It was just past first light and the village was bustling with noise, slightly muffled by the somnolent feeling of its inhabitants. The prince approached the eldest daughter, who was showing off her new dress to her friends. The prince, still in the guise of a simple minstrel, took his feathered hat off his head and swept a low bow. Lilium did not deign a response.
Then, the prince pulled a small blue box with golden filigree out of his cloak. He showed it to the eldest daughter. "This box is special, it was created by Fae magic. If a person can retain it long enough to figure out how to open it, their fortune will increase dramatically."
Lilium grabbed it, not doubting him for a second. She began trying to open it by running her fingers over the golden filigree for a hidden latch or mechanism. The prince turned around and walked away, neither Lillium nor her friends noticed.
An hour passed, and all of the girls were frustrated with the box, it had been around the circle of girls many times and not a one of them had managed to open it.
When a young man cleared his throat they all startled, like a flock of disturbed geese. They looked up and glared, they were already grumpy after spending so long on the box to no result. But even in the best of times they would have been annoyed that such a small, impertinent specimen of the human race would have dared interrupt them. "What?" Asked one of the girls.
"Well," started the young boy, "I was wondering if you had seen a young man. He wears a green jerkin over a blue doublet and blue trousers, he carries a wooden instrument case?"
"He was here, he left." The young boy took his cue and turned around. The girls were too interested in glaring at the back of his head to bother looking at his right hand, which was gripping a small blue box with gold filigree.
The prince singled out the second born girl next, Magnoliaceae. He found her in the town theatre, being praised for her newest song. Which, of course, only she could sing without shrilling out the ears of anyone within a miles radius.
The trees wave hello
The flowers bloom in your path
The greenery tumbles by
The pink is in the sky
The sun is set
The trees rustle in wind
The flowers close their buds
The green grows gray
Gone is the light of day
Night has fall'n
The prince clapped as she finished her fourteenth encore. Then he stood, perhaps not as entranced by her voice as everyone else in the room. To the eyes of the gathered crowd, a simple jongleur stood to praise the girl for her angel's voice. To the ears of those on the stage, a young man was trying to become one of those lucky young men in Magnoliaceae's favor. Nevertheless, when the young man left, Magnoliaceae was trying to pry open a small blue box with golden filigree. She dropped it a few times perhaps in frustration. Eventually the other stagehands took their turn, the box wouldn't open for any of them.
They had been at it for nearly an hour, and were getting close to just smashing the thing, when a voice broke the frustrated silence,"I was wondering if you had seen a young man. He wears a green jerkin over a blue doublet and blue trousers, he carries a wooden instrument case?"
Magnoliaceae raged at the young man in her beautiful voice for interrupting her, causing several of the young men seated in close seats to swoon. When the young man left in a huff, Magnoliaceae was too busy glaring at the back of his tunic to bother looking at his left pocket, which held a small blue box with golden filigree.
YOU ARE READING
Stories From Terra
FantasyThis is a collection of short stories from my universe called Terra. The Three Saunds Sisters. Malissa, Phayze, and Piper have grown up in castle Etheria, one day their grandfather sends them each a gift that sets them on their journeys. Can they f...
