Jennifer stands up, Reynoldus is standing next to her.  She feels sick and confused.  They were not in the musty little room anymore.  In fact there were no houses around at all.  They are now in a thick forest with large, old gnarled trees that are covered in vines.  The ground is covered in a thick coat of moss.  The sky that is just visible through small patches of the closely knit treetops is black and speckled with stars and a moon, which is twice the size of the moon she is familiar with, casting mysterious shadows around them.  It is spectacular and horrible at the same time.
“What just happened?”  Jennifer asks; trying to control the wave of panic rushing over her.

“This,” Reynoldus holds up his hand and a dark red stone with flecks of brown and yellow.  It sparkles in the bright moonlight  “This is a Hazuella Stone.  Hazuella Stones are used to travel from one world to another.  There are only three that are known of.”
She stares at the stone.  It’s quite horrid looking, almost like hardened vomit.  “Where are we?”  She asks.  Her voice is trembling, much like the rest of her.
“We are in the Gafaserin Forest.”
“In your world?”
He nods.  “It is a four hour walk to the gates of Ashaedorel.  If you follow the path that is very close to here, you will be led directly to the entrance.”

“I’m going alone?”
“If I am seen, I will be captured and executed.  This is up to you.”  Reynoldus explains.
“I will not kill her for you.  If I do it, it will be for Tessa.  Why would I do anything for you?”  She asks bitterly.
“I understand it is a lot for you to undertake, but you are Ashaedorel’s only hope.  If you do this, I will pay you in gold and riches beyond your dreams.”
“If I refuse, you’ll kill me and Tessa?  Maybe you should just do that then.  I can’t actually kill someone.”
“You would rather give up than to save an entire kingdom from death and destruction?  You will save many people’s lives by killing just one.  Arlette has only one intention for my kingdom and that is to plunder and to leave all who dwell there to starve…”
Jennifer cuts him off, “But why me?  Couldn’t you find someone else?”
“It must be you.”
“Tell me why.  Surely you owe me that much for kidnapping me!”  Her blood is boiling and she is losing her patience.
“I was there when my father died.  He whispered your name to me and said you alone could save us now.”
“So, it might not be me, there are other Jennifer Penningtons, you know.  Why would it be me?”
“I do not know, but I am positive that it is you.”
Jennifer’s mind is spinning.  She doesn’t know what to do or say.  She is still furious.  Then, without even knowing what she was about to do, she says four words.  “I will do it.”  She surprises herself by these words.  They feel almost forced.
Reynoldus looks surprised.  “Okay.  Here is what you must do…”

Jennifer listens to every word he says and when he concludes his plan, she again says nothing.  Silently, behind a particularly large tree, she adorns the clothes that he has given her so she may blend in easier.  A simple jade green, floor length dress that reveals a little more up top than she is used to, and soft deerskin boots.  She also has a slightly darker
green cloak. 
Her stomach is doing flips and she can’t decide if she is excited, terrified, or both.  Part of her is still wondering why she agreed to risk her own life for a man whom she has just met and who had abducted her earlier that night.  The other part of her is plain terrified, for the plan is suicidal.  Why is she so willing to risk her life for this strange man?  She tries to answer this but she cannot.
“Well?”  Reynoldus asks, “Anything that you are uncertain about?”
“What happens if I fail?”  She asks, sounding a bit softer now.
“You will not fail. I believe in you, Jennifer.”  This is the first time he uses her name and, for some odd reason, it feels like confirmation for her to go through with the task ahead.
She attempts a weak smile.  “I don’t know why I’m doing this,” she says.
“I am grateful that you are.  Now, you must go.  I will show you to the path to Ashaedorel and that is where we will part.”
“Okay.”  She agrees and they set off through the twisted trees in silence.
It takes ten minutes for them to find the trail.  Reynoldus wishes her luck and she continues without him.  After a few steps, she turns around and hurriedly says, “I’m sorry about your family.  You’ve been through a lot and I should have been a bit more understanding.”
“It is okay.  You were frightened and that is completely understandable, considering the circumstances.”  He looks a bit sheepish.

She mutters goodbye and walks away.  Her heart is pounding as she walks down the deserted path, occasionally ducking under low branches.  On many accounts, she hears unusual sounds coming from close by, causing her to dart her hand under her cloak to grasp the cool handle of the simple dagger Reynoldus gave her.  There is something strange about the dagger.  There is nothing special about it, as far as she can tell, but she feels something every time she touches it.

Once, an odd little creature bounded across the path.  It was round with four short legs and bulging light yellow eyes.  It had thick turquoise fur with patches of teal and red.  It stopped halfway across and peered at her, then continued on its way.  It seemed harmless enough,
though Jennifer was not about to trust anything.
After an hour of walking, the path she is walking merges with a wider, more worn path.  She keeps walking for another half an hour, her legs aching slightly.  Then, just up ahead, she sees a break in the trees.  Excitement and dread rise up in her.  When she emerges from the thick and twisted trees, the sun is just peeking over the horizon, casting its warm light all about her.  Ahead of her is a sizable hill.

She follows the seemingly endless path up the gradually rising hill covered with tall blue-green grass and colorful wildflowers she does not recognize.  Once she gets to the top, she finds herself gazing down at the vast kingdom below.  Her mouth falls open a little at the beautiful sight.  There are houses, some big and some little, stretching as far as she can see.  The sun is still rising, sending golden rays over the kingdom of Ashaedorel, now Lyloseph.

She stands there as if rooted to the spot, admiring the scene before her for a few minutes before beginning the trek down the hill toward Ashaedorel.  Now that the sun is up, bizarre birds, insects and other creatures are emerging from the tall grass to greet the morning.  A small white bird with canary yellow highlights flies around her in a friendly way.  It, in a way, resembles a small goose, but with a much longer tail.
Most of the creatures are flying, running, or hopping around so fast that she can’t see exactly what they are, only streaks of many colors.

As fascinating as she finds it, she tries to fight the joyful feeling that is trying desperately to overtake her.  She refuses to seem pleased with this whole fiasco.  Even though she is now alone and Reynoldus is nowhere in sight, she doesn’t want to give him the pleasure of knowing she is, in a way, happy he kidnapped her.  She just wishes that it might not end in murder.

With each step she takes, the more she wishes she could go back home.  With the task at hand becoming more real with every passing moment, she wants nothing more than to
leave, but she knows she cannot.  She gave Reynoldus her word, though she still doesn’t know why.

Her hands trembling and her heart racing, she reaches the gates, leaving behind the comfort of the tall grasses and mysterious creatures.  There are men guarding the gates, waiting to see her identification.  She pulls out of a small handbag that Reynoldus had given her, a small piece of paper with her supposed family seal.  Reynoldus had had it forged by a trusted friend of his.  From here on, she would be known as Sevia Thorne, daughter of Lord Armandus Thorne, a devoted ally of Lyloseph.  Queen Arlette has never met his daughter before so she would not know that she is an imposter.

The main street is empty but looks well-kept for the most part.  The houses are decent sized and are colorful.  But something doesn't feel right.  There is not a single person out on the street.  What looks like little street shops stand empty and abandoned.  There is a grim feeling in the air.

She passes by a little opening between the large houses that she almost misses.  She assumes it to be an alley and she peers down it to finds an actual street.  The skinny side street is almost empty except for about a dozen people dressed in dirty and worn clothing and who have gaunt faces.  Each side of the street is covered with tiny shacks that look like they would blow over in the soft breeze at any moment. 

She walks past one of the people, a woman with long, black hair running in a tight braid down her back.  Her face is covered with wrinkles and her green eyes are full of sorrow.  Her clothes, which are bleak tan and a little big for her, are covered with dirt and stitches where she had sewn up rips.  The rest are similar, though two of them are men.  Jennifer walks on, trying not to stare at them for fear of coming across rude.
She is coming up on a young girl, no older than twelve.  Just as she is passing by her, the girl speaks in a quiet, yet brave, voice.  “Will you help us?”
Jennifer’s heart skips a beat, what is she supposed to say?
“I don’t know.”  She stammers.

“We need help.”  The girl insists.  She has a round face and big green eyes.  A wilted flower is tucked into her tangled, dark brown hair.
“Your family?”
“No, all of us.”  The girl looks up and down the street.
“I don’t know what I can do.”  She says.  Except kill the queen, she thinks to herself.
“You have never been here before, have you?”  The girl looks right into her eyes.
“No, I have not.”

The first woman she passed, with the black braid, walks up to them and begins talking.  Only then did Jennifer see the unmistakable resemblance between the girl and the older woman.  Her mother, grandmother perhaps?
“We were never like this before.  There were poor people, but we were understood and not thrown into tiny shacks because we could not pay the taxes.  This is what a greedy ruler does to its kingdom.  It takes away everything you are familiar with and throws you into rundown side lanes not fit to live in.  My house before was not big by any means, but it was at least big enough for my family and not about to crumble.  The queen,” she says “Queen” with great disdain, “has thrown us into dirty streets, hidden by the grandness of the main streets, like we have a plague.  It is she who has made us like this!”  The woman finishes and anger flares in her eyes.

Jennifer doesn’t know what to say for she is too stunned by what she has just heard.   By now, not only the people on the streets, but others who have come from the meager shacks, have come out and now surround her, making her feel a bit uneasy.
“I am heading to see the queen now.  I will be talking to her about this, for sure.”  She finally gets out.  She is fighting back tears as more and more forlorn people come out.  She hears wooden doors scraping against the packed dirt ground.  How many are there?  She asks herself.  No less than a hundred.  But how many more streets are there just like this one?

“This isn’t right!”  Jennifer exclaims.  “Something will be done about this, I swear to you, to
you all!”  No matter how hard she tries to keep the tears from falling, a few manage to slip out.  She wipes them away briskly.

How can this be?  Jennifer thought that things would be so much better in a different universe, that everything would be grand and amazing.  She did not expect to find a shanty town hidden behind the grandness of the kingdom.  She has to stop it, she knows that now. She knew she had to kill Arlette, but now she really sees why.  Still, was murder the solution?  She could see now other solution...
Her thoughts are cut short.  “Who are you?”  The little girl with the wilted flower in her hair asks.
“I am S-Sevia Thorne.”  She finds it weird lying to these people. 
“Sevia Thorne!  You are a traitor to us all!”  A man in the crowd yells; receiving shouts of agreement.
“No, that was m-my father.  I never agreed with him.”  She says, hoping, praying that they buy it.  After all, they didn’t personally know Sevia Thorne, right?
No one says a word but all eyes are on her.
Jennifer looks around then says.  “I will put things right.”  Her voice comes out bolder than she thought possible.

With that, she continues walking down the shabby street, her heart pounding, fearful that the ominous crowd might not let her pass.  They don’t.  They stand their ground, looking at her in a peculiar way, almost hopeful.  Then the woman she first saw speaks again, this time in a friendlier voice.  “The way to the castle is not that way.  Go back to the main street and follow it.  You will be led precisely to the gates of the castle.”
A bit surprised, she thanks the woman, who tells her that her name is Emoni and her daughter name is Alais.  She follows Emoni’s instructions and walks back to the empty, more dignified street.  It is long and twists and turns through equally nice houses and shops.  She does not see anyone else as she walks but she does spot many, many slim breakoffs, almost unnoticeable. 

As she walks, she lets her mind run…
I wonder what’s going on at home.  Is Tessa worried?  Did she go looking for me?  I hope she is okay.  I should have called her.  If Reynoldus hadn’t rushed me, I would’ve.  Why did I agree to do this, anyway?  I shouldn’t have, I am not a killer!  But I can’t go back now.  I was a fool.  She kicks at a pebble on the cobblestone street.  I have to, for all I know, this isn’t even real.  She cannot stop thinking, though she tries.  Do I even know who I am?  I thought I was nerdy and fun.  I thought I was kind, maybe a bit selfish at times.  But now, I am acting so selflessly that I am willing to kill someone just so a stranger doesn’t have to.  So the blood of a woman won’t be on his hands.  And how do I know he is telling the truth?  Maybe he’s the enemy, maybe it is him I should be killing.  She stops dead in her tracks.  It hits her.  She will simply have to talk to queen Arlette and decide for herself.  Yet isn’t the evidence in favor of Reynodlus?  The streets are empty and there are people suffering, starving and hidden away from view.  Still, she refused to judge so quickly, she would talk to queen Arlette and see if the accusations Reynoldus made against her are true.  If they weren’t she would have to think of a way out.  She walks on, her footsteps echoing through the vacant street.

By the time she reaches the castle gates, she is very anxious.  She shows the guards her identification paper with her supposed seal on it and goes through.  The castle, which is in the middle of the immense city, is on the top of a rocky hill, almost a cliff.  She climbs up the stone staircase to the massive double doors made of red wood of some sort.  The castle stands tall and proud against the blue sky.  Its stone bricks shine in the dazzling sunlight as if a spell has been cast upon it.  The castle’s many towers reach up into the sky like fingers reaching toward the heavens.
On either side of the doors, there are guards.  She explains who she is and shows them her credentials.  They open the doors for her and she walks through.  She finds herself in a huge and extravagant circular room.  Between the intricately carved woodwork, there are portraits painted on the walls of what she guesses are past kings and queens.  On the other side of the room is another set of doors which she goes through, eager to get to the queen.

She opens up the doors and gasps at what lies beyond it.  It is another huge room, but this one is long, very long.  On both sides, there are pillars made of marble, which are engraved with precious stones, most of which she doesn’t recognize. They lead the way down a deep crimson carpet that leads to what looks like a throne. 

Between each pillar, on the walls, are more paintings.  The paintings are scenes that Jennifer guesses is the history of the kingdom.  Some are gentle pictures of the city she is in and of neighboring towns in the kingdom, and others picture are of bloody battles.  There are coronations and births, as well as family portraits.  There are so many pictures, and Jennifer wants to look at them all, but she knows there is no time for that.  Truth is, she would give almost anything to have a few extra hours to explore the magnificent castle, but that cannot happen.

She rushes down the long room, passing portrait after portrait.  The closer she gets to the throne, the more nervous she becomes.  She tries to stop her hands from trembling, but fails.  She can’t show that she is afraid or Arlette might not believe her.  She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.  When she opens them, there is someone by the throne.  She is wearing an extravagant golden floor length dress.  She sits down and beckons for Jennifer to come to her.

Jennifer walks fast down the red carpet and stops a few paces in front of the throne where queen Arlette sits.  She has a thin, angular face with high cheekbones.  She has piercing blue eyes and white-blonde hair that is pinned up into a fancy bun.  Her lips are thin and a dull pink and she has little color in her cheeks.
“Sevia Thorne, you are welcome here.”  Arlette says, her voice shrill.
“Th-thank you, your highness.”  Jennifer replies and bows slightly, not knowing if that is what she is supposed to do.
“Please, call me Arlette.  What brings you here?  I hope all is well.”

“Yes, quite.  Father wished me to bring you a message.  He would have brought it himself, but he is far too busy at this present time.”  Jennifer tries to speak in the way the people here seem to speak.  It was more difficult than she thought it would be.
“What is the message, Sevia?”  Arlette asks kindly.
“He wishes t-to,” she stutters.
“There is no need to be nervous.”  She prompts.
“He wishes to congratulate you on your victory over Ashaedorel.”  Jennifer finishes.
“Is that all?  Armandus sent you all this way to congratulate me on my victory?”
“I wanted to finally meet you ‘cause I have heard so much about you.  I offered to come.”  Slacking off, shouldn’t have said it that way.  She thinks.
“Well, I am pleased to make your acquaintance.  Would you care for some refreshments?  You must be famished.”  She smiles nicely.
“That would be-lovely.”  She says, choosing her words carefully.
“Wonderful, won’t you follow me to the courtyard?”

With that, Jennifer follows Arlette through stunning rooms and corridors until they reach two glass doors.  Jennifer walks through the glass doors, following Arlette, who hasn’t said a word for the whole walk to the courtyard.
They walk to the middle of the immense courtyard, following the colorful stone path.  They sit down on a white stone bench that is surrounded by spindly bushes with tiny, coral-color flowers and soft green leaves that look like velvet.
Arlette speaks in her sharp voice.  “I trust your journey was pleasant?”
“Yes, quite.”  Jennifer replies, carefully.
A young maid walks up to them, gives a curtsy to Arlette, and sets down a tray with a teapot and matching china and little, white frosted pastry.  She serves Arlette and then offers a cup to Jennifer.  She gladly accepts it, as well as one of the pastries.
“You did not run into any trouble, say one any by the name of Reynoldus Thrain?”  Her voice is hopeful.
Jennifer’s heart skips a beat.  Keep it together, keep it together.  She tells herself.  “
Reynoldus Thrain, the old prince?  Why would I have seen him?”  I shouldn’t have said that…
“Well, dear, I find it very odd that you turn up with no warning to congratulate me on my victory.  And, if I might add, you look nothing like Lord Armandus Thorne.”
Jennifer swallows.  “I take after my mother.”
“I don’t believe you.  Tell me, what is your real name?”
“Sevia Thorne, daughter of Lord Armandus Thorne.”  Her voice shakes a bit.
“Tell me the truth and I will go easy on your punishment.”
For a fleeting moment, she almost gave in.  “I assure you I am who I say I am.”
Arlette laughs “We will see about that, Sevia.”  She spits the name.  “How old are you?”
“I am nineteen years old.”  Reynoldus had told her the basics about the Thorne family, but she didn’t know much.  She is trying to recall everything he had told her but her mind feels foggy.  Maybe it is her impending death that is awaiting her if she gets even one answer wrong.
“How did your mother die?”
“It is rumored that my father killed her, but this is not the case.  She was killed by falling off her spooked horse.”  Jennifer struggles to keep calm.  She keeps telling herself it is just like a college exam, and she could pass it just like she always did.
“Please, enlighten me on your father’s appearance.”  Arlette says.
Jennifer freezes.  She does not know.  I’m going to die.  Wait, she said I look nothing like him, I can go from there.  Hurry.  “He has blond hair, blue eyes.  He is heavyset.”  That’s not quite opposite, I could lose at least ten pounds.  Not the time…”Umm, he has a mustache-”
Arlette cuts her off.  “Wrong, completely inaccurate!”  She says triumphantly.  “I knew you were not Sevia.  Guards!”  She screams and a dozen armed guards swarm around her.  “Take her to the dungeons and await my presence.”

They drag her trembling body away.  She does not say a word. She remains quiet in fear of getting herself into even more trouble.  Waves of fear flow over her.  She knows she is going to die, she knows she failed Reynoldus, she knows Tessa or her family will never
know what happened to her.  As they lock her cell door, she is left alone in the damp darkness, her only company being her despairing thoughts.

Jennifer gets up from the slimy dungeon floor.  The only light that finds its way into her cell through the barred door is that of a single torch on the wall several feet away.  It isn’t much, but, as her eyes adjust, she is able to see her surroundings.  She is in a small, square cell.  There is no window and she guesses that she is well underground by the many flights of stairs she was led down and the chilly, musty air.  The floor and walls are slimy and the smells of urine and waste are very potent.  She tries not to gag as she walks to the pile of filthy blankets full of holes which she guesses is her “bed”.  She sits down on them, thinking them better than the floor, other than the fleas and other bugs that probably live in them.  She shudders and pulls her cloak closer about her, trying to think of other things.

Time drags by.  After what feels like countless hours, she finally hears the scraping of feet on the stone floor.  She can just make out Arlette’s face in the dingy light.  A guard unlocks Jennifer’s cell door and follows Arlette in.  The guard stands in front of the door, making sure she will not harm his queen or escape.  She has never felt so trapped in her life.  For the first time, she is claustrophobic.
Arlette starts talking immediately.  “You will confess the truth to me.  I only want your honesty.  Do you understand?”
Jennifer nods, knowing what she must do.
“Search her.”  Arlette orders the guard.
No, no, he can’t!  The dagger!  She thinks frantically.  The guard walks forward and stops in front of Jennifer.  He begins searching, more invasive than she would prefer, but he does not find the dagger tucked securely in her belt in plain view under her cloak.  She finds this very odd and can’t help but wonder if maybe he is helping her.  If she were to attack Arlette right now, would he turn the other way?  Or maybe he would help.  She decides not to risk it quite yet.
“What is your name?  Your real name.”  Arlette’s high voice is stern and cruel.
She thinks for a moment before deciding what she must do.  “Jennifer.  Jennifer
Pennington.”
“Where are you from?”
Just be honest.  “Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America on planet Earth.”
“Earth, I should have known.  You are working with Reynoldus Thrain, I presume.”
Her heart drops, “Yes.”
“You came to murder me?”
“Possibly.”
“Possibly?”
“Reynoldus kidnapped me.  Am I supposed to trust him?  I was going to get your side of the story as well as his and decide from there.”
“You wish to know why I conquered Ashaedorel?  Who would not desire to rule over such a bountiful and vast kingdom?  Ashaedorel was too weak and did not stand a chance against my army.”
“You attacked without being provoked?”
“Yes, but that is the way of life.  I did what was best for my kingdom.  I will have the wealthiest country in this world.  I want my name to be known throughout history.  I want present and future people to tremble when they hear my name.  I will be the greatest ruler ever known.”
“You are a power hungry fool!”  Jennifer yells.  “I get that defeating your enemies is a part of life, so tell me, what did Asheadorel ever do to you to make them your enemy?”
Arlette looks stunned.  “How dare you address me in such a way?”
“Lyloseph was Asheadorel’s ally, wasn’t it?”  Jennifer continues as if she hadn’t heard Arlette’s rebuke.
“You are not going to interrogate me.  You will answer the questions I ask and that is all.  Do you understand?”  Her voice is trembling with enmity.
“I think we both should calm down.”  Jennifer says gingerly.
“I think that would be wise.”  Arlette replies to Jennifer’s shock.  She hadn’t thought that she would have agreed with her proposal.
“Now,” Arlette starts, “why did Reynoldus choose you to attempt to take my life?”
“He said it had to be me ‘cause his father said my name as he died.  Reynoldus didn’t tell
me why.”  Jennifer says.  Part of her is reluctant to give up this information, but, at the same time, she wants answers on why it had to be her.
“Why wouldn’t he tell you, do you suppose?”
“I don’t really know.  Probably doesn’t trust me or something.”
“It is possible, though we have no way of knowing for sure.  Not until Reynoldus is captured.  Now, tell me where he is.”
She knows she can’t give up that information.  “I don’t know.  We were in a forest.”  She says vaguely and instantly regrets her words.
“What forest?”  Arlette leans toward her.
“I don’t know. I’ve never been here before.”
“What was the appearance of the forest?”
“It was...There were hardly any trees.  I don’t know, it might not have even been a forest,” Jennifer says, trying to cover her previous words.
“Maggart,” Arlette addresses the guard.  “Alert the others and tell to search Crydast Swamp, Crooke Grove, and the Gafaserin Forest.  Reynodlus will be in one of those.  Scour them thoroughly. Do not let him slip away,” she orders.  He bows and opens the door.  He and the queen leave.  “Don’t worry, dear, I will inform you when your friend is captured.  He will be found before nightfall, you can be sure of that.”  She lets out a high-pitched laugh, almost a screech, before turning and leaving her alone in the cell once again.

She felt sick for practically giving up his whereabouts.  I should have just said something like he went back to earth.  I panicked.  She sits back down on the ratty blankets on the slimy floor and gets lost in thought.  What would happen when they found Reynoldus?  Maybe he could escape with the Hazuella Stone.  He would be alright then.  But, what about her?  She was trapped here.  He had trusted her, believed in her and she let him down.  She has let all of Ashaedorel down.

Time has never gone so slowly for Jennifer.  She is lying on the shabby blankets, wrapped in her cloak.  Her anxiousness for Reynodlus and herself has worn her out.  Every bit of her
longs for the relief of sleep yet it will not come.  She wonders what time it is and how long she’s been here.  She wonders where Reynoldus is and what will happen to her if they cannot find him? 

I shouldn’t even worry about him. He’s probably safe in another world by now.  He probably just left me here to figure it out.  She thinks, angrily.  Within an hour, she finally drifts off into a troubled sleep.

Jennifer wakes up and the sinking despair returns as soon as she realizes all that had happened was not a nightmare as she so desired it to have been.  She has a pounding headache and her throat is parched from lack of water.  Her stomach grumbles for want of food.  Her whole body is sore from sleeping on the hard floor and she leans against the wall, not even caring about the sour smell coming from it.  What did it matter anymore?  She was going to die soon anyway.  She wonders why she ever agreed to help Reynoldus and why she didn’t just kill Arlette the moment she saw her.  She is obviously no good, just like Reynoldus had said.

The clatter of footsteps on the stone stairs pulls her from her thoughts.  Four guards come and unlock her cell.
“You will come with us.”  A tall, muscular man says.
Jennifer obeys without question.  She has a bad feeling that they found who they were looking for. 

They lead her up the stone steps, the guards standing around her, prepared if she tries to escape.  Her mind is still groggy from sleep, but she is able to remember the dagger she somehow still has in her belt.  She moves one hand under her wrinkled cloak and grasps it, making sure it truly was still there.  Warm relief stabs the thick despair looming around her.

Her heart is racing again.  She was preparing herself for what was ahead..  She releases the hilt of the dagger and brushes her hair out of her face.  Her hair is tangled and dirty.
Her skin is smeared with dirt and her eyes red from lack of sleep and stress.  Her fingernails are dirty and a few of them are chipped.  It is surprising how disheveled one can get after a night in a dungeon.

They finally make it to the throne room where Arlette is sitting, waiting for their arrival.  Arlette eyes meet Jennifer’s as she is forced to kneel in front of the elaborate throne.  Her eyes are cold and full of disdain.  The four guards are still standing by her.
“Bring in Reynoldus.”  Arlette high voice echoes slightly in the vast room.
Jennifer’s heart drops at these words.  A moment later, Reynoldus is being dragged through the same door that Jennifer had just come from.  He is disheveled, much like herself, and has a long cut on his right cheek as well as a badly bruised eye.  She tries to catch his eye but he seems to be looking everywhere but where she is kneeling.
“Thank you for your help, Jennifer.”  Arlette sneers, “I could not have found him without you, dear.”
“I didn’t…” Jennifer’s voice trails off as she finally catches Reynoldus’ gaze, hurt and angry.
“She sang like a bird and I did not even have to inflict pain, not even the slightest.”  Arlette continues.  “Now, Jennifer, I know we are both curious about why King Ranulph would ever request that you to take back Ashaedorel, are we not?”  Jennifer nods once.  “Well, will you not be so kind as to enlighten us on your father’s last wish, Reynoldus?”  Arlette’s eyes follow him as the guards surrounding Reynoldus lead him right next to Jennifer and make him kneel down as they had done to Jennifer.
“I do not know what you want me to confess.”  Reynoldus almost whispers.
“Come, come, Reynoldus, you know perfectly well.  But if you must act as if you are unaware of what I want to know, I will ask.  Why did your father need her,” Arlette motions toward Jennifer, “to be the one to help you?”
Reynoldus looks at Jennifer and asks.  “Did you leave anything out?”
“I...I…”  She stammers, not knowing what to say and feeling like she betrayed him.
“Tell me!”  Arlette practically screams.
“Fine!  What does it matter anymore?”  Reynoldus replies.  He takes a deep breath.  Still looking at Jennifer, he begins.  “Twenty years ago, my mother had...had an affair with a
wealthy man from a neighboring town.  My father, who loved my mother very much, could not have her executed.  Instead, he banished her and the man to earth where they would live the rest of their days, never able to return.  They had a daughter whom they named Jennifer.”  He is still looking at Jennifer as he says these words.  “The affair was kept from everyone.  It was said that the queen had a tragic accident and did not survive.  She is dead to everyone except the royal family, except for me now.”  His voice grows softer, like he is telling a secret.  “Then, the most famed fortune teller, Nemius Reamer, predicted that a girl, by the name of Jennifer Pennington, would recover Ashaedorel when all things seem hopeless.”  He finishes and no one speaks.
Jennifer feels like she was just punched in the gut.  She was partly royal, Reynoldus was her half brother, her mother and father were both from this world!  She feels as if she might faint, but she forces herself to stay conscious.  “You should have told me.”  She says.
“I did not see the need to then.”
“You didn’t see the need to tell me that you’re my half-brother?”  Her voice is rising.  “That wasn’t important enough, huh, because that seems pretty big to me!”
“Please, just calm down.”
“Stop!”  Arlette shrieks.  “You both will calm down and not utter another word.”
Everyone falls quiet, though Jennifer wants to say a whole lot more.  She refrains herself.

“Now, I wish to speak with each of you alone in turn and then decide your punishments.  Starting with Reynoldus,” she says.  The guards take Jennifer back through the door she first entered through, and into a little room off to the side.  It is bigger and much cleaner and nicer than the cell she had been in.  It is simple with bare walls and a small table and a chair, where she sits down.  Her back is aching and her hands are shaking as she waits, alone in the room.

At least an hour passes by before a single guard leads Reynodlus out of the throne room and into the same room where she is still sitting on the hard chair, her feet propped up on the table.  She is startled by the door opening and him being shoved in.  The guard roughly grabs her arm and pulls her away.  This time, it is she who is avoiding Reynoldus’ look.

The guard is tall and brawny.  He has hawk-like eyes and a hooked nose.  His face is expressionless and cold.  His grasp on Jennifer’s arm is tight and painful, but he doesn’t seem to notice her sharp gasps as he pulls her forward back into the throne room.  He yanks her back in front of the throne and again forces her to kneel again.
“Thank you, Petrik.”  Arlette waves her hand and the hawk-eyed guard backs away until he is standing beside the door.  “Your brother was very informative, was he not?”  The sound of her voice makes Jennifer want to scream, but she manages to keep from saying anything she would surely regret.  Arlette continues.  “What is your mother’s name?”
Jennifer replies.  “Layla, but she once told me she changed it from Sharmina.”
“And your father’s?”
“Sebastian.”
“Those were the names of your brother’s mother and the man exiled with her.  Being that way, I have no other choice.  Bring Reynoldus back in.”  She commands the hawk-eyed guard called Petrik.  “You both will hear the ruling together, like a brother and sister should.”  She taunts.  Petrik leaves the room, now containing only her and Arlette.
In one swift movement, she whips out the silver dagger, slashes at her cloak, and jumps at Arlette, grasping her throat.  Arlette can’t scream, for Jennifer is clutching her throat too tightly.  She claws at Jennifer’s face with her long nails.  Jennifer tugs a couple times on the spot where she sliced her cloak and rips off a long piece of cloth.  She quickly releases Arlette and spins her around.  In the slight moment of confusion, Jennifer throws the strip of cloth around Arlette’s face and fastens it into a gag.  She then shoves her toward the wall and pins her there, her face inches from Arlette’s.  The knife still clutched in her right hand, which is holding one of her arms to the wall.
“How stupid you were to not have any other guards in here with us.  Not so tough now, are you?”  Jennifer is breathing heavily.  It has to be now before Petrik comes back with Reynoldus.  “Now, you will die.”  She releases Arlette’s left arm that she was securing with her right hand with the dagger.  She raises the dagger and closes her eyes.  A split second before she is about to plunge it into Arlette’s helpless body, a sharp pain rips through Jennifer, causing her to gasp.  She looks down and sees through blurred vision, Arlette’s
hand around the jeweled hilt of a dagger that is deep in her stomach.  Her eyes feel heavy and darkness blots her vision.  Her legs unable to keep her body upright any longer, she feels the blade slide painfully out of her body as she falls to the ground.
“Jennifer Pennington, I sentence you to death.”  Arlette says, for she had gotten the gag off.

Jennifer feels her body weaken and she is lying in a pool of her own blood.  The pain from the wound is almost unbearable and everything is beginning to feel like a dream.  Maybe it is a dream.  Maybe all this was a dream.  She hopes.  The sound of the door opening seems very distant to her, as does the yells of Reynoldus.
The thought of Reynoldus is enough to make her want to stay awake. 

“Reynoldus Thrain, I sentence you to death.”  Arlette says.  Reynoldus does not respond, for his eyes are fixed upon Jennifer, pale, her clothes soaked in her blood that is still spilling from her wound,  “You will be executed at dawn.  Take him to the dungeon.”
“No.”  Jennifer whispers in an inaudible voice.  She tries again, with all her strength.  “No.”  She must have said it loud enough for Arlette tells them to wait.
“What do you mean no?  It is over.  You both will be dead within hours.  You have lost.”
Jennifer’s fingers wrap around the hilt of her dagger as tightly as she can.  Through excruciating pain, she forces herself to sit up as much as she can.  Her vision darkens but she maintains consciousness.  She feels like she is in slow motion as she flings the knife as hard as she can at the blurry form of Arlette.  Screams erupt then the thuds of footsteps followed by more shrieks.  Then, unable to hold on any longer, she lets herself slip into the welcoming darkness, her pain drifting away.

Her eyes flutter open.  Warm sunlight greets her.  She lifts her head to find that she is in a large bedroom.  She is covered in white blankets.  She tries to sit up and is instantly greeted by a sharp pain in her abdomen.  She breathes in and settles back down.  She tries to remember what happened but everything is fuzzy.  She looks about her and wonders where she is.  She feels strangely calm.  The room she is in is a light yellow and has two large windows, one on either side of her bed.  They have white curtains that are blowing in the gentle, warm breeze.  There is a cozy-looking white chair to her left and a
writing desk and a door to her right.  Other than a wardrobe and a couple of shelves, the room is quite empty.
“Hello?”  She croaks.  Her mouth is dry.  “Hello?”  She calls again.  The pain in her stomach seems to be getting worse.
A moment later, the door to her right opens softly.  A girl walks in who she recognizes instantly as Alais, the poor girl with the flower in her hair.
“You are awake!  I shall go get Reynoldus, he will want to know right away.”  She says in a soft, yet excited voice.

Reynoldus.  Of course.  Some of the past events were coming back now.
Five minutes later, Reynoldus bursts through the door, smiling widely.  “Jennifer.”  He says.  “How are you feeling?”
“Not so great.”  She answers truthfully.
Concerned, he asks what’s wrong and she tells him about the pain in her stomach.  He suddenly becomes very serious as he starts telling her what had happened.  She remembers everything that had happened, right up until she threw the knife at Arlette.  He explains.
“You hit Arlette in the chest with the knife, good throw by the way.  That is when complete chaos broke out.  The second Arlette’s body hit the ground, everyone was rushing at me.  I had a dagger just like the one I gave you.  See, they are enchanted so only the one touching it can see it.  When I gave it to you, you did not see it at first, not until you touched it, correct?”
“Well, yeah.  I thought it was just me.”
“No, that is how it works.  Anyway, I took out my own dagger and killed one of the guards, Petrik if I remember correctly.  I retrieved his sword and fought my way to the entrance, which, you know, is not very far from there.  Most of Arlette’s men did not know what happened until I was in the town.  I sent some of the townspeople to inform my own soldiers about what was happening and that I required their immediate assistance.  Most of the town ended up joining me and my army into battle against Arlette’s army.  But without their leader, they were lost.  We had won back Ashaedorel before dawn.

“I had sent up some willing citizens to get your body and bring it back to the town’s doctor.  He fixed you up as best he could and kept you at his clinic until the battle was over and the castle cleared of the dead and put back in order.”
Jennifer listens intently to every word he says.  “How long have I been out?”  She asks.
“nine days.”
“I am in your castle?”
“Yes.  But it is just as much your castle and your kingdom as it is mine.  We are brother and sister after all.”
“Yes, I suppose we are.”  She finally can’t hold it back any more.  The tears begin to fall.
“It is okay, it is all over.”
She nods.  “M-my family, must be s-so worried.”  She says between sobs.
“They already know what has happened.  In fact, they are planning on coming to visit you soon.  I have lifted their ban.  She is my mother after all.”
Jennifer feels weak and tired.  “I need rest I think.”  She says.
“Of course.  I will see you soon, promise.”  He says, smiling.  He looks at her sadly.  Then he gets up and walks out of the room.
She falls asleep to the soft sound of birds chirping outside and the faint voices of people talking somewhere in the castle.

When Jennifer wakes again; it is dark out.  She looks up to see Reynoldus sitting in the white chair, asleep.
“Reynoldus?”  She says quietly.
He looks up sleepily.  He gives a tired smile and gets up.  He yawns as he walks to her side.
“I’m really thirsty.”
“Of course, I will get you a glass of water.”  He hurries from the room and returns soon after with a glass of cool and refreshing water.  She drinks deeply and hands the now empty glass back to him and he sets it on one of the shelves.
“There is something I have to tell you.”  Reynoldus starts.  “It is really not easy to say.”

“What is it?”  Jennifer asks, suddenly worried by the pained look on his face.  The pain in her stomach is getting increasingly more painful by each passing minute.
“The doctor did an excellent job mending you, Jennifer, but he could not heal you completely.  You are bleeding internally.  The doctor did as much as he can, though he could not heal it completely.  You were lucky to survive as long as you did without treatment of any kind.”
“What are you saying?”
“Because he could not completely heal it, you will not...you will…”  He chokes.
“I’m going to die.”  She says softly.
Reynoldus nods.  “I am so sorry.”  Tears begin to roll down his cheeks.
She feels weaker now.  She feels numb in a way.  “I want Tessa to know what happened to me.  She was the only one who was always there for me my whole life.  She deserves to know.”  Jennifer says.
“I understand.  I will tell her myself.”
“I want to see her.  Can you bring her here?  Please?”  Jennifer is fighting tears.
“Of course.  I will do that now, if you want.”  Reynoldus offers.
All she can do is nod.  Once he leaves to go fetch Tessa, she lets herself cry.  She wants to appear strong in front of Reynoldus.  She doesn’t want him to know that she does not want to die.  But she knows she is going to and there is nothing she can do about it.

Within the hour, Tessa was in her bedchamber, crying as she saw for herself that Jennifer was indeed going to die.  She had not believed the strange man that had come to her apartment and told her the crazy story of what had happened.  But here Jennifer was, lying in bed, confirming what she had been told.
“I don’t know what to say.”  Tessa says.  “How long do you…”  She trails off.
“Doctor says a couple of days at best.”  Jennifer says.  Both girls remain quiet for some time before Jennifer breaks it.  “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being my best friend.”

“Thank you for being mine.”  Tessa replies, obviously trying to hold back her tears.
Just then, her door opens and both her parents come in.  Both of them are weeping.  After they all settle down a bit, they just sit there, not knowing what to say. 
Night falls and Jennifer does not allow herself to sleep for she fears that she will not wake up again if she does.  By morning, she is weaker than ever and her face is ghostly pale.  The pain is intense and she knows that this is her final day alive.  She is scared but she has accepted the fact.  She is comforted by the thought of seeing God face to face.  She had dreamed of that when she was a child but never did she think she would be seeing Him so soon.  She prepares herself as much as she can.

By the evening, she is so frail and weak that she can only speak in a very soft whisper.  Her breathing is shallow and she knows that death is knocking at her door.  Her mom and dad, Tessa, and Reynoldus have not left her room for over twenty-four hours and they are all here at her bedside, their faces shining with tears.  It is raining outside, which comforts Jennifer, for she has always liked the rain.

She looks from one face to the other.  How she loves them all so much.  She whispers, “I love you all.”  She breathes in and smiles weakly at them and lets go of her last breath.  Something leaves her eyes and they see no more.

Many tears are shed over her lifeless body lying on the bed.  All of Ashaedorel mourns her death, though they did not get a chance to properly know her.  The secret of who she is is made known to all, and it hardly matters anymore.  She had delivered them from a greedy ruler who longed only for power and did not care if the innocent suffered along the way.  She is gone, but the memory of what she had done for them all lives on and will always live on until the end of time.