The platinum key

Chapter 1: The secret kingdom

This story begins in a land far away called Fristad, it means sanctuary. The name came from a time when this land were at war with another country. The people of Fristad let anyone who needed it find a sanctuary, no matter where they came from. Now one hundred years later Fristad is under attack, another country called Evanger wants to invade Fristad to expand their own kingdom. Fristad fights with all it’s might but the situation is severe and they can’t hold out for long, they need help. They need help from the legendary warriors that were exiled one hundred years ago, they were accused of killing the Queen of Fristad at that time. The soldiers from Evanger is about to take over the castle and they want to force Fristads Princess to marry the Prince of Evanger. The soldiers will do everything they can to break into the castle. This is the story about me, Princess Marianne and how I will give all my might to save my people.

My family and I are in our beautiful throne room. It has two big thrones made out of massive gold and on the right side there is one little golden throne, that is very comfortable. The small throne is mine and the two big thrones belongs to my parents. Then throne room is inspired by the medieval throne rooms and it even has decorations from that time. In Fristad it is the beginning of the 18th century. My father, the King of Fristad is an ordinary looking man, with sea blue eyes, chocolate brown hair, he is tall and he is very fit. He wears clothes that are common in the 18th century for Kings. My mother, the Queen of Fristad is a beautiful woman, she has big forest green eyes, a heart shaped face, a mouth with the color of roses and she has long curly hazel colored hair that she keeps in place with her crown. She wears a beautiful royal blue gown that is covered in lace, it looks like a ball gown. I am the Crown Princess of Fristad and I look a lot like my mother but my subject’s thinks that I am even more beautiful. Just like my mother I keep my hair in place, but I have a tiara made of silver that swirls in different directions and comes together holding a sapphire jewel instead of a crown. My tiara is very precious it holds a mysterious power that will help protect the Princess when she needs it the most, I always wear it and I am not allowed to take it off. I wear a gorgeous forest green gown, that consist of lots of layers of fabric, it is fluffy but it is very heavy.

My father reveals the chain that he always wear under his clothes on the chain there is a platinum key. My father is just about to do something with the key when the sound of footsteps is heard from a far. My father plants the key in my hand and tells me to use it.

* My sweet child, us this key to find the legendary warriors that were exiled from Fristad one hundred years ago, they were accused of killing the Queen that ruled Fristad at the time, but our forefather, the great King Leon suspected that they were framed. The King exiled them and helped them find their way to the land they came from. The people of Fristad were not happy with the Kings decision. A small group of villagers tried to kill the warriors by ambushing them but they were stop by the King every time. He saved the legendary warriors lives, remind them of this debt and convince them to help us save our kingdom from Evanger’s grasp. My sweet Marianne to activate the key you must say your full name and pretend that you are opening an invisible door.

Footsteps are heard from outside the throne room, my parent’s take’s out different weapons that they have been hiding inside of their clothes. They stand on guard waiting for the door to burst open. My father tells me in a calm voice that I need to use the key now, that I have no other choice than to leave them behind and not look back. I am stunned by my father’s words but I realize that I have no other choice so I raise the key.

* Princess Marianne Julia Liv Eliza the first, future ruler of Fristad. Descendant to the first Queen of Fristad and the unknown lands Eliza Lunen. I say with a shaky voice.

I turn the key into what I imagine to be an invisible door and suddenly a huge light in the form of a door appears before me. The soldiers from Evanger storms the room, a battle emerge but the soldiers overpower my parents with only a few loses. The soldiers try to capture me but I manage to escape by jumping through the door of light. Everything is so bright that I can’t see anything, but despite that fact I feel safe. The door closes behind me and I relax when a feeling of familiarity comes over me. I start to fall and when I feel like I might fall forever I finally stop only to land in something wet and cold. I start to feel heavy, I look down to confirm my suspicion. I landed in a vast and for me unknown sea. I try to orientate in the sea but it is impossible, it is night and the moon is not shining bright enough. I have always been a good swimmer but my royal gown is weighing me down, I might drown if I keep on wearing it. The gown is getting heavier and it is hard for me to take it off, I am not used to take it off without my handmaidens help. With a lot of effort I am finally able to take it off and when it is gone I am only wearing my white undergarments, they are as good as see through in the water. I start to swim once more but I can’t find land. After a long time of swimming I grow tired and I start to float.

     While floating, I try to figure out what I should do next. Suddenly a huge shadow casts over me and I can see the hull of a huge ship. It comes closer and I need to make sure that they can find me. I wave with my arms above my head from side to side.

* Help! Please help me. I scream with the little power that I have left.

I feel something grab me from underneath the surface. Whatever it is tries to drag me under.

* Ah whatever it is, please let me go. I scream in panic.

* Calm down lady. I am just trying to help you come aboard our ship so you won’t drown. We will not harm you, I give you my word as a gentleman. Says my rescuer.

I am to tired and shocked to thank him so I just let him help me. Once I get on the ship I feel all the sailor’s eyes on my undergarments that are see through, I try to cover my body with my hands. My rescuer covers my body with a blanket.

     Now that the sailors have stopped staring at my body I am finally able to face my rescuer. He is a handsome young man that appears to be the same age as me. He has shoulder long golden hair, amber colored eyes, a handsome smile, a face that would make any man green with envy, he is tall and have a fit body. His clothes confuse me, it looks like he is wearing something from the middle ages. I am glad that I had to leave my gown on the bottom of the sea, the gown I wore looked completely different since it is from the 18th century. The young man studies me carefully and he seems to like what he sees.

     He ushers me into his cabin on the ship. It is an extravagant cabin and it looks like a chamber in a royal palace. There is a big bed, a desk full of papers, expensive looking decorations, a mirror covered in gold, a big painting of what looks like the royal palace of this dimension and there is a big beautiful wardrobe made of oak. The young man opens the wardrobe, he takes out white, dry undergarments, a towel and the most beautiful gown I have ever seen. It is long, the fabric looks like the night sky and the design is the same as most gown from this era. Just who is this man? Why did he bring me to his cabin? Will he try to take advantage of me?

I move so that there is a lot of space between us. The young man is very intelligent.

* My lady, you have nothing to fear from me or my men. I would never try to harm you or take advantage of a damsel in distress. Says the young man.

* Thank you for saving me and thank you for lending me some dry clothes. I appreciate everything that you have done for me and I will forever be in your debt my lord but I best be leaving. I have an important mission to carry out. Says I.

* My fair lady you don’t owe me anything, it was a pleasure to save you but I most that you stay with us at least until we reach land. My fair lady, my name is Prince Oskar Elliott the first but you can call me Oskar. May I ask your name my lady? My rescuer asks.

I courtesy and then I clear my throat.

* It is an honor to make your acquaintance your majesty. My name is Ellie, I am seventeen and I come from a distant part of the land. I grew up on a farm. I say.

* Excuse me for saying this my lady but that it is a lie. We have not had farms or farmers for over three hundred years, not since we discovered a way to duplicate food and made it possible for everyone to do this at home. Oskar says.

* I am sorry for lying to you, your majesty. I am not sure if I can fully trust you, I need to get to know you first. Everything accept the fact that I grew up on a farm is true. Can you trust me until I am ready to tell you the truth? I ask.

* Alright in the meantime I have a few questions for you. Do you know where we are? What is your mission? How can I help you with your mission? Oskar asks.

* I am sorry your highness but I have no clue whatsoever about our position. I can’t tell you about my mission, but you can help me by telling me everything you know about the legendary warriors. I say.

* We are in the land of the Mystical kingdom. You might know it under a different it is also called the secret kingdom. We got the name from the fact that we are completely sealed from the other countries and the fact that we are a very mysterious kingdom. Oskar says.

* Wow I did not know that this country really existed. When I was little my father would always tell me stories about this place, but I always thought that it was just stories and nothing more. I say.

* My sweet Ellie. Just now you slipped up. Now I know that you are not from this land therefor you must come from another dimension. Oskar says.

* Fine, you got me. I grew up in the royal palace of a land called Fristad. I admit.

* Nice to finally speak to the real you Ellie. I’m going to order the sailors to make this ship go faster. Later I will tell you everything I know about the legendary warriors. Oskar says.

As soon as the door closes behind Oskar I throw myself toward the door and lock it. I let the blanket fall to the floor and I take of my wet undergarments. The towel is warm and it feels good to be dry. With haste, I put on the gown and once it is on I sit down on the bed. I us this time to reflect on everything. Earlier today I was with my parents, I watched them get defeated and captured. I used a strange key to get to another dimension. I almost drowned, but I was saved by a handsome Prince. My rescuer is kind, generous and it seems like he wants to help me in my quest for the legendary warriors. Can I trust Oskar with everything or should I be careful when I share information with him?

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I lay down, take deep breaths and suddenly there is a huge knock on the door. After I open the door Oskar enters and he locks the door behind him. He looks at me and he smiles.

* You look beautiful and amazing in that gown. By the way gorgeous, you never told me how you ended up in the sea? Oskar asks.

I look for the key but I can’t find it. Did I accidentally drop in the sea? I can feel a chain around my neck, I look down and see that the platinum key is hidden under the gown. I pull it out and show it to Oskar. He grabs the key that is still around my neck to study it closer and it seems like it is very familiar to him.

* How did you get this key? Did you still it from the royal family and forced a member to use it so that you could come here? Oskar asks with an angry voice.

* No I did not steal it. The King gave it to me when the palace where infiltrated. He told me that I had to use it so that I could remind the legendary warriors of their debt to the royal family and the King told me to convince them to help us save Fristad from the enemies. I say.

* I believe you. Do you know who gave this platinum key to the ruler of Fristad? Oskar asks.

* No I do not. I admit.

* This was given to the ruler of Fristad one hundred years ago, the man who gave away the key told the ruler to hand it down to the next ruler till the end of days. It was given to the royal family as a final thank you from the legendary warriors. The legendary warrior Ceasario gave this key to the royal family so that they could come here if all hope was lost for Fristad. Oskar says.

There is an awkward silence. After a long pause, I open my mouth to ask for more information about the legendary warriors but he beats me to it.

* It’s getting late. I want you to sleep in my bed and I will sleep on the floor. Oskar says.

* You don’t have to sleep on the floor, you can sleep next to me instead. I say.

* I’m afraid not Ellie, it would be inappropriate for me to sleep in the same bed as a young woman I am not married to. Oskar says.

* This is ridiculous, why should you sleep on the floor and get a sore back for that reason? I don’t want to sleep alone tonight, I am afraid that I might have nightmares about the invasion. Please share this bed with me. I say.

     He nods and starts to remove the decorative pillows. He turns his back to me and gives me a nightgown. I quickly remove the beautiful gown and put on the nightgown. Once I am done I lay myself under the quilt on the bed and I clear my throat so that Oskar will know that he can turn around. I close my eyes and covers my eyes with my hands so that he can change. There is a change in the bed and I can feel Oskar’s hands grab mine and remove them from my eyes. We start talking for long time and he does not let go of my hands. Oskar tells me all about his upbringing. He talks about his kind, loving and caring parents. He tells me about his younger sisters, the intelligent Princess Mira and the kindhearted yet shallow Princess Vienna. He tells me that Princess Mira is incredibly intelligent, witty, funny and she thinks that reading enriches your life. He tells me that Princess Vienna loves music, dancing, singing, theatres, she is a kindhearted and funny person but she can be superficial.

     I drift in to deep sleep hearing his words. My dream is happy at least until I see a thunderbolt appear in front of me. When the thunderbolt disappears, I am brought back to the moment I escaped from the soldiers from Evanger. In my dream, I am not able to flee to the secret kingdom. The soldiers capture me and I am brought before the King of Evanger. He gives me an ultimatum either I marry the Prince of Evanger or he will kill my people. Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! It is just a nightmare open your eyes. My vision in the dream turns me toward the Prince of Evanger. He is good looking, he is tall, has sharp cheekbones, brown eyes, pitch black short hair and a to fit body.

* I am coming for you my Princess. My gorgeous bride, you will be mine! Evanger’s Prince screams at me.

I scream with all my strength; my eyes are burning and I can feel tears fall down my cheeks. Someone dries the tears away and I realize that it must be Oskar, I plunge my eyes open.

* Shush, you’re okay. It was just a dream, I am here for you. When you screamed, I woke up and I needed to make sure that you were alright. Oskar says.

     He holds me in his arms to comfort me and I lay my head on his chest. He holds me like this until I stop crying and fall asleep out of exhaustion. When I wake up the next morning I am still in his arms. He wakes up short after me, he makes sure that I am fine, then he leaves the bed and go through the door. After a while he enters the room holding a tray full of food. There are pancakes, sandwiches, waffles, coffee and fruit, we eat in silence, I have always loved food. When we are done eating I tell him an edited version of my nightmare, I change so that he won’t figure out who I really am. He tells me that we are on the way to the royal palace and that we will be arriving in a few days. He opens the wardrobe the he pulls out a green and gold ball gown with a set of matching heels. He gives me the clothes and then he leaves the cabin before he leaves he asks me to stay in the cabin so that the sailors won’t be tempted by my body. As soon as he leaves the room I lock it behind him.

     The following days go by quickly. Oskar and I spent the rest of our journey getting to know each other better. As we learn more about each other we become friends. I want to tell him who I am and even more as the friendship deepens but I am afraid that he will despise me for keeping this from him for so long in the friendship. The day we reach harbor I wear the night sky gown. He helps me climb down the gangway and he helps me to get into the extravagant carriage that was awaiting our arrival. Once we are both seated the carriage takes off. Beautiful landscapes pass by and I can’t stop looking at the view. When we approach the palace, Oskar asks me to let him handle the conversations and I nod in agreement. I try to get a good view of the palace, it is breathtaking. It is a huge palace covered in gold, it has a big lake and a lot of greenery. It is one of the most beautiful palaces that I have ever laid my eyes on.

     Suddenly the carriage pulls to a stop and Oskar helps me get out of the carriage. I look down and see that I am standing on a red carpet, a long side the carpet there are a lot of people that either bows or courtesy when they see Oskar. Everyone present is staring at me, it is obvious that he has not informed them about my arrival. We walk down the carpet awkwardly side by side and once we reach the royal family I hesitate. This is frightening. How much can I trust them? Will they help me? I am going to meet Oskar’s parents, this is too much. Just as I am about to make a run for it Oskar sees my frightened expression, he takes my hand and leads me toward his family. Everyone gives out a sound of surprise when they see us holding hands in a tight grip. One of the Princesses rises and raises her voice.

* Why is that peasant wearing my favorite gown? She asks in a loud voice.

* Calm down my sweet child, I am sure that there is a good explanation behind this. You are being quite rude to your brother who has been absent for so long and his “guest”. The King says.

* You should at least introduce yourself before you scream at her and beside she is not a peasant, she is a noblewoman. Oskar says.

* Good day, my name is Princess Vienna, it is an honor to make your acquaintance. Princess Vienna says.

I courtesy and wait for Oskar to introduce me to his family.

* This lady by my side is lady Ellie. She grew up in the palace of Fristad. The King used Ceasarios key to send her here so that she could flee from the soldiers that invaded the palace. The King sent her here in the hope that she would find the legendary warriors and convince them to aid Fristad. We found her in the sea when we were on our way here. She nearly drowned due to the exhaustion of swimming for hours with a heavy gown. Oskar says.

I study the royal family trying to figure out what they are thinking while Oskar informs them on everything. I study Princess Vienna closely, she appears to be fifteen, she is very pretty, she has amber colored eyes, she has the same golden hair as Prince Oskar but hers reaches down to the bottom of her spine. She is dressed in a green middle eaves gown that has an exquisite design that is hard to explain the gown looks like the money spent on it would be enough to feed countless of homeless. She wears a simple, silver tiara that flatters her and makes her look in more beautiful. I study Princess Mira next, she is a younger and female version of Prince Oskar. She wears an elegant red gown and she smiles a bright smile at me. Her smile is breathtaking. I turn to the Queen, she is a classic beauty, she has a heart shaped face, a tiny nose, big amber eyes, chocolate brown curly hair that she keeps in place with her discrete golden crown, she is short and has a tiny waist but she wears it well. She wears a beautiful golden gown that is costumed made for her. She smiles at me with a smile full of warmth and curiosity. Lastly, I study the King, he is tall, has a fit body, he has the same golden hair as Prince Oskar, sharp cheekbones, light blue eyes that seem like they can see through you. It looks like that he is somewhere around thirty but he is close to fifty. He is wearing a classic and traditional armor that is worn by most Kings. He wears a huge golden crown that looks extremely heavy. The Queen studies me closely.

* Oskar my dear are you sure that his young lady has told you her true heritage? The Queen asks.

* She only told me that she grew up in the palace but her manners where too good for that to be true and she seemed to know a lot about the legendary warriors. She knew information that only the royal family knows, so then I realized who she really is, but I let her believe that I was ignorant. Oskar says.

* My lady, is Ellie a nickname for Eliza? The Queen asks.

* Yes, it is a nickname for Eliza. I confirm.

END OF CHAPTER 1