The once, sun-drenched courtyard was soon followed by a soft hue of pink, signifying the end of the day. As the sun set in the sky, my trainer thought it best we end my session for today. I had been stuck in combat for most of the day and barely had time to look for Ima. Surely the guards had found her by now?
"We'll, where is she?" I ask Levit, wrapping a towel around my neck.
His eyes fall downwards. "We can't find her your majesty"
"What?" I fume.
"We've looked in the gardens, the courtyard, the ancient cobblestone. We cannot find her. There are no signs of her. It's as if she...disappeared"
I was starting to get a bit worried, especially now that the sun had set. Was it her goal to purposely sabotage me? If she had run away, my path to the throne would be obsolete.
"Find her" I whisper impatiently.
"Yes, your majesty" Levit bows before sprinting to begin the search again.
I was a sweaty mess. But I couldn't bother to change to cleaner clothes. I needed to find her. For my sanity.
—-
"Where is she" I say. Her handmaiden Zapor lays her bed gently.
"Princess Ima?" She asked, "Well I hadn't seen her since she snuck out to see you prince Theo" she smiles.
"Why does she do this things? Does she intend to drive me insane? To worry me?" I sigh sitting on the bed. Zapor moves around the room to clean and put her things away.
"I think it's both your majesty. She wants you to remember that she is here but also wishes to get under your skin. It is just how Ima is"
I smirk as I think of Ima's mischievous spirit. It was annoying at times but it's what made Ima...Ima.
"Remember when you were younger, you and Asim used to climb the statues in the southern side of the palace?"
"We would stay up there for hours!"I laugh, reminiscing on better times.
"Dropping food, launching water basins." Zepor laughs heartily as she thought back to our mischievous times. "I wonder if Ima might follow suit" she hints.
"Ima? Climbing statues of gods? How juvenile. We haven't done that since we' were young lads"
Zepor looks at me and shrugs. "Maybe it might be too juvenile." She smiles and takes the basket to start the laundry.
Zepor was not just Ima's handmaiden. She was a trusted advisor and friend. She was not pointless with her wording which moved me to believe that her words might be sprinkled with clues.
———
"Ima!! Ima!!" My voice échos against the hallways. Two large statues of Rah stood at the base of the palace.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
