The Lost Princess

Chapter Five

"This way," the boy running in front of me laughing as he pulled me down the hallway. My short legs stumbled as I tried to keep up with him.

The dark hallway was only lit by candles hanging on the wall. Large windows with bright curtains covered one side of the hallway. Large tapestries and paintings covered the wall of the other side of the hallway.

The boy pulled me down another hallway that had marble floors. The boy twirled me around in a circle holding onto my hands. He picked me up like I was nothing, spinning us around. We laughed.

I looked at the boy who seemed familiar with his blond, shaggy hair and bright, blue eyes. He was young, maybe nine years old. I looked down at my very little body. I was a child, not much older than a toddler, wearing a fancy dress.

A door opened from down the hallway. The boy quickly set me down on the floor and pulled us behind a large ceiling to floor tapestry. "Shhh," he whispered holding one finger up to his lips.

I stared up at the boy that I felt complete trust for. His short blond hair was the same shade as mine. His blue eyes seemed so familiar. He was so comforting and familiar. I don't know why, but I trusted him with my life.

Loud footsteps stomped down the hallway towards us. The harsh sound of military boots slammed into the marble floor echoing throughout the hallway. My heart pounded as the loud footsteps got closer with each step. The boy grabbed my hand as the footsteps stopped right in front of us. My whole body shook as I listened.

"General, glad you could make it," a man said with a powerful, cheery voice. The voice seemed so familiar, but I didn't know who it was. It was familiar like a dream or a lost memory.

"Yes, well we have much to discuss about Everard," a familiar, penetrating voice said. The voice was demanding and harsh.

"Alright. Let's move to the sitting room to discuss," the man with the powerful voice said. The cheeriness in his voice had vanished.

The footsteps pounded away from us. I peered my head around the tapestry. The men were down the hallway already walking through a door. A large man with graying hair stepped through the doorway. A tall, large man stopped in front of the door. He turned his head towards me, glaring his beady eyes at me. His dark hair hanging around his eyes. My body froze, unable to breath, as I stared into those beady eyes. I have seen those eyes before. My heart, my lungs, and my eyes froze as I stared into those beady eyes that have disturbed my dreams a hundred times.

I sat straight up in my bed screaming. Giselle and Kat popped open their eyes and looked at me. Tears ran down my cheeks as I took deep breaths. Giselle sat on the edge of her bed staring at me. Kat crawled off her top bunk and sat on her knees at the end of my bunk. They both stared at me as the tears streamed down my cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Giselle asked.

I shook my head taking more deep breaths. I couldn't say anything.

"Another bad dream?" Kat asked.

"Yeah," I whispered as I wiped my cheeks.

"Are you okay?" Giselle asked as she tilted her head to the side.

"Yes," I whispered as those beady eyes burned through my mind. I stared at the wall past Kat's head, remembering every detail of that dream. The boy holding my hand, the fear I felt hearing those boots stomp on the marble floor, and the eerie hallway that felt so familiar. I shook my head.

"Well, we should get ready for the day," Giselle commanded.

"The games wait for no one," Kat laughed.