Caitlin smiled wider.
"Maybe," she responded.
"That's the tower!" Caleb yelled out. "That's where King Arthur and his knights met.” He then pointed in another direction.
"And there is Saint George’s Chapel. Where rulers met for hundreds of years.” They flew over the castle's grounds, circling again and again, taking it all in. Caitlin was more impressed every time they flew over it. She felt something stir within her, and knew, just knew, that whatever clue was next, it was below. She felt encouraged again, as she knew she was in exactly the right place for the mission.
"Where should we land?" Sam yelled out.
Caitlin had been wondering the same thing herself. The castle grounds were so immense, the clue, whatever was, could be anywhere. More importantly, she noticed royal guards and soldiers standing watch in every direction, and knew that if they just landed smack down in the middle of the place, it might set off a confrontation.
"Let's land outside the castle, and approach the main entrance formally.” They all seemed to like the idea, and they all dove down and landed out of sight, behind a group of trees.
Caitlin set Scarlet down and Caleb set Ruth down, and Scarlet immediately grabbed Caitlin’s hand, bouncing with joy, as the group of them walked towards the main gate.
"Can we do that again!?" Scarlet asked. "I want to keep flying!"
"Soon," Caitlin smiled. "We need to see the Princess first."
"Will she be wearing a crown?" she asked. "Can I wear it, too?"
Caitlin smiled. "We'll see," she said.
The five of them, Ruth in tow, approached the main entrance. Caitlin looked up at the towering stone wall, and it was much more imposing from down here. Before them stood several guards, standing at attention, blocking the door.
Caitlin realized they must have seemed like a strange collection of people—her, Caleb, her brother, Polly, Scarlet, and Ruth. She worried for a second what the guard’s reaction might be. She assumed it was not every day that a group of visitors appeared out of nowhere, and approached the royal palace.
"The castle is closed for visitors," a guard snapped firmly, looking straight ahead, blocking their way.
They stopped, and Caitlin stood there, contemplating her options. She was afraid something like this might happen. She wondered if they should have approached a different way.
"But I have business here," Caitlin said.
"What business?" the guard snapped back.
"I'm on a mission. A very important mission. And it leads me to this place," Caitlin said, not wanting to divulge too much.
"I'm sorry," the guard said. "No admittance without an invitation.” Caitlin began to feel anger burning inside her, but she breathed deep, finally able to keep her emotions in check.
But her brother, Sam, was clearly not as restrained; he stepped up and got in the guard's face.
"My sister said she wants to come in here," Sam said. "We’re going in.” Sam reached out, and with a single hand, shoved the guard.
Caitlin was amazed. By barely touching the guard, Sam sent him flying several feet, stumbling off his feet, bumping into another guard, and knocking them over.
The dozen or so other guards immediately extracted their swords, and began to approach.
Caitlin was annoyed. Sam should have been more cool-headed, held his emotions in check, and let her handle it. Now they had a fight on their hands. It was the last thing she’d wanted.
Worse, Scarlet started crying, and Ruth started growling. Caitlin could feel herself tense up, and could feel the situation quickly growing out of control.
Just as the guards were getting close, just as Caitlin was debating how best to take them out without hurting them, suddenly, thankfully, the large oak door opened.
Out came strutting a single woman, dressed in the most beautiful clothing, and with the most beautiful jewelry, Caitlin had ever seen. She walked right up to them, blocking the guards’ way, acting as interference between the two hostile parties, and momentarily setting the tension at ease.
She walked right up to Caitlin, stopped before her, and stared.
Caitlin could not believe it. Standing before her was a woman she loved, a woman who had once been a close friend.
It was Lily.
Lily stared back, expressionless, looking as regal as ever, and for a moment, Caitlin wondered if she remembered her.
A tense silence hung in the air, as Lily stared, everyone waiting on her command.
Finally, she broke into a smile.
"Caitlin," she said, smiling wide. "I told you we’d meet again."
CHAPTER TEN
Caitlin felt as if she were in a dream as she walked, with the others, through the sprawling courtyard of Windsor Castle. She was so happy to see Lily again, and amazed to see that a human, too, could live multiple lives. It was uncanny to see her here, and as a royal, once again.
On the one hand, everything was so different here—the time, the people, the architecture of this castle—but in other ways, nothing had changed at all. Here was Lily, still royal, still beautiful, still regal—still her old self, just living in a different place and time. It made Caitlin wonder if all of us were destined to live a similar life, over and over again, just changing our place and time, our fashions and names. Was everything in every place and time connected? Was the distance between places, the time gap between centuries, really just an illusion?
It made Caitlin feel connected to everyone and everything. And, of course, to Lily. Along with Polly, she had felt as if Lily were her closest friend, and seeing her again, here, felt like having a sister back.
Lily hadn't changed at all. She was still tall and proud and regal, with dark skin, flowing black hair, and glowing green eyes. Except now, she was dressed in a whole new fashion, and a whole new set of fineries. She still wore an incredible amount of fabric, flowing down to her feet, and she was still draped in the most lavish jewelry, from her dangling earrings, to her diamond necklace, to her emerald rings. Yet she had a different aura about her. More British this time than French.
As they walked, Caitlin could not help noticing that the grounds of Windsor were spectacular.
Caitlin marveled at the size and breadth of all the buildings, spread out in a long rectangle, with the courtyard in the middle. Up in the distance, high up on a hill, was a round tower, looking down over everything.
"Windsor Castle has been home to English royalty for centuries," Lily said. They followed on her heels, rapt with attention. "That very spot was where King Arthur and his Knights met, before this castle was even built. This location was chosen for that reason. It is believed to be a very sacred place. In fact, high up on the hill, where you see that round tower, is the very place where the round table was placed.”