Chapter Twelve ~ The Two Sides of an Argument

Hazel, Jack, Ryne, and Emily stared up at the mighty castle before them. “Impressive!” Emily commented to no one in particular. “Strange… There are no guards.” Hazel noticed. They marched up the steps and entered the building. Once inside, they gasped at the beautiful halls, paintings by famous artists lining the wall. It wasn’t too hard to find the throne room, and from the rest of the castle, weren’t surprised to see the awe inspiring throne. In it, was a woman writing math problems. “Your majesty?” Hazel said, bowing in respect. She looked up, slightly startled to seeing guests. “Welcome! Have you come here to learn?” “Uh… No. We came here to ask for directions.” Emily stated. “With knowledge, all roads are open to you!” Queen Beth exclaimed with passion. “Where do you wish to go?” “Back in the valley, a rockslide separated us from our friends. Is there a place where the path meets back up again?” Hazel questioned. The queen frowned and replied, “I do apologize, but that road has been closed until further notice. My sister has been causing problems for me, so I refuse to have contact.” “What happened?” Jack joined in. “All I want is for everyone in the kingdom to be educated. That way, we could create many new advances in technology and change this world for the better. Jacqueline disagrees with me, however, so the kingdom is divided.” “That makes sense.” Emily responded. The apprentice found himself agreeing. Ryne nodded silently.

Wen put her hand to her head, trying to fight the oncoming headache. Great… Bruno, Eva, Kylie and Rowena. I’ve got the Weirdo, the Panic Attack, the Sarcastic One and the Crazy One. “Are we there yet?” Rowena asked out of boredom… for the seventh time. “We’re not any closer than when you last asked ten seconds ago!” Bruno shouted, shooting her a glare. “Actually, we are here!” Wen cried with relief. A “castle” stood before the group. Unlike the other one that shimmer from across the valley, this castle was rather small. Visible divots could be seen where gems used to be. There were guards, which all raised their weapons upon seeing the knights. “Who goes there?” one asked angrily. “We are from Whitmore castle of King Maximus. May we speak to your queen?” Wen asked politely, raising her hands in the air. To her surprise (and relief), the others did the same. The guards nodded, and led them into the building.

Inside was just as unimpressive as the outside. If it wasn’t for the queen’s residency, the building could have been a large house. They came upon the throne room, where a woman was conversing with a few other people. She was noticeably the queen because she was the only one who wore clean clothes. She looked up from her companions as a guard came to speak with her. After a few whispers and finger pointing, she came to the visitors. “Why are you here? Isn’t this a little far from your home?” she questioned suspiciously. Wen relayed their story of separation and said, “I believe they may have ended up across the valley-” Queen Jacqueline stated, “Then I can’t help you. My sister and I aren’t currently on speaking terms.” “What’s wrong?” Eva asked. “She recently started going about and saying it is mandatory for all citizens to be schooled. I understand that it would benefit many to be educated, but she looked over a simple fact: not everyone can AFFORD to be taught! Going to a school takes time out of their work day, in which they need to be making money for their families! I couldn’t believe this, especially with the extravagance of her castle. Most of the lower class lives on this side of the valley, so I try to help out in any way I can.” the queen explained. Silence followed after her speech. After a few seconds, Wen asked, “Is there any way we can help?”