Saving Summer

Chapter Eleven: In Your World

She was outside of the most stunning palace that she had ever seen. The towers and turrets were made of ice white stone and was decorated with numerous stained glass windows. An enormous mahogany door was guarded by two men in coral uniforms. Little coral and turquoise flags adorned the tops of the towers of the castle. Penelope looked around but did not see the cloaked figure that brought her here. She wondered briefly where that person could be but her thought process was cut off when she heard a voice calling to her.

“Hey, you there!”

It was one of the uniformed guards. He was glaring at her and crooking his finger in a gesture that Penelope understood instantly. He was trying to get her to come closer. Deciding that she really did not have a choice, Penelope strode over to where the guard was standing. 

“Who are you, little missy? I have never seen you before?”

“Well,” said Penelope, her top lip curling under. She was slightly annoyed at being addressed in such a way. It reminded her of the creepy men who attempted to hit on her while she was at work. She had to bite her tongue while she was there but she saw no reason to do it now. “I believe that I should be asking you that question, sir.” She put a slight emphasis on the last word as if it was something unpleasant.

The guard narrowed his eyes, “It would do you well to show some respect to those of us in King Agostino’s employ. Now, who are you?”

“To have respect you must first earn it and you have done nothing so far to receive mine,” replied Penelope, scathingly.

The other guard snickered. The first guard continued to glare at Penelope who glared back at him. 

“Your insubordination to an officer of the Summer Kingdom will send you straight to prison,” he roared, taking a step forward. 

He grabbed Penelope roughly by the arm and began pulling her towards the entrance. Penelope struggled against him as she dug her heels into the dirt to try and stand her ground. The guard tugged even more on her arm and Penelope thought that he was going to break it. Tears formed in her eyes from the pain that she felt. Any second now and it would be too much.

“What is going on here?”

Penelope saw the guard’s eyes widen and his mouth hang open at the sight of the newcomer. His grasp loosened enough to where Penelope wrenched herself free. She turned around and found herself facing a burly red haired man. Penelope had read stories and watched many fantasy shows in her life so she knew exactly what a knight looked like. This man was definitely a knight. He was not wearing armor, however, but a white tunic over dark grey pants. The red haired man had a sword sheathed in a hilt attached to his hip. Penelope noticed various scars that covered the man’s arms and face. Some of them looked to be quite recent and she wondered if all knights looked like that or if it was just him.   

“Sir Domnahl, this woman appeared out of nowhere right in front of us,” sputtered the guard. “I was just about to take her to the prison because she would not tell us how she got here.”

The man named Sir Domnahl crossed his massive arms over his broad chest and tilted his head, “Is that so? Appeared out of nowhere, you say?”

The guard nodded. The other guard stepped forward to chime in, “It is true, Sir Domnahl. She appeared shortly after King Agostino used the Summoning Shell.”

At these words, Sir Domnahl scratched his chin and glanced over at Penelope. There was a mystified look in his eyes as if he did not know what to make of her. Penelope wondered what was going to happen. She did not want to be thrown into the dungeons of this strange place. She just wanted to go back home. 

“Well, I think that I will be taking her with me inside,” Sir Domnahl said finally. “King Agostino and Queen Yesenia can decide for themselves what to do with her.”

The guards did not try to protest further. Penelope felt her anxiety peak. It could not be good if Sir Domnahl was taking her in to meet the king and queen. She was certain that they were going to lock her away in a dungeon cell. Her heart sank as this unhappy thought entered her mind. 

Sir Domnahl peeked over his shoulder at Penelope. He was standing at the doorway, holding it ajar.

“Are you going to just stand there or are you going to follow me?”

Penelope sighed. She walked slowly up the steps towards Sir Domnahl. He held the door open for her and she passed through it. Sir Domnahl followed her inside, shutting the door behind him and sealing her fate.