Once Upon A Story

-Speechless-

I walked with Luna back to her kingdom while Caleb went off with a couple fairies back to his. I hoped my family didn't kill him, I was making progress! "You don't really believe that my mom is evil, do you?" Luna asked.

I eyed her. It was like swallowing sand, left with nothing to say. I opened my mouth to try to say some, but my voice was drowned out in the thunder that roared just at that moment. What are the chances of that happening?

Once the thunder shut up, I spoke. "Do you want me to show you?" I asked.

Luna turned to me. "Show me?" she asked.

I handed Daisy off to her. "That's going to get on your clothes, I'm so sorry about that," I told her as I dove into my bag and pulled out my crystal ball. "Switch." We switched, I got the bunny and she got the ball.

"What is this?" Luna asked.

"You're the daughter of the one of the most powerful magicians in the world," I asked, "How do you not know what a crystal ball is?"

Luna shrugged. "Mama's not really into the seer stuff," she said.

Does Queen Lilith know that crystal balls have more uses than for seeing the future? You know what, I'll deal with that later. "This crystal ball doesn't show you the future," I told Luna, "It shows you the present. You ask it to show you a person or place, and it'll show you what the person is doing or what's happening at that place." I took a deep breath. "You sure you want to do this?"

"Don't you underestimate me," Luna said, "I'm a big girl."

I sighed. "Just don't tremble when we try it," I said, "Show me Queen Lilith." The crystal ball showed Queen Lilith on her throne.

"Your majesty," a voice said, "The people of the north-east diamond mines are refusing to work."

Queen Lilith looked at the voice, raised an eyebrow, and then raised her hand. Her dark green magic swirled around her manicured hand. "So make them go back to work," she growled, "I don't care what happens to those peasants. Get me my diamonds!"

"Your majesty," a second voice called, "Please, calm down. Your people are just hungry."

"I don't care!" Queen Lilith shouted.

Luna gasped.

"Stay in your place," Queen Lilith snarled to the second voice, "After all, servants are better seen and not heard."

"Show me a prancing unicorn," I said quickly. Luna couldn't take much more of that. The unicorn danced inside the crystal ball until the image faded. "I'm sorry," I told her, "I warned you."

"She's evil," Luna hissed, "I'm the daughter of an evil queen."

"You can't be the first," I said, trying to make her feel better, "I think there was this girl named Eve or something like that." Silence, not even Crickets chirped. I wish Crickets would chirp. I don't think I have ever in my life wanted Crickets to chirp.

"How could she?" Luna whispered, "How, just, just how?"

I sighed. "No idea," I told her, "But as I've learned in the woods, monsters are made, not born. Something made your mother this way."

"It's like a wave meant to wash me away," Luna mumbled.

"A tide that's taking you under, yeah, yeah, yeah," I said, "But listen to me. You are not your mother. Take your broken wings and burn across the sky. Don't go speechless."

"How can I speak against my mother?" Luna asked, "She is my mother. She raised me. That's written in stone. Centuries old and unbending."

I sighed. "Switch," I said. I got the ball, she got the bunny. Daisy snorted at being moved. "If it's written in stone, every rule, every word, centuries old and unbending, and all that fuss, then now that story is ending. 'Cause you cannot start to crumble. Your mother may not care about your people, but you absolutely do. Don't go speechless. Speak up for your people."

"My people," Luna mumbled, "Oh, my people. I won't go speechless. Hakim!"

"Who's Hakim?" I asked.

"Lower the drawbridge Hakim! I'm coming in!" Luna shouted, storming past me.

I turned. "When did that castle get there?" I asked.

Queen Lilith's gothic cathedral of a home loomed over me. What was with that woman and black, red, and purple? The dark green made sense though. It was the color of her magic.

Was I really about to enter a castle with an evil queen with the ability to mind control people living inside?

I turned on my heel. No, I was not about to enter a castle with an evil queen with the ability to mind control people living inside. I was going to look around the Mountain kingdom a little more. Much less scary that my new friend's mother. Luna might not be going speechless, but I was. I was not dealing with that. No thank you, not happening, nope.