I finished braiding my long, curly mess of hair as I stared into the cracked mirror in front of me. Blue stained eyes stared back at me. Sighing, I looked away. They wouldn't have expected much from Mycroft anyway.
"Sol, come on!" an all too familiar voice shrieked.
If there's anything Ceres hates more than being kept waiting, it's being kept waiting by me.
Pushing myself up, I glanced back at the mirror hoping to see the victor we needed and instead seeing only myself. I turned away sharply, as if stung, instead focusing my attention on the room I was in.
It was not large, or beautiful. But it was ours, Ceres and mine. And I loved it. I shuffled across the hardwood flooring, being careful to step over the weak spots and holes, towards the bed on which she had told me marvelous stories of far away lands. Now I was going to get to see them all for myself. The thought filled me with excitement... and dread. Mostly dread though.
I stroked the worn blanket , trying to soak up every ounce of homey comfort I could, before turning to the dresser beside me. Its white paint was chipping and every inch of its rugged surface was covered with various trinkets.
"Sol, do not make me come in there."
Grabbing the first thing I could get my hands on and stuffing it into my satchel, I strode out the front door, into the biggest day of my life.
———————————
It was unusually busy for a midsummer morning. The town seemed... different. We actually bumped into people on our way to the square.
Luke and Madge, the couple that ran Ceres and I's favorite bakery, smiled as we passed. Their eyes were enchanted white, which meant they were going out of the state. Madge shook suddenly, coughing violently while Luke rubbed her shoulders.
I can imagine that some would think it was unethical for our council to keep the plague a secret, but telling the other states would only cause an unnecessary panic.
The plague could only infect Mycroftian commoners, so maybe curse was a more apt description.
I turned away as cheers of "You've got this!" and "Way to go Sol!" ambushed us from every corner, harmonizing with the usual symphony of coughs and moans. Cheers I struggled to embrace while Ceres dragged me further into town.
Today I looked at the cobblestone streets and straw roofs with a new appreciation. I might actually miss Mycroft.
My thoughts were cut short as we arrived at the square and I saw the Countess standing on the stage, flanked on each side by courtiers and guards. It was really happening. I squeezed through the crowd of sniffling townspeople, finally reaching the stage.
"Welcome Sol of Mycroft," she said warmly, her bright green eyes kind. "Are you ready for the journey you're about to undertake?"
It wasn't really a question but still I nodded.
Her eyes flickered with what I believed to be pity. Then she looked away and any trace of it was gone.
"Brilliant!" she jubilated, clasping her manicured hands together, as she swung round to face the crowd.
Less than half of Mycroft had gathered for this. Only those that could come did, the rest barely able to leave their beds. A woman at the edge of the crowd caught my eye. Her eyes were stained green and her hair hung down limply around her shoulders. She was holding a young boy, not more than five years of age, his eyes were already lined orange. He had less than two months.
The Countess's honeyed voice commanded all attention to her.
"Mycroft, for so long you have suffered. I have had my mediks working day and night tirelessly for you. But today you have a different hope!"
She was a performer, entrancing them, making them forget all their troubles and worries. If only I could be so easily distracted.
"Today Sol sets out on this journey, risking her life for the future of this state!" Weak shouts rippled through the crowd.
They had given up hope a long time ago, and it would take more than a young girl with a death wish to change that. Every other state would be sending out their best warriors, or smartest scientists. I was far from the best Mycroft had, yet here I was.
Yet I, Sol of Mycroft, was about to embark on the most dangerous journey of anyone's lifetime.
I was going to the masquerade.
———————————
There was a stranger standing in front of me. The girl staring at me had honey brown skin, that almost seemed to glow. Her long black hair, cascaded down her shoulders and was littered with little beads of gold and pearls.
She looked like an adventurer straight out of the books, with a long-sleeve, burnt orange shirt reinforced with ogre steel and wide cream pants tucked into a pair of shiny, black, brand new combats boots. From her belt hung various survival items I'd only ever heard whispers about, strapped over her shoulder was an empty sword holster.
And her eyes had the whites of counts, missing the telltale blue stain of commoners.
I was about to ask why they didn't just send her instead when the Countess's seamstress, the court symbol of three interlocking rings emblazoned proudly on her uniform, stepped beside me, her reflection appearing beside the girl.
I stepped back from the mirror, dizzy. She had made me look like a warrior. Someone deserving the quest, not just someone stupid enough to volunteer.
"Well look at you, all dolled up!" Ceres screamed running into the room, before being violently shushed by the seamstress.
"Someone would think you're half banshee," I laughed, embracing her.
"Ha ha very funny," she retorted. Then suddenly, my face was smushed between her hands, her brown eyes examining every inch of me. "I can't believe you're actually going," she muttered.
I sighed. Ceres had tried to be supportive but she knew what I was walking into. She also knew how much it meant to me so she didn't try to stop me but it doesn't mean she was happy about it. She'd cried every night since I told her, when she thought I was asleep. Little did she know I was up too, fighting the nightmares that threatened to rip me apart, the way she fought the tears that snaked down her face - to no avail.
"Well anyway, I'm not here to get all emotional, I come bearing gifts!" she announced, putting on the mask of supportive older sister again. With another quick motion, she brandished a sword.
"You brought me a sword!" I almost collapsed. My dad was one of the Crowned King's only human swordsmen. It's one of the few things I knew about him, and it was sacred to me. Ceres told me the story when I was eight and I trained with his sword every single day until I broke it. I cried for weeks after.
"Yes and that's not all. It's a magical sword." She wiggled her hands as she said so, easing some of the tension around us. She paused expectantly, waiting for me to play along.
"What exactly is so magical about the sword?" I asked, my eye roll doing nothing to hide my excitement.
"Aha! Well let me tell you now, it's not just a sword!"
She must have seen the look of utter confusion on my face because she grabbed it from me and demonstrated.
"It's a sword, a spear, a bow and arrow, it's a mallet, a knife, it can even be a spoon if you get hungry." With each word she flicked the sword and it transformed. It was amazing and must have been expensive.
"Oh Ceres I love it! But how could you afford it?"
She opened her mouth to speak before another voice cut in.
"It was a gift."
My gaze snapped to the door to find the Countess swaying in, her mahogany skin sparkling under the iridescent fabrics of her dress.
"Ceres, Herelda, please excuse us," the Countess commanded, not needing to look back to know her instructions were being followed. Ceres made a face as she left the room, Herelda giving her a little shove.
"Countess, I don't even know where to begin. Thank you so mu-"
She raised a finger to cut me off.
"Sol, you are risking your life for Mycroft. Of course I, and the court, will do anything we can to ensure your safety. Mycroft was once a sparkling gem on the map of our world. It has since fallen to ruin but I have hope." She ran a slender long finger over the three gold circles on the sword's hilt before placing it firmly in my hands. "And now I place that hope in you, Sol. You stepped up for a reason and I trust you will not fail."
I believe her words were meant to be calming but they had the opposite effect. How could the fate of my home be in my hands?
Then she hugged me.
For a second I was too stunned to do anything but freeze. And after I realized that she did indeed hug me, and wasn't trying to strangle me or something, I hugged her back. It felt... safe, like warmth was oozing into every corner of my body. What I imagine magic would feel like.
I glanced down to my left hand where the three rings were tattooed onto the side of my index finger. The finger itched as the countess tightened her hold and I rushed to scratch my hand as she released me. Definitely not warrior-like.
She looked smaller as she stepped back, more fragile somehow. But then again who was I to judge, I'm human.
"I'll let you say your goodbyes now and then a courtier will take you to the carriage."
I nodded, my stomach too tied up in knots to speak.
The Farewell was a depressing affair. It was also the most emotional I'd ever seen Ceres. But seeing her that vulnerable only strengthened my resolve.
I was going to survive the journey. I was going to make it to the masquerade. I was going to come back.
I had to.