The Princess Search

Chapter 7

Passing through one of the secret passageways in the castle, she would head swiftly to the stables. The servants were distracted with their evening chores when she tiptoed out of her room. Heading to the sitting room, by the fireplace which was unignited and dark, she picked up the poker.

She looked behind her back to see if anyone had followed her. She had discovered the passageways on her own as a child. She would hide herself in there when her sisters refused to give her quiet time she needed to read. Picking up the poker, behind her mother's portrait lay the brick she had to push in order to get to the other side where the passageways lay.

Her mother's portrait was heavy. When she was a child, it had not been in that position in particular. Her father had it moved there only recently. She dragged the portrait away from its place nearly failing but that was not an option, not today.

Pushing at the brick with the poker, the wall started moving making way for a dark crooked path. She held the bag tightly to her side with her unoccupied hand to keep the contents therein from falling out. It finally gave way. Squeezing herself in, she let it come back to order before running down the old passageway. As if second guessing her actions, she halted immediately and thought.

'If I go to the stables, the horses will make noise, I cannot walk on foot because it will take me many days to reach grandma's home. I may even die of hunger on the way there.'

Still thinking, she got out her charm book and opened a certain page. On this page were instructions on which words to use when controlling nature. Terese had gifted the charm book to her. Except for the squeaking rats, grunting horses, the stables were as silent as a graveyard. She practiced the finger-hand movements and words she was going to use to quieten her horse. Her horse, Flower-bender was in its own stable, secluded from others. That would make taking her out less laborious.

Shinja put the charm book back into her bag and went over to where the horses were kept in their stable. She then removed the bars that prevented her horse from escaping and recited the words.

"Horse of Green kingdom, Abracadabra... hoofless, no hoof shine *7." And all fell silent. She then ordered her horse in particular.

"Flower bender, mare of Green kingdom, come out to me, let's go."

The horse came out, with no neigh and hoof sounds. She went through a cave instead of the main gate. The cave was built beneath the castle and led her straight through to the Green Lake. A green glassy layer covered the Green Lake. When any of the Greens passed via or through it, the water turned colorless. It became as clear as crystals and only granted access to the royals of Green kingdom in such a manner.

She reached where the lake was and bent over it to take a sip of its water. Each second, she spent by the lake brought nightfall closer. It was a long journey even on horseback. She was exhausted. Fear started creeping in.

Having taken the water, Shinja stood up to go on with her journey. Facing backwards, something she had never seen before was standing in front of her. Too tall for her to see it's... no, their faces. The creatures before her were not one but three. When they spoke, it was their voices that gave away the fact that they were women or female for that matter. They were clothed in long white cloaks. Shinja was dazed by their magnificence.

"Dear Shinja, we are so grateful to see you once again. We already know the reason as to why you are here and where you are going. We very well know about the banquet in the kingdom. We have been with you since you began this journey. You are a sad child. Please accept the prince and get married to him. The kingdom will be in danger if you don't."

They spoke in an echoing voice then disappeared.

She closed her eyes and started crying. Thinking that they were still around. She had not seen when and how they varnished.

"I don't know what to do, I am very confused. Please help me. I think I li... lo... I just don't know. I feel like I need to first let him learn a simple lesson before we take any other step. Is that too much to ask?"

She was scared out of her wits, when she looked up and the women were nowhere to be seen not even at the other end of the lake. They had left without a warning whatsoever. She did not know where they came from, however, she had felt she knew them.

Her suspicions were true, those women were her late grand grandmothers. They feared that if they introduced themselves to her, she would not grow into fearlessness yet they needed that from her.

She offloaded her stuff from the horse's back for the both of them to take a breather. She did not notice that her charm book had fallen out of the bag. She let Flower-bender take some water from the Green lake. Having stretched, fed a little, she mounted the horse and went on riding. They still had a long way to go and she needed a place to lay her head for the night.

In the Green kingdom, everybody was out of bed already preparing themselves for the long day. Prince Silver showered, expecting that Shinja would bring him breakfast. It seemed to him that she had been assigned to serving him. He sat on his bed afterwards naked to the waist then he heard it, a knock on his door.

"Come in my love," he said at once without hesitation.

But unfortunately, it was Shimpi. Shimpi was stunned when she saw the state in which he was, barefooted, in his low hang trouser without a shirt. She stood agape for a moment or two. Silver clenched his teeth and pretended not to see that it was one of the sisters. He ordered her to put the tea on the table and get out of his room. She did as she was told and left without asking any questions.

No sooner had she gotten out than the prince lost his appetite. He had expected Shinja to serve him breakfast. He stood up, went over to the window pane and drew away the curtains. His eyes as if searching for something landed on Pink-White scratching his head. He was wiping away something from his face.

Was the king crying? If so, why?

Until now, word had not yet spread all over the castle about Shinja's disappearance. Only a few people had gotten to know about it.

Silver, breakfast forgotten went downstairs in order for him to find out what troubled the king at this early hour of the day. He reached where Pink-White stood troubled.

"What seems to matter, my lord? Something is bothering you; I can tell."

"My daughter Shinja is missing," the king replied, sniffling.

"What?!" Silver couldn't believe his ears; he ran back into the castle to his room. She had been with him yesterday night. How come now she was nowhere to be found? Was the universe playing a dirty trick on him? He threw away everything that was near him including the tea Shimpi brought him for breakfast. Lucky for him the tea was cold, it spilled on the floor and on him too.

Pink White was standing near the portrait of his late wife Evalene White, queen of the Green kingdom in great sorrow. As if she was alive, he said.

"What has your daughter done to me, Evalene? She reminds me so much of Terese, my mother." When he was saying this, a horseman came rushing into the sitting room where Pink-White was.

"My king, her horse is gone too."

What would have been hope pushed Pink-White into deeper sorrow, he turned to the wall instantly and gave out a woe which sounded like he was calling out Shinja's name.

"Go immediately and sound the kingdom gong. Let everyone know about the princess' disappearance. All of them should come and meet me in the courtyard."

The horsemen did so. Soon enough everybody was gathered in the king's courtyard.

"Quick everybody, there is no time to waste. Start right now my daughter's search. A great reward for any woman, maiden or knight who finds her. Any man or prince who finds her, will have to marry and take her to his kingdom."

The maids and maidens, merchants, witches, mothers and fathers, everybody in the Green kingdom was searching all over, in the forests, parks, cottages, flower gardens and even the stables. All that was in vain, Shinja was still nowhere near the Green kingdom.

It came to dusk and still no one in the entire Green kingdom had the answer Pink White needed.

He took out his frustration on everybody including his four remaining daughters. The bell was sounded for the second time but it was to call for only people that were in the palace.

Silver was first to arrive before all the other people in the palace. This astonished the king.

"People and visitors of Green kingdom, I greet you all. I want the chief commander, Bolton to step forward now." He did and Bolton knew what to do. He began assigning the army into portions, giving each one of them a specific task.

The army was divided into five fifths, one fifth had to remain and protect the kingdom. The second fifth had to go and search all around the neighboring towns, in the forests, and also protect the people in all the towns.

The three fifths that remained were to use the road that went through a cave under the castle in the Green kingdom. It was the first time the king had mentioned this road. He was going to lead these three fifths. The two of them were to use the main road and the last one would navigate forests in order to reach Shinja's grandmother's place.

Pink-White had not mentioned whether the visiting families were to engage in the search for the princess so Silver came forward to confront him concerning the matter.

"Please your majesty, with all due respect, instruct my horsemen on which path we are to take. Thank you."

"If you are willing, join me. All the visitors that would like to do so will use the same path that I will take. After all this, I want everybody back to the castle in one piece, safe and sound. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, your majesty, we give you our word," they all said. Everyone set on his journey after the king's command.

Pink-White commanded Bolton to open the gateway to the road under the Green kingdom. It was hidden amongst the shrubs behind the door leading out of the servants’ quarters. He avoided using the passageways. He did not want anyone apart from himself using them. He did not know however that Shinja knew about them and they had been the ones she used for her escape.