Shattered-Season 4 of Regal Academy

Mystery

Astoria

I turned the stone tablet over in my hands, books spread out on the library desk to lead me to someone from the past (or perhaps even the present) who might have been the 'D' who had signed the ominous message left on it. Whenever I was not doing my duties as a royal guard, I was in the library, which was conveniently positioned right next to my own room. I'd even found a secret passage that went from behind one of the bookshelves in the gallery into my own room so I could leave the library quickly. I snatched up the quill once again, scribbling down another name starting with D. I had approximately 152 names, and I knew I was going to find many more. I planned on heading to the potion laboratory that was adjacent to Joy's bedroom later to test the carvings on the stone and try to figure out how old they were. I continued to write down names until I was done with browsing through the contents of Important Historical Figures of The Regals, Regal Servants from the Peasant's Land, A History of The Lands Beyond The Palace, Official Archive of All Crimes Committed by Peasants, Official Archive of All Crimes Committed by Regals and one extremely large (and heavy) folder I'd found in the archives that contained the names of anyone who had ever worked for the king and queen. 

I took with me another huge folder with pictures of every person born in Shadow End to the potions laboratory, the stone tablet tucked safely in my pocket. I went down the library staircase until I was at the secret passage I had created leading to Joy's room. I pulled up the red mat slightly before opening the well-concealed wooden trapdoor and lowering myself and the folder slowly. Joy nodded as I walked past, opening the door that led into the potions laboratory. 

(I do not own the artwork)

I lowered the folder into a corner occupied with old potions books, making my way over to the shelves to start finding the ingredients. What I needed to brew was an age-revealing potion. Muttering to myself, I pulled out the stardust extract, dragon scales, pixie wings and lion hair, stirring each ingredient into the cauldron. I diced the pixie wings first and threw them into the pot. Next, I added the dragon scale, stirring it in anti-clockwise. Exactly three measured out lion hairs went into the cauldron next, and a pinch of stardust was sprinkled in at the end to combine all the ingredients with  hint of pure magic. I watched delightedly as the potion began to glow and release bluish fumes into the air. I emptied the potion into a flask, making my way over to the window where other utensils sat. 

(I do not own the artwork)

I grabbed a bowl, taking it back to the desk. I rested the stone tablet at the bottom of the bowl before carefully tipping in the age-revealing potion, making sure it sunk into the carving. I watched, pleased, as tally lines began to appear above the bowl. I began to draw them into my own piece of parchment. 1...2...3.... The lines abruptly stopped at 20. The stone had been carve 20 days ago, when the library was being filled... It was someone from back home who had left me the note. My heart skipped a beat. What if it was a friend of Shawn's, doing it for him? I shook that thought away. I couldn't let myself hope right now. As far as I was concerned, hope would only lead to disappointment. It had been a year since I'd seen Shawn. A long, excruciatingly painful year of my life, spent defending the queen from my own friends and family. 

I thought about my own past. I remembered the time before the Beast. But of course, the reign of the Beast had changed the course of history, so I had a new story about myself. I was born and raised in the slums, having to work at the age of five. I spent seven years helping the potions master in the rich village as a servant, guarding his door and going out to fetch her things. One day, when I was standing outside the potion master's lab, I noticed a thief trying to break in. Using my knowledge from the books the potions master sometimes let me borrow, I used a combat technique to make the thief fall off his ladder and break his rib cage meaning he would be unable to fight back. And when I was done, I heard clapping. It was a teacher from the Academy for Gifted Commoners that my mother could not afford to send me to. I knew this from the embroidered logo on his shirt. "We could use warriors like yourself at the Academy," he said. "With some practice, you could be off to serve the Regals!" 

And that was how I found myself at the Academy, training alongside the richest people in the land of commoners. One of them being Shawn. Shawn and I were fencing partners, falling for each other eventually. I would have been the Lady of the Commoners, technically making me a Regal like Shawn was if I had chosen to leave the Academy with him and be wedded to him, but I chose to follow another path. I was driven by my determination, continuing to train relentlessly until I was the best f the best, and eventually being sent off to the palace to defend the Queen herself. 

I'd been crossing names off of the list. And I was now down to one name. I opened the folder, frantically combing through it to find him..... Until there he was. Deemed the best-looking man in the Commoner's land, his platinum blonde hair outlined his chiseled jawline, high cheekbones standing out on his pale skin. His bright blue eyes didn't twinkle in the photo. They glared, piercing my skull with their ferocity. Those arched brows slanted slightly. He was angry in this photo. Just the way he nearly always was. Joy opened the door, looking nervous. "Astoria, they're here." I stepped out of the potions laboratory, standing face to face with... Damien Reginald.

Now that Astoria knows who wrote the words into the stone (and is standing face-to-face with that person) what is he going to do? And has the rebellion successully broken into the palace, or was it only Damien who made it through? Find out in the next chapter of Shattered!

How was that one? I know the story didn't really move on in this chapter, but I think you'll find this chapter of the story integral to the next few chapters. No Hase in this chapter... Sorry! But I do promise some in the next one (so get excited!) Thank you for your ongoing support toward this story. We're so close to hitting that 1K read mark! I hope Shattered is helping spend the time at home... Please let me know in the comments what you guys have been up to to keep busy (I need some inspiration-I think 'eating chocolate' doesn't really qualify as doing something XD) Please stay safe, healthy and happy during this time, and work out! (There's one thing I do LOL)

-WatchMeWhip13, your author