Odette was trapped in a swirl of magical dust as she was pulled into another dimension. She had read enough books to know that the mirror opened a portal that she had no idea how to control or if she would arrive in one piece.
What kind of world was she going to land in? Was this castle ruled by a benevolent royal family or an evil one ready to execute trespassers? Was she having a weird dream?
The endless fall filled her both with curiosity and dread. As if her life needed any more craziness after everything else so far. This meant that her family had been right all along. There was magic in their lineage, and the shoes were not just magical but a gateway to another world.
Did her parents know about this? If they didn’t, they wouldn’t believe her if she told them.
Touching the shoes was strictly forbidden. She had gone way over the line by putting them on. There would be nothing magical about the lengthy grounding and lectures she would receive if they found out. This was a priceless family relic, not a pair of sandals to be worn randomly.
Her body stopped falling, and she waved her arms to balance her body and not fall back. She had stopped screaming a long time ago, but her throat felt sore, and it burned when she sucked in the air. Since she was able to breathe, she assumed that it was safe to open her eyes and take a peek.
The first thing she saw was the exquisite marble tiled floors. Looking around, she found herself in a hallway. The double doors were opened, and a magnificent moon shone outside and bathed the gardens with a mystic silver glow. Turning around, she saw another open door. The silence made her cautious. Her heels clicked on the floor as she peeked inside the next room. Everything looked glamorous and luxurious. She had visited big houses, mansions, and even palaces. Her parents took her with them when they visited libraries in search of the rare books they had restored. That place screamed royalty and opulence.
Lifting her dress, she boldly explored. Her eyes grew bigger, and her mouth dropped when she entered the lavish ballroom with padded walls, silver tables with all sorts of sweets and cakes, comfortable ottoman couches, love seats, black velvet chairs, big animal statues, black columns, and vases of flowers scattered around.
She halted when she realized that there were people up ahead. The room was so big that she stopped to look at the details and forgot to take in the big picture. Beautifully dressed individuals in small groups looked at each other with drinks in their hands. They weren’t talking. Odette assessed their clothes that seemed to belong to another era. They were exquisite, and the fabrics and the embroidered patterns reminded her of the modern movies that portrayed stories about gothic vampires who decided to pay homage to the Victorian era with their brocade patterns and simple cuts. Some even wore long cloak coats and white leaf loose shirts.
She shut and opened her eyes. Yep, still here.
Her feet obeyed her curiosity as her eyes took in the tall females wearing dresses with bell sleeves and different jacquard patterns that fitted perfectly on their slim figures. Their hair was long and dark. Some had tresses as white as snow. The women seemed to ignore her, but some men turned their heads to look at her and bowed. They were ridiculously good-looking. Her sight was perfect in that world since they also had pointy ears like she had noticed in the mirror before being sucked inside that world. Which reminded her she had no idea if they could speak her language. Eventually, she would need to talk to someone and ask how she could leave.
She kept walking, unsure of where she was planning to go.
More curious eyes noticed her arrival, and whispers rose and echoed in the ballroom. Odette stopped and tried to find a place to hide. As the crowd opened their way for her to pass, her gaze stopped on the figure sitting on a throne. Her sight zoomed in on the handsome, young male with pointy ears, wearing a crown and royal attire. The place where he was seated revealed his royal lineage.
Her breathing stopped, and she held her skirt tighter as her tongue felt like sandpaper. The other men were beautiful, but that one looked like a character that had jumped out of the pages of her favorite books. His beauty was uncontestable, as were his absent eyes, pale face, and longing expression. If sadness could kill, he wouldn’t probably survive for long.
Why was everybody so gloomy and quiet? They were at a party. The only thing that seemed to catch their interest was her. Their eyes were on her. Probably because no one had any idea of who she was and what she was doing there. It was a matter of time until someone asked her who she was, and they took her to the dungeons for trespassing.
As the silence became more overbearing, Odette decided that she needed to leave for the same place where she had arrived. She grabbed the skirts of her dress and looked around. Her heart jolted when someone approached the royal elf and placed a hand on his shoulder before leaning in to whisper something.
The elf with the crown raised his moonlight eyes and aimed them directly at the intruder.