The Hands of Fate

Chapter 2

"You may keep the child, but she mustn't get in our way, Adeline. She mustn't be lazy, and she will work in the palace alongside you. She will get to stay in the palace as a maid and live in the maids chamber, but she will have to sleep with you, as at the moment we must take care of Caspian. We cannot deal with a child who causes trouble, whines, throws tantrums or harms anyone. Understood?" The Queen said sternly, though kindness still came through her light, airy voice.

"Understood, your majesties. Thank you very much, you will not be disappointed," Adeline said with a smile as she held the child in her arms. She then bowed once more to the royals before leaving the throne room.

...

A young child danced around the hallways, giggling as she heard her mother calling for her. The toddler appeared to be around seven, and was running up the steps of the palace, leaving her beckoning mother behind. She was in an intense game of let me see how far I can run before getting caught with her mother. It was, in fact, one of her favorite games.

As the girl ran down the hallway she laughed, a bright smile on her face. She ran down a long narrow hallway, her feet thudding against the floor. She was trying to find a room to hide in. This time, it had to be somewhere good, for her mother had already found most of her best spots. Noticing a door to the left that she had not tried hiding in before, the child twisted the knob. When it was not locked, she opened the door, oblivious to where it might lead, and ran in. She made a point to let the door close as quietly as possible before she turned to see where she'd entered.

The girl nearly did a double take when she saw the room she was within. It was humongous! It was the size of the maids chambers and half of the hallway combined! A smile formed on the girls face as she saw a comfy looking bed. Running over, she jumped on it, admiring the feel of the thick comforter and firm mattress against her back. The walls were a shade of grayish white, with two large windows side by side next to a windowsill overlooking the kingdom. She continued to search, noticing a desk that was leaned up against the wall. The girl then turned her head seeing a balcony. A balcony! She remembered her mother telling her only rich people had balconies.

But there was something odd about the balcony. There was a figure standing there. The girl didn't even think about why there would be a person on the balcony, as she just watched them for a mere second, distracted by the beauty of the room. The person then turned, walking back towards the room. They strode in, wearing rich people clothes, and looked at their bed.

It was then that the girl realized that this person was a boy. He had soft almond shaped eyes that gleamed a hazel color and neatly combed dirty blonde hair. His skin was a light color, unlike the girls. Hers, she was told, was a mix of dark and light. He appeared to be about a year or two older than her, but she didn't mind. Maybe, she thought, I can make a friend. That was when the boy jumped back in alarm, seeing the girl perched on his bed.

"Who are you?" He asked, frightened. The girl cocked her head to the side, unsure as to why this boy was so scared. She found her answer when she looked down at her clothes. The dress that reached her knees and was covered in dirt and grime was certainly not something too heartwarming to see in such a spectacular room. To make it even worse, she was a maid. He probably thought he was seeing a weird exotic creature trying to take over his room.

"I'm Farah," She said proudly, sitting up on his comfy bed. "Who are you?"

"Caspian, Prince Caspian," he replied, pride in his response. At the word Prince, Farah perked up.

"Prince? As in knight in shining armor prince?" She asked, leaning forward on the boys bead as she teased him. He looked at her, raising an eyebrow. Who was this girl? And why was she sitting on his bed like it was hers?

That was when footsteps erupted from outside the room. At the noise, Farah jumped off the bed, suddenly in a hurry. "Cover for me!" She winked playfully before running towards the balcony.

"Wait, what-?" The Prince started to ask, but she just turned around and put a finger over her mouth, shushing the royal. Shushing him. Why was she shushing him? It seemed odd, but he nodded, watching her for a second before turning, hearing someone knock.

As Caspian walked over and opened the door, he recognized to woman standing there to be Adeline. His parents talked about her a lot. Apparently, she was a very friendly woman to the royal family. "I'm very, very sorry, Prince Caspian," she bowed respectfully, clearly out of breath as she panted. "But have you seen a little girl running around? Did she, perhaps, come in here?"

Caspian was about to give Farah away, but he then remembered her telling him to shush, and he merely shook his head. "No, Adeline, I'm sorry," he lied, giving her a small smile. She huffed, putting a finger to her temple.

"That girl is going to be the death of me, how does she have so much energy?" She muttered to herself as she walked off. Once she was out of sight, Caspian shut the door and ran over towards the balcony. Farah wasn't there, had she jumped? She couldn't have, he was two stories up! She would die! He glanced over the edge, and there she was in all of her seven-year-old glory.

The girl had found a vine that was loose along the walls of the grand palace and was using it to climb down into the lush gardens. He gaped at the young girl. He was utterly shocked that she, a girl, was climbing down the wall of the palace on a vine, like a knight in shining armor would. She looked up at him and waved, smiling.

"Wanna come?" She asked with a broad smile, but Caspian shook his head.

"No thanks, maybe some other time."

And with that he proceeded to walk back into his room, thinking about how peculiar that escape had been. Little did he know, there were many more encounters with this girl that were yet to come.