The Necklaces

Chapter 17

The next morning I wake up at exactly 4:45am, enough time to gather my things and feed Steve before the guys get here. It's about 5:05 when I hear voices of excited children and happy wives talking with their husbands. I peek out of the cave when I see them and I recognize a little boy as Georgie and when I see him, he runs up to me with a big hug.
"Mommy! It's the princess who made you better!" The mother looks at her son and then me with a big smile.
"You're just helping us loads this week," She then takes hammer guy's arm and brings him to me, "Joel, this is the girl who got me into the royal pharmacy."
He smiled at me and I laugh, "Yes, we are already acquainted. Shall we go?" Joel nods and we begin to walk. About every two hours we had to stop to rest because one of the wives was pregnant and could only walk that much without a rest. At one of the rests we were all sitting on rocks and passing around some water before one of the watch outs knocked on the tree three times says that guards were coming this way. I stand up and look at our situation quickly. We can't fight; I can't kill people in front of the children. I tell my servant to carry the pregnant women on his back and that we have to move quickly but off of the main path. So that's what we do, and it works. We lose the guards and get to the Water Kingdom entrance faster than expected. Once we get there I stop everyone and have them gather around me.
"The next part is going to be weird because we have to go under water in order to get there but I am going to have to make you able to breathe under water so here's the thing," I pick up a starfish off of the shore and walk up to Joel, "This is going to pinch but it is for the best, if you don't get this you won't be able to breathe under water and won't be able to live here. It is permanent and is safe for pregnant women. Are you all ready?" They all nod and I start off with Joel, I take his forearm and put the starfish right on the big vein on the inside of his elbow. The starfish tightens then releases quickly and that's when I take it off of his elbow and he moves to the left of me, "Everyone line up on my right side and once I'm done with you move to my left next to Joel." A line forms to my right and one after another I am making them able to breathe underwater. I go through the entire group of 28 people and put the starfish back.
"Okay now we are going under water, your natural instinct will be to hold your breath but don't, your lungs can breathe the water so you'll be okay." We begin our walk under water and I hold Georgie's hand. When he tries to hold his breath I bend down next to him and shake my head, showing him that he can breathe and so he trusts me and breathes. We walk for almost an hour before I see the lights of the castle. I feel a rush of energy and happiness. We've been walking all day long and I'll finally be coming home where I belong. As we get closer I see things being rebuilt that were broken during the war and people going about their day.
"The war was awful, we suffered many deaths, mostly of soldiers, so that's what you all will be working as, but you won't start as soldiers, you will start as warriors, a position ahead of soldiers because of experience," We get to the stairs that lead to the entrance of the castle and I look up at them, "We have to go to the castle first, then everything will be settled." I practically run up the stair and once I reach the front doors I pause for a moment and take a deep breath. I slowly push open the doors before sneaking inside. I remind myself of every room and walk my way to the giant ballroom, my favorite room, the room where Gabe and I first met, the room where we had our first dance, and the room where we first realized how much we loved each other. I glance up the long stairs that lead up to the hall with all of the royal rooms. I smile and I feel tears begin to form. I walk up the light blue staircase that I once walked down in a beautiful dress. I open the door into the long hallway before I hear someone call my name. Someone so familiar, someone who's voice is so perfect to me that I can't describe, someone whose voice brought tears to my eyes as they spoke my name.
"Jasmine?" He said with hesitation, almost not sure if I was real or not.
I turn around quickly to see the love of my life climbing up the stairs slowly as if he wasn't sure if I was real or just a figment of his imagination, "Gabe." I say quietly as he climbs up the rest of the stairs in a hurry, like I will disappear any moment. He walks up to me ever so slowly and I stand still as the tears I was holding in finally fall. He stops close to me.
"Are you real?"
I choke on my tears a little, "Of course I'm real." I move some hair out of his face and I see his tears finally fall as he kisses me with the passion of our first kiss. I hug him so tightly and we sob together. "I was so scared."
"Me too, me too. I thought I'd never see you again."