The Hope Collection

There Will Always Be Hope (unedited)

We made our way out of the castle and to the city's edge. Prince Thanos met us there just like before. I was cleaned up and had a huge smile planted on his face despite his sad looking eyes. His eyes glittered with unshed tears as he watched us leave. Two elves were with us. They rode on tall white-tailed bucks with a white polished wooden wagon behind them floating and being pulled along by invisible rope, a spell. Nadia's cleaned up deceased body was lying in the bottom of the wagon covered by a lightweight green blanket.

Everyone was quiet the entire ride to the Basilisk kingdom. Not even Rylin and I spoke to one another. A gloomy shadow shrouded me when we entered the Basilisk kingdom city. There were many children who ran around despite the somber occasion many of the adults knew about. Women had frowns on their faces and tears in their eyes as we passed. Men took their hats and tilted their heads towards the wagon as a final good-bye. It was clear many of these people here knew who the girl was we were carrying behind us. She was their princess after all.

We rode around the turnabout in front of the castle and stopped in front of the wide double doors. The large marble fountain in the middle of the turnabout was spitting water high into the air. On the top of the fountain stood an angel made of marble, its wet wings outstretched. Its hands were clasped together with his head inclined forwards, towards the castle.

"Welcome back," King Johnathon called from where he stood on the top step of the castle.

He was wearing black trousers and a white suit shirt with a black vest over it. His red robe with the black speckles was replaced by a long, black trench coat despite the heat of the day. There were bags under his bright blue eyes. He must of stayed up late last night after Rylin had told him the news. He walked down the steps gracefully, his black trench coat sweeping behind him. He approached us and we climbed off our horses, the elves off their bucks. One of the elves mutters a spell and the spell on the wagon disappears.

"Prince Thanos sends his sadness to you, King of the Basilisk kingdom," the other elf bows towards the king.

"Thank you for bringing my sister back to me," King Johnathon whispers softly.

He walked towards the wagon and looks inside it, pulling the blanket off Nadia's body gently. She almost looked like she was sleeping, the only way you could tell she was gone was the fact her chest didn't move up and down gently with her breathing and she had no beating pulse. Powerholders normally did have a longer time before they decomposed than all other beings. Elves hold the record for the shortest amount of time it takes for their bodies to decompose because they are believed to be part of the land itself so they decompose as fast as tiny animals in the forest.

Tears fall from the king's eyes and drip onto Nadia's cold cheek. He wipes the tear from her face as if it were her own.

"I should have been there with you, but I was never there," Johnathon whispers to his sister.

"Your majesty, you couldn't be with her anyways. She ran away to protect those around her. She was the most amazing person I've ever seen," I consoled him and put my hand on his shoulder.

"I should have at least kept in contact with her," he whispered.

"I promise, Johnathon, you couldn't have done anything," Rylin sighed and shook his head sadly.

King Johnathon goes quiet and nods slowly. We stepped out of the way so the two elves could carry Nadia inside the castle. King Johnathon's older parents met us inside as we proceeded after the elves and Nadia. His father was holding his mother close to him, his mother was in tears. Rylin and I stood to the side while the king walked to his parents.

It was decided that the city would have a public funeral for the princess that evening at the castle's throne room then her burial would be private for only the nobles, the royal family, and any other chosen people including Rylin and I. We watched from the hallway balcony that overlooked the throne room while workers set up the throne room for the public funeral. The two elves had left after bringing Nadia in and tucking her into the green blanket.