Chapter 1 Finding Freedom

Valerie

'Just a little bit of strength and I will be there.' It was all I could think while trying to pull myself up the window. The castle's outer wall almost tore into my skin. I told my mother not to have a window so high, only if she would listen to me for once in her life.

'Princess Valerie! Princess!' The one who thought her life revolved around me shouted.

'In here, Daisy. Ow!' I raised my hand to wave at the chief maiden but in the process almost lost my balance.

Eyes ready to pop out, Daisy ran towards me and asked in panic, 'Why are you hanging by the window?!'

I smiled as if I wasn't holding on for my dear life. "It was my last day today; I thought I should enjoy the freedom.'

Daisy's face fell. Her being almost the same age as me, I was sure she understood the lure of freedom for a young soul. 'You're going to be a queen. No one would dare to take away your freedom.' Empty words, I thought as my arms began to strain, indicating I'd reached my limit.

'Are you going to pull me up or not?'

'Oh, Yes.' She lent a hand to pull me inside. Both of us took deep breaths, me from tiredness and her from the end of her anxiety.

Daisy offered me the night calmness potion made especially by her. I took a sip and asked her, 'How does it feel?'

'The night is a little cold but I will get by.' I shook my head at her innocence. She would always remain clueless.

I clarified, 'I meant how does it feel to be the chief maiden?'

'Oh, that.' Daisy did a little thinking before answering. She didn't want to come across as unintelligent, I guess. 'Well, I like being around you and doing your work and everything. It is a little exhausting, but most of the time I go by the flow of the tide. Though sometimes I want to try surfing, as the humans say. If I were a simple maiden it would have been fine but being the chief one is a tad bit difficult.'

'Do I make it difficult for you?' I couldn't help but ask.

Daisy nodded, pressing her lips together to the point they were pouting on their own. 'Difficult it is when you run away like you did today.'

'I told you I wanted to enjoy the last day of my freedom.'

'But your freedom comes at our cost. Queen mother would've sent me to Earth if I wasn't able to find you.'

Seeing her worry I suggested, 'What if I solve your worry forever?'

Daisy raised her brow slowly. 'Princess, tomorrow is your crowning ceremony! You're going to be made the next Moon Goddess. Everything has to be PERFECT!'

'Is that a challenge Daisy?'

Aghast, she stood up from the rock crafter to look like a chair and spoke in clear words, 'I will not let you do anything stupid!'

'That is if you would remember this conversation.' A wave of hand in front of her eyes and she fell unconscious on the floor. Sorry Daisy, I mumbled.

Next Day

Fireflies lit the Lunar Palace, the place where I lived. If this happened on Earth, the Genz would've called it organic lighting. All kinds of flowers were made to bloom all the way from the entrance to the main hall where the ceremony was supposed to take place. The butterflies flapped their wings to disperse not only colors in the air but sweet fragrance, no wonder people were allured wherever they went. Since everyone marked their presence, it appeared to be like a conference of species. A term I had learned in my lessons about Earth. Dwarfs, Fairies, Unicorns, and even witches who lived in the Lunar Kingdom were invited. But the main attraction remained the celestial gods. Wind, fire, sky, all made sure to attend, except for the Sun God, who seemed to be at odds with the Lunar Kingdom the past few days.

The Queen mother, also my mother, standing in the balcony, had her eyes on every movement in the hall. I could see her from the window of my room. She was probably worried about the ceremony everyone was eagerly waiting for, well except for me.

'The time has come, fellow Lunars! Today we all get our new Goddess. Our kingdom will flourish more from here and prosperity will continue.' A loud cheer erupted from the crowd as the chief priest began the ceremony with his words. Excitement, happiness, thrill, fear all rushed through the people. The last emotion was only felt by me, for whom everything was organized today.

I gulped seeing the reaction of the people of our kingdom, my kingdom. What should I do? The question constantly loomed over my head. A pang of guilt hit me. I was going to crush the hopes of many in order to gain something for myself. However, when I saw my mother, all the doubts perished. Only if she had not accelerated my accession to the throne, I would have been able to live, truely feel my freedom.

'There is no other way, Valerie!' I told myself and walked downstairs quickly and vanished in the crowd. The attendees were still coming in so it was easy for her to mix with them and cross the entrance.

I ran out the front gate that I had ever stepped out of without the guards openly. In secret, the rule was broken several times, but due to fear of my mother and the current Moon Goddess, I was never so brave. Today, somehow the courage had found me and I was ready to overstep the boundaries that suffocated me in the name of safety. For one last time I looked behind to save the breathtaking view of the fireflies making the palace shine in my memory. 'Sorry mother, but you've left me with no choice.'

I took out the object I'd stolen from my mother's treasure and mumbled a spell learnt from ancient folklore. This better work was all going in my head. A blue light was all I remember and then everything was devoid of color.