Twisted Worlds

Chapter 20 - Final Decision

***************Kailens POV****************

She locked onto the door-handle and pushed the door slowly open to find the hallway suddenly come to life with the orange flames; and the whole street filled with light. I turned back from admiring the amazing golden lanterns to look at Ella.. "Thank you for understa-" and then I couldn't find words. Her eyes they were, different; and then I recognised where I had seen them before...the hologram the King had showed me; Princess Arabella sitting at the kitchen table, her eyes black her hair long and straight but now looking back at the time I had spent with who I thought was Ella, it all fitted into place.

The day I met her, she was crying silvery tears, royal tears; she was new to town and living with her grandma, said she had family issues. She was from Syltyn and the Serentali were after her; she was not Ella Baxter at  all....she was Arabella. And then I came back to the world, Arabella standing in the doorway looking worried. But it didn't register as the anger inside of me came through, "Your eyes....their black" and I heard her gasp before moving her gaze away from mine

"You are not Ella, are you.....you are Princess Arabella" but although my voice sounded convinced, I still wasn't; Everyone had told me the Princess was uptight, overly posh and uncaring, even my Mamma had told me she was going to do something terrible one day and deserved to be killed but I couldn't bring myself to believe it. But I still kept my gaze sharp and angry, "No, you can't be, because if you are, I gave my word to the King that I would kill you."

It had to be a misunderstanding, it had to be; she couldn't be the run-away Princess.

But I never got a chance to prove myself wrong; I felt the breeze first, a sudden gust of wind that wrapped around me blazing me from all sides and then the blue portal entwined itself with the wind and I was sucked into its glowing depths. I slammed my eyes shut, not wanting to see the ocean blue of the Princess of Syltyn's portal as it transported me. But it didn't take long to reach the chosen destination before I was dropped out of the winds of the portal and submerged into freezing cold pond water... Well this seemed familiar.

After paddling my way up and out of the water to the edge, I looked up to see the park. "Does everyone teleport me here?" I said exasperated, but then the shock of the water subsided enough to allow my thoughts to come to the surface, which never ended well. I dragged myself out of the slippery pond and stormed my way across the park; my clothes sticking to me as I dripped my way home. I ran though the portal doorway and mamma had to take a second look as I charged through the back room and into my own personal space. I collapsed onto my bed and after pounding my pillow till the dust filled the air I gave up and just stared up at the ceiling not bothering to get dry.

It was a few minutes till I heard my door creak open, I knew someone was watching me from the doorway but I didn't bother to move; if I moved I would have to accept the facts, and I wasn't ready to do that. But they moved from the doorway up to the edge of the bed. Mamma.

"Kailen, what happened? why are you all wet?" She had no idea, but she sounded worried and I couldn't let her worry.

"Arabella happened mamma..."

"You found the princess, where...and that still doesn't explain why you are all wet. Now get up have a bath and put dry clothes on before you catch something, other than pond weed" I still didn't move my gaze from the ceiling, but mamma just threw a scratchy old towel and me and closed the door behind her. I eventually gained the mental strength to sit up and grab the towel that had fallen to the dusty floor. Looking back at my bed I had left a damp imprint in its dirty surface but I didn't care; nothing seemed worth my time anymore. Mamma was right though I did need a bath, my hair was plastered to my head with a mixture of dirty water and pond weed and the hot water calmed my anger just slightly but sadly it was replaced with realisation.

After the water had gone cold on me I finally got out, the towel scratched my skin brought me but back to real world, and I was ready to do some talking when I finally got some dry clothes on.

Pushing open my door made me feel at home; the coldness of my room gave way to rich smells and the heat from the kitchen and the fire dancing in the fireplace. The tavern was empty for now, and mamma was cleaning glasses behind the bar when I emerged, my hair still damp and scruffy and my brown t-shirt slightly wet at the collar from my dripping hair.

"Kailen, tell me what happened, please" She had put down her glass and towel which was a sign she meant business. She corralled me over to a table and pushed me down onto the bench as she took the other. 

I didn't let her begin so I simply stated facts, "I found her, the Princess"

"Was she as pretty as everyone thinks, I bet she's horrible isn't she?" 

"No she is more than pretty and actually, you said she was lovely" she looked blank back at me.

"Kailen, I have never met the Princess and even if I did, I would not call her lovely. Why didn't you just kill her there and then and gotten your reward?"

"Mamma, you don't get it do you; Ella is the Princess" She still looked blank. "She used a glamour spell to alter her eyes; she was playing me the fool this whole time"

"And your magic reversed it?" She said quietly more to herself than to me. "Well you got a job to do Kailen, just like your father did. So you can either end it right now or you can find a way around this"

"I can't kill her, not now, not after everythi-" I had to think, my mind was full of colour and sound and it was pounding like a stampede was going through it, "Mamma I love her" I blurted it out in a sudden rush of emotion.

And the world froze

"Kailen, think about what you are saying. This is the Princess of Syltyn; do you know why you were sent to kill her?"

I shook my head, the day the king had ordered me to Earth I listened to very little of what he had actually said.

"She left her husband-to-be at the alter; she is betrothed Kailen. And not only that but he is a Serentali, a serentali Kailen, the enemy; and now you tell me you love her. Kailen, I don't want you to get into something more than your work, if you try to save her you will end up dead too and I can't have that darling; I can't loose you too." I don't think she meant to sound condescending or cruel; but she did and I slid back in my seat a little and sat up straight and tall.

"Mamma, don't you see; I meant what I said to her, I would never ever want her to get hurt. Not by me, not by them. This is so much bigger than I ever expected and by loving her and by finding my self willing to give up everything to save her, I am in something bigger. I am no longer just an assassin mamma; I am part of the war now and I am going to finish it even if it means dying" I pushed the solid oak bench back from the table where my mam sat in silence taking in everything I had said. And began walking away, back to the doorway, back to Earth, back to Ella.

"Kailen" Her voice was small but she was standing in the Tavern looking back at me. "Make sure you do the right thing. I don't want to see you, either of you getting hurt in this. Will you promise me that you will only do what is necessary? Promise me"

I didn't know if I could fulfill that promise, but I nodded anyway before taking my sword from the wall, opening the roughly carved doorway and exiting into the Earth night.