Diadem

I think what I love about this land, my home, is the way the sun shines. Right now, in Autumn, it slants through the trees like the rays are setting the leaves alight. I sit, leaning against an oak tree with the diadem that was carefully arranged in my hair this very morning now resting beside me. I hold it up to the sun and watch as the sunlight jumps through the spring design. The bejewelled flowers sparkle and shimmer. With a sigh I let my hand drop. The diadem reminded me of what I had worked so hard to achieve and yet had lost in only a short morning. Instead of dwelling on the raw emotions, I set my eyes to the small river that gurgled a short way away. As though feeling my gaze on her shoulders the girl that stood there twisted, grinned and beckoned to me. I brushed off my emerald green gown and made my way down to her, Imogen. 

She passed me a flask of cool river water and turned back to the ivory horse she was adjusting the tack on. Imogen had been a stable hand when I first met her and then, until today, had been on her way to knighthood. But saving me from possible assassination certainly changed things.

“Hey,” she said without looking at me, “Princess. We need to keep going,”

“I’m not a princess any longer, I certainly know that much.”

With that said I hurriedly swallowed down some of the water and poured the rest over my head, letting it drip down onto my face. I refill the empty flask with the cold water that runs along the river. The chill is refreshing.

With a hand from Imogen, I swung up behind her on the horse. I gripped around her waist when she kicked the horse into a neat trot, following the river.

The forest turned from vaguely familiar to land I didn’t recognize. The lands I had roamed while growing up in the castle were limited and so I was content to just lean my cheek against Imogen’s back and watch the reds and golds of the trees fly past. She wore a waistcoat of suede over a white blouse and it was soft against my head. Occasionally a strand of her short brown hair tickled my forehead. Well, one thing the ride did do was give, me time to think. I didn't know where we were going, Imogen said she would tell me once we stopped for the evening and I trusted her enough to know she wouldn't betray me. She risked everything to save me after all. 

I remember I had woken up this morning, ready for my coronation as queen of this land, I remember walking out to the courtyard to collect my horse for a parade when my cousin, walked with me. I didn't notice the courtyard being clear of anyone but us, I didn't see it as strange that he walked with me after only ever speaking a total of two words before. Then he had a knife between my ribs and Imogen was running from the stables yelling. Here I remember stumbling back, she had a sword that she used to slice at his leg and had pushed me toward where my horse was waiting. Before I knew what was going on we were racing from the grounds and my cousin was yelling after us, screaming my name, screaming to chase me through the four kingdoms and into the unknown lands. Screaming that I was not truly the heir for winning it by skill, not blood. As we followed the river further and further I could do nothing but dwell on the past and worry about the future.

The next time we stopped was on a cliff’s edge where the river we had followed tumbled over to join the bumbling fjord. Further up the fjord, I could see the sunset igniting the castle towers and imagined I could smell the evening market in the surrounding city. In the opposite direction, I thought I might just be able to make out the sea.

"We are going to camp in just behind the tree line," Imogen told me as she dismounted, but it was like talking to a sunflower, my gaze was still fixed on the horizon where the castle towers glowed, "Hey? Pri- Hyacinth? You ok?" She held out an arm to help me down and I took it numbly,

"Tell me," I said, "Where are we going?"

She gave a sigh and began leading the horse to a clearing with me on her heels, "We will follow the Fjord. At the sea, there is a port town where we can catch a boat to sea, go anywhere you want,"

"You know he’s not going to stop looking for me in this world," I shook my head, knowing she knew exactly who I was talking about -she had heard his words too, "Where could we go where a seer can’t see?"

I passed her items she beckoned too and started pacing by her,

"We could-" Imogen stopped her self,

"We could what?"

"There is an island, far off the coast, they say that there is an ancient arch that will take you to any world.. Its just legend but some will take us there for a price,"

I gave her a determined smile, "well it’s my best bet of surviving,"

She nodded, “just, don’t be disappointed when we arrive to nothing but a pile of old stones.

From that day to the next few we focused on making it to the sea alive but as we survived one day and then the next we became more relaxed. Imogen made a point of being serious but I know I caught her smiling when she thought I couldn't see. When I relaxed and watched the forest pass and the birds and squirrels that snuck through the decaying leaves. It only took three days to get to the port but I think I could live with those three days lasting an eternity. The adrenalin was addictive, the way the air was crisp and not yet too cold, and how I could make Imogen laugh when she was only reminiscing about the castle. I tried not to think about it but the evening thoughts would crawl up my spine and bury in my mind. It didn't matter because soon I would never see this world again, but I carried the diadem from my coronation in my pocket and squeezed it so the twisting silver flowers, leaves, and thorns dug into my palm when everything was seeming too good and true. 

Our first glimpse of the port town was the gates, with a stream of merchants and travellers going in and out. It was still early morning but the guards didn’t even notice my tattered dress as standing out. Everything seemed to remind me of home, not the castle but the home I had before I won the competition to be heir when I was just living with my mother in behind a market stall and haunted by the smell of roast chestnuts. Here the smells were of fish and sal, the smells of the sea. We found a cheap shop with a rickety door and a little bell that tinkled when Imogen entered. I sat outside in the shadows, watching the crowds pass by. Imogen beckoned me inside after a short while and passed me a pair of pants and a blouse. She pushed me towards the backroom to change and I gave my dress to the store owner. A short-sighted old man who appreciated the fabric but could not see it was worth more than anything in his shop, anything he would ever sell here.

We wound our way through the streets, following the evergrowing smell of fish when at last we emerged on a walk crowded with rickety stalls and fishermen coming in from the sea. The sea sparkled with shades of blue and green. A short way along the walk lay the dock fishing boats were mooring in and, with a spike of hope and adrenaline, I began to tug Imogen that way. She hurried to catch up to me and followed me without a word. We stopped to watch the boats for a while and I let Imogen pick which to put our trust in.

"That one," She pointed to a sleek vessel just pulling in, "It’s small enough to go unnoticed but has room for a long journey. " 

Together we approached the lady tying up the boat. It took her until I cleared my throat to notice us and then she didn't say anything.

"We need passage to an island,"

"If it’s the one of legend I'm not taking you," She said, voice gruff, 

"Wait!," I watched Imogen as she pulled a small pouch from her pocket and held it out to the woman, "We can pay,"

The sailor nodded and snatched up the coin, "Wait here while I deliver these, " she held up a bucket of fish, "If anyone asks you’re waiting for Marilyn,"

We watched her leave and sat down on the side of the dock. The sunlight sparkled off the sea, enchanting me.

The first thing I realised in the days we spent on the ocean was that I get terribly seasick. The second thing was that you eventually get tired of the constant glare of sunlight on water. Imogen didn’t seem quite so affected by the ocean and spent the days learning about the boat and drilling Marilyn on how she knew the way to the island so well and about fishing and what she knew of the legend. When we finally could see solid land on the horizon on the afternoon of the third day I was, quite honestly, overjoyed. Marilyn stayed on the boat and sent Imogen and I up the path carved into the cliff face. Our first steps on shore were wobbly and best and if not for Imogen I probably would have fallen multiple times. 

The grass was brilliantly green and at the top lay ruins of sandstone. At the highest point, another cliff that dropped steeply to the sea was a crumbled stone arch, flanked by two birch tree that glowed with Autumn. I felt drawn like a moth towards the arch. As I got closer and closer the air between in seemed to shimmer and shine. I reached a trembling hand to it when I voice behind me spoke, 

"I wouldn't do that if I was you,"

I jumped in surprise, all focus on the arch lost and turned to a man crowned with a circlet of woven copper. 

"Sorry what?"

"I have seen centuries you will never dream of," His voice boomed, "And I am the keeper of the rift between worlds."

"And I need to escape this world," I told him,

"Well, every journey comes with a price,"

"What price," whispered Imogen behind him,

He turned to her, "what are you willing to pay?" 

I didn't even know what we could pay with. Seeing our hesitance he gestured to me, "In your left pocket is something valuable to you, obviously, it holds enough significance o be precious. pay with that,"

"I reach my hand into that pocket and all too intently could feel the weight of my diadem. Pulling it out let m brought the memories of everything too close for comfort. I remembered the joy I felt with the competition, The pride in the king’s eyes when this very diadem was presented to me on my sixteenth birthday and the fear of running only months later when he had died and I was to be coronated. I remembered everything and it brought stinging tears to my eyes. With a shaking hand and tight grip, I extended the diadem to the old man. Imogen stood by me with a hand on my shoulder.

He examined the diadem, “This will do, but only Hyacinth can go through.” He pointed to Imogen, “You will have to stay,”

I looked at her with fear, “No!”

“It’s ok, I will be here if you ever return,” She held me close,

I returned the embrace, “I will see you again,”

My hands dug into her shoulders and I couldn’t bear to let her go. I didn’t realise what she was doing until I was stumbling back and felt the air behind me part. As I fell backwards through the arch I could only watch her, tear streaming down her face as she whispered one last thing, “I will wait for you.”

It was then that I realised I never told the old man my name.