I reincarnated in game

55 Home Again

“My child … Judi!” the queen closed the distance between where she had been standing when they entered, and where Judi now stood.  She opened her arms and embraced her daughter.  After a moment’s hesitation, Judi raised her arms and returned her mother’s hug.  Both women had tears in their eyes.

The page left.  Hugh and Kenneth stood, dumbstruck; they had no idea that Judi was the daughter of the queen … a princess!

“I wasn’t sure that you would welcome me back,” Judi said through her tears.  “I was afraid to come.”

“Hush now, hush, my child … you are here now.  That is all that matters!” her mother whispered back to her daughter.

The queen broke her embrace and caught both of Judi’s hands in hers as she stepped back to look her long, lost daughter up and down to assess her well being.  “You look well … how have you been?  Where have you been?” she asked.

Judi replied, “Before we get into all that, let me introduce my friends to you.”  She stepped back, and then turned towards her companions.  “Mother, this is Hugh Bean and this is Kenneth Grant,” she said, pointing to each respectively.

“I am so happy to make your acquaintance,” Titania said as she reached out to shake their hands. 

Hugh and Kenneth shook the queen’s hand and, in unison, said, “Thank you, your Majesty.”

“You must be exhausted from your trip.  If you wish to freshen up before dinner, I will have my staff attend to your needs.  I will arrange for a meal to be brought to my chambers here so we can all catch up.  I am sure that there is a lot to discuss,” the queen said.

On behalf of both himself and Kenneth, Hugh said, “That would be greatly appreciated.”

Titania went to the door and gave instructions to a staff member to show Hugh and Kenneth to accommodations and request that a meal for four be brought to her chambers in an hour.  As they left, she turned to Judi.  “Would you be comfortable using your old room to freshen up?”

“Yes,” Judi said.  “I am OK with that.”

“Great, dear one,” her mother replied.  “We will meet back here in an hour for dinner.  It is so good to have you home.  I cannot tell you how much I have longed for this day!” she said.  She gave Judi another heartfelt hug.  “How would it be for you and your friends to stay here?  I can send a messenger to pick up your belongings and settle your account at the Tallwood Inn.  I would love to have a little more time with you now that we have finally been reunited.” 

“OK, mother,” Judi said.  “I would like that too.”

The queen and Judi exited the room and each went their separate ways.

Hugh and Kenneth had been shown to separate, adjacent rooms a short distance from the Queen’s chambers.  Their escort had advised them to meet back in the room they had left in an hour. 

The rooms were beautifully appointed with a luxurious, four-poster bed and ceiling to floor windows; the soft velvet drapes were drawn to allow the natural light into the room.  An ornately carved, wooden armoire stood in the corner; a full length mirror beside it.  The private bathroom had walls of varnished wood.  The sink and the lavatory were of burnished copper with ceramic accents; staff had already drawn a warm bath in the full size porcelain-lined copper tub for each of the travelers.  They were provided soft cotton towels; their soiled clothes were whisked away as they stepped into the bath.  When they came out of the tub, they found that the staff had laid out a change of clothing from their traveling cases, all smoothly ironed.   

As soon as Hugh was dressed, he went to Kenneth’s room next door.  He knocked softly and leaned into the door, “Kenneth, are you ready?” he asked.

“Just about … come on in!” Kenneth said. 

When Hugh opened the door, Kenneth was still bareback.  He turned to face Hugh as he reached for his freshly ironed shirt on the huge bed.  Hugh grimaced slightly; this happened each time that he saw the dwarf’s muscled chest with the scars from the energy blasts of his father’s experiments.  It reminded him of the curse from the dark element which still afflicted Kenneth. 

The two left to return to the Queen’s chambers; when they entered the room the saw that neither Judi nor the queen had yet returned.

Judi had left the queen and proceeded down the familiar halls to her old room.  It was like stepping back in time.  Nothing had been changed.  Her four-poster, canopied bed still occupied the main part of the room.  The off-white velvet drapes flanked the lacy sheer curtains which covered the tall windows.  She went straight into the ensuite bathroom and shed her clothes to step into the warm, sudsy bath.  She leaned back, thinking to herself how long it had been since she had enjoyed such a luxurious bath.  She picked up the sponge and started soaping her whole body; it felt like she was scrubbing away all the grime, stress, regrets and fears of the years past.  When she rose and toweled off, she felt renewed in body, mind and spirit.  She walked to her armoir … it too, was as she had left it.  She selected a pair of black leggings and a soft green, long sleeved, short skirted top with a bodice that featured a woven drawstring closure at the front.  She dressed quickly and headed out to meet up with her friends.     

As she entered the chambers, Hugh and Kenneth both looked toward her.  “Judi … you’re a princess … how come you didn’t tell us?” Hugh asked; it was the question which both he and Kenneth had been anxious to ask ever since their introduction to the queen.

“Well, I don’t like to mention it because it makes people act so differently around me,” Judi replied.  “Please don’t let this revelation change anything between us … I am still the same Judi who you met on Fourth Level.”

“Of course it won’t make a difference,” Hugh replied for both himself and Kenneth.  “It is just that is was such a surprise!”

“I am glad to hear it.  There is actually a bit more to the story.  The queen is actually my aunt.  My biological mother was her younger sister.  They were both princesses.  My natural mother got really sick when I was very young.  She never got better.  My father was heartbroken and left after she had passed … he was never heard from again.  My aunt never married.  After my mother died and my father went away, she adopted me as her own daughter.  I have always called her ‘mother’ … I was too young to have much memory of my own mother but my aunt has told me many stories of them growing up so I feel as if I was blessed with two mothers,” Judi explained.

The doors to the room opened and the queen entered the room.  Behind her, staff pushed a wheeled trolley laden with wonderfully fragrant food offerings.

“Good.  I see that you all are here.  Come, let us be seated,” Titania said.  “You must be hungry!”  She sat and motioned for Judi and the others to join her.  The staff efficiently served the food to the queen and her guests then left the room to allow them their privacy.

While they were enjoying the meal before them, the queen looked and Judi and smiled.  “I see you still have a preference for your casual attire … you never were one for gowns and dresses!” she said.

“I haven’t changed much, mother … maybe just a bit in my attitude.  I think I have grown a lot since I left here,” Judi replied.

As dinner wound down, the queen asked “Where did you go after you left the castle? I had teams of men looking for you in all of Cowson.  When they found no trace of you in this country, I had them expand their search to cover the whole of Third Level; the result was the same.”  

“I went to Fourth Level … I felt that was where I belonged.  I couldn’t deal with what happened to Laura because of me, and I couldn’t face you … that is where I met Hugh and Kenneth,” Judi responded.

“Judi, you know there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.  You are as much a part of me as if I had given birth to you.  You could have come to me no matter what it was; I would have listened.  How is it that you feel you were responsible for Laura’s death?” her mother asked.

“I was the one who suggested we go hunting in the forbidden forest.  I was the one who shot the arrow that released the dark energy which struck Laura when I dodged out the way … she eroded before my eyes.  It shouldn’t have been her who died … it should have been me,” Judi said, her eyes filling with tears.

Titania reached over and covered Judi’s hand with her own.  “That sounds like it was an accident.  There was nothing you could have done to save her … you shouldn’t blame yourself.  I would have understood.  It would have been so much better if you had come to me.  We could have faced Laura’s loss together.  As it was, I felt like I had lost both my daughters that day.  I mourned for both of you and have prayed for your safe return every day since then.  I am so grateful that you are back with me.  My fervent prayers have been answered.”    

“The timing of your return couldn’t have been better.  Tomorrow is the anniversary of Laura’s death.  I think we need to go and visit her grave.  Would you be up for that?” the queen asked.

Judi took a deep breath.  “Yes, I think I am finally ready,” she said.