My Kind of Crazy

Chapter 1

Author note: Please leave comments and edits. Thanks!

My name is Zena Serra, and this is my story.

King Zubulon Hawkwind was a fair and kind ruler, his wife had borne three sons and a girl, the youngest. I was taught the ways of the upper class by my mother, Matilda Serra, who worked as a seamstress in Madame Sinatra's Emporium of Fine Clothing. They were the most popular clothing store used for the upper-class men and women of Gilamore and occasionally for her majesty the Princess Alexandra. 

My eyes flutter open as the first rays of summer sun peak through my window. Today is my thirteenth birthday and mom has promised to make me a proper dress, like the ones the ladies wear when they go for a stroll. A smile lifts the corners of my mouth and I toss the blankets over the mattress and get dressed in my nicest dress, which was fading and a bit worn. I wash my face and braid my hair, I can smell my favorite sugar cakes baking before I even leave my room.

"Good morning Ze! Happy birth day!" mom beams her face red from tending the cakes.

" Good morning mom!" I bounce on my toes waiting for the delicious sweets about to come off the heat. I get the plates out of the cupboard and the utencils out of the drawer and set three places. "Is Dad awake?" I ask hopefully.

"Yes," she sighs and I know I probably wont see him at home today. he always has some big order going on "He had to leave early to finish a big order. Lord Napa asked for all of his horses to be reshoed! Its a great opportunity and will bring in more money for us" She smiles at me knowing its not enough.

"oh" I say some of the excitement leaving me and I put his place away. I hardly see my father with his black smith job and its my last day of being apprentised to my mom, she is trying to get me a job in the castle. Her best friend Esmerelda, is the cook and could use another set of hands around the kitchen.

"Sweet cakes are done!" Mom says setting the hot pan down in front of me. The sweet smell erases my sadness and I carefully slide them on to the plates to cool, wrapping the third one for dad, I will take it to him later.

"So," I say to mom as we eat our sweet cakes "have you talked to Esmerelda?" She smiles

" Yes! And you can start tomorrow." I sqee and hug her, she smiles but I can see tears glisten in the back of her eyes. She has always been emotional towards me because I'm her third child, and the only one to have lived long enough love her back. Her first was a still born boy, her second, a girl, lived for a year until she got caught an illness that swept through the village. And now she was going to give me to the castle.

We put three small candles on my sweet cake and I made a wish. I wished for my mom to be happy. We ate and  cleaned up, mom went to work, and I brought dad his sweet cake.

"Hello Ruford," I greet dads aprentis. He strikes the glowing horse shoe once more and places it in a bucket of water where it steams.

"Hi, He's in the Forge" he says.

"Thank you" I enter the Forge, dad is siloeted by the flames of the Forge fire and I wait for him to finish. He pours white and yellow glowing liquid into several molds and sets them to harden and turns his attention to me.

"Happy birthday Zena. Im sorry I missed breakfast. its this order Lord Napa needs these by tomorrow"

"It's ok," I say I don't want to give him one more thing to worry over. "I brought you a sweet cake." I pull the wrapped sweet cake from he bag and give it to him.

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I left the black smith shop and even though I'm still apprenticed to mom she told me to stay out of the shop today so she can make my dress as a surprise. Thier is a grove in the southern forest that always has the most beautiful flowers but the trip takes several hours so i decide this is the perfect place to spend the day