The Golden Child and the Grimoire of Reason
Chapter 1
The Beauty Within the Grimoire
The creek of the castle room door echoed out through the halls. A young lady stepped into the dark room. A light peach scent captured the petite girl's heart momentarily. The memories of a simpler time entered the small child's mind.
"Ngg…"
Her chest twisted as she walked inside the large familiar room. It was decorated marvelously with the best jewels money could buy hanging from the above chandeliers. A place she would visit for hours a day. But it wasn't as warm anymore. The centerpiece was missing from this beautiful place.
As she stepped on the dark red carpets, her tiny feet brushed against the fabric, reminding the golden girl of a happier time. Tears began to well up in her, but she pressed on.
"Where… is it?"
The golden child asked in a shacky, acapella tone. She opened the door to her side in the dark room, revealing a small closet. Blank pages were scattered about the room.
"Not… in here."
Once she reached the nightstand, she saw a blank piece of paper sitting on the burgundy wood. Alongside it was a precious choker with the brightest blue gem embedded.
"Ah…"
The golden child began to shake, realizing this was what she had come for. She shook her head as she backed up slowly.
"I… I can't take that. I… I don't want to! It's hers. It's hers!"
Without looking back, the child rushed out the door, shut it behind her, and ran down the vast hallway with tears in her eyes. The shadow of the night cleaved through the enormous windows she passed. Once Goldie reached her room, she locked the door behind her, casting away the world on the other side…
"Goldie, get back here this instant, young madam!"
An older woman yelled down the wide hallway. Tiny footsteps tattered on the royal crimson carpets. The glimmering daybreak sun's rays basked through the rose windows, brightening her golden hair with every pass. Chandeliers hovered above, and massive murals and armor made from the finest jewels sparkled glamorously around the furious child.
"Goldie! Goldie Kingsman, come back here right now, else I'll have to punish you!"
Even with Goldie's smaller stature, not even God would try to stand in her way when she got upset. Her cerise eyes would burn like the hottest brimstones, and she would march like a million-man army on the warpath.
But even so, Victoria, the head maid, and nearly three times the golden child's age, would be the only servant to try and command the high prided princess. This would lead to the daily resentment of Goldie lashing out and Victoria not backing down. The shouting matches between them would get so fierce that even the hardest of knights would cower away.
"Daddy will tell you to leave me alone, Victoria! Then you'll be in trouble!"
Her father, the king, would usually take Goldie's side on all matters, only adding to her sense of always being right. The golden child knew this, a viable threat against the overbearing maid. But even so, Victoria wouldn't let the princess escape without a fight to remember.
"Goldie, this is not how the next heir to the throne should behave. What would your mother think?!"
Furious of those same threats being bashed against her ears, day after day, Goldie spun around, causing her bark dust-colored dress to twirl with her. In a corset that made her slim figure all the thinner, she stood as tall as she could... which wasn't very tall. The princess's anger reached its peak. She wouldn't have hesitated if she could strike Victoria down using the heavens. But instead, she opted to use her clear and finely crafted words to express her feelings.
"Leave me alone, you lorodite!"
Victoria shuttered at the crudeness coming from the tender age princess. She brushed her charcoal-black bangs out of her eyes and adjusted her dark maid uniform. With both hands on her hips, Victoria pushed her chest out and combated the princess with her motherly aura.
"Where did you hear such a word?! Have you been rereading above-age books, young lady?!"
Victoria put a pep in her step and reached the escaping child. She grabbed her arm and turned the princess to her forcefully.
"This is not how a princess should behave! Get a hold of yourself!"
The last straw finally snapped, causing the golden girl to erupt like Nora Mountain's volcano. She screamed as loud as she could, earning the eyes and ears of any nearby guard.
"The Kingdom of Nora doesn't deserve an heir! I never want to sit on that throne! So, leave me alone, Victoria!"
While waiting for Victoria's response, she was met with an expression that took even the princess by surprise. It wasn't the everyday disappointment in her abilities to study correctly. Or the shame of the princess's inability to tap into her magical powers.
No, this expression was full of what Goldie could only describe as… pain.
It shook the tiny princess to the core. Her stomach clenched tightly, realizing she may have said something blasphemous out of irritation. As stubborn as she was, though, she didn't want to take back her words. Goldie turned tail and rushed off, deeper into the beautiful palace she called home.
The golden child escaped into a secret passageway. Only the head of the knights and other high specialists knew of this spot within the kingdom. It was used just in case a royal family member had to escape from an enemy attack. In Goldie's case, the enemy was Victoria. However, the princess wasn't sure if the head maid knew of this place either.
"Why doesn't she get it?! Can't she tell how frustrated I am? Can't Victoria realize that… my heart hurts so bad?"
Furious, Goldie made her way down the pure white steps as they spiraled down to the basement. It was cold and dim, but she could see just enough not to need a torch. As she slumped down the corridor, the morning events rushed into her head like a dam breaking through the cracks.
"Why doesn't Victoria… or anyone for that matter… gets it? Why… can't I just be in my room and do what I want?!"
Feeling isolated, alone with nobody her age to speak with… Goldie pouted as she reached the bottom of the windy steps. There she stopped in a treasure room full of artifacts found inside and outside the Kingdom of Nora. It wasn't like those treasure rooms located in old stories. There weren't mountains of gold all around that she could dive into, but nearly everything here was priceless.
Golden grails found in the deepest of goblin dungeons, to relics of ancient cults that would fetch a high price on the market. Many of the goods were cursed, which was the main reason it was here, deep in the treasury. There was a spell cast around this room that Goldie only heard stories about. Because of that spell, any hostile powers still held within the relics were suppressed. Only the most powerful of mages and witches could break it.
This… was a safe room for the golden princess, though.
"Victoria… and the rest of them don't understand…."
Goldie looked around the room, pouting all the while. She's been in here so often that nothing surprised her anymore. Goldie turned the corner and came to a large grimoire with its pages open.
"I remember… when she would read me books."
Goldie closed her eyes, yet the tears still escaped. Her chest burned so hotly that she couldn't breathe properly. The pains of never experiencing that tender love again tore her world apart.
"T-They'll… never understand. And it's not fair! It's not fair! Why did you have to…."
In a light whimper, Goldie berated her mentors and servants. A light tear touched the book's pages as she let out her cries. It was then that a calm, faint light exuded from the Grimoire.
Surprised, Goldie opened her eyes in awe.
"What the?"
An artifact never interacted with her, even though she would come here frequently. It shined a bright gold, the color of her fabulous hair. Mesmerized by its glamour, the golden princess touched the pages. The faint light rippled up her arms like ivy suddenly.
"Ah! Ahhh!"
The captured princess screamed, but nobody could hear her down this far. The world around her began to spin, and her body felt as though it was being torn apart. The light vines twisted her skin, causing her to cry out in pain. Like someone was forcefully pushing her from behind, she stumbled off the ground and dived into the pages of the mysterious Grimoire.
When Goldie opened her bright red eyes, the sky was dark, and stars were sprinkled across the world above. She felt the harsh, roughness of cobblestone underneath her. Her entire body throbbed as if someone hammered her limbs to the cement.
"What? Where am I?"
Confused, the princess lifted herself as best as possible and looked around. She stayed on the ground, noticing her body hurt too much to move. When Goldie looked to her side, she saw a small house. It seemed to be the only inhabitance around. On the other side of her was nothing but vast space.
"What is this place?"
It was something out of a fairytale, the story books she read while growing up. At fourteen, Goldie no longer wanted maids to read her books at night. To the dismay of many maids who still liked to baby her.
The house was made of dark bricks with a cute, pointed top and a chimney to the side. There were two small windows on its side and a larger one in the front. The light was on, and inside she could see the make-out of a stuffed bunny's silhouette. The place felt homely compared to the extravagant castle that Goldie's spent her life within.
Rarely did the golden child leave the comfort of that palace. When she did, she always wondered how others could live in places without at least an extravagant fountain out front for the birds to chirp and bathe in. In her eyes, this place was small and cute, but…
"A poor person must live here."
She whispered, knowing it was rude to say that aloud. The poor do not take kindly to being called "poor". It was a lesson she learned every day in classes. Victoria and the teachers taught the princess not to flaunt her status but to always remember that she was above the average folk. If she knew anything, she was better, and Goldie understood that well.
A nearby tree rustled, causing Goldie's back to ripple.
"Eh?!"
The golden princess screamed an unholy wail as the tall figure emerged from the shadows. Defenseless and frightened, the princess cowered and fell on her bottom. Goldie never met a stranger without the company of a guard or servant for her protection. Yet a shadowy figure was creeping out from the shadows, approaching her.
"Who is there?!"
A boisterous female voice roared from the trees. The stranger's footsteps were harsh as they crushed the dirt underneath them. Once she reached the cobblestone, her bright red pumps clicked with every step.
"Ahh…"
Goldie looked in terror as the unknown woman, holding a grimoire in hand, approached her. She towered with bright white hair that flowed with a hint of purple in her strains. The mysterious beauty had bright, crisp, ice-blue eyes with chocolate skin. With a blue and white patterned dress that flowed down to her knees and bright red pumps mirrored Goldie's, the mysterious woman stood tall and looked down on the royal princess.
"What are you doing here, child?"