At first, I won't lie, I was scared. The woods around the Mountains of Lisha were just as strange as the grounds of the castle. Snowy white trunks and branches with silver leaves, created shimmering cascades of light as we ran by; causing the leaves to shake. The white woods are somehow beautiful and off putting at the same time. Not to mention the fact that I was moving faster than I ever had on sidesaddle before.
I squeezed the pommels as tightly as I could praying that I wouldn't fall off. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open with the shining light from the leaves and the Queen's horse's perfectly polished shoes blinding me. Then, the Queen stopped.
"Are you alright there," she asked me once I had come to a stop next to her.
I nod in response.
Her speech is much more relaxed. She sounds and looks more like and older sister now than the regale, stately Queen I met just yesterday. In fact she was still very formal until she stopped here. Wherever here is.
She looks around the white woods before walking around a tree that looked different than the others.
It looked normal.
I look around and followed her to find that there is a tunnel through the mountain.
As we walk deeper and deeper into the mountain. We follow the light coming from the exit. It looks like a lone star in the night sky just before the sun rises. We walk for while through the hidden tunnel in the mountain. As we reach the end of the tunnel my eyes take a moment to adjust. Then, I see it.
A clearing in the mountain range. All of the trees and plants here are the colors they're supposed to be. Greens, browns, reds, oranges, yellows, and blues, all here. I can't see it, but I can hear a waterfall in the distance. And birds I didn't know how much I missed the sound of songbirds.
Our Horses!
The Queen's horse is not white anymore it's grey blue with dark spots. And mine is sort of a chestnut brown. Her boots aren't blue their black, and so are mine. My skirt is sand colored now, and so it her's. I wonder if my jacket, purple!
But the Queen's is still royal blue? Why did her jacket stay the same and everything else change? What is with this place? Why is there color here? Why did the colors of our clothes and horses change?
I was still talking it all in when the Queen got down and started to walk into the woods. Once I had realized this I got down and followed her. We came to a river and crossed on top of perfectly placed, flat stones. We continued through the woods and came to a cottage. It was small, but not uncomfortably so. It smelled of old books, apple pies, and hearth fires.
"Make yourself at home," the Queen told me before disappearing into what I would guess was the bedroom. "I thought you might like to stay here for a little while," some of her words are muffled but she speaks clear and casually from the other side of the door. "There are books to read and canned food in the cupboard if you get hungry. I have spare clothes and blankets in the wardrobe in here," I can hear doors open and shut while she talks. "Come here whenever and stay as long as you would like, just ask to go riding," a few of her words were muffled again. She comes out dressed in a pink and orange flowered white calico dress and asks, "Do you think you can remember your way here?"
Could I remember my way here? I couldn't really see were we were going. At the very least I could follow the path until I find the normal tree. I don't think we took any turns.
"Well next time you want to go riding," she winks as she says riding, "I will come too. You don't even have to worry about telling me just ask if you can go riding and I will be ready."
"Thank you. I think I will."
I don't have to force a smile around her anymore.
We spend a few hours there in the cottage before heading back. I didn't want to go, but it was almost dinner time and everyone would be worried if we weren't back to eat. We race back laughing. Our horses and clothes had turned back to how they were before we went through the tunnel.
I missed the colors, birds, and the cottage. The white woods and palace had lost their wonder from yesterday. I was tired of the same three colors. I yearned to return to the colorful, musical grove.
"Don't tell anyone about that place. No one do you understand me? You cannot tell a single person about that place," the Queen said in an actual whisper. Not like before with the prince.
Did she want me to hear what she told the prince? Or, perhaps, did she want someone else listening to hear her tell him those cruel words?