XXXII

Sleep

———

In the silence of the sleeping palace of Portland Goldens and in the lightless lobby where the throne lies, a resplendent light brightened up the whole lobby. From that light, six young people in winter sweaters came out.

"Help!" Elise yelled. "Someone, please wake up!"

The Communal Portal behind them shrinked pronto. Sally tiptoed and raised her sword. In her hands, her sword blazed, making light for the whole lobby.

"Help us!" Lance yelled. "The princess is in need!"

Clashing sollerets and tiles made their way to the Juniors' ears. For that moment, the dimmed lobby became lit. Numerous guards of the palace made their way to the Juniors, and now, some of the sleeping people in the palace were awakened.

"What's happened to the princess?" a man, who is in a common minimal armor only guards wear, asked.

"Call for the medics! Quickly!" Lance's voice cracked.

The seven guards standing around them became three—the four ran towards the smallest hall in the right of the lobby.

"Why did... Amy," Lance sobbed.

"Mister, we have to take the princess to her room," a guard said. "The medics will be going there."

Lance only nodded and lifted Amy higher as he stands up. A guard reached out one hand, expressing surprise.

"I can bear with her weight," Lance said and walked away. Elise, Sally, William, and Tom followed Lance, who was walking towards the largest hall at the right—towards the staircase and hall of Amy's room. While walking, Lance stared at the innocent blood-free face of Amy. He can feel Amy's cutlass against his right thigh, but he doesn't seem to be worried of the wounds he might have. Lance went up the stairs and stopped at the front of a two-door room.

"Mister, please lay the princess on her bed inside," a woman said. The woman's blonde hair is in a tight bun, and she is wearing a lab coat. She looks so witty with the rectangular-shaped lens of her eyeglasses. The mid-sized box in her hand is obviously containing Amy's needs at the moment.

The woman opened the door to make way for Lance and for his teammates. As both of the doors are opened, Lance entered and walked to Amy's pastel-brown bed. It's the plainest royal bed I've ever seen, Lance thought. He laid Amy down the purposely faded beddings. When Amy's head had already touched one of her bed's pillows, Lance removed the two quivers off of Amy. He also pulled the cutlass from the tight grip of Amy's hand.

He turned to the lady in lab coat, placed Amy's quivers and bow on the table beside the bed, and rapidly said, "Please do your best to wake her as soon as possible. Her wound is from an arrow. We don't know why she collapsed but... please."

"I'll do my best for the princess," the woman said. "If I can't do better than my best, I'll call for more medics. Now, mister, you can leave."

Lance nodded as a thank you and left with his friends. With such worrying, Lance dropped his backside on the corner of Amy's bedroom's exterior wall, waiting for his best friend to wake up.

---

Amy's long eyelashes shook as her eyelids opened. With light and dark trying to fight for her sight, she heavily pulled her eyelids up by raising her eyebrows. The excruciating pain in her shoulder made her screech to consciousness. Her eyes are widely opened and clear to every angle. Her feet shaking in coldness under her thick blanket.

"Amy." A face appeared at her front. It has the same eyebrows as Amy. The face and her own face look resemblant. Is this a mirror? Amy thought.

Amy smiled at the sight of her face. There's something wrong, she thought. Her own daydreamer blue eyes gazed at the eyes of the face at her front. The eyes' irises of the face are not blue.

"Mom..." Amy whispered.

"I'm so sorry I allowed you to go and find your horses," Ellen said and adjusted her sitting position. With the queen's move, Amy had set her eyes on the yellow nightgown of Ellen.

"Mom," Amy exhaled. "You should not be sorry. It's my choice. I put myself in that track, and I'm not regretting. I will be safe."

Amy lifted her head to adjust her neck's position.

"James Lurker was the one who shot me," Amy continued. "He told us a war will be done within five da—"

"Don't explain, honey," Ellen said. "Your friends are outside, and they told me everything. You lost consciousness when you're in... who is that? When you were in Amelia's house."

"Why did I fall asleep?"

"The arrow has a poison—that's what the doctor said," Ellen replied. "The poison became mild probably because you... you pulled it off."

Amy nodded and exhaled. She dropped her eyes close, trying to forget what happened to her shoulder, what is happening to her mother and to her friends' worrying sense, and what will happen five days later. For one moment, her mind became arcadian. But that was when three consecutive knocks hit either one of the two doors of Amy's bedroom. The door roughly sprung open.

When the alarmed expression of the man—who opened the door—became visible to Ellen, she thought, There is no rude deed for emergency.

"I really really apologize, your Majesty," the man said. "There's some odd news from the outskirts."

Ellen frowned then set her eyes back at Amy. Amy's calmly dropped eyes transformed into worried eyes.

"Thank you," Ellen said. "Wait and tell me the news when I get to the lobby."

"As ordered," the man said and bowed.

The man closed the door and left.

"I still need to spend time with you, honey," Ellen said and kissed Amy's forehead.

"Mom, I'll stay alive. Don't worry," Amy said and chanced a glance at her own bandage-wrapped shoulder. "You have to do your duties as the queen."

"I've already been so much on duty," Ellen replied. "That's why I didn't have enough time for my daughter."

"Mom," Amy said and held her mother's hand, "I know I'll be like you someday, so I have to understand."

"Stay here, honey," Ellen said and stood up. Then, she left Amy's room.

As Ellen left the door unclosed, Lance came entering her bedroom. His footsteps were gradual enough for Amy to think her sight becomes slow motion.

"How's my best friend?" Lance asked.

Amy smiled and tried to get up in spite of her wounded shoulder. My shoulder feels better now, she thought.

"Is it a new day?" Amy asked. While trying to get up, she searched for any curtain-free window in her bedroom. Disappointedly, Amy exhaled. All the windows are covered with dark-colored curtains.

"Yes," Lance said.

"What's the news about the outskirts?" she asked.

Lance became nearer and answered right away, "I don't know."

"If you do not know..." Amy paused and thought more creatively, "may I ask you a favor?"

"What's it?"

His face became an almost-literally-enlightened-one. Amy giggled.

"Listen to what the news is," Amy said. "Please go to the lobby. Just listen, and tell me everything you've heard."

"I thought it would be so difficult," Lance laughed. "So, bye now. I'll be doing your favor."

Lance gave a simple yet tenacious smile to Amy. He came running towards the open doorway of Amy's bedroom, hoping he could still hear the whole report of the news. After being left alone in her bedroom, Amy leaned onto a more comfortable sleeping position and dropped her eyes the same way she did a while ago. She thought, That way, I can get away from the problems of the real world. Again, Amy slept.

---

"Amy, Amy." She was being shook. Her peaceful sleep now had some odd feeling of worry and doubt. Her eyes were opening, and the movement blurs her sight. Then, the pain in her shoulder surprised her again.

"Ow, ow, what?" Amy said and drowsily inhaled.

"I already know the news," Lance, the one who wakes Amy up, said. As Amy forced to sit up, she accidentally budged her right arm, ignoring the throbbing pain in her shoulder. Finally, her favor to Lance sinked in to her consciousness.

"What's the news?"

"The outskirts in the north is burned down into ashes."

Then, one thought hit Amy's understanding.

"Where does Elise reside?"

With concern for Elise and for Amy's worrying sense, Lance replied, "In the northern outskirts."

---