CRIMSON CASTLETON

Waking up to a loud crash rarely means something good is happening. It’s never “CRASH! Mum made pancakes!” or “CRASH! We decided to adopt a Golden Retriever!”

CRASH started my day when the force of smoke curled its nasty claws around my Saturday morning lie in and throttled it. Along with the pushed over lilac bookcase next to me. Yep, you guessed it, a smear of glitter was all that’s left of my snow globe that my Nanna got me on her final birthday. 

“Julie, what are you doing up there? Herding elephants?”

Mum can’t see this mess from downstairs, or she might literally have kittens. “Sorry mum, I tripped over my boot turning off my hockey practice alarm.” Pushing open my bedroom window to clear the smoke from my room, I can hear Sam barking. I bet he wants next door’s cat again. “Time to clear up before mum sees.” I say to my mirror reflection on the opposite wall to my bed.

“Good plan.” Dark eyes look at me through the ajar door behind my dishevelled book case. 

“I told you not to come to this world after the last time in the duck pond.”

The dark eyes moved nearer to me with his gorgeous broad shoulders emphasizing the silver knight’s armour. “Why are you wearing that here? My mum almost found it last time.”

“It’s what I usually wear. I am a Knight in my time, remember?”

“Look, I’ll go get changed while you change in here.”

“Sorry, not this time, Lady Crimson. I need to introduce you to my father before he marries me off to some quiet, boring woman. I like how chatty you are. Please put this on instead.” He hands me something deep blood red which feels soft in my hands.

“It’s Saturday and I want to stay in bed and eat pizza later. My Saturday has no room for adventures with you.”

“Please, my Lady, or my father will send my sister away for marriage instead of me. That pig of a guy from last time will be the groom and heir to the throne instead of me.”

“The pig of a guy last time I hit with a spade for trying to pull children by the hair who refused to give him their pocket money?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

 “He is now ten years older than me, but I will catch up once I’m there for a while. Will I look old enough by the time we reach your father, King Pantas, right?”

“I hope so, though I know my mother will help us.”

                ***

It’s so tiring for me travelling to Nick’s realm. Er, I mean Sir Nicolas. While he went to fetch his mother to help me dress the part of Lady Crimson because of my love for red and black, I fell asleep.

The suit of armour hanging up clanks to the ground, waking me with a jump. “Who is it?”

Looking to the open portal and my best friend, I push up from Nick’s bed.

Her eyes widened at me. “Julie, is that you?”

The mirror shows me the time distortion is working as my fifteen-year-old self now looks eighteen in all the right places. “Yes, all me, what’s up?”

“A Black Knight has kidnapped your mum in our realm! Imagine that, Saturday afternoon shopping with a redheaded woman held in the enormous arms of a real Black Knight on horseback while she swings at him with her shopping bag.” My little blonde bestie explains while we giggle. “Imagine her legs and arms all over the place while her bag of leeks whack him repeatedly in the face, obscuring his view of busy Saturday traffic near the mall.”

I stifle my loud laugh with my hand so my noise doesn’t bring the guards protecting my room. “Mum must be livid. She has Nan & grandad coming for dinner today.”

“Do you remember the last time Nick asked you for help and accidentally brought a dragon egg?”

“Yes, I do. That giant pet dragon cried a lake near my back garden when he had to leave me to return home. It took a month to drain it. My dad still has burn marks on the top of his head, though his hair is slowly growing back after the dragon breathed his magic regrowth spell over it, Ella.”

Ella bounced on the edge of the bed, looking at my filled out bust.

“Ella, if you are staying here, go into my dressing room and put something flowing on so the guards don’t get suspicious. Jeans and high tops aren’t the thing here.”

Ella rolls her eyes. “Okay, who am I this time?”

“My nursey?”

“You what now?”

“Like in Romeo and Juliet when nursey knew all the gossip and most guards ignored her.”

Ella shook her head. “Julia, I am not a middle-aged woman with a long white hanky on my head, you know.”

Sliding off the bed while holding handfuls of slinky fabric so I don’t trip as I stand in front of Ella. “What do you want to be, then?”

Ella looked at me while she walked around me, rubbing her chin. “How about your stylist?”

“You mean my royal gown creator?”

“I guess. But I want a thank you present this time. That nice cheese from here went off within the hour. My mum thought it was supposed to be that putrid, and we were both sick for a week. Dad played nurse maid to us both on his week off. Mum had to make it up to him and I’m not telling you how.”

“Alright, well be careful what you go for this time. Remember the time warp difference between realities? Choose something without a shelf life.”

“I always forget Julie, so you’ll have to remind me.”

While Ella clicks open the panel in the bathroom to go through the wardrobe Nick has filled for us, I chatter. “No, not that outfit. In this world, that’s a man’s horse trainer outfit, and your tiny face can’t be mistaken for that.”

Ella continues to look, then slips on a dark blue dress with a gold circle belt. “Julie, do I have to wear this silly cone hat that goes with it?”

“Yup, women here hide their hair if they are high born. With low born women with loose hair considered loose in the bedroom, if you know what I mean.”

“Julie, why isn’t your hair covered up then?” Prodding at my unruly locks.

“Nick’s mum will do my hair ready for me to be presented to his father in the great hall later tonight. Remember, portal travelling is tiring, so take a nap while I freshen up.”

Ella repeatedly blinks and rubs her eyes. Yawning, she rests her head. “Consider me asleep. Start with your hair and wipe off your smudged mascara just in case they think you are sick.”

“Good plan Ella. Okay, sweet dreams.”

                                                       ***

“Lady Crimson, please meet my mother, her royal highness, Queen Castleton of the upper valleys and lower Dells.”

Bending my knees, I lower my chin and speak just as I have practiced in the mirror. “Your Royal Highness, it’s my honour to meet you.”

In Nick’s bedchamber, Queen Castleton returns the greeting by slightly tipping her head down. “How do you know my son, Prince Castleton?”

Oh, goodness, I hope I remember every detail Nick told me to recite. “I bumped my head while out riding and lost my memory and my horse. My Crimson Cape was over me while I slept and late afternoon sunlight bounced off a gleaming sight of a silver Knight standing guard over me. He was gracious, so I felt a little more at ease in an unfamiliar place.”

The Queen nods. “I can see you must stay until your memory returns. Guards?”

Two broad fellows with gleaming sheathed swords step in. “Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Sir Jenkins, arrange for four court Ladies to attend Lady Crimson here and have the room across from my bedchamber decorated in shades of Crimson. This is for this precious Lady, betrothed to your Crown Prince.”

I hope my mum’s okay? There’s no way I can get back to my realm right now. 

“Who is that asleep there, Nicolas?” The Queen pointed towards the tiny blonde haired form of my best friend Ella.

“Lady Crimson’s sister, Lady Ella Crimson, mother.”

Waving her hand towards sleeping Ella, the Queen said, “Leave her here until you are ready to be present to my husband, the King. Then prepare her for tonight’s banquet.” 

                                                        ***

Resting my hand on Nick’s arm, my knees pull at my heavy wedding dress as we walk down the wide stairway towards the throne room. It is bizarre to marry a person who I like but don’t really know. I certainly haven’t kissed him or even gone on a date with him. But the good news is I can pop back to my realm and live my life whenever I want.

Nick leaned in. “Thanks for doing this to secure my kingdom. I hope you come back every week to spend a few days here?”

I tug at his white and gold coronation jacket. “A week here is only an hour in my realm, so sure. How about we go horse riding tomorrow?”

After the long wedding, Nick’s father gave us both gold keys and some very special jewellery for me to wear on official occasions. During the coronation, an old man with a grey staff removed the silver and red crown from the current king’s head. Placing it on Nick’s head with a blue magic from his staff, he cleared his throat and said, “No living being will put thee asunder. Rise King Nicolas the first and Queen Crimson Castleton.” 

                                                       ***

Nick pulls my hand as I open and move through the swirling multi-coloured portal. “Yes, Nick, I really need to return to my realm, or they will forget me.”

“Please, my love, stay another week. Your presence calms me and fills me with confidence so that I can actually rule this kingdom if we are together.”

I tug his hand free and stroke his soft golden locks. “My dear King, I shall be back soon. Remember next Saturday.”

“How will you explain the baby that grows within you?”

Goodness, I hope the portal protects my little one until I return to give birth next week. My back ache is unbearable so I can have a week off. “The portal magic will hold our little one safely until I return. Have the midwives ready for that evening once I return lunch time next Saturday.”

                                                          ***

We are finally back home and sleepy. “Night, Ella, see you in the morning. We should go swimming.”

“A full night of peaceful sleeping, then Sunday dinner cooked by my mum at your home. What a fun time.”

Smoke curled itself around my bookcase. 

Waking up to a loud crash rarely means something good is happening. It’s never “CRASH! Mum made pancakes!” or “CRASH! We decided to adopt a Golden Retriever!”