Crowns ~ Smosh

Five

"He won't listen," Olivia explained, as her siblings crowded around her in the common area. She was sitting on one of the couches, each of her siblings pressed around her, trying to find room in the small space. "He thinks that the dukes are helping us."

"This can't go on forever, can it?" Matthew asked, looking around at his siblings. Some met his eyes with a hopeful expression, some simply looked at the ground, like they were too afraid to hope. 

"At least tomorrow will be a good day," David said, setting his hand on Noah's shoulder. 

"Will I have cake?" Noah asked excitedly. "Presents? A party?"

"It's your birthday isn't it?" Mari said, smiling down at her youngest brother.

~*~

They woke up their youngest brother with a song, all participating happily. They danced around him, proclaiming him "king for the day". Noah was giggling as he danced around his singing siblings. He was finally turning twelve, and he couldn't be more excited. 

The celebrations abruptly stopped as the door to their common area was slammed open, rattling the walls. The siblings stopped singing an crowded together in almost a wall, shielding their youngest brother.

"You're late," Duke Raub snapped. 

"We were celebrating a very special birthday," Mari explained, stepping forward away from the huddle of her siblings. 

"That's no excuse. Until you learn etiquette, the celebrations will wait," Duke Raub explained, harshly. His eyes seemed to burn holes into Mari's skin.

"But we were just dancing!" Courtney exclaimed, stepping forward and running to Mari's side. "Mother made it a family tradition!"  

"Well sadly your mommy isn't here anymore, is she?" Duke Raub responded, his voice dripping with fake pity. "And I am responsible for your upbringing. Dancing is forbidden, strictly forbidden, and please, don't sing, it's out too." 

"But it's my birthday," Noah said, seemingly on the verge of tears. 

"A prince does not talk back," Duke Raub growled. "No dancing until you know how to act like royalty."

~*~

"Where's Dad?" Noah whimpered. "He's never forgotten my birthday." David walked towards him, holding a story book in his hands. 

"We still have a present for you," He explained, sitting on the couch next to his brother. "When we turned twelve, Mother gave us each a copy of her favorite story."

"She had one made for each child," Mari said, sitting next to David on the couch. David handed over the story book, and Noah took it, looking down at the cover. 

"The Golden Pavilion," He read, and flipped to the first page of the story. "Will you read it Mari?" He asked. Each of the siblings agreed, and Mari settled into the middle of the couch as she began to read the story. 

"So the princess danced on each of the special stones. Then, on the twelfth one, she twirled three times. And a secret door opened," Mari read.

"Where did the secret door lead to?" Noah asked. 

"Well let's find out," Mari said, flipping the page of the book. "She walked through a glowing light into a magic land. With trees of silver and gold! Flowers made of jewels. Across the lake was a golden pavilion. The princess danced and danced to her heart's content. She wanted to stay forever, but that was not to be. The magic land vanished after the third night. The princess was heartbroken, until she realized she brought some magic back with her. And it was hers to keep forever."

"What kind of magic?" Noah asked, leaning over to take his book. 

"It doesn't say," Mari responded, letting him take his story book back. Noah stood to place his book back in his trunk, but as he walked towards his room his foot caught on the leg of an end table and he went stumbling to the ground. Mari quickly went to Noah, helping him to his feet, as Ericka went to retrieve the book. 

As Ericka leaned down to pick up the book, she realized the the lily printed on the cover of Noah's story book was the same lily on the marble design in the floor. 

"Oliva," She called. "Come look at this." Olivia came over and she too saw the similarity. 

"Guys!" She called, bringing each of her siblings attention towards her. "Go get your books! See if you can match the flower on your book to a flower on a stone." 

Each of the children raced to their trunks, returning with their story books in hand. They each looked over the stone design, searching for a match.

"I found a match," Joshua said, standing in front of his stone with his story book.

"Me too," Keith called.

"Me too!" Damien exclaimed.

"Here's mine," Courtney said, also standing in front of her stone.

"What does it mean?" David asked, as he too took his place by a stone. 

"I have a feeling," Olivia answered. "The story said that the princess danced from stone to stone." Olivia quickly danced from Ericka's stone to Keith's, but nothing happened. 

"Was something supposed to happen?" Shayne asked.

"Maybe a different order?" Ericka suggested. 

"Oldest to youngest! Of course!" Olivia exclaimed. "David! Where's yours?" Olivia stumbled over to David's stone, and took the first step of her dance on it. All the siblings jumped back as it began to glow. Olivia laughed and turned to Mari, who pointed out her stone silently. "Joshua," Olivia muttered as she stepped atop his stone. "Matthew, Wes, Shayne, Keith, Ericka, me, Damien, Courtney, and Noah." 

But when she stepped atop Noah's stone, nothing happened. It didn't glow like the others.

"Why didn't mine work?" Noah asked.

"You forgot something," Damien suggested. "In the story it said that the princess twirled three times on the last stone."

"Of course!" Olivia exclaimed and began to twirl on Noah's stone, as soon as she finished the glow intensified. Then slowly, the marble design began to open. Each of the siblings were stepping back trying not to fall down into the opening portal, but also admiring the golden dust that flowed around them. 

Golden railings and a staircase that spiraled down into the portal in the middle of their room formed and each of the children stared at it in wonder.

"Wow," Joshua breathed, taking in the magic that had appeared in front of him. Wes went up and grabbed the railing of the staircase, before turning to his siblings.

"Well," He said. "Who's coming with me?" And he turned and walked down the staircase, his siblings all following him in a silent wonder. Once the last of them had entered the staircase and began to descend into the unknown, the portal shut behind them, leaving only the stones.