The Trade

She looks down into the portal, “I’m about to do it!’ Lilliana nervously yells as she grabs my hand. I then speak, “Just to think, you’ll finally be out of here and away from those evil people.” Then Lilliana starts to speak, ”I was just in there with them., hours ago.. and they scared me, but it’s so sad to be leaving them, why can’t I have both?” I sigh and again try to open her eyes to what’s happening. 

                                                            …

                                                    1 day prior 

“Why are you so useless?! I asked you to do this hours ago! And what were you doing? Playing games?!” The queen yelled. The king was coming down the stairs to see why there was yelling. Lilliana skittishly looked at the ground. Hiding the fact she wanted to cry. 

             "What's happening here?" The king eyed both of them wanting an explanation. 

             The queen started to yell angrily and pointed at Lilliana, "this little brat forgot about all her duties and was sitting upstairs talking to friends instead of doing them! And then when I called her downstairs she didn't respond until I had to yell at the top of my lungs!" 

              By then the king had heard enough and turned to Lilliana, "why would you not listen to your mother?" He said sternly. 

              Lilliana stood in silence as her father waited for an answer. Her father asked again, more annoyed, "Why didn't you listen to your mother?!" 

             She tripped over her own feet because she had been nervously swaying and looking at the ground, "I didn't hear her! I'm sorry..." she was cut off.

               "I don't need that attitude little girl! Look at me already!" Her mother said clearly annoyed.

               Lilliana looked up trying to meet their eyes but couldn't, "I'm sorry, it won't happen again I promise!" 

               Her parents were not convinced, "This has happened way too much already, I think it's time you got punished, because there's no other way you're going to learn, is there?" Her mother said sharply.

Lilliana continued to look at the ground as her parents scolded her and eventually sent her up to her room. 

She sighs and lays on the ground looking at the ceiling. I knock on the window. She sits up alarmed and looks over then begins to laugh. 

“Hi” she squeaked.  I knocked on the window again reminding her I needed to be let in. “Oh sorry,” she says as she makes her way to open it up for me. 

I fell in the window when she opened it and we both erupt into laughter. When I look up and see her in a completely different way than anytime before. She’s so pretty when she’s smiling, if only she saw herself that way as well. It’s sad how your mind can make you feel so worthless. Like Lilliana's has for herself.

I push away these thoughts and continue to laugh along with her, and playfully tackle her because she couldn’t stop laughing at me. 

After we calmed down she seemed distant so I asked her what was wrong.

 She responded with, “My parents yelled at me today because I didn’t hear them call for me and I forgot about some of my duties, so now I’m grounded to my room.”

 I sigh, “Those evil people, Princess, look at me.” She looks up about to cry it seems. “Tomorrow, we’re leaving here and you will get your dream come true, and you will be in control of your life for once, and live like true royalty.” I hug her and don’t let go as she starts to cry on me. 

“Now let's get you to bed for now, we don’t want you tired for tomorrow.” I start to say.

“But I..I don’t want to leave my parents, they’re the only family I’ve ever known, I don’t think I could do it.” She whispers. 

“Don’t worry about it for now, Just head to sleep OK sweetie.” I blushed, I think I’m catching feelings. 

She looks down and smiles shyly as I said that, she says, “Well if you call me sweetie, I get to call you darling.” Then gives me a simple peck on the cheek.

I turned red and was very flustered and mad when she said that.  I admit it, I kinda like the name, but wasn’t really expecting it. 

“Well goodnight, I should go home shouldn’t I?” I asked as I started to walk to the window.

“No, stay, I want someone here” she says as she grabs my hand. 

I freak out internally a little because I was unsure of what to do. I look at her and she gives me the biggest puppy eyes ever she starts to beg,

“Please stay with me, I get scared at night especially when my parents are mad and since I got in trouble earlier.”

“Fine, but I’ll sleep on the floor OK?” I pretend to be annoyed but I loved the offer, very much.  

“No, No, No, I’m not letting you sleep on the hard floor,” she says as she throws some things on the ground. “I’m going to make a pillow fort and we can both sleep in it tonight.” 

I smile, this girl is amazing and adorable, she doesn’t know it, but it’s so true. I had zoned out thinking about her, she shook me into reality again when she had finished her fort. 

“It’s so pretty, how did you make it that quick.” I say. 

She answers, “It’s not pretty I just threw it together the best I could, plus it’s already been ten minutes, you zoned out and didn’t realize time passed.” 

“So you do pay attention to me and what I do.” I teased. 

“Oh shut up! Of course I do, you’re in my room!” she tossed a pillow at me and it nailed me in the head. 

“Hey!” I shout, “Why’d you do that?” 

She shrugs, “I don’t know, maybe it’s because you’re mean!”

“Oh be quiet I did nothing!” we argued a bit, before finally getting into a full blown pillow fight. Then eventually we plop down on the floor laughing hysterically. We had tons of fun and fell asleep together within minutes. 

That morning I got up before her and picked her up and put her in her bed. Then started to pick up our mess so she wouldn’t get in trouble for it. After everything was taken care of I heard people in the hallway and quickly slipped out the window closing it tightly behind me to leave no traces. I had set myself a goal to get her out of there today. And I knew exactly how. 

Within a few minutes I got home and started searching for a spell book. They are very rare as magic has been long extinct in this world, everyone relies on themselves and servants now and no longer magic, because it’s easier to them. I quickly found what I was looking for, this page helped me escape my world, now it’s time I go back, but this time, it’s going to be to help Lilliana escape her fantasy, but first I need to practice the spell and make it able to carry two people in between worlds. There’s always one catch though, you have to trade a gift you have from your world in order to get freedom from the other. I am worried we won’t find anything valuable enough of leaving for Lilliana, and that scares me. 

It’s been an hour, I need to get us out of here today, otherwise she’ll be stuck for what’s happening tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a nightmare for me in itself if we can’t leave. Tomorrow Lilliana will stand up to her parents and start training alongside them and the rules will get stricter and punishments harder and crueler. I never want that to happen because they're already cruel enough. I need to go now, it’s almost noon already and we won’t have much time. 

When I arrived I saw her still asleep in her room and make my way in through the window like usual. Slowly make my way over to her bed and shake her awake gently. 

“What’s happening? Why are you waking me up?” Lilliana says wondering what’s happening. 

“Quiet child, come with me,” I whisper, leading her to the window to sneak her out unnoticed. 

“Where are you taking me?” she asks, as we quietly make our way out of the courtyard. 

“Sweetie, I’m taking you somewhere where you will forever be able to get away from those evil, heartless people.” I say as I look her in her eyes. 

“But..How? I thought, I would be stuck forever, with them controlling me, I thought I., I would never be free.” She stutters, “But they.., they’re my family, how am I supposed to leave them behind? I love them” 

I sigh, “They don’t deserve you, you’re way too caring and sweet for them, you’ll see, just let me help you first.” 

“OK darling.” she looks at me as she says it, and then hugs me, “I trust you, don’t make me regret it.” 

“I won't, I promise, and we’re almost there don’t worry.” I say as I push through the tree branches in the way, and lead her through them. 

“We’re here,” I say as we enter a clearing with a circle of rocks in the middle each with an element symbol on them, only I’ve ever known about this place. 

“Now go stand on that rock in the middle of the clearing, so that I can do something quickly.” I say as I pull out my spell book and start reciting the spell to take us both to the other world, after minutes a portal is strung in between the circle of rocks and Lilliana is standing on one of the rocks that’s holding the portal. 

I jump onto the rock beside her and smile at her, “don’t worry about this, trust yourself OK?”

She looks down into the portal, “I’m about to do it!’ Lilliana nervously yells as she grabs my hand. I then speak, “Just to think, you’ll finally be out of here and away from those evil people.” Lilliana starts,”I was just in there with them., hours ago.. and they scared me, but it’s so sad to be leaving them, why can’t I have both?” I sigh and again try to open her eyes to what’s happening. 

I explain the toxicity of her parents and slowly she loses anxiety of leaving but still admits she’ll miss her parents very much. Still holding hands, we both say the things that we have to give up in order to go to the new world. 

“I will have to leave my spell books and my home which I love here.” I say. 

She says, “I will have to leave my home, and my beloved parents.” 

We both look down and she hesitates, “What about them, I don’t think I could do this, we didn’t even get to say goodbye.” She looks like she’ s about to cry. 

“Look at me, just look at me, and take a deep breath,” I say. 

She starts to breathe in and out nice and slow, looks at me, and smiles sadly. She hugged me, and soon we were falling into the portal. We’re falling together, holding each other tight, and I promised myself in that moment to never let go of her, and to make her mine when she was finally free from the roles she played and was held up to in her life. For once, I could make her happy and comfort her myself, without anyone to stop me.

-This story is inspired by a prompt on reedsy.com