Fly Home, My Heart

Dull grey walls surrounded her. The monotonous columns and stone sapped her will. They cut her off from the world. Pale, thin strands of light grasped for footing on the red carpet only to get lost in its thick pile. Heavy drapes behind the throne dampened sound that turned whispers among the court into menacing murmurs. The dais lifted the chairs for the king and queen consort above the court, stranding them in the dark. Hand carved walnut chairs with thick red cushions presented a regal show but provided zero comfort. Chandler promised an upgrade but the treasury had never been full and the death of his parents left the kingdom in a chaos that took more than best wishes and political capital to fix.   On the outside the queen consort smiled. Her dress looked glorious and the intelligence in her eyes could not be ignored, but she was not present. While the courtiers, diplomats, and religious leaders all wanted to speak to Chandler she huddled alone with her chair and thoughts. Chandler and her presented a united front but her heart was empty. It longed for a physical connection.   Her heart skipped a beat as Duke Federick Molendini entered. His wavy black hair with a muscled frame and bronze face turned heads across the court. The queen consort gasped.   Chandler looked to his queen, "Clara, do you need a break?"   "No. No, I'm fine." Her fan flicked faster to release the heat emanating from her body. Her unconscious desire slid forward to the edge of her seat. "Maybe after this next diplomat."   The Duke bowed. His eyes looked toward Clara instead of Chandler. Clara's heart raced.   "Duke Federick Molendini and Minister Sacerdo Malus from the Auguston Citadel," announced the court's master usher.   The two men spoke of providing aid and spiritual service to the kingdom. The muffled words didn't reach Clara's ears, but Federick felt so close. His cologne flared in her nose, dipping deep inside.   As Federick stepped away, the king called for a recess. Clara hurried out of the throne room to catch one last site of Federick as he passed the side hall. He paused and consumed her entire form. The smile on his face was undeniable.   Several young women from the court stepped up to him from the main hall, asking for introductions. Their giggling and fawning would have made a lessor woman question herself but Clara strode down the side hall toward her quarry.     Twenty feet from the intersection of the main hall an old oak door groaned to the right. The metal latch snapped out of its resting position. With one last longing look, Clara, soaked in Federick's presence before turning to hug her daughter.   "Mom, are you and dad done?"   "No, just taking a break." Clara's shoulder's sagged a little thinking about the remaining schedule. Her eyes shifted to Federick as he stepped past the intersection with the crowd of courtiers close behind. Chandler had Will and she would have her Duke, but her daughter needed her attention first.   "Can you check my writing?"   "Sure," Clara took her daughter's hand, "I need to attend to some guests, but will stop in on my way back to the throne room."   "Ok." Her daughter's shoulders slumped as she turned back to her room.   Andaya was so much like her. Clara wrapped her arms around her daughter and dragged her back into the hall. "Love you, bell. Ok, get to your writing. I'll be back."   Clara hurried to the intersection with the main hall, royal guards side-stepped with ceremony to clear the way. The hunt was back on as Clara turned to the right. She reeled back before running into a man standing at the corner. "Excuse me, Minister."   Minister Sacerdo Malus' voice reverberated in her ears. "Wherever you are off to in such a hurry, may the Silver Dragon protect you."   His heavy robes didn't move at all. A chill raced up Clara's spine, another man that sucked the energy from the world. His words should have been a blessing but came out more as a curse. She felt weak in her knees.   It was a Cardinal that had murdered Chandler's parents and tried to take over the kingdom. The dread she felt around that man appeared around any man of faith now. She needed to calm herself. This was not the same situation.   The minister's robes had a silver vestment draped over his shoulders. The diamond studded hexagonal necklace he worn hovered over the robes. On his back the outline of wings, unbelievable! Clara's stomach turned at the statements of power and control. Myth said the Silver Dragon was a protector, this man was anything but that.   "I am taking a moment to visit the garden, but it is a busy day so I must be on my way." Yes, it was a lie. But con artists and heretics didn't deserve to know her desires. Her next thought settled on Andaya. She walked back down the side hallway- the opposite direction of the garden.     "Hey, Bell."   Andaya did not respond. Her concentration on her calligraphy was extreme. Clara slipped off her shoes and shuffled to the desk while her daughter worked. It was a symphony in many ways. Long strokes ended with flourishes. Then her arm would swing back into position for another stroke. The letters and words spread across the parchment without pause, error, or second thought.   "Mom, Stop that!"   "I love to watch you write. What are you working on today?"   "It's a letter to grandma."   A stylized willow tree took up the bottom left corner of the page. Flecks of grass highlighted the base of the tree. High in the sky in the right top corner a raven soared. The justified text lined up on each margin, wrapping around her art.   "It's beautiful, Bell. She is going to love it."   "I thought so, but I just wanted to hear you say it."   Clara took the opportunity to give one more hug before leaving. "I need to get back to the throne room. I'll see you tonight for dinner."   Andaya turned when the latch on the door clicked. "Mom, love you."   Clara put her hand on her heart and smiled. In many ways, Andaya was her hero.     The West Garden faced the city but the fruit trees blocked the buildings and walls from view, giving Clara a wilderness in which to bath. Sunlight poured down onto her bench, recharging her after a day in the throne room. The heat of the sun hid the sweat of the passionate thoughts about Federick. Mmm. The scent of apple blossoms filled the air. She had a sense that hope and joy could be a part of her life again.   The heavy beating of wings broke her from her revery. A black raven landed on the bench beside her. "YAak."   "Hello, to you too." She could not understand the bird, but guessed at it's intent. Ravens were a puzzle, sometimes offering advice or warning of danger and sometimes just standing with her.   "I picked this for you." She extended her arm over to the raven with a peach in her hand. It took a peck.   "Enjoy." She sat the peach on the bench.   Clara closed her eyes to concentrate on enjoying the sun. It's heat restored her heart but from the darkness her mind conjured an image of the peach. The raven stood over it ready to take another bite but the peach erupted into a swarm of insects that bit and chased the raven away.   "My Queen! My Queen!" an orchard worker raced up to the bench. He shook the queen several times. She didn't respond. His panic heighted as the heart shaped wings of the lanternfly folded as it landed on the queen's left arm. He tried to grab but it jumped to her right shoulder. The Queen saw him reaching across her grabbing at something over shoulder.   "Harold, what is going on?" The queen stood in surprise. The raven and the peach were gone.   Harold had caught the insect and threw in onto the bench, stunning it. Harold planted a boot on it to make sure it was dead. "My lady. They are all over the fruit trees and bite. You need to get inside."   Clara walked to toward the closest tree. At first she didn't notice them, they blended into the bark but as one insect jumped and its wings extended she saw others move up to fill the spot. They covered the young tree, carving up its bark. Anger swelled up in her gut. They would take her garden.   "My lady, you need to get inside!" His urgency turned her anger into motion, but Harold's voice also triggered a malevolent instinct in the insects. They all leapt from the tree at the same time. Their wings beat a vicious tune on their flight toward the orchard worker. Blood began streaking down his arms and face. He fell to the ground covering his face with his hands.   Clara heeded Harold's word and was halfway to the inner keep's door. The orchard worker's cries of pain pulled at her gut making her turn. Tears welled up in her eyes. Why did the world always need to take things from her?   The metal hinge holding the torch on the wall bent and split as Clara put her foot on the wall and pulled. Bare feet trampled the grass, cutting the fastest path to Harold. Insects swarmed away from the fire and up into the air.   Clara swung the torch around her and Harold then looped her free arm under his arm. "Come on Harold, we are going to get inside."   The swarm expanded across the orchard and flew up into the sky. Harold's body went limp near the door, too heavy for her to carry. Clara threw the torch onto the path behind them and pulled with both hands to get the top half of his body through the door. She swung his feet around the wall and slammed the door shut.   Her back slid against door as she reached for the floor. The quiet moment evaporated as metal boots scraped along the floor followed by the wooden beat of the blunt end of pikes. The pace of the royal guards quickened when they saw the queen and orchard worker on the floor.   Clara braced herself. They weren't responding to the attack, they were coming to get her for something else.   She didn't wait for the impending bad news, "Take him to the infirmary."   The second guard helped her to her feet. "My lady, its your daughter. She is in the infirmary."     Clara burst into the infirmary. A nurse in the way fumbled a tray of salts and ointments. Ceramic bowls split and glass vials shattered after the collision. Clara grabbed the nurse's arms to keep him from falling.   "I'm so sorry. Where is my daughter?"   The nurse didn't know what to say. A look of dread spread over his face. The mess around the healer and queen seemed irrelevant.   "No, no, no. Where is my daughter?"   People filled the infirmary. The amount of people you would expect when a member of the royal family's life was in danger. They all stopped and bowed their heads when they saw the queen. Guards brought Harold into the infirmary. They passed the queen and lifted him into a bed. Gazing up at the next bed the queens heart ripped in two as the healer pulled a sheet over her daughter's head.   "No, do not do that! I want to see her!"   The walk to the bed stretched for a lifetime as Clara thought of all the moments they had shared. The healer by the bed said she had collapsed in the hall. Guards had also been dispatched to retrieve the king. Clara heard the healer say the King and her son were in the observatory getting ready for viewing the comet tonight. After that Andaya's cold hand took all of Clara's attention.     Clara's head laid on the bed beside her daughter's body. Tears made the sheets next to her face cold and wet. Her swollen eyes displayed no emotion. Emptiness coated her.   On the next bed over healers tried to save Harold. They raced across the room gathering tinctures and salves. Nothing made a difference. They cleaned the bites but he never regained consciousness. One of the healers commented there weren't enough bites to kill him. Tests for poisons all came back negative.   Clara looked at her sweet daughter's arm. She turned it over. Then pulled back her hair and turned her head. She found it on her right shoulder, a bite mark. Her heart sank.   Behind her a healer fell to the floor. The clatter of vials and bowls replayed like when she had raced into the infirmary. A lanternfly flew up from the body. Another healer screamed as they brushed another lanternfly off their arm.   Clara stood as healers fell all across the room. It was her. Whatever it was, it was following her. Her mind reeled, from the infirmary to Harold, back to the orchard, to the peach. Hugging Andaya in her room. Back out to the hall and running into the Minister.   The amulet hovered over his robes. His robes didn't flow. It was a spell, a curse!     A bell rang. Clara looked to Andaya, her bell was gone. The bell rang again and again. The castle's bell tower called the town to the square, her people were in danger. Clara stepped over the bodies to get to the hall outside the infirmary.   "Stop!" Clara screamed with all her might. Chandler, her son, and two guards came down the stairway to the left. Her hands raised wishing she could put an shield around them. "Stop."   "Mom!"   "Clara!"   "No, I'm infected or cursed. Don't go into the infirmary. Don't get close to anyone. You need to hide." The bell tolled again. "I have to go. Protect him." She pointed at her son.   She heard Chandler call out her name again as she raced toward the bell tower. Her son's cries echoed on her soul, but he was not safe until she blotted out whatever plot the Minister had put into motion. She didn't need the guards. She didn't need to pick up a blade. She was the weapon. Her pace quickened on the stairs. She was so close. She could smell them. The Minister and the Duke. If they were together in this, they would both die.   From the bell tower balcony the Minister called out to the assembling crowd. "Pray, pray to be spared."   The acoustics of the square carried the vile message to many ears. "It was the Queen that brought this curse down upon you. It will be your devotedness that keeps you safe."   Clara could hear the drone of the lanternflies. Her feet stomped up the last stairs and she burst onto the balcony. She lunged for the minister but the Duke grabbed her arms.   "Release me and undo this curse you put on me!" She projected her voice, reaching out to the hearts of the people below.   Lanternflies filled the sky. People cried and screamed below. The minister turned toward the queen. "She killed her own daughter! Your hope lies with me and..."   Clara's fury wrenched her from the Duke's hands. One step took her to the Minister and she ripped his amulet from his neck. She slammed it into the stone of the balcony floor.   The drone of the lanternflies became discordant. The duke slumped over the balcony, slipping to his end as the Minister grabbed Clara. Dark tendrils stretched from the clouds spiraling toward the castle. The courtyard filled with chaos as people ran from the unholy sight.   "You will die today as well Clara." The minister pulled on her hair and ripped her dress. His laughter echoed across the courtyard as he pulled her to the edge of the balcony.   The piercing pain in his back made him release her hair. Then a shadow slash across his arm. Ravens swirled around his head pushing him toward the balcony edge. Clara grabbed his leg causing him to trip. The thud could be heard as clear as the bell.   The dark tendrils, consisting of hundreds of ravens, filled the city streets catching and piercing the lanternflies. Clara stood on the balcony as the birds cleansed the city. People began to return to the square. Looking to the sky and up to Clara trying to prepare for the next doom that would befall them.   A raven landed on the balcony and looked out over the city with Clara. "Thank you" was the only thing Clara could think of to say.   "Branwen!" Andaya ran out onto the balcony followed by Chandler and her son, Travis. The raven chirped and hopped as Andaya reached to picked it up.   "Did grandma send you?" Andaya snuggled her head into the raven.   Clara staggered. She couldn't catch her breath, her heart felt as if it would fly out of her throat. The curse was broken, he daughter returned.   Many years ago, when Clara longed to find her way forward as a princess in a new kingdom, she visited a shop in the woods. The kind woman there sold herbs and offered her tea. But, Clara had come to make a deal. Rumors spoke of the woman as a witch that could mold the world. Pots, dried flowers, and an odd trinket or two hung from every inch of the rafters in the shop. A raven skull stared from the mantle. Clara did not know what to ask or what doom she would subject herself to so she spoke from the heart. When her tea was empty the deal was done but Clara simply asked for help and since then Grandma Willow had.