The gear turned, interlaced with another, and another. His eyes traced the inner workings of the machine to the place where the light shone.
Gabe’s eyes widened with wonder as he took in the small sparks created by his invention. His grin turning more sinister as drops of green liquid poured into the wooden bowl. With what seemed to be a final thrust, the machine cried.
“Yes!” Gabe screamed throwing his stubby hands into the air only to cry out a horrified “no” when the liquid met the ground followed by unwanted company.
Gabe gaped at the mess, his messy balding hair like a bunch of weed on his oval shaped head. He gawked, willing his eyes to unsee things because there is no way that years of work, years of suffering and sleepless, foodless nights could have led to this.
His face morphed into an ugly scowl and he searched out the reason for his chagrin. The offender was oblivious to his scorn because she was busy trying to get on her feet; to rise from the floor after smashing his work to pieces.
He marched to her and she paused, noticing him for the first time.
“Hi” She squeaked.
He growled at her, baring his fangs,
“Hi? Hi?! Hi. Is what you tell a friend when you see them. Hi, is what you say to someone who you might like and what to be friends with! Hi is not what I want to be saying to you right now!”
He yelled in her face only for her to…laugh? She was full on laughing, bent over, hand-on-stomach laughing. He sputtered, watching in dismay as she leaned back on the shelf fixed to the wall.
“Wha…What are you laughing at?”
She laughed harder, even wheezing. Smoke poured out of his ears and he puffed his chest to cry injustice when he realized that his amulet glowed violet. He turned and blushed heavily, the red flush creeping all the way to his neck, as he fiddled with the amulet on his chest and then smacked a button. When it turned green and he was sure that his voice no longer sounded like that of a mouse, he turned to face her again. He opened his mouth just as she did hers,
“Oh heavens! That was hilarious. What do they feed you, helium gas?” She said amidst laughter. Gabe stared deadpan at her as she continued to mock him.
“Who are you? And how did you get here? Did you not know that this place was off limits?” He barked.
She stopped laughing, the sudden turn of his voice sending chills to her bones. He suddenly seemed bigger that a few moments ago.
“I uhm…ahh…”
“Listen lady. I don’t care. Just shoo,” he began to push her towards the only available door, “get out and never come back.” But she evaded him causing him to let out a pained groan and rub his face tiredly.
“Please. Wait. I’m Sienna. Daughter Valdez, heir to the throne of Zandoria, daughter of his Majesty, Emp...” she made haste to speak.
“Okay. Stop it. Please, you’re hurting my ears. What is that? A script made from hell?”
The lady looked offended but he couldn’t care less, “It’s not a script,” she cried defensively, “I am a princess and I demand you tell me where this is, who you are and whatever else is necessary for me to know.”
An awkward silence passed between the two of them before Gabe burst out in laughter, his voice booming in the room. Sienna stood stunned as this man laughed at her.
“Okay. That is a good one.” Gabe’s laughter died down and he wiped a tear. His grin immediately dropped to a scowl.
“Okay. Listen. I am Gabe. Now, you would be doing myself and you a favor, if you’d just walk towards that door and get lost.”
“But I still don’t know where I am.”
“Jus…okay. This is the realm of monsters. Heard of it?”
Sienna’s eyes bounced between him and the corner of the room, “uh, no.”
“Listen. I have been trapped here since I can remember and I was seconds away from freeing myself from this bondage till you showed up and…where did you come from anyway?”
Sienna paled; her discomfort obvious on her face. She scratched her elbow nervously and said, “nowhere.”
“Uh-uh. You fell out from my roof and I demand to know what realm you landed out of. What mode of transportation is that? What happened to portals and witches on broom sticks?”
Sienna assessed him one more time, “you climb on brooms with witches?”
“Not me, no. But every other bone head does. Now, princess…”
“Sienna.”
“Great. You need to leave.”
“But I don’t know my way back.”
“Well then. Find it. You still need to leave.”
Sienna ignored him and walked over to the wrecked machine. She bent and touched some of the green goo with her index finger.
“Whoa! What are you doing? Stop touching things.” Gabe tried to stop her.
“Is this the Quilia flower?”
“It is made out of the Quilia flower. I was supposed to drink that and be able to go back home but thanks to you, I’m stuck here for another…however long it takes to find me another one.”
“We have a lot of these back home. Right in our garden.”
Gabe piqued up immediately,
“And where did you say you were from?”
“Zandoria. Why can’t you return home?”
“Doesn’t matter. We have to get you back to Zandoria.”
“What? No.”
“What do you mean no?” Gabe asked perplexed.
“I ran away. I’m not going back that easy.”
“Why would you run away?”
“Ugh! Because…”
Sienna trailed off and walked past him to sit on a stool. She looked off into nothing, her brows drawn down in sadness.
“All they want from me is to be some stupid, mindless heir. To rule just like my father. Nothing I ever do is enough and I am always in his shadow. I want to be my own person.”
Gabe stared at her and couldn’t help the thought that they were so alike. He joined her, sitting on the carpeted floor beside her.
“Well, my grandfather was Leviathan.”
Sienna gasped, her eyes wide, “No. Really? I thought he was a myth.”
“He's not. My dad and I are burdened to meet certain expectations. I mean. My grandfather was a great Monster Warrior. He was the best defender of the city and he was everything my dad couldn’t be. Everything I am not.”
Sienna placed a hand on his shoulder as he deflated with his confessions.
“This isn’t even my real form," he continued, "I just want to be seen for who I am instead of who my grandfather was.”
“So, you left your home to come here?”
Gabe laughed nervously, “Yes. At first, it was great. I found a key to unlock this part of the Monster Realm where none of my family visits, but now I want to go home. I miss my father. And my mother. They aren’t the best parents but, they love me.”
“Is that why you were mixing the potion?”
“Yeah. If I drink that, I can get back to my real form and reach out to my father. He’ll come get me.”
“But why? What happened to your form?”
“I was poisoned. By a witch.”
The two sat still in the room, their breathing the only sound between them. Sienna stood to her feet and then offered him a hand.
“Well. We have to return back to Zandoria. You need those flowers.”
Gabe took it and let her help him to his feet, “yeah.”
Sienna scratched her elbow, “but how do we do that?”
“Behind you!” Gabe cried.
Sienna bounced on her feet, sustaining a balance over the rocky edge as she turned and shot her last arrow, hitting the jungle snake right in the head. The ten feet large monster dropped to the ground. They ran over the dead mammal and Gabe used his dagger to slice it open. With caution, Gabe cut out the hearts of the snake. Gabe tucked one away into his leather bag and held out the other.
“And we are set to go home.” He spoke
“I never knew you could make portals from animal hearts.” Sienna said
“Not just any animal. The jungle snakes. They are not only known for swallowing just about anything but their duplicate hearts as well, and they can teleport. This one was a bit of a hassle,” Gabe said panting, “And you are quite the archer.”
Sienna blushed and stroked the bow in her hand. She’d swiped it from the room.
“Thanks. So, what now?”
“Now? This!”
Gabe poured a clear liquid on the heart and it glowed, elevating by itself and staying midair, few centimeters away from them. Then it exploded, a chain reaction causing a black hole to appear.
“What did you pour on it?”
“Water.”
Sienna gaped at Gabe, “water?”
“Yeah.”
She opened her mouth to speak again but was interrupted, “Now princess, have a picture of your backyard in your mind?”
“Uh…yeah…” She said as she visualized the bountiful garden.
“Good.”
“But, if I can visualize and get to my home, why can’t you?”
“Because I am not in my real form. I’d be killed before I get to the palace.”
“Okay. Take my hand.”
He did and they jumped into the nothingness.
“Oh Miguel. We’ll find her.”
The Queen told her distressed husband as she nursed the toddler in her arms. Miguel frowned, worry coating his aged face. The door to the chamber flew open and a royal guard rushed in.
“Your Majesty. The Princess is back.”
Gabe stuffed a bunch of Quilia into his worn-out leather bag. The two then stood awkwardly together.
“Listen Sienna. I know how you feel about all this. But maybe you should try a different approach. I know I should have. The people may not see anything good in you, it doesn’t mean you should show them what you are not. Like my dad says, you write your own destiny. You can be an unruly heir or, you can be the unruly heir.”
Sienna tilted her head, “what is that supposed to mean?”
Gabe, ignoring her, fished into his bag and brought out the other heart and poured water over it.
“So, you are going back to the monster realm?”
“Yeah. Will just squash some of these flowers and add some potions and then, go back home.”
“Okay. Good luck.”
Gabe disappeared into the portal just as the King and Queen rounded the corner.
“Oh. Sienna! I was so worried!” Miguel lamented as he hugged her. Sienna embraced him as well.
“Oh Father. I was only gone for a…” She trailed off when her eyes caught the babbling toddler on her mother’s hips. She turned to her father, “How long was I gone for?”
“Six months!” The Queen cried, “You had your father and I so worried!”
The King stood to his full height,
“Sienna. Your behavior is unacceptable. You worried all of us to death! I could have died.”
“I’m sorry father. It’s just…you all expect me to be what I am not. And I couldn’t keep up with it.”
Miguel shared a knowing look with his wife and replied,
“Oh, my child. See, the path of a leader is never a smooth one. Before you win over your subjects, you need to earn their trust. Giving is inevitable and sometimes, you reap the rewards later than sooner. No one is asking you to be who you are not. Be you and show them the reason why it has to be you.”
Sienna nodded in appreciation, her eyes tearing up as she dissected her father’s words. He was right. Gabe was right. All she needed to do, was be her. Be the unruly heir.
©April 2023, Deraa, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED!
