The Bridge Between Worlds
Chapter Twenty-Two

Regina sat in the throne. Eadward and the other Council members stood before her. Kalib was at her right side. As well as a group of heavily armed guards, which stood at various locations throughout the room. Kalib had suggested moving the up the date of the ceremony. Eadward agreed, but added it should be the true coronation. Of course, the other Council members were in complete disagreement.

“She is not ready to become queen,” said Pritha, shaking her head as she fixed Regina with a dark stare. “She has been lucky in some cases, but I do not support her becoming queen until she is truly fit and ready.”

“I second my sister’s opinion,” Galisa nodded.

“Opinions do not solve the issue,” Eadward scowled as he crossed his arm as he stared at his colleagues. “The princess’ life is in danger, my fellow council. By crowning her queen, immediately, allows us to activate further security measures. Kalib is in charge of her safety and he maintains the task much better than anyone I’ve met.”

“He is still an outsider,” interjected Adis.

“On the contrary, I have found Kalib is more like us than I thought.”

“You’ve changed, Brother Eadward,” Arthos cut in, stepping forward. “You do not see things the way you did, once. You have been bewitched.”

Regina closed her eyes, inhaling a deep sigh. They were getting nowhere. It was four to one. Despite her and Kalib being in complete agreement with Eadward, they were not allowed to speak. At least, not at this very moment. The Council was still “in control” of certain matters. There was a need for respect.

“So what if I have changed,” Eadward said with a sigh of resolve. “Change can be good. Our world is always changing. And if we continue to live in the ways of old, we shall surely perish. At the danger of our own devices. Xiphis is a great country. But if we wish to make it greater, we need to let the princess do what she was born to do. I understand your feelings for resistance. I respect it, but the more you resist, the harder the fall will be.”

Regina felt as though Eadward was speaking of more than just her becoming queen. Or Kalib being an outsider. But she couldn’t quite guess what he could mean.

“Oh, um. Pardon my intrusion?”

The conversation came to halt as a young woman came in the side door.

“Ah, yes,” Eadward’s expression softened as he went to greet her. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“Of course, I was glad to receive your message.”

“Yes, well; there is much to discuss. But I would have thought you would allow the butler announce your arrival.”

The woman scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“A formality, of which I understand,” she said, sighing. “What am I interrupting?”

Eadward turned, glancing around at the rest of them. Regina offered a smile, hoping to lighten what had become a very dark and moody room.

“Your highness,” said Eadward as he and the young woman approached the throne steps. “Allow me to introduce to you Lady Edyth. She has agreed to serve as your lady-in-waiting, as well as handle minor, personal tasks until the position for the new handmaid has been filled.”

“Welcome, Lady Edyth,” said Regina, nodding as the woman dipped into a curtsy. “Thank you for being here.”

“The pleasure is mine, your highness,” she replied, returning a smile. “If I may, I quite envy your hair.”

“Oh, I’m flattered . . . I think.”

Lady Edyth laughed softly. Her eyes sparkled and her smile was friendly. Regina felt she could become good friends with her.

“The Council wishes to discuss this matter further,” said Adis, bringing the conversation back to the subject at hand. “Without her highness and the outsider.”

Regina narrowed her gaze at the man. He glared back. Dark and cold. The other members wore similar expression. With the exception of Lord Eadward.

“Lady Edyth,” she said, turning her gaze back to the newcomer. “I wonder if you might humor me. I would love to hear more about you and your family.”

“Of course, your highness,” Edyth dipped her chin.

Regina nodded and smiled at Eadward.

“My lord,” she went on as she rose from her rather comfortable throne. “I trust everything will work out for the better of the kingdom.”

“Let us hope so,” he replied with a simple nod.

Regina stepped down and motioned for Kalib to follow. Her reluctance to leave the meeting was quite plain. She flashed a meaningful look at the Council, offering Eadward a smile of encouragement. He was handling quite a lot on her behalf and he was working with Kalib on many matters concerning her safety.

“This is very unorthodox,” she mentioned to Edyth as they left the throne room through the far door. “I still have a lot to learn. Lady Edyth, please; explain your understanding of a lady-in-waiting. I believe the duties are far different than those of a handmaid.”

“There are some similarities,” Edyth replied, nodding. “Though my new position more closely resembles what Eadward does for you. As it is not his true position, he thought I would handle it better. My duties include alerting you when someone wishes to speak with you. Remind you of daily appointments. A handmaid would help you bathe and dress. Serve you where I would not, because I have a higher status.”

Regina nodded, smiling. “Of course, and if you do not mind me asking. What is your relationship with Lord Eadward?”

“We grew up together.”

Edyth fell silent as the doors to the throne room closed behind them. But the silence did not last long.

“I am also here to help keep my ear to the ground,” she whispered; Regina noticed how Edyth’s eyes bounced around the hall. “Added support. If I understand the scene I entered just now . . . The Council are high suspects on Eadward’s mind. I assume he has expressed this suspicion to you?”

“He has,” Regina replied, briefly glancing at Kalib. She noticed how he was listening to the conversation, but remained attentive to their surroundings.

“There has been a new development, of which he will explain later.” Edyth sighed, but smile. “Did you have any other question for me, your highness?”

Regina returned the smile and they carried on.

* * *

Regina couldn’t sleep. The Council came to the decision to simply postpone the final decision and revisit the matter at a later date. Which meant she would have to go through with the ceremony. She would have to go along with the Council’s demands. But at what cost? What was she worth to them?

“You will never sleep if you let your thought run wild.”

Regina sat up, glancing around the darkened room. She was alone in her bedroom. Edyth’s room was down the hall. There guards posted at the doors of the main chamber. Kalib was just outside the bedroom door, within the front room of her chambers.

“I can’t seem to clear my head,” Regina whispered to the air. “What are you doing awake?”

“It is my job, princess,” Kalib replied from where here he was sitting or standing; there was some amusement in his whispered voice.

“Do you ever sleep? I mean, sleep is vital, wouldn’t you say?”

“I will sleep better when I have seen you assailant brought to justice.”

She smiled softly to herself. “I know that I keep saying it, but thank you.”

“It is my genuine pleasure to serve you, my princess.”

Regina sighed, glancing to her small window, which was in the nearest wall. The moon was shining in. Of all the wonderful things she had witnessed in this new world, the moon was the one thing remaining the same. But then it wasn’t.

“Tomorrow is a new day, my lady,” Kalib whispered from afar. “What comes, you are not alone.”

“It is all uphill now,” she replied, nodding even when she knew he could not see.

* * *

Regina held her head as still as she possibly could. She was a ball of nerves. She felt both excited and terrified. Of all the things she had done to this point, this was the most wonderful, yet terrifying, of them all. The royal blacksmiths were sizing her head for a set of custom crowns.

“You have a wonderfully proportioned head,” said the elder man as he pulled his measuring ribbon away from Regina’s forehead. “Beautifully rounded.”

“Um, thank you?” she replied, sending a puzzled look to Kalib and Edyth.

Kalib was holing back a smile. Edyth shook her head at the man.

“A small band-crown,” suggested the second gentleman, who was writing something down on a small pad of paper with a weathered pencil. “Silver and diamond-laced.”

“I was actually thinking of something similar to the Queen’s everyday crown.”

“Ooo, I quite like the idea!”

Her grandmother’s crown. Regina felt a stirring in her heart at the thought.

“Just a moment,” she said, holding up her hand as she fixed the smiths with a look. “Is my grandmother’s crown in this palace?”

“I believe it has been stored in the royal vault, your highness,” replied the first gentleman.

“May I see it?”

“Well . . . Uh . . .”

The smithies exchanged a look. Neither of them wanted to displease her.

“As your princess and future queen, I wish to see my grandmother’s crown.”

Regina squared her shoulders and stood from the chair she had been sitting in.

“Ah, Lord Eadward.”

She smiled as the chief adviser entered the room. “Just the man I was hoping to see. I have asked these fine craftsmen to see my grandmother’s crown. They’ve not budged.”

“Is that so?” he asked, glancing at the two men. “Gentlemen, if either of you thought it were not possible, you could have come to me. The princess’ request is a simple one, I think.”

He turned to Regina, a gentle smile on his face.

“I shall have the crown brought to you, immediately.”

“Thank you,” she said, nodding. “I believe it would honor her memory if I wore it for the ceremony.”

“Do you not wish for a crown of your own?” asked Lady Edyth with a curious expression.

“I would,” Regina replied, “but at the moment, I feel very drawn to my grandmother. I would like for her to be represented in some way, at the ceremony.”

“I understand, your wish is shall be honored,” said Eadward, bowing. “Guard!”

A young man in a bright, peach-gold uniform came to the call. Eadward explained what he wanted before sending the young man on his way. A short while later, the guard returned. A woman, with a rather flamboyant hairstyle, entered the room. She was followed by another young man, who carried a satin pillow. Regina’s attention was drawn to the pillow. The little girl inside of her was squealing with delight.

“It is very delicate,” the woman explained as she gently lifted the crown from the cushion. “No one has touched her majesty’s crown since before the disappearance. This crown has been kept under strict guard, within the vault.”

The crown itself was quite unique. The silver headpiece was placed upon Regina’s head. It was liberally set with white diamonds, a twisting design at the base. It reached four and a half inches at the tallest points. A mirror was placed before her, and much like when she tried on her ball gowns for the first time, Regina could hardly recognize herself.

“It’s perfect,” she said, nodding as she carefully touched one of the sparkling tips. “If I am to have a new crown, I should like for it to replicate this one. But I have one thing to make it truly my own.”

“And what would that be, your highness?” asked Lord Eadward, motioning to the smithies to take notes.

“I want my crown to have soft, purple gems set in the base-border. What kind of purple stones do we have available?”

The smithies stepped aside. The one with the pad of paper wrote vigorously while the other relayed suggestions.

“What is your birthstone?” asked Edyth, snapping her fingers to gain the attention of the two men.

“My month has four stones,” Regina explained. As the crown was removed from her head. “I prefer purple alexandrite.”

“We have various alexandrite stones in the vault,” said Eadward, glancing at the smithies. “I shall have a selection of stones brought out for your task. The princess has made a request. Let it be done with loyalty and honor.”

“Straight away, Lord Eadward,” the smithies bowed and hurried away.

Regina felt a twang of false guilt.

“Is my request too much?” she asked when it was just her, Kalib and Edyth.

Edyth scoffed and rolled her eyes, “No. Your highness, you are the ruler of Xiphis. You can request anything you please. If you wish to wear your grandmother’s crown for the ceremony, wear it in her honor with pride. As for the design of your own crown, I think you should have asked for more. But you asked for what you wanted and you’ve chosen well. Do not let yourself feel guilty for anything so small. If you show mercy to a murderer who is indignant and does not wish to beg for his life. That would be a matter of true guilt. I believe Kalib agrees that you are far wiser than a certain group within the palace walls.”

The woman smiled as Regina turned to Kalib. He was pinching his lips together. Of course, he agreed with every word.

“You will do well,” Edyth went on, smiling more brightly. “I cannot think of anyone else I have met who can match your decisions.”

Regina returned the smile, grateful for the friends she gained.

* * *

Orpah, the handmaid Regina’s father solicited from Anerathia was a gem. There was a drastic contrast between her and Freydra. She was a sprig of pure joy. Always smiling. Always eager to do better when she made the smallest mistake. Which were very few. Orpah was also very intuitive. She was an open book. Regina could ask her anything and she would answer without hesitation.

“What part of Anerathia are you from?” Regina asked as Orpah braided the top section of her hair.

“I lived in the small village of Akiria,” she replied, smiling as she stuck a pin into the braid. “It is in the valley, at the foot of the Frose Mountains.”

“If I ever travel there, I would love to see.”

Orpah’s smile never faded.

“Your hair is to be envied,” she said softly as she started to braid the opposite side of the one she just finished. “So healthy and shiny.”

Regina smiled, “I have never had anyone compliment my hair so much. Since I came here, I have had so many people tell me how they are jealous of my hair. There’s nothing special about it!”

Orpah giggled, “Embrace it. Bask in the praise, my lady!”

Regina joined the laughter, accepting the fact the girl was right.

“May I speak boldly?” she asked after finalizing a series of smaller braids.

“Please,” Regina replied, nodding gently.

“How bold?”

“Speak you mind.”

Orpah smiled, blushing at her in the mirror’s reflection.

“Kalib is quite handsome,” she whispered; she was unaware of Kalib’s ability to hear things from beyond a closed door.

“Yes he is,” Regina whispered back, as if the information were sacred. “What do you replace handsome about him?”

“His eyes, especially. But what makes him most handsome is when he smiled at you. Only for you, and he does so in secret. A lot. Mostly when he thinks no one will notice.”

Regina’s cheeks felt warm. “Does he?”

“Indeed, my lady.”

The young woman startled at the sound of knuckles rapping at the door. She cleared her throat and straightened her apron.

“Shall I see who it is, ma’am?” she asked as she took on a state of professionalism.

Regina nodded, “Please do, Orpah.”

She curtsied and shuffled away. Regina glanced over her shoulder and saw Kalib standing in the door way. But he was not the one entering.

“Lady Edyth to see you, my lady.”

“The guests are being shown to the great hall,” Edyth smiled as she came to stand beside Regina’s chair. “How do you feel?”

“Nervous. Excited. Possibly anxious.”

Regina made a face as she squeezed out some lotion into her hands.

“These are good emotions to have today, your highness,” Orpah smiled as she touched her shoulder.

She exhaled, nodding as she stood.

“Oh, lovely,” said Edyth s Regina made a small circle in place. “If you’re ready, shall we let Kalib in now?”

“Yes,” Regina replied calmly, though her heart was pounding in her chest.

Orpah giggled softly and hurried to the door again. Regina didn’t need his approval, but as Kalib appraised her appearance her skin became that of a good. The hair of her arms stood up as a tingling sensation danced down her spine. His smile became all she cared about.