The Fourfold Key

Ruth woke to bright sunlight shining through the large curtains covering her very large windows. Groggily, she stumbled to the windows and flung them open. Peering out, she saw that it was well past the time she normally got up. Ruth quickly changed into a dress from the Queen - which was nearly the same as the one from yesterday, except it was pine green and butter yellow with no ribbons - and brushed her frizzy, untamed hair. Once her hair was flattened, she headed out the door and discovered the direction of the dining hall. By the time she reached the entrance of the dining hall, Ruth was starving. The wonderful aroma of whatever was being served smelled heavenly. Walking inside, she found that Tom and Queen Rosebud, along with two other people Ruth never seen before were already there, enjoying a conversation over their meal.

“Yes, and did you notice the way the sun rises over the hills in the morning? It’s quite remarkable. Oh, and did you see the way—Ruth!” Rosebud turned to greet her tired guest. “Good morning. Did you sleep well last night?”

Tom turned as well, smiling happily. “I was wondering when you were going to come down. You must have gone to bed very late last night.”

“Good morning,” Ruth said cheerfully, then checked her manners and gave the Queen a quick curtsy. “Yes, I slept wonderfully, thanks for asking, Your Majesty.” Then to Tom, “Yeah, I went to bed really late.” She yawned.

“Ruth,” said the Queen, gesturing to the two people flanking her chair, “This is my husband and daughter. Levi and Myrtle.”

Levi and Myrtle gave her a warm nod of welcome. Ruth curtsied to them in turn.

Levi was a good-looking man, tall, with black hair and a kind smile. He had a long, slightly pointed nose and sparkling eyes.

Myrtle was a girl about fourteen-years-old, with shoulder-length straight black hair. She had freckles, like her mother, and straight, white teeth perfect for giving dazzling smiles.

The Queen gestured for her to take a seat. Ruth sat down and four servants began to serve the latecomer. One by one, they brought out large, silver trays, set them in front of her, and lifted the lids. There was bacon, eggs, and toast with various types of jams and jelly. After she had finished that, they carried out more platters. This time with pancakes, chocolate waffles, blueberry muffins, scones, and many different toppings. When she finished that, she figured it was over and sat back. The servants bowed and walked out through the kitchen doors. A few minutes later, they walked in a third time with more trays in each hand. This time it was fruit: watermelon, honeydew, grapes, cantaloupe, apples, grapefruit, pears, oranges, a thing called pixie-pear, and a lot more that Ruth couldn’t recognize. After the third course was over, the servants cleared away the dishes and left the dining hall.

Ruth sighed with relief. “That was really good, Queen Rosebud. Thank you.”

Queen Rosebud appeared not to hear her. She was staring at her with the blank expression of a person lost in her own thoughts. Then she shook her head savagely. “It couldn’t be…” she murmured. “The name is only a coincidence. But she looks…”

“What?” Ruth was a little disturbed.

“Oh, nothing. It’s just…Ruth? Where…where is your family from?” Rosebud’s voice had gone soft and longing.

Ruth wasn’t sure if she should tell her. “I’m not sure if I’m entirely comfortable telling you that.” then, realizing she had basically just told a queen it was none of her business, she began to apologize profusely.

“No, no. It’s all right. But…would you at least tell me your father’s name?”

She looked so much like a puppy begging for more attention that Ruth told her. “Collen McKenzie.”

Queen Rosebud put a hand to her mouth. “So you’re…” tears welled up in her eyes.

“What’s wrong? I’m what?” Ruth asked uncomfortably.

“Collen,” she choked, “was my son.”

Ruth couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move. Her mind was swirling and so was everything around her. She clutched the arms of her chair, frantically trying to remember any time her father had mentioned her grandmother to her. But the only things she could come up with were times when it had been brushed off and the subject changed. She had always assumed that both of her dad’s parents had died.

“But that means…you’re my grandmother.” Ruth’s eyes were stretched wide.

Rosebud nodded. Her grandmother nodded.

“But you’re so young. How can you—” she stopped, remembering the different speeds of the worlds. Another question popped into her head. “But my great-uncle—your brother—came to Earth. How come you and Dad were here?”

Rosebud drew in a shuddering breath. “Would you like the whole story?”

Ruth nodded vigorously.

So she began.

“This kingdom is run by the oldest female in the family. My grandmother, Queen Lilly Moore, ruled. Then my mother, Queen Dara Peace. We still take our husband’s last name, you see.

“My mother’s firstborn was a boy. His name was Dreven. The second born was a female. Her name was Arnada. Then she had me. The youngest. Rosebud. Those weren’t our names at the time, but that isn’t important right now.

“Our brother was a strange boy, always messing with potions and spells. He grew up like that, experimenting and such. Soon our parents had to move him to a cottage on the grounds to keep him from exploding the castle or setting something on fire, which happened more often than not. Arnada and I would come down to watch or assist occasionally.

“Arnada was…different. She was always slinking around the castle, hiding in the back, and avoiding people. Most people just thought she was shy, but I knew better. And so did my parents. She was hiding something.

“As she grew older, she began to experiment more and more with Dreven. After a while, she had her own cottage built to work in. We began to see less and less of her. I visited her occasionally in the cottage, but I didn’t like it there. There was always a strange darkness in the hut. A cold, sick feeling in your stomach. So after a while I stopped going to see her there.

“Dreven, on the other hand, had a wonderful cottage full of delightful things. I loved being there with him, and he enjoyed me being there. He was becoming a strong magician. So powerful that our parents began to collect tutors for him to get stronger and grow in his passion. He was soon proclaimed the most powerful wizard in Adonia.

“It was around this time when Dreven found the portal between the worlds. He was elated and talked about it constantly. He only told Mother, Father, Arnada and myself though. He experimented on it constantly.

“Soon, it was rare to see Arnada ever. I might see her skulking around the grounds, but she never came into the castle.

“One day, my parents got it in their heads that the family needed to have a meal together. Just us as a family again. They sent for Dreven, who came up to spend the day with us. Then we sent out a messenger to let Arnada know our plans for that evening.

“The messenger returned pale and breathless, screaming about dark magic. We calmed him down and he told us that he had gone to the cottage and knocked. He could hear something inside but he heard no response. He knocked again. This time he heard an eerie moaning. He opened the door to see if Arnada was hurt. He found her engulfed in a cloud of black, evil smoke, a dead rabbit lying on the table before her. She was muttering under her breath, her eyes shut tight in concentration. The black smoke swirled about her. Then it crept along the table and slid into the dead rabbit. The messenger stood, terrified, at what happened next. The black smoke engulfed the rabbit, sending jolts and tremors down the dead thing’s body. It twitched and shuddered, and, with a final jolt, stumbled weakly to its feet. Arnada had brought the rabbit back to life. This is the evilest type of magic. It is strictly forbidden from every kingdom. The punishment is immediate death.

“All four of us raced to Arnada’s cottage, desperately hoping that the messenger had been wrong. But no. There was Arnada, spellbound as she watched the rabbit hop lazily about the table. Our parents tearfully asked her what she had done, begging that it was not true. She did not deny it. Nor did she apologize. I was devastated. I knew that she would die.

“But our parents had other plans. They swore the messenger to secrecy, threatening him with banishment. Then they had a tower made up exclusively for Arnada. They kept her there under lock and key. Arnada was furious. She refused to let anyone see her, and rarely ate a thing. Every time anyone tried to visit her she flew into a rage, screaming that she wished she had been killed instead of trapped there like a common criminal.

“After everyone had cooled down, they concocted a story as to why Arnada was never seen around anymore. They told everyone that she had been working with a dangerous potion and it had exploded while she was in the cottage. She had flown back and hit her head. Her head hit the wall so hard she had lost her sanity. She was unsafe to be around, which was why they isolated her in the tower. Then they announced that I would take Arnada’s place as the next queen of the Middle Kingdom.

“When Arnada heard all this, she was so furious she couldn’t speak. Then she gave me a look so full of loathing and hatred I was forced to flee from the room. The look was to be expected - I had stolen her crown, after all.

“She seethed for days, refusing anything and everything that was offered. She didn’t eat, she didn’t sleep.

“Through all this, Dreven had continued working on the portal to Earth. One day he announced that he was going through it. He had tested it with various things, and he was sure it was safe.

“Our parents begged him not to go. ‘How would he know how to get back?’ they asked. ’How does he know there is a way back?’ But Dreven would not be persuaded. Tearfully, we said our goodbyes.

“He didn’t say goodbye to Arnada.

“The night came. He was all ready to go. The portal was open and he had everything he was bringing along with him. My parents and I were already in bed, not willing to see him off.

“Suddenly, his door flew open and Arnada marched in. Somehow, she had found out about Dreven leaving for Earth. Somehow, she had escaped her tower cell.

“She begged Dreven to let her go with him. ‘There’s nothing here for me.’ she explained. ‘No one understands. Please. Let me come with you. Let me start over.’

“ ‘You’re right!’ Dreven screamed, his face full of fury. ’There’s nothing here for you. But that’s no one’s fault but your own. You chose this. You’ve chosen your path. Now suffer the consequences of your actions!’ She knew it was no use to fight her way through. He was much stronger than she. But she tried anyway.

“She flew at him with everything she had. A death spell was on her lips, but Dreven was quicker. He spoke a simple charm that froze her in place, levitating her in the air. Arnada was helpless to defend herself. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t utter a sound.

“Dreven brought her back to us in this state. We all decided it was too dangerous to keep her in her tower cell any longer.

“Together, we walked down the long, winding stairway to the dungeon. In the deepest, most secure cell we had, we restrained Arnada. Dreven worked powerful magic to make the cell as foolproof as possible.

“Dreven unfroze our sister and thrust her into the cell. Before we left, Arnada screamed to us she would get revenge. She swore that she would kill every member of our family even if she died trying.

“Fearful that she would live up to her promise, Dreven erased us from her memory. As a precaution, he made us change our names. It wasn’t easy, since we were all royalty and everyone knew our names, but somehow Dreven managed.

“He stayed with us for another year. Then he left. This time he wasn’t stopped.

“None of us ever visited Arnada. She was naught but a painful memory to us now.

“But then, one day, Arnada escaped. My parents sent every man they had out to look for their treacherous daughter. But she had disappeared. Every now and then we would learn that someone in our family had died mysteriously. Sometimes even whole families at a time. Somehow, Arnada had got her memories back. She would kill everyone in our family. And then she would come for us.

“We assumed she was waiting to kill us as her grand finale. None of us could understand how she had got her memories back.

“We came up with the theory that when Dreven left, his spells were weakened, and then disappeared altogether. That would explain why she didn’t escape the moment he was gone.

“Oh, how I wished that my brother was there. He would have fixed it all.

“I was queen of the Kingdom by that time. My parents had gotten old and my mother had relinquished the throne to me.

“They urged me to find a man and get married, but how could I think of marriage? My sister was out to kill me. I couldn’t marry a man only to have us both die by the hands of my sister.

“But then, Dreven returned. The spell was reinforced and Arnada forgot us again. But the spell was not so powerful. She still knew our old names and her promise of revenge. But she could not remember who we were. We were just names without a face.

“We were all thrilled that Dreven had returned. But he was different. Older. Years older than he should have been. He had found that the world he traveled to, Earth, traveled much faster than this world. He had been fascinated by Earth, but soon yearned to return to his old life. It took him two years to create a portal. But he needed a good way to disappear. He had made friends in that world. A family. But the pull and yearn of it was too much. He was going back.

“So he built the portal in a river. He had planned on taking his family with him, but one day when he was looking over his work, he fell in, and accidentally transported himself here without his family. Everyone thought he had died.

“I was overjoyed that he had returned, and, six months later, I was married to a handsome man named Levi McKenzie.” she smiled softly at her husband.

“We had two children. Your father, and one girl. Your aunt.” Here she gestured at Myrtle.

“Dreven told Collen all about Earth and the extraordinary things there. Your father was captivated by the stories he told. When he was fifteen, he told me that he was going to Earth. I begged him not to go. I had already gone through this before; I didn’t want to experience that again. But his mind was made up. He told me his heart was on Earth. So I sadly let him go. Dreven reopened the portal and made sure Collen knew exactly where the returning portal was.

“I never heard from him again.”

Rosebud’s voice was now barely audible and Ruth had to lean in close to hear.

After a minute’s silence Ruth asked, “So Arnada is the Sorceress?”

“What? No, no, she’s not.” Rosebud gave a halfhearted laugh. “Their stories are similar though, are they not?”

Relief swept through Ruth. She didn’t know what she would do if she found out she was related to that lunatic. “Did you ever catch Arnada?”

“Unfortunately, no. She’s completely disappeared.”

“Are you sure Arnada isn’t the Sorceress?” Ruth questioned timidly. Their stories seemed so similar.

“You don’t believe me, do you?”

Ruth hesitated. Then gave a small shrug.

“Look, I know my sister. She’s not the Sorceress!” Rosebud stood, slamming her hands on the table, and glared at Ruth.

“I’m sorry,” she said in a small voice. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

The Queen’s gaze softened. “It’s all right. I’m sorry, too. That thought has crossed my own mind. I just don’t want to believe that my sister could be that…monster.” A single tear slid down her cheek.

Ruth didn’t know what to do. She cleared her throat, about to say something, then changed her mind and lapsed into silence.

It was Tom who broke the silence. “Maybe we should go, Your Majesty,” he suggested timidly.

Rosebud started, and shook herself back into her usual brisk cheerfulness. “Oh! Yes, I forgot about your quest. Of course. I’ll have a hamper of food made up for you at once.” She stood up quickly and wiped her eyes. Then she called for a servant and gave him the order. The young boy gave a polite nod and skipped off.

Ruth and Tom were standing at the gate of the castle, about to jump on their borrowed horses.

Ruth was quiet, thinking about everything that had happened that morning. Her grandma was a queen. From another world. Also, did that make her a princess??

“Ruth!”

Ruth turned towards the shout, and saw Queen Rosebud rushing after her. She waited patiently beside her horse.

The Queen ran up to her, panting slightly. “I needed to say goodbye,” she explained. “And give you this.”

She held out a small package.

Inside was a silver bracelet, with a wavy pattern beat along the edges and small teal and purple jewels set in the center.

“It’s a family heirloom,” the Queen explained, fingers weaving between the beads. “I was going to give it to Collen for his children but he left before I could. So I want you to have it.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Ruth breathed, fingering the bracelet carefully.

“Oh, please, Ruth. Call me Grandma.” The beautiful queen grinned cheekily at her.

“Thank you, Grandma.” Ruth giggled. It was hard to imagine this young, vibrant queen was her grandma. She slipped the bracelet on her wrist. The metal was cold and smooth against her skin, and it sent shivers down her spine to think that such a beautiful item was hers. The beads caught the light and glinted as she raised her arm to see it better. She grinned in pleasure.

Then her grandmother wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug.

“Be careful. And I expect a full account of everything that happened to you two when you come back to visit me.” She held up a finger in mock sternness.

“Okay, Grandma.” Ruth squeezed her back.

“I can’t wait! And please, special details about the dwarves, I really don’t know anything at all about them!” Rosebud retreated back toward the gates, waving back as she went.

Ruth hopped on her horse and gave her a wave.

“ ’Bye!”

“Goodbye, Ruth!” the Queen called after her.

Ruth turned forward in her saddle.

Their first destination was Mermaid Lagoon.