Call It A Royal Cliché

HORROR, MYSTERY& ROMANCE

CHAPTER 22
I was going through all my stuff in my box as Jen went to get changed and my eyes fall on it. The key!
I already had the key!
"Jen! Jen!" I yell from my room for her and she comes in running with one sock on and her hair in a messy bun.
"Are you alright? Is everything okay?" She asks me with wide eyes examining the room.
"I found the key!"
"What key?" she asks me scratching her neck.
"Oh my God! I found the key to this ornament." I show her the ball and the key in my hand.
"That is some exquisite ring A." she says appreciatively as she takes the ring from my hand.
"That is the key. Remember I told about this ring but couldn't show you. My Grandma gave this to me, this band with minor stars on it."
"How did you find it?" she asks me wearing her sock.
"I was going through all these pictures and stuff and then I saw the ring and remembered what Mr. Wallace said. Just look at this biggest star," I point it for her, "on this ring it the same as the lock on the ornament."
"You really think this will work?"
"I want it to."  Frankly speaking I am so desperate for something good to happen and this would be the best if it works. This will take my mind off for a while.
"Let's try then." She says and as I was about to put both the stars together she stops me.
"Wait! I will let Max know. He should be here." She says dialing him on the phone and when she is done talking I pass her a cheeky smile. She gives me a look that says not now or I'll kill you. With thirty seconds there is a knock on the door and Jen dashes off to open it. They come in together and I ask Max about Nicholas but he says he has no idea and tries to assure me that he will be back by the crack of the dawn. I nod half heartedly and he gives me the smile that is the most unlike him.
"Let's do it now!" Jen say jumping onto my bed and sits cross legged.
I take a deep breath and put the star into the lock and twist it on the left a little and the ball pops open. Jen squeals in joy and hugs Max who was sitting right next to her and he laughs. I breathe a sigh of relief and check the contents of the ornament. I see the small brown package Mr. Wallace told me about sitting in among the white and blue feather.
I bring it out and it's tied with a brown string. I look at Max and Jen before pulling the string off and they give me an encouraging look. I bite my lip and close my eyes as I unwrap it. When I open my eyes I see silver ornate key with a tiny red rose on its top and two silver leave on its left and a miniature clock just a little on its right bottom, of course it doesn't work. But it's a piece of art.
A chain is attached to it so that one can wear it around their neck. Whatever this key opens is going to be a huge thing for sure. Why would otherwise the duke be after it and Grandpa would have hidden it so carefully. I understood the entire clue except the sun part what was that about. A new sun it said but what?
"Hey look at this..." Jen says handing me the brown paper in which the key was packed. I take it from her and see Grandpa's handwriting scribbled on it.

Dear Girl I knew you would get this far.
Things ahead can be horror, mystery or romance,
All in black and white, I think you like being surrounded by black and white
But once you walk across them and see ahead, all there will be is good time.
And like I said before, a new sun shall rise if you reach the destined place and aim for the skies.
-Love Grandpa

I don't know what to think of it. Right now my life is a jumble of horror, mystery and romance and I am not doing good in one of them. I chuckle to my self. How did things go from Technicolor to Black and White? And since when did I start liking black and white? I like those colors but I don't think it means that.
I pass the clue to Max so he can put in some suggestion. He rubs his eyes until mine start watering seeing him.
"I don't understand a word your Grandpa writes but I am pretty sure the last line says that he wants you to be limitless, cross every barrier and rise like no other." Max says finally. Jen takes the clue from his hands and reads and re- reads until her eye lids start drooping and she falls asleep on my bed.
I cover her with the blanket and place a pillow under her head. I see Max looking at the key and ask him,
"What is it?"
"You see this clock on this key?" he points at the tiny clock, "I have seen it somewhere."
"Aren't all vintage clocks same? I mean roman numbers and black or brown hands?"
"No. This one particularly is different. It has the Astérian star in the center of the dial like the one on the ornament."
I take it look it closely. He is right.
"What would that mean?"
"I don't know. But I saw it somewhere recently." He says thoughtfully
"Oh- kay. And you think of anything now?" I ask him.
"No. But I am sure I will find it. Trust me okay?"
"I do."
He starts leaving but I stop him for a moment, "Inform me whenever Nicholas gets home and see if he has bandaged his hand, please."
"Sure." He says sincerely and starts leaving.
"-And thank you for everything. I mean everything that you have done for me. I couldn't thank you enough." I say and my eyes start watering. He walks toward me and cups my cheeks.
"Then don't." He said flashing a dimpled smile at me. "True friends remember?"
"True friends." I say snifiling and a smile automatically draws on my lips.
"Good. Now go to sleep. Tomorrow my parents are coming..."
"Wait? King George and Queen Cassandra are arriving tomorrow? You didn't mention"
"Yeah. I got their message before I came here." He says dubiously
I feel terrible. King George is like father figure to me and I am supposed to lie to him too!?!?? This cannot get worse and what about Queen Kate if she sees Nicholas in a bandaged hand she is going to freak.
"Max, Nicholas isn't here yet and if he is where I am thinking he is your mother will have the shock of her life."
Max tenses as I speak all this. "You need to make sure he is presentable tomorrow when they arrive."
"Yeah. I'll take care of that. You don't have worry okay?." I nod and he bids me night.
Worrying has become my new and least favorite hobby that I cannot seem to get rid of. In the shower I worry, eating I worry, sleeping I worry. It's like a complimentary with whatever I do.
Jen mumbles in her sleep, something like hooks. I ignore her and take of my contacts and go to bed, thinking about tomorrow only a day away from the ball.

I wake up with a jolt and shut my eyes again to adjust to the brightness of the room. When I open them I see the sun is up and the sky is surprisingly clear.
Jen is not next to me and the clock on my bedside table says it's five minutes for my alarm to go off so I go back to sleep. Just as I close my eyes Jen shouts my name from her room.
"I need your grandpa cardigan."
"Not now" I say pressing my face into the pillow.
"Now!"
"Stop yelling! its 7:30 in the morning," I retort lazily
"Now!" she yells even louder and I force myself out of the bed. I get the cardigan and walk to her room when I hear a knock on the door. I assume it's Max because he is the first one to come to us every morning and open the door to see Nicholas standing there in his fencing uniform an undershirt and brown pants with flat shoes looking sleep deprived and homeless. His eyes widen and I could see his adam's apple bobbing as steps back.
Is there something on my face? I look into the small mirror on my right and see it. The thing is there is nothing on my face!
My mole is visible and I am not wearing my contacts. How could I be so careless? I shut the door on his face without thinking another second as my breathing gets faster and I stand with my back sticking to the door making sure I don't know what.
Jen calls for my name again and I quickly walk away. Trying not to think of what just happened.

So Nicholas is here. I think to myself. He looked pretty much alright except his bloodshot eyes and dark circles with a bandage on his hand but nothing major. I look into the mirror as I wear my contacts. I know where he is now at least. I need to talk to him. Fed up with my hair I tie them into a low pony tail and leave a few pieces out. I tuck in my oversized brown high neck sweater into my white pants and walk out of the room.
Jen is busy with Adam and Max so I sneak out of the back door and into the garden. The weather is still cold but the warmth of the sun makes things pleasant the smell of fresh roses and pine is mixed in the air. I take a left and see the King walking around in the seating room through the window and duck down so that he doesn't notice me.
I walk some more and reach a wooden archway which separates the garden and the forest area. As I step in I spot the white octagon gazebo where we used to take our fencing lessons.
Max and Nicholas know this place at the back of their hands just as I do theirs. I walk silently trying not to make any noise.
I open the door and it creaks a little. I peek inside the spacious room; the place has got barely any light except for some sunrays penetrating through the windows. I see two men standing on my right.
Uncle Jeff is here, finally. He left after a couple of days later after we arrived here for some important work back in the states but he is here at last.
I knock on the door to get their attention and he asks me to come in. I walk silently in their direction my footsteps echoing as I take every step.
"Uncle Jeff you are here finally." I say giving him a side hug but he doesn't reciprocate. I understand why. He looks bewildered at my actions and to clear the confusion I tell him.
"He knows. Everything so it's okay." He nods at me.
"You were in with her?" Nicholas asked offended and shocked.
"Yes. I was." Uncle Jeff says finally, "I helped her with everything."
"Nicholas let me explain at least." I try to talk to him. His face hardens and he looks away.
The sun lighting up half his face. His hair falls a little on his forehead and he is looking down to take off his gloves. An idea strikes me. I can make him talk to me.
"Don't remove those."
"-And why should I listen to you?" He asks still not looking at me.
"I challenge you to beat me at fencing." I say crossing my arms, "One combat. You lose, you hear me," I hesitate speaking the next words but I do anyways, "I lose I never try to explain myself or speak to you again if you want."
He looks on.
"Deal?"  I ask him raising my brows. He hesitates at first but agrees I change into my mom's dress. She always kept an extra set here and I am so grateful.
Uncle Jeff is as clueless as a duck about the situation but I promise to explain him everything later. He stands and supervises us.
We bow first to each other and then our mentor and stand at our positions ready to start. I stand with the rapier in my right hand and my other hand behind my back.
"Aller!" Uncle Jeff's voice echoes and Nicholas lunges. I was ready to move back because I knew he would be ready to pour out all his anger. My strategy is to parry and defend myself as much as I can.
I next time he does it I bend my knees and drop on my back with the support of my hand helping me to avoid the touch. I look into his eyes and all I see is hatred for me.  I point my sword at him leading him to retreat. He feints and I parry by blocking his sword, my blade facing down with my wrist out. I lunged as counter attack.
He used second- intention!
He was ready for my attack, and riposte high inside the line and he scored. I lost! I never lose at this. Not against him.
He drops the sword and walks past me.
"This is so unfair!" I stomp my feet and take of the gloves angrily.
"What you did was not fair either." He says coldly and adds, "Also, Ms. Walsh, my parents arrive in the afternoon today please ask Chloe to get their rooms set up will you?"
My eyes narrow and I ask him, "Ms. Walsh?"
"Of course, my mother won't like me calling strangers by their first names so yeah. See you later."
"Strangers?" I stand there dumb founded as he walks away. His words hurt more than the pain that would have caused by the sword if it went across me.
Uncle Jeff comes and stands next to me and I couldn't hold it in anymore and fall to the ground and bury my face into my knees trying to hide my tears.
"He hates me doesn't he?" I ask him as he sits cross legged next to me.
"He is just angry with you. Things will get better believe me," he says gently and pats my head lightly.
Will they though?
"What happened though? How did he get to know about you?" I explain him everything for about half an hour sobbing and yelling and cussing the duke and my fate and he listens to me patiently.
"So all this happened within past month? And how dare he play games with my friend? And how dare he attack you?" he says gritting his teeth.
"I have been on it for a while now and hopefully I will find the thing soon," I say looking outside the windows looking over the slopes of the mountains.
"You will!" He says encouragingly, "- and now that I am here I am give that Duke some piece of mind." He says and I laugh a little. "But Nicholas is right on his part Avery, you should have told him once you had known the truth." The smile on my face fades away.
"I was going to tell him tomorrow but all this happened and..."
"He will come around."
"How are you so sure?"
"-Because he loves you, always has."
"Always?" I ask him confused. I thought he hated me because we were competitors and we always fought.
"Um-hmm, even before he dated Princess Sienna." His voice is serious but he is kidding right?
"Then why would he date her and get into all that shit?" I ask him.
"Let's say jealousy and inability to accept. I know my students Avery."
"Jealousy... of what or whom?"
"Go figure out for yourself, it's time for me to go." He stands up and leaves me to this new mystery.
"Fine! I will." I call behind his back and he laughs away.