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Chapter three: Memories
"But it will prove to be a bit entertaining." laughed the King, fearing the days to come, but also anxious for them none-the-less.
Kali was trying to lose Arlie in the maze of the castle, but this was probably a vain act seeing as he lived in the place. Yet, she found it was worth a try. Down the hall she ran, up a set of stairs, down a hall, up more stairs, through a twisting and turning hall, down some stairs, and she ended up in a dead end hall.
"Oh no....." hissed Kali to herself, looking around wildly as her heart started to race rapidly. Slowly, slow steps echoed down the hall behind her. Kali spun around and just stared at the way she had just come, seeing Arlie slowly walking towards her. A micheivious smirk tugged across Arlie's lips, as his fiery orange eyes reflected the torch light. As the fire reflected through Arlie's eyes, it gave them an almost predatorlike gleam as he slowly advanced towards the princess.
Kali let out a squeak as Arlie lunged at her, about to tackle her to the stone floor of the castle. Arlie had launched himself just low enough so that Kali couldn't have evaded him by ducking. That didn't keep the princess from trying the tactic though. She ducked down, covering her head with her arms instintively. After a minute in that crouched position, and not being knocked to the ground by Arlie, she dared to glance up.
Her eyes widened and a laugh bursted from her lips. There, hanging in mid-air as a sparkling cloud of magic swarmed around him to keep him from moving forward or from being dropped, was Arlie, looking bewildered.
"Looks like I came just in time, deary." giggled the high-pitched voice of Kali's faerie Godmother, Nessie. The faerie's wand was poised and pointed at Arlie, who was glaring at the fluffy-haired woman.
"What the hell?!" Screamed the prince, his eye twitching with anger.
"Don't curse, m'lord." Snapped Nanny, who had just recently arrived. She smartly slapped the boy on his head, and he attempted to snap at her hand with his teeth. That slight gesture got Arlie another smart slap.
Kali scuttled over to the faerie godmother, and very uncharacteristically, hugged the floating woman.
"Thank you Nessie!" Kali smiled brightly at Nessie.
"You are my god-child, Kali, I had to help you." Nessie turned to Nanny and smiled, "Why, Miranda, how nice to see you again my dear friend!"
"Yes, it is wonderful Nessilanddracrisanthromopolina." laughed Nanny, also known as Miranda, as she gently strided over to the short, pudgy faerie. Kali and Arlie stared at the old woman, amazed that she was able to pronounce such a name. Nessie flew over to Miranda and started to make light conversation with her human friend, remarking on how amazing it was that their charges were to be married together. Kali listened, making a face once she realized that she would eventually be wedded to Arlie.
Her opal colored eyes turned to the raven-haired young man, still floating in the air. He moodily glared at the girl, wishing to bite her like he did when he was young. Childlishly she stuck her tongue out at him and turned to her faerie godmother. Arlie watched as Kali leaned down and whispered something to that plump little faerie. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously and warilly watched as the faerie giggled and nodded to whatever Kali had whispered to her.
"Draniois!" exclaimed the blue-faerie as she waved her wand at him. Suddenly he felt whatever force that was holding him in place leave him, and he dropped heavilly to the floor with a rough 'thud'. He groaned in slight pain as he rolled over to glare up at the ceiling of the corridor. Kali bent over him slightly, smirking in a triumphant way, quickly she waved and ran out of the corridor, disappearing around the first turn.
Arlie growled and sat up, half tempted to run after the young princess. Stumbling to his feet he turned and glared at Miranda, his old-time friend/guardian, shooting the breeze with that faerie.
"Nanny!" yelled Arlie, "Why are you talking to her!? She kept me from gettting back at that brat!"
The two women stopped and turned to the fiery-eyed young man, their eyebrows raised. Nessie glanced over at Miranda, covering her mouth to keep from giggling in her sugary-sweet, high-pitched, voice.
"And what precisely did the girl do to you in the first place, Lord Arlie?" asked Miranda, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms as she waited for Arlie's answer.
"She slapped me!" roared Arlie, pointing the way that Kali had gone in an extravagant gesture.
"You started the fight." sniffed the old woman, turning away from Arlie, as if she had already won. Arlie sputtered for a moment, trying to find an offense that Kali had used against him. After not finding anything to use against the violet-haired young woman, he huffed, crossed his arms and stalked away from the two women, down the hall which Kali disappeared into.
"My, my, such a temper." remarked Nessie, turning to her friend.
"Yes, I know." Miranda sighed, hanging her head, "He gets it from his mother, except she can tame her temper. Arlie's is like a feral tiger at times."
Nessie agreed, giggling lightly. The two started to walk, or in Nessie's case float, down the hall, catching up on all their lost years.
Thick dust accumulated in the air. It seemed like dust was a nescessity in all libraries. Light streamed in through the large window, casting a puddle of light on the wooden floor. The shelves were built into the walls, keeping the books securely cradled into the depths of the walls. Painted a dull beige color, it seemed that the room held a slightly peaceful atomosphere all together. In a corner was a huge, blood red chair, slightly dull with dust. A bit of stuffing was protruding from holes in the old chair.
A slight smile slipped across Kali's lips as she stared at the chair. Gliding over to the chair, the wooden floor creaking softly under her feet, she delicately ran a finger along an arm of the large chair. Slowly a memory assembled itself in her mind, making her lips stretch a bit further into a smile.
"Father, why must I read to her?" asked the eight-year-old Arlie, pointing at Kali as if she was a dog. Kali was holding a book in her hands, which seemed large compared to her small stature. She looked mad, but a little sad at the same time. Idly, she fiddled with a torn corner of the book, picking at it lightly. Moments earlier, Arlie's father told him to help her read a book.
Arlie's father, his hair a lush black with no signs of the slivers of silver that came with age, put a hand on his son's shoulder.
"Arlie, Kali wishes to read the book, and you already know how to read so well," started the man, "It's only proper for you to help her. So hop to it son."
"But da-"
"Arlie, help her or I'll live forever, meaning you'll never be king." The father wagged a finger in the boy's face, before regallly exiting. During the conversation, Kali had taken a seat in the large, newly purchased, crimson chair. The boy noted she looked odd there, sitting on the overstuffed cushion, barely taking up half the chair. Her legs didn't even reach the ground as she held a book almost larger than herself. Sighing in defeat, the eight-year-old sat down by the girl, taking the book and propping it between them.
"Have you picked a story?" asked Arlie, trying his best not to start a fight for once.
Kali nodded, not even looking up at him as she opened the book. She had marked the story earlier because it had looked interesting. Arlie looked at the story, slightly surprised to see it was one of his favorites. He shrugged and began to read the story,
" 'Once upon a time, in a land that was bathed in shadows and surrounded by a dark forest there lived a man. He was kind to all he met, and he put others before himself. One day, while fetching berries for the old woman of the village, his ears heard the howls of a wounded animal. Following the shrieks of pain he went to inve....inves....."
He had stopped to try and figure out what the word was, sounding it out but still having trouble.
" 'He went to investigate the situation.' " supplied the girl softly, leaning her head against the boy's shoulder as she waited for him to continue. Arlie glanced at Kali, a bit surprised, but continued to read the story aloud.
An hour later, when Arlie's father, and Kali's father glanced into the room, they were surprised by the scene. Inside, Kali was asleep, her head on Arlie's shoulder and her arms wrapped around his waist as if he was a big stuffed animal. The boy had fallen asleep also, his head leaned on Kali's and his hands still holding the book open. The elder men glanced at each other, slight smile adorning their faces as the left the room, leaving the two to sleep in peace.
Kali walked along the shelves, searching for that book. Finally her opal-colored orbs fell upon the title, and she pulled the book out. She noticed it was more dilapidated than last time she looked at it. Kali went to the large chair, sitting down in it. As she sat a cloud of dust burst from the chair, hanging like an aura around the girl.
She sneezed and coughed before the dust finally dropped away from her. Then she opened the book, coming to the fable about the man. Slipping off her slippers, her feet were planted on the cushion, propping the book up against her legs at a nice angle she started to read out loud.
The young man leaned against the door's frame, crossing his arms, as he listened to the girl. Eventualy it registered to him that she was reading the fairytale he had read to her. The one from long ago, the one she helped him with. A slight annoyed frown came across his lips, but he sighed.
'She's always been too smart for her own good.' he thought, watching the girl read. She was either not acknowledging him, or she was too wrapped up in the story to notice him. The light was shining down at he from an angle that brightened up the side of her face, making her a bit ethereal with her purple hair and crystalline eyes.
'She's kinda cute when she's not being a bitch....Wait, where the fuck did that come from?!' His eyes widened slightly when he realized what he thought. But, just then he heard Kali start reading the part about a monster. Forgetting his personal thought, he smirked evilly as a plan came to his mind. Quietly he snuck into the room, listening to Kali as she read. The prince was careful not to step on the creaky parts of the floor.
" 'Hesistantly, the man entered the cave of the beast, the one that he had saved, the one that had stolen the old woman from the village and threatened to consume her. The cave was filled with webs of poisonsous spiders, who would jump at the chance to eat the man. There was an unsteady dripping as water fell from stalagtites, putting the man on edge.
Suddenly he heard a voice boom throughout the cave, a voice so rough that it could crack diamonds. All doubt of it being the beast was erased as the voice boomed, --' "
" 'Who dares enter the cave of the entity of death, the great Grisol!' " Arlie quoted the book, roaring out the line in a ragged voice. Kali gave out a short, frigtened scream, jumping off the chair and holding the book to her chest as she stared wide-eyed at Arlie.
"Arlie!" Kali shouted, registering who it was. She glared at him angrilly, still clutching the book to her chest. The raven-haired man was laughing, loving the expression that Kali had just delivered to him. Trembling a bit, from a mix of anger and her recent fright.
As Arlie laughed his raven-haired head off, Kali glared at him. Her hands clutched at the book, her knuckles slowly turning white as her nails dug into the cover of the book. She felt anger slowly seeping into her blood, turning it red-hot with rage.
Before the poor prince could take a breather, the thick fairy tale book crashed onto his head. Kali slammed the book against his thick head in rage, causing him to collapse to the ground in a stunned heap. The girl let out a squeak of surprise as she watched Arlie's body fall to the floor.
She watched him for a moment, her crystalline eyes wide with terror, and close to tears. Dropping to her knees by Arlie she touched her fingers to her lips, which had started to tremble.
The young man didn't move, and Kali couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. Quietly, she whispered a short sentence, but it was filled with a sea of remorse.
"Oh god, what did I do?"
End Chapter 3
