81. A Word With the Jailor
Rosella assessed the sturdy looking cell door, and realized that she did not have enough of “it” in her little body to break
down the door. But if it was locked then certainly there was a key around somewhere to unlock it. A quick scan of the
room revealed no obvious key rings hanging from the walls, so the princess decided to check the northern door of the
room and see if that yielded any results.
Turning the handle slowly and opening the door just a smidgen, Rosella peaked her slender face into the next room with
wide blue eyes. A quick inspection revealed it to be some sort of guard quarters. Tankards of ale lay spilled on a table
scattered with half eaten scraps of meat on the bone gave the room a rather barbaric aroma. But what really caught
Rosella’s attention was the lone guard seemingly passed out at the table. The great folded wings on his back heaved
up and down rhythmically with his sleeping breath. Much to her relief there was a key ring sitting on the table next to his
slumbering form. No doubt he was the dungeon keeper. Still sneakily in her stocking feet, Rosella padded into the
room on the tips of her dainty toes with her heart in her throat pounding a mile a minute. If he were to wake, no telling
what horrible fate would befall the petite princess.
As she approached the table with the keys and the slumbering goon, Rosella found herself eyeballing one of the heavy
looking tankards. From the looks of it, she could strike the goon over the back of the head to ensure his continued
slumber. The thought was startling to the well-bred girl. What a brutish and undignified idea! Assuring herself that she
was NOT a violent girl, Rosella mustered the courage to extend her trembling arm toward the jailor’s key ring. She
furrowed her brow to concentrate but it was very difficult being so close to the hulking goon. His arms were spread
across the table with the claws on his hands extended in a very intimidating fashion. In truth, the princess was scared
out of her mind. But she persevered, and with a skip in her heart, snatched the keys from the table and then paused,
squinting her eyes shut. She waited for the goon to awaken, perhaps grab her roughly by the wrist, or drag her off to
Lolotte even, but the imagined fate did not come. When she mustered the courage to open her eyes again, the goon
was still fast asleep. Not wishing to overstay her welcome, Rosella tiptoed back out of the room to return to the dungeon.
Now trembling more from excitement, Rosella fumbled with the key ring searching for the right key to open the cell. Her
eagerness to unlock the door intoxicated her dexterity but only after a few mistakes she consummated a marriage
between the lock and its key. The wedding bells were in the click. Inside the cell, the fairy stirred at the sound of the
cell door opening, no doubt assuming terrible things were coming, but the wideness of her eyes was filled with joy at the
sight of Princess Rosella.
“Oh, Princess Rosella! What are you doing here? How did you? I! I’m so glad to see you!” the fairy’s gratitude
hindered her coherence, but the message was clear enough. She was overjoyed at the sight of a friendly face. Though
a fraction of the size of Rosella, the little fairy rose from the rotten straw bed she had been lying on and dusted herself
off. Floating toward the smiling princess with butterfly wings, she gave her a great big hug.
“Thank you,” replied a blushing Rosella. Suddenly she felt like a heroine. “Are you okay? I mean, are you hurt in any
way?”
“No, I’m fine. Thank you,” answered the fairy as she backed up from the heroic princess, wiping tears that were forming
in her tiny eyes. “But for how much longer, I know not, I’m afraid. Lolotte spoke of a horrible plan to drain the life force
of my sisters and Genesta. She said that we would ‘Feed the heart of the castle, born a creature that would ravage the
countryside of Tamir and beyond.’ It was terrifying just to hear her speak of it, Rosella!” The tiny fairy trembled in the
air, shaking glittery stardust down to the dingy cell floor.
“Did she say when this was going to happen? This birthing?” Rosella’s line of questioning was borderline panic.
“Soon. She said that ‘Things needed to be ready. Some things, the important things needed to be moved out first.’ I’m
not sure what she meant.”
Rosella thought about it, and remembered the storage room full of crates and barrels that had been prepped for
shipment. Perhaps that’s what she meant; a sort of evacuation from the castle? The only thing that matched the evil in
Lolotte’s plots was their mystery. “Well we cannot allow her to succeed in whatever she’s planning. You need to escape
from here, fly to countryside. Warn the fisherman and his wife that a terrible evil may be coming and for them to find
safe hiding. Do you understand?” The princess looked the tiny fairy in the eyes surprised by her own words, suddenly
filled with organized leadership, and royal command. The little naïve princess was beginning to grow up a little.
“Yes, your majesty, I understand.”
“Good. Now fly from here and don’t look back!”
With that, the tiny fairy fluttered off and just as instructed she never looked back. With a sigh of accomplishment,
Rosella contemplated her next move. She had rescued the fairy, but Lolotte still needed to be stopped from destroying
Tamir. Carrying her heels with her, Rosella crept back through the guards’ quarters to delve…
Deeper inside the castle