A Princess's Duty

•Chapter Eleven• Their Strength

"How'd you know this place was here?"

"Wandered here when I was...ten...eleven? No, it was ten."

She smiled, though he didn't see, given his position behind her.

"On my birthday, which my parents insisted on making this grand affair, I slipped away during the party. I--" 

"No one noticed?" 

"Don't cut me off, mud-brain."

William laughed, bringing a hand to his brown hair. "Never heard that one before."  "Shut it. Like I was saying, I went into the woods. I'm not sure if anyone noticed, though if they had, I doubt I would have made it out of the castle. Beth was asleep, so I decided to explore past her house." 

"How did you meet Beth?" Charles interjected. He had been standing on the edge of the conversation, unsure if he should dive in.

"What did I say about interrupting me?" Kathryn sighed.

Boys are all the same, whispered her mind. Though at the same time, a slight unease crept over her. How exactly had she met Beth? She knew she had been but a child, but the details were murky in a way that none of her other memories were. She shook off her unease. Now wasn't the time.  

"Sorry," mumbled Charles. 

"Its fine, its fine. There isn't much more to the story anyways." 

"But how'd you see the place without help?" wondered William. 

"Not exactly sure. My guess is, as children are more impressionable, it's likely its easier for them to see through the barrier. Being more open to the possibility of something fantastical makes this place visible." 

William nodded. "Makes sense, I guess. I've always known there was more to the world, though I never thought I'd see something like this for myself." 

Kathryn looked back at him again, surprise in her eyes. He didn't exactly seem like the type who'd believe the sort of things she had found to be true. 

"This is all quite confusing to me. I've never really put much stock in what's not right in front of me," said Charles. 

Kathryn said nothing, though what he said sort of rubbed her the wrong way. The world was an amazing place, and limiting ones possibilities to only what could be seen or felt seemed a bit counterproductive when came to personal growth. Charles was nice, but that kind of close-mindedness that could foster negativity.  

William had been so absorbed in the conversation that he hadn't realized they had walked into the heart of the city.

Light peeked through the canopy of trees above, adding an almost ethereal quality to the air. They stood inside a circle of jagged stones stretched over a few meters in diameter. The center was clear of trees and plants, with a huge pillar of rock reaching towards the sun, which had almost reached the center of the sky. 

Kathryn looked up. They had been out longer than she anticipated they would. Given the position of the sun, it was nearly midday.

Unable to pinpoint the strange feeling that was creeping up on her, she realized that something was different than usual.  Was it the time of day? She usually reached the city in the evening, but did midday have some special significance to the spirits that continued to dwell in the city?  Was it that there was more than one person entering? Had bringing Charles and William been some sort of mistake? 

Whatever it was, her gut told her it was too late to do anything. 

"Is everything alright?" asked Charles, who had seen her unsettled expression.