His Dark Fairy

Ch. 9: A Deep Sleep

Jasmine’s POV:

“You can not tell her any of this,” my mother lectures, “Until the time is right you must keep this a secret from her. I know how hard it is going to be, but you must trust me. It is the only way she will be safe.” 

We are sipping warm spiced cider curled up in front of the roaring fire while the skies dump rain outside the windows. On the floor there is a pile of maps spread out in front of us. Some are ancient, some are newer, but they are all very important and will be necessary so we can escape. We are reviewing them one last time before we pack them into my bag which sprawls open beside me. My mom has enchanted my bag to hold more than normal, otherwise I am fairly certain there’s no way we would be able to take everything we need. One of the most important pieces is the enchanted invisibility tent. It will take us about 2 days on foot to make it to the hidden forest barrier. I am really hoping everything goes exactly as planned. If we can make it to the other side of the barrier it will be much harder for them to find us or track us. The rehearsal dinner is in 2 days, on the night before the wedding. We are supposed to slip away into a secret tunnel system when the time is right. My mother said we would just know when it’s time to run. She also made me promise not to come back no matter what. 

My mother breaks the silence again and says to me, “Jasmine, the two of you can do this. I know you can. You are both incredibly strong. And Avilee is very powerful, you know this.” 

“I know mother,” I replied, yawning sleepily and laying down to rest my head in her lap. “I am just really going to miss everything, everyone, my mom, and my home especially. I wish it didn’t have to be this way,” I mumble. 

“I know sweetheart, me too,” She whispers soothingly, “rest now dear one, you will need your strength in the days to come.” She strokes my hair until I fall into a deep restful sleep. A number of hours later I awake with a shiver. The fire has all but burned itself out and I had kicked the blanket off of myself. Our quarters were dark. I wrapped the warm fur blanket around myself and shuffled towards my mothers room to crawl into bed with her as I had when I was younger. I found myself longing for it, for old times sake, and because I really would miss her terribly. When I turned the corner into her room though she was nowhere to be seen. I figured she was probably off on one of her late night secret meetings with Avilee’s mom, Queen Magnolia. My mother had been sneaking off more often the closer it got to the wedding and Avilee’s birthday. Despite wondering where she was for sure I was much too tired to go looking for her so I crawled into my spot in her bed and closed my eyes to await her return. I always loved to hear the way she talked about the Queen and listening to my mother explain how beautiful she is made me feel like a little girl again. Imagining a queen in a far off land and imagining what it might be like to be her if only for a day. That night I dreamed of being a queen far away in a forgotten land.