Ariel - The Next Generation: Kayla White

Gregory lay in bed for a while, then got up, dressed, splashed cold water on his face, and went downstairs. He found his father, Lord Sampson, drinking a cup of tea in the study.

“Good morning, Father.”

“Ah! Good morning, Son.”

“Has the queen captured the princess yet?” Gregory asked casually.

Lord Sampson sighed. “Alas, no. Those blasted soldiers searched for her all night and came back with no results.”

“Where did they search?”

“Everywhere, my boy: the forest, the swamp, the main road, the houses of her closest friends. The other kingdoms – particularly the First Kingdom – also sent out troops.”

“I was not aware that the princess had friends outside the palace.”

“But of course she did. Why, among them were Sir Wolf, his wife Virginia, and their son, Warren.”

Gregory’s eyes widened. “Father! Surely you don’t mean the Sir Wolf and Virginia; part of the four who saved the Nine Kingdoms?”

“Indeed. They saved us from that bloody evil queen with Sir Antony and King Wendell himself.”

“The princess must have been honored to be in their company. Where do they live, father? I should like to have a word with them.”

“They live in a cottage not far from King Wendell’s palace. Just drive south down the main road; you can’t miss it.”

“They live in a cottage?”

Lord Sampson shrugged. “King Wendell offered them private living quarters in the palace, but they refused. Only Sir Tony accepted. He runs a bouncy castle business, you know. Those things are quite extraordinary.”

“Yes, yes, I know, father,” Gregory said impatiently. “May I pay them a visit now?”

“So early? Will you not have a bite to eat?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“All right, then.”

Gregory said good-bye to Lord Sampson and departed from the room in high spirits. Things were looking up.

Queen Jasmine sat at the head of the table, gazing menacingly at the bowed heads of the soldiers around her.

Things had been going well at the Winter Ball. She’d given her pitiful husband one last kiss before she’d administered the poison that took his life, and she’d managed to make her daughter look guilty. With Wendell out of the way, she could rule the Fourth Kingdom as she pleased, but there was still one small problem.

She hadn’t counted on Kayla escaping.

The Fourth Kingdom’s Constitution clearly stated that if its ruler died before appointing an heir, the eldest prince or princess would take the throne. If there were no children of the royal family, the spouse would take the throne.

At the moment, it would be impossible for Kayla to be crowned queen; not with what was going on. But as long as she was alive, she had time to prove her innocence. And that was not a chance that Queen Jasmine was willing to take.

“Find her,” she hissed. “Find her… and kill her. Cut out her heart and bring it to me. The faster you do it, the more you will be rewarded.” She paused. “Did you hear what I said? What are you all standing there for? Go!”

Immediately the soldiers departed.

With a sigh, Queen Jasmine made her way into her room of magic mirrors. She felt at home with the possessions of her tutor.

She had never forgotten the day when the evil queen had secretly crowned her as her successor.

“I won’t live forever,” the queen had said, gently pulling off the velvety green hood that covered her reddish-brown hair. “But the House of White still stands tall. Dear Jasmine, this kingdom can be yours. All of them can be yours. All you have to do is finish my work when I am gone. Will you be my successor? Will you rule the Nine Kingdoms in my place, and free the world of the fools that have poisoned it?”

“Yes, my queen, I will.”

Queen Jasmine stood before one of the mirrors and pulled the blue pin that held her hair together from its bun. Instantly, waves of shining golden hair flowed past her shoulders, caressing her creamy cheeks. She took a deep breath and said deeply, “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”

“You are, my queen. You are.”

When Warren woke, he let his eyes get adjusted to the light and allowed the events from the past night to sink in.

King Wendell is dead. They think Kayla murdered him. But it’s not true.

Kayla kissed me last night.

Warren smiled, remembering the cool feel of her lips against his flesh. He’d do anything to feel that again.

He’d been in love with Kayla ever since he could remember. He would never admit it, of course. One look at her glowing blonde hair and soft hazelnut eyes, and he was hooked. He loved her smile, he loved her laugh, he loved the way she talked with him as if he were a brother. Actually, she did consider him a brother. She’d told him that before.

But he never suspected that she loved him.

It was only a kiss. A little peck on the cheek. Maybe he was taking it all the wrong way, but he hoped he was right. He hoped that she loved him.

Suddenly feeling awake and energized, he threw off the blankets and jumped into an erect position. He saw that Kayla was still sleeping on the couch, curled up into a ball. He listened to her soft breathing and longed to put his arms around her, longed to make her see that all he wanted was to make everything okay for her.

He sat down on the edge of the couch as carefully as he could, but to his surprise, Kayla stirred, and her eyes fluttered open. He stared stupidly at her.

“Um…do I have something on my face?” She looked at him oddly.

“What? Oh, no, of course not. You look perfect.”

“Then why are you staring at me?”

“Oh – sorry.” Embarrassed, he jumped off of the couch.

Suddenly, there was a sharp knock at the door. Kayla threw off the covers and sat up, instantly alert. Warren got her safely hidden beneath the trap door, and then he went to the front door to see who it was.

Virginia and Wolf were standing by the door, talking in hushed whispers.

“Mom? Dad? Who was that?”

“Is Kayla safely underground yet?” Wolf asked.

“Yeah. Who was that?” Warren repeated.

“Gregory Sampson. He claims to be Lord Sampson’s son.”

“Lord who?”

At the other side of the door, a familiar voice could faintly be heard. “Hey! Who the hell are you?”

“Is that Grandpa?” Warren asked, confused.

“Yes, Honey,” Virginia said with a sigh. “He went out to get the paper earlier this morning. Let’s just hope he doesn’t do something stupid.”

Tony’s voice could be heard again. “I’m Tony. I’m visiting my family. Do you mind? I’m trying to get in the house!”

“I know about Kayla,” the so-called Gregory Sampson said.

Warren’s heart began beating wildly.

Tony managed a laugh. “Who, that princess that murdered King Wendell? Yeah, I know about her too. Now if you’ll excuse me –“

“Please, sir. I know that she’s here. Wait… did you say that your name is Tony?”

“Yeah. Tony Lewis.”

“Oh, my! I’m very pleased to meet you, sir! One of the Four Who Saved the Nine Kingdoms! An honor, Sir, an honor!”

Great, Warren thought. His grandfather never did last long under flattery.

“No, the honor is mine! What were you saying about Kayla?”

“Oh, yes, Kayla. I know that’s she’s here.”

“We don’t house criminals. Look, I really have to –“

“I know that she’s innocent. I can’t prove it, but I saw the queen put the poison in king Wendell’s cup.”

Tony seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then suddenly grew angry. His fury was clear in his voice. “And you didn’t do anything about it? You let him drink the damn cup?”

“I assure you, sir; I never meant to put the king in harm’s way. I didn’t know it was poison.”

“What did you think it was, then? Kool-Aid powder?”

“I don’t follow, sir.”

“Never mind.”

Wolf sighed and looked at Virginia. “What do you want to do, Creampuff?”

Virginia took a deep breath. “Let him in. We’ll see what he has to say.”

Chief Colin Farmer, biting his lip, watched as Gregory Sampson entered the cottage with Tony Lewis.

So, this is where Kayla is hiding. My men didn’t do a thorough search, I see.

In a way, he was glad. Kayla was a wonderful, beautiful little girl, and it was a shame that he, being the Chief of Police, had been sent on a mission to kill her. And what was this about the queen killing the king? Surely the poor man had has facts wrong. And how did he know that Kayla was there in the first place? He shook his head in confusion and jogged back into the depths of the forest to gather his men.