The Locket (30 page)

Emily’s lips lowered back into a sulk as she made her way into the kitchen. “Well, Tony and I went off for a walk earlier this afternoon to run a few errands at the market.” She poured another glass of lemonade and brought it over to him. “While I was pondering over some fresh fruits, he must have lost his ball in the woods and ran after it. When I turned around he was gone.”

The general took a few generous sips from his cup and placed it on the coffee table beside him. His face had not gained any comfort and his eyes stayed on his wife’s for further information. “It was only about twenty minutes before I heard him shout for me and saw him bolting out of the forest, Savannah in tow.”

He then looked at Savannah, his gaze boring into her at first, and then it warmed while the lines on his face smoothed. “I suppose we owe you our thanks. If it weren’t for you, our little boy could be lost to us forever.”

She took his outstretched hand and winced at the strength of his grip. “I’m sure you would have found him given time, sir. You are, after all, the general.”

Nathan nodded once at this and downed the rest of his lemonade. “That may be true, but, regardless, we owe you a great deal.”

“Actually, sir, there is one thing I’m afraid I must ask of you.”

“Anything,” he bellowed.

Clearing her throat, Savannah glanced uneasily at Emily and then back at the general before she replied. “You see, sir, I was sent here by the king to warn you that a war is on its way. The two kingdoms on either side of yours have been arguing, as I’m sure you are aware of, and have finally declared war. Your kingdom was brought into the middle of it, believed to be after the land of the other two. So now, since there was no other way of contact but the broken mirror, someone had to be sent across the Mysterious Forest to warn you and ask that you come back for battle.”

Emily’s eyes shot to her husband in both fear and distress. Nathan’s own were focused intently on Savannah’s, his jaw set and firm in concentration. “How long before they attack?”

“Not long, sir, perhaps a matter of days. The king is hoping the marriage between his son and the princess from the next kingdom will aid them, but other than that, there is not much hope without you.”

Turning to his wife, he brushed a hand across her cheek. “I am sorry dear, I must leave.”

An invisible tear shed from her eye, her expression telling nothing else. “Yes, of course.”

The general gave a sympathetic look as he walked over to his wife and hugged her tightly. “I want you to stay here with Tony. There is absolutely no telling what mess will be there when we go back.”

“No,” she answered defiantly. “I do not want to stay here if we all cannot stay here. We will go with you.” The reply was more demanding than suggestive.

“Very well,” he agreed. He knew from past arguments and twenty-seven years of marriage that it was useless to discuss further—his wife would have it no other way. “Then we shall all leave the minute we finish packing.” Soon after, he turned his attention back to Savannah with his brows furrowed. “And you, my dear. Did you just say that you traveled across the Mysterious Forest to find me?”

She nodded. “Yes sir, me and Christian.”

He crafted another genuine smile. “Then you are undoubtedly your mother’s daughter.” Normally, it would have appeared odd to her that a strange man knew who she was without a proper introduction. But after spending a few days in this world, the things she grew to expect vanished, being replaced by the unexplainable. “Gwendolyn was one of the few maidens that I have known who would do something as crazy as that. It was always well worth it in the end.” Emily placed a loving hand on her husband’s shoulder. He acknowledged her, running a hand through her hair as he recalled all the famous stories he had heard of Mrs. Morgan. “Did you say that you have a friend along with you?”

“Yes,” she said, realizing for the first time that he had yet to join them in the house. “I wonder if he is still outside.”

Making her way out the door, Savannah spotted Christian still racing around the field with Tony. Catching her eyes on his, he noted the serious look on her face and, after yelling a brief warning to Tony, he hurried over to her. On his way over, he watched as the general and his wife came out the door, their expressions somber.

Christian quickly tried to hide his face, pretending the sun was just in his eyes, but he was too late. Not only had the general seen him, he had also recognized him immediately. Christian saw as the realization spread across his face, and as the general was about to speak, his wife, who had been anticipating it, jammed him in the side and put a finger to her lips. This gave Christian the notion to confront the general and his wife, rather than hide like a coward behind the nearest tree.

“Well, seeing as how the two of you spent so long and worked so hard to reach me, I will grant you the favor of sending you back to the other side of the forest by magic. It is the least I can do.”

Savannah looked at him in gratitude. “Thank you very much; that would be greatly appreciated. I can’t imagine we’d make it back alive the second time.”

Sensing the disappointment in her tone, the general stared at her in confusion and concern. “Is there something wrong?”

“Oh, well, it’s just that …” Trailing off, she brought the locket out from under her shirt and showed it to him. “My mother gave me this locket, which is how I came to be here in the first place. But from the moment I entered this world, it hasn’t worked, and I don’t know why.”

The general held out his hand and began to study it when she gave it to him. Opening it, he scanned the inside and closed it back up. “You are just out of magic juice, my dear. I will be glad to recharge it for you if that is your wish.”

Savannah was so excited, she was practically jumping up and down. “It is! Oh, it is! Thank you!” Within a minute, she had already made her way over to Emily and Nathan, giving them each a huge hug in turn. “Thanks again for everything!”

“You are welcome, my dear. Really, we should be the ones thanking you,” he said, handing her back her locket as it sparkled, fully charged.

“Yes, and I am sure Tony would like to thank you one last time before you leave as well. Why don’t you run over to him and say goodbye?” Beaming, Savannah nodded and ran to where their son was kicking the ball back and forth across the yard.

Not wasting any time, both Emily and Nathan moved in closer to their second guest and lowered their voices. “Christian, what is going on? Why are you here?” Emily scolded. “Your parents must be worried sick about you! They have to be nervous wrecks, especially with this war coming up and the wedding tomorrow.”

The guilt bubbling in him made its way to a full boil. “I know, I know,” he said impatiently. “What I did was wrong, I should not have left and I should not be afraid.”

“Do they even know that you are here?”

He shook his head. “No.”

Nathan stared him dead in the eye. “Christian, promise me that you will go straight home once you come to the other side. Our kingdom cannot afford to lose its future ruler.”

Christian held his head higher and met the general’s gaze with challenge. “I have decided that I would go back. I now know that who I am is nothing to be scared of and that, especially at times like these, I should be thinking of what is best for my kingdom, not what is best for me. The people come first.”

The general glared at him a moment, and then softened his expression. “My boy, I know very well that for quite some time, you have been uneasy about your position as crowned prince. Though you studied hard and did not lack either the intelligence or the skill to rule a kingdom, you certainly did lack the courage and patience. You are young still, I know. But as a boy a shave younger than twenty, you should learn to start becoming a man. It is your duty and your destiny.”

Christian stood motionless, taking in every word that was thrown at him. “You have always been a boy in many ways, not yet ready to become a man. And you have always been sure of it, too. So now I have one question—I see a dramatic change in you, my boy. What, may I ask, has caused this change?”

He did not say anything. He merely broke his attention away from the general to what lay behind him. Trailing his gaze, both Nathan and his wife found the young lady by the house, enfolding her arms around their tiny boy. “I see,” Nathan said in understanding. “She does not know who you are, does she?” Christian shook his head, lowering it to the ground. “Sooner or later, lad, you are going to have to end it.” Shooting his head up, his eyes found the general’s and stared at him in challenge. “Whatever this is, whatever you have started with this girl, it must not continue. Your kingdom depends on your marriage with Princess Adelaide tomorrow, and you cannot let them down.”

“And you had better do it soon,” Emily agreed. Christian rested his attention on her with equal disdain. “Let me tell you something. While you were out here hiding, she was in there dreaming about you. She didn’t have to say a word; I know a girl in love when I see it.” The flutter in his heart barely had time to register before she went on. This time her eyes were sad and her voice was kind. “I realize how much you must care for this maiden. I like her too, quite a lot as it would seem. But you have no idea whether or not she could run a kingdom. She’s had no training for such and she does not know this world or its people.”

When Christian only stared at her in response, she finished her lecture. “Adelaide will be a great queen for you, Christian. She will bond the kingdoms together and will be loved by all your subjects. Please don’t make a big mistake.”

He took one last fleeting look at Savannah. “What do I do?” he pleaded helplessly. “I love her.”

The general and his wife looked at each other in sadness. “Lad, there are some things I am afraid that we cannot tell you. As adults, we can prepare you for certain obligations or give you advice as to what mistakes we’ve made in our pasts. Yet there are still some things that we cannot help you with. If you are going to be king one day, you are going to have to learn how to solve your own predicaments, because you will be balancing your own with those of your people.

“So it would be wise to start now. You must never forget that you are not only the king, but Christian as well. You are, after all, just a regular person like the rest of us. Therefore, you must not let your being king get in the way of your life as Christian, and vice-versa. And although we can give you the answers, what will you learn? No one said that your job was going to be easy.”

He stared at Christian for another long moment before Savannah skipped her way back to them. “Okay, sir, I think that we’re ready to go.” Sensing the discomfort in the air, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” the general gave her a reassuring smile and stood up straight. “Now, for this spell to work properly, the two of you will have to hold on nice and tight to each other. Whatever you do, do not let go, lest you become separated in the forest.”

Christian grabbed hold of her waist as she leaned into him and he placed his chin upon her head. To hold herself steadier, she put her arms around him and waited for the magic to begin. After the general mumbled a few magic words, a flash of golden light with silver stars swirled around the two of them. The wind whipped through Savannah’s hair, her heart racing with excitement and a sudden spark of energy. And in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

The picture of Emily, Nathan, and Tony had disappeared, and in its place was the unforgettable sight of thousands of trees in one square foot. They were once again at the beginning of the forest. “Well … I guess we did it,” she said breathlessly. A mere four days ago, Savannah was waltzing into this forest with nothing more than a sac full of supplies and an overconfident attitude. Now, she was leaving it with much, much more than she had before.

Smiling, Christian took her hand, and they began heading to the forest’s edge.

Now what? she wondered. Do I go back with him into the village and meet his family? Do we go to the king and queen and tell them that the general is on his way? Her hand tightened on Christian’s as she thought about their future. She was not prepared for what would happen after the journey. Hooray, a happy ending … or was it? Savannah knew she had to go back; this place wasn’t her home.

The funny thing, though, was that home was beginning to blur in her mind. Her old house was getting hazy, her Aunt Jenny, and even Marie. Why did this world all of a sudden seem more real to her than her life in New York?

Should I tell her now? Christian asked himself. Or should I wait until we reach the palace and surprise her with the news? Will she hate me for lying, or will she be happy knowing who I am? What am I saying; of course she won’t be happy.

Responding to the squeeze of her hand with one of his own, his heart sunk in fear of rejection. Even if she does, by some miracle of the gods, forgive me and love me back, what will I do about my kingdom or Adelaide?

Without knowing the other’s thoughts, the one thing the two of them did know, as they made their way into the light of the land outside the forest, was that things were not going to be the same.

It didn’t take long for them to adjust to the sight of the gleaming sun, but when they did, the two of them saw a small figure in the distance. The person, who was no shorter than a bush and no taller than a goat, was rushing toward them in a distressed manner. Though the unknown figure was not intimidating to look at, it was not until it came into clearer view that Christian began to tremble in the inside. But by the time he realized who belonged to that figure, it was too late.

“Your Highness!” Lance-a-Lot shouted, waving his arms in the air. “Your Highness! Oh, Your Highness, thank goodness you have come back! The king and queen have been so very concerned about your whereabouts!” Coming up beside them, he rested a hand onto Christian’s shoulder, trying to catch his breath. “Your Highness, you have absolutely no idea what state of catastrophe this kingdom has been in since you left! The queen has been sending masses upon masses of guards all around the kingdom looking for you. Your brother ... well, what can I say about Rupert? But your father has been contemplating over your disappearance for days! He has not slept, not ate. He would not even sit down for more than a minute, watching out the palace windows, waiting for you to come home.”

Christian’s face, by now, had completely dropped. He did not know what to say or how to avoid Lance from blowing any portion of his cover before he went off on his rampage. Not wanting to face Savannah just yet, he kept his hand firmly in hers and glared at Lance with piercing eyes.

Savannah, on the other hand, had officially lost any thought that may have been previously running through her mind. It wouldn’t surprise her if her jaw had hit the ground by how far she let it fall. She felt Christian’s hand solidly in her own and began to wonder if it should stay there. “Excuse me—what? What did you call him?”

Lance crossed his arms and scowled. “Your Highness, I’m afraid we don’t have time for games. We need to go.”

If her head had not been cramming with a whole bunch of new thoughts, Savannah would have come up with a fiery comment to his blunt rudeness. Instead, she began to laugh. “Wait a minute, hold on a second. This is a joke, right? You’re not serious, are you?”

Lance just stared at her, this time unsure of how to react. His face was scrunched in uncertainty as he switched his attention from one person to the other. But that one look from him was all it took to clip all the amusement from her voice. When she did not get a response, she turned toward Christian. “Chris, what is he talking about?” Perhaps Lance had gone crazy.