Princess of Faerl

*Elentari*

I woke up the next day, happy the color was still in my hair. I curled it as best I could overnight while sleeping in curlers. I went to my closet and was happy to see more clothes. There was an extremely cute knee-length black lace dress with a built-in corset. A matching lace choker was on the hanger as well. I paired them with my knee-high heeled boots and smiled. I used a spell to create a magnificent curly updo with braids and smiled at myself. I felt like a princess today. I had come to accept my curves in the last few days and smiled, looking at myself from every direction in the mirror. This was my last day as a normal person. After today, I will be the Princess of Faerl, Lunar Guardian, and Reincarnation of the Moon Goddess herself, with a major task to undertake. I realized I hadn’t put on my makeup before getting dressed but decided I wanted to ask Stacie to do my makeup for me.

“Hey, Stace!” The mind-link connected right away, “Can you help me with my makeup?” I had never asked her before, but I figured why not. She’s great at it and she might be able to help me pull off a look that suits my current physique and face shape. I was used to doing things the old way.

“Uh, sure. I can do that. Gimme a few and I’ll be right there.”

I put my contacts in so my eyes would be their brilliant blue. ‘You know, they all know who you are, and it’s not going to be a secret. You’re the Lunar Guardian. You don’t have to wear those if you don’t want to.’ Selene’s voice came through clearly.

‘I understand, but I want one last day to be normal. One last day, being the girl I was before, I had to become a totally new person. Everything is going to change. I just want one last moment of normalcy.’ A sad smile spread across my face realizing what was in store for me as time progressed. Stacie made it to my room, Aranelda in tow. She gave me a funny look.

“Why is your brother following me everywhere? It’s so weird.” If looks could kill…

“I’m not sure, why don’t you ask him yourself?” In truth, I knew why. She was his fated. Or at least one of them. But she wouldn’t know till next year. I gave my twin a meaningful look, hoping he would understand. He sighed and came to sit down by me.

“So why am I doing your makeup? You have your signature style and all.” Makeup was pulled out and spread on a side table. All sorts of shadows, concealers, foundations, and brushes covered the surface.

“I know how to do my makeup for the face I had, not the face I have. I have to relearn everything. And I don’t really have the time or patience to relearn it today. So, I figured you might be able to help me. Besides, doing something a little different wouldn’t be horrible. This is a special occasion.” Biting my lip, I looked up, hoping she would understand.

“Alright. Let’s get to work.” My face was her canvas and she was an artist. I was afraid that everything she was doing would feel like there were inches upon inches of makeup on my face, but after an hour and a half, I had a brand new look and it was fantastic. Bright blue eyeshadow where I normally had deep black with shimmery pink on my inner eyelid spreading over the blue. A bit of silver shimmer was placed in the inner corner of my eye and under my lower eyelashes. Black eyeliner was applied and black mascara. She even curled my lashes.

During that time, the three of us talked about the differences growing up, filling each other in on various aspects. Scottie ended up finding his way to us and joined in the conversation. Seemed like he was happy to have another guy around to possibly be a partner in crime. I looked at my siblings and smiled widely. A knock came at my door and the two pairs of parents walked in.

“Are we ready to go?” Dad asked me, his hand in Alisee’s. I nodded happily. This was more than I could ever ask for. Happy siblings, happy dad, meeting my biological parents, they are happy about me, and my twin. It was breathtaking. We got to a stretch limo and my jaw dropped.

“We’re going in that?” I exclaimed, unable to hold my excitement in. I had never been in anything so luxurious before. Neither had my siblings. All of us had similar looks on our faces. It was a 30-minute drive to my college campus. I was shocked at how close everything was. “Really? Were you that close all this time? I mean, really?” I couldn’t believe it.

“Yes and no,” Belle explained. “It was only a 30-minute drive because we used a speed charm. Otherwise, it would have been a couple of days’ drive. That’s why we used a portal for the first trip. We figured you’d want more normal transportation this time.”

“Well, this is as normal as normal will get, I guess. I mean, the Royals of Faerl are coming to Central Middle College High School’s graduation ceremony when they’ve never been to the school before. That will draw plenty of attention.” It seemed like they hadn’t thought of this before and blushed. Oh well, it is what it is.

We stopped outside of the school and everyone seemed to stop. The driver went around to open the door and no one seemed to recognize me, though very much so recognized the figures behind me. Everyone seemed to bow, making me blush, even though I knew they weren’t bowing to me, but to the couple behind me. My dad and the twins got out behind them and the truly shocked gasps could be heard along with whispers wondering what the MaCombs were doing with the Royal family and trying to figure out who I was. It was surreal.

Audra and Manic came running up to me, having made their way here separately. “Hey girl!” The normal greeting was the only part of this that felt natural. I let out a smile. Leave it to my best friends to make sure something makes me feel comfortable. She took my hand and motioned for Manic to walk alongside Aranelda, just a couple of steps behind us. “Alright, are you ready for the show? Cuz if you think that was crazy, just wait until your name gets announced. They put Silk in there as your middle name so people might piece it together with who you are, but from what I can tell, your full titled name is on the program.”

I took a deep breath and nodded. I knew this weekend I wouldn’t be able to hide forever. Just hoped I’d have a couple more days before I had to put myself out there as a Princess of Faerl. My heart was thumping so hard in my chest. A few of the guys that had never paid me any mind were now staring and not even trying to hide it. One cat called me, and another wolf whistled. Stacie and Scottie were right behind Manic and Aranelda, so when our group turned to glare at the not-so-polite gestures, the culprits froze in fear and muttered apologies. I nodded and waved them off. I swear to the Gods they were about to wet their pants. I could hear our parents laugh a bit and my dads exchanged a few words about how they didn’t need to worry about anyone hurting me, but me hurting anyone who pissed me off.

I sat in my assigned seat for the ceremony. The two on my left and right were visibly confused, the rather quiet girl looked me up and down, visibly upset. The not-so-quiet girl on my left looked at me in disgust. “You’re not Silk. Why are you sitting in her spot? Was she so embarrassed by herself that she had to hire someone else to walk the stage for her?” The rude girl snickered at me.

I took a moment to take a deep breath and compose myself, sniffing her. “You’re a dragon, aren’t you?” I noticed her eyes flicker, “So, let me put it this way unless you want to piss off Bahamut and Arashi, stop trying to insult me. Got it?” The girl was almost shaking in her seat.

“See, that’s how I know you aren’t her. She’s a stupid girl that doesn’t know who or what we are and we’ve all had to hide our nature from her. At least I don’t have to pretend to be something I’m not now.” A sigh of relief was heard. I asked her what her name was because I wanted to remember it for later. “Eliza Bronzetail’s the name. Who are you?”

I smiled with a sinister air about me. “Eliza Bronzetail, you might want to remember my face, and when you hear the name called behind yours, don’t forget your words about Silk, okay?” I wasn’t going to ruin her walk across the stage, but I was going to scare the shit out of her forever talking bad about me. I never put myself out there or did anything to anyone to warrant any kind of animosity. The quiet girl leaned over, whispering to make sure no one else heard her.

“I know who you are, and I know what you are. I am honored to sit next to you, Princess.” Her eyes were looking at the floor. I put my hand under her chin and lifted her eyes, smiling the warmest smile I could.

“I’m just Silk,” I whispered back. “The same girl you’ve known for the last four years. I won’t change who I am just because I’ve been put into a brand new role. May I know your name?” I wanted to remember this girl and her kindness. She smelled of fairy.

“I’m… Lily Clearwater.” It seemed like she could barely get the words out, afraid she might be in trouble. I squeezed her hand reassuringly.

“Well, Lily Clearwater, it is my honor to meet you and my privilege to sit next to such a kind heart. The Fairies are blessed to have you among them.” I had no idea my words would make the girl cry and concern swept across my face. She seemed to notice and shook her head.

“I’m not upset, just happy. I’ve never been noticed, really, and you’ve just given me and my family a huge blessing. We will surely have a prosperous year and good things will happen.” She lowered her voice again, “And if I can help in any way, please call on me. I know you are strong enough, but it never hurts to have friends. Even if those friends can’t fight, we can do other things.”

I knew exactly what she meant and realized she knew I was the Lunar Guardian. I internally smiled now. ‘Selene?’ I called her in my mind. ‘Could you do something really nice for that girl and her family? She’s so sweet I don’t know if I can stand it.’ Selene laughed and answered in the affirmative. I leaned over and whispered to her, “You’ve been blessed by Selene. Have no fear of your immediate future. Thank you for being a good person.” Her shocked face suppressed her tears, it seemed. “Now save your tears for after you graduate. You don’t want your beautiful makeup to run.”