Once upon a time, there lived a princess in her castle with her father and brother. Her father told her and her brother that their mother had been eaten by a Muzzler, the common name for a dragon-mole, while travelling to a neighbouring country on official business. Not a day went by when he did not think of her. Ridden with grief, he drowned himself in improving kingdom's holistic well-being. So with the king busy with his royal duties, he often left the two to their own devices.
The princess and the prince grew close as the years went by, having no other kin in the kingdom. They did almost everything together, and kept no secrets between them. Even without the love of their parents, they lived happily, for they had each other.
Until one day.
It had been a peaceful summer day. The clouds were white and puffy, the sun shined its cheerful yellow, the birds sang cornflower melodies in the trees. It all felt so wrong. The princess' heart clenched and twisted at the sight. She wanted to yell at the world that it should rot and wither in the dark nothingness that surrounded it. My brother is dead, she mentally cried. My best friend is gone. She knew that she should have been prepared for it the moment he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It didn't matter anymore. Her brother's cold body lay on the blindingly white hospital bed. She knew his hearty laugh would never again emanate from his lips. Her brother was gone forever.
She let out a sob she didn't realise she'd been suppressing. Tears barrelled down in glimmering waterfalls, drenching her night gown in salty water and staining her eyes red. The princess tried to wipe her face with her sleeve, but it proved ineffective against her grief. Now she knew what her father felt with the passing of her mother, and she couldn't blame him for numbing himself from the pain anymore.
A knock resounded from the door. "Miss Sierra, your acquiantance is required to organise Mister Samuel's funeral." Taking a long last look at the prince's pale face, she trod to the door, and closed it behind her.
It had been a month since her brother passed, but Sierra had yet to come out from her room. After his death, she'd sought solace in the books the royal librarian brought to her every week. She immersed herself in these books, so much so that she often lost track of time and failed to arrive at the dining hall for her meals, making the butlers deliver them to her room.
One day, Sierra was reading her book when she heard a loud knock from her window. She looked up and found that it was open, yet there was nothing but a single falcon's feather drifting down and landing beside a single flower stalk. Sierra recognised it as a type wild flower she'd seen when she and her brother played hide-and-seek in the forests. At this, she felt the stoney, grey pain she'd felt on... that day. Pushing it aside, she picked up the flower to feel its petals when a scrap of paper with words so tiny she had to use a magnifying glass to read fell out. The note read:
'Time to stop and smell the roses:)'
Sierra remembered that the castle once had a lush rose patch in the garden, but that had been destroyed during a short battle with another kingdom. Had it been repaired? She didn't know for sure, but she suspected so.
True enough, when she arrived at the rose patch, blooms of pink, yellow and red bathed in the sun. It looked as if it had just been exported from the Western fields. The sweet scent of the flowers hung in the air, and glassy- winged margarinae fluttered around drowsily. At this wonderful sight, Sierra forgot, for a moment, her grief, and a rare smile graced her lips.
But then she remembered how the day had been so golden like that day when he'd gone. Instantly, her grin morphed into a snarl and she ran out of the garden crying, unable to bear the injustice stirring in her chest. In her haste, she failed to see the ruby pendant waiting for her to find among the roses, and an inaudible sigh could be heard from the soil.
The next day, she found another flower on her desk, in the same manner it came as the one that arrived the day before. This time, it was of a different species. It was a soft purple, and its tiny petals grew around a cluster of anthers. Like the previous flower, it was no taller than an eraser, and came with a small note with near microscopic letters. It read:
'Why not lie in the shade of a tree?'
On the back, there was a small drawing of a map of the castle, and an 'X' was marked on the grove of emerald oaks just outside. Sierra felt a rush of excitement fill her as she walked out of her room. She wondered what surprises awaited her there.
The grove was, as usual, a stunning expanse of glittering emerald leaves and shining topaz trunks. Even though she'd seen it a hundred times before, it never failed to steal her breath away. As she wandered along the yellow- brick path through the trees (her mother had it made after reading 'The Wizard of Oz', the king had said), she came across one which had a plain blanket laid underneath it, and a pile of books on said blanket. How To Kill A Mockingbird, Red Queen, Percy Jackson and others that she'd never seen before. She picked up a book that looked newer than the rest. The title on the cover read 'Room Of Mirrors'. Like any other book, it had a description on the back, but it was short and vague. Inside, there was a short chapter entitled 'Wel¤0^€ t0 $h€ r00¡ 0} ¡+^^0^£/. £uddenl¥, £ier^a fe_t ~ $hr0**+n' p~in +n h€^ =€~d, ~_l a^0□|) =€^ t=e w0^_d £$art€d spin|ing, =er vi£+on *_u^^+ng. An° ~s £h€ }e_t h€r b^r€~$=i|g £l0₩, ~ si|g_e ₩o^° ¤~□g=t =€^ €¥€:
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ANNOUNCEMENT:
Dearest Patients, please do not be alarmed. We have come across a technical glitch which will be fixed shortly. In the meantime, you will be given some time to get to know one another. Please be patient while we shut down systems and return you to statis state. We regret any inconvenience caused.
~ Lotus Group (Hospitals)
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A/N
Soooo I actually didn't really want to do this (this author's note) but I felt like I had to just in case some people got frightened by the fourth wall breaking, which was intentional. I'll delete this part after I've released three more chapters, so fyi the permanent one is on my 'Conversations' page. I'll also comment this part at the bottom of this chapter.
Don't hesitate to give constructive feedback!
~DaughterOfApolloYay
P.S. The symbols in the glitched story can be decoded to form the original text by swapping them for their respective letters. Perhaps you can discuss this?
P.P.S. Don't bother decoding the random symbols below the story. Like I said in my post, it's all random.
YOU ARE READING
Room Of Mirrors (LIKELY NOT TO BE FINISHED)
FantasíaFourteen 'lucky' patients. Mysterious fairytales. A strange guide. Welcome to the Room of Mirrors. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fourteen 'lucky' patients are put into a room full of mirrors, supposedl...
