On the Other Side

What If's

Amber

I waited until my mother came home. She didn’t know that I already met Liby and she didn’t know about our plan. I know she’ll be furious that I dragged Liby into this situation and that we’re planning to go back to Caria, but I have no other option. I can’t wait here, waiting for someone who will save the kingdom, my father and the Carians. Suddenly, the door opened. “ Mother,” I said . “ Amberina, can you help me carry these vegetables?”, My mother asked. “ Of course mother “, I said. I helped her carry all the vegetables and put them on the table. I prepared the pot and helped my mother slice the vegetables. “ Are you okay, Amberina?” She asked. “ Yes mother”, I answered. She looked at me for a few seconds. “What did you do?”, she asked. I was about to make up stories, but I guess she deserves to know it, I’m the only one she has for now and I don’t want to hurt her. “ Mother… I met Liby, and I told her about her father “, I said. “ Amberina, what have you done? She was just a girl, we can’t involve her in this situation”, she said. “ But mother, she deserves to know the truth and she’s not a girl , she’s a woman now… and she can see them”, I said.

My mother was shocked. “ She’s a human, how come she can see them”, she said. “ I don’t know, but Liby has something that I can’t explain. Something that’s powerful”, I said. “ And we’re planning to go to Caria tomorrow evening”, I continued. “ What?! You know how dangerous it is Amberina!”, she said. My mother was really mad. “ Mother, I have to try… we have to try. I can’t wait anymore… we’re living our life here peacefully, but the Carians are suffering every single day. We can’t hide forever… we have to fight. No one will save them except us”, I said. My mother was speechless. “ I’m sorry. I should be the one who thinks about a plan… to save them, but I was too scared to make a move”, she said. I reached for her. “ Mother, we will be okay, besides Margaret will help us”, I said. I know how it feels like scared and useless, but I don’t need to stay the same. I needed to face my fear to find an answer.” I’ll go with you”, she said. “ No mother, you have to stay here. You’re not familiar in the dark forest and it will be tricky. But we need your help guarding the boarders. I need you to keep it open “, I said. Even though my mother was born in Caria , she’s never been into the dark forest. Unlike me, I’ve been to a dark forest before. My father brought me there every time we find vegetables. He thought me everything about dark forest, its secret and its beauty even though the Carians avoided that place because it’s not safe. But my father wants me to face my fear because courage is when you’re scared, but you still keep going. My father reminded me to bring a red scarf whenever I go in the dark forest. It is a defense, that means creature won’t play tricks on you and you can find your way out. But the situation now is different. The queen has an eye in the dark forest. They are the Zerpen, the invisible guards of the dark forest. They were the queen’s clowns, they make sure that Amera won’t escape in the forest . Zerpens don’t attack, but they can get into your head through nightmares. They were shadows that hunt you down in your sleep.

Now, I can’t help thinking, but what if…What if Ametta still remains sweet and innocent? Maybe we’re not suffering. Maybe we’re still in Caria right now. Maybe the kingdom is happy and maybe I have my father with me. I never understood what Ametta and Amera feels because I was never a princess, but I saw the control they had to follow those rules. To neglect the things they wanted to do in order to put the kingdom first. Amera was a fighter, but I don’t understand how Ametta beat her. She was trained by her father. That was the thing that her mother disagreed with. Ametta was fragile. She didn’t fight, but she was a vixen. I don’t know how they end up in this situation, but maybe power is delighted with evil. If you let power consume you, evil may lead your way to darkness. What if Ametta realizes that ? Would she find her light? Will Amera be her light?