It's strange to think that I've been in this palace for more than a month. Not that I was actually in the castle for that long. Going on quests has made it harder for me to stay in a building than when I was just a merchant traveling on the high seas. But for the past couple weeks, I've managed to stay here long enough to learn the laundry hours of the servants and the horse cleaning cycles of the stableman. And yet Sorren tells me nothing. All he does is spends hours upon hours reading in the King's royal library.

                                                                                            ~*~

         "You've been keeping to your books a lot haven't you?” I asked one afternoon. He ignored my question and kept flipping through the pages of some book.

         "Why are you reading about King Alberdeen’s royal line?" I searched his face for an answer. His eyes didn't leave the pages.

         "It's not like you're planning on marrying the princess yourself!" I snorted. Still nothing. I made a face and started walking towards the stairs.

         "Wait," he said. I whirled around and saw Sorren close his book. Tapping his hands to his lips, he groaned and pulled at his short, brown locks.

         "If there was something that you knew was going on, but you knew you had absolutely no power to stop it, would you do something?" he asked. I frowned at his cryptic message.

         "If I had no power to stop it, why would I even try? It's like fighting a battle you know you're going to lose," I replied. Something smelled fishy. And it was definitely not his royal robes. Sorren turned away and started fiddling with the golden tassel that lined his deep blue gown.

         "But what if you know it's wrong? Not just unfair, but overwhelmingly wrong," he quietly asked, his eyes darting around the room. I walked over and made him face me.

         "What are you talking about? Just tell me what’s actually going on," I demanded. Sorren looked left and right before he slowly opened the book again. The pages were old and worn. It was clearly not a crowd favorite as it smelled like old cotton that had been sitting around for years. I rubbed my nose and looked at the image on the left page. It talked about the proclamation of "The Great Society of Kings" where the king with the most power, land, and strong country would be proclaimed the emperor of all the land. In the list of kings, King Alberdeen's name was dangerously close to the top. A stream of vulgar curses fled from my mouth. Sorren's eyes widened.

         "That's not how a lady speaks," he said. I glared at him.

         "Most ladies don't know as much of the kingdom's secrets as I do, and I'm not even a lady-in-waiting, so you can't hold me to that standard," I retorted. "If at least half of them in here knew this reality, there would be plenty of cursing to go around." Sorren furrowed his eyebrows.

         "I thought the ladies of the court fainted from news like this?" he asked. I smirked at his naive answer. The warlock didn't know much about women at all.

         "That's only a distraction. Most of them go back to their rooms to figure out what's actually going on." I laughed at the stories my mother used to tell me about ladies of the court who would fake a fainting after a murder and would later discuss suspects with the other women in the hushed secrecy of their rooms. It was a common secret made known to most traders. Sorren's eyes grew wide in amazement.

         "The point is, right now you're tasked with the princess's curse," he reminded me. "But the curse is most likely a cop-out to use the young princess in his mission to become emperor." I slyly smiled as he continued to frantically assess the situation.

         "Look, you figure out what the King is trying to do, and I'll talk to the princess," I said. Before Sorren could protest, I ran up the stairs to look for someone who I knew could help. The head lady-in-waiting.

 

         Lady Agravanna wasn't exactly the easiest person to get a hold of. After what seemed like hours of running around and asking people if they've seen a white-haired woman who wasn't exactly old, I finally found her sitting in her usual spot by the hearth. She was a young, quaint woman who acted like she was too old for her age, and her hair seemed more like the color of snow than the color of aging.

         "Lady Agravanna," I greeted her quickly, trying to curtsey without actually curtseying. This required a subtle head movement and a quick motion of arms at my side. She sniffed at my presence. I double checked to make sure the running hadn't tainted my robes with sweat. My tunic was still fresh. But her frown only deepened as she looked at me with disdain. 

         "A lady must always properly announce her presence to another. You act as if you don't have the air of a woman of respect," she said. Her cold, wispy voice echoed in the empty hall. I smiled peacefully. Comments like that didn't bother someone who just went through life or death situations. At least not anymore.

         "Beg your pardon lady, but as a woman who is not of noble birth, I find that I do not need to express the niceties that your class tends to value." I grinned. Her green dress was velvet, soft and quite long; it went past her feet and draped about the floor. But instead of looking regal, she looked more like a shiny green pepper. She frowned at my comment.

         "What do you want, tradeswoman? I don't have much time for your silly antics," she muttered. Judging by the way she talked to me, I knew that certain rumors had been spreading around the castle. I was a tradeswoman who had appeared out of nowhere, and was now suddenly one of the king's most useful subjects. It was a pity she didn't know as much as she thought she did. Then she would treat me with a lot more respect. But I didn't need nor desire obligated respect.

         Ignoring her attitude, I leaned forward and whispered, "If you would be so kind, I would very much like to meet the princess. It's quite important." Immediately I saw her eyes lit up as she flashed an elegantly embroidered red fan in front of her face. I smirked. She was hiding something behind that fan of hers. Her eyes narrowed as her voice got quiet.

         "So you want to meet the princess. I don't know what it'll do, seeing as how you haven't seen her in her...true form. It'll only repulse you," she said. Thinking back to my first meeting with the princess, I knew that Agravanna had never seen the curse in action. She glanced from side to side before placing a small, golden key in my hands. It was about the size of my thumb, with a lion engraving on the end.

         "It's the key to the princess's room. She only trusts me to use it," she said carefully. "She takes to her room after dinnertime and doesn't leave till the next morning. Her tutor is sick today, so she will most likely be in there reading. You must be careful," she warned. I nodded my head in thanks, and left for the princess.

         As I ran towards the princess's room, I saw the paintings slowly change from plain, simple artwork of picturesque scenery to those of extravagant ladies. They were each wearing elaborate dresses that were spun with threads that looked like they came from the sun and moon itself. But each of their faces didn't look particularly happy. They were all the previous queens and princesses. As I came to the door at the end of the hallway, I took a deep breath and came across the two guards.

         "Excuse me sir, but the princess has instructed me for her evening bath," I reported as commonly as I could. The guards nodded and parted ways. As I walked past them and opened the door with the key, I sneakily poured a drop of special oil on the ground. They wouldn't be able to hear a thing. The door creaked open as I stepped in and looked around. The ceiling itself was a painting, with clouds and fairy women flying in beautiful dresses around a golden sun. The carpet was a light blue, and the princess's bed was a pleasant lavender. She was sitting by the window, reading. Just as Lady Agravanna had predicted.

         "Your Highness," I cleared my throat and tried to stand as straight as I could. Compared to her, I looked like a giant. "It is an honor to finally meet you." I smiled slightly and tried to look as harmless as possible. With the familiar pale skin, beautiful golden hair, and bright blue eyes, she saw me. Jumping up, she did a curtsy and walked towards me, barely reaching over my shoulder.

         "Alma Riverland, the lady who saw me for what I was," she spoke dreamily. Her voice sounded like very calm and peaceful to the ears. I couldn't help but feel relaxed. "It is an honor to see you when I'm not...indisposed. I'm very much grateful for what you have done for our kingdom." She ushered me to sit on a couch across the bed. I carefully sat beside her and stared at her. That hair looked too gold to be true.

         "It was nothing, Your Highness," I said. "Your father...would have had other plans for me if I didn't take up this...honor." I struggled to sound grateful as my teeth gritted. It was hard to speak about her father in such a positive way.

         "Princess, I need to know...what is your curse exactly, and how did it come about?" I asked. The corners of her almond shaped eyes dropped as she wiped a tear from her eye. I tried to stop myself from staring at her. It was all too perfect.

         "As a young child, my mother died giving birth to me. When I turned seven, an evil, ugly witch told my father that if I wasn't married by the age of sixteen, I would be cursed with an ugliness that came from within the dark. And my father, as a good father should, understood it for what it was, and quickly locked me up in a tower to protect me from others who should try to hurt me," she explained. I rolled my eyes at the king's response. House arrest was never a means of protection. It was a means of entrapment.

         "This, orange freckle thing...does it always happen at night?" I asked cautiously. Her hands quickly went up to hide the freckles that were sprinkled across her cheeks.

         "It is horrible," she cried. "It only comes in the dark of night, and when someone comes near me, it gets worse." She whimpered and wiped her crystal tears aside. "I cannot bear to live like this any longer." 

Grabbing my hands, her blue eyes pleaded with me. "Please, have you found a prince to save my cure?" I pulled my hands away and stared at her quizzically.

         "Did the king tell you a prince would save your cure?" I asked. This was ridiculousness at its best. The princess nodded with her naive, innocent eyes. I wanted to scream.

         "He said the only way I could ever be cured was if I got married to a prince. One kiss to rid of it all!" Her eyes clouded dreamily. I jumped up and stomped my feet down as hard as I could. Princess Juniper looked at me in shock. I began to pace around her large room as a stream of colorful curses escaped my mouth.

         She gasped. "Alma, you shouldn't say such unladylike words! Men never find that becoming, you know. Perhaps a young man is what you need in your life as well!" I groaned in frustration and continued to pace. I was half terrified and half infuriated. Never had I met a woman who was so delusional in her life. After a good couple minutes of pacing and figuring out what to say, I slowly came to stop and faced her with fresh, hot tears of anger brimming my eyes.

         "Princess," My voice quivered as tears ran down my face. "Your father is telling you a lie." Before she could stop me, I continued.

         "Your father told you that because he wants to strengthen his kingdom. He used me and the other billion men to get rid of problems around his country to create this aura of power. He manipulated his royal wizard to try to kill me. Your father is lying to you," I said, my voice felt foreign and too deep. My brain hurt from too much thinking. Tears began to swell up her face as she stuttered.

         "I...I don’t understand. Why...would my father lie to me? I am his daughter!" Her voice was tense and defensive. Wiping her tears from her delicately pointed chin, she avoided my gaze and gripped the couch. But I would not let it slide.

         "Princess...did you know what your mother looked like? Do you have any drawings of her?" I asked. She slowly shook her head.

         "There aren't any paintings of her. They said she hated it because she was tired of sitting for so long," she said. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I saw an image of a young mother who had been gone from her daughter for far too long. A father who loved power too much, and a mother who just wanted to be with her daughter. As the sun began to set, I slumped on the couch beside her and thought. A certain memory came to mind.

 

         At the age of eleven, I was old enough to help my parents with magical items. Most the young children were not allowed to touch the trinkets or perfumes that were filled with magic. My parents knew better and understood the dangers that came with them. But they wanted me to see for myself.  So it was my first time venturing into the island of Isagovia, a place that was famous for its population of mythical witches.

         "Sweety, these women know what they want. They know right down to the tee of the ingredient. If something of ours sells here, you know it's high quality," my mother explained as she organized the trinkets. As the witches came by to look over our things, I saw that they were not ugly as I had thought. In fact, many were quite pretty, plain, or simply normal. They smiled and politely thanked my parents as they bought several things. As I crept from behind the table, I heard one peculiar conversation my mother was having with a witch.

         "My my, how has your daughter been, Aquaria?" My mother politely asked. "Still got the swirls has she? Not listening to her mother's wise words?" 

         The witch laughed heartily. "She's the same! Refuses to accept her magic and just sits there, whining like a baby about how she wants to be 'normal.' I told her 'If you don't accept your magic and begin practicing at age sixteen, the swirls will haunt you all your life!" They giggled together. In curiosity, I peaked my head from behind.

         "What are the swirls?" I asked. The witch smiled a toothy grin.

         "Why, the swirls is a reaction in your body that happen when a witch refuses to accept the magical energy from within her bones. The energy doesn't know where to go, so it appears through the part of her body she hates the most, reminding her that she can't escape who she is." The witch shook her finger at me with caution.

         "If you're a magical child, you have to understand that magic is not a curse. It's a gift." She chuckled and pointed to the wart on her cheek. "Why, when I went through the swirls, these warts here had green swirls that traveled all throughout my body. I thought I looked very much like a pretty troll!" I stared at the dot that protruded from her face. What looked ugly in the beginning seemed very much like just a part of her face.

         "But what if you don't like your wart? Don't you want to be beautiful?" I asked. My mom tapped my head for my thoughtless comment. The witch's eyes crinkled as she laughed.

         "My dear Alma," she said kindly. "Beauty is only skin deep. My wart is what empowers my magic." She laughed. "And how could I not find that beautiful! I am a witch because of my magic, and I have my magic through my wart." She paid my mother what was due and gave me a wink as she left.

         "It's true," my father said, appearing out of nowhere. "A witch's power source is her ultimate pride and joy. You can't take that away from them. It's their identity. To them, beauty is in the magic they posses." He gently kissed my head and proceeded to sell more goods.

 

         I looked at the princess. The random threads of information in my head were slowly coming together. My parents were not perfect people, but they did teach me the importance of experiencing many things. My eyes drifted to the princess's freckles. Each witch had their own color. Juniper's was orange.

         "Princess," I said. I paused as the words formed in my head for the behemoth that was the potential truth of her identity. "I may be an average tradeswoman, but upon traveling many islands and countries, I learned many things about people. Particularly on a sickness called 'the swirls.'" I saw her eyes go wide as she gripped my arm. So I told her everything. After the initial shock of fear and disbelief, she continued to ask me of my experiences in Isagovia. After what seemed like hours, she sat quite still.

         "You never actually spoke to her did you?" I asked. The princess sat back and rested her head on the edge of the couch.

         "I never did. My father said he had met her personally. I took his word for what it was and didn't question it." Her voice dropped low. I smiled. It was the voice that I had heard when I first met her. Her blue eyes shined as she began to think.

         "Alma, if my father is lying to me about who I am, and if that witch who came...if she was my mother…" Juniper sighed. She pushed her hair back and leaned her small head on my shoulder. In the couple hours of intense talking, I had found a friend in the form of a princess. Which reminded me of something. I leaped from the couch and began pacing once more.

         "There's still one thing that I don’t fully understand. Your father wanted the necklace that my parents had stolen from Sorren so badly. But why couldn't he have gotten it from Sorren if he was controlling him the whole time?" My steps got faster as if they were pumping my brain.

         "We could say that it was a murder attempt, which makes sense," I reasoned. "But what would he do with that necklace?" After a couple more steps, I snapped my fingers. What made me initially happy, quickly made me freeze in fear.

         "That necklace, with one simple change of a word, my father can manipulate and control the order of the kings as emperor," Juniper said as she processed her thoughts. "My father is not a violent man. He's physically very weak and tired from all of his royal duties. He wants power without having to fight for it. He wants the easy way, whether it's dirty or not." She covered her freckles. "The curse...I mean, the swirls. They're coming. I can feel it." Juniper gripped my hands tightly and pulled me towards the door. "You have to leave now. I don't want you to see me like this." she pleaded.

         "But I've already seen you like this. If you would only accept it," I protested. But she firmly refused.

         "There’s too much in my head right now. I still feel quite ugly when they come. Please give me time to understand what's going on. Thank you for telling me the truth." She tearfully smiled. I gently squeezed her hands before leaving.

         "Don't run away." I said. "It's time to face what's in front of you. What's within you. For your kingdom." With that, I left her room. I heard her whimpering as the swirls were beginning.

​                                                                                            ~*~

Though I knew she was in no physical pain, the things the princess had learned today pained my heart. As a princess who only knew physical beauty, she needed time. I smiled as I remembered what my dad would always say: "Out of the ashes, a phoenix will rise. To burn brightly once more is only a matter of time." It was only a matter of time.

Afternoon. End of Summer Season. Castle Square, day 52.