Sorry I haven't been on much, went to a concert on Thursday! IT WAS SO AWESOME! Anyway, stayed home yesterday because that's how awesome my mom is. Lol so enjoy the new chapter! Hahaha! I put my best friend in the story. You'll see her pop up, but I don't want to give the story away by telling you guys too much! Reread the last part of the last chapter for a refresher if you'd like. P.S. I'm quitting SWAS for anyone that cares.
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Eliot's friend, Adam, was not enthusiastic about letting stay at his father's inn for free, but he saw the bandages and reluctantly opened the door for us. He was taller than me, but shorter than Eliot. He was skinny and had short, black hair.
We were escorted to a small room with a divider in the middle and a bed on each side. To the right was a tiny bathroom with a shower, a toilet, and a small, white sink. On the back of the door that Adam was holding open was a full length mirror.
I turned back to Adam. "Thank you so much, Adam."
"No problem. I ain't gonna leave an injured lady out on the street." He looked us both over. "I think my father has some clothes that you can wear, Eliot, and my older sister probably has some clothes you can have, Amber."
"Oh, thank you so much." I smiled as he shut the door behind him.
I sat down on the bed cross-legged and looked out the window. There was a beautiful view of the village out of the window. It had gotten dark, so everyone had gone home. The lights in the houses looked like little stars. Looking up at the sky, you could see a crescent moon, surrounded by a million twinkling stars.
"Hey, hey, hey, I get the bed with the view, Missy," Eliot said, cutting through my thoughts.
"Oh, no you don't."
"Yes I do! Who's the one that saved you?" Eliot said, smirking.
"Yes, and who saved YOU?" I said, also smirking.
He smile disappeared. "That's not the point. The point is that you're sitting on my bed."
"How about this, you get first shower and I get this bed," I offered.
He glared at me. "I'm not gonna win this am I?"
I smiled up at him. "Nope, definitely not."
He sighed in defeat. "Fine, I get first shower."
Suddenly, we heard a knock on the door. Eliot went to open it, and Adam came in with two bags of clothing, along with two toothbrushes, a tube of toothpaste, and a brush for my hair. Eliot and I each took a bag and toothbrush. "Dinner will be on the table in a few minutes," Adam said. I couldn't put my finger on it, but the way he kept looking over me was a bit unsettling.
After Adam had left, Eliot went to take a shower. I took that as an opportunity to put my hair into a braid that reached to the small of my back and look through the clothing that I had been given. I was digging through the pile of clothing when I stopped short. I slowly pulled out a short green dress that looked all too familiar. I slipped the dress on and looked into the full length mirror. I didn't see myself anymore. I saw a Princess of the Wild. I saw the girl on the edge of the clearing.
Just as I was about to go back to look through the other clothing, Eliot walked out of the bathroom with jeans and a t-shirt on, drying his hair with a towel.
He stopped at his bed, looking over at me, then down to my dress. "Looks good on you." He smiled.
I felt my face start to burn, so I turned back to my bed and started looking through the other clothes. "Well, I'm not wearing it. At least, not yet. I hope."
He could almost hear the confused silence behind me, but I didn't feel like explaining. Well, not yet.
Eliot left to go to dinner so that I could have some privacy to change. I put on a pair of faded jeans and a tank top that I had found. As I checked myself over in the mirror, I saw the shine of my rose locket in the light. My mom had once told me that the rose was a symbol of protection. That whenever I was wearing it, I would be protected. I smiled sadly at my reflection.
'I can go home any time I want,' I thought to myself.
I shook my head to get the thought out of my head. I was home. The Wild Kingdom was my kingdom, and my kingdom needed me.
I tucked my locket back into my shirt and went downstairs for dinner. Most were already sitting around the table, eating the wonderful smelling food. I took the seat next to Eliot that he saved for me and took my share of the food.
"So Amber," Eliot piped up. "Let me introduce you to the Kinderson's."
I put on a smile as Eliot introduced me to Adam's older, yet shorter, black haired sister, Alison, Adam's tall, potbellied father, Richard, and his short, skinny mother, Maranda. I introduced myself and started up a conversation with Maranda about how wonderful the food was.
About halfway into dinner, Alison turned to me. "So, Amber, where are you from? I don't think that I've ever seen you around here."
I held up my finger to pretend like I was still chewing while I tried to think of an answer. I didn't know if I should tell them who I really was or not.
Eliot saw this and decided to cut in. "Oh, she just moved here from the other side of the kingdom."
Alison didn't seem to accept that answer but said nothing as she went back to picking at her food. I let out a sigh and turned to Eliot, looking him straight in his piercing blue eyes, meaning to pass a silent thank you between us. He must have heard it because he smiled and mouthed, 'You're welcome.'
After dinner, I took a shower in the tiny bathroom and got into the sweatpants that had been given to me. I sat on my bed and looked out the window at the stars that looked even brighter now. I was thinking of home and began to sing a lullaby that my mother would sing to me when I couldn't fall asleep. "Sleep, baby, sleep,
Your father tends the sheep,
Your mother shakes the dreamland tree,
And from it falls sweet dreams to thee,
Sleep, baby, sleep."
I didn't notice Eliot, until he sat down on my bed. I bolted upright the side of the bed became uneven, see as he was heavier than me due to his muscles. "Your mom sing that to you?"
"Yeah," I said, looking down at my lap.
"Well, you have a very pretty voice." He said and smiled at himself.
I chuckled at him. An awkward silence passed between us and he got up from the bed to stand next to the divider in the middle of the room.
"I... I can't help but think that if I'm queen that... that I'll be horrible compared to my mom." I sighed.
Eliot turned back to face me. "You're gonna be a great queen Amber."
I looked up to his eyes and saw no doubt in his eyes. He really thought that I would make a good queen. I grinned at him. "Thanks, I hope so."
He shook his head at me and started to turn around. "Night, Amb."
"Night, El."
After turning off the lights, I started to think about what I had just said. We'd only been reacquainted for a day and we already had nicknamed. I tried to think more about the reasons, but my mind was too tired and the thoughts kept slipping away. Finally, I fell into a deep, what I hoped would be peaceful, sleep.
But one can only hope.
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Yes, yes, I know, Eliot and Amber, sharing a room. O.o Haha, well, I put a divider between them! That is an actual lullaby. It's so sweet! Does anyone think that they know who Alison and Adam are?? Hahaha! I'm soooo evil to my best friend...