The Strange Adventure of Maria Mercado (16 page)

Gadik and Jasper helped her sit in the chair in the middle. She looked around her; on one side sat the Royals, on the other side the Unknowns.

“Maria Mercado. The time has now come for you to make a decision of which side to take. We are all present now and your decision will take effect as soon as you utter the words,” said Prince Maalm.

Prince Amir began a chant followed by the other Unknowns.

“What are you doing?” said Princess Aisha. “Stop this magic!”

The Unknowns were now in a trance and continued to chant.

Jonas turned to Gadik. “Is there anything we can do?”

“I fear that they are activating the potion that they made Maria drink. Soon she will utter only the words that they want her to. Their magic is powerful and perhaps only death can stop it.”

Maria started to speak slowly. “Let it be known… from this day forth…” she paused, seemingly out of breath. Sweat was pouring down on her face and her eyes were rolling up.

“What is going on with her?” Jasper said.

“She is fighting their magic! Good girl, she is fighting their magic!” said Gadik.

The Unknowns’ chant became louder and more intense.

Maria started to speak again. “I have… made my decision… I choose… I choose…” she was out of breath again.

Jasper was panicking and held on to his belt out of habit. Suddenly he felt the dagger that he had hidden there. He quickly pulled it out and stared at the Diamond of Astanfe. He locked eyes with Gadik who quickly grabbed it from the boy and jumped towards the Unknowns. With one swift gesture he stabbed Prince Amir with the dagger and the Unknown’s chant was immediately broken.

“I choose the Royals,” said a breathless Maria as she lost consciousness and collapsed down on the marble floor.

CHAPTER
SIXTEEN

Maria woke up with a start.
Why does that always happen to me?
She opened her eyes and was greeted by the sight of golden ceilings.
This isn’t my room
.  She turned her head and found herself staring at a cute boy.

“Jasper!” she said out loud. He smiled at her and held her outreached hand. Suddenly her recent memories came flooding back; meeting the Omtars, getting kidnapped and held in a cave and underground, being rescued by Jonas followed by Gadik, meeting the Royals, meeting Jasper and Martha and finally meeting the Unknowns.

“What happened?” she asked him. “Did I choose the right side?”

Jasper smiled again and continued to hold her hand. “Yes, you did,” he said. He recounted to her the story of how she was made to drink a magical potion by the Unknowns and succumbed to their spell, but that she was fighting it with all her heart in an effort to choose the right side. He then proceeded to tell her about the Diamond of Astanfe and how Gadik had to use it to kill Prince Amir to finally stop the spell that was influencing her decision.

“Wow,” she said. “It’s all coming back to me now. So there’s now war, right? Anyway it doesn’t seem like there is a war. I don’t hear anyone fighting or anything,” she said as she looked towards the window. At the same time the door opened and Gadik and Jonas both walked in.

“So how is our little princess feeling?” said Gadik. “I came in as soon as I sensed that you had woken up. I hope that you are not too exhausted from your ordeal?”

“No I’m fine, just a bit tired. I was asking Jasper how everything went and he told me.”

“Thanks to you, the kingdom managed to avoid an all out war,” he said.  “After you made your decision, the magic that was keeping together the strength of the Unknowns was instantly disabled. They lost all their power, and with their leader Prince Amir already dead, it was easy to contain them as they lacked organization.

The Royals immediately felt the strength of their newfound power as the prophecy was fulfilled. Also, after you said the words, the Diamond of Astanfe rose up on its own and sort of, well, it sort of exploded into a million pieces. That ensured the immortality of our leaders as they proved themselves true to their own hearts and everything they had done was for the benefit of the kingdom.” He turned to look at Maria. “Thank you, Maria. A lasting peace has been made possible by your wise decision. You are truly an extraordinary person.”

“Oh you’re welcome,” Maria said. “There was no question of choosing the right side for me.  And I’m not extraordinary; in fact I am probably the most ordinary girl you will ever meet! My mom told me once that the instinct to help is inside all of us but that it takes a great person to set aside selfishness and do what was right to help others. Those words had always stuck to me. I am just happy that I was able to do that for all of you.”

Jonas approached the bed where Maria was lying down. He held her other hand. “You are a brave one,” he said. “And strong. I am a well-trained individual but you kept up with me in the forest. That to me is extraordinary.” He smiled at her and then let go of her hand.

Maria turned her attention back to Gadik. “So what happens now?”

“The Royals will speak to you once you are up for it,” he said.

“And I have been wondering what happened to Meeka? I can’t believe he turned out to be a traitor. I mean he was my friend! At least I thought he was my friend. He was so nice to me and took care of me when I first got here.”

Gadik sighed. “Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to track the little guy. He must have fled right away as soon as he jumped off that window. His tribe has been informed of his treachery and according to their leader, Luxa, he seemed to have been working alone. He thinks that Meeka was recruited by the Unknowns during one of his solo adventures in the deep forest and that when he saw you approaching from your world he deliberately cast the shielding spell late to ensure that you got in. But don’t worry about him, we will continue looking for him until he has been brought to justice.”

“Okay,” said Maria. “I am still feeling a little tired. Do you guys mind if I am left alone to sleep for a while?”

“No of course not,” said Gadik as he nodded at Jonas and Jasper, motioning for them to follow him out.

“He can stay,” said Maria as she points a finger at Jasper. “You will stay with me wont you?”

He grinned. “Of course. I will be here the whole time.”

Gadik and Jonas made their exit and left the young couple on their own.  Once outside, Gadik turned to Jonas. “So, brother, what are your plans?”

Jonas sighed. “Well, Reeza and Ankar said that I have a son somewhere out there. I will find him if he really does exist. There really isn’t many parts of the kingdom that they could have hidden him. There is still a chance that they were just saying that simply to deceive me for my cooperation.” He paused as they both reached the front entrance of the palace. “What will happen to them?” he asked.

“Well they will be spending the rest of their days in the dungeon. We have rebuilt and refortified certain cells in order to be able to hold them. They have been searched and stripped off every possible item that could be holding a bit of magic. That was our grave mistake last time, when we failed to search the girl. I should have known better than to assume that she was the victim. And also I shouldn’t have doubted you, brother.”

“Well I don’t blame you. After the bad name my tribe has earned for siding with the traitors, well, you know you couldn’t be sure especially when you found me with the human girl.” He looked towards the gate. “Well I must be off now. You know how to find me if I could be in assistance in any other way.” He extended his hand to shake Gadik’s. Gadik in turn grabbed it and shook it firmly.

             
“Good luck on your travels and I hope that you do find your son,” he said.

             
Jonas looked back at the palace one more time and then went off on his way. Gadik watched him leave and then turned around and made his way back inside. He went to the Bostavs’ floors and straight to the kitchen.

             
“Hello there,” he said to Martha. “How are you feeling?”

             
“Oh I am fine, dear boy. I was sore for a bit after I fell on the floor but other than that I am all right,” she said. “Is my grandson still on the premises?”

             
“Yes, he is. In fact he seems to have made a new friend upstairs. A certain heroine?” he smiled at her.

             
“Oh that is wonderful! I am glad he is well. If you see him again can you tell him not to leave the palace until he says goodbye to his grandmother?”

             
“I will let him know,” said Gadik as he rose up and started to make his way back upstairs. When he reached the floor where the Royals chambers are located, one of the other Bostavs informed him that the Royals had been asking for him. He acknowledged and proceeded inside.

             
“Gadik, our loyal guard,” said Princess Dhalis.

             
“And how is the human girl?” asked Prince Maalm.

             
“She is well your Majesties,” replied Gadik. “She is still exhausted from all the events that happened and she is sleeping.”

             
“Very well,” said Princess Aisha.

             
“When she wakes up from her slumber, let her know that we wish to speak to her,” said Prince Gustav.

             
“That is all for now Gadik,” said Prince Antaw.

             
Gadik bowed down again and then exited the chambers to go back to Maria’s quarters to wait for her to wake up.

***

              After Gadik and Jonas had left the room, Maria found herself unable to sleep, largely because of her growing attraction to Jasper. He caught her looking at him and he immediately blushed and smiled.

             
“Jasper,” she said. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

             
“A girlfriend? No, I do not. I haven’t really had much time to think about girls back home, because of the threat of war.”

             
“But now that the threat is gone…” Maria sat up and looked at him in the eyes. “Jasper, do you like me?” she asked.

“Yes. Yes I do,” he bashfully replied. Maria then took both of his hands and held them with hers. He looked at their hands and then looked at her eyes. Slowly, Jasper got nearer and nearer until his lips touched hers. Maria closed her eyes and enjoyed her first real kiss. Jasper pulled away.

              “What’s the matter?” she asked.

             
“Oh nothing,” he replied. “I really do like you Maria. But what happens when you leave? You won’t stay here. I mean it would be great if you do but you have a life outside the kingdom.”

             
Maria looked away and nodded. “I do have a life out there,” she said. “And as much as I want to stay here right now, I do miss my family and friends. Did I tell you about them?”

             
“No, you haven’t,” said Jasper. “But please do and I will tell you about mine.”  The two proceeded to engage in a conversation about each other’s families, friends, lifestyles and worlds. Two different worlds but yet they share a great deal now. As they were happily discussing their similarities and differences, the door opened and Gadik walked in.

             
“Maria, you’re up,” he said. “Sorry to interrupt you guys but the Royals have asked for your presence in their chambers.”

             
“Oh okay I’m coming,” she said. “Will you stay here Jasper? Will you wait for me?”

             
“Of course, “ he said. “I will go down to talk to my grandmother and then I will come back here.”

             
Maria and Gadik left to meet with the Royals. This time, when Maria entered the chamber her entire life did not flash before her eyes. She simply walked in a stood before the 5 glowing figures.

             
“Maria, we are glad to see you,” said the Royals in unison. “We have asked you here to remind you that you have another choice to make.”

             
Maria looked confused as she turned her head to look at Gadik. Gadik merely nodded his head and looked back at the Royals. “What decision?” Maria asked.

             
“You must now decide whether to stay in the kingdom or go back to your own world,” they said. “The choice is yours.”

             
Maria thought about it for a moment. She cleared her throat. “If I go back to my own world, will I ever see any of you again?” she asked.

             
“You saved our kingdom Maria. Because of you we now enjoy a peace that will last until time indefinite. If you decide to go back to your old life we will create a way for you to come back here when you are of age.”

             
“What do you mean? When I turn 18?” she asked.

             
“Yes. When you are at the age of majority, you will find your way back here to us. But until then, we will remain invisible from you once you leave here. On the other hand, if you decide to stay here with us now, then the doors to your human world will be closed to you forever.”

             
Maria considered things in her head. Finally, she made a decision. “I choose to go home now,” she told them. “And I will come back when I am 18, in 3 years time. My time.”

             
“Very well,” the Royals said. “It will be as you wish. Once you exit the kingdom the doors will close to you and will reopen when the time comes. And until then Maria, we ask you to keep the existence of this kingdom a secret. Once again you have our gratitude.” The Royals nodded and Gadik escorted Maria out of the chambers.

             
“Wow,” she said. “Can I at least say my goodbyes?”

             
“Of course,” he said. “Come on I will take you to the kitchen to see Jasper.”

             
As they walked around the palace hallways and made their way downstairs, Maria looked around and marveled once again at how elegant and beautiful the palace is.
I will miss pretending to be a princess
, she thought. Presently, they arrived at the kitchen where they see Jasper talking to Martha.

             
“Hey Martha,” said Maria. “I am leaving.”

             
“What? Right now?” asked Jasper.

             
“Yes, but I will be back!” she said. “The Royals said that I could come back. Oh Martha, thank you so much for being here for me. You made me feel so welcomed here.” She approached the old lady and gave her a hug. Martha gave her a kiss on the forehead. “You take care of yourself, my child. And we will see you when you get back,” she said.