The Moondrops

~Seven~ The Royals

We're up on the carpet, gliding speedily nearer to the castle, with an amazing view of its vast, green, palisaded landscape.

I'll admit that the castle looks much more regal than I'd anticipated it to be. Along with its many towers that stand majestically into the sky, it is coloured a fascinating shade of ivory which has tiny twinkling patterns engraved into the walls. Its roofs coloured a nice taupe. And it all rests enthralling under clear blue and flossy white clouds.

After landing lightly, I follow Zeeta and Brynon's lead to the tall, golden gates which have a pair of argus-eyed guards standing at either side of it. We stop in front of the guard on our right-hand side who has a scroll in hand.

"Good day! We're here for," Zeeta says before coming down to a whisper and leaning closer to him, "the selection."

He gives her a weird look at first - maybe thinking how her actions probably made us appear a little suspicious to the handful of passers around - before straightening up his countenance and asking, "Names?"

"Zeeta Rosebud."

"Brynon Amberson."

"Blessing...the human?" that's generally what they call me, right?

He rolls open the scroll and schemes through it before nodding his confirmation for us to go in.

We walk through the gates and onto a flower-edged and stone-paved road that goes down a few feet before branching into three separate paths. One goes round the left side of the castle, one leads unbent to the large and guarded, taupe-coloured double front doors, and the last goes round the right side. Two smaller replicas of the fountain I'd seen in the town square stands in the middle of clean-cut lawns at either side of the road.

We take no more than six steps in when a guard comes up the right path in a rushed march and motions for us to follow her back down where she came from.

The path goes on for a while with us admiring the intricate landscaping. We turn a corner and are met with a crowd of teenage Moondrops apparently from every phrat.

"Look, it's Lyeme!" Zeeta says to us excitedly as we bridge the gap to the crowd.

"You see, I told you you'd get your powers soon," she beams at him. "When did it happen?"

Lyeme doesn't look at her. He seems to have no intention of interacting with anyone.

"Don't know why she still hangs around this numbskull," Brynon mutters, his gaze set on Lyeme and his face showing dislike.

I look back at the two. Zeeta, realising she's probably not going to get an answer, now stares at anything but Lyeme.

I suppose Brynon's right. A person who's always in a bad mood with everyone, even the ones that are too nice to him, should be left alone until they come to their senses. But from the little time I've known Zeeta, I guess she's bright to a fault she can't let someone else be gloomy under her watch.

"It didn't. But I got a letter anyway, and I'm here only cause I've been convinced to. I'm not here to talk," Lyeme finally answers Zeeta, ending with a tone that suggests the conversation - which barely started - has come to a finish.

"You're a dolt, you know that? Speaking to people however you feel is not gonna change the fact that your powers are a bit late," says Brynon calmly, though it's blatant to me how much Lyeme irks him.

Lyeme gives a short, derisive, close-mouthed laugh, then says, "My powers are late, but not your mother. And thinking yourself to be the best moondrop is not going to make her come back for you."