The Moondrops

~Six~ Off to the Castle

"Zeeta! Brynon! For the love of pods, how long does it take two striplings to get ready!?" Mrs Amberson calls for what should be the third time in the past two minutes. And this has been the only actual sorta interesting thing that has happened throughout this morning.

For a different realm filled with magical people and fantastical creatures, I didn't think my first morning would start off this . . . normal? I'd woken up, freshened up, and even had a change of clothes. Mrs Amberson had woken up earlier to make me some with her powers, cotton and flowers for colour, mimicking African print with my ankara blouse as inspiration.

Then I had breakfast - that's if you can call a bunch of weird meals that taste better than they look, breakfast - with Zeeta's family (Mr Amberson included, cracking jokes that made sense to everyone but me), and finally a surprisingly not-so-tiring conversation about earth with Mrs Amberson while Mr Amberson went to work and Zeeta and Brynon went up stairs to get ready for something, apparently.

And at present, I sit idly on a couch in the living room, watching Mrs Amberson mumble on about 'running out of time' and 'missing the whole Selection' as she polished a wooden wand, already done with the brass claw knuckles.

"Oh mama, don't get so worked up. There's still some time, and it's not like we're gonna walk all the way there anyway." Zeeta says as she walks in, holding a bronze sunflower-shaped shield by its strap.

"I know dear, I just want you to be there on time. You and your brother have been training so hard for this and I don't want you two to miss out just cause you were tardy. I'm sure the Royals already have their eyes on you, what with your ability to make plants glow and Brynon being known as a prodigy when it comes to his powers."

"Also known as the best Heagreul alive." Brynon makes his presence known as he takes a bow at the threshold. His shield already strapped across his chest as he goes for the brass claw knuckles.

"Ugh." Zeeta rolls her eyes. I move over to where they are at the dining area.

"Um, sorry to ask but what are you guys preparing for exactly?"

Zeeta says, "We're not to tell." Same time Brynon says, "To sacrifice you."

She smacks his shoulder with the back of her hand.

"Ouch." He rubs his shoulder.

"Don't mind this cretin-"

"-Mind your words Zeeta," Mrs Amberson says, her eyes not leaving the smudged wand for a second.

"Sorry," she says to her mother then turns back to me with an apologetic smile.

"Why not?"

Zeeta opens her mouth to speak but is interrupted by a knock at the back door.

"Who could be knocking at the back door?" Mrs Amberson rushes into the kitchen and to the back door with a confused expression, "the last time this happened was...oh."

We hear the door being opened, some muffled talking, and then she walks back into the dining area.

"A royal guard's here. Said this is for you," she hands me the envelope she held.

It's my turn now to be fully confused as I stare at the gold seal on the envelope. "Me?"

I open it up and take out the letter which reads:

This is to inform you, Miss Blessing of the Human Realm, that you are now officially invited to the castle by the King and Queen of the Moondrops.

You are one of the lucky and talented lot that have been chosen to participate in the Selection. And will be tested and trained to protect and defend our people from the Evil.

It should be known to you that not a word of this should be distributed to the public.

We will be expecting you then.

After reading the last line, only a few seconds pass before the letter and envelope vanish from my hands.

"It disappeared!" exclaimed Zeeta.

"What did it say?" Brynon asks.

"Is it what I think it is?"

I look up at Mrs Amberson, my furrowed eyebrows relaxing a bit as I answer. "If you're thinking it's an invitation to the castle to take part in the Selection, then yes. It's what you think it is."

"But why?" Mrs Amberson questions.

"The Royals already know you're here?"

"With you telling every passerby, I'd be surprised if they didn't already know."

Zeeta gives him a sideways glare.

"I don't think it's because of her they know I'm around. I met Xanthous last night."

All jaws drop. Even Brynon's. Which is a surprise to me, considering how insouciant he appears to be.

"You met the Prince!? How? What happened?" Zeeta's the first to speak.

"Well, I couldn't sleep last night, so I decided to finally go to the Gour river. He was already there when I arrived. We talked a little, got attacked by an Oglin, I killed the Oglin, guards were called, I was escorted by a couple of 'em back here, and...yeah, that's pretty much what happened."

"You killed an Oglin." It wasn't a question. Brynon sounds more like he's trying to convince himself I did that. They all look like they're doing so. But I can't blame them, even I haven't wholly believed it yet.

Sure, I've taken my time to learn a lot of self-defense techniques because I almost got assailed once before. But I never thought I'd kill anyone...or any creature.

"Must be the reason they want to meet you. Who wouldn't want to meet the Human who killed an Oglin?" Zeeta says.

"But is it really reason enough?" Brynon voices my thoughts. And I see only one way to get an answer to that.

"We'd have to go to the castle to find out."

Zeeta's countenance changes from being in thought to a bright smile. "The Selection sounds even more exciting now!"

"You three better get going then, can't afford to waste anymore time."

Zeeta picks up her wand and we all greet Mrs Amberson goodbye before walking out the door. We walk with her as she approaches a patch of weeds. And in the quiet, as she makes our transport, I remember to ask.

"How did the letter and envelope disappear? I mean, I think they disappeared because no one else is meant to know I was invited, but how did they?"

"Just like my claws and her wand, I believe the paper used for the Selection letters are also made by the Forsmith. He makes things in such a way that they channel the powers of the bearer."

"When I'd finished reading reading mine, it had turned into flower petals. And for Brynon," Zeeta chuckles, "it went up in flames, nearly scorching off his eyebrows." She laughed some more.

I start to smile but couldn't complete the action after seeing Brynon's unimpressed face.

"But that doesn't explain how mine disappeared. I don't have powers, I'm a human remember?"

"I have no answers to that," says Brynon as he walks over and hops onto the floating carpet of vegetation.

"Come on, let's just go. We could ask when we get there." Zeeta pulls me toward the carpet. We both get on the it.

"Right," I say, "only one way to understand it all."

A/N ~ I have to say, I like where this story's heading. And would love to know your thoughts in the comments! :-)
<3 M

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