Unveiled

Chapter 6

     So, you may be wondering what happens next in this story. So we all know the dark secret is that Princess Ember is cursed and destined to be a fox, but what happens now? Well there is something more planned. 

     So, we all know that Madame Quinn is still trying to figure out what exactly happened to Princess Ember that one evening. I can tell only one thing, Madame Quinn is determined not to  quit till she figures out.

    One day, Madame Quinn tried talking to her,  but she never found out what happened. Sir Conner and Quinn tried talking to her parents, yet they didn't say anything, Madame Quinn even tried talking to her maid, yet she wouldn't tell her anything.

      In fact, her curiosity alone seemed to worry Sovereign Nathan and Mistress Mary. They didn't know if her meddling would lead to kingdom wide gossip. They did not want for their daughter's reputation to be marred. They would find a way to release her from the curse. One day.

     Now, we may be wondering why she is so curious about this matter. We may be wondering why she just won't quit. Madame Quinn knew something and desperately wanted to find out more about it none the less. So, Madame Quinn found a way to get to the hidden secret. 

     Princess Ember slipped on a casual outfit, and pulled on her black knee high boots. She looked at herself in the mirror as she straightened a few wrinkles in her black riding skirt. She quickly put her hair into a bun, and tied it off  with a tiny strip of purple ribbon. Now that she was completely ready, she made her way out to the open moor to summon her ride. 

    She jogged through the castles corridors, and her skirt caped out behind her. The skirt was designed for riding so she didn't have to ride side-saddle. It came up to the lower part of the knee up front, and dragged on the ground in the back. Her small, flat shoes lightly tapped against the ground as she jogged. Once she finally made it to the moors, she summoned her ride. 

    Princess Ember gave out a piercing whistle, and waited a few seconds. 

    A loud, rhythmic whooshing came from the east of Ember, and she turned her attention there. A large black and grey dragon dove from the sky, and flapped a few more times before landing. It lowered it's head to Princess Embers level, as if asking her 'Do you need something, my queen?'

     "Salutations Kolby" Ember greeted her dragon. "Nice to see you again. Do you want to go for a ride with me?" 

    He snuffed and blinked, as if saying 'yes'. He lowered a wing, and allowed Princess Ember to climb onto his back. Princess Embers flat shoes came into practical use now. She gently padded up the side of the dragons wing and wrapped her arms around part of his neck.

    "Let's go." Those words signaled him to take off, and they flew through the clouds, and viewed the moor and the castle as they did. they enjoyed the rest of the afternoon together, just flying through the grey clouds in the skies above the moors. 

     Mistress Mary wandered around in the kitchen as she pretended to be a cook. She helped bake some of the most complicated meals there at times. Several of the bakers and cooks chatted aimlessly about one another's life, and the ones who did the dishes scrubbed plates and silverware intermittently as another dried. Mistress Mary cut several different colors of peppers with a large knife. As she cut away the stems, she noticed someone from the corner of her eye. She checked, and realized it was just one of the maids helping some girl get dressed to go outdoors for a bit. They seemed to be in a converse, and the maid finally sent the child outside so she could answer the bell ringing on the wall. Mistress Mary turned her attention back to the task on hand and became lost in her thoughts once again. Different assortments of bake ware clinked and clanged against one another, and the clay color stone walls echoed the noise around Mistress Mary. A single window in the roof provided all the light they needed, and the stone stack kept all the pollution from the fire out of the kitchen. 

     Mistress Mary began to think back to the time when Ember, her only daughter, was a youth. When Ember was cursed, it was not especially surprising. Mary remembered how she found Ember... a fox. She thought at first someone stole her daughter and put a fox in her place. She could see how someone could do it because she was such a well behaved and disciplined youth. Not only that, she was granted fair looks from her beautiful mother and strong father. The mistress became confused by the foxes presence, and put it out of the castle. She told the king about their daughters disappearance, and they both were confused and frightened. The very next day, they found their daughter outdoors under a tree on a swing. She was drenched from the constant falling rain, and she had a calm yet emotionless look on her face. Not one of anger nor of confusion nor of sadness, but a knowing. She knew why she turned into a fox, and Mistress Mary knew why as well. 

      Suddenly, a pot of soup clunked against the floor, shocking Mistress Mary out of her thoughts, and yelling arose. She left the splintered, wood bowl full of cut peppers, and casually strode out of the kitchen. 

Author note

Did any one notice the Secret Garden reference?