Chapter 63: Arrival of another girl
The following days passed more peacefully than Florence expected.
That alone made her uneasy.
Peace had never remained long in her life.
Not after becoming a witch.
Not after meeting Lysandra and certainly not after finding herself responsible for a little girl who carried secrets capable of shaking the world.
Yet the hidden kingdom seemed untouched by the chaos that had followed them for so long.
Each morning, sunlight poured through the windows of their small room.
Birds sang outside.
Children laughed somewhere within the palace gardens.
And for the first time in a very long while, Florence watch Saline smiled without bother.
Florence stood near the window one morning, watching the little girl race across the garden below.
A group of elven children had gathered around her.....Oh yes! She was shocked to learn about them being Elves and after that she understood why this place was peaceful and thriving still.
At first, the children had been wary.
Curious.
Suspicious.
After all, Saline looked different.
She spoke differently.
And despite the magic Florence had used to darken her hair, there was still something unusual about the child.
Something difficult to explain.
Yet children cared little for such things.
Unlike adults, they accepted what made them happy.
And Saline made them laugh.
That alone had been enough.
Now she spent nearly every afternoon playing with them.
Running through flower fields and chasing butterflies.
Collecting strange glowing fruits that grew only within the hidden kingdom.
The sight brought both relief and sadness to Florence.
Because Saline deserved this.
She deserved friends.
She deserved happiness.
She deserved a childhood untouched by bloodshed and monsters.
Unfortunately, the world rarely gave people what they deserved.
A knock sounded at the door.
Florence immediately turned.
"Come in."
The door opened.
A palace servant entered.
The young elf bowed respectfully.
"Lady Florence."
The title still felt strange.
She was hardly a lady.
Merely a maid pretending to be ordinary.
"The Head Maid wishes to see you."
Florence smiled politely.
"I’ll be there shortly."
The servant bowed once more before leaving.
The moment the door closed, Florence released a small sigh.
Work.
One disadvantage of lying about being an ordinary woman was having to act like one.
The palace had quickly assigned her duties.
Cleaning.
Organizing.
Assisting in the royal library.
Preparing guest chambers.
Thankfully, magic made most tasks easy.
A flick of her fingers could accomplish in seconds what others required hours to complete.
The challenge was doing everything slowly enough that nobody noticed.
That part proved exhausting.
A short while later, Florence entered the palace’s eastern wing.
The place bustled with activity.
Servants hurried through corridors carrying linens, flowers and trays of food.
The hidden kingdom might appear peaceful, but maintaining such a place required endless work.
"You’re late."
Florence looked up.
The Head Maid stood nearby with her hands folded behind her back.
She was a stern woman named Miriel.
Blonde hair, golden eyes and a permanent expression of disappointment.
Fortunately, Florence had learned quickly that Miriel’s bark was worse than her bite.
"Only by two minutes."
"Late is late."
Florence wisely chose not to argue.
Miriel nodded toward several carts.
"The guest chambers."
Florence immediately understood.
The annual gathering.
She had overheard servants discussing it all week.
Representatives from several noble elven families would soon arrive at the capital.
Preparations had begun days ago.
The entire palace seemed determined to impress them.
"I’ll handle it."
Miriel narrowed her eyes.
"Without breaking anything this time."
Florence looked offended.
"I broke one vase."
"You broke three."
"They were fragile."
"They were expensive, girl." Came the harsh word of the Head maid.
Florence decided silence was the wiser option.
By midday, the palace had become increasingly crowded.
Nobles arrived.
Servants rushed everywhere.
Musicians rehearsed in distant halls.
Meanwhile, Saline had somehow managed to avoid every adult attempting to supervise her.
Not for the first time.
Florence discovered her hiding beneath a flowering tree near the palace gardens.
The little girl sat cross-legged beside a small pond.
Several butterflies rested on her fingers.
Others hovered nearby.
As though drawn toward her.
The sight immediately made Florence suspicious.
Very suspicious.
Butterflies normally did not behave like that.
"Saline."
The little girl looked up.
A bright smile appeared instantly.
"Miss Florence!"
The butterflies scattered with quick speed.
Florence crouched beside her.
"What are you doing?"
Saline considered the question.
Then answered honestly.
"Talking."
"To who?"
The child pointed toward the butterflies.
Florence blinked.
"...The butterflies?"
Saline nodded.
"They’re nice and mama taught me how to talk to them."
Florence stared and said nothing after the little girl brought up the topic about her mother and she was determined to make sure she doesn’t ask anymore questions for now.
The butterflies fluttered away.
Very quickly.
As if refusing involvement in whatever concerned her.
Florence decided she did not want answers.
Some mysteries were healthier left unexplored.
Instead, she brushed a leaf from Saline’s hair.
"You shouldn’t wander off alone."
"But I’m not alone."
The little girl pointed toward the garden.
Several children immediately waved.
Florence softened.
Perhaps she worried too much.
Then again, considering everything surrounding Saline, perhaps she worried exactly the right amount.
As they returned toward the palace, they encountered someone familiar.
Kaelion.
The elven guard stood near one of the stone pathways overlooking the gardens.
Sunlight filtered through dark branches above him.
His blue eyes shifted toward them immediately.
Saline waved first.
Enthusiastically.
Kaelion froze.
Only slightly.
Then awkwardly raised a hand in return.
The movement looked so unnatural that Florence nearly laughed.
Clearly, he had little experience with children.
"Good afternoon," Florence greeted.
Kaelion inclined his head.
"You seem busy."
"So do you."
A brief silence followed.
Not uncomfortable.
Merely uncertain.
Neither appeared entirely sure how to continue.
Fortunately, Saline solved the problem herself.
She marched directly toward him.
Then proudly held up a flower crown.
"I made this."
Kaelion looked at the crown.
Then at Saline.
Then at the crown again.
His expression suggested he would rather face an army.
The little girl remained stubbornly hopeful.
Eventually, Kaelion accepted it.
Carefully.
Like it might explode.
"Thank you."
Saline beamed.
Florence bit her lip.
Very hard.
Because the sight of a heavily armed royal guard standing in full uniform while holding a flower crown was genuinely difficult to take seriously.
Kaelion noticed.
His gaze narrowed slightly.
Florence immediately looked away.
Innocently.
Which only made him more suspicious.
Before anyone could speak further, a sudden commotion erupted near the palace entrance.
Raised voices echoed through the courtyard.
Several guards immediately moved.
Kaelion’s expression sharpened.
The warmth vanished instantly.
Duty replaced it immediately.
"Stay here." He told Florence as he walked towards the commotion.
Then he was gone.
Florence watched him disappear.
Something felt wrong.
The atmosphere had changed.
Subtly.
But noticeably.
Even Saline sensed it.
The little girl moved closer.
"Is something bad happening?"
Florence hesitated.
Then smiled reassuringly.
"I’m sure it’s nothing."
The words sounded convincing.
Unfortunately, she didn’t believe them herself.
That evening, whispers spread throughout the palace.
Rumors moved faster than wildfire.
A stranger had been discovered near the kingdom’s borders.
An outsider.
Not an elf.
Not a traveler.
Someone had somehow found traces of the hidden realm.
The news unsettled everyone.
Including Florence.
Infact, especially Florence.
Because outsiders should not have been able to find this place....as explained by the Queen they had been lucky to do so but now that stranger kept entering she was convinced that there was something wrong.
The hidden kingdom remained concealed for a reason.
That night, long after Saline had fallen asleep, Florence stood alone by the window.
Moonlight illuminated the gardens below.
Everything appeared peaceful.
Yet something restless stirred within her chest.
An old feeling.
A familiar warning.
Danger.
She had learned long ago never to ignore such instincts.
Her gaze drifted toward the palace.
Toward the distant royal residence.
Toward the Queen.
Questions were already being asked.
Questions about outsiders.
Questions about strangers.
Questions about unusual children.
Florence feared those questions would eventually lead to them.
Behind her, Saline shifted in her sleep.
The little girl murmured something unintelligible before settling once more.
Florence turned.
Her expression softened immediately.
Whatever happened next, she would protect her.
No matter the cost.
No matter who stood in her way.
Outside, beyond the palace walls, beyond the sleeping gardens and shining towers, a pair of unseen eyes watched the hidden kingdom from the darkness.
Waiting patiently.
As though searching for something or someone.
And for the first time since arriving in the elven kingdom, Florence felt certain of one thing.
Their peaceful days would not last forever.
***********
it had been nothing more than whispers spreading through the hidden kingdom like an unwelcome wind. A patrol returning from the western forest had discovered a child lying beneath the ancient Silverroot Trees. She had been alone. No guardians. No companions. No signs of how she had arrived there. The guards had initially assumed she was dead until one of them noticed the faint rise and fall of her chest. By the time they carried her toward the palace, rumors had already begun multiplying. Some claimed she had fallen from the heavens. Others insisted she had emerged from the sealed borders themselves. Every retelling grew stranger than the last.
When the child finally entered the center of the Kingdom, the citizens gathered along the roads to watch.
Mothers held their children closer.
Even elderly elves emerged from their homes to witness the newcomer.
The little girl appeared frighteningly fragile. Her skin was pale enough to resemble moonlight. Her brown hair spilled around her like liquid sunlight, while her eyes...when they briefly opened...glowed with an unnatural brilliance. She looked as though a strong breeze might shatter her into pieces. Yet despite her condition, there was something unsettling about her presence. Something that made people instinctively step back.
News reached the palace almost immediately.
The Queen was already seated within her study when the first report arrived. By the second report, a headache had begun forming behind her eyes. By the third, she had dismissed her unfinished work entirely. The timing was too suspicious to ignore. Only days earlier, Florence and the white-haired child had somehow entered the kingdom through the sealed cave. Now another outsider had appeared. Two incidents in such a short span of time were no coincidence.
The ancient seal protecting the kingdom had remained intact for centuries.
Entire generations had lived believing it was impossible to cross.
The barrier had been forged by powerful magic long before the Queen’s birth. It concealed the kingdom from the outside world and prevented unwanted visitors from entering. Yet now outsiders were appearing one after another as though the barrier no longer existed. The thought alone was enough to worsen her headache. If strangers could enter so easily, then enemies could as well.
The Queen summoned her advisors immediately.
The meeting lasted nearly an hour.
Unfortunately, it provided no useful answers.
Some believed the seal had weakened naturally over time. Others suspected outside interference. A few quietly wondered whether an ancient enemy had finally discovered the kingdom’s location. None of them could offer proof. The uncertainty irritated the Queen more than any answer could have. She had always preferred facts. Speculation served little purpose.
Determined to see the child herself, she eventually made her way toward the palace infirmary.
The room had been placed under heavy guard despite its patient being little more than a dying girl. The moment the Queen entered, the healers bowed deeply. Their expressions revealed exhaustion and confusion in equal measure. They had examined the child repeatedly yet remained unable to identify what illness plagued her. Every remedy they attempted produced little improvement.
The Queen approached the bedside slowly.
The child looked even younger than she had imagined.
Brown hair framed a delicate face that seemed untouched by life. Her small body disappeared beneath layers of blankets. Yet despite her frailty, the Queen felt something strange the moment she looked upon her. It was difficult to describe. A sensation she had not experienced in many years. Her instincts, sharpened by centuries of rule, whispered that there was far more to this child than appearances suggested.
Then the girl’s eyes opened.
Brilliant gold met royal violet.
The room seemed to fall silent.
For a brief moment, neither looked away.
Something flickered through the Queen’s mind. Not a memory exactly, but a feeling. Recognition. Familiarity. It vanished before she could grasp it fully, leaving only confusion behind. The sensation unsettled her more than she cared to admit.
The child stared at her for several seconds before speaking.
Her voice emerged weak and strained.
"Have you seen her?"
The question caught everyone off guard.
The Queen frowned slightly and stepped closer.
"Seen who?"
The child remained silent.
Her small fingers tightened around a pendant resting against her chest. Pain flickered across her features. Whatever answer she had hoped to receive, she clearly had not found it. The Queen attempted to question her further, but the girl only repeated that she needed to find someone. She offered no name. No description. No explanation.
Moments later, exhaustion reclaimed her.
Her golden eyes drifted shut once more.
The healers rushed forward immediately, fearing her condition had worsened, but her breathing remained steady. The Queen stood beside the bed for a long time afterward. The questions continued piling up with no answers to satisfy them. Who was this child? How had she crossed the seal? Why was she searching for someone? And perhaps most troubling of all... why did her presence feel strangely connected to her?
Florence suddenly paused in the middle of combing her hair.
A strange unease settled over her chest.
The Queen stood at the infirmary window, staring toward the distant forest beyond the capital. The headache lingering behind her eyes had become unbearable. Two outsiders had entered the kingdom within days of one another. The ancient seal was no longer behaving as it should. Something was wrong.
Deeply wrong.
And as the hidden kingdom carried on beneath the illusion of normalcy, fate quietly tightened its grip around everyone involved. The arrival of the golden-eyed girl was not an accident. It was the beginning of something far greater. Something that would soon shake the very foundations of the kingdom itself.
