The Sapphire Fruit

Chapter Two-2

“In time? What’s happening?” Amethyst asked.

“I was requested by the King to repair some tapestries at the castle.”

“Really?” Amethyst looked at her with a joyful grin.

“Yes, and you will be coming with me as an assistant.”

“That’s wonderful, but what are tapestries?” Amethyst replied as she started to think of trampolines.

“They are art made of fabric that hangs on the walls.”

“Why would someone hang carpets on the wall?” Amethyst asked with a puzzled expression.

Her mother smiled at her and stated, “They are not carpets, but a different form of painting with fabric. When you see them, you will know what I mean. Now come, we need to pack our things for the journey.”

Melanie grabbed the bundle of cotton and Amethyst went to her room to pack her things. When they finished, they headed to the carriage. Amethyst hugged her grandmother, who told her to behave and to show the King that she was a respectful child.

“Yes, Gamma. I’ll be good.”

“Good. And Melanie, make sure you impress the King.”

“Of course.”

They both stepped into the carriage, and Amethyst waved to her grandmother. She asked her mother, why she was not coming with them.

“Someone must stay at the house to care for it.”

“Oh, I see. So how long will it take for you to fix the rugs?”

“They are tapestries, not rugs. And I am not sure; it depends on how much work they need.”

“I hope it won’t take long.”

Melanie smiled at Amethyst.

“What?”

“You always wanted to see a castle, but now you want to go back home when we just left.”

“It’s just that…what happens if someone tries to rob our house or—”

“My, where did you get that idea from?”

“Nira told me that her cousins left their home and bandits came and took everything.”

“That is serious, but we do not have anything of value that is worth stealing, and Gamma will be there.”

“I guess you’re right,” Amethyst murmured as she saw that they were moving further away from the last farmhouse of their village.

The trip to the palace was long, and it took them two days to see the outer walls of the castle. As the carriage approached, there stood a figure in the trees watching them. They moved their hand, and something on the opposite side stirred.

When the wagon came into view, Melanie told Amethyst to look. She was impressed at the grand stone wall and the four massive towers jutting out from behind them. As soon as the carriage made a turn on the banks, a trap was sprung, and it ripped the front wheel off the wagon. Melanie and Amethyst were startled, as the cart collapsed. They heard an odd sound in the distance, and suddenly, screams came from the forest. Amethyst glanced out the window and saw a group of wild-looking creatures rushing towards them, and they carried weapons.

Melanie yelled at her to get down on the floor, but Amethyst was already outside cooling her hand. She shot ice from her fingers and hit some of the creatures, managing to knock one of their heads. She saw that it was a man dressed in animal skin. The man looked at her with wide eyes then ran back into the trees. Amethyst attacked the others, but they moved quickly. Seeing that she was not able to hit any of them, she created an ice path and skied around the creatures. Amethyst froze their legs, and they were stuck to the ground. Then she froze their arms so they could not free themselves. As she continued, another group of men attacked. They fired arrows at her, but she avoided them, freezing a few to the branches.

While she fought them all on her own, a man up in a high tree saw what she was able to do. She had such incredible powers that his men were no match. He gave out a cry that sounded like the roar of a dragon, and they began to retreat into the forest. A bomb erupted in front of Amethyst, and a giant cloud of smoke blocked her vision. She coughed and moved away. As soon as the dust was gone, so were her attackers—even the ones that had been frozen in place.

Now that it was safe, Amethyst went back to her mother to see if she was well. The coachman was surprised that a small child was able to defend the carriage from an entire group of grown men without getting hurt, but what also surprised him was the power she had displayed.

“Mama,” Amethyst yelled, “are you okay?”

“Yes, I am fine, but you should not have done that.” Melanie grabbed her by the shoulders. “You might have gotten hurt, or they could have killed you.”

“But they didn’t, and I was not going to let them hurt you.”

Melanie placed the back of her hand against Amethyst's cheek. “I understand that you wanted to protect me, but you must not put too much faith in your talents. I do not want to lose you as well.”

Amethyst saw that her mother was upset, so she hugged her tightly and whispered, “I’m sorry. I won’t do that again.”

“I cannot believe that you were able to do something that amazing,” the coachman expressed with an astonished voice. “You saved us from those bandits on your own. I have never seen anything like that in my life. Is she a sorceress?”

“No, just someone blessed,” Melanie responded. “But please, do not tell anyone of what she did here.”

“I will keep it a secret.”

“Thank you.”

As soon as the coachman replaced the wheel, they were back on the road and headed towards the first wall of the castle, which was as high as four men on top of each other’s shoulders. The walls were black stones, and the gates were as thick as three men side by side. As the carriage entered, Amethyst saw soldiers—walking around with their swords, some training while others sat around talking. The gap between the two walls was broad; the carriage rode for a few minutes to reach the front of the second gate. The carriage stopped again at the second stone wall, which was white, and the barriers were thicker than the first one. They went through the gate, and there stood the grand castle with different stone creatures looking down from their high places. The doors of the palace looked like dragons, and they had many different designs carved within them. In the middle of the courtyard was a large fountain with different fish that swam inside, and there were various flowers planted around it. The carriage stopped, and another man opened the door. Amethyst stepped out and jumped down to the stone floor. She looked at the ground. It was smooth, and it glimmered with different colors as the sun’s light shifted across its surface.

“Greetings,” a voice came from behind the large doors in front of them. As they opened, a man emerged. As he came closer, Amethyst saw that he appeared to be in his fifties, for he had a gray mustache and goatee. His outfit was an elegant uniform; red and white with decorations on his chest. He had a stylish walking stick with a ruby stone on the top.

“Welcome, my ladies; I am Beauregard, the castle steward.” He bowed his head.

“Hello, sir. I am Melanie,” she curtsied in his direction, “and this is my daughter, Amethyst.”

“A pleasure to meet you both. Now please follow me.”

“Um, what’s a steward?” Amethyst asked her mother as Beauregard led the way.

“A steward is someone who oversees the everyday operations and duties of the castle,” he answered.

“But I thought the King did that.”

“The King does other things. What I do is make sure that everything is clean, that the gardens are trimmed and maintained, the food is prepared and served to the King; those that enter must check with me before they are allowed to see the King and many other things. Also, if the King has gone somewhere, I am left with the responsibility of the people.”

“Oh wow. That’s a lot of things that you do.”

Beauregard looked at Amethyst and smiled as he accompanied them to the King’s throne room where the tapestries hung. There were many, and they were incredible. Some were of different shapes and sizes, but they all had incredible illustrations of horses, knights, dragons, castles, and Wizards. However, there was one that was more magnificent than the others. It was massive, and it had different colors on it that shone brightly as it hung above the throne with pride. It was different from the others; unusual. The image on the tapestry was a man dressed in armor, and he held a gem in his hand that looked like three grapes. There was nothing special about the armored man, but for the fruit—it appeared to be glowing. She stared at it with wonder and walked towards the tapestry. Amethyst was in such a daze that Melanie had to grab her hand, which snapped her out of it. She looked at her mother and was told not to approach the throne. Amethyst was about to say something when she heard a trumpet playing.

“All hail King Conrad and Princess Aurora,” a voice announced.

“Amethyst, make sure to curtsy to them,” Melanie whispered. “We do not want to get into trouble.”

“I will.”

The King and his daughter both appeared, and they sat in their seats of beautiful leather with golden arms. The King was handsome, and he had a goatee as red as his hair and light brown eyes that sparkled. The robe he wore was the fur of some creature—it had various different colors—and his crown was grand with many different gems. The Princess’s hair was curled and as golden as the sun, which emphasized her dark green eyes. She was a year older than Amethyst, but she seemed younger for her age. She wore a white dress with blue trim. When she walked, the garment shimmered in the light. Amethyst was amazed at their attire, but she knew that her mother could design more beautiful clothing than what they had in their closets.

“My Lord, may I present to you, Melanie the seamstress and her daughter, Amethyst.”

They both bowed, and the King was astonished by Melanie’s beauty. His eyes widened as he gazed at her. The King could not believe that someone as beautiful as Melanie would be a seamstress.

“I have heard that you are the seamstress that can fix any fabric and make it appear as new.” His eyes observed Melanie as he spoke. “However, your beauty is something incredible.”

“Your Majesty is too kind,” Melanie replied as she blushed.

The Princess made a disgusted face at the compliment. Amethyst was also shocked by what the King had said and glanced at her mother’s red cheeks. Both daughters glanced at their parents then at each other. The Princess was not impressed by Amethyst, and she rolled her eyes as she looked away. Amethyst noticed the Princess’s expression, and she too averted her gaze.

“Before you work on the tapestries, there is something that I want you to do first,” the King commanded as he made a gesture with his hand. A servant came over with an old torn cloth and stood in front of her. “I want you to fix this, and if you are lying to me, you shall die.”

“What!” Amethyst screamed.

“Why are you upset, child? If your mother is not lying, then there is no need to be intimidated,” the King replied.

“Why would you say something like that?”

“Amethyst, please calm down.” Melanie placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder.

“I have a reason. Many have arrived claiming of incredible things, but they all lie.” The King looked at Melanie. “I hope you can complete this task; it seems that your daughter has no faith in your abilities. It would also be a shame to see someone with your beauty killed.”

“I can do it, and you will be amazed.”

The King noticed Amethyst’s hair and thought it was odd. “Why does she have purple hair?”

“It changes with the temperature around her.”

“Interesting.” He looked at Melanie. “Well, I believe I have given you a task, and I insist that you complete it at once.”

“Of course,” Melanie replied as she took the cloth from the servant.

Amethyst held up the sewing box, and Melanie pulled out a needle. She looked for a thread that matched the color of the cloth, and then she started to mend it. With a few stitches, the fabric appeared as new and Melanie handed the material back to the servant. He brought it to the King, who examined the cloth.

He was impressed with how beautiful the fabric came out; it was as if no one has ever touched it. “You speak the truth.”

The King ordered the servants to take down all the tapestries except for the grand one. Amethyst noticed that the armored man was gone, and now a strange bird flew over a castle; it seemed to be moving.

“Why aren’t they removing that one?” she whispered to her mother.

“Because this one must not be touched,” the King answered as he stood from his throne.

“Why?” The bird was gone.

The King said nothing to Amethyst as he addressed her mother. “If there is anything else that you need, Beauregard will assist you.”

Both the King and the Princess left the throne room, and Beauregard told them to follow him. As he led them to the sewing room, Amethyst looked back at the tapestry and noticed that the image had changed again. There was now a horse that stood by a river, and the gem was in a tree.