Royal in the Making

I Need to Know

Uncertainty. The scariest yet most exciting thing that can happen to someone. I didn't know what was in store for me as I climbed aboard the airplane, but I had a feeling it was going to be big.

After securing the seatbelt, I grabbed my neck pillow and earbuds. I went in and out of consciousness, dreaming of Apollonia. I had researched the place, but pictures are never as good as seeing the real thing. I imagined the rolling hills and fields blossoming with daisies, buttercups, sunflowers, and tulips. I could smell the sweet fragrance of these flowers, drawing me in and tempting me to pick one. I could feel the temperature drop and water droplets falling on my shoulders in the dark, mysterious caves, with wonders just waiting to be explored. The jolt passing through me as the bells of a cathedral rang through with an authority that not even the most self-important could beat. The air of beauty and elegance surrounding the architectural marvel that was the castle. The Brentwood Castle. One of the most impressive edifices in the world. The best in my opinion, although I was biased. I didn't know if it was the humongous towers that looked like they were made for a beautiful maiden like Rapunzel with long flowing locks. Or the massive walls, looming over everything surrounding them. Or the windows hiding secrets, someday to be exposed. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but for some reason, I felt like the castle was meant for me. Like there was an invisible force drawing me to it.

"Lily, what would you like to drink?" my mom nudged me, interrupting my dreams.

My mother. The person I loved the most in the world. Well, tied with my dad. Unfortunately, only my mom was able to go on the trip with me. My dad was a teacher and now that summer was over, he had to go back to school. I had just graduated high school and was taking a gap year before starting college to have some time to breathe and prepare myself for the next chapter of my life. It would have been ideal for all of us to go over the summer, but the tickets were too expensive, and the price had just gone down at the beginning of the fall.

"I'll just take a Sprite." Pressing the cold drink to my lips, I was filled with the refreshing taste of my favorite soda.

I was still incredibly lucky to have my mom with me. She had two weeks a year for vacation time and was using her time for this year to accompany me because she knew how important this was to me. The land I come from.

I should probably start from the beginning. I was adopted. All I knew about my parents was that they were from and I was born in the European kingdom of Apollonia. I loved my adoptive parents, and they did everything right in raising me. I considered them my real parents. But that didn't keep me from wanting to learn more about my past. I wanted to know who were my parents? What were they like? What were the color of my mother's hair and my father's eyes? What features did I inherit from each of them? Where did my small nose, slender fingers, and prominent chin come from? Were they both short, or was only one of them at fault for my barely five foot height? Did I have grandparents, and siblings, and aunts, and uncles, and cousins? Why didn't my parents want me? Were they tragic young lovers, separated by their parents and forced to put me up for adoption? Were they in poverty and had to make the heartbreaking choice between keeping me and doing what was best for me and giving me up? Did they wonder about me and the person I'd become? Would they have been proud of me? Were they even alive now?

All of these questions kept burning inside of me, and I was finally ready for some answers. I didn't know if I was actually going to find any on this trip, but a part of me just knew I would. Maybe it was false hope, but I wouldn't know until I tried.

I'll admit, I was a boring person. I'd never had a really eventful life. I'd never traveled to another country, or broken the law, or even gone horseback riding. You would've more likely found me curled up and reading a book or catching up on the latest Netflix series than drinking at a party or booing the opposing team at a school football game. High school was not the peak of my existence. Most of the time, it was just wake up, go to school, go home, do my homework, go to bed, repeat.

I was meant for greater things. I dreamt of going on a cruise, or a wildlife safari, or experiencing the Northern Lights, or hiking through the Himalayas. But dreams don't get you where you want to be. It was time for me to wake up from my dull, repetitive existence and do something that I would look back on years in the future and be proud of what I accomplished.

Not even realizing how long I had been lost in thought, minutes turned to hours, and the plane landed. As I got off the plane, bag in hand, and heart full of anticipation, I was ready. Ready for an adventure. Ready for the truth. Ready for my life to begin.