Ellie's Walk

There once was a young girl of eleven and a half years old that went by the name of Ellie. Ellie was the youngest of two and charged with one job: take care of the dog. The dog’s name was Shadow and she was a black Cocker Spaniel. Ellie walked her dog around the block at the same time and in the same direction every day.

“Routine is healthy,” her mother would say. “Spontaneity is dangerous. Stick to the schedule.”

But today, Ellie didn’t want to stick to the schedule or follow the routine. The routine was boring. So, today, she decided to walk Shadow around the block in the opposite direction that she usually went.

As they round the first corner, Ellie is surprised to see a boy, an older boy, dressed in a beautiful purple coat and matching pants. He sits on the white marble steps of a magnificent house that Ellie has never seen before. The boy sits staring down at the now cobblestone street away from Ellie.

Alarmed, Ellie looks down at Shadow to find she has doubled in size, resembling a wolf more than a cocker spaniel. From there, Ellie notices her own shoes have changed from a scuffed pair of converse to sparkling slippers, and her faded sundress to a new beautiful pink, silk gown.

Panicked, Ellie walks towards the boy, the tiny heels of her slippers clicking softly on the stone. The boy hears the noise and looks in her direction.

A series of emotions cross his face: shock, recognition and something else that Ellie can’t describe. Finally, he smiles at her and the smile is so breath taking that Ellie forgets her train of thought.

“E-escuse me,” she stutters. “I think I’m lost. Where are we? I’ve never seen this house before.”

The boy continues to smile then replies, “Where would you like to be?” He gestures to the house at his back. “This is my home. We call it the Estate.”

Ellie studies the beautiful white mansion. It boasted fours large pillars that towered up to the second floor and on up to the roof above. The house stretched back past a brick wall where it disappeared in the sunlight. While looking at the mansion, Ellie remembers something her late grandfather once told her about white mansions and cobble stone streets.

“Marble court,” she spewed. She looks back to the boy. “My grandpa once told me of a magical place called the Marble Court or something like that. It was a bed time story.”

The boy’s smile grew. “This,” he made an all inclusive gesture, “is Wingsor. The Marble Court resides within the walls of the Estate. My mother runs the Marble Court. Her name is Queen Trina.”

Ellie’s eyes grew large with the sudden memory of her grandfather’s story. “If she is your mother then that makes you, Prince William.”

He smiles at her. “Yes, and I have waited a very long time for you, Ellie.”

Stunned, Ellie takes a step back. “How do you know my name?”

Prince William stood. “Come with me and I will explain. Now that you are here, we must not waste time.”

He began to walk down the road towards the next corner on the block. Ellie hesitates to follow. She looks at Shadow and weighs her options. She looks back at the way she had come and straightens her back. Routine is boring.

Quickly she catches up to the prince, commanding Shadow to follow. Prince William grins as she falls in step beside him. “My mother was captured during the great war a few years back. It was, I suspect, more of a deal struck between her and the rival Queen Darla. After Queen Darla left the kingdom, my mother remained locked in a tall, very well guarded tower. The kingdom wept, for no one knew how to free her. Many tried, and many died, my father, King Renely, among the many.”

Ellie turns her face up to Prince William’s. He looks sad and Ellie can relate. “I lost my father when I was very young. I don’t remember him at all. He was a soldier.”

The prince gives her a small smile. “Kindred spirits, we are. Soon after his death, a group of patrol men brought a tapestry back from a cave deep in the mountains. It held a prophecy. The queen would be captured. Darkness would follow. A son would rise. And the kingdom would be set right by a girl and her shadow.”

Enthralled, Ellie puts a hand on her beloved dog’s head. They approach the corner which looks dark and gloomy. Ellie can faintly make out the outline of trees. “You think I am the girl the prophecy speaks of.”

“I do,” Prince William says as he stops short of the trees.

Ellie stops as well and stares at the looming darkness of the canopy. “Nobody thinks that I can do anything. My only job has been to take care of Shadow.”

The prince reaches a hand out and places it on Ellie’s shoulder. He looks her in the eye and says, “You can do whatever you believe you can do. Do you believe you can do more than walk a dog and put food in a dish?”

Frozen by his touch, Ellie simply nods.

Prince William smiles at her. “Good, me too. Now, look up above the trees.”

Ellie tilts her head towards the sky and her mouth falls open in shock. Towering above the green tree tops is, well, a tower. It is made of grey stones and covered in dark green ivy vines. There is a single window near the rooftop. Ellie’s eyes continue the climb to the red roof and to the creature curled around its peak.

Ellie can’t believe what she is seeing. A dragon. “It looks almost like it’s carved from wood,” she comments as she stares.

“Come. We must continue,” the Prince urges as he walks into the shadows of the tree lined path.

Ellie hesitates. “But, there’s a dragon.” The Prince continues to walk. “A dragon,” she says a little more loudly.

Prince William stops and turns back to her. “I am fully aware that there is a dragon up there. He can fly, has talons and breathes fire like any normal dragon.” He turns back towards the forest.

Ellie glances up one more time before rushing with Shadow to catch up. “How do we get past him?”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” he says confidently continuing on.

“Soldiers couldn’t defeat him. How do you expect me to?”

“For one, you are not a soldier. Two, you’re not even from this world. Those facts lead me to believe that perhaps you think differently about things than we do.”

Ellie walks beside him in silence, processing what he has just said of her. Did she think differently? Even if she did, it was still a dragon that they had to defeat. A dragon. She decides it couldn’t hurt to gather more information. “Tell me more about this dragon.”

Prince William smirks. “His name is George.”

“George?”

The Prince laughs at her expression. “Yes, George. He used to be Queen Darla’s best soldier and lover. During the war, however, he betrayed her. Angry with him, Queen Darla hired a witch to turn him into a dragon. Then she took his heart out of his chest to control him and for safe keeping. The only way to kill a dragon is to destroy the heart in some way.”

“So, he can’t be killed.” The Prince nods.

Ellie thinks for a few moments. “Then we capture him or distract him.”

“That’s plausible if you can get past his fiery breath.”

Ellie stares ahead of them at the path cut through the trees. It’s a pretty backdrop of emerald green light coming through the canopy painting strange patterns on the stone and washing away the greys and browns.

Washing away.

Ellie puts a hand on Prince William’s arm in excitement. “We have to douse his fire!”

The Prince looks at her skeptically. “Douse his fire?”

“Yes!” She smiles because she can see it play out in her mind. “Shadow can act as a distraction and when George comes in for the roasting, we throw buckets of water into his mouth. Think about it. The fire has to be ignited inside him somehow and it’s obviously only exposed when he’s about to use it.”

The Prince mulls it over in his mind. “It’s … a very good possibility.” He smiles down at her and takes her hand to loop her arm through his. “I told you that you think differently. We’ll need buckets. There’s a stream that runs around the clearing where the tower stands.”

Ellie smiles. They had the start of a plan and she had her arm linked with a prince. An older and very handsome prince. “What do you think will happen after we extinguish his fire?” Ellie asks.

The Prince ponders it a moment. “I think… he’ll turn to his other defenses. His talons and his armor like skin. Which we could use as an advantage. If we have some chains and good timing then we can lasso his legs. Perhaps chain him down.”

It was a good plan but Ellie fears they can’t do it alone. “Is there anyone that can help us? That’s a lot to do for two people and a dog.”

At that moment they step onto the edge of the clearing still shaded by the cover of the trees. The Prince looks down at her worried face. “I never planned for us to do this on our own.” He points to the side of her so she turns her head to look at what he sees.

What she sees is a shadow moving in the trees. Then there are more shadows and they take form as they move closer into the light of the clearing.

Soldiers, lots of them, all wearing the same purple and gold as the Prince.

“You’re Highness,” the first soldier says bowing at the waist. He smiles at Ellie and tips his head in her direction. “My Lady.”

Ellie smiles shyly back at the soldier. He has blonde, wavy hair and eyes the color of her swimming pool water at home. She does a mini curtsy and watches his smile grow. She relishes the sweetness of it and is reminded of her older brother.

“I’m Colonel Augustus Axton. My army and I will be assisting in the rescue of the Queen. We will follow your orders, my Lady.” The Colonel continues to smile.

Ellie blinks. Two handsome fellows at her disposal and a whole army to back them up. They believe in her. She straightens and begins to tell Colonel Axton their plan.

“That sounds tricky and brilliant. How many buckets of water will we need? And how many chains?” the Colonel asks.

“I would say at least ten buckets and just as many chains.” She puts a hand on Shadow’s head. “I’m putting my best friend in danger. I don’t want to take the chance of missing the mark.”

The Colonel steps forward and offers his hand to the black wolf. Shadow offers him a paw in return. He smiles. “I’ll make it fifteen buckets. Did you train her?”

“Yes,” Ellie replies remembering the many hours spent training a young Shadow.

“It takes a special skill to lead others,” the Colonel says and gives Shadow’s paw a final shake. “Let’s get this started.” He heads off calling out names of soldiers and giving orders.

Half an hour later it is all assembled and ready to go. Ellie and Prince William stand at the front of the army on the edge of the clearing. They watch the dragon, as it now flew, circling the tower after detecting their movements on the ground.

“I have waited so long for this day.” Prince William turns to Ellie and kneels so that they are at eye level with each other. “I have waited so long for you, Ellie. I want to thank you, in advance.”

“It may not work though,” Ellie replies as the doubt starts to build in her gut. “I’ve never fought a dragon before.”

The Prince puts his hands on her shoulders. “I believe it will work. Remember, you can do anything as long as you believe you can do it.”

Ellie gives him what she hopes is a brave smile. He stands and signals to the army. Ellie signals Shadow to patrol, a command that took three long months to perfect. Now she circled the tower sticking to the edge of the forest, keeping an ear cocked toward Ellie.

Ellie watches with dread as the dragon, George, spots the prowling wolf. He roars and starts to descend. Shadow hears the noise and gives a warning howl and growl before running for Ellie. It broke Ellie’s heart as the dog raced to her knowing that she would have to give the command for her best friend to stay in the middle of the danger.

At twenty yards out, Ellie does just that and Shadow obediently stops as does Ellie’s heart. George makes his plunge, mouth open.

Ellie can see Shadow’s body quiver and a tear escapes at the sound of her whimpering. Then, to her relief, Prince William yells, “Now!” and the fifteen soldiers step out of the trees. Ellie yells, “Come, Shadow!” The black dog streaks for safety as the men throw the water down the dragon’s exposed throat.

George coughs and sputters smoke as he tries to ignite the men on the ground but no fire comes. Angry, George flaps his colossal wings and takes to the sky. He makes a wide turn and heads for the men once more this time feet first, talons gleaming.

Colonel Axton steps up and orders the men to get the chains ready. As the men gathered the chains, Prince William steps up to the edge of the clearing and looks to the tower. With a nod to Ellie and the Colonel, he sprints for it. Seeing the movement, George changes paths and dives for the Prince.

The soldiers follow suit and time their launch perfectly as the chains wrap around the dragon’s legs. They pull and the dragon tumbles from the air to the ground. Colonel Axton calls for the second round of chains and men rush out to throw chains over the dragon’s back.

George bucks and squirms but the men, for once, seemed to be stronger. Defeated, George lays his head on the ground.

Colonel Axton approaches the dragon’s head. He looks George in the eye then orders for another chain to be positioned over the dragon’s head, just to be safe.

Ellie steps out of the tree line. The dragon is more magnificent and terrifying up close. His brown scales gleam in the sun and his muscles ripple under the pressure of the chains. One obstacle down.

She turns as Prince William calls her name and gestures for her to join him. She walks across the clearing to where the Prince stood beneath the tower. Shadow follows closely, protectively at her side.

Prince William stares up at the tower and shields his eyes to get a better view. When he senses her near he asks, “How do you suppose we are going to get up there?” He looks at Ellie. “And how are we going to get my mother down safely?”

Ellie studies the tower and the clearing, searching her resources. She tugs at the vines to test how sturdy they are. They don’t snap but they seem to pull away from the stones.

They could pull the vines loose and use it as a rope. She scans the top of the tower for something to hook the vines around and make a pulley. Then they could make some kind of net to lower the Queen down in. But she didn’t see anything they could use to do that.

Ellie isn’t aware of the Prince looking at her with a small smile on his face. “Tell me your thoughts, Ellie.” She looks at him and is baffled at his smile. “Perhaps we can come up with something together.”

Ellie rubs her hand under her chin. “The vines seem thick and strong but they aren’t exactly attached to the stone.”

The Prince frowns and pulls on the vines himself. With his strength, he pulls them off the wall completely. It exposes the stones and gives Ellie another idea.

“The stones,” she says pulling some more vines away from the wall. “They aren’t smooth.”

The Prince catches on quickly. “I could climb it like I do the mountains. Foot holds and hand holds.”

Excited again, Ellie begins to help the Prince clear vines away from the wall. “Maybe there will be something inside that you can tie the vines to and make like a pulley with a seat to lower the Queen in.”

Prince William stops pulling vines away from the wall to look at Ellie in amazement “A seat. You truly are brilliant, Elizabeth.”

Ellie stops and looks over at him, blushing. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he replies. They smile at each other for a moment before Ellie looks back to the tower.

“You should probably get to climbing. The Queen is waiting.”

Prince William turns back to the wall and straightens his coat for show. “You’re quite right, my Lady. Colonel Axton!”

The Colonel trots over. “Yes, you’re Highness?”

“I need you to use these vines and construct a rope with some type of seat sturdy enough to lower the Queen down safely. I am going to climb up and check on her. Send one of your soldiers up with the rope. It will take both of us to lower her.”

“Yes, you’re Highness.” Colonel Axton turns to carry out his orders.

“Colonel,” the Prince says staring at Ellie, “one more thing.” He walks to her and runs his thumb down her cheek. “Keep Ellie safe. There’s still a dragon on the ground.”

The Colonel smiled. “Of course, you’re Highness.”

With a nod, Prince William turns back to the wall, taking only a moment to plot his route before beginning to climb.

Ellie swallows hard as she watches the Prince ascend. It seems it was reaching farther than she could imagine was possible for the holds and it scared her. Finally, he pulls himself over the edge of the window to safety. The soldier with rope follows shortly after.

After the soldier makes it safely through the window, Ellie releases the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. New worry began as the Queen and her son stepped up to the window. Ellie waves halfheartedly and the Queen returns the gesture. Ellie smiles.

It wasn’t long after that that Ellie was standing face-to-face with the beautiful Queen Trina from her grandfather’s stories.

The first thing Ellie notices is her hair. It was the same shade of brown as the Prince’s and was neatly tucked into a bun at the back of her neck. A few strays frame her heart shaped face and brown eyes. She looks like a queen despite the dress she wore being smudged with dirt and torn at the hem. She is regal and tall, falling just short of her son as he steps up beside her.

The Prince smiles brightly. “Mother, I would like to introduce to you, Ellie and her dog, Shadow. They-“

“Helped rescue me. I saw.” The Queen smiles and steps closer to Ellie. “You are a very strong little girl. Thank you.”

Ellie couldn’t think. The Queen was thanking her. Queen Trina. She blinked a few times to bring her mind to focus. “All I did was give the Prince and the Colonel a few ideas…”

“You risked your life, and Shadow risked hers, to save me.” Queen Trina leans in to give Ellie a hug. “You will forever be welcome in Wingsor, Ellie. And if there is anything you ever need, all you have to do is ask.”

Prince William lays a hand on his mother’s shoulder. “Let’s get you home, Mother.”

The Queen pats his hand and gives it a light squeeze. “I will be fine, William. Make sure Ellie and Shadow are taken care of.”

It hit Ellie then that it had been hours since she and Shadow had left for their walk. Her face reflected her panic. “I need to go. I’m sure my mother and brother are sick with worry.”

Prince William offers a hand to Ellie. “Come, we will take a carriage.”

Ellie takes his hand and calls for Shadow to follow. He leads her through the trees to a purple and gold carriage harnessed to two sleek, black horses.

Prince William opens the door of the carriage and helps Ellie inside. He steps in behind her and Shadow follows suit. Queen Trina steps up to the window.

“I do hope you will visit us again, Ellie. Good bye for now.”

Ellie smiled. “I will try. Good bye.” The Prince signals to the driver and the carriage pulls away. “For now.”

Ellie sits quietly watching the forest pass by her window. It didn’t take long before she felt the carriage turn and she knew it wouldn’t be long before her adventure would come to an end. She looks over at the Prince who had been quietly looking out his window the whole trip. He didn’t look especially happy for someone whose mother had just been successfully rescued.

“Is everything okay, Prince William?”

The Prince sighs and continues to look out his window. “My mother is safe. The kingdom will rejoice and have peace in the land. Yes, everything is okay. Except that you are leaving us.” He looks at her with sadness.

Ellie gives him a small smile. “I’m just some silly girl who decided to walk in the opposite direction.”

The Prince shakes his head. “You are not a silly girl.”

The carriage comes to a stop and the Prince opens the door. Shadow jumps out first then the Prince. He turns and lifts Ellie out of the carriage She tries to pull away and hide the tears threatening to fall.

Gently, he turns her face to his. “You are not a silly girl,” he repeats. “You are brilliant. And you will be missed. I will miss you, Ellie.”

She throws her arms around him. “Don’t say good bye.” The Prince wraps his arms around her.

“Never,” he says fiercely against her hair before pulling back. Ellie swipes angrily at her eyes.

“I hate crying,” she declares.

The Prince produces a hanky from a pocket of his jacket. “Here. Keep it as a reminder to find your way back to me. To Wingsor, I mean.”

Ellie takes the hanky and smiles. Her grandfather used to carry one too. “Somehow, someday, I will come back.”

The Prince smiles. “I believe you will. I will be waiting for you.”

“Then I believe I will,” she says stepping away from him, knowing if she didn’t now, she may never. She walked Shadow towards the sunset.

The brightness was blinding.

Everything was back. Everything was normal. Ellie sighed then looked down at her hand.

She still held the Prince’s purple handkerchief.1