by C. A. Sabol
“And I have seldom listened to your speech, Dorian,” she spoke as honestly as she did gracefully. She climbed out of the fountain, her feet and legs soaking wet. Her dress had absorbed a sizable amount of water while she had been playing, and not the once crisp, flawless white garment dragged across the floor, making wet, dirty smudges both on the gown and on the Palace floor. “Please, please, just once, for a couple of hours? I have finished all my studies and have read more books than the library can hold, I am certain of it. Please?”
Dorian shook his head. “I know you dream of freedom, but I cannot give in to you in this case. Please, sister, do find something else to occupy your thoughts.”
Selene rolled her eyes, and then reached down into the fountain once more, scooped up some water, and tossed it playfully at her brother. “You are entirely too serious sometimes!” she exclaimed again, before laughing and then running away, so Dorian did not have time to retaliate.
SELENE HAD RUN TO THE high tower, the one that she secretly called hers. When she had been little, when she could not seem to find sleep, she had sneaked up to this highest tower of the Diamond City castle and gazed at the city below. She was never allowed to go into the city, with the exception of a few parades and holidays. And even then, there had always been Dorian around, or at least a large number of guards. She’d never been completely free of those watching palace eyes. They’d made her feel guilty for even thinking of enjoying herself or looking around with interest while she was in the city.
She had always looked down there, and wishing for freedom from atop her palace; then she’d look up to the dull moon, and had wished to be free to fly there, to fly anywhere. From the tower, she could see the desert sands, the faraway villages where fires had burned in tiny specks, and lights could be seen for miles.
From her tower now, she could see the fading light of day as the gray sun began to drop behind the rest of the world.
The stars, seeming to shine more brightly than the moon, started to come out as she gazed across the world that was unfamiliar to her. A small bird came to land on the tower balcony next to her. The white bird cooed softly at the princess.
“I’m not unhappy,” the princess said to the bird, smiling gently. “I like my life here, and I like my brother. But for once I wish I could see the world as you do.” The bird jumped a bit closer to her as she added, “I bet there are days you wish you could be a fish.” She laughed softly as she added, “It sure would make it easier for you to catch fish, I’ll imagine.” She held out her hand, and the bird jumped away from her, flying off into the nearby city.
“Well, Dorian said I should occupy my time with different thoughts,” Selene thought aloud. “Thoughts of escape are different than thoughts of getting permission to visit the city.” She smiled slightly. “Yes, I would say they are.”
DORIAN FELT UNEASY as he watched Selene throughout the next few days. She was unusually quiet by her standards. It was more than a little perturbing. He waved it off and let it go for the time being. His sister had always been somewhat unusual to him, and he had to plan meetings, organize campaigns for laws, look over the new staff at the castle, and organize his paperwork. He grinned. Whoever thought being a king was easy did not know what it was really like to be one.
Selene took advantage of the time she had to get ready. Her brother was planning a dinner party for the weekend. She knew it was for the newly elected Islander advisors. There was one of these parities every year, when the newest crowd of appointed representatives came to the Diamond City palace in order to present to the King concerns from each individual island. It would be six months later that the King would set out on his yearly ‘Good Will Tour’, visiting all the islands and inspecting the conditions there for himself. Dorian had promised to take Selene with him when she was married. She had complained good-naturally, saying it was unlikely that she would ever get married, seeing as how she was trapped within a prison disguised as a castle. Dorian had agreed to let her go at eighteen years if nothing else after that argument.
Selene hurried around her room, gathering things that she would need for her time outside the Castle. She wanted to be able to spend as much time as she could in the City. She’d rarely been off the Table her whole life, and the first time she was off of it alone she was going to celebrate by doing the thing that she’d most wanted to do—she wanted, most of all, to visit the Gemstone Oasis. It was the liveliest part of the city, and she’d always heard stories from the maids and workingmen in the castle about the Oasis when they’d thought she was paying them no mind.
It was not long before the day of the party arrived. Selene waltzed into the main office to the side of the throne room, where the servants had told her the King was.
“Dorian?” she called out. It was a surprising large room, complete with a library-sized collection of the King’s most referenced and most favorite books.
“Over here, Selene,” he responded, his voice drifting from the second layer of the room. There was a small staircase leading to a harbored room. It was the main room of the office, where Dorian had his filing cabinet, electronic devices, and latest projects.
“How’s the engineering project going?” Selene asked as she looked into the smaller room. She knew that Dorian had a passion for creating new ideas for faster and better technology. He was studied under some of the best designers in the field of mechanics when he did not have any kingly duties.
Selene, personally, didn’t know a viewscreen from a television.
Dorian looked up from his papers and nodded, a sure sign that he was on the verge of something big. “It’s okay,” he said in humble tone of voice.
“The representatives are going to be here soon, you know,” Selene started out carefully. “It’s almost mid-afternoon.”
“I know,” he replied absentmindedly. “I’ll be ready soon.”
“I wanted to ask a favor of you, Dorian.”
“What is it? Do you need something?”
“No, no, I’m fine ... well, maybe. Kind of. I was hoping that you would excuse me from the dinner celebration tonight.”
Dorian looked up, his brows raised in a suspicious, almost untrusting manner. “Why? You know as Princess you have been born with the obligations to fulfill the traditions of the royal family.”
“I know, I know, Dorian, but well ... you see, there are going to be two full moons tonight, and I wanted to stargaze for a while in the High Tower. Besides,” she said, moving on to her main point, “I’m getting close to the marrying age, and I don’t want you to bond with one of the Islanders and marry me off to an old man who never stops talking about fishing or sail-hopping, or the war, or about himself –“
“I get it, Selene,” Dorian interjected. “Okay, I’ll let you out of the dinner tonight. Knowing how you are with some of the bellboys here, I’d say your reasoning is sound enough.”
Selene blushed. “I do not flirt with any of them! I know that they are not the kind of boy for me. They all only see the title and the large house. Really, brother, you should not listen to them talk so. I have never even held hands with any one of them. I only treat them with the respect and the politeness that is merely due in regards to human dignity, I assure you.”
“Oh, really?” Dorian said in teasing voice. “I’ll have to keep that in mind next time I think about firing a couple of them.”
Selene laughed, an infectious sound that Dorian found himself laughing with a moment later. “You are such a tease, Dorian. Thank you for letting me out of the dinner tonight. I appreciate it.” She bowed deeply out of respect as she backed out of the room.
“Have fun,” he called after her as she left.
Selene felt the guilt rise up in her as she thought about Dorian’s kind words. He was such a nice brother. Selene would make sure that she would look up at the stars for a while before she took her leave of her home.
THE NIGHT ARRIVED, and Selene was watching it come from the top of her tower. She found Shira’s glow
as it met her full in the face. The other Sapphiran moon, Kuro, cast out a soft yellow tone to the world below. She would be free tonight. She could feel destiny coming toward her faster than ever for some reason.
She had taken the time to select her clothing. On the rare times she’d been able to leave the Palace, she had paid close attention to how the city folk dressed. They mostly stuck to simple outfits, unlike the royal family. Since Selene could hardly ask for a peasant girl’s outfit, she’d decided to wear the most plain and simple outfit she owned. It was a simple white skirt and shirt design, the skirt with two simple layers for flounces and expensive burgundy trim and gold-laced embroidery, the design of many small tiny flowers on a background of dazzling, striking white. Not only did the white look plain, but also it managed to help her skin glow look less bright. The shirt was supposed to go with the skirt, but it was simple enough, only the velvet lines and three small flowers on the front. The rest of it was blank, and there were no sleeves to complicate the overall design of the outfit. Selene decided that she would have to borrow a walking robe to hide her shoes, which were considerable fancy for a city resident. The shoes were white with gold designs, and they were custom made just for her dainty feet.
Selene came down from her tower after about an hour of waiting for the dinner downstairs to escalate. She could hear from the top of the tower the violins and mandolins, and hear the ancient piano keys being skillfully manipulated to produce a melodious tune.
She peeped around the corner to see into the throne room, which was currently full of dressed up dancers, socializing and drinking businessmen, and lots of waiters serving little samples of the unique cuisine that Diamond City had to offer. Chez-haut, cheese wrapped around egg and ham slices, and expensive Filet-bet, steak sliced with thin bread and sprinkled with nuts, were among the more popular choices. Selene, who had a fondness for the Chez-haut, was tempted to sneak away with some, but she instead decided to stick with her original plan. If she were seen tonight, everything would be ruined.
Selene grabbed an old maid’s walking robe as she made her way to the servant’s entrance. She pulled up the hood, covering her face effectively. Her glow was even hidden to a surprisingly high degree.
She smiled as she reached the door. The sound of the waterfall nearby was louder than she ever heard it before. A bird whisked past her, and she smiled. It was time for her to spread her own wings.
She took her first step out of the Palace and couldn’t resist taking another. She felt the darkness of night encase her as she walked away from the bright lights of the Table down the slanted streets off the plateau.
Selene, despite her disguise, could see the streets that she walked down without carrying a lantern. She felt like she stuck out like a bright light in a dark sea. Her skin was a milky white, and like all royals it cast out a glow. Now her skin seemed lighter than ever, as though it was a beckoning call for strangers’ eyes. She walked down Calamity Street, known for its constant chaos. She walked past the many restaurants, where there were hundreds of men and women watching a television screen, laughing at a stage show, or throwing food at the performers in the stage show. A small restaurant had only a few people in it, with a center stage that looked like a poetry reading from outside.
Selene watched in amazement as she peeked over a fence and saw a flame dancer and a team of dancing wild men all performing amazing feats with the fire. I wonder what was so completely terrible about this world, Selene thought as she walked around.
There was an old woman who was standing on the street corner, holding a crystal in her hand. “Want to hear your fortune, sweetie?” her scratchy voice called out.
“No thank you, ma’am,” Selene smiled up at her. “But thank you for offering. Have a nice evening.”
The old woman looked surprised and even smiled a little back at her. “You’re welcome,” the vender murmured. Selene wondered why it had seemed so odd that she would be kind to this businesswoman. It was true that more men were in business, but surely there were those women who needed more currency as well.
The princess made her way around a couple more streets, walking down “Isle Island”, the small gathering of homes owned by those who had migrated to the city from the isles off the coast of the Continent. Here she made her first ever purchase—a string of beautiful pearlstones. It was not that expensive, and Selene thought it went well with her outfit.
“Thank you so much, sir,” she politely said. “It’s beautiful.” She handed him her cash and put on the purchase, secretly pleased with her decision to come to town. She smiled and walked on. Gemstone Oasis was nearby. The excitement in her stomach bubbled up quietly.
Gemstone Oasis was the popular section of town. There were several shopping centers for clothes and even more bars for drinking, where moonshine was available from sun up to sun down. Selene had no desire to see this; she had heard stories of her late father drinking uncontrollably, and had vowed to stay off the stuff for as long as she could. Besides, she knew that she didn’t have a lot of time here. And it was the water basin, at the end of the waterfall, which she longed to see most of all.
Having been raised her entire life on top of the waterfall, Selene had never seen firsthand the bottom of the waterfall. Even during those brief moments, at celebrations, openings of companies, and parades, she had never been allowed to wander off, even for the smallest glance, of the end of the waterfall. The mystery of what lay down there had been a burning question in her mind for years; Selene remembered when she was little, she used to think, before she’d ever climbed up to the High Tower, that the water simply fell off, and below was the end of the world. She’d never even imagined what a basin was. She did hear stories, though, time to time, of her trying to ‘fly’ out of the throne room into the waterfall from when she was little. Dorian sometimes teased her relentlessly of her adventurous nature.
She smiled as she neared the Oasis. She could hear the laughter, the sounds of dice being rolled. She could hardly wait to get there.
That was, until she heard someone scream. Looking around, in the dim light of the streets, she could see that the Gemstone Oasis had suddenly gone very dark.
The electricity must have gone out, Selene reasoned. It was nothing too, too scary. Surely it was nothing dangerous.
It happened every so often, that a dancing fool would manage to spill their moonshine on one of the area’s generators. Those that were still sober usually sighed into their drinks and started to head on home, but those who were not merely laughed and cleared the way for the tavern owners to light the table lanterns.
Selene made her way cautiously to where she’d seen Gemstone Oasis sparkle only moments before. People all around were walking past her, their obvious disappointment at the power outage evident. Selene stayed off to the side, letting the people saunter away from that part of town. Keeping her destination her main focus, she walked on past them, silent as a shadow.
Walking with slow steps, Selene left behind the city lights and had only the moonlight to light her way. It was her first time, she thought, to be in such a state. Then the clouds moved above, and the stars shined through once more. The moons even seemed to bring even more light to her surroundings, almost as though they were watching over her. A new wave of determination washed over her.
She hugged what little warmth her walking robe could offer close to her as she continued on, determined not to let the lack of lighting and power defer her to her destination. It looked to her that this was going to be one of the last times she would ever be able to explore the city on her own; she had best make the most of it, despite the problems she might run into.
It was then that she ran into the biggest problem of all. She was just looking over her shoulder to gaze back at an illuminated clock she’d recently walked past when she bumped into something—or rather, more accurately, someone.
“Hey! Watch where you’re a-going!” A loud, booming voice rumbled down at her.
Selene instantly back
ed up, and lowered her head in apology. “I’m sorry,” she started to say, backing up away from the boy, and tripping, falling backwards. Her eyes widened with sudden fear and confusion as she fell, and her hands clutched at her chest as though to keep it from beating out of her body. She felt the scream rise in her throat. Her eyes squeezed shut, bracing herself for hitting the hard, stony pathway.
The impact never came. A strong pair of arms reached out and broke her fall, inches away from the ground. The hood of her cloak flew back at the sudden, jerky stop.
She glanced up and found herself in the arms of a young man with short black hair, so dark night itself seemed to seep from it. In the pale moonlight, his eyes were gray, with speckles of silver. They held an inquiring look at the moment, as he met her eyes with his. Suddenly she could hear her heart racing. She was so surprised that she did not pay much attention as the boy who had caused her to fall sauntered over angrily.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!” he demanded. “Etoileon, this is my part of town!”
The gray eyes snapped up angrily at the boy’s words. “Hey, Bubo, watch where you throw your weight around, would you?” Selene’s rescuer sneered at the boy who had caused Selene to trip and fall. “You almost caused the Lady here a head injury.” He easily lifted her and placed her on her feet, keeping her in his arms as he held her steady.
The boy called Bubo shrugged in an apathetic manner. “Call it however you see it. She’s just a klutz, if you’re askin’ me ... But hey, she’s a pretty little thing, now that I can see her. Maybe she’ll be wanting to have a little moonshine?” His eyes sparked with amusement, but the hopeful glimmer evaporated as Bubo caught the expression on his enemy’s face.