"Come on... Hurry!"
Two pairs of feet echoed through the dark, long corridor, filling the night with an ominous sound. Hand-in-hand, the two small figures rushed past old, dusty paintings that hung to their left, offering windows into the realms of the Guardians. Tall, stained-glass windows filtered in colored moonlight on their right, casting blurred shadows as they hurried along the marbled floor. At the end of the hall stood two, large, pristine white doors with gold filigree. As they approached the doors, they could hear the sounds of metal-booted footsteps not far behind, slowly but surely closing the distance between them.
They slipped between the beckoning doors and entered a large, round gathering hall. Several rows of pews filled a good portion of the room in two columns, one on either side of the couple. A large, empty space stretched out between the pews and ran towards the back of the room where the statue of a tall, beautiful woman dressed in a simple maiden's robe resided.
The statue instantly caught the eye of the girl, who was clutching the hand of her younger brother. The clear moonlight shown through the plain glass ceiling, basking the statue in its white glow. The girl found herself drawn tot he statue and, despite her brother's eagerness to escape, led him towards the serene figure.
"What are you doing?" he asked in an urgent whisper, his head constantly jerking behind them. afraid of what might come through those white doors at any moment. However, the only reply he got were the tears that ran down the girl's cheeks as they stood at the foot of the statue.
Barely a moment later, she released her hold on her brother and kicked furiously at the statue. "How could you!" she cried. "How could you let this happen?" Her tears became more persistent as she fell to her knees, quietly sobbing.
The boy placed a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder. "Naomi, don't cry. Everything is going to be alright, you'll see."
Naomi laid her hand on top his, and looked up at her brother's seemingly innocent face. She offered him a small smile, and the boy returned the favor. He knew what she was thinking, for he was thinking the same. They both understood things would never be the same - they no longer could return to the lives they once knew.
Their thoughts broke off as footsteps approached the hall. Pulling herself to her feet, she grabbed the boy's hand once more and led him behind the statue, just as the doors began to open. It appeared to the boy that they were trapped, and so he held his breath, fearfully peering from behind the statue's marbled skirt. Just as he thought all hope was lost, the footsteps resounding right outside the main entrance, a soft click from behind him grabbed his attention. He turned to find Naomi opening a hidden door in the wall.
"Quickly, in here!" she beckoned in a low whisper, and pulled her brother in after her, closing it behind them just before a figure opened the doors to the gathering hall.
"Children? Are you in here?" the figured asked the moonlit darkness. The boy try to pull from his sister, compelled to answer the inquiry of their mother, put Naomi managed to hold his mouth fast with her other hand before he could utter a word.
"Shh," the girl warned. It was then that they noticed the wall that hid the alcove was really an open-framed door covered over with wallpaper. Because of this, the children were able to see shadows - outlines of the figures and objects in the gathering hall, move about. Therefore, despite their fear and instincts, they found themselves transfixed on the shadow of their mother, watching as she moved about, searching for her lost children.
"Where are you?" she asked, concerned and frightened for her her only son and daughter as she made her way between the pews towards the statue. Her desperate calls were soon answered, however, by the white doors slamming wide open, allowing a small group of armored soldiers to step through.
From the ranks emerged a tall and stout man garbed in a long clock and armer. The boy heard his sister hold her breath as they recognized the shadow of their father. "Ah, Natalia... Here you are. I was wondering where you had run off to." The boy could hear a hint of irritation under the man's calm and comforting voice. Behind him stood a tall elf draped in flowing robes. "Now tell me," the man continued, "where are the children?"
The boy noticed the man's right hand was resting on the hilt of his sword. "They are safe from you," Natalia replied, her head held high and defiant. She stood firm and tall, although her body was visibly shaking beneath her gown, her hands clenched to hold back both her anger and fear.
The elf started to step forward, but the man's free hand shot up to stay her. "But, my lord," she began, deeply concerned and agitated.
"I will handle this," the king replied, then began to make his way slowly towards Natalia. "Now please, my queen, let us not prolong the inevitable. Just hand them to me, and this will all be over."
"Never..." she woman whispered.
"What was that?" The king mockingly cupped a hand around his ear to hear better.
"I said, 'Never!' How could you want to hurt them - your own children?" There was a hint of sorrow and despair in the woman's enraged voice. "It's monstrous!"
The king dropped his playful act and gripped the hilt of his sword to abate his anger as he continued to walk forward. "If it had not been for you, Natalia, they would have died quick and painless deaths. Now, I cannot help how they will die. Just know that they do so for a noble cause, for the good of the kingdom."
"A noble cause?" the woman spat back. She tried to back away, but the statue quickly came upon her from behind. "You call your tyranny a 'noble cause'? As long as I have breath in my body, I will not let you harm them."
The king paused for a moment. Then, with a hint of satisfaction, replied, "As you wish, my dear." The king moved with a sudden and deadly grace, stepping the last short distance between them and drawing his sword. The blade had already pierced the woman's heart before anyone realized what happened.
"Mother, nooo!" The boy had managed to slip through his sister's hands, tears streaking down his face, and started to rush to the queen's aid.
"Aldin!" Cried Naomi after her brother, and grabbed his arm before he managed to break through the alcove's covering, tears smeared across her own features.
The king's eyes gleamed as he heard the pair. "Go! Find them and bring them to me," he commanded, pointing to the darkened area behind the statue, and the elf smiled her pleasure as she and other soldiers moved to obey.
"Come on, we have got to go!" Naomi turned the sobbing Aldin to face her and tried to push him ahead to crawl through the alcove. However, they barely made it a few feet when the door to the alcove was ripped open, the ruby eyes of the elf full of satisfied malice.
"I have them, my lord!" cried the elf, a smug grin revealing slightly sharpened incisors framed in crimson lips. She reached in and managed to latch onto Naomi's leg before they got to far. Naomi screamed and tried to kick herself free from her captor while Aldin attempted to pull his sister towards him. The children struggled briefly to free themselves until, suddenly, a blinding white light filled the hall.
The cries of the children and the enraged elf were drowned out by an ethereal voice that seemed to resound from within each person, and all stilled as hit hummed a small melody. "Hush my children," it said at last, "for you are safe now..."
