Kingdom Gone

• Meaghan Wilson, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2016

“Once upon a time, years ago there was a king named James and a queen named Josephine. They were to have a baby girl-but they were at war with another kingdom. This war wasn’t like the other ten year wars-no this one had lasted for generations and no one even knew what it was about anymore.
One night King James came to his queen saying he had an idea to end this war for he had heard King Erik and Queen Elizabeth (the King and Queen they were warring against) had a small boy. The queen replied with tear filled eyes, telling him though it would be painful for her to part with her not yet born baby, it was for the best.
So the king sent his most trusted messenger to tell King Erik about the proposition for an arranged marriage between their daughter and his son. But while King Erik was kind to his people he was not kind to others and replied viciously saying that he would kill the daughter of King James and Queen Josephine by her first birthday. The messenger left quickly to send word to King James.
Not long after (about a month) Queen Josephine bore her baby, a beautiful girl with pale skin, wide, emerald-green eyes and tufts of hazel hair with the name Athena. King James and Queen Josephine kept her birth secret and said that she had been a stillborn babe in fear of King Erik’s threat.
For two years she was kept secret, living in the highest towers of the castle and only going outside with the most trusted staff. Outside the palace walls the war was still raging and King James was often away fighting. All of this was kept far away from the palace, until the fighting got closer, and closer, and closer...
Until one night it had finally arrived.
King James was home at this time and rushed to his queen and their young child’s side. There were many underground secret passages and tunnels in the ancient city and through one King James told Queen Josephine to go with their child. They were losing the war and they knew it. Saving their baby was the least they could do.
That night the king and his men fought greatly as his queen and baby fled under the city and ran far away from the kingdom...” Mariah finished quietly as the crowd of children surrounding her let out a collective deep breath and then started whispering loudly among themselves.
Thea, a young girl with wide, emerald-green eyes and a slight blush covering her beautiful pale face, walked up to Mariah and asked, “What happened to the queen and baby?” Mariah replied with a little, secretive smile, “Well, truthfully no one really knows, they just… disappeared. Though there are rumours that they are around these parts.”
“Really!” Thea yelled excitedly jumping up and down her hazel hair flew everywhere.
“So I believe,” Mariah said giving Thea’s mother Jose a wink.