Ezzie blushed, “His parents are both on the council,” She averted her eyes, “The maids have been watching us during council meetings since we were babies…” She turned to the street, “Come on, I’m sure lunch is ready.” She changed the subject, hurrying though the parting crowd towards the court that Luna could only presume was up ahead.
Ezzie slowed up enough for Luna to catch up to her as they turned a corner into the square. It was a large space between two buildings that linked row Seven and row Eight, as Ezzie had already explained. Though it didn’t seem to receive much in the way of sun, it was still a bright and beautiful place.
Blue candles hung from the chandeliers that draped down from an upper balcony that covered the space. And somehow, even in the dark shadows of the buildings beside it, the gardens thrived.
Much like the castle, the flowers were unrecognizable to Luna, though that didn’t tarnish their beauty in the slightest. Deep reds and glowing oranges sprouted from the lush greenery.
It looked like a magical place.
“This way.” Ezzie reached for Luna’s hand again, guiding her to a staircase at the side of the square.
Luna followed her up, the stair spiraled until they reached the balcony and all of Eranox laid out beneath them.
They were at least three stories up, in Luna’s Earth measurements that is. She could see the castle more clearly from their height and distance. She could finally see it for what it really was.
The beautiful arching white stones gleamed in the sun, a pillar of time in Eranox, and breathtaking to see from such a vantage.
“Pretty, isn’t it?” Ezzie tried to catch Luna’s attention, “Look the other way.” She suggested.
Luna stared at the castle for a moment longer before she turned to see what Ezzie was trying to show her.
The Gateway.
It was strange to see it in the day, from such a height that the tops of the walls were visible, twisting and turning to create the maze. Luna imagined how many people had stood on that very balcony and tried to find the way through the Gateway with their eyes. It seemed much easier when you couldn’t see what was below, and what was hiding between the walls.
For the first time Luna could see past the Gateway, into the world beyond the barrier. It was all forest as far as the eye could see, the trees were the colors of autumn, though the leaves looked fresh and vibrant.
“What is out there?” Luna asked quietly, not taking her eyes off of the world beyond the maze.
“The rest.” Ezzie answered, “More of the world, less of the Kingdom.”
“What?” Luna didn’t understand.
“This.” She pointed to the city. “This is the heart of Eranox, the Kingdom itself.” Ezzie tried to explain, “Out there is more of Eranox, different villages, but they are all below the Kingdom, just common folk.”
“Do they have magic?” Luna wondered.
“Yes, but not like the High Wizards, not like the Royals.” She sounded proud to be included.
“Are they cursed?” Luna whispered, afraid to hear the answer.
“I don’t know.” Ezzie turned towards Luna, a curious expression on her face. “They used to send word by Gwin sometimes, but only my father really knows.”
“There is an entire world out there, and no one knows what happened to it?” Luna was surprised, she had thought that Eranox was just a city.
It made sense though, Earth was bigger than one city, but it was still a lot to process.
“Or they could be safe from it.” Ezzie reminded her, “The Gateway has been sealed off for eighteen years…”
“It only takes one of them to spread the curse…” Luna muttered under her breath. Suddenly she needed to know how the rest of Eranox, the world outside of the Kingdom, was surviving.
Or if they had been cursed too.
If the curse had spread to them, if there was only a handful of un-cursed left, her mother was right, Eranox was beyond repair.
“Lady Blackwater, Princess Ezmerelda, lunch is served.” A servant appeared at Luna’s elbow, gesturing to a small table that had been set in the center of the balcony for the two of them.
“Thank you.” Luna smiled, hiding her inner panic as she played the part of Lady Blackwater and stepped towards the table.
She was finding it much easier to separate Lady Blackwater from herself when she pretended that she was playing a part in a play, letting the real her remain intact beneath the facade. It just made it easier for her to cope with the new expectations and no one seemed to notice that it was an act.
Ezzie slipped into a chair across from her, staring out at the Gateway with a curious expression on her face, “Do you really think it’s cursed out there, that the Kingdom is all that is left?” She whispered, uncaring that the servants were currently placing food before her, to Ezzie they didn’t seem to matter.
Luna bit her tongue, waiting for the servants to leave before she answered. She knew how rumors spread, and it all started with a waiting ear.
“Thank you.” Luna tipped her head at the server as he placed a bowl before her.
When he had finally departed Luna leaned forward, lowering her voice, “I don’t know. But you can’t talk so openly about it, servants talk too…” Luna reminded her, glancing over her shoulder, she was sure that they were just around the corner, trying to listen.
Ezzie seemed surprised, “I didn’t even consider…” She looked thoughtful, “All this time…” She shook her head. “You are right though, this is a more serious matter. It can wait.” She dipped her spoon into her soup, making it clear to Luna that the strange meal protocol only affected life in the castle.
Luna smiled and stared out at the city of Eranox, watching life on the bustling streets while her food grew cold. She was far less than hungry, her mind was somewhere else, worried about another million things. It was hard to even consider eating given the circumstances.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
When lunch was finally over, Luna and Ezzie stayed up on the balcony, watching over Eranox.
There was still so much of the city that they couldn’t see, even from up high on the balcony. It would take Ezzie months to show Luna everything that Eranox had to offer, but for a first trip the young Princess was certainly trying to cover as much as she could into one day.
There were places that Luna had never heard of before, sports fields for games that she couldn’t imagine. It was like she was relearning everything she had ever known, but on a new world, her mom had been right, even with the cheat sheets she had been given, it would take a long time to understand Eranox and how it worked.
“And over there,” Ezzie pointed, “Is the school. Lucas said you have schools on Earth.” She added, waiting for Luna to confirm the rumor.
“Yeah, that’s where Lucas and I met.” Luna recalled.
“So, are you two… betrothed or anything?” Ezzie asked slyly.
Luna laughed, “Just friends.” She answered, “And even that I’m not sure of.”
“Really?” Ezzie sounded surprised, “Lucas talked about you a lot when he was traveling.” She added, “He was really excited for you to come to Eranox for real, he even asked for an extension, because he like it there so much…” Ezzie giggled.
“Is that why he asked for it?” Luna laughed, “We do have really good snacks on Earth, totally horrible for you, but delicious.” Luna smiled.
“Why don’t you think you’re friends?” Ezzie tipped her head, still staring at the city.
“It’s just complicated…” Luna shrugged her shoulders, “He knew who I was, and I didn’t… we didn’t meet by accident…” She couldn’t really put it into words, but Ezzie turned, her eyes boring into Luna, she looked like she understood.
Ezzie didn’t say another word about Lucas after that, she just pointed out over Eranox, showing Luna where all the interesting places were hidden.
“Lady Blackwater? Princess Ezmerelda?”
Luna turned, Ezzie’s maid was standi
ng behind them looking quite sheepish.
“Yes?” Ezzie turned away from the view.
“Curfew is coming, they have sent a carriage for you.” She curtsied politely.
Luna looked over the balcony, watching as the strange carriage came into view, turning itself around in the square to carry them back to the castle.
“Thank you.” She answered before Ezzie could, “We should be going.” She reached for Ezzie’s hand.
Ezzie followed her back down the winding stairs and into the waiting carriage. It was hard to believe that the day had passed so quickly, Luna was just getting to know Ezzie, and a lot more about Eranox.
“Back to the castle.” Ezzie grumbled as the carriage lurched forward down the street.
“I’m here for a couple of days.” Luna reminded her, “We can go exploring again tomorrow.” She suggested.
“You would?” Ezzie smiled. “There is so much more you need to see.” She was already making plans.
“I’m in.” Luna smiled
“Oh, you have so much more to learn.”
“Like, do those alicorn, the ones pulling the carriage, Do they really fly?” Luna asked, staring out the window as the city of Eranox passed her by.
Ezzie looked out the window too, “I don’t know, I’ve never seen one try…” She smiled with excitement.
Within minutes they were back at the castle, exiting the carriage by the massive front doors.
Margie was waiting for her, just inside of the castle, in a hurry to bustle her away.
“I’ll see you at dinner.” Luna waved at Ezzie and followed Margie down the hall.
“Did you have fun in the city?” Margie asked, opening Luna’s door to reveal a new dress waiting for her.
“It was beautiful.” Luna smiled, helping as they tried to dress her for dinner, “I didn’t realize it was so big.” Luna gushed, remembering her warning to Ezzie, she didn’t inquire about the world outside of the Kingdom while Margie was listening.
“I’m glad you had fun.” Margie smiled, “But you are nearly late for dinner.” She chided, “That Princess sure knows how to cut things close.” She tisked, as though Ezzie had a reputation for being late that Luna should have known about.
“She’s a lovely girl.” Luna smiled, checking herself in the mirror. “Thank you.” She turned to Margie.
“Yes Miss.” Margie nodded, poking her head out the door and into the hall, “Speaking of late…” She muttered.
“Who’s late?” Luna asked.
“Oh, no one dear. Your escort will be here in a moment.” She smiled, trying to keep Luna busy by fussing with her dress some more.
Just when Margie was starting to look like she was running out of things to fuss over, there came a knock at the door.
“Your escort has arrived.” Margie rushed over, opening the door.
Once again, Lucas stood on the other side, his jacket matching Luna’s dress. Someone was sure going out of their way to make sure they looked like a pair.
Luna rolled her eyes and walked towards him, tucking her arm into his as Margie watched, her eyes twinkling with excitement.
“Dinner, Lady Blackwater?” Lucas asked formally as Margie watched.
Luna nodded, listening as the door closed behind her.
“I have questions.” Luna hissed once Margie was out of earshot.
“This is Ezzie’s doing, isn’t it?” Lucas sighed, “What kind of trouble did you get into.”
“None.” Luna was surprised, “She was really nice actually. I had a lot of fun. And I learned a lot about Eranox.” Luna insisted. “But now I have questions.”
“It’s a much less formal dinner tonight, just the family.” Lucas informed her, “You may have time for some questions. If not, the council is meeting this evening.” He added.
“Will you be there?”
“As long as you are here, they are allowing it.” He frowned.
Lucas led Luna past the doors to the great hall to a different dining room. There was only one table, and it looked much more cozy and more relaxed.
There were three people waiting in the room, the King, Ezzie and a very pregnant lady that Luna had never seen before sitting at the table.
“Lady Blackwater.” The woman nodded to her from her seat, “It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“This is my mom, Queen Annalise.” Lucas introduced her. “She has been on bed rest.” He explained.
“It is nice to meet you.” Luna slid in at the table.
“Here’s to a nice change.” The King raised a glass. “No servants this evening, just a nice family meal with our guest.” He took a drink.
“No servants?” Luna asked, glancing at Ezzie.
“No.” Lucas answered.
“Just some nice time with the family.” Queen Annalise added with a smile.
The food was all laid out in the center of the table, and the room was warm. Luna felt more at home, finally able to be herself without pretending to be the Lady Blackwater that Eranox expected of her.
“Could you pass the buns?” Ezzie asked, already filling her plate.
“Well, what do you think of Eranox?” The King asked, handing the basket across the table to Ezzie, his eyes on Luna.
“It’s nice.” She scooped herself something that looked like mashed potatoes. “But what’s past the Gateway?” Ezzie had already told her, but she wanted to hear from the King, see how he reacted.
“Not much these days.” He answered, “I suppose we owe you the truth.” He added.
Ezzie leaned forward, ready to hear the rest.
“Some of the Northern Villages still send Gwin, they are walled off and surviving. But yes, Luna, the curse is beyond the Gateway.”
“So when the city of Eranox is cured, how will we help them?” She wondered. If Eranox was as big as Earth, curing the cursed could take an entire lifetime.
“First the city.” The King smiled, “One step at a time.” He began to eat, ending their conversation.
Luna ate with Lucas’ family, a welcome change to all the formal meals that she had attended in the castle, the food was delicious, similar to her favorites back home on Earth.
“Oh, this is good.” Ezzie turned over a spoonful of the thing that Luna thought was mashed potatoes.
“It’s an Earth food.” Lucas explained, revealing the secret.
“This is all Earth food?” Luna asked, realizing why it was all so familiar.
“As close to as I could get the cook to make it.” Lucas nodded. “I thought you’d be missing home by now.”
“That was very kind of you Lucas.” His mom chimed in, “and Lady Blackwater, the food from Earth is indeed delicious.”
“That means a lot coming from Mom.” Ezzie added, “She’s been sick off of almost every food here.”
“It seems this baby enjoys Earth food.” Queen Annalise patted her round stomach, “Could be a sign of a traveler.” She smiled at Ezzie.
“You’re going to let the baby go to Earth before me…” Ezzie pouted.
“I told you I would take you to Earth.” Luna reminded Ezzie, “Once it’s safe again. Wait until you see the shopping there…” She laughed, imaging Ezzie trying to make sense of the stores on Earth.
“You can’t say no to Lady Blackwater.” Ezzie smirked at her mom.
“It seems that I cannot.” She agreed, “That sounds like a lovely plan.”
“Really?” Ezzie looked shocked, “You’d let me?”
“Once the curse is lifted, I don’t see why not.” The King chimed in.
“You have no idea what you’ve just gotten yourself into.” Lucas muttered, shaking his head.
The door swung open, and suddenly the room went quiet, any cheerful thoughts of traveling to far-away lands were dashed as a Knight entered the room, his eyes wide with wonder.
“My King.” He bowed, seeming embarrassed at interrupting their family meal, “I must ask that you come with me.” He glanced at Ezzie and Queen Annalise,
trying not to alarm them with more details.
“It seems I must excuse myself.” The King rose from the table swiftly, as he passed he leaned towards Lucas, “I will send for you two shortly.” He whispered, following the Knight out the door.
“Is there Earth dessert?” Ezzie asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
“I should probably be getting back to my room.” Her mom answered softly. “Would you ask Dina to help me?” She turned to Ezzie.
“Yes mom.” Ezzie rose slowly, she looked disappointed.
“And then go to the kitchens,” Lucas suggested, “I asked them to make an Earth dessert called ice cream. You’ll love it.” Lucas smiled.
“Really?” Ezzie smiled as she rushed from the room.
“You’ve never had ice cream?” Luna was surprised.
“Not until Earth.” Lucas admitted, “Cold things aren’t customary in Eranox.” He added.
A moment later a servant arrived, wheeling Lucas’ mother out of the room. “It was lovely to meet you Lady Blackwater.” She tipped her head, “I hope we can speak again soon.”
Luna nodded, watching as she was wheeled out back to her room.
“Your mom seems very nice.” Luna observed once it was just her and Lucas in the dining room.
“Thanks.” Lucas rose from his seat, “She’s normally… a little more mobile…” Lucas chuckled, “We should get going, the council will be sending for us shortly.”
“What was the rush about?” Luna wondered.
“I expect something happened with the cat.” Lucas answered thoughtfully.
“You think it didn’t work?” She worried.
“I couldn’t tell.” He shook his head, “It was hard to read the Knight.”
Lucas opened the door and another Knight was standing there, poised to knock. “The King is requesting your presence.” He said after a moment, caught off guard by their appearance.
“Thank you, we are on our way.” Lucas tipped his head, following the Knight down the hall towards the council chambers.
Luna followed behind, nervous about what they were about to discover. Had the cat been healed, or had she made things worse. There was no way of telling, the guard was so calm and poised, if he had seen something, she couldn’t tell.
Eranox- Cursed Page 12