The Ballad of a Broken Heart | Cedric Diggory

8

I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly.
- Kathleen Kelly from You've got Mail
-

Diana was in her bedchamber contemplating all that Luna had shown her when there was a knock on the door.

She opened it and came face to face with a man several inches shorter than her.

It was a relief to see a man below her height after the prince, as he both intimidated her and was taller than her. Both things that Diana rarely ran into, and even less frequently did they both appear in one person.

"Yes?" she didn't mean for her voice to come out so cold, but it was natural at this point.

Diana didn't think she even had a kind tone of voice anymore.

"A message from the prince," the messenger's voice shook, giving away that he was certainly informed on who Diana was.

She took it silently, the shutting the door and tearing open the envelope.

Poison Breather,

Assassinate the witch killer. 662205 Slain Village.

Diana suppressed a groan of frustration. No time, no name, no nothing. If the prince wanted her working for him adequately, the least he could do was write messages that were less cryptic.

He was probably doing it on purpose, Diana guessed.

Moons she hated that man.

Well, with no stealthy outfits and with physical exhaustion already weighing heavily on her, Diana decided to push the task off until tomorrow. It wasn't like the prince had given her a due date, per say. Plus, Luna promised to have a full wardrobe brought in as soon as possible. Until then, Diana wanted to do some exploration of her own. Now that she was fairly acquainted with the palace, it was time to take a stroll in the kingdom.

So, Diana opened her window, not even flinching as she made the seven story plunge down the side. She landed softly one her feet with not one hair out of place, then starting down the cobblestone walkway in the moonlit city.

Unlike where Diana had spent all of her time in Ethereal before, this kingdom was illuminated in the most iridescent of blues. Such a stark contrast to the oranges and reds she'd grown used to during her foraging before.

There were multiple full moons scattered throughout the sky, almost as common as stars. The streets were made of cobblestone and marble weaved through glass, and most of the buildings and waterfalls were made of glass as well.

The Prince of Glass, George had referred to Cedric as. He must have had powers relating to the substance.

Diana roamed the streets at a leisurely pace, in no need for haste. The kingdom seemed to grow in size the farther on she walked, each turn bringing her to a new and equally intriguing section as whatever one she'd been in before.

She caught sight of a man with striking green eyes staring at her, and she met those eyes and bared her teeth at him menacingly. He quickly looked away, and she continued on satisfied.

Soon after, Diana found herself walking through a street transformed into a circus and carnival. There were pixies on trapezes and leprechauns jumping through rings of fire. There were booths with foreboding titles like Trade a Dream for a Wish and Meet the Seven Deadly Sins. But, naturally, the main attraction was at the heart of the carnival. A circus tent that was made of water.

How such a thing was possible, Diana didn't know, but it was because of the mystery that she found herself walking towards it with curiosity bubbling in her stomach.