The new morning had come under the new roof that was over my head and immediately, I had to think of something to occupy myself while I'm here. I could continue to write but unfortunately, I would also have to do whatever chores Anais and Gabriel had in mind. I sneaked out of the bedroom, clothed myself, and prepared a fair amount of money in order to go outside. Upon leaving the house, I began my search for a store that would sell a pen since I only brought the draft of my work.
Fortunately, it did not take as much time as I thought it would for I was able to find a store that sold what I needed. Both the vendor and I had severe communication problems but we were able to understand each other well after a game of charades. With a new pen in my possession, the only thing that I lacked was a decent place to begin writing. The Lafitte house was unavailable for the obvious reason that I did not want to be disturbed. Instead, I thought it best to write outdoors for once, and hopefully, the wind does not destroy my work.
The pristine ocean had caught my eye and persuaded me to write upon the clear white sands of the beach. Once I arrived, there was hardly any other human to be seen and the only thing lively was the ocean waves beating against the shore. The song of the ocean's waves was soothing and the texture of the sand was smooth even as I sat down. I pondered for a brief moment as this peaceful moment caused my mind to wander off. As the silence engulfed my body, I began writing from the moment I left off.
Upon the beach where Sylvia and Mary arrived, the two gathered their belongings and traversed through the dense forest across the beach. With the saber in her hand, Sylvia cut down any thick bushes in their way while Mary kept on guard with a flintlock. Through the distant callings of birds, the bothersome intervening of bugs, and the unknowing dangers of the night, the two were able to discover a decent place to rest. It was a small cave attached to a foot of an enormous mountain. The girls laid down their heavy burdens of items onto the ground inside the cave and slept instantly as to reward their troublesome day.
In the morning, the two woke up late in the day and continued their journey for any signs of civilization. However, just as they noticed that their luggage was oddly lighter. It did not become a great bother to them and they still continued to walk through the forest. With the daylight present to make things convenient, all beautiful and diverse flora were ignored when the two were finally able to see what might possibly be a road to walk by. It was a miracle being as they finally found a sign that a town or city might be near. They joyfully followed along the road in the direction opposite the ocean.
During this time, the two felt their friendship rekindled and began to converse to themselves about personal jokes, secrets, and other subjects two friends may talk about. In the heat of the day, the two were distracted in each other's conversations to the point where small creatures had come out of the forest and steal their money whilst they were not looking. Mary, who first noticed the small creature, smacked it off of Sylvia's arm. It was then that the two discovered that they were being robbed by an incredibly tiny foe.
These creatures in particular are known as "Meanie minis" or simply just minis. Minis have a somewhat humanlike physique and possess the social workings of a beehive. The ones that the two see right now are what some would call, "the workers" of the hive. Minis obviously do not share the same purposes and functions of bees for these worker Minis seen now are well known for robbing people's personal items rather than actually pollinating with a flower.
Sylvia and Mary made fools out of themselves as they tried to subdue their opponents. For the small worker minis, it was as easy as breathing for them to avoid the giant human hands coming towards them. The humiliation and conflict lasted until the tiny thieves had their fill and eventually, the minis were able to return into the dense forest. The two girls followed the little thieves as fast as they could even if they tripped on the ground or had themselves bashed against a tree's bark. The destination of both the minis and the girls was another cave, this time, it was on another side of the same mountain. The two girls then stopped by the entrance of the cave in order to think about their next move.
"Wait, Sylvia, I don't think it will go well if we go any further." Mary suggested.
"Those things took most of our coin, Mary, and even if we did come inside, I'd hardly believe that those things could deal any real harm to us." Sylvia arrogantly felt that it was proper for them to walk right into the cave, retrieve their belongings, and massacre any of those little creatures that stood in their way.
"Then what do you suppose we should do if they outnumber us by a thousand?" Mary asked in order to persuade her friend to leave.
"We'll run then if they are able to overpower us, but first, we have to at least try and retrieve what we can find." Sylvia's stern will forced Mary to come along with her into the dark long cave.
They began to walk far into the cave and further away from the sunlight. Being as there were no diverging paths, the only problem they faced in the darkness was their own clumsiness. Fortunately, the cold and cruel darkness that devoured them whole came to an end when a faint yellow light greeted them at the end of their path. The light empowered them and encouraged them to move forward faster. As the light grew brighter the more they approached it, they finally realized what was the light that shined in their darkness when they entered the hive of the minis.
It was a lengthy table and what covered it were various trays of food. Above it, there laid multiple vines that held the carcasses of numerous fireflies all carried and lit up by the worker minis' magic. From the opposite side of the table, there seated the Queen of the meanie minis. Instead of a size that could only reach to the ankle of a human, the Queen's height could only reach until the kneecaps of a regular human. Unlike her subjects who wore only a small rag to cover their nether regions, the Queen wore what seem to be two napkins sewn together and made her appear to be like a vagabond traveling from distant lands. Atop of her head there laid her crown which was but a marriage ring belonging to whoever was unfortunate enough to cross paths with her.
From her seat and unto the top of the table, the Queen gleefully leaped through the air and carefully moved past the food preventing them from getting knocked off. The closer she approached, the more vigilant both Sylvia and Mary became as they prepared for conflict. The Queen's joyful stride ended abruptly the moment she approached the edge of the table. From a moment of suspense to one of awkwardness, the Queen quickly fixed herself and made herself appear more presentable in front of her gigantic guests.
"Welcome!" The Queen stated in a beautiful and mature voice, "The two of you look quite tired, why not stay for a while and dine with me?" Her polite and cheerful expressions only made the two girls more cautious of her.
With Sylvia walking by one side of the table and Mary walking by the other, the two kept their eyes upon the Queen as she led them to the other side of the table. However, their focus would sometimes be misaligned from their target as the wide variety of tender ham, roasted chicken, plump grapes, and enticing pastries caused them to shift their gazes every now and then. It was absurd to see this much food within a mountain's cave but the very idea of having something to eat was enough to easily tempt the girls.
The queen finally arrived in her seat and the girls sat down in chairs that were perfectly sized for humans like them. Looking past each other, Sylvia and Mary still had not noticed the location of their missing items.
"To begin" The Queen interjected their thoughts so as to gather their attention, "What brings the two of you here into my kingdom uninvited?" She questioned them in a polite manner whilst an ominous aura exuded from her jade eyes.
"We were robbed by small men." Sylvia gathered the courage to answer the Queen, "And those small men fled here into your 'kingdom' your highness. We simply wish to retrieve our belongings then we'll be on our way." With her hands clasped together upon her lap, Sylvia hoped that she would not draw out a violent reaction from the Queen.
"You mean, my subjects? Oh my, I pray that you would forgive them but first, why don't we enjoy the food they have prepared for us?" She attempted to shift the subject into a different manner and succeeded since Mary's appetite was begging to be filled.
Mary extended her arm and swiftly grabbed one ravishing red apple to bite. Sylvia kept herself restrained because of her skepticism and clenched her fists upon the table to prevent her from sampling the food. With one bite, Mary chewed and enjoyed the flavorful fruit until an oddly cold texture was felt within her throat. Her breath started to fail and slowly did she start to gasp for air. With the apple in her hand, Mary investigated what was causing her to lose her breath and to her surprise, the insides of the apple had been replaced with gold coins.
"My apologies again, young one." The Queen apologized once more as Mary coughed out blood and money.
The phenomenon was all too strange and it was enough to prove to Sylvia that Mary was right about not entering here in the first place. Sylvia went over to Mary's side to assist her and take their leave. However, the entrance they came through was no longer seen at the end of the table and the Queen herself was terribly displeased with their early departure.
"How rude." The Queen retained her patience as she spoke, "We have not finished breakfast, yet the two of you leave me here without even giving a proper goodbye?" Her eyes piercing their souls were enough to let them know of the fury she holds against them.
The two bowed their heads to apologize to the queen this time and sat back down into their seats. Knowing what dangers could lie within these foods, Sylvia had thought of a tactic so as to make it look like she was actually ingesting the food. Of all the foods upon the table, Sylvia selected a modestly sized cake for her to eat. To avoid making the same mistake as Mary did, Sylvia held a fork from the table tightly and as she delved that fork upon the cake, she would only gather the frosting of the cake unto the fork. The logic behind her thinking was that if only the exterior was the edible part of the food, she would only eat from foods whose outward appearance was easy to take off in order to discern whether she was actually eating food or not. Mary was able to notice Sylvia's plan as she cleaned her mouth with a napkin and threw away the inedible apple.
With only small and careful scoops, Sylvia was able to fill her stomach barely with the cake's frosting. Under all of that sweetness, there laid a shining object inside of the cake. Sylvia placed the fork down and asked the Queen for permission to investigate it. The Queen allowed her to do so and out of that cake, there came a shining diamond that was as big as Sylvia's fist.
"Oh my, at this rate, we might as well assume all of them have been filled with treasures." The Queen joked, "Why not keep it for yourself, young lady? Not only that, I'll allow you and your friend to leave with it." She offered the diamond to Sylvia.
Within her mind, she thought to herself if it would be profitable or not to take the diamond considering its potential value. If she were to take it, she would be able to trade it for something just as valuable and grand as her own mansion. If she were to not take it, it would only make matters more inconvenient for her. Eventually, she placed the diamond on the side and smiled at the Queen to signify that she will not take it. Sylvia realized that if she were to actually keep the diamond and leave, neither of them would have enough food or water to keep them alive and neither of them knew the distance to the next town.
Knowing that all of the food packed a random valuable object, Sylvia and Mary thought the same idea that their belongings were also stuffed inside one of the delectable foods. The two continued their plan to fill their bellies with only the "skin" of the food and reject the objects that were inside unless it was proven to be their items. The process lasted what seem to be hours and the Queen herself stayed in silence during the whole time. Neither of the girls knew what had become of the Queen but as long as they could eat their fill and find their stuff, they continued to dine with no problems whatsoever.
It was until the two had brought up a plump roasted chicken did they discover their belongings. Under that brown cooked skin, there laid the saber, the flintlock, and a pouch of coins all belonging to them. Their eyes widened at the sight and the joyous moment had made the taste of the skin even more enjoyable to their tongue.
"Are these the things you two have been looking for?" The Queen asked, "How dirty, surely, I could have provided something far better than that but nevertheless, it seems that it is time to bid you two farewell." With a wave of the hand, the Queen permitted them to leave.
With the saber in Sylvia's possession and the flintlock and money within Mary's, the gleeful duo walked along beside the table until the end to see that the entrance has opened up again. Just as they were about to leave, the Queen prevented them from doing so once again as the vines above them came falling down right in front of the exit.
"I must ask one last question before you leave." The Queen stood up and approached them upon the table, "What is it that attracts the both of you so much that you refuse the treasures I offer to you?" Her polite demeanor was no longer present and only the disdainful expression powered by anger was seen upon her face.
The two girls looked at each other in confusion and fright but with only a few moments of silence, Mary became the one to answer the question.
"We only want to find our own place within this world." Mary answered simply.
"But what is it that makes this expedition to find your place so necessary? Is there something of splendor to attain?" The Queen continued to question them.
"Yes." Mary answered, "Just like any other person, we are only pursuing the wonders of the world that keep us moving further on." The further she spoke, the more anxious and sweaty her appearance became.
"Of course, just like the rest of your kind, there is always something within this realm that is always chased after." The Queen stated in a besmirching tone.
From above, another patch of vines had come down and entangled itself around Mary's limbs. Sylvia, who was unaffected by the hostile flora, pulled out her saber and began cutting down the vines to liberate her friend. However, her efforts were futile and the vines would only multiply and tighten around Mary's skin. Sylvia shifted her sights unto the Queen and struck the small tyrant down in half. Though her body was in two, The Queen's upper half was reattached by the ceiling vines and it was revealed that the true form of The Queen was the mountain itself. With her friend in captivity and her enemy overwhelmingly daunting, Sylvia could only stand still under the pressure of it all.
"As for you, I think it would be best if you entertain my questions further and I may as well grant you a chance at regaining your freedom." The Queen stated directly to the petrified girl.
Fear was the only feeling that welled up inside of Sylvia's heart and the guilt of losing another friend soon followed as she turned to Mary knowing that there might be no possible way for both of them to run free. Mary could only give a faint smile under all of her pain in response to Sylvia's confused and terrified look.
"Tell me, young one." The Queen commanded Sylvia's attention within an instant as the vines made her bodyless head appear to be taller than her, "Why is it that you and your kind are always so attached to the splendor of this world?" The Queen asked and sent Sylvia into a long train of thought.
"I think that it may be because of how we are easily attracted to beautiful things." Sylvia attempted to answer the question but could only receive a confused look from the Queen.
"If that were so, then why did not the both of you flee with the other treasures inside of the food? Surely, you would have been attracted to those." The Queen stated and already appeared to be losing her temper with Sylvia.
"It is because we both had our own self-centered beliefs." Sylvia slowly gathered more confidence as she spoke, "With these beliefs, all of us within this world will have different meanings of splendor and have different methods of pursuing it."
"But why must you even be pursuing these things in the first place? What is there to gain from having more of this world?" two more questions were made and this time, they were asked out of the Queen's genuine curiosity and worry over humanity.
"The only thing that we truly gain from it is only wealth and a sense of victory within our lives." Sylvia's mood began to shift as well into a more depressing phase.
"Why? Is it to triumph over the world the true purpose for all humans? Tell me more, young one, why do you blind yourselves with the enticing light of victory? Why can't it be that all of you live together equally and work together for the sake of daily bread?" The questions became more and more heavy upon Sylvia's heart to the point where she could no longer find an answer.
"I don't know." Sylvia said simply, "Even though I am the one responsible for our expedition, I can't describe this urge of mine that forces me to move on. Perhaps you can find that reason for yourself since it seems that you have fallen victim to it too." Sylvia attempted to link the Queen's feelings to that of a human's and prayed for a hopeful outcome for both her and Mary.
"Oh, I understand." With those few words, a spark of hope had been lit within Sylvia, "You mean to say that what I am doing is but my own desire to win against the two of you, correct?" It finally seemed that both Sylvia and the Queen were on similar terms.
"Quite so, for your sense of victory is the feeling of ideological superiority. From the way you speak of humans, you pity them as if they were lowly beings but eventually, you act in the same nature as they do." Sylvia responded and caused the Queen's eyes to widen.
"Well played, you may finally leave my kingdom, young one." With a shirk of an eyebrow, the vines covering the entrance had been lifted.
However, Mary was still held tightly in place and when Sylvia's hand was stretched out to grab her, hope had finally shattered into pieces. The vines surrounding Mary's joints had squeezed it to the point of breaking.
Within her final moments, Mary could not scream out her last words nor was Sylvia able to do anything of help. Her arms, hands, thighs, calves, feet, torso, and head all laid on the ground separately and splattered puddles of crimson red upon the dirt floor. In the horror of it all, the Queen did not regret her actions one bit rather, she knew that if she were to fall victim to the same nature as humans, she might as well live valiantly and violently against anyone who would wrong her. Though she had clearly stated that she would allow Sylvia to leave, the Queen honored her declaration by only having Mary executed.
It was a cruel resolution for the Queen to declare but Sylvia could do nothing except walk closer to afternoon light with only her saber in hand. Through the stone-cold cave, voices of grief and sadness resonated upon the walls and broke Sylvia's spirit into pieces the longer she walked. Once the outside world greeted Sylvia with nature's songs, she only looked down on the ground as she retraced her steps to find the road. Not even the tunes of birds nor the hopeful sun could alleviate her pain. With loneliness weighing her down, she thought to herself how pointless it must be to continue this adventure when the only two treasures of her life were taken away.
Upon the silent road, there was no life to be seen except for one wandering soul tortured by the cruelties of this world. The bittersweet embrace of death was the only thing Sylvia wanted now and to acquire it, she vowed to continue this endless road until all of her strength fails.