"Angelica" by Jon Schweer

Angelica ran her fingers though her rust blond hair and let out a sigh of relief.

"Good night mother," she call out her bedroom door before closing it and turning to make her way to her bed. She climbed into her bed and pulled the cover gingerly over her body and slowly relaxed into it. Reaching over to the light on her night stand she turned it off, sending her room into darkness. She closed her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.

********

Angelica awoke to the sounds of someone trying to talk to her. She brushed her rust blond hair aside and rubbed her blue-gray eyes.

"Who? Wha .. ?" She asked as she looked around. The room and bed she was in was not the same as she the one she had fallen asleep in. She was in a large bed covered with white silk sheets. The room was large, almost huge, and was built out of large stones cemented together, giving the look almost of the insides of a stone castle.

The bed she laid on was wide and covered with soft silk sheets of a bright white.

"M’lady Angelica," a youthful looking man stood next to her, calling her name.

"Who are you? What am I doing here?" Angelica asked.

The youthful man looked at her in an almost confused manner his, crystal blue eyes captivating her. "My apologies, m’lady. My name is Willem. I have been the keeper of your castle until your return." He stood up and only then did she notice she as a pair of white wings on his back.

Angelica swung her legs out from under the silk covers and stretched. "Willem," she said slowly as she stood up. A long flowing lose snow-white silk nightgown hung off two almost wire-thin straps from her shoulders and flatterd her thin and curvaceous body. "Y-you have wings."

Willem flexed his wing and opened them slightly. "Yes I do m’lady," he confirmed. "So do you, m’lady." Willem outstretched a hand toward Angelica and the other to a life-sized mirror near a table with small containers of sweet smelling perfumes.

Angelica walked over to the mirror, her feet rubbing lightly against the a thick and warm off-white wool carpet. She looked into the mirror and gasped for she indeed gained a set of white wing which rested gently against her back. With a thought they folded outward and stretched. Angelica spent many long minutes admiring her new set of wings and running her hands over her silk covered body.

"I look ... stunning," Angelica commented.

"You are as prophesied," Willem said.

"Pardon?"

Willem patted at his pockets and chuckled nervously. "Long ago," he began, "the great queen gave herself to vanquish an evil. The Kingdom was saved, and soon after the great queen’s sacrifice it was prophesied that her return would come."

Angelica listened with great interest. She flexed her wings around her shoulders and stroked the inside feathers, feeling their silky smoothness. The color of the feathers were a rich cream and warm to the touch.

"What of this queen?" Angelica asked, almost childlike. "What did she look like? What was her name?"

"See for yourself, m’lady," Willem said as he came close to Angelica and pointed to a large tapestry hanging from the ceiling near a ornately designed stained-glass window.

Angelica stepped away from the mirror and toward the tapestry. Her eyes widened, for what she saw was unbeleiveable. The figure in the tapestry was almost life sized and had her exact dimensions, the same rust blond hair, and grey-blue eyes thay seemed to to follow her wherever she moved.

"Her name was Angelica D’lune," Willem said as he tugged at his tunic to straighten it.

"The angel of the moon?" Angelica asked as she looked over at Willem. He nodded. She just stared in complete awe and disbelief at the tapestry. "Is it really true?" she asked.

"It is m’lady," Willem stated. "The prophecy was recorded and is kept in the Castle Library. I come from a long generation of poeple who have kept that castle for your return. Now that you have, the comission that was passed down though my forefathers to me has ended." He sounded partly hurt at the telling of this. "I should let you to change. For your arrival has been announced and your poeple are waiting to gain a glimps of their fabled queen once again. Your return is a sign of renewed hope amongst everyone."

"What will I wear?" Angellica asked as she turned to Willem.

Willem walked over to a largeset of double doors and opened them. There exposed was a huge walk-in closet with what almost seemed to be a limitless expanse of dresses and gowns of a rainbow of colors and fabrics.

"All the dresses were kept as you left them," Willem told. "Enchantments were placed on your room and clothes as to preserve everything." Angelica walked into the closet and admired the spectical of all the dresses. "I will leave you get changed," Willem told as he hurried out of her bedroom and left to change.

********

"Willem," Angelica called through the doors, "Please come in."

Willem opened the doors and stepped though. As he stepped through he stared as if marvelling a gift from the hevens.

Angelica stood in front of him in an ankle-leingth dress made out of a soft pink colored dress made out of the finest of silks. Its sleves came down and covered a triangle over the back of her palm. The neckline opf her dress was wide and opened over her shoulders with a ahite velvet egde. The front of her dress opened out from her waist and exposed a lighter pink that fell underneath. The back of the dress had two openings that allowed her wings to pass through.

"You look ... stunning, m’lady," Willem said as he gazed at Angelica.

Angelica smiled. "Shall I make my appearance?" she asked with a sweet smile.

Willem held out a hand to Angelica. "If you will follow me, m’lady."

*******

Angelica and Willem walked through the Castle halls.

"Willem, could I ask you something?" Angelica asked.

"Of course, m’lady."

"You said your position is now ended because of me," Angelica stated. Willem nodded. "I don’t think that’s right. Would you stay by me as my aid?"

"M-M’lady?" Willem sounded astonished.

"I am still unaccustomed to so many things here," Angelica explained. "I want someone like you to aid me."

"It would be my honor to aid you, m’lady."

"Willem," Angelica said ash she took his hand. "Please, call me Angelica."

"Of course m’la-- .... Angelica."

********

Angelica and Willem walked out onto a large sunlight baclony. Angelica looked down and saw an ocean of winged people. Almost like a sea of angels she thought. Everyone looked at her with a great reverance.

Willem brought Angelica to the edge of the balcony and called out to the people. "People of D’Lune, today is a daywe have waited for for countless generations. When the great queen Angelica gave herself to vanquish the darkenss from our land, her return was prophesied. That day has come, the great queen has returned. People of D’Lune, the great queen Angelica," Willem introduced as he motioned to Angelica.

There was an almost instantaneous explosion of loud cheer from the crowd.

Angelica held up her hand to motion to the crowd and the crowd almost instantaneously stilled. "I still do not know what to make of all this. But I promise you that I will lead withall the integrety of my previous rein. The crowd once again exploded into bellowing cheer.

Angelica truned to Willem and looked astonished.

"They adore you Angelica," Willem told as he held her hand.

"It is all too much," Angelica told as she came closer.

Willem gave a gentle hug and held Agelica close. "You will in time my love."