“Monsters? Don’t get me started on what’s become of the forest. She just wants the forest for herself.”

“You’re wrong about her. Queen Ellen is a genuine hero. She’s our savior. Things have never been as peaceful as they are now.”

Herman isn’t as bad as I thought. He’s intriguing and so is Lilo. I need to pay them a visit after I return from my daunting journey.

I don’t have time for this, though. I’ll have to interrupt their endless back and forth argument. “Excuse me,” I said grimly. “I really have to go now.”

They say goodbye absentmindedly and eagerly continue their conversation.

My sole option is to head to the kingdom but before I do that I want to go home. I should at least tell aunt Ruth. When I go to the local inn, I find the place is closed up. I don’t comprehend why. Ruth never closes the inn. The inn is a grand timber and brick building, with a small walled yard and pleasant garden and a large cellar. Accommodations consist of several massive rooms with beds and feather mattresses. A large private bathhouse is open to guests.

I’m not sure when the last time she’s done something like this. It might have been when I was young. When I came to live with her that initial week. She was mourning for my father’s life. Before they found me she might have been mourning for my death as well. Who is she mourning for now? She could have heard of what happened to Oakheart.

Though the front is locked, I can get in through the inn’s basement. There’s a private closet-sized room down there where I’ve been living. It likely was a closet. I didn't want to live with Ruth when I moved in. I didn’t want to be around anyone.

It’s more reasonable to be alone. Not to depend on anyone. Not to allow anyone to depend on you. I used to depend on my father. My father was a fisherman and my mother died in childbirth. I had always depended on my father for survival. Desperately trying to defend me is what got my father killed. I don’t want anything like that to happen again. To me or to anyone I care about.

When I got inside, I’m tempted to go to my room, promptly go to sleep and pretend nothing's wrong. I’m fine for now. That’s grand. But I won't delay this. This is life or death. I desperately need to go to the queen.

Ruth is in her bedroom asleep already. Her bedroom is the only bedroom on the first floor hidden behind the greeting desk. I knock on the door. I could hear her groans as she got off her bed. She opened the door widely.

“What’s going on now?” she smiled as she observes me but her smile didn’t last. I hugged her before mentioning anything. All I can do is disappoint her.

“How did this even happen?”

“I was just curious. I had no idea it belonged to the kingdom.”

By Cristina Collazo