Saving Summer

Chapter Twenty: The Prophecy

It did not take them long to locate their horses. They were eating blades of grass in the clearing not too far from the river. After coaxing the horses to them, Sir Domnahl and Penelope rode the horses all the way back to the stables. Neither Penelope nor Sir Domnahl spoke the entire way there. Penelope was still reeling from what had happened. No indication that she possessed magical powers ever manifested before. Her life back in Gloverfield, Ohio had been as normal as possible. Nothing out of the ordinary ever occurred to make her suspect that she was special or gifted. So the fact that she had magical powers all of a sudden was a mystery to her.

She wished that she could talk to her mother about all of this but that was impossible. Her mother was dead and since there was no way to communicate with those that had passed on, Penelope knew that she could not ask her anything. She wanted to know if anyone in her family was a witch. Surely someone had to be in order for her to have powers? She did not keep in contact with anyone from her family as they all lived too far away. The only person that she could ask was her grandfather who lived in Boston. They talked at least once a week on the phone just to keep tabs on each other’s lives. Her grandfather had even invited her to stay with him in Boston but Penelope declined. The car that she inherited from her mother was not very reliable and the last thing Penelope wanted was for it to break down on the highway. She did not have the money for a plane ticket either so Penelope was stuck in Gloverfield.

The stables came into view with the palace looming behind it. Sir Domnahl reached the stables first and Penelope followed shortly after. After they put their horses back in their stalls, Sir Domnahl and Penelope made their way towards their rooms to get changed for dinner. Penelope’s hand was on the knob and turning it before she heard Sir Domnahl clear his throat. Letting go of the door handle, Penelope turned around to face him. 

“I believe you when you say that you did not know you had magic ability,” Sir Domnahl told her. He was wearing a somber expression as he continued, “I was just annoyed that the powers did not show sooner. We could have left on the quest a couple of days ago.”

“But if they only show up when someone is in danger, that makes them pretty unreliable,” Penelope stated, matter-of-factly. 

Sir Domnahl nodded, “You are right. If that is true, then perhaps it was for the best that I taught you how to use a spear. You can always trust a weapon. Magic, not so much.”

Penelope crossed her arms and frowned, “But it doesn’t hurt to be able to use magic. I mean, I did save you from that snake after all.”

Sir Domnahl smirked. “That you did,” he agreed, readily. Then his expression changed as he added, “But I would advise you not to rely on it too much. From the little that I know about it, magic in our world is not so easy to control. It is dangerous and I won’t be able to help you if you mess up. Magic is the one weapon that I am not skilled in.”

“Noted,” Penelope said, firmly. Her stomach began to rumble. All of that fighting made her have quite the appetite. She wanted to get dressed as soon as possible and go down to the dining hall to eat dinner. Opening the door to her bedroom, she peeked over her shoulder at Sir Domnahl and said, “I will see you in a few minutes.”

Sir Domnahl nodded and smiled. Five minutes later, the two made their way down to the dining hall with the king and queen. Once again, innumerable dishes laden the covered table. Penelope felt her mouth water as the aroma of all the food wafted over to her. Her stomach rumbled again as she took her seat across from Sir Domnahl. King Agostino chuckled as he heard her stomach growl.

“Sir Domnahl’s training is still a fantastic way to gain an appetite, I see,” he joked.

“It wasn’t all his training,” Penelope started. She lifted the lid of the dish nearest to her and began scooping a mound of mashed potatoes onto her plate. “We also fought a river snake today.”

King Agostino’s eyebrows raised. He shifted his gaze towards Sir Domnahl who was cutting a slice of meat off of a roasted pheasant. Feeling the gaze of the king on him, Sir Domnahl looked up and said, “Yes, it is true. The river snake fought hard but we managed to subdue it. Or, should I say, Penelope did.”

“Is that so?” inquired King Agostino. He surveyed Penelope with mild interest and added, “Did your lessons using the spear with Sir Domnahl pay off then?”

Penelope shook her head, “No, I left my spear in my room. I summoned a fireball to take down the snake.”

The sound of forks clattering as they fell filled the room. Everyone was silent at Penelope’s words. All eyes were on her and she did not like it. Instantly, she regretted telling them what had happened at the riverbank. Penelope chided herself for not keeping her mouth shut. She had a knack for revealing too much when she should be quiet. This was not the first time that it had come back to bite her in the butt. She wondered how it was going to happen this time. Would she be kicked out of the palace? Would she be sent back home without going on the mission? Penelope secretly hoped that it would be the latter but in her experience, the best outcome never happened.

Another uncomfortable minute passed as Penelope waited with bated breath for someone to speak. Penelope found herself enticed by the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Teardrop shaped crystals sparkled in the soft light provided by the pillar like candles placed into the fixture. Dozens of tiny rainbows occupied the crystals. The miniature flames on the candles danced brightly on the wicks as the wax itself melted. When Penelope heard someone clearing their throat, she tore her eyes away from the chandelier.

“I see that you were looking at the chandelier,” Queen Yesenia declared. “Crafted by fairies for the hundred and seventy-third king of the Summer Kingdom as a coronation present. It is quite beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” Penelope stammered. ‘Crafted by fairies, you say? I didn’t know such creatures actually existed.”

Queen Yesenia smiled warmly, “Yes, fairies do exist. Two of which rule separate kingdoms in Prinaes. King Hadrian of the Autumn Kingdom and Queen Ingrid of the Winter Kingdom. My apologies, I keep forgetting that you are not from our world.” Queen Yesenia appeared thoughtful for a moment before adding, “But that is neither here nor there. You say that you discovered you possess magical powers?”

Penelope nodded, “Yes, I did not know that I had them until this afternoon.”

Queen Yesenia shared a look with her husband. 

“Well, that makes things far more interesting,” muttered Queen Yesenia.

Penelope leaned forward in her seat.

“How so?” 

Queen Yesenia glanced again at King Agostino who nodded in encouragement. Her gaze returned to Penelope, “There is a prophecy regarding this exact thing. A fair haired woman from another land gains magical powers that are beyond what any that a witch or wizard possess. It goes on to say that she will save Prinaes from certain doom.”