The Tales of Miss A

The Box of Flowers

Everybody was watching me. My hands were shaking and sweating profusely as the wooden box rested within my palms, still unopened. I looked up to bravely see everybody's expressions. They were waiting excitedly for me to reveal the contents of the box. Everybody was curious to know about my fate sealed inside.

I looked at my mother who ushered me to open it. My father stood beside her with a proud smile on his face. Both of their golden crowns shone as the sun rays made its way to touch them. It was almost blinding.

Everybody was silent. The silence was disquieting and deafening. The only noise I could hear was the loud thumping of my heartbeat and the unsteadiness of my breathing.

This tradition was a big deal after all. Today was the fateful day that I received my box of flowers from the Great Witch. Everytime a maiden would turn into the age of 21, she was to receive a box that contained flowers of every kind that symbolized the maiden's upcoming fate. It was a gift that the Great Witch would give out of the pureness of her heart. Once the maiden would open the box, her fate was to be sealed forever.

The Great Witch was a friend of my mom. She had given my mom a box of her own, too, when she turned 21 and foresaw that she was to marry and be queen to a king. Her box were full of purple asters which were said to symbolize royalty. Soon enough, she met my father, the King, at one of the royal balls courtesy of kingdom to which every maiden was invited. My mother caught my father's attention with her gown decorated with the purple asters she was given and the elegance my mother had exuded. The next month, they were married and their marriage had brought great prosperity to the kingdom.

As reward to the king and queen for their prosperous reign, the Great Witch offered to make the box of flowers a tradition. I heard a lot of stories about what the maidens received. Others despised their flowers and denied that what the flowers meant were true. They were proven wrong when their future happened exactly as the flowers predicted it. Others were joyous to receive theirs as it brought them luck. They received various flowers ranging from daffodils to daisies and roses to carnations.

In the history of the box of flowers, nobody had received purple asters other than my mother. Hence, it was a big deal to have their daughter, me, to receive hers. Everybody anticipated the kind of flowers that I would be getting. People wished for me to get purple asters for me to inherit the throne as I was the sole heiress.

However, I had been thinking to myself everytime if I even wanted to inherit the throne.

Being a royal was a tough job. I loved serving my subjects but it was a tough responsibility. A royal's duties were to revolve only to the kingdom and set herself to the last of her priorities. I would often see my father and mother argue about what they thought would be better for the kingdom. They would resolve it at least but it was tiring for them. Sometimes I would overhear my mother saying to her trusted servants that she wanted to live her normal life once again, but then again, she said that would be selfish of her.

I wondered if I could handle the royal responsibilities. Being a princess alone was already difficult. What more into becoming a ruler of a kingdom?

My eyes went down to the beautifully decorated wooden box. It had jewels pasted onto it. My mother had mentioned that it was the first time in history that the Great Witch had given a decorated box. My fate had to be special.

"Genevieve, honey," I heard my mom's voice breaking the disquieting silence. "You may open your box now."

Heaving a sigh to at least calm the chaos inside my heart, I shakily opened the box. I was stunned when a blinding golden light emerged from inside it. I almost dropped the box, but I held onto it tightly. It continued to glow and it was close to blinding me. A few seconds after, sparkly dust also came out of it which got sprinkled onto the bottom of my rose pink dress. Upon contact, my ball gown slowly became green. Apple green, my favorite color.

I was puzzled. I could tell from the people surrounding me that they were amazed. This was something unexpected. This never happened before to any other maiden, not even to the first recipient of the box which was my mom. I tried to look inside despite of the golden light still glowing that hindered me to see what was inside. I became very curious. What was it that made my future so special?

Suddenly, the box exploded. Everybody was temporarily blinded. When everybody's sights came back, it was raining marigolds and purple asters in the ballroom. Everybody was in awe seeing the sight. However, I felt horror erupting from the pit of my stomach. I knew what marigolds meant. I was scared due to the amount of marigolds pouring towards the ground accompanied by the purple asters. I looked down and to my surprise, I saw another flower that was not an aster nor a marigold.

It was a primrose.

I saw a few more on the ground. There were only a few primroses scattered with the marigolds and asters. There were only thirteen of them.

Nobody noticed my uneasiness. My mother and father rejoiced upon seeing the purple asters, not minding the marigolds and the primroses. I was still watching the continuous downpour of the flowers when I heard a distant voice inside my head.

"You have an interesting future in front of you, Princess Genevieve," a woman's voice said. "As you journey your way towards this life, your greatest friend and enemy will be time. You are to receive another kind of flower soon and it will be given by someone else. For now, since you have opened the box, your fate is sealed. May the stars guide you as I forever will look after you no matter what."

After the ceremony, the flowers were collected and placed inside of the box which miraculously held every flower. The box now rested on top of my bed. I still wondered about the voice I heard earlier, about how my future was interesting. It terrified me. I only wanted to live simply, not extravagantly. I despised the extraordinary, believing that it was not for me because I wanted something simple, something far from being the center of attraction.

Perhaps the extraordinary loved me.

A knock echoed throughout my room. I said an audible "come in." The maid dressed in mint green revealed herself with a smile on her face.

"The ball is starting, my Lady," she announced. I sighed and stood up. My parents arranged a ball after the ceremony. I was obliged to attend even if I did not want to.

The maid accompanied me as I quietly took notice of this castle that I was already used to being in. Brightly-lit golden chandeliers hung silently from the ceiling, watching those who passed underneath it. Exquisite paintings and sculptures of famous figures in history had their eyes looking back at those who would dare to stare at them. The canvasses were organized pleasantly onto the cream-colored walls. Aside from figures, there were also portraits from the owners of this place from those who were previously residing here to those who are currently inside here.

In addition to the expensiveness of this place, the velvety red carpet laid on the halls. It was always free from dusts as the caretakers would always make sure it was dirt-free. The marble ground reflected one's image when they looked at it from underneath the carpet. The ambience of the castle screamed sophistication, elegance, richness, and high class.

"You know, my Lady," the maid began. "I heard it too."

"Heard what?" I inquired as we passed by the wooden doors that revealed another hallway.

"That voice that told you about your interesting future," she revealed, making my eyes widened in surprise. "You must not worry about it too much. I am sure that interesting is a good thing."

"You think so?" I asked again, a miniscule smile escaping to my lips.

The maid nodded and stopped walking in front of another wooden door. Behind it was the ballroom where everybody would be waiting for me.

"Your highness?" she called as the doors opened, revealing the people, my future subjects, anticipating my arrival. I looked back at the maid, waiting for her to respond.

She showed me a knowing smile, her eyes sparkled as if she knew what was to come. It gave me chills the way she looked at me. Nervousness clouded my senses once again before she spoke in a haunting tone.

"The future starts now."