Hopeful (My Sequel to Heartless) Unfinished

Chapter 30 - Revelations

They had gone back to their hidden part of the palace after the encounter with the window room. Jest still couldn't believe the king was dead. Who would take the throne now? It couldn't be Diamond or Spade, both were too young. Jest had the image of one of the Dukes taking over. He knew that would be a disaster. He also wondered if Cath knew. He kind of hoped she didn't, she already had so much on her plate.

The trumpets sounded the next day while Jest was flipping through the journal for the thousandth time. He almost knew the entire thing by heart. He turned the next page to where the ink had begun to fade and read it with a sigh.

Windows, so many windows. so many woes as we witness the saddest things in life. My old love, the cause of both all my joy and hatred, look to the sky and read the patterns. Look through the windows when the sun had begun to set in the night sky. Look for the answer in the patterns. 

It seemed like just another mindless entry that meant nothing to him, but the way the passage had begun with the mention of a window made him curious. The room he had seen the king die in had a large window, but he had no idea what the entry said by 'pattern'. He fidgeted with an old kitchen knife he had taken from a tray sitting outside Diamond and Spade's bedroom. His heart broke as he remembered that the king had been the children's father. Checking on them might distract him for a bit, maybe he needed a break from thinking. He tucked the knife under his pillow and made his way out the hall.

It wasn't hard to bypass the guards, they were about as brainless as the king had once been. He cringed. It was too soon to think about that.

When he reached their door, he knocked 3 times and cringed again when he saw Lacie open the door. "Ah, Jest, come in." He nodded and walked in after her. 

Diamond and Spade sat there on the floor staring at their hands, he could imagine the pain they were going through, for he once lost his parents as well. He sat down next to them gently, "Diamond? Spade?" No response. He sighed feeling the need to hug them, but he got the sense they didn't want to be touched. 

Tillie and Elsie sat on the bed and Jest felt the strange vibe of sadness from them. He felt Lacie's breath on his neck as she sighed, "They haven't moved since they heard about their father. We're going to try and get them to sleep, so why don't you come back tomorrow?" Jest nodded and glanced back at them once before leaving.

He walked through the halls without the usual spring in his step. The guards didn't even stop him, they were all too preoccupied with thinking about the former king.

When he passed the kings door he noticed the 4 card sentinels that were supposed to be standing watch but were slouched over instead, each one snoring louder than the other. They didn't seem to know that they had nothing left to 'guard'. That, or they were heavily in denial.

His mind tugged at him to look at the numbers on the cards, something he had subconsciously been doing every time he looked at the guards.

These four consisted of a King of Clubs, King of Diamonds, a King of Spades, and a 7 of Hearts. Jest frowned. Usually, the guards were all kings, he had never seen a numbered card on the watch. His mind tugged again as it tried to tell him something. Based on his journey so far, something told him he would know what to do with this information when the time was right.

His feet lead him to the room with the window that he had been in the previous day. It was late in the afternoon, right about the time the sun would set. He remembered the words in the passage saying he would need to be there when the sun went down, so he rushed in and quietly shut the door behind him so he wouldn't wake the guards.

Jest felt uncomfortable as he peered into the King's former room. He still couldn't believe he was dead.

The King had been young, he had to have been at least 55 when he had been at the palace ten years ago, so that meant the king died at 65. Then he remembered the 10 years Cath had put on his life when she had made the deal with the White Queen. Jests gut sank. The king had died at 75. A fraction of his life had been taken from him. He could've lived another ten years.

Jest sat on the ground and buried his face in his hands. Sure the king wasn't the smartest or wisest man, but he didn't deserve to die. 

He felt a pulse behind his eyes that told him that tears were on their way. He sighed and looked up to the King's room once again.

The curtains had been left open to give the room some natural light even though nobody was inhabiting it anymore. The light from the receding sun glared in his eyes and he squinted. 

Look for the patterns.

He looked around for any pattern, but the only thing he found was the consistent order of the cement blocks that made up the far wall. 

The sun was too bright so Jest stepped out of its path and ran a hand through his hair as he looked around more. He was stumped. He found no other pattern and turned to leave and try again the next day when he saw where the glare landed on the wall. There were 3 keyhole outlines on the wall and Jest smiled to himself. He knew the keys he had received would fit in these holes, he could feel the rightness in all of it. 

Unfastening the key ring from his belt, Jest tried the first key into the first hole. 

It didn't fit.

Jest cursed as he glared at the keyhole and looked down at the key itself. The shape of the key was a diamond. 

His mind seemed to click the clues together before he even realized it. 
Clubs, Diamonds, Spades, and a 7.

He laughed out of disbelief. He knew the pattern!

He found the Club key and slide it into the first hole. It fit.

He did the Diamond next.

Then the Spade.

They all fit with a satisfying click and Jest wanted to dance. After all this time thinking he had hit a dead end, he had finally found something to move forward with.

Now he had to figure out what the 7 meant. 

He turned each of the keys once and waited for something to happen. Nothing. He tried the opposite direction. Once again, nothing. He thought for a minute and clicked his tongue with victory. He turned each of the keys 7 times. He braced himself as he waited for something to happen.

Then, on the far wall, a portion of the concrete block slid open to reveal a dark staircase. 

Jest could have cried with relief. Just as he was about to venture down, a flustered Alice entered the room. 

"There you are!" She said between shallow breaths, "Come quick, we have something to show you." She said exiting the room. 

Jest frowned, grabbed the keys and watched as the door slid back into to place and exited behind Alice. "What is it?" He asked when he caught up. 

She flashed a huge smile, one that made him uneasy. 

"Cath is back."

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I know it's been taking me a crazy long time to post chapters guys, and I'm really sorry. I just recently went on a vacation with my family and it was so refreshing. Lately, I've been deep in the bowels of depression and I've just now decided that I'm going to do something to change that. Being away from my life had made me think more about the way things have been, and I'm ready to start rebuilding my happiness. A lot of terrible things have suddenly happened to me and I didn't know how to deal with them, so now I'm just trying to stay alive. I hope you guys can be patient with me while I learn more about how to crawl out of this hole and live the life I deserve. Thank you, honestly, and I love all of you. I love your comments, your votes, and how good you guys make me feel with your kind words and honesty, and I hope to be at a point where I'm comfortable enough with myself to get back into a routine. 

-GMTS