Chapter 25

Chapter 25

          As Annabelle waited for Nixie to get back to health, with the queen she had just received a very important letter.

“Your Majesty, you have received a very important letter,” Marissa stated as she walked into the queen’s bedroom with a letter in her hand.

“Whose it from?” Gwen asked sitting up from her chair.

“Annabelle…,” Marissa replied as her voice trailed off.  Gwen’s face became grim as she stood up and gently took the note from Marissa and reading it silently to herself.

“Oh no….,” Gwen gasped, putting her hand over her mouth and handing the letter back to Marissa.

“Marissa, I need to go, make sure everyone gets inside now.  The Crognards have crossed the border,” Gwen demanded before storming out of her room and began traveling deep into the woods.

          Gwen traveled for three hours before reaching the border.  Without a word Gwen stormed past the Hobgoblin guards, who had fallen asleep, and slammed the vines in front of her into the rotten tree stump.  She picked up her pace into a brisk walk as she continued to shove her way past every Crognard who dared to attack her, her head held high.  She reached a dead, rotten, musky tree stump with a jagged top as the tree had fallen, and thorns surrounding the entrance.  Gwen shoved the Crognard guards into the thorn bush as she clomped her way up to the king’s bedroom before she pounded on the door.

“Varkus! Open this rotted heap of trash before I tear it down myself this instant!” Gwendolyn hollered, her voice cracking from the blazing anger in which she spoke.

“Well, well, well, look who has made an appearance, miss Gwendolyn herself,” Varkus cackled from behind the door before opening it and coming face to face with the furious queen, not one bit of joy on her face to be seen. 

“How dare you attack Nocotee? After all these years you still can’t leave us alone!” Gwen yelled, shaking the walls as Varkus remained still as a statue while stroking his beard with his right hand.

“Oh, darling, you just don’t get it do you?” Varkus asked, his voice devious.

“Shut up,” Gwen snapped.

“Ooh! She’s feisty!” Varkus exclaimed in an overly sarcastic girly toned voice while making big hand gestures.

“So help me Varkus, if you even dare send another one of your fowl Crognards into Nocotee there will be one less person in this room…and it won’t be me.,” Gwendolyn said with a low stern voice as she grabbed Varkus by the front of his shirt, yanking him down to her level until they were eye to eye.  Varkus gave a smirk before he gently placed his hand under Gwen’s chin and slowly moved closer to her lips.  Gwen loosened her grip on Varkus’s shirt collar, then….slap! Gwendolyn slapped her hand onto the side of Varkus’s face so powerful that he is thrown across the room into a bucket of stagnant swamp water.