Princess Faustine, a secret, self-taught sorceress, must leave her all too conventional kingdom in order to pursue a dangerous, hidden truth and break an evil curse over the her kingdom and the Seven Lands.
... In which more friends are made and something lurks among the tree tops...
Standing in front of my mirror, I took one last look at myself before departing. Tonight I wore an opalescent white gown of shifting colors to match the moon. A personal invitation had magically found its way to my mailbox with a footnote on how to get to the town Square. Apparently that's where the festival was being held. I had no idea, until today, that's forests had "town squares". This one did.
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I grabbed my satchel and cloak and headed out the door. The sun was going down. Once it got dark outside, the festival would begin. Town Square was upstream and over the mountain. Lucky for me, I could go through it instead of over or around it. I began my ascent of the rocky mountain side and arrived at the mouth of the waterfall. Without hesitation, I recited a quick incantation that allowed me to pass to untouched by the waterfall. As I emerged through the waters, I saw below me, in the valley, a magnificent city. A sign engraved in the stone wall read:
"Welcome to the city of Forest Falls, Enchanted Forest the pinnacle of the Enchanted Kingdoms."
Festivities could already be seen from where I stood. Lights danced in the air and hovered about the treetops. Blue and silver were the colors of the night, to represent the moon and sky.
Shrugging my satchel higher over my shoulder I started down the mountain and into town. As I descended, the trees begin to fill out with buildings and tree houses. People were all about me, doing tasks and preparing their shops for the festival. Banners were hung tree to tree, leading the way to the main square.
The buildings and shops in the forest were incredibly natural. Many of them were built high into the trees. Some had many levels so that one tree could have up to three or even four shops stacked all the way up to the top.
I could hear music playing in the distance as I approached the main square. It was a mystical, happy time dancing on the wind. Then, bright blue and silver bell flowers began to pop up here and there and everywhere. They increased in number as I walked on. Those must have been the night blooming flowers Luna had told me about.
There were plenty of people around me now. I must have been getting very near the Square. A beautiful light began hovering over me. I looked up and saw flying silver lanterns, all aglow, dancing in the treetops. The light of the floating lanterns mingled with brilliant moonlight and cast a glow that lit up the night.
On my arrival, I took in all of the sites around me. There were water shops. Moon bakeries, lantern painting stations, and flower shops. I saw a nocturnal pet shop as well as a dance floor and live music. Then there was the healing waters booth and night trail hiking.
I didn't know where to begin. Finally, I decided to peruse and see what trinkets called to me for starters, and then maybe I would try some of the festival foods. An open tent with tables inside was the first place I went to. Several tables were covered in rare objects and trinkets from all over the world. I picked up a basket to hold my findings. I was deep down the rabbit hole of red crystals when I suddenly bumped into someone.
