*Author's note*
A warm welcome from me to all my readers!
you are welcome to leave a nice review of the story and comment also
thank you for supporting and reading, from yours truly.
*****
{Morgetha}
"Where have you been, your majesty?" she asked the Crown Prince of Korey as he walked, a bit oddly up the steps of the royal residence here in Neverland. Morgetha looked at the common coach that had dropped him off as the driver rode away.
"Are you well?" she asked, noticing something was wrong with his leg.
"I am alright, Morgetha. Did father ask of me?" he asked of her
"He did not or I did not hear that he did. Mother, on the hand, have been wondering after you for the past hours you have been away"
He laughed, "Of course she has, I would be worried if she hadn't"
"Well she must be waiting for you now in her rooms, so do well to freshen up before you meet her" she informed him, "You look rather bedraggled" she said wrinkling her straight, pointed nose
"Don't be mean now, I think I look quite fetching" he joked, at which she rolled her eyes. "How are you preparing for tonight's ball, sister?" he asked as he ascended the stairs leading to the higher floor, headed for his quarters to freshen up before meeting his mother.
Morgetha scoffed, "Oh please, for what am I preparing? Some local ball in this one shoe town? Whatever I don would far outshine all their best anyway, even if its rags I wear" she said with her usual high and mighty attitude.
"Of course, sister, you should definitely wear that. I always thought you would look better in rags" he joked entering his room, laughing at her offended expression
"How dare you, you meathead?!" she shouted before he shut the door in her face, "Don't make me tell mother about all your escapades!"
His laughter increased, he knew she would never babble about his deeds to the Queen for if she did then he too would babble about hers.
Much later, Morgetha was in her room, absentmindedly preparing for tonight's ball. She lifted a pastel blue gown and held it up against her body in front of her full length mirror, it went beautifully with her dark blue eyes, the color her eyes have been magically made by her mother to appear to be, and not its actual color. Morgetha, you see, was born with bright golden orbs for pupils, a testament of the powers she was born with. In order to protect her from society, her mother, the queen, who is also a sorceress, magically cloaked her true eye color and her powers so they can't be sensed.
Morgetha has the power of foresight and recently she has been having visions of a purple-eyed woman. In her visions, the strange woman was somehow connected to Neverland, that truly is the reason why she followed her family here. What connection the woman has to her or family, she knows not. She normally informs her mother of her visions, she has been able to avert wars through them, however, she is yet to tell this one to the Queen, for she cannot tell if the visions represent a warning or not. Maybe tonight, before the ball she would tell all to mother, as for now she has to prepare for this dreadful ball. She decided to go with the blue dress and rung for her maids to come dress her.
The Prince prepared for the ball and soon went to speak with his mother, the queen. Of course, he made sure to steady his walking and hide any trace of his injury.
"Hello, mother" He greeted as he opened the door to the Queen's rooms to find her having her long black tresses being styled by her maids, "I was informed that you sought after me, earlier"
"Indeed, my dear" Queen Arsila replied, whilst checking her hair in her dressing mirror, "I want more ringlets, Martha" she said to her maid.
"Where have you been, my son?" the Queen asked the Prince
"Just about mother, nothing to fret about" he replied, "You do look lovely by the way, as usual" he added, complimenting her look
"Of course" she smiled, observing her final look. "That would be all" she told the three maids attending to her, promptly dismissing them.
Now it was just the sorceress Queen and her son left alone in the room.
She turned to look at him, casting him a very sharp look, one that meant he was in trouble. A look that never failed to terrify her children more than any harsh scolding from their father ever could.
"Mother," the Prince let out a nervous laugh
"You are the future King of this Kingdom, you cannot spend every spare time you get perambulating, consorting with the commoners and peasants" Arsila firmly stated, "You are not like them, not one of them. They know that and you should too" she now stood directly in front of him, sternly looking into his eyes as she spoke. No wonder where Morgetha gets her high and lofty attitude from.
"I will try my best from henceforth, mother" the Prince easily said, knowing very well that he won't
"You will do more than try" she sharply said, then more softly she added, "You know your father has not been without shortcomings as king, but you my dear Caleb, you will be better. You must be. I am here after all to make sure that happens" she lightly patted his cheek. He knew she merely would want to use him as her perfect puppet to do all her bidding, like Morgetha sometimes. Oh how she would be disappointed.
"Although, that won't be until your father is gone, which may happen sooner than we all expect" she had a malevolent grin on her face that sent shivers up his spine. Sometimes, he will admit, he is downright scared of the Queen.
"Okay, mother" he was already stepping out the room, "We will be waiting for you downstairs"
As Caleb climbed into the royal carriage he would be sharing with his siblings as they rode to the royal ball, his parents carriage ahead of them, he thought again of the beautiful purple eyed girl he had seen today, Arba. He looked at his sister, Morgetha, who sat across him adjusting her gloves, he would like to tell her about Arba, they were the same anyway. Girls with other worldly eyes and hidden powers, she would find comfort in knowing there was another like her who lives too. But he wouldn't speak about Arba to her for fear she would babble to mother, who despite her public displays of kindness may not be so kind to someone like Arba. More so if it is discovered that she possesses great powers, greater than Morgetha.
"I can feel your eyes on me, what do you want?" Morgetha asks. At that moment Caleb was grateful that she could not read minds else he would have given Arba away.
"Oh nothing" he replied, "Just how you wasted a perfectly good dress when you would have looked better in rags" he smiled smugly, referring to what was said in their banter earlier in the evening, and rightly earning himself a kick in the knee from her. Dorge, their younger brother laughed too earning him a hit on the shoulder with her fan.
~.~
Arba was adding the finishing touches to her face mask for the ball tonight when her door was burst open by Renart.
"You are supposed to knock before entering" she said hurriedly putting her things away, kicking them under her bed before Renart could notice.
"Well, I didn't" replied the annoying brother, "Besides, you are decent, so nothing the matter"
Arba rolled her eyes at him, "What do you want, Renart?"
"I am glad you asked" he replied with a wide grin.
"The rats in this house are spawns of the devil I tell you, the devil!" he began. Arba sat waiting on her bed, for him to get to the point. Knowing Renart, he likes to dance around the point a bit and it's no use rushing him, for dance around he must.
"For why else would they tear a hole through my best shoes that I had already polished for the ball tonight. I mean what nutritional value can they get from a shoe, if it's not plain wickedness" he paused and sighed, dramatically. "Now, I am stuck picking between these two, my second and third best shoes" he held up both shoes respectively.
"Seeing as you, my sweet sister, are not busy at the moment and not entirely hopeless in fashion," the endearment made Arba cough, and the last phrase made her glare at him. "You have been awarded the great honor to help me choose which would better go with my outfit"
All this just to choose between two pairs of shoes, Arba inwardly sighed.
"Go with that one" she pointed to the one on his left
"Are you sure? You came up with that decision too fast, I think I'll go with this one" he said raising the one on his right.
"Alright, that one would be nice too" Arba said, concurring
"Hmm, now I don't think I will go with this one" he said, scrunching up his face in thought as he considered the shoe.
Arba felt she had entertained this long enough, so she stood up, shoved the one she had chosen earlier to his face, told him to go with it and pushed him out her room despite his protests.
Now that he was dealt with, she locked her door and got back to finishing her mask. Her plan was simple, she had already prepared all what she would wear, once her family had gone, she would dress and go out through the back door, on horseback she would follow them sticking to the lining bushes and shadows. She would have to follow behind them unseen, because she knew not the way.
~.~
Across town, the royal siblings were still in their carriage on their way to the Neverland Royal ball that was about to begin.
"What is your problem?" Dorge asked Morgetha who had been waving her hands around her, swatting at something for the past two minutes or so.
"Is it not this nasty flies? Buzzing everywhere" she replied, swatting still.
"What flies?" Caleb asked, because truly the brothers were not seeing or hearing any fly, nasty or no.
"Whatever flies, just ignore them for goodness's sake!" Dorge whose mouth she had hit in her last swat attempt, shouted.
"Sorry" she apologized for hitting him, "But I can't simply ignore them. I am certain humans are naturally made to be repelled by their buzzes, making it difficult for us to will ourselves to ignore them" she swatted violently again, Dorge who sat next to her had to dodge out of the way to avoid being hit again.
"Whatever, Morgetha, just be careful the way you swing your hands, so we won't be arriving at the ball with a one-eyed Dorge" Caleb told his younger sister, partly being serious, before his mind trailed off again to a certain purple eyed young woman, leaving his siblings bickering in the carriage.
Soon they would arrive at the town manor, where the ball would be taking place, he just hoped she would be able to make it.