any other garden in this world or any other. She
also told me that it is the only place where you can be completely
connected to nature” she said wistfully.
Abby looked back out the window of the
Southern Gardens, “Do you think I can get in there now?” she asked,
hoping that since it was her birthright, she would be able to.
Her mother shook her head, “Not until you
are crowned, until then you cannot get in, even if you are destined
to be queen” she said.
Jasmine walked over to her, “We are going to
the tallest balcony, so use your magic and meet us there” she
said.
Abby touched the window one last time and
tried to tell the grass that feet would one day touch it again, but
didn’t know if it helped, or if she was just crazy. She then turned
and closed her eyes and wished she was in the tallest balcony, and
when she opened her eyes she was standing on a large balcony
alone.
She looked around wondering if she had the
wrong tower, but the view made her forget about everything else.
She walked to the edge and looked down at the ground, and noticed
for the first time, just how tall the castle really was. It seemed
as though the balcony was actually on the very top of the castle
because she could turn completely around and see all the way around
her.
Suddenly there were the little orbs of
light, then her mother and Jasmine appeared next to her, but they
were not smiling, they stood looking at her with their mouths gaped
open.
“What’s the matter?” she asked them.
Jasmine stepped forward and grabbed the
rail, “We have never been here before, how did you get here?” she
asked her in a hushed voice.
“What do you mean? I just wished that I was
in the tallest tower and this is where I landed” she told them, a
little confused.
“Did I do it wrong?” she asked.
Her mother grabbed her hand and pointed down
to the left, “Do you see that large balcony jutting out from the
side of the castle there?” she asked her. Abby nodded.
“ Was that where I was
supposed to go? That doesn’t make sense though because this one is
taller than that one, so why would I go there?” she asked, still
feeling confused.
“No you don’t get it, this balcony didn’t
exist before, at least, not that we knew of, so you must have
created it” Jasmine told her.
Abby shook her head, “How could I create
something? That doesn’t make any sense to me”
Her mother sighed, “You are the true queen,
and this proves it. Only a queen could create a new part of the
castle, you must be more powerful than even I realized” she
said.
Jasmine suddenly turned her head, as though
listening to the wind.
“Aine, Elysia is in the Southern Gardens,
she knows that Abby is here, and she is angry” she said, with her
eyes wide in fright.
Her mother answered her right away, “Maybe
we should go inside, I’m not sure if she can see us from up here or
not, but I would feel safer back in the castle” she said.
Abby nodded and watched as her mother and
Jasmine disappeared. She closed her eyes, and instead of wishing to
go back into the castle, she wished she was down in the Southern
Gardens; she wanted to meet Elysia, once and for all.
Chapter
1 8
When she opened her eyes, she was standing
in the middle of the gardens facing the castle, and standing right
in front of her was Elysia. She had her back turned toward her,
looking up at the castle, no doubt looking for them. She was taller
than she had expected, with her ears poking out through her jet
black hair that was so long it nearly reached her feet.
She was wearing a black dress, and her wings
were unlike any she had seen so far. They were just as large as
Jasmine’s wings, only instead of being a bright color, or even
pastel like the others, they were a dark purple, so dark they were
almost black.
She turned suddenly, as though hearing her
behind her, and the first thing that struck Abby was her eyes. They
were bright yellow, contrasting so perfectly with the darkness
Maggie Brendan
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