The Shadow Princess Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven: The Vision and the Poem

I woke up for a start when a pillow smashed right into my face. I groaned.

“Alessandra, get off my bed.”

She hit me again.

I growled. “Get off this bed, Allie, or I’ll make you!” I created a meager force field, but she blocked it away effortlessly, waving her hand impatiently as if my force field was just a fly.

She hit me again. “Ri, you idiot, this is so important!”

I sat up straight. “You have five minutes. I still have Healing to study.” That idea made me shiver. I was trying so desperately to block out the fact that I did not have WA full from my head. The pain and hopelessness would be absolutely unbearable.

Alessandra was having a giggling fit.

“Spit it out, Alessandra.” I said in a singsong voice. I was truly intrigued because Alessandra was usually too mature, but I also remembered my other tasks. If I was staying indoors, I was going to get better with Healing. I HAD to.

She giggled even more. “Okay, okay, fine. But you have to tell me where Tyler is” She paused, thinking. “… and Razzi.”

I heaved a sigh, wishing to go straight to my room already. I wanted to practice that healing bogus Sensei left with me to practice over the summer break. Just get this over with. Hurry.

“I have no idea, seeing that I just woke up. This is not even my room! ”

Alessandra looked around and took a note from the table with the lamp.

I’m at your father’s study, in a meeting with the other guards, but as you very well know, there are guards patrolling the windows, the balconies, and the hallways. You’ll be safe. I’ll be with you before lunch. Take care and I love you.

She giggled once more. “Alright, lie back.”

“Excuse me?”

“Lie back. On the bed, dummy. I have something to show you. Close your eyes. ”

I groaned. Better get this over with, because Alessandra always got her ways in the end, anyway. “Game.”

She clenched her fists, closed her eyes, and then opened her palms wide, touching my forehead.

After a few, brief seconds of seeing nothing through my closed eyes, I progressively saw something, as if through the faint and unsteady light of an fluctuating candle, bit by bit becoming clearer and more concentrated, when finally , the vision focused on a garden . It was late at night already, judging by the stars and the moon, but the garden was illuminated by lots of lanterns.

I knew this garden.

This was our palace’s garden.

My eyes only momentarily drifted around until I noticed something somewhere behind the bushes, onto a small, vacant, spot where two men seemed to be in a hushed tête-à-tête. They grew nearer and nearer as my eyes adjusted to meet them, and then I heard them speaking, realizing at once who they were.

Razzi’s voice. “Show her you’re the boss. You become her friend; she won’t follow your orders. You show her that you’re the boss. Don’t let emotions get in the way anymore. She’s unique, but you should go back to the basics and show more formality. Be more professional. Show her that you’re boss.”

Then came Tyler’s. “But she’s the princess. I’m the guard. She’s the boss.”

“No, Tyler. Her father is the king. The king is higher than the princess. You were sent by the king to the princess. You are there as the representative of the king. You are the boss. Have that kind of mentality and it will show through your actions. Have that kind of principle and you will be in control. The king has granted you the authority, anyway. What’s stopping you? ”

Tyler hesitated for a while. “Well, now that I’ve started being her friend, and then you ask me to become all formal, how will she feel? Don’t you think that that‘d hurt her? ”

Razzi gave Tyler the most incredulous expression of all. “Have you totally lost your mind, child?” he asked with shock, still managing to keep silent.

When Tyler didn’t reply, he asked again, “Are you insane?!”

Tyler, again, kept silent.

Razzi shrugged. “You have succeeded in a lot of almost impossible tasks, but this might be too big for you. I know I promised your mother that I’d get you to the top, and that soon, you’ be one of the greatest, well-respected, and youngest Protectors there are, but this might just be too much. You’re not only jeopardizing the princess’s life, you’re also endangering the results of the whole war! You should know enough to not let emotions get in the way! That’s a very common code! A basic rule! That’s your weakness, and you have to fix that! I’m thinking about sending you to other tasks. With your performances, I realize what’s inside of you and that leads me to believe that you are not ready.”

“Please don’t do that, Uncle. You know this means much to me. This would mean much to Mom. You know that. ”

“Yes, but it might mean much to you for different motivations already. I know that this would mean much to you and to my sister, but something I also know of is your weakness. And with you being with Ariana too much, it just triggers your weakness even more. You have to see her as an employer, not as something else. ”

Silence.

That was when Razzi started to realize something. He looked shock. He was having an epiphany.

“Do you still see her as an employer, Tyler? “

Silence.

“So that’s a no…” Razzi concluded. “See her ...at least as a friend?” he asked pleadingly, but he already seemed to know the answer.

Tyler looked down and let the truth dawn to his uncle.

“Oh, no…” Razzi knelt down and covered his face with his hands. “Oh no…Oh, no…” He kept on muttering.

“I really am sorry, Uncle, but it wasn’t something I could control.”

But Razzi wasn’t listening to him anymore. He was busy mumbling to himself. “This is all my fault…I let Tyler do this job when I knew he’d be amused with Ariana ‘s attitude…I let personal and matters get in the way…I knew Ariana would appreciate a not-so-conspicuous guard tailing her, and thought this would make her follow…Oh,no…Oh,no…. ”

He finally kept quiet and decided to stare at Tyler. “…Now, you love her!” he accused.

Tyler contorted. “It’s not like you don’t.” he snapped.

“Yes, but I’m not in love with her! Being IN love with someone makes you deranged! You’re in love with her. I’m not! ” Razzi snapped back.

“Well, yes, obviously, you aren’t because of course, you’re at least twice her age. You’re not compatible anymore, unlike me, who’s still---”

“OH, SHUT UP, TYLER!” Razzi was actually RED now, furious.

“Well, you get my point. I guess we both let personal matters get in the way, only we used different ways. You can’t send me back; you’re also guilty.”

“Don’t toy with me, child. I’ll send you back, apologize to the king and fix this mess.”

“By fix this mess, you mean sending yourself back also? See, if you send me back because I committed that mistake of letting personal matters get in the way, well, you are also guilty of that. ”

Well, that shut Razzi up.

Tyler grinned. “One last chance. I know you’re a man of honor and you’ll even send yourself home. But just give me one last chance. I’ll protect the princess. I’ll protect Ariana, and she’ll have to follow our orders.”

Razzi nodded in defeat. “Please don’t let me down.” he said, but it wasn’t the usual formal and authoritarian tone. It was a desperate tone.

Tyler smiled. “I won’t. Personally, sometimes I think the guards should be like robot stuff is spurious. Love and determination would make our performance even better occasionally. ”

Razzi opened his mouth to say something, but Tyler just patted his shoulder and departed.

“Wait, Tyler.”

Tyler turned to face Razzi. “Yes, Uncle?”

“If. Just if, the war comes to an end already, what’ your plan? She’s the princess. Do you see this getting somewhere? Are you certain you’ll not only break her heart? And break your own too? ”

He shook his head. “I love Ariana. I‘d die for her, even when it’s no longer my job. I’d rather die that hurt her. I could find a way. Good night now and thank you for everything, Uncle. There really is no need to worry about me or her. That much I could promise you.”

The vision little by little disappeared, and once again, I was seeing my room. That took my head off the attacker.

I turned scarlet.

“Ooh...he’s so sweet!” Alessandra cooed.

I rolled my eyes but my face was still red. This was something Alessandra noticed, too, sadly.

“You’re blushing.” she pointed out.

“Yeah, well, Tyler’s okay” I grunted, knowing that Alessandra would be in high spirits.

My heart kept beating faster; face getting redder.

Alessandra was not oblivious to all those things. “So…you like him, like him?”

I nodded. “And you can’t blame me.”

She nodded. “Yes, no one can. Tyler is H-O-T.”

I giggled.

“And you? What were you doing in the garden late that night?”

She smiled slyly. “Both mom and dad knows. I was taking a walk with Philip.”

“Oh…” I laughed. “So is he ‘the one’ or just a date?”

She shrugged playfully. “I don’t know exactly, but something’s for sure and that’s that he’s definitely not just a date.”

I sniggered. “I see. Details?”

“Maybe next time. We both have so many things to do.”

“Oh, yeah…” I sighed heavily.

She kissed me on my cheek. “Honey, take care of yourself, alright?”

I hugged her. “You too.”

“I will”, she whispered and headed to the door.

“Is there something you know that I don’t? Something new? ”

She thought hard. “Caesar’s back. That’s all.” She broke her eye contact with her last sentence. She was lying. She was hiding something.

I let the silence continue, and she was the one who broke it.

“Ri, I’m sorry for the way some things are, but sacrifices had to be made, and no matter how hard I wish for me to be the one to suffer and to be in danger, fate comes and we have to give in. I truly am sorry. And I love you, never doubt that.” Tears were leaking down from her eyes.

“Yes, I know, Allie.”

“Please, please, please, Ariana, take care of yourself or I would never be able to forgive myself.”

I ran towards her and hugged her. “I love you, too, Allie.”

A knock came from outside the door. “Ri? You awake? Could I come in? ” It was Caesar.

Alessandra gave me one last teary-eyed smile. “I’m hogging you. Caesar was so worried. He didn’t sleep or rest when he arrived. He only worked with the Agency.”

Then, she left the door and Caesar entered.

“Are you well? Don’t worry about Allie. You have enough to worry about.”

I sighed. “I’m cool. How are you? You’ve been gone long. ”

He laughed, but I had the feeling it was strained. “You missed me? Yah…well, I’m fine. I did the mission as planned.”

I nodded. “Cool. What’s your problem, then?”

He raised his eyebrow. “Isn’t it obvious? You nearly got killed if it weren’t for Tyler’s superb talents. There’s a reason for us to be troubled.”

I moaned. “Stop worrying. You know I’m not worth that trouble.”

Caesar opened his palms and suddenly I got paralyzed and couldn’t speak. “Yes, you are. You are worth any trouble. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid or reckless. Follow orders. Just promise me. That’d help me a lot with calming myself down.”

He opened his palms again and I was freed from paralysis. I shrugged. “There’s something you guys aren’t telling me.”

“Just promise.”

“I can’t. If I did promise, I’d only break it.”

He sighed heavily. “Ariana, you are so stubborn! It’s so hard to persuade you.”

I nodded obstinately. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“No. I can’t. Stay indoors and don’t stray away from Razzi or Tyler, alright?”

“But what about the stuff I have to do outdoors?”

“Don’t worry about it. The media’s already reported the attacker. The People would understand.”

“Alright.”

“Goodbye for now.”

“Yes, take care.”

“No, you take care.”

Then, he stepped out of the door and waved goodbye.

For the next few hours after that, I just read a poem Allie wrote for the school gazette and thought about it.

The Obvious Riddle

What gives my life its meaning;

What gives it its purpose?

What keeps me going on;

What force is stronger than all these pains and pressures?

What exhilarates me despite my same routine;

What makes my life a rollercoaster ride?

What makes me giggle or laugh out loud;

What makes a tear fall down or me to cry?

What could be sometimes so painful;

What could be something so much worth any pain?

What’s something no one could take from me;

What’s something inside me that makes me invincible?
What’s, from my eyes, is always there;

What’s from others’ eyes is nowhere?

What keeps me smiling as I give something up;

What breaks my heart when I win and they lose?

What’s crazy and reckless and meaningless;

What’s at the same time means everything?

What’s sometimes a happy ending;

What’s sometimes heart-breaking?
What’s something that makes you blind;

What’s something that makes you see?

What’s the strongest power, the strongest force?

It’s everything---It’s LOVE.

Written by Alessandra Garnette Deronada

Alessandra was talented. Her poems in the gazette were always mine and everyone else’s favorites. Her poems told the readers who she was, and every single word in the story was her. Alessnadra.

I read the poem again and again, and found out that my eyelids were heavy. I settled the battered newspaper on the side of the lamp and fell asleep.