The Witch's Curse (Book One)

Chapter One:

        The dying autumn trees shed their leaves around the stirring North Castle. Maids and guards paced up and down the halls as they tried to prepare for the Grand Ball of Magius in two nights. The excited city outside of the castle's walls joyfully danced around because for the first time they were allowed into the castle created for one of the three daughters of their grand Enchantress Melissa. I seemed to be the only one who still had any bit of calmness in this whole land. In a quiet and steady manner, I passed each room to check on the details for the ball I was suppose to be hosting.

The seamstresses rushed to finish the best gowns for the royal families. When you step into our world, all that matters among the rich and famous families is how you hold yourself in society, how much power you possess, and what you can do to benefit them. You will rarely find a royal who won't look down upon you if your outfit isn't custom made and the latest style. The maids swept through all twenty-six floors of my castle to make sure every inch was spotless. The cooks baked and baked and baked trying to figure out what would be the perfect food to serve to the highest members of society. Only a handful of commoners were invited to come as a security measure. Then, I found myself on the guard, the protectors of our realm, floor. They never seemed to stop working so all the meetings and training they were having didn't surprise me one bit.

         I was stopped by my head of security, Aegeus. "My princess, is everything alright?"

"Of course. I actually wanted to request a group of protectors. I was just hoping to visit my people. You know how I have always wanted to see what is going on in my kingdom," I told him, trying to add as much authority to my voice without sounding bossy. In my opinion, a soon to be queen should not be too strict to a point that her followers despise her.

         Aegeus gave me a stern look. "Your majesty, it isn't really the time to go down there right now. Everyone is preparing for the ball, and you really need to keep away from the commoners. You know as well as I do how dangerous they can be. One of them allowed those wretched demons in and helped them escape after they killed your father."

         I could tell by the way he looked at me that the fury I had surging through me was burning in my eyes as well. "He was not my father. You and I both know that man who posed as my real dad was nothing but a phony. How can you just act like you were really blood related to someone? On top of that, he believed he had the authority to keep me out of the villages in my own realm. I bet if I took one step into the village below no one would even recognize me. I've spent my life cooped up in this castle, and I will tell you right now I am done with that. Get me three guards. I'm not going to tell you again. " He bowed before me and gathered the three guards who were off duty.

         Being a witch, we do not have trouble travelling all over the kingdom. Portals are set up in convenient locations to allow for easy transport. Most portals are open to the public except to any royal houses and castles. One guard stepped in before while the other two followed closed behind as the four of us stepped through a portal located on the guard floor. Wearing blue cloaks, they were able to hide the weapons they stowed underneath as we tried to blend in this rustic town. My red cloak was only meant to hide my long brown braid that matched my mother's, the former Enchantress of Magius, and the icy blue eyes that were able to instill fear in almost anyone I met. Besides those indicators, the only other thing that could truly identify me was my crescent moon amulet I had worn ever since I was a little girl.

         As the four of us stepped through the village, we didn't seem to stand out amongst the crowd. Most people had on their cloaks in the chilling weather and were too busy running errands or gossiping about the latest scandals to pay us any attention. It also wasn't common for royals of any realm to roam around their kingdom, so no one was actively searching for a princess. The land I was soon going to rule was nothing like I'd imagined.