Princess Faustine, a secret, self-taught sorceress, must leave her all too conventional kingdom in order to pursue a dangerous, hidden truth and break an evil curse over the her kingdom and the Seven Lands.
~ in which there is a hearty bisque, plans are set in motion, and some gets what they want ~
Back home at the cottage I began searching my wardrobe for exactly the right dinner dress. As it turns out I would have to postpone my trip to the palace until further notice. I honestly found this to be quite a relief for reasons I couldn't quite identify and really did care to. I had had such a refreshingly nice afternoon with Leif and now I was to spend the better part of the evening with him and Luna. I was glad because I wanted to ask Luna more about the mirror onlooker as well. For some odd reason I felt she could have some insight for me.
I rummaged through my wardrobe, looking for the perfect dress to wear. I had a few options, but none of them seemed right. They were either too plain, too flashy, or too worn. I wanted something that was just right.
I sighed and closed the wardrobe, feeling frustrated. Placing both hands on the doors I opened the wardrobe again and searched for something more suitable. Something more special. Something more magical.
And then I saw it.
It was a dress that I had had for a long time now, but never worn. It was a gift from my grandmother, who had given it to me on my sixteenth birthday. She had said it was a family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation. She had said it was a dress of destiny, meant for a special moment in my life and I felt like that moment was now.
It was a black dress, with silver paisley etchings all over . It was made of silk, long sleeves and a swooping neckline with a pattered embroidered neckline.
I took it out of the wardrobe and held it in front of me, admiring it. It sparkled in the light, as if it had a life of its own. It felt soft and smooth in my hands, as if it was made for me. I knew this was the dress.
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Not long after making my choice of attire I was in the middle of brushing my hair, when I heard a wee knocking sound on my window. I put down the brush and walked over to open it, wondering what it could be what I saw was a stunning yellow canary with a deep red belly perched on the ledge. It was an Ember Bellied Canary. It had a piece of paper tied to its leg. It looked at me with bright eyes and chirped adorably.
"Hello, little one. What do you have there?" I asked, smiling.
The bird tilted its head and sang a few notes, then held out its leg. I gently untied the paper and took it. The bird fluttered its wings and flew to my shoulder, nuzzling my cheek.
"Thank you, you're very sweet," I said, petting its head.
I unfolded the paper and saw Leif's handwriting. It was a note with directions to his house. It read:
''' Dear Faustine,
I'm so happy that you're coming over to dinner and I can't wait to see you again.
To get to my house, you need to follow these steps:
- Go to the edge of the forest on the west side where the Silverbell Willowoak is. - Turn left and walk along the path until you see Moon River. - Follow it upstream until you reach a waterfall. - Beside the waterfall, there is a hidden cave covered in hanging vines. Enter the cave and you'll find a staircase. - Climb the staircase down until you exit on the other side back into the woods, and you'll see an elaborate tree house right as you exit the cave. That's where I live.
