Two Roads

 “What does the proclamation say, well? Hurry up!”

“Shush Lacey I’m reading!” Elinora paused and her eyes skimmed the scroll that had been nailed onto the stone pillar that stood in the center of the village. Already, there were shouts about the new proclamation nailed on and an alarmingly large amount of people swarmed towards the scroll.

“Elinora!” Lacey gasped. “C’mon you’ve had enough time, let’s go!” Lacey grabbed Elinora’s hand forcefully, painfully dragging her away from the massive swarm of villagers clamoring to read the scroll.

Elinora and Lacey scuttled home, their light slippers clicking along the stone pavement.

Elinora opened the wooden door to her home and untied her bonnet, hanging it on the wall adjacent of her.

“Mama!” Elinora called delicately, her thick British accent filling the little shack. “Mama, news from the courtyard!”

“Oh yes, mother come!” Lacey yelled at the top of her lungs. “Hurry! Elinore’s bound not to tell me till everyone in the house is in her presence.”

“Shush Lacey.” Elinora chided. “No need to raise your voice.” She paused. “We can all hear perfectly fine within the small confinements of our home.”

Lacey rolled her eyes and gave a loud sigh, slumping onto the chair and throwing her feet up onto the table.

“Lacey!” Shrieked Elinora.

“Oh, what are you going to do about it?” Lacey growled. “I’ve already said one too many times I’m not the perfect British girl everyone wants me to be. I mean c’mon they’ve already got you! I wish I got rid of this bloody accent as well, it makes me too lady-like.”

There was commotion in the back and a small, frail woman emerged with a dirty apron strapped on.

“What is it girls? Come tell your old mother what’s the news that so many villagers are talking about.” Her voice was rusty, although her crisp, sharp accent was still present, and Elinora could sense fatigue throughout her mother’s body and her heart melted.

“Come mother; sit down while I tell you what the scroll said.” Elinora pulled up a chair for her mother and looked warningly at Lacey.

“Now, it began with the usual announcements about rationing for bread,” Elinora swallowed slowly. “Looks like the price has gone up couple of pounds, but nothing we can’t afford.” She finished hastily, eyeing the counter of coins they had stashed in the table to the corner. “Now, the proclamation went on to say that the King is having his yearly celebration as the year ends. There are two parts,” Elinora paused slowly to remember the parts the scroll said. “The first part is a dance in the king’s own royal ball. His son, Prince Wilhelm will be there, looking for a bride.”

Lacey squealed and Elinora glared at her. “The second part,” Elinora continued, looking at her mother. “Is a competition for all the men of Eden. The King will send out clues through the forest to finish a task and the first who finishes the task gets the prize of one thousand pounds.”

“You lost me at men.” Lacey said, yawning. “Don’t know if you’ve forgotten, there’s no man in this household.”

Elinora shot Lacey a warning look and Lacey covered her mouth with her hands, looking from Elinora to their mother.

Their mother looked up sharply at Lacey, but sighed.

“Elinora, the proclamation cannot apply to us. I know that balls in the castles are only for any family from the high-income ring and the competitions are only for men.” She shrugged. “Please be good girls and stay out of trouble.”

Elinora watched as their mother disappeared behind the shabby curtain they had hung up. Lacey slammed her feet on the ground and stared at Elinora thoughtfully.

“You were going to dress as a boy, weren’t you?” Lacey asked quietly.

Elinora looked at her and shrugged. “The competition’s our only shot at that one-thousand pounds. We still have father’s clothes in the back… I was just thinking, you know.”

Lacey laughed, a cruel laugh. “You? Dress as a boy and go out into the woods? Why I’d bet my life savings you’d chicken out the first encounter you have with… a deer!” She crossed her arms. “Why not dress as a rich freak and go to the ball, win the heart of the prince, marry him, and earn way more than some one thousand? Why, you’d be earning more like the entire kingdom for us. You could give some of your inheritance to us every year.” Lacey smiled. “And you don’t have to dress like a boy. Problem solved.”

Elinora looked thoughtfully at Lacey, and then paused. She walked over to Lacey and thrust her head close to hers and whispered fiercely,

“Are you joking? We’re already in debt by so much and you want to risk the chance that we’d be discovered as a hitchhiker into the king’s palace and get fined more? At least if they found out a girl entered the competition they might just take me back.” Elinora looked around. “Yes, it’s determined. I’m going after the one thousand.” She pushed Lacey back down, who was attempting to get up. “No, you’re not coming with me, you’re not old enough. Stay home and take care of mother.” Elinora said, looking into Lacey’s turquoise eyes.

“Will you need weapons for the competition? I have some daggers secretly in the back.” She asked. Then immediately she said, “Don’t tell mother I have them or I’ll slit your throat.”

Elinora sighed and said, “Just tell me you didn’t steal them.”

“I didn’t.” Lacey said, shrugging. “I was just borrowing. I’ll give them back someday.”

“Lacey!” Elinora hissed.

“Look, do you want them or not?” Lacey asked. Elinora paused then nodded. “I’ll take two.”

“When did the king say the competition would start?”

“They’re having the call at sunset.” Elinora looked out the window at the sun. “That gives me plenty of time to dress and eat. I wonder what the task will be.”

Lacey shrugged, “Well, whatever it is, do it. We need that money.”

“Well, how do I look?” Elinora strung her pouch of coins on her belt, which she had to cut extra holes through for it to fit her skinny waist.

“Stupid.” Lacey admitted. “Still like a girl. You need a mustache.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake I’m only 18, a lad doesn’t need a mustache at 18.” Elinora growled in her best man voice, sheathing her dagger onto her belt. She popped back into herself for the slightest bit. “Wonder how long this competition will take.”

“Can’t be more than a couple of days, if it’s in the forest.” Lacey reasoned, looking over Elinora up and down. “Remember to keep your bun stuck in your hat. If they find out you’re a girl…”

“I could just be a young lad with long hair.” Elinora giggled. “There are plenty enough of those there.”

“Use those coins wisely!” Was all Lacey said, shoving her sister out the front door. “And good luck.” She muttered under her breath.

Elinora strode into the courtyard, lifting her eyes slightly and seeing an alarmingly large amount of young men and old men gathered in the courtyard.  The sun was just setting, a blast of red, orange, yellow, and purple tints streaked across the sky.

Suddenly, a trumpet played a fanfare and Elinora looked up, seeing a young man with thick clothes of royalty step up onto a platform.

“Men! Men! Please gather here. Welcome to the annual celebration and games of the Kingdom of Eden. Tonight, we have a scroll per man to start out with, the first clue to finding and completing the task and earning… one thousand pounds!”

There was a roar of cheering that erupted from the crowd and Elinora looked sideways nervously, watching greed grow into the eyes of the men around her.

“Listen carefully. There shall be no violence in the forest.” The page eyed the men carefully. “You may choose to retreat the competition at any time you feel necessary, and whence you come upon finishing the task, you must come back to the kingdom with proof that your deed is done. Upon finding each clue, you must put back the scroll once you’ve read it. This is because although others may be behind you searching for the same clue, they might get ahead of you in the end. Failure to do this will result in sentencing to jail. These games are meant to be festive. Come, let’s celebrate the coming year. ”

Weak yells of support and whispers erupted from the men and Elinora’s eyes narrowed. She looked up at the castle and saw the blazing lights from the ball.

Well, those women be dancing while I fight for our family’s survival, she thought with a smudge of jealously. She looked up as the page started to hand out scrolls and took one eagerly.

“Do not open the scroll until everyone has received one! Upon opening, please immediately retreat towards the forest if you wish to proceed.”

Elinora felt the crusty paper within her hands and itched to open it, to reveal its secrets.

“Alright men,” the page said after a moment of silence. “Proceed to open.”

Elinora watched as all the men ripped open the scroll, eyes scanning the page, and then faces either becoming determined or falling dejectedly. She slid open her scroll herself to reveal the simple lines scratched upon the page:

“Here I sit above the ground, waiting for one to see me and comfort me with the slightest of nudges, and then I shall watch my patron change color, from the lightest of moods to the darkest.”

Elinora paused, looking over the words carefully and thinking about the metaphor, brain scanning over all the animals and plants of the forest.

She decided the first move that would benefit her most would be to go to the forest. Dodging left from the clamors of confusion erupting from the crowd, she slid out of the castle walls and started jogging towards the forest, her dagger hitting against her thigh with every step. The sun was almost setting; she knew many men would camp through the night and resume their journey for the morning, but she was determined to solve the first riddle in the night. She saw the thick, broken branches and weaved her way through the entrance, journeying deeper and further into the thickets until she reached a large lake. She paused, breathing hard and read the manuscript once more.

“Okay so, above the ground. Obviously on some tree, or animal, rock or mountain hill.” She paused, looking up and scanning the edges of the open area. There weren’t too many mountains except for a heightened cliff a ways off. She kept reading- “slightest of nudges…” that could mean her hand that brushed off something to show it…

“Patron to change color, light to dark.” Elinora breathed hard, narrowing her eyes in confusion. Suddenly, she looked around her and saw that all the trees in the forest had white bark. Stepping forward slowly, she hovered her hand over the trunk, whispering the lines repeatedly in her head. She took her dagger and carved a bit of the bark out, ripping it off of the trunk, revealing a brown undertone.

“Light to dark? Could this be it?” She whispered. She looked up, scanning the entire row of trees. But which tree held the scroll? She began to look frantically, peering up the nearby trees into the leaves, scanning for parchment. Suddenly, there were voices opposite of her and she dove for the bush, scrambling to hide behind it. The travelers were on horseback, she could tell.

“So, light to dark obviously means the sun to the moon,” A voice said, a gruff deep male voice. “So we have to wait until the next sunset. We just missed the one today.”

“But father, couldn’t it mean a different light to dark? Read the page- waiting above the ground for a nudge and then a change of color. This couldn’t mean anything but the hawk whose wings changes color when it gets trapped- the nudge?” The son’s voice was gentle, but affirmative and Elinora peeked through the branches to get a view at who was the speaker. She didn’t know him personally, but knew of him, for he was part of the high class. She was surprised he wasn’t at the dance the king was hosting tonight. What was the hawk he was talking about? Elinora shook her head, dismissing the hawk, but a nudge in the back of her head went back to the sun and moon. Sun to the moon sounded reasonable. Elinora peered into the sky at the moon, which was shining brightly across the entire forest. It would be some time before the sun came up, so Elinora sat down, eyes fixed on the moon. The light was strong, though, and she frowned. It could be the light of the moon becoming dark… from the clouds. Both ideas were plausible, and Elinora was determined to try both. Time ticked away, and Elinora could feel sleep grow on her. Just as her eyes were about to close, she noticed a cloud moving in on the moon and stood up carefully, watching it slowly as the clouds surrounded the moon entirely. The forest became near pitch black. Elinora looked around, barely getting an outline of the trees when suddenly far in the distance, she saw a bright light shining on one of the trees. Heart beat racing, she looked back up at the moon and saw that one of the clouds had parted to reveal a bit of the light of the moon, shining down on the tree. Racing over as quickly and quietly as possible, Elinora paced across the forest and knelt at the tree just as the clouds covered up the moon again. She took out her dagger and peeled the trunk of her tree with her dagger, shaving off the bark. After moments of shaving, nothing had appeared. Elinora sighed, downcast. She bit her lip in frustration, doubt starting to overwhelm her. She looked back at the trunk of the tree carefully and examined it, suddenly noticing that the bark she was peeling was… wood, obviously, but it had been handled with before. She ripped off the bark, only to find it snap back from a nail that was holding the wooden board to the tree. Below at the very bottom where she hadn’t been shaving, was a small, brown parchment. Elinora gasped, throwing her hands over her mouth to stop from screaming in delight. She was right! It wasn’t the sun the moon- it was just the moon. The king was making it easy, but not that easy for any regular commoner. She paused and thought about how the king knew the movements of the clouds every night and wondered if their astronomers in the high castle had been studying the skies.

Dismissing her foolish ideas, she grabbed the parchment slowly and unrolled it, whispering it out loud slowly to memorize it.

“Here many fall and here many rise, but here none have ventured further into thine.”

Elinora closed the scroll and let it rest between the bark of the tree, shoving the wooden plank of the trunk back in its position and feeling disappointed that she had already shaved off some of the wood- a marking that would catch others’ eyes. Repeating the phrase over and over to herself, Elinora removed herself from the clearing, getting as far as way as the clue as possible. The clouds had uncovered the moon now, lighting up a pathway for Elinora. After a moments time, Elinora slid down and rested upon a rock, running through the clue in her head. Here many fall… and here rise… so a root that trips many people. No… how could they venture further into the root?

Elinora sighed, digging through her head for the facts necessary. Suddenly, a voice emerged from the thicket.

“Excuse me, are you lost?”

Elinora sat up, struggling to stand up and found herself facing a young teen, who was carrying a medium sized tote bag with who-knew-what and in his hand a bow and arrow.

“Oh, no, I’m not lost.” Elinora said in deepest voice, looking rough. “I’m in the competition, don’t you know, the one the king started?”

The young man looked confused. “I’m afraid I’m not from here. I’m from the kingdom of Ellensburg. I’ve come to travel to move kingdoms since… well that’s none of your business is it? What competition is this?”

“It’s a fight to find several linked clues and finish the final task; to be the first one, I mean.” Elinora paused, releasing her hand from her dagger. He wasn’t a threat, probably.

“Do you happen to have a flint with you? I lost mine when I fell in that ditch a ways back.”

Elinora’s head snapped, words rushing into her head. “What ditch?” She snapped, almost meanly. She resumed herself as she saw the man was alarmed. “I meant, you fell through a ditch? I didn’t know the forest had any!” the clue filled her head- where people fall and rise, but don’t venture further. There had to be more to that ditch! Assuming, that was what the clue was alluding too. Impatience grabbed her.

“Yeah, the ditch was there, I wasn’t looking and just fell through. Not that deep good thing, I just hurt a couple of my bones, but I climbed out easily enough. Only until I walked here that I realized my match had fallen. Now I can’t make a fire to warm myself during the night, and I was looking to see if anyone had spare.” He paused, looking sideways at her. “Why are you so interested in that ditch anyways?”

“Uh,” Elinora coughed roughly. “You see it’s part of the competition.” She didn’t want to expose the man’s greedy side, for he seemed nice enough, but the mention of gold involved might change his good intentions. “Could you perhaps show it to me?”

The young man looked crestfallen. “It was perhaps a forest length behind!”

“Still in the forest of Eden, correct?” She asked, ready to give up hope if it wasn’t.

“Yes, still in the forest of Eden, but just bordering the forest of Ellensburg,” the young teen replied, sitting down and unpacking his items. “But I can take you back, if you promise me that you’ll lead me back to your kingdom and introduce me to the king.”

“Introduce you to the king!” Gasped Elinora, in her normal voice. Almost immediately she dropped back to her pretend tone. “What do you need to see the king for?”

“I’ve brought valuables from Ellensburg that the king might want to buy, earn me a living maybe with the price he’ll pay me.”

Elinora narrowed her eyes. “It’s a deal, then.” She said, sitting down beside him. “I guess we’re camping here for the night?”

“It’s getting late,” he commented, throwing rocks in the center and asking her to start a fire. Luckily Elinora had grabbed up a few flints Lacey had stolen from their neighbors. There was a pause as the young lad opened his bag and reached for a biscuit, munching on it. He looked sideways at Elinora.

“You’re not much of a man, are you?” He said, handing her one. Elinora cringed, hoping she wasn’t obvious. Her companion paused as he stared at her more intently. “Why, you’re not a man at all, are you!” He exclaimed, moving backwards.

“Don’t be alarmed.” Elinora said, putting down her hood so her hair dangled down. “I’m quite a normal lady. I’m only pretending to be a man so I can enter the competition.” She fingered her dagger. “You won’t tell on me, will you?”

The man shrugged. “If you’re helping me, I won’t hurt you. What’s your name? I’m Will.”

“I’m Elinora, but you can call me Eli, if you want, as my man name.” She put her hood back up, just in case there were any passers. She munched slowly on the piece of bread, thinking how many other men out there had found the tree and were scouring for the ditch. There was little time left. Elinora leaned in more towards the fire. “So, what brings you out of Ellensburg, Will?” She asked quietly.

Will looked down. “You see our job, as traders, is to travel various places, to trade things of course.” His conversation was brisk, his eyes intent on the frisking fire. “Someone framed me, you see. They took a valuable from the palace of Ellensburg and snuck it into my trading bag, so that the guards found me guilty- I knew I wasn’t guilty and I was intent on finding my framer. I ran away, taking the item with me, hoping to trade it to a different city and earn myself a little money to go back and buy the truth out, and find my framer.”

Elinora’s eyes widened and she took a step back, panic flooding her. Realization struck her. “How dare you?” she hissed. “You can’t come to Eden!” She stepped back into the shadows, the light of the fire dancing on her face as Will also stood up. “You’re going to trade the valuable of Ellensburg to our king, aren’t you, and then Ellensburg soldiers will come to us and see that we have it and assume we stole it!” She paused, horror growing within her. “You’re going to start a war!”

“No, I’m not.” Will stated harshly, stepping towards her, anger glowering in his eyes. “You don’t think I was framed, do you? I’m going to ask for your king’s help to listen to my story and I’m going to go back to Ellensburg and find my framer.” He leaned forward, face to face with her. “You don’t think he’s going to frame others, too? He’s onto something. He’ll frame all the traders in Ellensburg until he’s the only one left.” Will spat on the ground. “I know simple petty Englishwomen like you wouldn’t understand what the real world was about!”

Elinora paused, moving away from him slightly. “I’m sorry I drew such conclusions, there, but it was the first thing that came into my mind…” she hesitated, staring intently at the bag slumped over on the ground. “What is the valuable of Ellensburg that you were framed with, anyways?”

“That’s none of your business.” Will said, walking briskly over next to his bag and picking up his bow and arrow, eyeing her carefully. “Just carry out your end of the deal and I will do mine.”

Elinora went back to sit down, twiddling her thumbs together, thinking about the clue repeatedly in her head and about what Will told her. Exhaustion waved over her body and she sighed, slumping over to lean on the edge of the small slope, eyes fluttering open and close. What if Will robbed her when she was asleep? Or took her flint and made away? Her mind was a nest of thoughts, flashing signs of warning at her when the light of the fire dimmed and her eyes closed.

“Is the journey to the ditch far?” Elinora called ahead, echoing Will’s exact footsteps. Her hand clung to her dagger, aware of the movement of other men around the forest.

“Shouldn’t be too far if you’re traveling alone.” He paused and looked back at Elinora and sighed. “At this rate…”

“Hey,” protested Elinora, racing ahead on her nimble feet to catch up with Will. “I’m not as slow as you think,” playful twinkled in her eyes and Will’s eyebrows raised. “You mentioned something about other men in the forest, let’s try to avoid them.”

“That’s what I was thinking; they might force information out of me.” Elinora said, picking up after Will’s pace. “You distinctly remember what this ditch looked like and where it was?”

“Obviously man-dug; natural ditches couldn’t be that shallow and perfectly dug. It was just around the border of Eden.” He paused. “But when we get there, you’ll probably have to go in alone.”

“Why?” Elinora said suspiciously, eyes furrowing. “Oh, it’s because Ellensburg has guards posted around the border, don’t they? Looking for illegal passers or better, you.” She smirked and peered at his bag. “I do wonder what is in that bag.”

Will said nothing as they trudged on, past the stream. “We’ll reach there before nightfall, for sure, if you keep pace with me.” Impatience lurked under his every step and Elinora was grateful for such a quick guide.

The sun moved steadily along the skies as the day progressed, Elinora and her guide taking brief breaks to drink water from the river (after much debate over whether it was safe to drink or not) and to munch on the little rations of food Will had to spare. It was just before sundown when they reached a small clearing and Will had paused to look around.

“Alright, we’re almost there.” He said. “I’ll wait right here in this clearing until you return with whatever you want in the ditch. Be careful, there will be guards posted from Ellensburg. You should be fine if you tell them you’re from Eden. Keep going straight and look around- you should come across a ditch.” Elinora nodded carefully.

“You’ll wait for me no matter how long I take, right?” She asked carefully.

Will hissed in impatience, “I’m not going to carry out my part of the deal and just disappear when it’s my turn to have my end of the deal, use your brain!”

Elinora turned around quickly, alarmed by his voice and walked slowly forward, eyes trained down on the ground for any holes. Within a couple of minutes, she saw the outlines of guards stationed at the edge of the border and knew the ditch was very near. She paced the outline of the forest, scanning for any sign of a hitch through the already uneven pathway. Suddenly, her eyes caught the edge of a darkened soil ground and she spun around, finding herself facing the edge of the ditch. Wouldn’t be so hard to find… but the king is quiet spacey with his clues so far, Elinora noted to herself as she hopped down into the hole, looking for any signs of a parchment. She bent down and examined the bottom of the ditch, letting her hand slide over the bottom. Without notice, her hand slid on something bumpy and she grabbed it, instinctively yanking up to reveal a trap door.

“Amazing…” Elinora breathed, looking down to reveal a slanted tunnel large enough to fit one person. She crawled down slowly and silently, the pitch black making her heart pump with every move and her spine chill when her hand brushed something that wasn’t the metal tunnel that was inserted. Squinting her eyes, Elinora saw a small light at the end of the tunnel and kept crawling towards it, excitement and fear clutching her. Finally, she caught sight of the entire view that the tunnel exposed and saw a small room, an underground room, with stone slabs on the table and-

Elinora ducked, recoiling her body from the light and curling away from the opening of the tunnel. Her heart beat skyrocketed and sweat beads formed on her forehead. Did they see her? Yes, there had been people already inside the room, Elinora couldn’t be mistaken. She wasn’t the first to have found the underground tunnel. She opened her ears and listened carefully to their conversation, however muffled it was.

“Well, this clue is too long to memorize!” A gruff voice said aloud. “I mean, this three lined verse is too much for me.”

“Perhaps sire, you could memorize the first and second line and I could memorize the second and third lines…” a shaky voice encouraged and Elinora frowned, servant, the first word that popped into her head.

“Don’t be ridiculous, you nasty filth. I can’t rely on you to memorize one line! No, it’ll have to do. We’re taking the parchment with us.”

Fear clutched Elinora’s heart.

“It’s not our problem others have been too slow to reach this place. Come along, servant, we’re leaving with the parchment. That way we don’t have to memorize anything.”

“But your sire, the king said…”

“I don’t care what the king said we’re winning these one thousand pounds. Let’s go, filthy beast.”

Elinora’s head spun and adrenaline pumped through her veins and she spun around, barely missing her head as she raced to tumble through the tunnel and back to the ditch. She could hear the grumbles of the two fat men behind her and sweat beaded her forehead as she tumbled out into the ditch, scrambling to throw herself out of the shallow ditch and retreat behind a thick tree, keeping her pants steady and still. After a moment, she heard the opening of the trap door and immediately grumbles from the two men.

“Alright, let’s head immediately to the only mountain in this bloody forest to check it out. Come on!”

Elinora peeked from behind the tree and sharply turned away, almost meeting eyes with the servant. She heard them trudging away and turned, watching the parchment dangle against the side of the master. Gritting her teeth, she ran as quick as she could back to Will.

“Well, did you find what you wanted?” he asked.

“No, others got to it before me.” She gasped, straining from her run. “We have to go after them and steal the parchment they took.”

Will paused. “What? I didn’t sign up for any stealing.”

“Look, if you help me get that parchment back I will get you back to Eden!”

“No, I’m going to Eden right now.” Will said stubbornly. “Carry out your end of the deal.”

“I am!” Elinora said, exasperatedly. “Please just help me finish this quest. With two it’ll be quicker!”

Will sighed and stood up, eyeing her carefully. “Alright, but I better meet the king.”

“They were going to the mountain- it’s almost nightfall so hopefully they’ll camp and we can take a quick look at the parchment. It doesn’t take too much brain to remember three lines.”

“They’ll be keeping it very safe, and there’ll probably be a guard.”

The servant. Elinora bit her lip, worrying. “Well, you can distract him while I just read the parchment.”

Will raised an eyebrow, and rolled his eyes. “Whatever, it’s your plan. Just get me to Eden.”

The two traveled light and quick, keeping their eyes on the mountain side, eager to catch up to their adversaries. Come nightfall, Elinora had caught sight of them, standing at the edge of the mountain. Will and her hid behind a large tree trunk that had fallen and watched them carefully.

“Oh, this is hopeless. It’s getting late you scoundrel, set up a fire.”

They heard the shuffling of feet and a small light illuminated against the stony mountain. “You take the first watch, alright right?” Came the voice of the master as he lay down, hand over the parchment.

“The other won’t be going to sleep soon.” Will hissed to Elinora, but she just shot him a glare. Within hours, the fire had gone out and both were sleeping. Elinora smirked at Will.

“It’s only logical the servant would sleep after a while- he’s simply too tired after doing all this work for his master.” She leapt over the trunk and crept slowly up on the two sleepers, eyes trained on the parchment snapped between the master’s hand and stomach. She looked at Will with a grimace, gesturing towards the parchment, but Will only shrugged and gave her an eye roll.

Elinora knelt down, sliding her hand under the free end of the parchment and slowly sliding it out from under the master’s hand. The master groaned, tossing and turning sideways so that the parchment fell out from his open palms and onto the ground. Breathing a sigh of relief, Elinora snatched it from the ground and read it twice, before rolling it up and placing it back where she had picked it up. She fled from the scene with Will at her heels.

“Well? What did it say?” He asked as they stopped at a nearby brook to rest.

“Five steps you may take, four lead to your death,

Only one can you choose, that will not take your breath,

This will reveal a gift for you, you who have tried and true”

Will looked up. “Well, what’s that supposed to mean?”

 “Why were they at the mountain? That doesn’t make any sense… five steps… so a staircase?”

“It doesn’t have to be steps up; it could just be five steps forward.”

“From where, though?” Elinora paused, closing her eyes with information about steps in the forest rushing through her head. Suddenly, she snapped up. “Of course!!” She yelled.

“Quiet.” Growled Will. “Other people will be close.”

“Of course! The steps of Eden!” She hissed to Will. “It was just a myth in our kingdom, a fantasy that the people thought! The king is making it real!”

“He’s testing if any of you were paying attention to the gossip. Just… what a king should do.”

“No, it’s more than that,” Elinora shot Will a sideways glance. “It’s easier for me because I’m a lady- I attended the weakly education sessions; I know most of the history of the steps of Eden.” She paused, running through the history in her head. “Yes, I’m quite sure of it now. Five steps located in a clearing in the forest that are hidden. Step on the wrong one, and an arrow shoots straight through you from either of your sides. Choose the right step, and something big will reveal.” She turned towards Will. “The next clue.”

Will sighed, and tugged on his bag. “How many clues are there, exactly?”

“But the question is where are the steps located?” She paused, ignoring Will and thinking carefully. “This forest is giant, with tons of clearings, which one could the king mean?”

“Well, what did the myth say?” Will asked, pushing her to think.

Elinora grabbed her head. “Nothing! The myth just said a clearing in the forest of Eden.”

Will paused, looking upwards towards the sky and sighing.

“Look, Elinora, can we figure this out tomorrow? My mind is getting fuzzy from all the traveling tonight.”

Elinora didn’t say a word, fetching her flint to make a fire and lying down on the soft soil, mind twirling with confusion on which clearing the steps could be.

The sun rose, stretching it’s rays across the horizon with thick, orange bursts of light as if painted twice on a canvas. The first signs of life began to show as the sun rose slowly from its hiding place, peeking out from over the hills.

Elinora woke, stretching and yawning as she picked herself up from the ground. Suddenly, her head snapped and she saw Will, standing in the center of the small clearing, held by two men. Elinora’s eyes widened, her heart rate immediately skyrocketing as she took a step back.

“Can I help you?” She addressed one of the men carefully.

The first man held a knife to Will’s throat. “Elinora, isn’t it? From the house of Smith in Eden?”

Elinora gulped; she had no idea she was so well known through Eden. “Who are you?” She said hotly, fingering her dagger beside her.

“It’s simple, Miss Smith. We know you’re entering the competition and this young man here must have been helping you. We want to know all you know so far with the clues you’ve found.” The first man dug the hilt of the knife deep into Will’s skin and he cried out.

“Please! I’ve… I’ve only found the first clue, please, it’s ‘here many fall and here many rise, but here none have ventured further into thine’. Please, that’s all I’ve found.”

The second man spoke up, a deep guttural laugh forming in his throat. He strode forward, meeting Elinora’s wide eyes.

“You think we’re fools? We’ve been tracking you, saw you from the start, how fast you were figuring out that the first scroll was in the tree. We’ve been following you. Now we know through the night you’ve figured out where the next scroll is, tell us.” He paused. “Or we’ll have to do a little something to your little friend, let’s say… carve a little smile?” He giggled huskily.

“If you’ve been tracking me silently so far, why so suddenly confront me?” Elinora asked, snapping with as much confidence as she could.

“There are others, and they’re going fast as well. It takes too long for you to travel, sleeping during the night.” He rolled his eyes. “We need the information now if we’re going to survive.” He snapped his fingers near her eyes and held an open palm as if looking for something physical.

“The place where the next scroll is, Miss Smith?”

“I’m telling you I don’t know.” Elinora gritted her teeth, frustrated that these fools were using brute force to cheat their way to the money. However, she was speaking the truth. Through the night, the only worry she had running in her head was how her mother and Lacey were holding up back home with food rationings low and prices high; she had no energy to think about the clue of the steps of Eden.

“Mr. Pincher, prepare to carve a pretty face out of that pretty boy.” The second man smiled, circling Will. “Quite a shame isn’t it, handsome features.”

Mr. Pincher held the knife, the tip pointing inwards towards Will’s cheeks. Will trembled, his features violently shaking.

“Wait!” Elinora screamed, her voice strained with urgency. “I know what it is.”

Mr. Pincher stopped, the knife held, stuck in Will’s cheek. The second man narrowed his eyes dangerously.

“Seth…” Mr. Pincher said, hesitating to move his knife.

Seth walked slowly around Elinora, fingers tapping along the side of his coat.

“Well? What is it?” He asked slowly, eyes trained on Elinora’s eyes.
“You heard the clue- the Steps of Eden. I just didn’t know where it was located. I just thought about it now and it only makes sense that the king would want to make the Steps of Eden… on his own castle steps. It must be the final clue. There are fifteen steps to the castle and five steps on the next set. You have to step on a certain step for some contraption to be triggered and the scroll revealed.”

Seth looked at her wonderingly. “Well then. Mr. Pincher and I will go investigate. If you’re lying, we’ll know right where to find you. Pincher! Tie them up!” Seth drew his sword and pointed it at Elinora just as Mr. Pincher took the rope hanging on his belt and wrapped up Will in it, connecting the rope to Elinora, securing them to the nearby tree.

“C’mon Mr. Pincher, this day won’t wait for us!”

And with a sprint, the two men were off.

Elinora sighed, putting her head down in her lap. Will stayed silent.

“You really told him, then?” He asked, after a moment of silence. “You told him where the Steps of Eden were?”

“Of course that’s not where the Steps of Eden were! Well, I hope not.” Elinora said, biting her lip. “God this is making me scared to death! I just wanted to buy us some time! If we can just get out of these bonds…” She hesitated. “Will, is it possible for you to lean over and grab my dagger? It’s connected to the hilt of my belt, but it’s hidden under my money pouch.”

Will reached, his fingers red with pressure as the bonds clenched him to his spot.

“I can almost reach it-”he breathed, puffing for air. “Just-lean-back-a-little…” Between breaths, Will pushed for the dagger and clutched at it, pulling forward to release it from the hilt.

“Okay, I got it; I’ll start working on my bonds.”

“Did they take your bag of food and weapons, too?” Elinora asked, voice exasperated.

“No,” there was a hint of pleasure in Will’s voice. “I always hide it safely before I go to sleep- sleep is when you’re the most vulnerable.” Their bonds were cut and after retrieving Will’s bag, the two made way far from the area of their capture down to the river where they rested and drank water.

“Okay, Mr. Seth said that people are getting closer, so we’ll have to hurry. The Steps of Eden…”

Suddenly, Will paused. “The Steps of Eden? Why, weren’t the Steps of Eden located in the Garden of Eden?”

“What’s the Garden of Eden?” Elinora asked, looking at him sideways.

Will blinked twice. “The Garden of Eden, from the Bible. The place Adam and Eve were taught sin…”

“Oh, sorry.” Elinora paused, looking down. “Our family isn’t very religious, we haven’t got money to buy a lot of books, not even the Bible. Tell me more about the Garden of Eden.”

Will thought carefully. “The Steps of Eden were placed in the Garden of Eden for Adam and Eve to leave- there were but five, yes it’s not a myth from your kingdom, it’s in the Bible, oh why didn’t I think of that earlier?” He hit himself on the knee, impatience caught within his voice. “I don’t think your king intended for this to be a religious competition- you wouldn’t have to have read the Bible to know, it’s more a parody of the Garden of Eden- a fake.”

“Well, where is the Garden?” Elinora stood, excitement sparkling in her eyes. Will blinked.

“I-I’m not sure, I have to think about that. Wait- the Garden of Eden in the Bible was the connecting point of one river and the dispersal of four rivers… if that’s true then…” Will hesitated and looked down at the roaring river in front of them. “If we follow this river one way it’ll lead to its end. If we follow this river the other way, it’ll lead us to its start. Possibly, the Garden. Where the steps are.”

Will stopped explaining and the two were in silence. Elinora looked left. She looked right.

“Well, it’s a fifty-fifty gamble.”

“Or…” Will paused. “You could go one way and I the other and one of us will definitely find the start. Then they take the gamble of the steps, find the parchment and memorize the next clue, and return to this exact location to wait for the other person.” Will nodded, the longer he was talking the more confident he felt. “Agreed?”

“What if we bump into people?” Elinora whispered. “More kidnappers?”

“You won’t, unless you plan to camp next to the river. But we’re going to work through the night till we find that bloody parchment and finish this bloody game and you can take me back to the kingdom and king of Eden.”

“You know, you could go to Eden yourself. It’s not a long journey away from the forest. You might get lost here and there, but you should be able to get there with no problem. You could go to Eden first and wait for me to get back, to show you to the king.”

Will looked away. “Once the guards look in my bag and see what I’ve gotten they’ll deem me a fugitive from Ellensburg. I need you to vouch for me.”

And what makes you think I have any intention of doing so? The words were waiting on edge of Elinora’s tongue, but she made no comment, only met his gaze intently. I don’t even know if I can trust your story. She said to him, silently in her mind.

“Alright, I’ll go right.” Was all she said.

“Try and meet back in this exact clearing as soon as you can.”

Elinora nodded and the two diverged paths.

Elinora raced down the path of the river, following the speed of the currents. She squinted her eyes down the path, looking to see signs of a start or an ending delta. Elinora paced along the side of the river, keeping an eye out for followers and other competitors.

Suddenly, she stopped, squinting. The river seemed to get larger as she went. Exhilaration flooding through her, Elinora raced through the thickets, time ticking with her every step, until the sun was near sundown and she had reached the branch. The river she had been following was the one river that branched into the four. The Garden of Eden.

Elinora looked around, estimating the distance between the clearing and the castle, but couldn’t tell because of the tall thickets that blocked her view. Elinora stared at the clearing, not daring to take a step into the circle. She peered at the grass, knowing the five steps would be hidden somewhere in the grass and not in the river. Suddenly, she heard a whooping cry behind her and she ducked into the trees, shading herself away from the light.

“I’ve got it! I’ve got it! The next clue!” A young man burst into the clearing, looking around at the center of the divergence of rivers.

Suddenly, Elinora watched as the trunk of one of the thickest trees opened and a guard came out, wearing the colors of the palace.

Oh gosh, he’s won.

“You have reached the final clue of the game.” The guard said, reading from the parchment. “Proceed.” The guard stepped back into the tree and pulled a latch, revealing five steps that rose above the ground just in front of the cross of rivers.

“Amazing.” Breathed Elinora as she watched the young man decide.

“This is just a twenty percent chance! A game!” The man said angrily, but the guard didn’t come out. Elinora watched the man carefully as he observed each step.

This cannot just be chance. There’s something more. Elinora thought, peeking through the bushes to get a better view of the steps.

“Alright, this is a blind shot.” The man said to himself, stepping on the fourth step. Almost immediately, the steps closed back into the ground and the man stumbled forward, barely catching himself. He looked up, waiting for a scroll to appear on another step.

“What?” He said, falteringly at first. “What is this?” He ran to the tree trunk and pounded on it, yelling at the guard to give him another chance. When nothing happened, the man roared with agony and raced off into the thickets.

Probably going back to complain to the king, Elinora thought as she stepped out from the shadows. A pang went through her heart as she thought about the man, thinking he was probably as poor as they were, looking for a way to support his family. Yet, a competition was a competition, a fight was a fight, and Elinora was determined not to lose.

The tree opened and the guard stepped out, repeating the same phrase she had just heard. She watched as he pulled the lever and the five steps appeared.

So, it’s not the fourth, but that leaves four choices left.

Elinora thought over the clue once again in her head.

Five steps you may take, four lead to your death,

Only one can you choose, that will not take your breath,

This will reveal a gift for you, you who have tried and true

There’s three lines in the clues, it could be the third step. But it also says only one can you choose, so it could be the first step. She paused, examining the words in her head. Four lead to your death. Well, the fourth one was false, so it could be a play on words. Or maybe…

Elinora stepped slowly on the second step, her breath held and her heart pounding loud enough to drown the current of the water. When her weight came on the step, she closed her eyes and heard the click of a latch, the sound like wedding bells to her ears.

Elinora returned to the exact clearing she had been and found Will sitting down on a rock with his bow and arrow up.

“Will!” She gasped, tears almost spilling out of her eyes. “I found it! I found the Garden of Eden.”

“Well, the fake Garden of Eden.” Will correct, looking sideways. “But anyways, what’s the next clue?”

Elinora smiled. “Will, it’s time to take you to Eden.”

“So, you stepped on the second step? How did you guess that?” Will asked as they crossed the forest, streaking towards Eden.

“It wasn’t a guess, you had to examine the clue that they gave on the parchment before. They said that four would lead to death, so the fourth step was out. It mentioned five steps you may take so I thought it was the fifth, but it also said only one you can choose, so I thought it was the first step. I also thought it could be the third since there were three lines, until I realized that nowhere had they mentioned the second step, so it was a process of elimination.” Elinora didn’t mention the man she had saw previously.

“Well, that’s risky.” Will said. “You know, there could have been a two  in there.” Elinora laughed and smiled at him. She was glad she had him on the journey- without him, she wouldn’t have known the Garden of Eden. Elinora’s smile disappeared as she remembered that he was a fugitive from Ellensburg, and was still determined not to help him until his true story had come out.

The two companions saw the faint outline of the palace of Eden in their distance and strode towards it. Elinora was eager to return to her sister and mother.

“Come on, this way!” She shouted, crossing the bridge and the gateway. She was tense, wondering if she had truly been the first to discover and finish the final task.

Elinora weaved through the crowd, keeping her hood low as she dodged and ducked the people working in the market.

“We’re going to the palace.” She whispered to Will. “Try not to be seen by any of the people.” They ran up the steep of the stone-paved paths until they reached the gate of the castle. Three guards stood at the gate.

“Your business in seeing the king, peasant?” Questioned the first guard. Elinora’s temper heated at hearing the word peasant.

“I must speak with the king.” She said gruffly. “I have the final task of the competition completed.”

The three guards exchanged glances and she saw a flicker in their eyes. They turned towards her.

“Who’s the other man?”

Elinora looked towards Will. “He’s with me.” She said.

“We’ll have to take your weapons.” The second guard said.

Elinora handed her two daggers to them and Will reluctantly handed his bow and arrow over to them.

“We’ll have to search the sack too, buddy.”

Elinora felt Will tense. Whatever he was framed with in Ellensburg was lying in the sack. 

“I-I mean, that’s personal items, there.” Will said, his sentence short and cut off. The guards’ eyes immediately narrowed, and suspicion boiled in their minds.

“We’ll need to check your bag, sir. No entering the presence of the king without a search.”

“Then I won’t come.” Will said. “Don’t worry, Eli.” He said to Elinora. “You can finish the mission alone.”

Suddenly, the first guard tackled Will, driving him to the ground. Elinora let out a scream, a high pitched, normal scream for her own kind, but the other guards were too busy hitching Will’s hands behind his back to notice her outburst.

“Please! What are you doing to him! He’s not done anything wrong!” She screamed, in her lowest voice ever.

The second guard grabbed the bag and tied it with a rope, hoisting it across his back. “You’re under arrest for the present time, hiding information from the guards of Eden. Whatever is in this bag can’t get more personal for us to see. You!” He pointed his sword at Elinora and she gasped, taking a step back.

“Do you know what’s in this bag?” He growled, staring her down.

“Please sire, I don’t know. I’m here to finish the competition with the king.”

“And no other weapons?” He hissed, circling her.

“I promise I have no intentions of hurting the king- and neither does my friend here. Please.”

“Send him to the dungeons, soldiers!” The second soldier roared. “And you- Eli or whoever you are, come with me.”

As Elinora followed the soldier through the gates, she locked eyes with Will, whose eyes were burning with rage and sadness together, mixing in the roaring emotions of his mind.

“Yes, young man? You have come to finish the competition with your one thousand, haven’t you?” The king mused, stroking his beard as he stared down at Elinora, kneeled on the shiny marble ground, hiding her face from the king’s view.

“My Lord,” Elinora repeated carefully, the words that the parchment said echoing in her mind. “There is no proof that I can suffice to give you other than by my own blood.” The words she spoke were an exact imprint from the parchment she had recovered from the step- the final clue to the finish of the competition, which had told her to repeat those exact words to the king. After she had spoken those words exactly aloud, she looked up, shading her eyes from the king.

The king laughed loudly, and clapped his hands in delight.

“Very good! Very good! You are the second to have finished the competition.”

Second? The word echoed in her head and Elinora’s heart froze. No one thousand pounds for her family… all gone to waste.

“But don’t look so disappointed, my dear boy! We have decided to give awards to the second and third place this year as well! You will take your one thousand pounds to your huge family and have all the maidens of the poor god-forsaken village of yours begging for your hand in marriage.” The king smiled and snapped, a guard emerging from the hall and carrying a chest full of gold coins and setting it before Elinora.

“Thank you, My Lord.” She said, her words coming out in whispers. The happiness that fled her heart couldn’t be explained in words, and the joy seeped through her arteries and veins till it filled but the whole of her mind. Suddenly, she paused. “What did you call the part of town where I lived? The poor, god-forsaken village?” Her tone had shaped into anger, a bitter statement against him.

The king’s eyes narrowed carefully, and he crossed his legs in a challenge. “Is there something about that that you would say different, my dear boy?”

Elinora’s teeth gritted, she felt the hatred of this lowly, arrogant, snots of the high society staring down at her. But she only nodded curtly, and said, “I wouldn’t have said better, Your Highness.” And she took the chest and turned around, walking towards the door. Her plan was to come back as Elinora and ask for her brother from Ellensburg Will, whom she’d introduce to the king.

Just as she was about the step out of the doorway, the king called out to her.

“Wait, young man.”

Elinora turned, keeping her head low.

“I didn’t get to ask your name?”

“It’s Eli, your highness. Eli Davis.” Elinora said hastily, grabbing a last name.

“Hmm. That’s quite odd, isn’t it? I don’t distinctly remember the Davis family having a son by the name of Eli.” The king sat forward in his seat and snapped his fingers and immediately, the guards shut the door. “I award my one thousand to honest, hardworking men, young man, not liars. So I’m going to ask you one more time. What is your name?”

Elinora gulped and stepped forward, dropping the chest on the ground before straightening up. With her fists clenched and her heart pounding, she took off her hood and let her long, brown hair fall to her waist.

“Elinora. Elinora Smith.”

There was an immediately gasp from the guards to the side and even the king’s eyes widened, his head turned upwards in interest.

            “Ahh… a girl? I always like the girls, the fierce ones out against the men, fighting to prove that their gender isn’t useless. You heard the rules though; the competition was only for men.” His tone darkened at the end of his sentence, a cruel statement as the guards came up to her and dragged the chest of coins away.

“Your Highness, all due respect,” Elinora said, her strong voice echoing out into the giant chamber, stopping the guards in their tracks. “What makes a woman different than a man? Is it so you can compete stupidity against stupidity?” She mocked, challenging the king. “As a citizen of Eden, I have tracked down every clue and played the rules exactly as they were put. I have every right to earn that money as any other man does in the kingdom of Eden.” She spoke hard, her breathing a fierce rhythm of pants as she met the king eye to eye. The king looked up, a smile forming on his lips as he stood and walked down the steps.

“You are clever, aren’t you, Miss Smith.” The king stroked his beard in delight. His eyes darkened. “But we cannot encourage the role of females within our kingdom. No, you cannot be allowed to win.”

“Please, king, if I were to take the money and keep it a secret? None of the other villagers would have to know that I finished the competition and was one of the winners.”

“And suddenly have a spree of money? Why, you’d be rich enough to move up an entire social status, people would talk! Rumors would spread- rumors of how you won the competition… no, I can’t allow it.”

Despair filled Elinora’s heart.

“Please, your sire.” She whispered, now a drop that echoed within the marbled walls of the palace. “If you had any ounce of kindness instilled in your heart, you’d understand that women are not so weak as compared to men. Why do you think men marry women? So that she can be his advisor throughout life. Why think of all the decisions that a man makes, and who helps him? His wife. Who tends to the children that are men and create them, educate them into better people? The mother. Who gives the final sacrifice in desperate times of need for their family? The woman. There are merits that cannot simply be awarded to men. The woman deserves a status equal to that of a man, don’t you see? You’re blinded by the pure hatred of the other gender yet you fail to see, through all your wisdom as the King of Eden, the true aspects that a woman deserves!” Elinora was shouting at this point, her voice fixating awe in every presence in the room. “Starting with the right to compete against men in competitions like the one I have entered and deserve that one thousand for!”

The hall was silent; her last words an echo through the hall. Elinora’s heart was beating, pounding against her as if confronted with her future. This wasn’t about the one thousand pounds anymore; it was about her status through the kingdom. The king narrowed his eyes at Elinora after a while, and he sat on his throne, closing his eyes deep in thought.

“Sire! Sire! We’ve found something!”

Elinora’s head snapped as she heard the echoes of guards’ feet tapping along the floor. “We’ve just investigated the bag of a certain young man, claiming to go by the name of William Wright, who came from Ellensburg. We asked him to show what was in his bag before entering your castle, but he wouldn’t so we took it and looked in it!”

“Well?” The king said impatiently. “What was in the bag that you found?”

Fear clutched Elinora’s heart. This was the moment.

“It’s the Jewel, sir. The Jewel of Eden.”

Elinora’s heart stopped pumping, and time slowed to a halt. The Jewel of Eden? But Will had told her that he had been framed with one of the valuables from Ellensburg.

The king looked up. “The Jewel of Eden? The one that went missing so long ago? Bring it in!” He commanded. “And bring in the traveler who claimed to have it.”

“He wasn’t running away, sire.” Elinora put in. “He was trying to bring it back to you.” Yet questions rang through her head endlessly about the lies Will had told her.

Will was brought in, with the Jewel encased in a glass box carried behind him. Will caught eyes with Elinora, saw the chest the guards were holding, and nodded as he knelt before the king.

“Your Sire. I will begin to entreat upon you my story and I beg of you not to interrupt me till the conclusion of my speech. I was born of Ellensburg, a trader with my father, traveling to different cities to trade valuables that we didn’t want and to gain other valuables. The time came, however, when one of our men got a bit too greedy and during his trading with Eden, stole the Jewel of Eden simply lain behind while your soldiers were examining the trading goods that the others from Ellensburg had brought. When he returned, the masters of Ellensburg Trade always went through all of our goods to see their worth in the kingdom, and saw that the Jewel was loaded in the pile. Furious as he was, he asked which one of us took the Jewel and demanded that we take it back to Eden before you called a war upon all the seven kingdoms of the world. I didn’t know which man framed me, but one night they snuck the Jewel into my trading bag, thinking that the next day when we went out to trade in the other kingdoms, the guards would catch me, thinking I was the initial one who stole it. However, I was smarter. I knew if I returned this to you without being surreptitious and explained the scenario, and returned to find the man who framed me, it would be easier on both our kingdoms, and not start unnecessary blaming, leading to war.”

Why that liar. He wasn’t trying to start a war, he was trying to avoid one. Admiration filled Elinora’s heart, yet a pang that he had never told her.

The hall was silent after a while, the story lapsing in the king’s head.

“So, why didn’t you let my guards look into your bag at the gate?” The king mused.

Will looked up. “I knew if the guards caught me with the Jewel outside of the gate they would think I had the Jewel all this time in Eden and was leaving, escaping the kingdom. No, it had to be inside the castle that I revealed the treasure, in front of your eyes, my king.”

The king nodded, looking sideways at Will. “Then Eden thanks the work of you, young tradesman from Ellensburg. Is there anything you would like in return for your deed?”

Will looked down. “An accompanying horse would be suitable for my return to Ellensburg, and a scroll of your proclamation in my innocence. Also,” Will looked at Elinora. “Letting my friend take the money she rightfully earned.”

But he helped me earn it. He was the one that told me about the Garden of Eden. He deserves a portion of the one thousand pounds.

The king smiled carefully, snapping his fingers.

“Bring the best steed we have in the stables, and two of my guards to accompany this tradesman back to Ellensburg. And bring my quill and ink!” He roared. He looked down at Will. “Master Tradesman, we are indebted for you bringing back the Jewel of Eden. The Jewel that was worn upon the crowns of our great ancestors and was the key to opening the locked room of treasure in the caverns. I will let your friend take her money.” He said carefully, eyeing Elinora. “But if the town turns into a rally for the rights of women, you will know I will have to take back the money or kill her.”

Elinora blinked, looking at Will, who nodded.

“Your sire, I am sure Elinora will be careful with who she chooses to reveal her merits to.”

“Very good,” the king said, starting to write his proclamation on a parcel of paper. “Take the horse in the stables and my two guards will accompany you back to Ellensburg. Both of you are dismissed.”

Elinora’s heart swelled with happiness as she felt the rough edges of her chest of coins bang against her knees as she left- Will followed closely behind her.

“Thanks for saving me.” She breathed as they got out of the castle. “I suppose you’ll be heading to the stables?”

Will gripped his bag that the soldiers had returned and the scroll the king had written on. “I’m off to Ellensburg as soon as I can.” He looked sideways at Elinora. “It was nice meeting you, Elinora.” He paused. “I’ll come visit you as soon as my business is done in Ellensburg. Our two roads will meet again.”

“That would be nice.” Elinora said, smiling.

They paused, standing there in silence, their eyes meeting, both filled with sadness over the adventure they had shared. After a moment, they hugged, Elinora’s heart tingling with sadness as her friend waved goodbye and parted the road, pacing to the stables. Elinora picked up her chest of coins and started down the long road, back to her home where she longed to see the face of her mother and sister.

Elinora knocked on the wooden door, setting her chest down and calling,

“Mother? Lacey?”

She opened the door with a push and frowned, coming in and locking the door behind her.

“Mother? Lacey?” She called once more, moving into the center of the hut and setting down her chest. There was movement behind the curtain she saw Lacey come out. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Lacey burst into a shriek.

“Oh, Elinora, you’ve won! Oh the money, oh what are we going to do!” She was talking in nonsense, mumbling in short fragments as she examined the chest and paced about the room. “Oh, please Elinora, forgive me. I told you I should have done the competition, I told you. Oh, I’m so foolish, forgive me!”

“Lacey, sit down.” Elinora said, smiling. “What are you talking about? Where’s mother?”

Lacey looked at her, and then put her head on her hands, leaned over, and muttered words indistinct to Elinora’s ears.

Elinora’s heart pumped through her veins, filling her ears with the drum of her beat.

“Lacey, where’s mother?” She asked, more harshly this time, grabbing Lacey’s arm and pulling her up to face her. Lacey said nothing, still mumbling to herself.

“LACEY. WHERE’S MOTHER?” Elinora screamed at her sister, filling the hut with her shouts.

Lacey started crying, tears streaming down her cheeks. “She’s not here!” She yelled back. “She’s not here, alright? I told you I’m sorry I just couldn’t! I- you left and mother asked where you were and I didn’t say because I didn’t want her worrying and she went faint after and I couldn’t heal her back and she got sick and you were gone and I tried looking for the medicine but I couldn’t and I tried calling over the Nanny but all she would do is put the hot blanket over her and-” Lacey threw her hands up to her head, talking as fast as she could, her words a blur to Elinora. “She’s not here!” She screamed again. “And it’s my fault, alright? I’m sorry! She was just so sick and I never attended those weekly educational programs you bloody went to and bloody paid all the money to attend but I’m sorry! I just can’t!”

Lacey threw herself from the grasp of Elinora and flew to the back, her sobs filling Elinora’s ears. Elinora stumbled to a chair, her lips trembling and body as pale as a sickly ghost was. Her heart was ice, fragile and cold, and she shook, her whole body trembling violently as it hit her.

“What do you mean, she’s not here?” Elinora screamed at Lacey in the back. She stood and marched to her room. “If she’s not here, where is she?” She paused, her bloodshot eyes glaring at Lacey. “I go away from home for a couple of days and I come back and you’ve done it. You drove mother to her death, I knew it. You blasted sister, you knew nothing of what she suffered. And now that I’ve gotten one thousand pounds you’re going to be joyous aren’t you and buy pretty frocks to wear to the dances and leave me to clean the house and-” Elinora stopped halfway, hands up as if she wanted to strangle her sister. She breathed in and out, letting her lungs fill and release. She closed her eyes and sat down, breathing in, breathing out. Lacey was weeping still, mountains of tears that had fallen collecting on her bedside. Elinora watched her suffer, watched the tears slide out. And after a moment of silence, her own tears came, streaming not quickly, but slowly along her cheek, the drops like raindrops on the window, falling and falling until it hit the ground.

“Well it’s been three weeks since I’ve returned, I suppose we ought to move on with our lives.” Elinora said quietly, putting some of the coins in her pouch. “I’ll go see and if there’s a house in the middle ring we can purchase and live in.”

“You mentioned a young man in your story that you told me, by the name of Will. What happened to him?” Lacey asked quietly as she sat in the chair.

“I told you, he went his way back to Ellensburg.” Elinora said curtly, rubbing the dust off her dress.

Lacey frowned. “It’s quite strange, you think? That two strangers like yourselves took two roads and met on the same one, and helped each other do their part, and then diverged paths, back to your own roads? It’s quite strange.” She paused. “Did you like him?”

Elinora smiled. “Of course I liked him; he was a sweet gentleman, well, of what I knew. I think maybe one day if he returns I should like to get to know him better.” She paused. “Alright, have you taken enough coins you wanted?”

Lacey nodded, her bucket full of coins placed to the side of the bed.

“Alright then, let’s take what’s left in this chest and distribute them to the lower level families. Come on, help a lady out here.” 

Lacey smiled, helping Elinora pick up the chest. “That was quite an adventure you had. I think I should like to take one someday.”

“Oh… I would wait till a while, you’re still quite reckless.” Elinora said, smiling. “And the king is watching us, making sure we females don’t get too powerful.” She mocked, and the sister burst out laughing. “You know, mother would be proud of us, helping the other poor families.”

Lacey smiled as they left their house and moved into the courtyard, ready to distribute to any passing family.

Elinora couldn’t be happier, helping her friends and their families by distributing the extra coins she didn’t need. She looked up at the castle and could almost see the face of the king looking down at her, and she narrowed her eyes at him, knowing this wouldn’t be the last time she would see him.