The Locket by Elise Koepke

surrender our lands or else fight in this bloody crusade as well. And now in only six short days we will be well into battle.”
    “Oh, wow.” Savannah wished that there was something that she could do to help, but what could she do about a war?
    “And on top of that, our general is off on his vacation, so—”
    “Wait, wait, wait,” Savannah interrupted, holding up her hands. “Your general is on vacation? Why on earth would he be on vacation during this mess? And why don’t you have someone else who could take his place?”
    “I—”
    “I told you this would happen, Freddie.” The queen objected. “If you had not allowed Nathan and his family to spend some time away from here, then maybe we would not even be in this situation. Especially since you have denied his suggestion for a second in command.”  Trying to gain her composure, she motioned for Lance, asked for a glass of wine, and continued on as he hurriedly left the room. “I know tradition is important to you, Fredrick, but you must be wise enough to know when it is time for a change.” The king was about to respond when a sudden thought overtook Queen Sophia, and she cut him off in a newfound irritation.
    “Oh, I see. The only reason why you do not trust me on this decision is because I am a woman. Is that not true?”
    “Oh, for Christ’s sake, Sophie!”
    “No, Freddie. I know you are used to making the decisions, but please listen to me this time. You have been pondering over the choice of letting your general go on a vacation during this time because you thought that nothing would happen. But guess what? Something happened! Something big happened!”
    The king shook his head as he lowered it so that he did not have to look directly into her eyes. He took a deep breath and then raised his head back up, as if he regained his courage. “I am sorry, but—”
    “No buts, Freddie. I know that the men in this town are way too cocky for their own good but you know what?” Just then, Lance came back from the kitchen, handed the queen her glass, and then backed away to the wall slowly. This was not a conversation he planned on becoming a part of. “You do not have to follow them. That is, after all, why you are the king and they are not. You are smarter than they, you are tougher than they are, and you know the real difference between men and women … there is no difference. And if you do something completely diverse from them, they will follow you, trust me.”
    He sighed. When it came to his wife, he knew he wasn’t going to win an argument, especially when she was upset. She was usually right anyway. Not to say he was wrong all the time, mind you, but when it came to personal matters, she generally knew best.
    “I suppose you are right. But the only question remaining is, what are we going to do about the Mysterious Forest? You know that no one will cross it.”
    Savannah meekly raised her hand up, hoping to get their attention without saying too much. “Excuse me, Your Highnesses,” the two of them turned their heads in her direction. “What is so terrifying about the Mysterious Forest?”
    The king gave her a piteous look. “Hasn’t your mother told you anything about Revalia or the Kingdom of Reverice?”
    “No,” she shook her head, the hurt and disappointment evident.
    The king sighed. “As I have already said, the kingdom is in grave danger, and we need our general back from his vacation. Unfortunately, the cottage that he and his family are staying at just so happens to be across the forest, which is a good three or four days walk from here. Now, do not get me wrong, my general and I planned ahead for this occasion and had a way to communicate from across the kingdom. And as soon as this controversy took place, I ran down to the secret room in our basement, pulled out the magic mirror, and called for the general. But try and try again, I could not get a hold of him, meaning that either his mirror broke or has a flaw, or