《The Golden Swan》 Chapter 1 The first time she saw the swan, she thought that it was part of a dream. It stood in the meadow, silent and watchful, and Princess Kya though it strange that its feathers were not quite white, but instead a pale gold. Curious, she scampered over, and the creature gave a honk of alarm before flying away. ¡°Kya! You scared it!¡± her brother scolded. ¡°Children!¡± The siblings froze. A woman was striding towards them, her skirt billowing in the morning breeze. She took a moment to smooth it and another moment to glare. ¡°How many times have I told you not to leave my sight? Saro, you were supposed to be watching your sister!¡± The little boy¡¯s shoulders drooped. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Queen Harmony,¡± he murmured. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Momma,¡± Kya echoed. ¡°A fine king you¡¯ll be if you don¡¯t get yourself lost,¡± the woman glared, and then her expression softened. ¡°Oh Kya,¡± she sighed, ¡°you¡¯ve gotten your dress all filthy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Momma. There was a puddle.¡± ¡°What will everyone think of you two? At least it wasn¡¯t the cliffs,¡± the queen muttered, and flashed another glare at the little prince. She stood up. ¡°Well, you two need to clean yourselves off. We can¡¯t have your father seeing you this way, can we?¡± She turned around. ¡°Come along.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Yes Momma,¡± Kya dutifully replied. ¡°Yes Queen Harmony,¡± said Saro.
¡°Kya, you still awake?¡± The little princess blinked the sleepiness from her eyes and sat up. There was a dark shape in the doorway. ¡°Saro?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± The shape took form as he entered the room. Kya scooted onto her pillow and he sat at the foot of the bed. ¡°How was it today, with your mom?¡± ¡°It was fun. We picked out decorations for the ball.¡± Her smile faded a little. ¡°You could have come with us if you¡¯d liked.¡° ¡°S¡¯okay. I found stuff to do.¡± His dark eyes flashed when he grinned, and he turned towards the window. ¡°Wanna go out to the cliffs tomorrow? I heard the view of the lake is amazing.¡± Kya¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Saro, you know we¡¯re not supposed to go there! You could fall!¡± She hovered at the edge of the bed in alarm. ¡°Promise you won¡¯t go there. Please, Saro.¡± He watched the window for another minute before turning away. ¡°I promise,¡± he sighed, and leaned against the wall. ¡°I hate being cooped up in here, though. When I¡¯m king, I¡¯ll make it a law that parents have to let their kids outside at least once a day.¡± Kya clapped so hard that Saro had to shush her for fear of being heard. ¡°Will you have there be a day where we¡¯re allowed to get mud on our clothes?¡± Saro¡¯s face was dead serious. ¡°I¡¯ll let that be everyday.¡± They shared a giggle. ¡°Goodnight snooze-a-saur.¡± She giggled once more, not feeling tired in the slightest. ¡°Goodnight, Saro!¡± He slipped out the door and was gone. Kya¡¯s mother came in a few minutes later to kiss her goodnight. ¡°Getting sleepy, my little princess?¡± she smiled. ¡°No, Momma,¡± the girl yawned. ¡°I was just thinking about how great it¡¯ll be when Saro becomes king. Do you think I could be a queen someday?¡± Her mother was quiet for a long, long time. ¡°I think you will,¡± she finally said. ¡°I think you will.¡± Chapter 2 Five years to the day later, a rooster landed on the north tower and announced the sunrise. Kya was up and out of bed before it finished its first crow. Head up, shoulders back, big smile, she rehearsed, but her mind kept wandering from the princess perfection. A full twelve hours of fun awaited, and she was ready to enjoy every minute of it! By the time the knock sounded at the door to signal it was time to get up, Princess Kya had already combed her hair, washed herself, and gotten dressed. The maid who entered with breakfast was surprised to see the princess so ready. She didn¡¯t have much time to contemplate it, though, because a moment later, the breakfast was gone and Kya was out the door. She smacked face-first into a wall of silk. ¡°Why, someone seems excited, my little princess,¡± her mother chuckled, gathering herself from the crash. ¡°And you¡¯re all ready, too! Here, let me get your bow!¡± ¡°Come on, Mom, do you really have to?¡± Kya whined, bouncing up and down in anticipation. ¡°It will go faster if you don¡¯t fidget so much,¡± the queen reminded her. ¡°There, done. My!¡± Kya had ducked out of her grasp and darted down the hallway. She dodged two maids and a manservant, and then the rectangle of green was in full view. Only then did she pause. Her father, the king, was waiting on the grass. People stood around him, chatting merrily, and a small crowd of children ran past. Kya had seen the full palace staff before¡ªindeed, she saw it every year on Picnic Day¡ªbut the sheer size of it never ceased to amaze her. Inside of the crowd, she caught a brief glimpse of two sister duchesses with whom she had played the previous year. The next moment, they became hidden behind a new curtain of people. She took a step forward in the hope of pursuing them, and a large hand landed on her head. ¡°Good morning, Kya!¡± her father boomed cheerfully. With one quick sweep, he picked her up and spun her around. ¡°Someone certainly seems excited for picnic day,¡± he grinned as the princess squealed with joy. ¡°Almost too excited to remember her shoes,¡± Queen Harmony grimaced, finally catching up to her daughter. ¡°I didn¡¯t forget them. I just didn¡¯t want them, Mom,¡± Kya whined. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want you to ruin your feet,¡± Harmony countered. ¡°A lady does not go barefoot in muddy puddles. A lady does not go in muddy puddles. And Kya, you are ten years old and a princess, so you must start acting more mature.¡± ¡°Ah, well, how are you today, my flower of loveliness?¡± King Tir interjected, realizing that it might be wiser to change the subject than attempt to argue with his wife¡¯s strict ways. ¡°I feel wonderful.¡± Her back straightened and she folded her hands, looking every inch the queen that she was. ¡°I look forward to mingling with the other royals who will be joining us. I would like our relations with them to be as favorable as they can when it comes time to choose a partner for our daughter.¡± ¡°Mom!¡± cried Kya. The king glanced at her. ¡°My dear, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little early to be discussing her, ahem, marriage?¡± ¡°It is never too early to start looking, and besides, Kya needs to practice behavior for the court,¡± the queen retorted, as confident as ever. ¡°And since this kingdom is to go to your son, Saro, I would like to see Kya be made queen of something.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Of course,¡± King Tir replied, and Kya crossed her arms in boredom. The picnic had started and all she¡¯d done was waste time hearing about kingdoms and marriage. A shadow fell across Kya, darkening her view. ¡°Hey, Kya. What¡¯s the frown for?¡± ¡°Ah, Saro! What a fine morning for a picnic, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± ¡°Definitely, Dad,¡± Saro grinned, his dark eyes flashing. ¡°Good morning, Queen Harmony.¡± ¡°Good morning, Saro.¡± She smiled, but there was no joy in her eyes. ¡°Hey, Dad, do you mind if I take Kya for a little while? Two of the earls are starting a jousting match, and I thought she might want to see it.¡± The king glanced at his daughter, who was nodding furiously. ¡°Well, I suppose it wouldn¡¯t hurt if the two of you left for a few hours.¡± Queen Harmony pursed her lips but offered no disagreement. ¡°Do come back when you¡¯re finished, though. You both need to get a taste of proper court behavior, and besides, I can only fend off all these pompous royals for so long!¡± ¡°Of course, Dad. We¡¯ll be back as soon as it¡¯s over.¡± He took his sister¡¯s hand. ¡°Good,¡± chuckled the king. ¡°I can always count on you.¡± The siblings skipped off. Once they were a good distance away and fairly out of breath, Kya slowed down. ¡°Thanks for saving me back there, Saro! I thought I was gonna have to spend the whole picnic listening to a bunch of stuck-up kings and queens!¡± ¡°Hey, what are princes for, if not to save little princesses,¡± Saro grinned. ¡°Find your friends. From my experience with jousts, you have about an hour of free time before Dad starts getting suspicious.¡± ¡°Thanks Saro!¡± Kya turned around, but she paused. ¡°What are you going to do while you¡¯re waiting?¡± He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll find something.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for Kya to find her friends by the lake. The two young duchesses, Kari and Amie, halted their play when they saw her approach. ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t the Princess Kya,¡± Kari smirked. ¡°Come to walk the plank?¡± ¡°We¡¯re playing pirates,¡± Amie, the younger of the two sisters and closer to Kya in age, explained. ¡°Wanna join?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Kya exclaimed. ¡°Then prepare for your ship to be plundered!¡± Kari roared and took off towards Kya, who sprinted away, laughing. ¡°I¡¯ll get you, too, Duchess Amie! I¡¯ll get you with my hook!¡± ¡°Oh no!¡± Amie squealed. She began to fall behind. ¡°Kya, help me!¡± Kya veered off to the side in an attempt to distract the wicked pirate, running up and in the direction of the forbidden cliffs. Kari was catching up to her. Out of breath and full of adrenaline, Kya sprinted faster. Kari roared, continuing the pursuit. Then Amie screamed. Both Kya and Kari halted, Kari stumbling forward to almost crash into the princess. Amie screamed again, and she pointed to a spot in the distance. Kya¡¯s heart skipped a beat and fluttered even faster, ready to carry her legs away from the danger. But one glance told her that it was not she who was in trouble. ¡°Saro!¡± The prince was a dot at the top of the cliffs. He gazed down at the lake, but did not seem to hear the three girls. Kya screamed and ran towards her brother. Kari screamed and ran towards the picnickers. ¡°Saro! Get away from there!¡± ¡°Saro!¡± The king¡¯s deep voice came as a command. Saro started, broken from his trance, and almost stepped backwards. He flailed to find his footing and scampered away from the edge, looking truly afraid. A cluster of picnickers, royal and common, was gathering to view the spectacle. Queen Harmony gathered her skirts and followed closely behind her husband. A breeze fluttered along the rocky edge, teasing with its arial play, Saro¡¯s dark hair waved lightly, and he shivered. ¡°Dad, I¡­¡± A swan¡¯s feather landed at his feet. In the afternoon light, it seemed to shimmer with the faintest trace of gold. ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°Just as crazy as his mother,¡± an older cousin of Amie and Kari muttered. The rest of the crowd rustled uneasily, realizing the audacity of such an insult. But the king only watched his son and the cliffs behind him. The doubt on his face betrayed his fears. Breaking the trance, one of the duchesses tugged her children back and left the cliffside. The rest of the crowd seemed to realize that the spectacle was over and quietly dispersed. The royal family was left alone. ¡°Saro, what were you thinking?¡± the queen reprimanded. He gave no response, only a look of fear. He didn¡¯t seem certain whom it was directed towards, but it made him shudder. ¡°Just leave me alone!¡± he finally yelled, and then he pushed past them and ran. Chapter 3 Kya found her brother in the storage cellar on the lowest level of the castle. He looked up when she entered, and he didn¡¯t try to hide that he had been crying. ¡°Hi Kya,¡± he said flatly. Kya took a small step into the room. ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He fished a crumpled cloth out of his pocket and wiped his nose. ¡°I¡¯m better now. You can come in, if you want to.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She took another step forward and let the door close softly behind her. The room was dark, with only a small window bringing light from above. ¡°Dad is still looking for you. He¡¯s worried.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Saro folded his arms and looked down again. ¡°I¡¯m just not ready to face him yet.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She plopped down and stretched her legs. ¡°What are you going to do, when you do see him?¡± Her brother shrugged. ¡°I dunno. Apologize, probably. Try to convince him that I¡¯m not as crazy as my mother.¡± Kya frowned. ¡°Your mother wasn¡¯t crazy.¡± ¡°Yes she was. She barely ever spoke, she spent whole days crying, and one night she ran off and was never seen again. Dad never would¡¯ve married her if it wasn¡¯t for his whole twice-cursed business. She sounded pretty crazy, if you ask me.¡± Kya brought her knees up to her chest. ¡°Who said she did all that?¡± she asked, somewhat alarmed. ¡°Dad did.¡± Saro shrugged. ¡°I asked him one time,¡± he explained. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. She isn¡¯t me, and it wasn¡¯t even like I got to know her or anything. At least you get to have a normal mom.¡± Kya frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. She¡¯s basically your mother, too.¡± ¡°No she isn¡¯t. Your mom hates everything about me.¡± Kya opened her mouth to disagree, but she closed it, unable to think of a reply. Her brother seemed to realize that, and his expression softened. ¡°It¡¯s okay. At least you¡¯re different. Heck, if you were just like her, I¡¯d probably¡­¡± His voice trailed off into unknown thoughts. ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re different. Thank you, Kya.¡± ¡°Thanks, Saro.¡± She hesitated for a moment, and then smiled. ¡°Are you ready to come out now?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He smiled back, and then stood up.
There were a total of four secret passages leading outside the castle, and Saro knew the location of every one of them. His father had shown them to him when he had turned ten, but he was already familiar with three of them by that point. Most of them were behind old tapestries or bookcases and the like, but there was one that was rather cleverly hidden behind a mirror outside of the Grand Hall that he hadn¡¯t been able to discover on his own. Saro lay in his bed, thinking about that particular passage the night after the picnic. He swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood up. Saro made his way over to the window and opened the curtains. The moon, waxing to almost full, let in ample light for him to search through his closet and find the picture of his mother. He held it up, breathed deeply, and sighed. She couldn¡¯t have been there. Whoever had been up on the cliffs had looked just like her¡ªheck, she had felt just like her, even though Saro had been too young to remember her before she had disappeared. She couldn¡¯t have been there, though. And he wouldn¡¯t know who the woman really was, either, because she had gone by the time he had reached the top of the cliffs. And he couldn¡¯t shake the fear that the figure on the cliff had merely been a figment of his imagination, the imagination of a prince gone just as crazy as his ma.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it He crept silently down the stairs and through the darkened castle. There were a handful of guards on patrol at that hour, but Saro could hear them coming and he knew when to hide. He stood in front of the mirror for a moment, his reflection barely visible in the dim light, when he realized that he was still holding the picture of his mother. He sighed. If he dodged the guards again, put the picture back, and then traveled all the way back here, he might not have the heart to go through with this. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the mirror ever so silently to the side, crept through the exposed tunnel, and replaced the cover. In another minute, he was outside. That night, someone else could not find sleep, and so she followed him. The outside world was cool and quiet. Softly, water lapped against the lake¡¯s shore, driven by an unseen wind. Something scuttled through the underbrush, and Saro¡¯s heartbeat quickened. ¡°All right, Mom, what are you trying to show me?¡± he muttered. The cliffs were just ahead. Slowly, he dared to look up. Someone was looking back. Saro gasped, standing frozen. Then he ran. His heart pounded as he went up and up, never thinking about the possible danger. Something inside of him told him that there was none, that he was going to be okay. He reached the top of the cliffs, breathless and panting. There was no one there. ¡°Prince Saro, what on earth are you doing here?¡± Queen Harmony was behind him, striding up. Saro gulped. ¡°I-I, um, good evening, Queen?¡± ¡°By all four winds, Saro, what madness drove you to be up at this hour out¡ª¡° Her nostrils flared, and then surprisingly, her gaze softened. She sighed and looked up. ¡°The stars are beautiful tonight.¡± Saro waited for the lecture to start. Surely, his stepmother was more than happy to drag him back to the castle and report his irresponsibility to his father. But she said nothing. She only watched the stars. And somehow, she wasn¡¯t looking at the stars, but at him. It must be made clear that Queen Harmony was not a thoroughly wicked person. She was vain, but she really did care about her daughter¡¯s future. The queen feared what might become of her kingdom if her stepson controlled it, especially with how mad the boy¡¯s mother had been, and she hated the fact that her daughter could not rule it. Queen Harmony was not a thoroughly wicked person. She just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and thinking the wrong, wicked thoughts. Queen Harmony did not dare look over the edge of the cliff. She didn¡¯t wait to hear the crash. Instead, she covered her mouth, hid the scream at what she had just done, and ran back towards the castle. It took Saro precisely five seconds to reach the surface of the lake. As he fell, time seemed to stretch and he had a few moments to sort through what was going on. In the first second, the understanding that he had been pushed trickled into his mind. The next second came with a panic, and some crazed thought told him to flap his arms and make a desperate attempt to fly. In the beginning of the third second, for the briefest moment he caught sight of a flash of gold. Then he was jerked upwards, not truly flying, but slowing in his fall. The lake was close, however, and in the fourth second, Saro was once again picking up speed. The prince felt the soft barbs of feathers digging into his arms as a golden pair of wings wrapped themselves around him. Together, they dove. In the fifth and final second before they reached the bottom, Saro finally found his voice to scream. He didn¡¯t think about how high and frightened he sounded, or imagine how his father and teachers would shake their heads and tell him that princes should be brave, even in the face of dragons and monsters and certain death. For a moment, in that fifth and final second, he was just a little boy who wanted to live. The scratchy clutch of feathers squeezed tighter, and for a moment, a stray wisp of a dream, Saro saw the water glow an impossibly bright shade of gold. When he and the swan reached the surface, they vanished without a sound. Chapter 4 The sun spilled brightly into the tower room. Kya stretched and yawned and rubbed her eyes. She blinked wearily at the window, flopped back down, and buried her face in the pillow. A maid knocked at the door. ¡°Five more minutes,¡± Kya grumbled, but the maid entered anyway. Still tired, the princess rolled out of bed and plopped down at her desk, where the maid was arranging a breakfast tray. Whether she liked it or not, a new day had begun. By the time she was fed and dressed, Kya was a great deal more awake. She flounced out of her room in a casual dress and found her tutor in the library. ¡°Good morning,¡± she curtsied. Her tutor bowed slightly and managed to keep his stack of books from falling. ¡°Good morning, Princess Kya. Shall we begin your studies now?¡± Kya¡¯s father passed by them and gave a friendly wave. Then he turned and directed a few more servants in preparation for the ball that took place after Picnic Day. Kya gave him a quick curtsy and nodded at her tutor. The day¡¯s lesson plan focused on a history of curses. Kya took her usual seat at her desk, the only one in that corner of the library, and waited for her tutor to set things up. Her eyes wandered over to the door and she sighed. Usually, Saro would show up for a quick visit before his more advanced classes, but he hadn¡¯t come today. He seemed so busy lately. Of course, Kya had plenty of things to do herself. While the teacher rattled off the names of famous fairies, commoners, and royals who had cursed and been cursed, Kya diligently wrote each one down. In her head, she started ranking the curses from absolutely terrible to fairly neat and not entirely undesirable. Her tutor was just finishing up his lecture on her seven-times-great grandmother Queen Emeni, who had been cursed by a witch to have hair that grew a foot a year and that could never be cut. When a dragon came to the kingdom, Emeni had been carried off, but she used her hair to bind the beast¡¯s limbs, wings, and mouth while it lay sleeping. The dragon could not break free, and thus Emeni was hailed as a hero. Kya thought that the curse was more on the bad side of the spectrum, but Emeni¡¯s adventure had been pretty cool. ¡°And of course,¡± the tutor went on, ¡°that brings us to the most recent monarch to be cursed: King Tir.¡± Tir the twice-cursed, Kya couldn¡¯t help but think. Her father¡¯s story was familiar to her, so the tutor¡¯s lecture was nothing new. It still made her sad to hear how in his youth, King Tir had been enchanted by a rather mischievous fairy who cursed him to fall in love with the next human he laid eyes on. When he returned home, covering his eyes out of fear that he might see someone, his parents had implored a local wizard to reverse the spell. Unable to undo the fairy¡¯s magic, the wizard settled for the next best thing: making it so that Tir would marry not the first person, but the first princess that he laid eyes on. And of course, he was unlucky enough to see Saro¡¯s crazy mother. Well, it wasn¡¯t all bad, Kya figured. The day that the old queen disappeared, the spell had broken and Tir had been able to marry as he wished. And now he was happier. Kya blushed. It was so silly to think of her parents in love! Quickly, she straightened up. Her tutor hadn¡¯t noticed her inattention. After an hour¡¯s worth of rambling on about magic frogs, the lesson was finished. Kya couldn¡¯t leave the library quickly enough. She jogged through the castle and into the courtyard, where pairs of armored figures were practicing swordplay. She would have that lesson after lunch, and then embroidery and dancing and music. Gosh, even dinner was paired with a class in etiquette! She wanted to make every second of this free time worthwhile. A whistle blew and the figures stopped fighting. Kya watched them doff their armor impatiently. Not one of them was Saro. Confused, Kya caught sight of her father across the yard and weaved her way toward him. He noticed her and waved. ¡°Good morning, Kya,¡± he smiled. ¡°Hi Dad. Did Saro not go to practice today?¡± The king stroked his chin, noticing that his son was not among the students present. ¡°I suppose not,¡± he frowned. ¡°Messenger!¡± he called over a servant. ¡°Tell my son I would like to see him right away.¡± The servant nodded and paused. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± he said, ¡°with all due respect, we have been searching for him since this morning. A search party was sent out when he didn¡¯t show up for class.¡± ¡°Then send out another one! And why wasn¡¯t I notified of this?¡± The servant nodded quickly and left, and the king sighed. ¡°Boys, always running off to somewhere,¡± he sighed. ¡°How were your classes, Kya? I certainly hope you went to them.¡± ¡°I did. I learned about curses!¡± He cracked a smile. ¡°Quite an enchanting subject, eh?¡± A golden mist gathered above his head. Kya squinted at it, and it darted upwards quickly. The king frowned. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± he asked. Kya blinked. The mist was gone. ¡°No, Daddy. Everything¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Lovely.¡± He strode towards the castle. ¡°Your mother woke up not feeling well, I¡¯m afraid. Would you like to come visit her with me?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± The father and child made their way into the castle and headed up the stairs, chatting as they went. Kya glanced at one of the windows and saw a patch of golden mist hovering outside. She hesitated, watching it drift to the side. Then it darted out of view. Kya¡¯s father noticed her lag behind and paused as well. ¡°Everything all right?¡± He peered through the window. Then somebody screamed. Not wasting a moment, the king drew his sword and rushed down the hallway. ¡°Dad!¡± Kya screamed, and another shriek pierced the air. ¡°Run, Kya!¡± her father ordered, turning around for a split second while he ran. That¡¯s Mom¡¯s room, Kya realized, and a chill seemed to seep through her, freezing her on the spot. Her father burst through the door, and from the other end of the hallway, Kya could see another patch of that golden mist inside of the room, swirling around her frantic mother. It condensed, and she was gone. ¡°Mom! Dad!¡± she screamed again, and the mist was upon her father. It closed over him like a curtain while he slashed at its intangible form, and then the sword clattered to the ground. He had disappeared. The mist hovered at the doorway, regarding Kya with what could have passed as sentience. The princess gulped and realized that she had started running, but she¡¯d been heading towards her parents¡¯ door, not away from it. Outside, somebody screamed, and around the corner, a suit of metal fell. Kya backed away, watching the mist with reverent fear. Then she spun around and ran. ¡°Mom! Dad! Saro!¡± she screamed. Nobody answered, and she dared not look behind her to see how close the mist was to catching up. Kya raced down the stairs, past the Grand Hall, and back into the courtyard. It was empty, except for more mist. It shimmered for a moment, and then advanced. Somewhere in the back of Kya¡¯s mind, the words ¡°secret passage¡± seemed to recall themselves. Kya dashed back towards the Great Hall, where the pursuing mist awaited. She ran at it head on, screaming all the while, and at the last second she dodged to the side and got past it. She shoved the mirror out of the way and tumbled through the hole, slamming the entrance shut behind her. A thin sliver of light told her that it was not completely closed, but she didn¡¯t have time to turn back. She pulled her dress up and ran. The passageway ended at a wooden door in the exterior garden, just outside the outer wall. Kya shoved the door open as effectively as she¡¯d closed the one on the way in, and she just managed to squeeze through it to freedom. The lake sparkled ahead, as pristine as always. Kya made a beeline for it. She splashed in and dared to turn around. The mist was gone. Gasping and sobbing with relief, Kya knelt down in the water and let it soak into her dress. The ripples cleared, and she could make out her face. Next to it was Saro¡¯s. ¡°Saro!¡± she gasped, and whipped around. No one was there. She breathed a little faster, and looked back at the water. There, plain as day, was her brother¡¯s reflection. As Kya proceeded to freak out for the second time that day, the reflection waved its hands frustratedly. ¡°C¡ªm ¡ªown!¡± She jumped back, and ripples washed over her brother, distorting his face and speech into incomprehensible gibberish. Steadying herself, Kya tried to stand still and stop making ripples. The message became clearer. ¡°Calm down.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Kya couldn¡¯t be completely cool with her brother¡¯s independent reflection talking to her through a lake, but she did manage to calm down a little bit. The wind rippled across the lake and the reflection tried to say something else. She concentrated on his mouth. ¡°Duck? Swan?¡± A scream split her focus. Suddenly cold, Kya turned back towards the castle just in time to see an immense cloud of mist rise up from behind the wall. Silhouetted against it was something else. ¡°¡ªour room. Mirror,¡± the reflection ordered. ¡°Ru¡ª¡° Kya dashed back to the secret passageway, praying that the mist hadn¡¯t noticed her. She pulled the door open and yanked it shut, breaking it free of its jam. Through the small gap that was left open, she watched the mist drift towards the lake. The smaller figure was clearer now¡ªshe could see that it was a swan. It circled around the lake once and let out a piercingly mournful cry. Then it folded its wings and dove. When it reached the surface, there was no splash. The mesmerization over, Kya turned and jogged back through the tunnel. Her feet squished around in her shoes, leaving a trail of muddy footprints behind her. Well, there wasn¡¯t much time to worry about cleanliness now, she figured. Meeting no one on the way, she headed into her room and shut the window and door, breathing hard. Then she latched both and collapsed onto her bed. ¡°You okay now?¡± The mirror was speaking to her. More precisely, Saro¡¯s reflection in the mirror was speaking to her, but it was about as strange as the first explanation. Kya turned around out of habit, but there was nobody there. Her brother sat down on the bed, seemingly right next to her reflection, but on her side of the mirror, he was invisible. ¡°Some morning, isn¡¯t it?¡± Well, it certainly looked like Saro. And it sounded like him, too. Kya stepped off of the bed and watched her reflection step away from Saro¡¯s. ¡°Who are you, and how did you get here? What did you do to my brother?¡± she glared. Mirror-Saro ran his fingers through his hair. ¡°Well, I am your brother. Or part of him, I think. I have no idea how I got here.¡± Kya squinted. ¡°What happened to Mom and Dad and everyone else? Where did that golden mist come from?¡± Mirror-Saro breathed heavily. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry to say that I really have no clue what happened after that golden swan dunked¡ª¡° He was cut off by a new round of screaming. Kya scrambled back and opened the curtains on her window as much as she dared. Outside, the swan was circling the lake once again, and when it opened its beak, a cry of anguish pierced the air. It sounded so eerily human that Kya shuddered and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the swan was a golden speck headed for the horizon. It grew smaller and smaller, until at last she could only see the lake. ¡°Well, at least it¡¯s gone.¡± Kya turned to her brother, who scratched his head with his left¡ªor was it his right?¡ªhand. ¡°What do you suppose we should do now?¡± Kya¡¯s grimaced. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Everyone in the castle is gone.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Saro, what¡¯s happening? How did you get there?¡± She shivered. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Her brother stood. The slight indentation that marked where he had sat on his side, and only his side, slowly righted itself until it was as smooth as the bedspread in the real world. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he finally said. ¡°I thought I saw my mother last night.¡± Kya looked reasonably surprised, and Saro went on. ¡°I went to the cliffs, but your mom was there. She pushed me,¡± Kya covered her mouth, ¡°and while I was falling, the swan showed up. I don¡¯t know what it did, but instead of hitting the water, we went through it, and then the swan flew back up. I¡¯ve been here ever since.¡± Kya touched the mirror. ¡°That¡¯s terrible.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say you¡¯ve made an accurate statement.¡± Kya looked out the window. ¡°Saro, we have to fix this.¡± ¡°How? You¡¯ve seen what that swan can do. It¡¯ll make you disappear, just like everyone else.¡± ¡°Except you,¡± she pointed out. ¡°Right. But I can¡¯t do anything in here that can help you, see?¡± He reached over and picked up Kya¡¯s crown on his side of the mirror. Its reflection remained in Saro¡¯s hand while he held it, but when he attempted to toss it in the air, it vanished the second it left his grasp, reappearing on his sister¡¯s head. In the real world, it never moved. Kya flashed him a dirty look and frowned. ¡°Okay, so I guess it¡¯s up to me to save everyone.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s up to you to stay in the castle and keep yourself safe. I¡¯ll go after the swan.¡± Kya crossed her arms, forgetting her fears upon being denied a part in the adventure. ¡°Oh yeah? What are you gonna do to it?¡± ¡°I can fight it when it comes into the mirror. I¡¯ll¡ª¡± Kya had stopped listening. She was staring at a book on the floor, reflected through the mirror. Unlike everything else in the room, it had no real-world counterpart. ¡°Saro?¡± ¡°¡ªI¡¯m going to kick that swan and¡ªoh, what?¡± ¡°Saro, what does that book say?¡± He looked down and noticed it. ¡°Kya, where did you get this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not mine! I¡¯ve never seen it before.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, gee! It¡¯s just that it has your name on it.¡± Kya¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Saro, that book isn¡¯t on my side. Read what it says!¡± Now Saro looked surprised. He swooped down, picked up the book, and flipped it open. Quickly, he began reading. ¡°Once upon a time, a king called Tir and a queen named Harmony had a baby, and they named her Kya. On the first of May the child entered the world¡ªKya, this is all about you!¡± ¡°Who wrote it?¡± Saro flipped through it, studying the cover with excitement. ¡°It doesn¡¯t say,¡± he finally frowned, and then looked up. ¡°Whoa, where did all those come from?¡± ¡°All those what?¡± pressed Kya. ¡°Those books! They¡¯re everywhere! Look, I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t notice them before!¡± As Saro spoke, he began to disappear, slowly fading so that Kya¡¯s reflection stood all alone. ¡°Argh, if I could just reach¡­Kya, do you think¡ª¡° ¡°Saro, you¡¯re disappearing!¡± Instantly, her brother snapped back into focus. ¡°Wow, that was weird.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Saro stuck a finger in his mouth and drew a circle on the mirror. ¡°Gross, Saro! What the heck?¡± ¡°Just gimme a sec¡ªI¡¯m trying to draw something.¡± With another glob of spittle, the prince painted a stick figure and some squares. He added a few scribbled details and said, ¡°There.¡± ¡°I hope you clean that. That¡¯s my mirror you¡¯re spitting on,¡± Kya complained. ¡°Just look at the picture, okay?¡± He pointed at the circle and ignored Kya¡¯s glare. ¡°I can see you and your room. It¡¯s like I¡¯m in it, but this place is weird. I can walk around just fine,¡± and he paced in a circle to demonstrate, ¡°but I can also do this. Am I disappearing again?¡± ¡°Yes, Saro!¡± ¡°Relax; it¡¯s okay, see?¡± He returned with full opacity. ¡°There¡¯s a whole bunch of stuff in here, in the back. It¡¯s not like the back where you walk backwards, but it¡¯s Back. Another back.¡± He pointed to the drying spittle square, and Kya squinted in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s weird. I couldn¡¯t see it until I picked up your book, but I wonder if I can¡­¡± He started to fade. ¡°Saro!¡± ¡°Okay, okay, gee. I¡¯m being careful.¡± He held up another book. Backwards, the title read Historie of the Northe Tower. ¡°I snagged this off one of the bookshelves. I wonder how far back they go?¡± Kya wrinkled her nose. ¡°It has funny spelling. Does this one say who wrote it?¡± Saro looked it over. ¡°No.¡± He opened it. True to its title, it seemed to be all about the tower room that Kya was in. Saro stepped back just a little, not enough to vanish entirely, and glanced over the collection of books that appeared. If their covers were to be believed, he had access to information on every flagstone, bug, and servant that had ever been in that part of the castle. Still, the bookshelves stretched on. He couldn¡¯t even remember what spot he¡¯d taken the book he was holding from, there were so many volumes. The book on the North Tower trembled in his grasp. Saro let it go in surprise, and it flapped to its slot in the shelf. ¡°Kya?¡± He returned to the mirror and relayed the latest piece of news. ¡°I sure wish the library at home could do that.¡± Kya frowned for a moment. ¡°If it puts the books back by itself, maybe it also gives them to you. Why don¡¯t you try asking it for one?¡± ¡°Worth a shot.¡± Saro drifted back to the bookshelves and looked up at their vastness. ¡°Show me the golden swan,¡± he ordered. There was a creak as the books on the shelves shuddered and jolted. One detached itself from high up on the shelf and floated over to Saro. He looked it over, dismayed to see that it was not really a book, but rather a thin wooden card. On it was a picture of a book with the golden swan on the cover. He showed it to Kya. ¡°It didn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Then what are you holding?¡± ¡°I asked for a something about the swan and the only thing that showed up was this. It¡¯s just a card, though. There was no book.¡± Kya¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Maybe there is a book. Maybe¡­maybe that¡¯s just a placeholder for it. Like to say that they have it, but it¡¯s being checked out at the moment.¡± ¡°Kya. This is a fake library inside of a mirror. Who else would be checking out the books?¡± She shivered. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Then she put her hands on her hips. ¡°Ask for a book about Kari and Amie¡¯s house.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Just do it, Saro! I have an idea.¡± He flickered out and came back with another card. ¡°This one didn¡¯t work, either, see.¡± ¡°Good, now ask for a book about the dress I¡¯m wearing.¡± ¡°Kya, what?¡± ¡°Ugh, just do it, won¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Gee, you don¡¯t have to be so pushy about it.¡± He rolled his eyes and faded out. ¡°Stupid little sisters. Here¡¯s your book.¡± Kya smirked. ¡°I think I¡¯ve got it.¡± Saro raised an eyebrow. ¡°Okay, the dress worked, but Kari¡¯s house didn¡¯t. We¡¯d need to try more stuff to be sure, but what if the library only shows you books about things that are close to you? Like, if you wanted the book on Kari¡¯s house, you¡¯d need to get really close to it before you ask.¡± ¡°So we would need to get really close to the golden swan if we wanted to find out about it.¡± ¡°No, I would need to get really close to it. You¡¯re going to stay here.¡± Kya was aghast. ¡°Yes too I¡¯m coming with you. You need me!¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°Saro, you¡¯re stuck in a piece of glass right now. You couldn¡¯t do anything to that swan, even if you wanted to, and you can¡¯t stop me from coming with you. Besides, you need me for this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m beginning to think you¡¯re enjoying my predicament.¡± He rolled his eyes and glared. ¡°Look, who had Hero Training class, me or you? I¡¯m older than you are, so I know more about this stuff. If you start crying the moment your dress gets muddy for the first time, don¡¯t blame me. Besides, there¡¯s no way for us to talk to each other unless we happen to find a random puddle, so you won¡¯t be able to ask me for help.¡± Kya¡¯s eyes gleamed. ¡°What if I used this?¡± She produced a handheld mirror, showing Saro inside. ¡°We can use it to communicate while we¡¯re traveling there.¡± Saro frowned, searching for a way to protest. ¡°Fine,¡± he finally decided. ¡°You have to change out of that dress, though.¡± Chapter 5 ¡°So, how much longer do you think it¡¯ll take?¡± ¡°Kya, I already told you, I don¡¯t know. We¡¯re heading in the general direction of a crazy swan and I have no idea if it changed course in the x amount of miles it flew from here.¡± Kya sighed heavily and kept walking. They had left the castle an hour ago and were making their way around the lake. Birds chirped in the trees around them, hidden in their world of leaves and sunlight. There was a pleasant breeze rippling over the water. ¡°So, how much farther until we get past the lake?¡± The small image of Saro rolled his eyes. ¡°Kya, look. We¡¯re not even out of sight of the castle.¡± ¡°Okay, fine.¡± She wanted to ask him to pull up a book on the lake and look up how long it was, but she bit the words down. Quietly, she went back to walking. ¡°None of the adventures in Dad¡¯s stories are boring like this.¡± ¡°Yeah they are. They just cut those parts out so impatient little kids won¡¯t get bored and complain about them.¡± That made Kya go quiet. She bit back a retort and focused on the road again, wondering why she hadn¡¯t considered that adventures would have a lot of walking. She sighed. ¡°Still, it¡¯d be nice if things happened a bit quicker.¡± Saro sucked in a breath. ¡°Looks like your impatience is paying off.¡±He pointed to a spot in the woods. ¡°Someone¡¯s coming this way. Draw your sword¡ªI mean get out of here, sis.¡± She peered at the trees, not seeing anything alarming. ¡°Get out¡ªWhy? Who is it?¡± Saro had vanished, and she was speaking to an empty mirror. ¡°Saro? That isn¡¯t funny.¡± ¡°Oh! What¡¯s this?¡± An old woman had hobbled out of the foliage. She was wearing a baby blue apron and carrying a woven green basket. It was filled with various kinds of flowers, most of which Kya could not identify. ¡°Oh, a poor girl lost in the woods!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°What are you doing so far out here alone?¡± Kya, remembering scenes similar to this in her storybooks, wondered if the old woman was a disguised fairy. Being extra polite, she said, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not lost. I know the way home.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s so late! Soon it will be dark out. The woods at night are no place for a child.¡± She clucked her tongue and her voice dripped with the sweetness of honeysuckle. ¡°You must be starving and chilled to the bone. Come, dearie, you can spend the night at my house.¡± She held out a bony arm. Kya was hungry and she was getting cold, and not to mention tired of walking. A rest at a nice fairy¡¯s house might do her a lot of good. Already smiling, she returned the empty mirror to her pack and then took the old woman¡¯s hand. In a few minutes, they reached a clearing with a cottage in the center of it. There was a garden all around it, and the little house was covered with flowers, too. Most of the blossoms were no larger than a teacup, but some seemed too big to fit on dinner plates, and they all came in marvelous colors. Indeed, Kya was so taken aback by it all that not only was she too surprised to speak, but she nearly missed another marvel: the fact that it seemed to be raining on the garden in spite of the sunny day. It took a moment for her to notice the forlorn patch of gray cloud that hovered just off the path in front of the house, chained to the shed with a leash that went into its misty insides. ¡°Oh dash it, you¡¯ll drown half my garden if you keep that up,¡± the old woman mumbled, and she tugged the cloud into the shed. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him. He just gets grumpy sometimes,¡± she smiled at Kya.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The woman showed Kya into a cozy little room. ¡°Why don¡¯t you make yourself comfortable, dearie? Dinner¡¯s at six, but I can fix up something sweet for you to pick on until then. We wouldn¡¯t want to go hungry now, would we?¡± She shut the door and her footsteps faded. Kya produced the mirror. ¡°Saro, she¡¯s gone now. You can come out.¡± ¡°What the heck made me bring you along on this?¡± Saro blinked into view in the mirror, looking exasperated. ¡°You know what? I don¡¯t want to know.¡± ¡°Saro, I¡ªwhat¡¯s wrong with you?! That woman is nice!¡± ¡°No, that woman is a creepy old witch. If you don¡¯t believe me, it says so right here.¡± He produced a book showing a picture of said woman cackling over a vine-covered cauldron. ¡°I¡­But she¡­¡± This wasn¡¯t at all going how it was supposed to. ¡°I was just trying to go on the adventure.¡± ¡°No, Kya. You¡ªUgh. And I used to wonder how come little princesses kept getting kidnapped all the time.¡± He brandished the book. ¡°Here. Next time when I tell you to get out of there, you listen to me. You know what? Make that all subsequent times. You know what? Just do what I say from now on, okay?¡± Kya nodded miserably. ¡°Yes, Saro.¡± ¡°Good.¡± He sighed, consulted his book, and looked up again. ¡°Well, she¡¯s going to try to get you to drink some special tea with one of her flowers boiled into it that¡¯ll make you forget who you are and where you¡¯re going. Very typical witchy stuff. If you can pretend you¡¯re under her spell, she won¡¯t suspect you and you can sneak out when nightfall comes.¡± ¡°Okay, Saro,¡± she said, practically in tears. ¡°Great. Now, I¡¯m going to try to research some more while you¡¯re doing that. Best put me away now; she¡¯s coming back.¡± With that, her brother vanished. ¡°Wait, Saro!¡± Kya started, and realized that she was already breaking her promise. Biting her lip, she put the mirror away. Had she done it a moment later, the princess would have been caught. As it was, when the old woman brought out the tray of cookies and tea, Kya looked guileless. She feigned a sip and immediately swooned. The witch looked down at her, seeming satisfied. ¡°There there, my foolish little dearie,¡± she shook a bony finger. ¡°Now let¡¯s see about dinner.¡± The meal was vegetarian. Afterwards, the witch, being of the variety that prefers carrying out mischief during the day, went to bed. Kya was left in her new room, where she waited until the lights went out. For a few breathless minutes, she waited to see if it turned on again, but when all had been quiet for some time, she whispered, ¡°I think she¡¯s asleep now.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Saro whispered back. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± They crept out of the room and Kya lifted the front door¡¯s latch as quietly as she could manage. The hinges cooperated and did not squeak. When they entered the garden, Kya noticed that briars still covered the path. ¡°Now what?¡± she asked. ¡°I know you don¡¯t have a sword, but did you bring any of my daggers with you?¡± Kya nodded and stepped towards the plants, but then paused. Silently, she moved over to the shed and undid the latch. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Saro hissed. ¡°Getting us out of here,¡± Kya hissed back. I sure hope this works, she thought. She was answered by an angry thundering. The cloud inside the shed shook and swirled, and Kya¡¯s face was splashed with a spray of cool mist. ¡°Shh, I¡¯m trying to help you.¡± She started sawing through the damp rope with Saro¡¯s dagger. ¡°Could you¡ªargh!¡± The cloud surged forward, breaking through the last of its bonds and soaking Kya thoroughly. The shed¡¯s door flew open, flying into splinters, and the cloud kept going. It grew larger and larger, flooding the garden with a deluge that turned the earth into mud. The briar had disappeared under the water, along with most of the garden and the path. ¡°My garden!¡± screeched the witch. She had appeared at the window, dressed in a floral nightgown. ¡°No! Get back here!¡± She ran for the door. Kya scrambled over the mud that seemed to want to suck her down. The rain washed over her face, doing little to clear her vision, as she fought her way to the safety of dry land. When she reached the edge of the clearing, she saw a bright flash of magenta magic splash against a tree and heard another screech from the witch as the trunk withered. It swayed under the deluge and, unable to support the vast canopy of leaves that crowned it, bowed towards the princess. Kya¡¯s scream was lost amid the roaring rain, cries of the witch, and shouted encouragement from her own brother. At the last second she dove out of the way, minus one shoe, and landed outside of the clearing. The rain hadn¡¯t blasted that part of the forest yet, and the path was relatively dry. Kya gasped for a moment and caught her breath. ¡°Saro. What do we do now?¡± ¡°Run. Keep running, and don¡¯t stop.¡± Chapter 6 The dawn saw a bedraggled and filthy creature fall out of a tree. Kya groaned and rubbed her eyes. That had, quite possibly, been the worst night of her entire life. Sleepily, she ran a finger through the tangle that was her hair and brought out the mirror. Holding it in her lap, she did the best she could to braid back the matted mess. While she was working, the looking glass shimmered and another face appeared. ¡°Ugh, is it really morning yet?¡± yawned Saro. ¡°Rise and shine,¡± Kya replied. She brushed free another section of tangle and started up another braid. ¡°How¡¯d you sleep?¡± ¡°Note to self: magical library floors are not comfy. How are you up so early?¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t the only one who had a terrible sleep.¡± She rubbed her eyes again. ¡°So, any luck with figuring out where we¡¯re supposed to go?¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± he sighed. He put his hands in his pockets and tilted his head to the side. ¡°Kya, are you doing your hair?¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t go out looking like a mud fairy.¡± Saro deadpanned. ¡°Kya, we¡¯re in the middle of an epic quest. You can¡¯t preen yourself in the middle of an epic quest.¡± Kya huffed. ¡°Why not? I got up earlier than you did.¡± ¡°Well because,¡± his eyes suddenly widened, ¡°because that!¡± Kya didn¡¯t need to be told to run. Through the mirror, she could see that behind her was an enormous green face. Its mouth was long and rubbery, and its eyes bulged out of the sides of its head. The frog was huge, at least the size of Kya, and one hop brought it too close for any comfort, except maybe the slimy kind. Kya grabbed the mirror, screamed, and took off running. ¡°Please don¡¯t run away.¡± The voice was tired, deep, and sad. The frog had spoken. The princess glanced behind her, quietly judging the distance between the slime ball and herself. Warily, she slowed. ¡°What do you want, Mr. Frog?¡± she called out. ¡°Alas, I am not a frog, but an enchanted prince.¡± It let out a deep croak. ¡°You would have my deepest gratitude if you would only grant me one small thing.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Kya¡¯s heart fluttered. ¡°Saro! Did you hear that? He¡¯s a prince under a spell!¡± ¡°And the nice old fairy back at the last house turned out to be a crazy witch. You¡¯re still not listening to me?¡± ¡°Could you just check, just on the off chance that he is really a prince? Pretty please?¡± Saro glanced out. The frog¡¯s huge, bulbous eyes were staring blankly back at him. ¡°Oh fine,¡± he muttered, retreating to hunt down the book. ¡°Here. Great, he really is a prince, and he¡ª¡° ¡°Told ya so!¡± Kya grinned, shoving the mirror into her pack before Saro could continue. His protests were muffled and ignored. The frog still looked forlorn, but a little less miserable once he noticed Kya returning. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m here to help you out,¡± she beamed. ¡°What do I do?¡± The frog blinked. ¡°Presumably, a fair maiden such as yourself must kiss me. Only then shall I regain my true, handsome form.¡± Kya looked him over. ¡°It doesn''t have to be a true love''s kiss, right?¡± she asked hopefully. ¡°Of course not! You''re just a little girl,¡± the frog gasped, looking disgusted. "Okay, good," she sighed. The frog hopped next to a sturdy old pine and Kya hesitated for a moment before placing her hands on his cool, slimy skin. Bracing herself mentally, she leaned in and gave the frog a quick kiss on his side. ¡°Ick!¡± The frog was as slimy as he looked. It was a kiss of record quickness, but apparently, it was enough. As soon as the frog touched her lips, his body elongated and his limbs changed shape. Arching backwards, he began to grow. And grow. And grow. He had passed forty feet when his face finally started to look human again. Standing up, he straightened the cottage-sized golden crown that had appeared on his head and grinned. ¡°What a relief! I look good again!¡± Kya was too busy cowering behind a tree to focus on his handsomeness. ¡°Saro, why didn¡¯t you tell me the prince was a giant?!¡± she hissed. ¡°Well I tried, right before you shoved me into your backpack!¡± He bared his teeth. ¡°Why do I even bother trying to help you at this point? Just get out of here, Kya. If you get eaten, it¡¯s on you.¡± By that point, the giant had noticed them. With one hand, he picked Kya up. ¡°Whoa, I¡¯m not going to eat you, little girl. You okay now?¡± Kya wasn¡¯t quite sure if she was ¡°okay¡± just yet. Wordlessly, she nodded. ¡°Well, thank you for saving me,¡± smiled the giant. ¡°When that witch cast that spell on me, I thought I¡¯d be eating flies for the rest of my life. Gosh, I¡¯m glad that¡¯s over with.¡± Kya stammered, ¡°Y-You¡¯re welcome.¡± The prince put her down. ¡°Well, I appreciate it. If there¡¯s anything I can do in return, just let me know.¡± Kya glanced at the mirror. ¡°Er, do you know anything about a golden swan?¡± The prince rubbed his chin. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Kya¡¯s face fell. ¡°Oh! But my godmother might!¡± Kya perked up. ¡°Can you take us to her?¡± ¡°Sure thing! Just climb aboard.¡± He held out one giant hand, and Kya stepped uneasily onto it. ¡°I should warn you, though, she¡¯s no fairy!¡± Chapter 7 The prince¡¯s godmother, in fact, was a dragon. Kya held her mirror tightly and gazed up at the scaly creature, which narrowed its slitted eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not on display, you know?¡± the reptile hissed. Kya stepped backward. ¡°S-Sorry.¡± The dragon sighed. She stretched, and Kya caught a glimpse of the glittering hoard that she was sitting on. ¡°Well, what are you here for? Little princess, I know you¡¯re not here just to marvel at my beauty. Most people come for my gold or, if they have a sense of self preservation, information.¡± Kya gulped, considering how best to phrase her question. ¡°Um, do you know how to get to the golden swan?¡± The dragon arched her back, her iridescent green scales catching the light. ¡°Oh, her,¡± she muttered. ¡°Very well. You¡¯ll find the bird in the ruined castle by Else Woods Lake.¡± Inside the mirror, Saro gasped. Kya barely surpassed a grin. She knew where that was, and it wasn¡¯t too far! ¡°Thank you!¡± Time to break the spell, she thought happily, turning to go. ¡°Don¡¯t leave so quickly, little princess,¡± the dragon hissed.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Kya froze. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You forgot to give me something in return. I gave you the information you sought, and now I¡¯d like something for the trouble. Gold, precious gems, magical items¡ªanything valuable will do.¡± Kya looked herself over. All her valuable things were at the castle. ¡°Okay, I can go and get¡ª¡° ¡°Well, I can¡¯t let you leave with no insurance that you¡¯ll return,¡± the dragon rolled her eyes. ¡°If you have nothing with you, you¡¯ll just have to stay.¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t¡ª¡° Saro had appeared in the mirror, and she caught his eye. Almost imperceptibly, he nodded. ¡°¡ªhow about a magic mirror?¡± The dragon perked up. Once again, her hoard was revealed for a moment. ¡°What does it do?¡± ¡°Well, it,¡± she swallowed, thinking fast, ¡°it answers questions. Like this.¡± She coughed and spoke into it. ¡°Magic mirror in my hand, who is the bravest in the land?¡± ¡°It is you, Kya.¡± Saro¡¯s voice cracked halfway through the sentence. The dragon looked suspicious. ¡°How do I know it doesn¡¯t just flatter me?¡± she asked. ¡°Try a different question.¡± Kya looked into the mirror again. ¡°Magic mirror in my hand, why do rainbows grace this land?¡± She could imagine Saro flipping through books for the answer. After a while, he replied, ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s because water bends light and reveals its many colors. Other times it is because a fairy made them.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± Her eyes sparkled with greed. ¡°Very well, I will take it.¡± Kya fled the lair more quickly than she¡¯d entered it. Saro would let the dragon ask questions for a while, and then he¡¯d leave to find Kya. If all went well, the dragon wouldn¡¯t know she¡¯d been tricked until Kya was long gone. Chapter 8 Kya found her brother at a pool. The surface rippled with the wind, but it was clear that Saro was concerned. ¡°Kya, I don¡¯t want you coming to Else Woods Lake with me.¡± ¡°W-What?¡± Kya practically cried. ¡°Saro, I¡¯ve been on this whole adventure with you! Of course I¡¯m going to see it to the end!¡± Saro folded his arms. ¡°No, Kya, you¡¯re not. Maybe you don¡¯t understand how dangerous this is, and now I can¡¯t be there to guide you. You won¡¯t like what¡¯s there, and besides, I don¡¯t think you can help with this part.¡± ¡°Of course I can!¡° Her face turned red. ¡°I¡¯ve been getting us out of all kinds of situations.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯ve been relying on pure, dumb luck that just happens to have not run out yet. That cloud back at the witch¡¯s could have just as easily turned on you, and so could the frog prince. You don¡¯t think before you act, and you¡¯re just putting yourself in danger.¡± ¡°You think I haven¡¯t done anything? What about you? You haven¡¯t done anything but look at your dumb books and boss me around! Without me, neither of us would be here!¡± ¡°Fine! Then stay here and see how far I get on my own!¡± His face rippled and disappeared. ¡°Fine yourself!¡± Kya shouted back. Fuming, the princess made her way to Else Woods Lake. As abandoned castles went, it was pretty standard. Spiderwebs draped the ruined towers, and the floor was a carpet of weeds. She found Saro in a cracked mirror inside of the master bedroom. He looked up when she entered. ¡°I told you not to come,¡± he said. ¡°I know. I didn¡¯t listen.¡± ¡°When do you ever?¡± He held out a book, ¡°I found this.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Kya asked. ¡°Proof that my mom is out of her mind.¡± Glaring, he read.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Once upon a time, in a kingdom on a lakeside, there was a princess. Unlike her older siblings, this child was strange. She would scream when coddled, and at every royal party, the child would hide. To the king and queen and other nobles, the young princess was unsettling. To erase this mark on their reputation, they gave her what she desired, in a way. The child was not forced to wear fine dresses or attend parties. Indeed, she was left in her room most days, alone in her plain clothes, and kept away from the company of others. The princess¡¯s existence passed into rumor, and for those who had not known her well, she might have not existed at all. The princess did not revel in her abandonment. She cried and screamed without provocation, for she did not understand why it was her fate to be so shunned. Desperately lonely, the girl would gaze out her window, watching the kingdom from afar. Daily, she grew more miserable. One day, the princess found the key to the mirrored world beyond her walls. She took solace in the library, finding a companionship in books that she had never known with people. She learned things, too, and when she finally returned, her people did not understand how she could know of their private affairs so intimately. The princess, too could not comprehend why their fear of her had increased, for she had believed that her knowledge was the key to finally understanding their world. Now, the others shunned her more than ever. The girl¡¯s sadness turned to anger, which slipped back towards loneliness. If the world would not love her, then she would not love it back. One day, the girl we called Laetitia, who knew no joy, disappeared. Those who remembered her were frightened at first, but after time, they forgot. The girl remembered. She who watches from beyond the walls saw all. Over weeks¡ªmonths¡ªcenturies, she learned, and she grew in grace and beauty, in her own special way. The ugly duckling child had become a golden swan. Laetitia held just one secret shame. Although the world had rejected her, she still longed for it. She surrounded herself with the company of books, but still, she could not forget the fleeting memories of human comfort that had graced her old life. The princess, detached from time and space and body and mind, returned to her home. Her castle was ruined. Her people were gone. There was a prince. He saw her, perched inside her ruined tower, and the enchantment cast upon him by a fairy compelled his love. Laetitia had found a companion at last. The new kingdom was just as strange as her old one. Laetitia¡¯s books told her what her new subjects whispered about her, and worse, they told her that her prince¡¯s love was a curse. She could not bear to live in a world where she was feared by her people and falsely loved by her husband. She could not stay, even for the sake of her infant son. Laetitia was good at disappearing. She vanished, but did not cease her watching. Chapter 9 ¡°Did you know?¡± Saro clenched his fists. ¡°I¡¯ve had my suspicions.¡± Kya watched a lizard scurry through a hole in the wall. ¡°What are you going to do about her?¡± ¡°I have to stop her. She¡¯s crazy through and through, just like Dad said. That story proves we can¡¯t get to her. She¡¯s coming, Kya. Hide.¡± ¡°No!¡± Saro¡¯s gaze was frightful. ¡°Kya, I told you to hide. Get out of her before my mom turns you to mist, just like everyone else.¡± Kya remained firm. ¡°I won¡¯t go, and I won¡¯t let you hurt her! That story doesn¡¯t prove she¡¯s a monster, it only proves that people treated her like one! And you¡¯re going to be just like them!¡± ¡°No I¡¯m not! I¡¯m saving¡ª¡± There was a flurry of wings. Through the mirror, and only in the mirror, the swan flew through the hole in the ruined wall. She gazed down at the siblings, her eyes black and emotionless. Kya¡¯s mouth went dry. ¡°Laetitia, we aren¡¯t here to hurt you. We¡¯re trying to help¡ª¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. The swan¡¯s head whipped toward the little princess. Suddenly, Kya¡¯s mind was filled with images of her own mother: glaring at Saro, chastising him angrily, pushing him off the cliff and running as he fell towards the lake below¡­Kya gasped. ¡°I¡¯m not like my mother! I¡¯m not trying to hurt Saro!¡± Heedless to her protests, the swan charged. Kya scrambled backwards. ¡°Laetitia please!¡± she cried, watching in terror. The swan raised her wings and stepped through the shards of the mirror. Clouds of golden mist began to coalesce around her, and Kya found it difficult to breathe. Suddenly, a woman screamed and the clouds grew hazy again. It took Kya a moment to realize that the scream had come from the swan. Saro, half inside of the mirror and half in the real world, held a fistful of bloody golden feathers. He had grabbed onto the swan as she was leaving, and with a gasp, he tumbled out. Scrambling in front of Kya, he took a protective stance. ¡°Mom, listen. My sister¡¯s not the bad guy here.¡± Laetitia was still searching for an opening through which she could peck Kya. She squared at her son, utterly furious. ¡°No, Mom, I¡¯m not getting out of the way. You have to listen. Kya isn¡¯t her mother, and in fact, she¡¯s trying to help you right now. Now can we please just stop and figure this out?¡± The swan stared at them, clearly agitated. She trembled, arching her neck back painfully. Then she collapsed. Chapter 10 In the swan¡¯s place, there was a woman. Her black hair was tangled and her clothes were filthy and tattered. She fidgeted and quickly stood up, poised to flee. ¡°Hi Mom,¡± Saro said. ¡°H-Hello,¡± the woman said. Her voice was scratchy, and by the way she seemed startled by it, Kya would have bet that Laetitia hadn¡¯t spoken in a while. The woman coughed. ¡°Hello, son.¡± ¡°Hi Mom,¡± Saro said again. Laetitia kept fidgeting. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m like this,¡± she said quietly. She looked up suddenly, and her face was wet with tears. Kya had never seen an adult be scared before, and it was frightening. Laetitia stepped back quickly. ¡°I can fix what I did.¡± A golden mist faded into view behind Laetitia and her large eyes blinked. The mist shot off in the direction of Kya¡¯s castle. Not taking her eyes off of Saro, Laetitia went towards the mirror. ¡°I know that people say I am a bad person. I should go now.¡± ¡°Wait Mom,¡± Saro cut in. Laetitia stopped. ¡°Why don¡¯t you¡­¡± He thought for a moment. Laetitia might not be welcome inside the castle. ¡°Hey, Kya, maybe you should let me talk to Dad.¡±
It wasn¡¯t exactly good for King Tir¡¯s heart for him to be turned to mist, turned back into himself, and then see his son walk through a mirror in the space of two days. ¡°Hi Dad,¡± said Saro.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Tir fell backwards. ¡°S-Son?¡± ¡°Yeah. You okay, Dad?¡± The king took a moment to recover. He glanced from his son to the mirror. ¡°Saro, are you all right?¡± ¡°Yeah. Kya¡¯s fine, too. She¡¯s in her room right now. The mist is all gone, by the way.¡± Tir couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit confused. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but what?¡± Saro filled him in on everything that had happened. By the end of it, Tir was still very confused, but in a different way. He grimaced, taking a seat. ¡°This is far more serious than I¡¯d expected.¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Tir rubbed his forehead. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll have to deal with Harmony¡¯s treachery. I doubt it¡¯ll be popular if I banish her, but I can¡¯t risk this happening to you again.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Saro turned. ¡°That might not be so easy. As soon as the mist disappeared, she ran away and nobody¡¯s seen her since.¡± He grimaced, thinking about Kya. As bad as Harmony was, Saro knew how it was to grow up without a mother, and he didn¡¯t want Kya to feel the same. Tir sat down and sighed. ¡°Well, I suppose I have my work cut out for me¡ª¡± He¡¯d glanced back at the mirror, and his mouth had dropped at the sight of the familiar figure crouching within it. Saro got between his parents and held back a grimace. ¡°So do I.¡±
At the end of the week, the royal family dined together in the Great Hall. Saro was picking up his carrots and making them dance whenever the adults weren¡¯t looking, while Kya was doing her best to avoid fidgeting. The empty seat at the end of the table was slowly becoming a familiar sight. Suddenly, the door flung open and a royal guard stumbled in. ¡°Your Majesties!¡± he gasped. ¡°We are under attack from a dragon!¡± The king stood up quickly. ¡°Rally our best knights!¡± he roared. ¡°We¡¯ll need¡ª¡° There was a screeching sound, and a golden swan flew out from the large mirror overlooking the room. King Tir sat down again, sighing. ¡°Very well then. I suppose we¡¯ll need my ex-wife.¡±