Chapter 1
My fingers glided over the endless collection of books in front of me. I scanned the numerous shelves in the library aimlessly and chose whatever first caught my attention. Absent-mindedly, I tucked the book underneath my arm, scurried down the staircase, and took a seat by the empty fireplace. Carefully opening the ancient cover, I began reading. Every now and then, my eyes glanced at the grandfather clock towering above me beside the fireplace. It struck noon, signaling the time with its melodious chimes. Again, I returned to reading and again, I could hear the clock whispering to me to check the time – nothing had changed.
Reading normally helped to pacify me whenever I felt insecure. The words always managed to fly off the pages and dance in front of me, immersing me in a world of fantasy and wonder. Lately, though, it wasn’t working. I felt apprehensive, even sensitive about everything around me. I didn’t understand why. All I knew was that something was coming – something bad. I couldn’t explain what or how I knew; I just felt it deep inside of me. The worst part was – and I was absolutely certain about this – it had something to do with my parents and my past.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to think about it. It was years ago, and I’ve come a long way since then. But what did it matter? I barely remembered anything, and whatever I did remember came to me in flashes and chunks. However, one aspect that I never failed to forget was my writing, and I was glad I kept that in mind. I loved to write, but it had been quite a while since I picked up a pen and put it to paper, letting my imagination run freely. Now it was all caged up. The last time I’d written was not too long before I turned twenty-one.
As for my parents, I never knew them very well. They just – disappeared. Theirs had always been a vague memory in my mind. Since my birth, I was always attended to by my nursemaids, my servants, my ladies-in-waiting, my castle guards, and of course, my two favorite aunts, Meredith and Cassandra. No, we weren’t blood relatives – they had once been my parents’ two best friends – but with them, I never felt as if I were missing anyone or anything. Neither did my aunts ever mention my parents nor did I ask them. They were something that just was not talked about within the castle walls, or anywhere for that that matter. Not even their names were spoken.
Once again, my eyes flickered toward the clock. Time was always changing, but no one – myself included – had changed for a long time. The entire kingdom – what I had always called Paradise Valley, though the ‘Valley’ part was a misnomer – had been the same for many, many years. It had been so long that I lost track. Who knew how long I’d been twenty-one for? Ever since I turned that age and my parents’ departure, I never got any older. What’s worse is that my whole kingdom was under the same spell. For the last number of years, we’d all struggled to ignore all that and happily move on with our lives. I had done the same for a very long time, but as of recent, I’d been feeling troubled. In my whole life, I had never felt so distressed. I was isolated and so was my Paradise Valley. We had once been in peace with the great and powerful Northern Kingdom and it’s surrounding smaller kingdoms – the Western, Southern, and Eastern Kingdoms – but after immortality struck my land, all relations were either lost or severed through war and differences. The people of the Northern Kingdom lived on the earth; my people and I lived far away from them high above in the clouds. Such things I had always known, but I couldn’t understand why I was thinking of all this now. These very thoughts made my skin tingle and burn – literally.
I pressed my hand to the back of my neck; my birthmark – coincidentally in the shape of a cloud – felt inflamed. This, too, had been happening every now and then these days. The more I worried, the worse it got. I tried to keep calm. What to do, what to do…
Knock, knock.
“Your Highness?” It was Felicia, my most trusted advisor and very good friend, standing by the library doors waiting patiently for me to respond.
Good. I needed a distraction. Putting down my book I stood up and said amiably, “Come in, Felicia. Did you want something from me?”
“Nothing of the sort, Princess. I just came to tell you that your Aunt Meredith is requesting you in the palace gardens as soon as possible.”
I frowned a little. “Is there something wrong?”
In her sweet voice Felicia replied, “She didn’t say, Princess, but she awaits you in the gardens and sent me to fetch you.”
I smiled at her. “I’ll go right away.” As I took a few steps past her, I stopped and turned around. “Oh, and Felicia? You know how much I hate being addressed as ‘Princess’ or ‘Your Highness’. Just call me by my name.” I grinned at her to show I meant it.
Felicia nodded her head. “As you wish, Esmeralda.”
I searched for Meredith as I treaded on the royal garden pathways. It wasn’t until I heard the high-pitched whinny of a pegasus that I found her. She was brushing Lilly’s flowing white mane. I could see her long, black curls falling on her face as she did so, hiding her sharp features, pale blue eyes, and rosy cheeks. She’d worn a light blue dress that hugged her tall, slim figure perfectly, and, like always, had her lucky necklace around her neck; it had a big, circular blue crystal hanging all the way down to her chest. I could see it glinting in the sun.
“Oh, Lilly! Don’t be stubborn! Hold still!” Meredith chided the magnificent creature. I chuckled to myself, knowing very well how much Lilly hated being groomed. She was my favorite pegasus. When I was not busy fulfilling my royal duties, I went out to the stables and rode her through the skies whenever I could. Catching her off guard, Lilly clenched Meredith’s brush between her teeth and threw it aside, neighing in delight.
My aunt sighed in defeat, throwing up her hands. “I give up! It would take a miracle to tame you, Lilly!” I laughed as Meredith announced her defeat. She caught my eye and smiled, extending her arm out to hug me as I walked towards her. “Millie! How are you, dear?”
“I’m fine, Aunt Meredith. Just fine.” I returned her hug, looking at her. “Did you want to tell me something?”
“Nothing really important, dear. I just thought I’d spend some time with you. You’ve been so quiet the last few days, always reading and what not. Is something wrong, Millie?” Meredith asked me, a slight expression of worry on her face highlighting the soft lines on her face.
I took a deep breath. Picking up the brush Lilly tossed aside, I began untangling her mane. Sighing, I told her, “I’ve been feeling strange lately, but I don’t understand why. I think something’s coming, but I don’t know what. It’s been bothering me so much for the past week and a half, and whenever I try to sleep, I get nightmares about it.” I paused to allow what I said to linger for a second before adding, “I’m kind of scared, Aunt Meredith. I don’t know what to do.”
Meredith studied me closely, almost as if she knew what I was trying to get at. “You’re not alone, Esmeralda. I’ve been feeling disturbed, too. Even in my sleep, I see darkness and flashes of light. I believe you. I think something is coming.” She shook her head. “I hope it’s nothing awful, though.”
“See, that’s the thing. I think it is something awful.” I swallowed my anxiety down. “Did Aunt Cassandra say anything about this?”
“Nothing much. She’s actually gone out to meet Victoria. They should be back soon.”
That caught me by surprise. “They?”
“Yes, dear. Cassandra will be returning with Victoria. We’ll all eat lunch together. But don’t worry. Victoria is bringing Frederick, so you won’t be alone.”
“Is she really? That’s wonderful.” I was excited, but at the same time overcome with nervousness. It had been quite some time since I saw my best friend, but having him over was not going to instantly alleviate my pangs of apprehension. Some part of me just knew that I should not be here. My eyes wandered to the slow-moving clouds surrounding my kingdom – even they seemed to agree with me. It was beautiful outside today, but I could not relax. The same question came to my mind again: What should I do?
Seeing the look on my face, Meredith stroked my long, golden-brown hair and soothed me. “We’ll talk about this with Cassandra later. Just cheer up for now, Millie dear. Let me see those dimples and the brightness in those big, blue eyes of yours! Look forward to the beautiful day ahead of you!”
I smiled a little, nodding. Before I could say anything else, I saw Aunt Cassandra advancing toward us with Mrs. La Guardia and Frederick behind her. As she approached us, she hugged me. “Esmeralda dear! Look who’s come over for lunch!” Cassandra looked like a slightly younger version of Meredith with the exception that she had brown hair. The two were sisters, but Meredith was a couple of years older.
“Frederick! Mrs. La Guardia!” I grinned at them both as we exchanged greetings.
“Millie, look at you! Beautiful as always! How have you been, dear?” asked Mrs. La Guardia. She was a plump, jolly woman with bright green eyes and short blonde hair. Her family came from a rich background, both in wealth and heritage. She was almost like a mother to me, too.
“I’ve been fine, Mrs. La Guardia. How have you all been?” I enquired.
“Wonderful, dear! Just splendid! We’ve been so busy nowadays, but now that Frederick has returned, I thought I could take things with some ease. He was most adamant about meeting you.” She stepped aside and pushed him in front of her.
“Oh, really!” I laughed. Frederick was a member of my counsel and one of my closest friends for a long time. Of course, he hadn’t changed one bit since I last saw him. He still had the same tall, lean frame, neat golden hair, and blithe blue eyes. Turning my attention to him, I curtsied and said, “Hello, Frederick! It’s good to see you again!”
He bowed, making a friendly and gentleman-like gesture in front of my aunts and his mother. “It’s good to see you again, too, Millie! How are the sword-fighting, archery, and horseback-riding going?”
“I practice every now and then when I have the time to.” Clearing my throat, I said, “I’ve heard that you’ve been traveling a lot. Where have you gone and how have you liked it?” I asked him. I felt somewhat awkward talking to him now. Both of us were normally much friendlier and casual with each other. Being around older adults called for some guardedness. I did not want to break out into witty banter with him just yet.
Cassandra gently rested her hand on my shoulder. “Esmeralda, why don’t you talk to Frederick inside? After all, lunch must be ready by now. It’s nearly one o’clock.” Everyone agreed unanimously. That being said, we all followed Cassandra’s notion; she led the way back to the castle while talking to Mrs. La Guardia the whole time, Meredith followed, and Frederick and I were behind her conversing the entire way back.
As we walked around the inside of the castle, I listened to and talked with Frederick. Cassandra, Meredith, and Mrs. La Guardia all went to the library, leaving us to be on our own. We conversed like the best of friends as we wandered the halls. He told me all about his adventures far from Paradise Valley – the places he’s been to, the exotic creatures he’s seen, and just about…well…everything. He was always outgoing and fun, but he had never been the most talkative person I’d known – until now. But I wasn’t going to lie. I really did miss his voice. Over the past number of years, whenever he did talk to me, he always did so just to make fun of me. I told him that, and we both ended up laughing.
“Frederick, you were awful to me!” I giggled. “You never had anything nice to say!”
“That is not true!” he protested, but when he saw my incredulous expression he finally gave in. “Okay, fine. Maybe I did have a little fun being mean to you.”
“I think you had more than just a little fun being mean to me, Frederick,” I corrected him.
We both laughed again until he added, “Very well. You’re right. I was a mean person to you, but I’ve changed since then – and so have you.” His voice became very soft and mellow as he spoke the last few words.
I creased my eyebrows. “What do you mean? I haven’t changed that much, have I?”
“You have, Millie. You’re quieter than the girl I remember, and you seem troubled. Do you want to talk about it?” he asked me.
I couldn’t believe that this Frederick was the same person who used to joke around with me so much. I was touched that he even bothered to ask such a question. “It’s really nothing, Frederick,” I lied. “Just the pressures of being a princess.”
He stopped me in my tracks. “Oh, come on, Millie. I know you better than that. What’s wrong?”
I gulped. “It’s just that I think something is going to happen. I don’t know what yet, but I’m absolutely sure that it’s no good. I’ve had this strange feeling lately, but I don’t know why. Getting to the point, I feel a little scared. You know what I mean, Frederick?”
He shrugged a little, not really knowing what to tell me but tried anyway. “I’m sure that whatever it is will blow over soon enough. Don’t worry yourself so much.” Putting his arm around my shoulder he whispered, “Millie, I have to tell you something.”
I kept my voice equally low. “Tell me, Frederick.” Upon my request, he pulled out a small diamond ring from his tunic. I could feel my face flushing a bright pink color. I was stiff and speechless. But before Frederick could utter anything else, he ceased when we both heard footsteps coming from around the corner. Quickly, he dropped the ring in my palm and closed my fingers over it. When I made eye contact with him again he smiled at the surprised expression on my face. Leaning in, he kissed my cheek. Moving in closer towards my ear he whispered three words into it: “I love you.” Coming face to face with me once more, he paused for a moment as if expecting a reply. Thankfully, I didn’t have to give him one when our respective family members appeared.
Mrs. La Guardia was still talking to Aunt Cassandra and Aunt Meredith when she arrived around the corner. “So it’s settled then, am I right?”
“Indeed, Victoria!” Cassandra exclaimed.
“Oh, I’m so excited! Not only for them but for us, too!” Mrs. La Guardia squealed. Seeing Frederick and me, she composed herself and kept mum about what was just being discussed between them. With a motion of her hand she beckoned her son to come to her. “Frederick, we must be leaving now. It’s getting late.” Turning to my aunts, Mrs. La Guardia once again thanked them for the wonderful time she had. Then grabbing Frederick’s arm, she took her leave.
Before vanishing out of sight, Frederick turned his head back to look at me one last time. I waved goodbye to him though I couldn’t manage to erase the stunned look on my face.
He smiled back at me before finally leaving, but it wasn’t his normal, friendly smile.
It was definitely something a lot more than that.
