen wished them pleasant dreams before closing the door. Back in the hall, she mulled over the conversation immediately disbelieving every word that had come out of their mouths.

Something was afoot. She could feel it in her bones. And she needed to find out what it was and soon.

Part Thirty

Aggie sat and watched her children embrace. It had felt like forever since they had seen each other, and to be together again was something special. Devon saw Aggie over his sister's shoulder. "How?" he asked walking a couple steps absent-mindedly towards the gazebo.

She sat happily inside the gazebo and smiled at her son. "I had nothing to do with it," she said simply.

"But I didn't-," he said and then caught his sister's eyes. "You?" he asked. She said nothing. "But how did you-?"

"She found me," said Agathea with a wide spread of her hands.

Devon looked back to his sister. "Where have you been all this time?" The woman's face changed, her eyes losing their sparkle a little. "Aiyana?"

"Someplace dark," she replied and then wrapped her arms around her. "And cold." Her arms fell loosely to her sides, her head falling forward some. "Alone. For so long." Devon turned to Agathea who rose from her seat and moved closer. "Mind plays tricks," Aiyana continued, her tone quiet and wan. "Things there not really there." A sharpness tweaked her eyes when she said, "And then she came."

"Who?" asked Agathea.

"She put me there," she said, then her mouth turned into a slight snarl when she added, "and left me there." The older woman was closer now, standing a little further from her children than they were to each other. "Alone," she mumbled. "But then..."

"What?"

"She came back," she whispered. "I thought I was dreaming. I did that a lot. The darkness melted the day together." She brought a hand to her head. "And then she was gone, but something was different. Something... pulled me away..." Her hand dropped and turned toward the gardens. "Where are they?" she asked. "The little ones," she said eagerly looking about.

Devon stood by her side. "Little ones?"

"I think she means the girls," said Agathea stepping up beside him.

He nodded. "They're asleep," he said. "I checked on them earlier."

"My girls," she said quietly. "My angels." Her hands slowly curled into fists, her nails digging into her palms. A small growl escaped her lips as she muttered, "How dare she keep from them."