Old Chapters 3 + 4

Bella was escorted through the huge castle by the two elderly gentlemen and four soldiers dressed in red uniforms and tall black hats, carrying long curving swords. They walked through the main courtyard, and up the large flight of stairs leading to the main throne room. As they stood before the doors, the two gentlemen looked at one another, than rapped on the door three times in unison.

“Enter!” A distant voice called from inside.

The two great white doors, studded with red jewels opened slowly. Inside Bella could barely believe her eyes. There were candies and lollipops as big as trees everywhere. She was led to a large and ornate table that stretched for what seemed like forever, but that was only set for two. She sat at one end, and squinted to try and see the other end.

“Where is the girl!” The voice asked irritably.

“Your Majesty, she is here at the other end of the table…do you wish her to enter your presence?” One of the gentlemen asked nervously.

“Well, if I didn’t I wouldn’t have invited her! Bring her here!” Came the reply.

Bella rose from her seat and walked over to the other end of the table. She was so hungry looking at all the sweets and treats that adorned the room. She walked and she walked down the long room following the table. Eventually she started to make out the other end. There was a huge canopy that had silk curtains hanging down. Sitting underneath the curtains was a girl, about Bella’s age, with a purple dress and purple ribbons in her black hair. She had a diamond necklace and crown on her head and looked very regal.

“You may leave us..”She said, then looking at the gaurds onher sides, “..that means you too!”

When all had evaquated the hall, she turned to Bella and smiled. Snading up from her small golden throne, she walked out from under her canopy and sat down next to Bella.

“So whats your name?” She asked, her voice notticebly sweeter and higher.

“My names Bella. Are you Queen Alexandra?” The young girl asked.

“Yes, but you may call me Alexi. I had you brought here to be my official friend.” Alexi said smiling even bigger, “We can be best friends in the whole world.”

“Okay!” Bella said, followed by a growl from her stomach.

“Oh! You must be hungry!” Alexi said, “Here have some tea and cake.”

Alexi clapped her hands, and several plates with cake in them appeared, along with two tea cups with sweet tea in them. She and Bella ate the cake and drank the tea as she told Bella about Pastri, the Kingdom she was in.

“Well, the kingdom is bordered by the Great Woods on one side and the Ocean of Ice on the other three sides.” Alexi spoke with cake in her mouth, “So it makes it easy to rule. See, no one could ever really attack us because we are surrounded by the sea.”

“So why are you Queen if you are so young?” Bella asked sipping from her cup.

“Well, when I was still a baby my parents went into the Great Woods and were turned into statues.” Alexi said, gulping down some tea. “But luckily I had Yagba my nurse to raise me. She is the one who taught me to summon tea and cake like that.”

“So,” Bella asked, pausing to think of the right words, “…she knows magic?”

“Yes,” Alexi answered enthusiastically, “But she’s not a witch. She’s one of the Woodland Elves.”

“Oh, so why can’t she turn your parents back then?” Bella asked.

“She doesn’t know that much magic…and even then she couldn’t go back in the woods. The other elves hate her because she taught me their secrets.”

The conversation then turned to unimportant matters as the two girls kept talking for hours. Later, they went outside and played in the garden until Alexi was called by one of the gentlemen to take care of some official business. As she left, Bella was escorted back to her room. On her way up the stairs, she saw a dark figure peeking out from one of the side doors.

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The three were still running when they came upon a path winding through the hills. They followed it, the going much smoother on the broad, even road. According to their map, it would lead them to the Castle. The plan so far was not much.

“So let me get this straight,” Klaus said, going over what they had so far. “Ivan, you are going to scout out the west side of the castle, Holly the east, looking for a way in. Meanwhile, I’m suppose to distract any soldiers we may encounter. Don’t you think we should be a bit more specific?”

“Well, we don’t have anything else, other than the rough sketch of the parameter on the map to go on.” Ivan said as they stopped for a few seconds to catch their breath.

“I like the plan.” Holly said, looking off towards the distance. “Its simple. Its flexible. Most importantly, it can work. That’s if we all do our parts.”

“What about once we are inside?” Klaus asked as they started running again.

“Well…” Ivan’s voice trailed off.

“We would make our way to the largest room. It would probably be a throne room right? Well, that’s were the witch will be and I’m pretty sure that’s where we will find Bella.” Holly said off handedly as she suddenly started curving off the path to the bushes.

“Yeah that’s what I was implying.” Ivan said, noticing her course change. “Its perfectly logical tha-”

He was interrupted by Klaus’ body being shoved against him by Holly, who pushed them all of the road and into the bushes. After a few seconds, Ivan opened his mouth to ask what, but Holly’s vice like grip covered his mouth. He had never realized how strong Holly was, but now that his jaw was being crushed against his skull he did.

A cart rattled up slowly on the road. It was old, weather worn, and had at one point been painted red, though it was so faded and chipped one could barely tell. The harness hung in the air in front of the cart as if on some invisible horse’s back. At the reigns was an old woman with long unkept white hair and a long white robe. She was thin and gaunt with big red hoop earrings hanging from her long earlobes. Her face was so wrinkled that her lips weren’t even there any more, and instead her mouth was bordered by many long lines.

“Ye three young uns in yon bushes best be gettin’ out o’ thee mod. I knows thine hiding place well, an’ sure as nought ‘ul be ate alive by yon ‘squeeters.” She said in an old sounding voice, turning her milky blind eyes towards them.

They rose slowly, Klaus and Ivan still flustered from getting shoved into the mud. Holly walked up to the path and spoke, “Thank you marm. We are travelers… and we know that not everyone on the rode is friendly.”

The old lady found this hilarious, and while she had herself a good, haggard laugh, Holly quickly pointed at the letter from the elves, specifically at the word ‘witch’.

“My der.” Said the witch, smiling as if she knew what Holly had done, “ye ar right ‘bout that. Not all ar friends, but some may turn ot to be ‘n time.”

“I am Klaus, this is Ivan and Holly, we seek the Castle of the Bavarian Witch.” Klaus said speaking up.

The old woman smiled, then looking in Holly’s direction said, “I can sense that thou has mad contact wit the Woodland Elves. So ye probly knowth that I be a witch. Donest theou be alarmed, for I be a white witch. I do specialize in protective, curative, and transportive magiks alone. I lev the tricky thungs and curses up to the dark ord’r.”

Ivan and Klaus seemed to relax more at this statement, but Holly seemed even more tense. The three walked along with the witch, who called herself Maydle. The conversation was dull for the most part, with Maydle trying to find out more about their quest. However, with Holly’s insistence they didn’t divulge anymore of their stories.

“So Maydle how far is it to the Castle?” Klaus asked, as they came to a cross roads.

“Well, if ye follow yon path, the on thine elvish frinds marked for thee, we shall rech it by let afternon. However, the path is watched, and hath many of her servants guarding it. The capturing all who take the rod. Thats why I never do.” She said pausing.

“Is there another way?” Klaus asked, looking up the other path.

“Wiel, ye can trav’l with me. But, be f’rwarned, thee journey, tis two days. We would hav te stop fur de night.” She said smiling, showing her three teeth.

Reluctantly they accepted her offer and set our on the other path. Up the road the elves had recommended and over the next two hills was the castle they had been seeking.

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Bella was having the time of her life. Anything she wanted was hers in an instant. Not just that but she had a new friend who was her age, something she had never had growing up in her village. But in all the perfection, there seemed to be something wrong. Everything was just a bit too perfect.

When Alexi had gone to take care of some government matter, Bella snuck down to the stables to see silver. The small Labrador was excited to see her, but as soon as she let Silver out of the stables the dog ran for the Castle. Bella chased after. As she followed the dogthrough the castle she let her thoughts be known.

“Silver, I think there is something going on that no one is telling me. I don’t know why I feel like this but I think that there is something we are suppose to do here.”

They kept going deeper and further into the castle till they came to a large room. As soon as Bella stepped inside after Silver, the torches on the sides magically lit. A crow cawed and flew across the large room, the walls of which was covered with shelves of books.

Silver ran across the expensive looking carpet, stepping on a hand design on it. The far wall started sliding over, revealing a secret passage. Silver ran in and Bella as usual followed. There were stairs that went down and led to a large room full of paintings leaning against one another.

Bella turned when she heard the wall slide back and saw the torches go out. She was in the pitch darkness and didn’t know how to get out. Silver made a howling noise and suddenly the tip of the dog’s tail started glowing a strange white light, like a firefly had landed on it.


“Wow! How did you do that?” Bella asked the dog, who just barked back at her happily, “Are you magical? I knew it! I knew when I saw you that you were special! So what else can you do?”

The dog didn’t respond, and so Bella amused herself by exploring the many paintings. There were some that looked like paintings of royalty, probably Alexi’s family and ancestors. There were others of buildings and animals and creatures that Bella ahd never seen before. While she was still busy looking at some, she heard voices from the library.

“…if we are to positively identify her.”

“I know we have to be sure. Look here is the book that describes her.”

“mmm…brunette hair…blue eyes…and a birthmark on her left shoulder shaped like a star…this is it!”

“Okay, lets make sure. She won’t be happy if this is a wrong girl.”

“Alright, lets check the portrait.”

Bella heard them scuffle around trying to find the right spot on the carpet. Silver pulled her behind a stack of painting she had not looked at yet, and then the dogs tail stopped glowing and all went dark. After a few seconds light came in through the sliding wall.

It was the two gentlemen she had met previously. They walked down the steppes and stopped. She thought they might start looking around too but instead she found out otherwise.

“Alright so it’s an enchanted painting right?” The one asked.

”That’s right, we should be able to summon it.” The other one said.

“Well lets see.” He said clearing his throat. “We seek the painting named ‘The Two Daughters of King Nicholas XII’.”

Immediately a painting of two babies next to Bella started rattling and then glided over to the two. The second one checked the name at the bottom to be sure. Then he motioned to the other gentleman to say the words.

“Painting. Please age the picture 8 years.”

It started glowing and when it stopped the two leaned in to get a good look. They both smiled, then placed the picture against another canvas. They walked up the stairs, and tapped the wall three times. It slid open and then close again. A few minutes later Bella came out of her hiding place and Silver’s tale was glowing again.

She was glad that she knew how to get out know. As she opened the door, her curiosity got the best of her and she went to see what the two had been looking at. She picked it up and held it to the light. On the painting, the two babies had aged to age nine. The left most one looked like Alexi. But it was the right most one that shocked Bella, because the other princess was herself.


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The caravan walked all day long along the path. Holly had been silently letting Ivan and Klaus know her fears concerning Maydle as they marched on. She had pointed out the moss on the stones along the way and how they showed that the groups was really going in a large loop. Klaus and Ivan didn’t seem too worried.

As they pitched camp for the night, the boys gladly excepted Maydle’s offer of some sleeping bags. Holly refused, saying that she preferred sleeping on th eground. But really, she didn’t trust the old hag. As everyone’s eyes began to droop shut, Holly pretended to go to sleep.

Several hours later, everyone was firmly asleep. Maydle stirred from on top of the wagon. She took some hobbled steps towards Klaus, and reached in her robe. She pulled out a menacing dagger and razed it. Suddenly she felt a blade against her own neck.

“So, ye ar whetI took thee to be?” She said her eyes turing to Holly.

“That’s enough of that! Don’t even look at me. I know about your ways. I know how you laced those sleeping bags with sleeping potion, and how you can turn me to stone by staring at me with your real eyes!” Holly said, raising the witch up from the ground.

“Well, you do know more then I thought,” The witch said, her voice no longer concealed by her fake accent, “but I would have thought that you would then know better than to step within one of my enchanted circles!”

Holly’s eyes went wide with fear as she looked down and realized she was indeed standing in a withcling trap. It was a simple circle draw in the dirt, but it had been drawn with the witch’s magic cane, which made it enchanted. Holly should have known better.

“Hehehe! You can’t harm me know! And you can’t leave the circle either until someone outside of it pulls you out!” She said grinning maliciously, “Now to take care of your friend.”

“Klaus! Wake up!” Holly yelled, but her words couldn’t leave the circle either.

Maydle kept getting closer to Klaus with the knife. As she raised it once more, there was a distant noise heard from up ahead of the path. It sounded like wind chimbs being battered in a storm. It was the witch’s turn to be filled with fear. She started scampering towards her wagon, but then realizing that it wouldn’t go fast enough.

She pulled her cane from her robe and drew a line in the path, muttering as she went. Holly had slumped down and uttered a silent prayer for her companions. As she gased up the path she saw what looked like a mass of fireflies caught in a tornado.

“Faeries!” she said, with a shudder.

Maydle had drawn another enchanted circle around herself and smiled wickedly at Holly. They were both safe inside the circles, because fearies dared not cross the lines. But Klaus and Ivan were still in danger, and the fearies were coming closer.

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