Into the Labyrinth

1

Author's Note

I am so grateful for the response the prologue got, it gave me the confidence to really continue and be motivated for this next chapter.
I hope you all continue to enjoy it, comment, and vote.

Chapter 1

"So, young woman, the way forward is sometimes the way back,"
-The Wiseman, Labyrinth (1986)

The Day Before

The sunlight blurred through her dark vision, forcing her awake. Groggy from sleep, she could faintly make out the sound of knocking.

"Cassandra! Cassandra! Wake up, young lady! I've let you sleep in long enough!" Joseph's voice forced her eyes all the way open.

Her pale blue eyes squinted against the sunlight streaming in through her thin white curtains. Drool dribbled down the side of her mouth, and she could see her pale curls out of her peripheral vision. The heavy strands were tangled amongst themselves in a large nest.

"I'm up! I'm up!" Cassandra shouted.

"Finally! I expect you downstairs soon!" Joseph yelled back at her through the door to her chambers.

He could have walked in and forced her out of the bed already.

But he didn't.

Oh how he loved her.

With stiff arms, Cassandra pushed herself off her stomach into a sitting down position. Her pale feet dangled a foot above the floor, the tips of her toes occasionally brushing against the floor. It was silly really. Age eighteen and soon to be Queen, yet she still felt paranoia about standing up where small hands could grab her from under her bed.

After taking in a deep breath, Cassandra hopped a few inches away from the side of her bed. Her feet got cushioned in the white plush carpet and no hands dragged her away. Smiling at her silliness, she headed to her wardrobe.

"What pretty feet she has!"

She froze. She could have sworn she heard a voice. A thin whispery voice. Glancing around her room, she came across nothing and turned back to the multiple dresses she would be picking from this morning. Pale yellow dress in hand, she trudged over to her washroom, shutting the door behind her.

"She's beautiful! Think he will like her?"

"Of course he will silly!"

Small giggles echoed throughout her room, the sound like the scrape of glass against glass. The patter of small feet drummed against the floor under her bed, the bottom of her wardrobe, and behind the bottom of her curtains.
-

"Good morning Mama Yaya!" Cassandra crooned, waltzing into the kitchen with a large grin.

The weathered old woman looked up from her work, eyes green as the grass in the spring.

"You missed breakfast," she muttered.

Cassandra merely smiled in reply. The kitchen was deserted, a majority of the workers preparing the lawn outside for the festival after her coronation tomorrow. Joseph didn't approve of her using the Kitchen as a hideout from him, saying it was unbecoming of a soon to be queen.