Secret Discoveries Part 15

Secret Discoveries Part 15

By: SEP

Surprisingly, the castle itself was quiet as Michiko slowly walked along the long, empty, corridors. In fact, the only sound to be heard was the soft rustling of her silk dress upon the marble floor. Interestingly, the castle seemed very similar to her home castle in Avalon. The architecture was the same, the layout was the same, and even the tapestries were alike. But her home castle had never been so empty and void of life.

Feeling apprehensive, Michiko approached the grand ballroom. She felt tense and unsure of herself. Today is my birthday, and I should be attending my birthday masquerade were I not wandering around some unknown realm of reality. The thought made her sad and increased her agitation. She averted her eyes from the passageway that led to the tapestry of the ridiculous Dragon Tutu, but as she came closer to the ballroom, she became aware of a different tension. This had nothing to do with her mixed emotions, but rather felt like a coil of unused energy within her. It was an uncomfortable feeling. The castle was dead, unused, abandoned, but in perfect condition. What was going on? What secrets lie in store here? Michiko wondered to herself.

Opening the doors to the grand ball room was a chore in and of itself. At home, servants opened the doors with seeming ease, but Michiko strained and heaved at the heavy gilded doors until they opened enough for her to slide through. Here, the tension seemed to tauten, as though an archer were pulling a bowstring which in turn contracted her heart. The tension pulled her, lured her, towards the high throne which sat magnificently upon a dais. I probably should not approach the throne. It was a futile thought, and Michiko knew it.

She was already ascending the dais to stare in wonder at the throne which was covered in gold carvings depicting the four elements of land, fire, earth, and water mixing to create and destroy the world simultaneously. This was her family's throne, and on her birthday she would have sat upon it modestly while looking beautiful. The water, air, and fire burst into life before her eyes in a hypnotic dance, and suddenly, the tension within Michiko reached a pitch. She spun on the spot in a half circle full of new found understanding. NO! her intuition screamed, this is no invisible tension. This is magic! But the realization had come too late, the sight which met her eyes consequently stole the breath from Michiko's lungs.

Not a moment ago the castle had been quiet, dead in all appearances. Now that was no longer the case. Michiko staggered as music struck her ears, and she overbalanced. She would have fallen had a young man not gently steadied her. "Careful Princess. It would not due to injure yourself."

Michiko was in shock, and she knew it. Before her stood a young man dressed in a strange outfit made of black cloth in a style that had no similarities to the the fashions of the times. Behind him a riot of color, costumes, and masques met her eyes as hundreds of courtiers danced on the ballroom floor or partook of refreshments while simply enjoying the music of the musicians who were performing on a smaller dais to the left of the throne. All were dressed in finery and magnificent masks, which marked the event as masquerade.

Michiko was also aware of the outfit she now wore. No wonder she had overbalanced! Her mask was heavy and awkward. Turning to the right she caught a glance of herself in a mirror and stared. Never had she worn such an outfit as this, one of such elegance and grace. Her mask was exquisite, made of enamel and a sparkling blue substance that seemed to sparkle and glow with a brilliance of its own. What looked like blue flames rose above the her head in all its crowning glory, and large chandelier earrings hung at the side of her face, while small stars accented the entire mask. Looking closely she saw a second mask upon the blue enamel that surrounded the eye area as a regular mask might. This part was made of a painted shiny metal substance, and the unusual mask combined with the magnificent, iridescent, blue gown she wore left her speechless for a moment. This was the outfit she had designed in honor of her birthday ball. Was this the ball she had meant to attend?

The morning when she and Crystal had still been one seemed so long ago. Could I be back in Avalon now? Her heart had begun pounding uncontrollably, the possibility that she was suddenly back in Avalon seemed almost too shocking to absorb, indeed the possibility weighed more heavily upon her than the mask she wore. Oh my, what has happened now?

Next --> Part 16