Page 6 of The Calling of Caellaias
Haha. If you had downsized like I suggested, you might not be struggling so much!
Besides unpacking a few boxes in the kitchen this morning, I haven't done much yet.
You'll never guess what I just saw outside, though!
Was it a bear?! Please tell me it wasn't a bear!
No! It wasn't a bear! It was a fox!
But it wasn't like a regular fox. It was huge! I've never seen one that looks like it, like ever.
OMG! Maybe there are others!
Maybe there's aden!
That would be awesome. If I get one of these work-from-home jobs, I'll just camp out at your house all the time.
If you see it again, send me a picture ASAP.
I'll try. Alright. Gotta go! I just wanted to tell you about it because I knew you'd be excited. Love you.
After sending my text, I got changed, grabbed my speaker, and headed downstairs to get started on all the work that needed to be done. I powered on the speaker, put on my favorite metalcore playlist, and set to work.
About an hour later, the boxes littering the island were emptied, and the kitchen was decorated and assembled. Jamming to my music, I felt like I could conquer the whole house by the end of the day.
Filled with motivation, I moved into the living room. I began by moving around the bookshelves into more suitable locations and assigning boxes to each shelf throughout the room. My massive collection of books had to be split between the shelves on either side of the TV stand. Of course, my meticulous personality made sure to rear its ugly head when positioning said books—hardbacks on one shelf, paperbacks on the other. Sets were nestled side-by-side, and books of similar heights were arranged together.
The next box I opened had all of my knick-knacks carefully wrapped and placed in the box so they didn't break in the move. Many of these were sentimental—gifts my mom had given me to remind me of her stories of Caellaias. The first set I unwrapped was a trio of ceramic wolves in different poses. One was standing, another was lying down, and the last was sitting on its haunches, howling. My fingersdelicately caressed a crack in one of the back legs of the standing wolf. I had dropped it once, and Momma had had to glue the leg back on. She scolded me about how fragile they were and how I needed to be more careful.
Another set, also made of ceramic, consisted of a beautiful white-winged angel, a black bat-winged demon, and a sweet faerie with wispy, silver wings. She said they were all beautiful and unique in their own way, just like the creatures of Caellaias. A memory of one of Momma's stories flooded my mind.
“My Flowers! Would you like to hear more about Caellaias this evening?” Momma asked from the end of the hallway.
Eiri and I enthusiastically shouted ‘Yes!' from our rooms before rushing to the living room and settling on the floor before the couch. Momma took her spot on the couch.
Clasping her hands together in her lap, Momma began, “Have I ever told you girls the story about the youngest princess before she ran away?”
Eiri and I shook our heads.
“A long time ago, a man named Simi took the throne by marrying the princess, Princess Mira, and making her queen. Queen Mira gave birth to two girls ten years apart, Princess Eve and then Princess Laeney. Unfortunately, Queen Mira passed away during the birth of Princess Laeney; the stress was too much for her body. Alone with two children and a kingdom to rule, the king had no choice but to rely heavily on others to care for his girls.
“Once Laeney was old enough, she began meeting with tutors. They taught her about the kingdom, its history, her magic, how to defend herself, and how to be a perfect lady. As she grew older, one thing that stuck out to her was that her father was obsessed with maintaining a perfect appearance, which was evident in her studies.
"His biggest obsession with maintaining perfection was that every being residing in the castle had to be purebred. Any staff or guards who weren't purebred were excused from their positions upon his coronation. There were always exceptions to the rule, but the King dictated who stayed. He'd also made it clear that the fae weren't to marry outside of their race or species and strongly encouraged this among the other beings in the kingdom as well. He claimed purebred beings were the most powerful and would one day rule all. He himself was a purebred faerie and claimed to be the one true king of Caellaias.” Momma's smile faded as she explained the inner workings of the castle.
Her luminous eyes shifted to her hands folded in her lap. A tear fell onto her skirt, and she began sniffling. Eiri and I stared at each other, unsure what to do. I could only think of comforting Momma, so I stood and grabbed Eiri's hand, pulling her with me toward Momma. We embraced her from both sides, attempting to soothe her. She reached around us and pulled us in closely.
When Momma's sniffling ceased, she loosened her grip on us and took a moment to wipe her eyes. “I'm okay, girls. Sit, sit, and I'll finish the story.”
Voice hoarse, she continued, “The King expected greatness from Laeney; she was his pride and joy. Her father banned her from attending social events until she came of age so she could focus on her schooling and etiquette training. While this upset her greatly, she did everything she could to make her father proud.
“On her twentieth birthday, her family held a ball at the castle, inviting the lords, ladies, and their families from across the kingdom. The princess was excited to finally interact with the royalty she'd heard so much about. Her father had an ulterior motive for the ball, though. He intended to announce Laeney's engagement to one of the wealthiest faeries in the realm, even though the faerie was easily asold as her father. When Laeney learned of this, she was petrified. She'd heard awful things about this faerie and did not want to marry him. She pleaded with her father to call off the engagement, but he refused, threatening to lock her up again if she didn't behave like a proper lady,” Momma explained.
“During the ball, Laeney tried to appear happy; however, she couldn't bring herself to feel anything but disappointment. Her father had kept her hidden, and she had been obedient for many years—now she felt betrayed. She walked around the ballroom and interacted with everyone possible, as she had never had the pleasure of doing so freely before. Little did she know that her father was watching everything she did. None of the interactions mattered to her until she met the Lord of Maiviraea's second son. Instantly, the princess knew he would change her life forever.”
“What happened to Princess Laeney after, Momma?” I asked.
“Did she have to marry the other faerie?” Eiri asked.
