Perhaps an hour or two later, Leo and I arrived at the gates of the Moon Castle. It was silent for a while; the megaphone of a fairy in my pocket slept with the faintest hint of a snore. I nudged him slightly with my finger. He hugged it—clinging onto the pad like a teddy bear—before he turned over, yawned, and remained asleep. Impatient, I wiggled the digit roughly, and he woke up bug-eyed as if a nightmare concluded.
"Get up. Don't think you're Sleeping Beauty because you didn't walk a step."
He yawned, still as sassy as ever. "I'm endeared you're halfway complimenting me, but please give me my dragon plushie back."
"Leo, that was my finger. We're at the castle."
He perked up at the statement, wings wagging in the air.
"Wonderful! Let me do one thing for you, though."
He snapped, and my tattered, bloody shirt and pants morphed into a black outfit with silver trim and shoulder pads. The collar was adorned with lace, while the sleeves were long and baggy. I completely forgot about my attire until then.
*Leo is somehow useful this single outlier of a time.*
"You'd expect me to make a snarky comment, but thank you, actually. The guards would feed me to their friends in the moat if I showed up looking like a peasant or serf."
"Of course, Fifi! Go get 'em now!" he cheered like this was a more casual affair than—you know—confronting the king.
Straightening my shirt, I ambled to the gate like I regularly visited the castle. In a way, I did since I met the king many times before alongside my dad. He had an awkward demeanor from what I saw, but beyond that, he carried himself in a very official and powerful manner—at least according to his advisors. I was told that, towards those who served him, he was kind and nurturing—a father to the whole kingdom. In all the times I accompanied my dad, though, I rarely saw this side of him. For all I cared, Inei could've been like the stereotypical kings in literature, a deceptive reincarnate of Oedipus. Seeing what the kingdom came to, I didn't put it past him.
However, I couldn't be sure about my assumptions until I met him for myself. I proceeded until the guards noticed me banging on the gate to force it open.
"What business do you have here?" A guard pointed a sword at me. "Are you perhaps a citizen waiting to speak with the king? If that is the case, he is busy. You will need to return after scheduling an appointment."
"Ugh," Leo grunted from the inside of my shirt sleeve.
"Be quiet," I warned him, and then, I turned to a guard who gave me a funny look. "Why, sir, I am the daughter of the former advisor, Mr. Heide, and I am here to discuss the details of my potential appointment as his successor."
"How do I know you're not lying to us?"
*He must be new if he's acting so apprehensive.*
I wanted to smack him and lose my temper, but I held back. Guards were always tedious with their unreasonable amounts of skepticism; they were paid to nitpick. "Sir, ask any of the officials if they are familiar with a child by the name of Ophelia Heide, and I assure you they will vouch for my individual identity and that associated with my bloodline."
"Then kindly wait as we—"
"Guards, let the girl in and stop haggling with her like quacks and merchants," an unfamiliar voice commanded with an air of authority.
Exhaling, I wanted to deem that man a saint for stopping the bureaucratic bullshit.
"As you wish," one of them said.
From the top of the tower, another set of guards drew the metal and wooden gate up and extended the bridge so that I could pass over the moat. As I tiptoed on the creaky boards, the alligators stared at me, sharp teeth freshly cleaned before an afternoon meal. I gulped and felt remorse for whichever unfortunate souls were fed to them after angering the guards. Luckily, I was not a sacrifice today, so I gave the beasts a cocky smile and quickened my pace.
"Now I'm even gladder I can just teleport into the castle instead of doing that every day," Leo joked while pointing behind us and riding along an ego trip.
"Must be nice."
I was shocked when streaks of white and black flooded my vision until I realized Leo flew out of my sleeve. I panicked, feeling responsible if he ended up being sighted.
"Prince Akirobo! Good to see you're as uptight as ever!" Leo yelled while flying towards a man standing on the artificial island.
*What kind of nickname is that?*
The prince's face was expressionless for a moment—probably where the nickname was derived from—before he showed a beautiful smile to the fairy approaching at Mach speeds. He wore sleek black clothing with gold adornments to hint at his status. The sleeves of his outfit were cuffed, and his collar looked similar to mine besides the blue gemstone encased in platinum that served as its centerpiece. There was a white button-down below his blazer, but the accessory that completed his attire was a thin fabric choker. Everything about him exemplified the envisioned coolness and darkness from the prince of the Moon Kingdom.
Leo reverted to his original size while in front of Prince Akiyoshi. (Or did that title belong to his smaller form?) He jumped into the other's arms like a child who came home to see his father, almost suffocating the prince as they both laughed.
"Hello, Leo. It's been a while, hasn't it? Perhaps we can have a cup of tea in a bit to catch up?"
"Bring some cookies and blackberries, and maybe I'll consider that offer," he replied as they broke apart.
"It's a deal then. I'll request the kitchen staff bring some to the den once we get inside." Akiyoshi turned to me, looking past Leo's large wings. "I suppose I must deal with this situation on my porch now. She's like a trapped mouse in pursuit of cheese."
The prince went over to me, and I bowed. "Hello, sir." I gave him my name. "I'm honored to meet you formally."
"As is the case for me, too." He paused, thinking over his words. "I presume I'll see you around much more in the coming months if you're appointed. I will assume that to be the case for now."
Majestically, he plodded in the direction of the castle and gestured towards me, peering back. "Please follow me to see my father. He has been expecting you for a few days after the,"—he stopped to roll his eyes—"violent disagreement. He's worried you were injured or killed and that he might have to find a different advisor." He exhaled like he was chuckling before he scanned me up and down. "I can see that's not the case, though."
"Thank me for that!" Leo butted in, the air paddling by his wings to graze everyone's faces.
"As much as I hate to admit it, eh, Lele *did* help." I sighed, breaking eye contact.
"Oh, you used a nickname, Fifi! Did I charm you enough already?"
While he toyed with a piece of short, metallic hair, I fought the urge to hiss at him, such an undignified action unfit for the presence of royalty. I curled my fists and felt the sharp blades of my nails dig into my soft palms.
Akiyoshi intervened, saying, "I'm delighted the two of you are becoming further acquainted with each other, but it's imperative you see my father before his next briefing with his advisors in the late afternoon. If Ophelia's late so much as a second—as the one who plans his days by the minute—I will face the consequences." He shrugged and turned. "I'm already having to shoehorn this between his other activities, so follow."
Akiyoshi marched towards the castle with calculated steps.
"As you wish, sir."
Leo and I trailed him up stairs made from the magic of the shadows. They shifted down an inch each time pressure was applied, which made me a little anxious; they threatened to sink and would crash to the ground if I ran. Leo was unbothered by the platforms as he could fly, and Akiyoshi responded to them like he did most things—with indifference.
Rumors said he could be faced with a death or the arrival of a grand fortune and blink without much acknowledgement. It was considered a magic miracle to see him shift his lips slightly and like seeing a unicorn to capture a glimpse of the whites of his teeth, but I saw both simultaneously (which made me rather lucky). The women of the kingdom always thought this trait was mysterious or fascinating or something, but I paid little regard to it during our short interaction. I only recognized how meticulous of a planner he was.
The castle had a darker color palette than the original one, all decorations vampire-esque black and purple. It would have looked like a haunted manor with a few more skulls and cobwebs, but the locations of such objects instead were full of celestial motifs like crescent moons and fake flowers resembling those in the meadow earlier. The palace was eerie and uninviting, but the soft and casual arrangements of furniture made it appear like a viable home. The stairs were capped off by an elegant and dark roof painted with depictions of fairies and unicorns in a pasture, though a walk up them would have made anyone believe they extended indefinitely.
Ascending the castle, I noticed the upper echelons had their own weather system. We walked through cotton candy clouds and misty fog as stormy winds threatened to blow us over the railing until we reached the oddly peaceful top platform like a mountain peak poking above the thunderstorms.
*What's the deal with this place? New contractor?*
We faced an extravagant gate covered in symmetrical patterns of dragons, magic spells, and gold embellishments that contrasted with the dark nature of the castle. The carvings were intricate and artistic as if they took a century to create—the Gates of Paradise. Combined with their superhuman height, they sent a cautionary message to all staring at them—the dragons *would* bite if stared in the eyes for too long.
"This is the entrance to my father's chamber. I'm sure he's going to be ecstatic to see you finally. Should you engage in any funny business, there will be an army of guards ready to remove you from his presence. There's your only warning," Akiyoshi told me like he droned the rules to visitors constantly and still saw them commit every possible offense.
He turned to Leo and lightened up. "Shall we do that catching up I proposed now—cookies, berries, and all?"
"Yes! Your bedroom?" Leo tilted his head and smiled like he was receiving a reward.
"Indeed. Unless you'd enjoy the maids listening in on our personal matters." Akiyoshi chuckled slightly.
He looked at me stoically once more and pointed towards the door. "Off you go. Once you're done, you can find us on the floor below on the right side. Knock, of course, and you can ask me some questions, inform me of what my father's decision is, or get an escort out of here with Leo."
The two walked off (or Leo flew, for that matter), and I stood in silence in front of the menacing gates to confrontational hell. I noticed it on the journey up but failed to admit I was shaking and nervous about the impression I would make in front of the king. I knew I had a bit of a mouth on myself, so I hoped I wouldn't let it slip around him for the sake of getting a job. I made enough backhanded comments that I almost got my dad fired once when I said the king could use a breath mint, and his two kids laughed at him.
*Here goes nothing, I guess.*