history repeating, a real event of imagination.
The Girl
Vaguely aware she carried herself as elegantly as she knew how, like a child imagining it’s being watched. The light summer dress subject to a breeze, flapping around her thighs in harmony with the gentle rhythmic hopping of bare feet leading around a never ending corner along a rippling stream on her left. The rocky underground long since cushioned over, irregular giant steps in odd angles covered in fresh mosses harbouring lush grass. There wasn’t really a path but somehow that didn’t matter she just followed the lead, the absence of caution embracing her in a warm golden glow. It was everywhere, as far as she could see, greeting her from across the river where the landscape was oddly familiar, bringing back the flat horizons and lanes of poplars from years long gone. How different from this side of the river. And then again, she hardly noticed, it wasn’t important. She posed for a while.
She took it all in — this was all hers now, it had happened so fast, so unexpected. It felt so unreal but somehow the very sensation acted as a buffer, as protection of sorts, kept her hopping, reality always a few steps ahead, never out of reach, a reality for ever to catch up with.
In a state of bliss she rambled along, speeding up ever so slightly, the sweet smell of grass mingling with the clattering of water over ancient stones, polishing them. She noticed her bare legs and feet interrupting the lime green armies of sprigs, crippling a few in the process. She felt as light as air, they would spring back into shape no doubt. Suddenly her mind interfered… tic alert! She peered into the grass hoping to spot the little buggers, wishing she wouldn’t. Panic, maybe they were too small to detect, what had she been thinking, wandering off like this, unprepared, with all these people waiting for her. She swayed. She felt a heaviness come over her. She had to keep going. She pressed the floppy straw hat on her head, right thumb and index finger firmly in place her little pinkie trembling, not unlike a feeler picking up signals.
Determined she carried on, eyes on her feet, dragging them up and letting them go again, over and over, until she got to thoroughly enjoy what she was doing.
Then she looked up. Someone summoned her, some one she couldn’t quite see, not clearly anyway, he was to far ahead for that. She followed, hastening her step.
He led her to what appeared the end of what had started out as a stroll through the surroundings of her new home. She came to a halt, a green wall rising up in front of her, like a demanding giant towering over her, emerging out of nowhere. She stretched herself to her fullest length, in an angle as if she were looking for a way around this massive heap, she‘d lost sight of her guide. She swung herself backwards slightly to get a better view and bounced back into a firm position. Something caught her eye.
Hidden amongst the thick growth, close to the water, the grey of faded wood jumped out to her, from the very bottom it seemed to materialise invitingly into a tiny door. The gleaming doorknob felt warm in her hand.
Inside the damp grey walls tapering into their very high ceilings instantly reminded her of where she was. Her guide appeared again. She was in the stronghold, had entered its deepest and most hidden corridors. There was no way back now, she had to keep going. Strangely illuminated these walls gave a powdery impression, not regularly attended but highly maintained, bare but welcoming, the cobblestones warm to her feet. Somehow she felt that her presence was allowed here in these secretive quarters, something was being shared, she didn’t fail to notice. They didn’t seem to lead to anywhere in particular: a cluster of gallery’s leading into each other resulting in an exciting structure of immense potential.
It exited her, sending shivers of contentment up her spine. There seemed to be no urgent need to further explore all this excess.
Although the structure was used sparsely, left empty almost, it pulled together as a whole, holding all the excitement of unexplored corners. She admired the small canvases that held oil colour sketches. They hung from the walls here and there, grouped together in 2, 3 or 4’s reappearing in different spots. She seemed to have all the time in the world dabbling further into this treasure of change, senses fully alerted, the guide always a few steps ahead. He pointed in the distance, the hall spreading out in front of her, a small figure descended from a huge staircase that appeared to go on forever. They were led up it, the 3 of them arriving directly into the upper quarters of her brand new mother in law to be: the Queen.
The Servant
A slight nod was all it took, unnoticed by the growing crowd in the entrance hall. They had started to arrive from 4 corners. For days some had been travelling, others just happened to have walked down the road. Neighbours, relatives, important people, replaceable people, royalty & commoners, good people, bad people, happy, unhappy, small, tall, beautiful and ugly, skin over bone & fat ones, you name it, they had arrived or were on their way. Some wouldn’t miss this event for the world, others would rather be elsewhere if given half the chance. All needing acknowledged, looking after. All were greeted and welcomed with the usual protocol by the King and the Queen themselves in the great entrance hall. Made at ease and properly guided along by people with know how, the visitors would settle into their new temporarily lodgings.
But where was I? Who am I? Narrator or Servant?
I am on my way down, a route I know well. On behalf of my mistress’, I’m on my way down. A route so familiar, the automatism with which it occurs almost frightening, if it wasn’t for the clear instructions that fear is not to come into the picture… ever. Leaving the entrance hall, up some stairs and along hallways towards the queens’ upper quarters, I briefly pass through them, descending, accessing more familiar territory. I enjoy the changing scent around me, from the moment she nodded, a subtle difference noticeable with every breath inhaled. From the heavy mixture of nervous anxiety, anticipation and expectation left behind I start to pick up today’s golden embrace seeping through the thickness of the age old stone walls as I make my way down to fetch the girl, the wife to be, the future queen.
The Queen
An almost invisible pull of a muscle in her face, she nodded. More of a wink really, a very subtle one, barely there, but he picked up on it, he always did. And off he was, on his way to the galleries that lay buried deep down below in the underbelly of the castle. She did more smiling and respectfully bending of the head, her spouse by her side doing exactly that. No wild embraces of long missed siblings or loved ones, none of that up here. Up here, it was all about appearance.
The entrance hall was an official looking affair. It had grandeur & splendor. Everything had a place for a reason, a reason that had been carefully defined and redefined over many, many generations.
It found itself expressed in arrangements and structures that became apparent in for instance the pattern of the floor tiles in the semi circle at the bottom of the main staircase, from where they were welcoming the guests today. So much care had gone into it, as in not to insult anyone with an obvious display of knowledge. Everything covered up in thick layers of dusty respect, quite capable of squeezing the life out of you, leaving nothing but a dull perceptible. To the ignorant eye the architectural lay out seemed innocent enough, it held a non offensive, beautiful almost playful elegance. The three entrances, immediately next to one another with the middle one sticking out, curved themselves outward a little, as to embrace and scoop up the entering crowds, pulling them in. The queens’ thoughts were with the people streaming inside, many a face recognized. But her thoughts were also outside, out of sight from all.
Her thoughts were headed for the meadows where life itself was basking in the splendor of an exceptionally beaming sun. She wandered through her mind, looked around in it aimlessly, bumped into some questions, marvelously silly ones.
It helped with the genuine appearance of her smile, people loved it. Glowing, they were so much easier led to the quarters allocated to them for the duration of the festivities.
All those years ago, the weather had been of an exact same clear quality. She remembered how she had found herself, out there in the meadows, wondering how she got there, not a care in the world, making her way along the river, her feet had been bare and when she was lured into the tranquil embrace of the labyrinth it had frightened her at first, the corridors, she felt had been waiting for her, eager to share their secret.
It had felt to her like returning to a home that she never before laid eyes on.
Doubts vanished into thin air. Doubts had been the incentive for ending up in those meadows to begin with, she had come to realize over the years. She‘d forgotten what the uncertainties had been about. After all, she had been in shock. Imagine being invited to your friends’ house one day, a remarkable young man by the way, this friend. Then being introduced to the most pleasant people ever, his parents. One moment you are all having lunch talking chit chat and the next moment you find that a wedding is being arranged, right there and then under your very nose, you are contributing, see your opinions on the matter valued and suddenly it dawns on you… and all of a sudden your surroundings are not any longer what they appeared to be only a short while ago.
When you first arrived at your friends’ home it had been a humble one… it takes a moment for your realization to settle: you are in the Royal Palace and it is your wedding being organized and you are suddenly in need of fresh air.
That is how she remembers ending up outside by herself, and when she started to notice where she was and saw the masses arriving from all corners, she decided to go for a walk and came across the meadow.
Back in the entrance hall, Her Majesty glanced to her left and for a moment she saw the remarkable not so young man by who’s side she still stood. The king glanced back, knowing that at this very moment someone who had come to meet her all those years ago at the bottom of the huge staircase, was descending deep into the centre of the labyrinth from those same steps, on his way down to meet the future.
The End
