Free The Locket by Elise Koepke

men wore cloaks, while others seemed less mystifying without them. If she had to guess, Savannah would say the men with cloaks were in a higher class by the way their tunics were trim and clean.
    Every aspect of this world appeared so slow; much slower than the hustle and bustle of New York. As though time were not an issue. It was soothing, in a way, and yet still held enough excitement that a person could remind herself that time does not wait for anybody. The beat and rhythm was just so completely different, Savannah found it a little hard to adjust.
    “Finally, we are here!” Lance exclaimed as they reached the castle gate. It was just as large as the drawbridge, blocking your vision of the entire palace if you stood directly in front of it.
    Nonetheless, the palace was still able to rise above all of the rest of the kingdom. Its walls were a marvelous gray brick, attractive and sturdy, and appeared as though it traveled all the way up to the clouds. There were at least a dozen towers taking shape off of the castle’s base, all of which held either purple, red, or white flags on its tip, waving fearlessly for their monarchy. In the center of all the flags were the identical pictures of a fierce lion.
    Out of all of the high buildings in the kingdom, this fortress was the one that captured the most sunlight, which added greatly to its beauty. It surpassed any structure in the land, making them seem more like rubble than the works of art they were.
    After yelling up to the guards, explaining themselves, Lance and Savannah were brought into the palace’s yard. While the streets were full of dirt and sand, the castle grounds were full of plants, trees, and grass, as if they had entered into the castle’s world of its own. Matching the land outside of the drawbridge, the grass held no bare spots, the flowers were not fading, only blooming, and the trees loomed around every corner, both small and bulky.
    The path that Lance and Savannah found themselves walking on led directly up to the palace doors, which accomplished up to about ten or eleven feet tall. There were many different ornate designs on their dark oak surfaces, complete with two decorative handles: one on each door. The handles were crafted into the shapes of brass lions, spirited and bold. The lions on both handles, much like the lions on the flags, were growling in fury, keeping danger out of the castle and protecting everyone inside with all their might.
    As Savannah bent down and gazed at the incredible beast, she recognized something that she had seen before. It was not the lion’s surging mane, or his pointed sharp teeth, or even his intimidating anger that flowed so deep it made her hesitate in gripping its handle. Rather it was there, in his eyes. Much like in the heart of her mother’s locket, there was the picture of the Victorian key with its colorful glowing background. Savannah rushed to get out the necklace from under her shirt; she had to compare the two. But when she looked back, the image was gone, and the lion’s eyes were the same ordinary brass as they were at first look.
    “What are you waiting for?” Lance inquired, the frustration growing inside of him already.
    “Nothing,” she replied tentatively, her mind fixed elsewhere. As Savannah straightened herself back up, Lance put two hands to his hips and tapped his foot to show his impatience. Seeing that she was preoccupied with fastening her necklace back onto her neck, he decided that the only way to get something done, and done right, was to do it himself. Unfortunately, as he gaped up at the handles, he realized that his height would not match those of the knobs, so, hoping that Miss Morgan was still fixing her attention to the locket, he sprang up to try and reach it.
    It only took Savannah five seconds to put her necklace back on and tuck it under her shirt, and when she looked up, she saw Lance hopping up and down like a child at a candy store. Rolling her eyes, she came over