Ready or Knot

A war is being fought, treason is being committed, fires are eating the land. But far away from the madness, two young princesses enjoy their youth in a game of hide and go seek. Doris and Harriet, twins the same size are protected from the horrors of war because of their innocence. 

“Ready or not, here I come!” Doris yells. She begins her search through the castle. Checking every hallway, every room, every balcony. 

Harriet keeps herself tucked away in the kitchen inside a small cabinet. She knew her sister would never find her, she never does. Even with the help of the servants, they still could never find Harriet. 

“Do you like playing hide and go seek?” Harriet jumped at the sound. Who said that? No one was in the kitchen when she entered. She slowly opened the cabinet door to find a woman crouching in front of her. She stared at the woman. She’s never seen her before. 

“Who are you?” 

“I’m Knot. And I asked do you like playing hide and go seek?” Harriet didn’t like talking to strangers, but she liked talking about hide and go seek. 

“Yes, but Doris is no good at it.” 

“Aww that’s too bad. I’m really good at hide and go seek. Maybe you and I can play together? I love playing with good hiders.” Harriet thought that was a wonderful idea. She steps out the cabinet. 

“Okay, I’d love to play.” 

“Okay. But let's make it more interesting. If I win, I get to keep your soul forever and we have to play hide and go seek all the time.” 

The offer confuses Harriet. No one has ever asked for her soul before. She didn’t even know what that was.  

“What do I get if I win.” 

“I’ll grant any 2 wishes you have. Then you and I can start playing. What do you think, Harriet?” 

Harriet didn’t remember ever telling the strange lady her name, but thought nothing of it. She was the king’s daughter of course. Lots of people knew her name. 

“Okay, I’ll play with you.” 

“Alright then, just tell me whatever you want and then I’ll give it to you, then we can start playing.” 

Harriet got excited. She had many things since she was the princess, but maybe she could wish for a magic wand, or an infinite amount of candy, or maybe that one thing she’s always wanted. 

“I know what I want.” 

“Tell me.” A devious smile appeared across her face. 

“A unicor-” Before she could finish her sentence a scream was heard down the hall. It sounded like Doris. Harriet’s heart sank with worry. The woman’s face became annoyed. 

“What was that you said?” She tried to bring back Harriet’s attention, but Harriet ran out the kitchen looking for her sister.  

She stumbled upon her father, the king, holding her sister in his arms. Her body was limp and her dress was soaked with something red. 

“An assassin did this.” Harriet didn’t understand. 

“An assassin killed Doris.” 

Harriet gasped and took a step back. She takes cold breaths in to try to steady herself, but nothing could help the pain of losing her sister so suddenly. 

She runs off looking for the lady again. Harriet stumbles into the kitchen. She sees that it’s empty and turns around to leave only to run into the strange lady. 

“It’s not very nice to walk away from a conversation Harriet.” 

“I’m sorry, but I know what my first wish will be.” The woman kneels down to Harriet’s height. 

“And what would that wish be?” 

“I wish that my sister, Doris was alive.” 

“Okay. And what about your second wish?” 

Harriet searches her brain for something she might want, but after witnessing her sister in her father’s arms, there's not much else she wants beyond her sister.  

“I don’t know what else I want.” 

“Okay, well when you do, just close your eyes and count down from ten.” 

“Alright.” 

Years go by and Harriet doesn’t call that woman back. She spent years looking after her sister. Her sister came back to life, but was crippled for life and never spoke again. Harriet watched over Doris night and day. After the accident, people could finally start to tell them apart. Harriet could walk and talk, and Doris could not. Her innocence left as Harriet learned about the world around them. The world of war, assassins, death, souls and what it means to hand them over. As they entered adulthood, the war became worst.  

Harriet made it her business to know how the war was progressing, but there was never any good news. They were always losing more men and more land. The enemy’s troops were getting closer and closer to the castle.  

One day a scout came back to the castle saying that the enemy was camping right over the hill outside the castle. The last battle would be happening soon. The king sent his last knights to be stationed outside the walls surrounding the castle. The war would be over soon, but the odds weren’t on their side.  

“I know how to stop the war.” Harriet said to her father and a group of advisors. They all looked at each other. Harriet usually just sits and listens in the meetings. 

“How would we do that.” Asked one of the advisors. 

“A being calling itself Knot grants wishes and if one of you made a wish for the opposing side to die before the battle, then we could win the war.” The room was silent as Harriet waited for a response. 

“Harriet.” Her father started “Beings like that always want something in return. It’s too dangerous.” 

“If you only make one wish, she won’t take your soul.” The advisors in the room gasps. One advisor cleared his throat trying to grab the king's attention. 

“Your Highness, this being sounds like a witch. Witches are extremely dangerous and I doubt they would uphold their word. They cannot be trusted.” 

“Father, I’m telling the truth. The witch can be trusted.” The advisor chimed in again. 

“Have you spoken to this witch?” 

“I-” She stopped herself. She didn’t want to create chaos by revealing she's spoken to the witch. 

“If you are so sure about this witch, call on it yourself.” Harriet didn’t want it to come to this. She would be out of wishes and would have to wager her soul. 

“Fine.” And she storms out the room. 

Harriet stood on a balcony and closed her eyes and began counting down from ten. When she reached one, there she was in front of her. 

“Finally know what you want after thirteen years, Harriet?” 

“Yes, everyone who reaches in the inside of the castle walls with the intent to kill must die.” The witch was taken aback by this. 

Are you sure you wouldn’t want to make your sister walk and talk again? 

“I know you crippled her just so I would use my second wish.” 

 “You’ve grown to be smart. Alright then, no enemy can get in the walls without dying. Now about our game. I will count down from ten and-” 

“Make it twenty.” 

The woman gave an arrogant smile. “It won’t make a difference dear. I’ve never lost a game of hide and go seek.” 

“Neither have I. Make it twenty seconds.” The woman rolled her eyes. 

“Alright, dear. I’ll count down from twenty and when I find you, I get to keep your soul forever.” 

Harriet tried not to think about this possibility, but maybe it would be worth it. No one would be able to enter the castle, and everyone would be safe inside the walls.  

“Okay. How much time do I have for you to find me?” 

“Twenty minutes.” 

“What?” Harriet was outraged. “That’s way too long.” 

“If you want me to count from twenty, that means I get twenty minutes to find you.” Harriet had to think fast. 

“Fine, count from seven seconds.” 

“That gives me seven minutes to find you.” 

“Okay.” 

The witch turned around and began counting from seven. Harriet wore socks so she could run away in silence and find her hiding place. 

“Ready or not. Here I come Harriet.” She came off the balcony and began searching every room. She didn’t mind the doors at all, she walked right through the walls. The castle soon became filled with screams as everyone witnessed Knot walking through walls and ascending though the floors. 

How far could she have gotten. Then she walked through a wall and found her in an empty room. 

“This is a pretty lousy hiding spot, Harriet. No matter your soul is mine now.” 

But Harriet didn’t move. In fact, she didn’t even react to anything at all. Not even when Knot walked through the wall. Harriet’s been staring at the floor the whole time. 

“Oh, you’re Doris then.” She lifted the girl’s head to face her. 

“I’m sorry about what I did to you all those years ago. I wasn’t the one who sent the assassin, but I did cripple you. To be fair, I thought your sister was going to wish for me to heal you. But she didn’t. Speaking of your sister I only have 3 more minutes to find her. So, I should be off. It was nice meeting you, Doris.” 

Doris, of course said nothing. 

Knot continued her search. She went to every room there was in the castle and still could not find her. This is impossible, how could she not be in the castle. Maybe she’s in a closet or on the roof or... she wouldn’t be there. It would be too easy. Might as well check anyway. Her time was left to less than a minute left so she rushed to the kitchen. 

Knot came in the kitchen and heard moving in the cabinet. And when she opened it there she was, in the same place she was all those years ago. She gasps as she was met with Knot’s face. 

Her body was squeeze in there so tightly. It had to hurt to be in there for so long. 

“Don’t be shy now Harriet.” She took the girl by her collar of her shirt and pulled her out the cabinet until she had her suspended in the air. “We have the rest of eternity to get to know each other.” 

Harriet clawed at Knot’s face to make her let her go, but Knot’s grip was tight. 

“Time’s up Harriet and you lost. What do you have to say about that?” 

She struggled in the air to talk, but what came out was only a whisper. 

“I’m not Harriet.” 

“What?” 

“You lost Knot. Now let my sister go.” The sound came from behind her. It was Doris, or who she thought was Doris earlier. 

Knot looked back at the girl still swinging in her grip. Only her upper body was swinging. Not her legs. Knot dropped the girl in her hand and turned to face Harriet. 

“You cheated.” 

“I won your game. Now leave the castle and never return.” Knot’s face turned to rage as she stepped forward to Harriet. 

“You don’t tell me what to do. I’m a witch. I’ll do what I please, and I will kill you and your sist-” Her words got caught in her throat and then she doubled over and fell to the floor. She tried to speak again, but she couldn’t get the words out. 

“No enemy with the intent to kill can be in these walls, Knot.” The dying witch reached out a hand and gripped Harriet’s ankle. But the grip fell as life left her body. 

The kingdom won the war. Without a single casualty. And the wall protected the castle and Harriet’s family for all of time.