The White Queen - J. M. Pohlsander (simple ebook reader TXT) 📗

trying to ease Alexandra’s nerves. She stood as though to give an announcement, “My dear Animus please forgive us it is late and we women have a lot of preparations to do for Alexandra’s birthday. If you would kindly excuse us so that we may retire for the night.”

“As you wish dear, have a good night.”

Alexandra stood as well trying to regain her composure, which was a very hard task to complete after such a strange experience. Both General Thorn and Damon bowed respectfully and the women left the room. As they were entering the corridor, Alexandra still stunned but regaining her speech stuttered out what only someone who knew what was going on could understand.

“What just happened?” Celine walked ahead without saying a word.

“You’ll find out soon enough dear. However right now you need to go to bed. Oh just one fair warning my dear, you might start seeing certain things about people and other things like animals and plants that you wouldn’t normally in the upcoming days. Just don’t let the things that you do see scare you it is all natural. You are coming of age dear and with that comes certain changes”; Explained her mother as they walked toward Alexandra’s room.

“I don’t understand Mother. What kind of things?”

“You’ll know when it happens dear, now good night.” They reached the door to Alexandra’s chambers, Alexandra still puzzled, and a little shocked entered her room and shut the door soundly behind her. She rung her bell for Emily and her handmaiden showed up a few moments later with a glass of warm milk and setting it on Alexandra’s side table began to help her get ready for bed.

“Are you alright your highness?” asked Emily as she brushed Alexandra’s hair, “You look dreadfully pale.”

“I’m fine Emily thank you. You may go now I can manage on my own. Have a good night sweet Emily.” Emily made a servant’s curtsy and putting the hairbrush down left the room silently. Alexandra’s head was so full of thoughts and questions that it felt as though they were having a war inside her mind. She drank her milk and slipped underneath the covers she lay awake thinking of nothing else other than what she had seen in the study. What had happened was it magic? Why was her mother so calm about all this and what was it that she was going to see? She soon drifted off to sleep and dreamt of moons, dragons, and strangely enough, a huge spire that extended out of a small forest and seemed to reach toward the heavens.
Chapter 3

Alexandra opened her eyes. Her constant tossing and turning through the night had evidently thrown the covers off her. Foggy images, which she had seen in reoccurring dreams over the course of a few days, stayed planted firmly in her mind. Those days had been more than a little bizarre. Things began to change just as her mother said. The Princess had started to hear strange squeaky voices talking to each other about cheese and the notorious Rasputin, Cook Miriam’s cat. Just the other day she sat beneath the oak in the inner courtyard reading her book. When after she had finished reading one page and had turned it to read the next, the tree, or she thought it was the tree, protested saying that it hadn’t finished reading the last page and that Alexandra should turn back. She argued with whatever it was, that spoke to her until they reached an agreement that she would read aloud. That way, no one would lose his or her place. Every night however, she would still have the same dream. She saw herself standing on top of a spire that stood at the top of the world. A man without a face stood next to her. Her heart burst with love for this man but she knew not why. Then the moon would rise up behind them and Alexandra would wake up. The feeling of love would vanish and the room in its blackest shadows would engulf her in its depressing state. She got out of bed and moved toward the curtains that blotted out the morning sun. Slowly she pulled the curtains apart letting her eyes adjust to the newly found light that eagerly pervaded through expelling the cold darkness and cheering up the near gloomy atmosphere of the room. She unlatched the window and pushed it open feeling the cool mountain breeze blow gently around her. Smiling as the wind brushed her rosy cheeks; Alexandra took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“Um excuse me… would you be so kind as to let me in?” the startled princess stepped away from the window.

“Who’s there?” wide-eyed and almost speechless she watched as a dove flew into the room and landed on the chair by her dressing table.

“Don’t mind me, I’m just passing through.” Said the dove in a strangely soothing voice as it stretched its wings fanning out its feathers. “Do you know how hard it is to find an open window in this place? You people really must not like fresh air.”

Finally finding her tongue and her legs Alexandra moved toward the bird and knelt on the ground beside it saying, “How is it that you can speak?”

“All animals can speak I thought you knew that. Oh never mind. Hey, do you have some grub around here? I’m starving.”

“Now don’t go changing the subject. How is it that you can speak and why can I understand you?”

“That’s pretty easy, you are using magic. Sheesh are you an egghead or something, how else would we be able to speak to each other? It’s as easy as catching a worm early in the morning. Now I’m not much of a worm eater myself. They’re a bit slimy and a little hard to digest. Usually they wriggle around too much. I prefer-“

“I’m using what?”

“Geez you’re slow. M-A-J-I-C-K, you know it’s the stuff that’s all around us. But of course, it’s in its raw form most of the time. Didn’t you go to school?”

“I have had private tutors.”

“Then they’re idiots if they haven’t taught you anything about- Oh no I’ve said it too many times” a pale green light appeared in the middle of the room. Alexandra turned and shielded her eyes from the magnificent radiance that the light emitted. A woman came out of the light and stood before the princess and the dove.

“Now that is enough talking from you bird. Please forgive him he has a tendency to spew out a lot of nonsense, mostly about food.” The woman walked over to the bird and picked him up. “Now you are Alexandra I believe. My how you have grown, the last time I saw you, you were only two years old and had just gotten used to walking.”

“Forgive me if I sound a little dense, but I have absolutely no idea who you are.” said the princess getting to her feet.

“Well, your highness, let us just say that I am a family friend.”

“A very OLD family friend.” The bird chirped in the mysterious woman’s hands.

“Now you be quiet. What I was going to say my dear-” A loud knocking came from the door leading into the corridor. The woman squinted as she gazed at the door. It seemed to Alexandra as though the woman were looking through the door seeing who was on the other side. “I must be on my way. Worry not my child we will meet again but most probably on a less happy occasion.” Without another word, she was gone. Vanished into thin air, there wasn’t any green light this time, just a low rustling sound like wings and a wispy draft of air coming in from the window. It seemed to Alexandra that the green light must have been for show.

“Come in.” called Alexandra. Emily entered, gave a servants curtsey and began to help Alexandra out of her nightgown.
-*-
After dressing, Alexandra bemused by the strange happenings of the morning, wondered around the castle not paying attention to her surroundings. She walked past several servants without acknowledging them and even bumped into Mathew the pageboy who was as usual on a message run. They exchanged awkward apologies and after a quick bow, the pageboy was gone with a “good day” escaping his lips as he hastened down the stone corridor. After for what seemed like hours, but were only a few minutes, the princess found herself in the breakfast parlor. Her mother sat alone at the table eating buttered toast.

“Good morning my dear, you slept longer than normal today. Are you alright?” asked the queen sipping her morning tea.

“I am fine thank you. Where has papa gone?” Alexandra sat at the table and after a servant brought a hot plate of eggs, sausages and toast, began to eat.

“Your father and his men have gone hunting. I would have gone as well but I have other business that I must attend to.” Explained her mother; after another sip of her tea, she sat the cup and saucer down and putting her elbows on the table linked her fingers together. Whilst resting her chin on her hands the queen smiled asking, “Is there something on your mind dear? You look as though you’ve seen something out of the ordinary.” Alexandra paused, thinking of how to explain the happenings of the morning to her mother.

“Well something did happen.” The princess’ eyebrows furrowed as she thought harder. What her mother said next was a complete shock and she did not know what to say.

“You opened your window and a bird asked to be invited in. Of course, being a little shocked, you let the creature in and it spouted many almost unintelligible things about magic and eating. Then a mysterious woman enshrouded with a pale green light shows up and is about to tell you more when all of a sudden Emily knocks on the door and the woman must leave. Of course my dear this is just a guess.” The queen winked at her daughter and smiled all knowingly.

“How did you know that?” Alexandra dropped her fork on her plate.

“Oh I have my ways. Now to finish what that lovely woman was saying. As members of the royal family, we can use what most people refer to as magic. Now you have just recently started to show the signs of being able to use it. All those experiences that you have had, understanding and talking to animals as well as talking to trees are just the beginning of what you can accomplish with this gift. Let’s just leave it at that for the moment. It is usually very hard to