Valley Of Glamorgan (9 page)

Eleanor cleared her throat and wrapping her
arm in mine she announced, in a beautiful sing-song voice, “I know
it takes a moment to get used to its beauty; it still takes me by
surprise even after all these years.”

Nodding my head in agreement I continued to
follow them down the stone covered path. When we reached a large
iron gate I saw three tall men standing there, each wearing black
slacks and simple white button-up shirts; they were very tall and
looked very strong. I assumed that they must be Guardians, like
Knoll and I smiled as I thought to myself, ‘If all the guardians
looked like this then I might get over Knoll a lot sooner than I
had thought.’

The tallest of the men cut through my
thoughts as he stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Welcome home
Banphrionsa, Carmina.”

Smiling, I felt stupid by having to ask him
what he had said. Unfortunately his thick Irish accent was too hard
for me to repeat the word he had used but I saved myself from
looking a total fool by simply asking what he had said. He smiled,
a large friendly smile, before kindly informing me, “Excuse me
Carmina, I forget that you wouldn’t remember your native tongue.
Banphrionsa simply means Princess.” Despite myself I couldn’t help
but blush a bright rose red, but let out a small laugh as I would
never get used to being called either of the names. I realized that
everyone was looking at me, so I quickly thanked him.

Nodding he continued to lead us through the
gate when Knoll stepped in front of us and we stopped. Looking at
my parents he said, “I think it might be wise to introduce Mina to
the guards; that way she will feel familiar with her people.” Liam
agreed, telling Knoll that it was a great idea.

As Knoll stepped aside he motioned for the
other two men to come forward where they stood in front of me; both
waiting to be introduced. Liam nodded to Knoll and then said
“Carmina, this is Eirnan. He is the son of the Deputy Chief of the
Guardians. He is in charge of security and perimeter controls.” The
man stepped forward and bowed. He had light brown hair and dark
almond eyes, and appeared to be only a few years older than me. I
thought to myself it was odd that he was similar in age to me and
yet had such an important job. I quickly said, “Hello,” telling him
it was nice to meet him.

Liam then motioned for the other man to come
forward. He was the one who had addressed me as ‘Princess’ just
moments before. “Hello again,” he playfully joked, “I am Declan.”
He had dark black hair that hung just above his eyes which were the
color of a stormy sky; gray with flecks of blue and he was
gorgeous. I thought it strange that he hadn’t just introduced
himself moments before.

I was just about to ask when Liam stepped
forward and placing his hand on Declan’s shoulder he smiled at the
young man with adoration, saying, “Declan is soon to be 17 and his
animal ritual will be in two weeks’ time.” I was surprised that he
was only sixteen as he looked to be at least in his early twenties.
Not knowing what to say I just told him it was nice to meet him,
the same as I had done with Eirnan, trying to be as polite as
possible with all the sensations that were overwhelming me.

Finally Eleanor linked her arm through mine
and announced it was time to go. Turning towards the castle we
moved on; although I found I couldn’t help but look back and wave
to Declan who, to my surprise was still watching me.

Chapter 6

Reaching the enormous door to the castle we
walked through the entry way which was poorly lit with candles. I
couldn’t really make out the details of the hallway, although I
could tell it was breathtaking. We walked down a long corridor
illuminated with lanterns, and I tried to muffle a laugh when I
thought to myself how much it reminded me of medieval times.
Finally we entered a large room that was filled with large, plush
leather couches and chairs, which stood a marvelous fireplace,
built in the same grey stone as the rest of the castle. The floors
were white marble and the whole effect was beautiful.

Knoll and Maggie made their way to a love
seat sat next to the fireplace; Maggie sat with her legs delicately
tucked underneath her and her head on Knoll’s shoulder. Knoll
reached down and entwined his hand with hers. I had only known
Knoll for a few days, yet I knew that somehow this was the happiest
I had ever seen him. It dawned at me that I was genuinely happy for
him and felt a bit foolish for acting the way I had earlier in the
day

Eleanor and Liam sat across from the couple
on another love seat, but motioned for me to join them. I, however,
chose to sit in a chair facing the fireplace; that way I wouldn’t
feel like a third wheel. I couldn’t help but wonder what they were
all thinking. Maybe if I had known I would have actually been less
nervous.

Eleanor’s thoughts……

Eleanor looked at her daughter. She couldn’t
quite believe that she had finally been returned to them after all
these years. ‘Her daughter,’ she thought, ‘had turned out to be a
beautiful young woman.’ She also knew that Mina would indeed make a
wonderful leader for their little country. Eleanor felt awful for
springing all this on her child, but she knew Mina was strong and
would endure it. Placing her hand in her husbands, for the first
time in thirteen years she felt completely whole.

Liam’s thoughts……

Liam sat holding the love of his life’s
hand. He was happy and warm sitting in front of the fire with his
family. He too was thinking how glad he was to have his little girl
back, and he felt pride in how well she handled herself. He was
looking forward to getting to know her. He was glad to feel the
relief from the burden of her disappearance. A great pain was
lifted from his heart. Raising his head he sent a silent prayer to
the goddess; thanking her for his daughter’s safe return, and
hoping that she too would find love and happiness amongst her
family.

Maggie’s thoughts……

Maggie snuggled closer into Knolls embrace,
thankful for his safe return. Also for him finding her sister, and
returning her to them. Maggie had missed the little girl thinking
how Mina would often steal her toys and follow her around like a
shadow. Although she didn’t remember much else about the girl
sitting across from her, she realized she wanted to get to know her
and form a strong bond with her. Maggie was excited to have her
sister back and also glad to see the worry removed from her parents
faces. They had all lived in pain for too long! They deserved to be
nothing but happy.

Knoll’s thoughts……

Knoll leaned his head back against the cool,
leather couch; finally feeling whole. He placed his arm around
Maggie’s shoulders, occasionally kissing the top of her head or
swiping a piece of hair from her face. He felt very happy that
things had turned out so well; other than Mina being angry with
him. Thinking about Mina’s reaction earlier in the day he felt bad
for her but, his heart belonged to only one, and for that he wasn’t
sorry. He knew that Carmina would one day understand when she met
her soul mate. Knoll looked at Mina seeing how uncomfortable she
looked but he hoped that she would feel more settled soon.

Everyone sat in silence for some time until
I finally decided to break it and ask some questions that I was
curious about. Clearing my throat I sat up asking, “What now?”

Liam was the first to answer, “First, you
need to rest. Maggie can show you to your room, and then we will
have a family dinner!” The smile that had spread across his face
seemed contagious as he continued saying, “Then we will get ready
for your party tonight.”

Reacting to his comment I stood up quickly.
“My party?” I asked in a shocked tone.

Maggie stood, and walking over to me she
placed her hand on my shoulder. “You didn’t think that you could
just come home after all of these years and we not celebrate your
return?” she laughingly asked in a joking manner. I smiled, feeling
a pull at my heart strings. These people were so nice. They seemed
to love me so much, yet I still felt as if I was amongst strangers,
although I knew it was wrong to feel this way. These people were my
family and I wanted to give them the same love they appeared to be
giving me but I just didn’t know how; and there was nothing I could
do. With that thought in mind I promised myself to try my best to
get to know them better, and then maybe one day I would be able to
return their love.

Leaving the room I followed Maggie back down
the corridor towards a flight of stairs. As we walked up the long
winding staircase she turned to me, saying, “It truly is good to
have you home sister. I know that you are feeling overwhelmed, but
I want you to know that you can always talk to me about anything;
after all that is what sisters are for, right?” She displayed a
brilliant genuine smile so I thanked her as I was truly grateful
that she was such a good sister.

“I always wondered what it was like to have
a sister,” I said, “I’m glad that I get to know now.”

She nodded in agreement and said, “As am I
Mina.”

Finally we reached the top of the stairs,
which had seemed endless. Turning right we made our way to the end
of the hall until Maggie stopped at a door. “This is your room, try
and get some sleep before you clean up. There are clothes in your
closest and towels in the dressing room. I will wake you up in
about three hours for dinner,” she finished and turned and headed
towards the staircase. She had disappeared before I could tell her
thank you.

As I turned the knob of the white, elegant
door, I took a deep breath. I was finding it hard to hold in the
anticipation as I knew that my room would be beautiful; especially
if it looked anything remotely like the rest of the house. Pushing
open the door lightly, I was careful not to hit it against the
wall. Walking inside I couldn’t believe my eyes. This was to be my
new bedroom. It was amazing and suddenly I truly felt like a
princess.

Looking around I saw a giant, four poster
bed hung with large yellow silk drapes that hung gracefully down
the sides; and there was a yellow silk blanket tucked neatly around
the bed. When I looked up at the ceiling I decided it was my
favorite part of the room as there was a stained glass window in
place of the ceiling. This was made of brilliant yellows and
greens, and in the center was a large tulip. I couldn’t believe how
breathtaking it was. After several moments of taking in the beauty
of my new room, I decided to explore the rest of it.

Making my way into a huge bathroom, I
discovered a large vanity mirror with a counter stocked with
numerous beauty products. There was a large bath tub sitting next
to the enormous bay window, which at first made me a little uneasy.
But, the closer I looked at it, the more I realized it wasn’t a
real window after all but a large TV screen that had an image of
rolling hills; it was by far the neatest thing I had ever seen. It
was even cut into the shape of a window and framed as if it was
real.

After checking out the large walk-in shower,
which had beautiful marble floors, I made my way to the walk-in
closet. It was massive and there was no denying that I was in
heaven as there were shoes from floor to ceiling on appointed
shelves. Plus there were so many clothes, all in my size, that I
couldn’t believe my eyes. I wondered how they had known my size,
deciding I would ask them later.

Making my way towards the drawers I selected
a simple pair of pajama pants and a matching tank top. Quickly
throwing them on, I made my way to the large, comfortable bed,
pulling the blankets back as I climbed in. The softness was
surprising and it engulfed my body in all the right places; making
me feel safe and warm. Laying down I looked up at the beautiful
stained glass window, thinking about what my life would have been
like if I had grown up here; if I hadn’t been taken away. I
wondered if Maggie and I would have been close. Would I have had a
boyfriend? All of these thoughts coursed through my mind as I
slowly drifted off to sleep…….

Having left her sister Maggie had made her
way back down the stairs. She had a lot to do before dinner and the
party but she couldn’t get Knoll out of her mind, so decided to
send him a quick text message, writing, ‘I love you, and am happy
that you are home. Within a matter of seconds Maggie felt her phone
vibrate in her jeans pocket, and as she read the text her heart
grew warm. ‘I love you too, my everything. There is not a place I’d
rather be.’ Maggie knew that her and Knolls relationship was an
unlikely one but she was happy that she had stopped being so
stubborn and actually allowed him to take her on a date. She
giggled to herself as she reached the bottom of the stairs and
headed towards the room they had all been in earlier and where her
parents were still cuddling on the sofa.

Maggie cleared her throat, breaking the
silence as she made her way to sit in front of her parents. “She is
sleeping soundly,” she said, referring to Carmina.

“I am glad she is resting, it wasn’t an easy
journey here,” responded her mother smiling.

Her father nodded in agreement, saying, “I
know she has faced a lot. It makes me sick what those monsters have
put her through.”

Knoll told them that they had been quite
nice to her, appearing to have treated her very well. Liam stood up
and stretched; looking agitated as he said, “I am just happy that
they didn’t harm her, although the scars of their deception on her
go deeper than we will ever know. We must be patient with her.”

Eleanor chimed in, trying to cut the tension
from the air, “I hope she likes the party tonight.”