I turned around at my name, “Meshelle,” my best friend Karson calls me. He is this charismatic guy that jokes off everything. Today is going to be an interesting day.
“What do you need, Karson?”
“Come on. I have something to show you,” he says as he pulls me down the hallway.
“Okay, we are here!”
“Where is here, exactly, Karson?”
“Well… I found this room this morning when I was heading to the courtyard, I think the castle is trying to tell me something,” he says this excitedly.
The castle is magical and it builds onto itself. There is always a new hallway every day, and it is very confusing. I am a bubbly person and want to see the good in everything, so I am hoping that it is something good that the castle is trying to tell us.
“The castle showed me this for a reason. It is a room full of paintings of the kings and queens before.” He is jumping up and down now so excited. He stops for a moment with a thoughtful look on his face.as
“What are you thinking Karson?” He has this look on his face that we are about to do something that will get us in trouble.
“I am thinking we should go inside the room.”
“No, we will be late for the meeting that my parents called us to at breakfast.”
The castle gave us a hallway to go through to get us to the dining room quickly. We came out into the dining room from behind the pantry.
“Hey Mom, Dad,” I call.
“Hey Mrs. and Mr. H.”, Karson says with affection. We sit down and are eating when they tell us the news that will change our lives.
“We are going to pick up your brother, Meshelle. Also, pick up Karson’s sister and parents, Queen Tanya and King Reece. Then we will be coming home after a day. It is a week’s journey there. We leave you in the care of the counsel.” my mom says to us.
She also calls me back when we go to leave. “Start preparing your wedding ideas, Meshelle.” She whispers in my ear.
“Why Mom?” I ask with a curiosity.
I have known that I would be marrying a prince, and I always hoped he was as kind and strong as Karson.
“You will be married in five weeks’ time to Prince Karson after we get back. Your father is talking to him about it now.”
“Ok Mom, whatever.”
I run off to go find Karson. He is probably in that room now. When I go into there, I see him at the end of the room staring at the first King of Dunbrooke. His face is in awe of it, and he does not hear me come in the room.
“Karson.” I call to him softly. He doesn’t hear me. “Karson.” I say loudly into his ear. He jumps a mile high.
“Oh, I didn’t see you there, Meshelle.”
I laugh “No, you didn’t. You were too enthralled with this picture.”
“They left already, Karson. They should be home soon.” I said sadly. “They will be traveling dangerous roads to get there. I hope they stay safe.”
Today is Friday, April, 13th. It has been one week and two days since Mom and Dad left. I woke up this morning to Karson shaking me awake. We are in the picture hall. We probably fell asleep here last night trying to figure out the meaning behind this room. Every morning last week the room moved closer to our rooms.
“Meshelle! Meshelle!” he calls to me, “The guards are looking for us. Something bad happened this morning!” We exit the room and find a guard.
“What is wrong?” we ask in unison.
“The royal carriage was attacked early this morning.” The guard told us quietly. I promptly burst into tears.
I asked through my tears, “What happened to my parents?”
He looked at me sadly. I bawled and woke up in my room with Karson sitting beside me asleep in the chair. His dark brown hair was such a contrast to the sunlight streaming through my window. I lay with my bright blonde hair splayed around me and my eyes red. I cried for the third time that morning.
The next day they crowned me Queen Regent and I set a date for me to marry Karson. I sent out ten search teams to go out and search for my parents. They had no luck. We held a private funeral just in case my parents and Karson’s weren’t dead.
I woke up this morning. It is my wedding day. It has been exactly two months and a day since my parents went missing. I get up and call for my ladies in waiting to bring my wedding dress, and I got ready. Even though I am still sad over my parents, I can’t stop smiling. I am finally getting married to Karson.
As the wedding ends, the search team I sent out yesterday morning came running in yelling for me.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”
“What has happened?” I cry out instantly worried.
“We found them! We found them!” they say with a huge smile.
I hug Karson tightly so happy. The perfect wedding gift! They come in looking bedraggled and wary.
“Mom, Dad!” I scream out, and jump up to go see them. They smile at me.
“Hello, Meshelle. What was going on just now?” my mom asks.
“Oh Mom, I just got married. I wish you were here for it. Karson, say hi to mom.”
“Hi, Mom.” he says.
The next day my dad calls me to his office and says to me. “Meshelle I am stepping down. You and Karson will rule. I will be here to help you along the way though.”
I cry. Then I smile “Dad, how did you stay safe?”
“Your brother and sister-in-law kept us all hidden using magic.”
“Ok, Dad.” I say.
I go back to our room and tell Karson. He just smiles.
We had our hardships, but now everything is okay. We finally figured out what the castle was trying to tell us. It told us this is going to be you soon. Hold your childhood close. We will live our life one day at a time.