Chapter 5:
Orlando adjusted his royal purple vest another time. "Stop fidgeting," his mother warned. An emergency council meeting had delayed their journey to Minelia. Orlando, Marie and the princesses all sat in the throne room, rather impatiently. "I want to go!" the youngest princess at ten, Emilie, cried. "Patience, little one," her mother cooed. Emilie pouted and plopped herself on her brother's lap.
A palace servant burst into the room. Orlando's sisters Rose and Faith ran to see if they were leaving. The servant acknowledged the two princesses but continued to approach Marie. Philip came bolting out of the council room at the same time. The servant bowed. "A messenger has come from Minelia, my lord and lady," he said. Orlando put Emilie down and stood near his parents, curious as to the message. Philip signaled the servant to begin.
"A messenger arrived about a quarter of an hour ago and gave me these tidings. The princess of Minelia, whom our Prince was betrothed to, has fallen into an accursed sleep. As she will not awaken until receiving her true love's first kiss, His Majesty, King Christopher of Minelia has called of the engagement previous arranged."
The servant took a deep breath, almost turning blue from all the words he had to say. Orland felt torn inside. He felt relieved his engagement was over and at the same time, sympathy for the princess in her sleep. Though he long pictured her as one eager for their engagement, Orland still felt the pity. The king and queen dismissed their children and ordered a messenger to the room.
Orlando sought Matt to tell him the news. He searched the entire castle and was in the up most tower, looking down on the gardens. From his favorite, he saw a fire burning bright. Outraged, he stormed to the garden, ready to arrest the perpetrator.
In the garden, a beautiful lady stood by a fire. Orlando approached her carefully. She was cloaked, but about the same height as Cecilia, his peasant love. His heart skipped a beat—had Matt known about the Minelian princess (as the messenger would've arrived about two hours earlier), found Cecilia, and lit a fire to call Orlando's attention? The woman turned and her hood dropped, as did Orlando's heart.
It wasn't Cecilia, but a strange woman. The old rage Orlando had been feeling returned. "How dare you burn a fire in a royal garden!" he yelled. "Gentle, my Orlando," she purred in response. "Who are you?" he demanded hotly. "I'm Cryta and we can now be together, my love."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Orlando was now confused by this woman. He knew the two had never met before. Yet she spoke to him as a lover. "What am I talking about?" she reiterated. "I'm talking about us!"
"Have I met you before?"
"No, but I have seen you." Her response spooked Orlando. "How?"
Cryta laughed. "I am a member of the Onadi," she explained. Orlando was even more confused. "Oh, I don't expect you to know the Onadi. We respond to Minelian royalty only," Cryta said, approaching the prince. "I am a sorceress," she declared. "I have the power to see into the future."
Cryta smiled, pulling Orlando to her. "Years ago, when you were just a baby, I gazed into the future and saw you as you are now. Strong and handsome, I immediately fell in love with you. Then I heard that Minelian princess was betrothed to you. I couldn't allow that, could I, my love? So, I was going to present a lovely first birthday gift to the princess.
"I always loved Sleeping Beauty and decided to take my lessons from there. I placed a curse on her, saying the princess would prick her finger on a spindle, falling into a deep sleep. Thank the Ado for the fact that all Onadi spells and curses are always documented and open to any member. The only problem is the fact that I couldn't get rid of the whole 'true love's first kiss' bit. Oh, well. Who could ever love her? I digress. I saw my curse through and now we can be together."
Orlando was now convinced this woman was insane. Or he was. "Cryta, why did you fall in love with me?" he asked, wondering. "I told you," she answered, slightly annoyed. "You are strong and handsome."
"What of my personality?"
"Does that matter in love?" Cryta was the confused one now. "I believe it does!" Orlando exclaimed. Cryta suddenly smiled. "Ah ha! I've overloaded you with all my information. This must be quite a shock to you. You need time to think. Then you will realize all I've told you, and then some." Cryta laughed and disappeared, taking the fire with her.
Matt entered the garden. "Orlando! Your parents are calling for you! Have you been out here the entire time?" Matt stopped when he reached his dumbfounded friend. "What?" Orlando shook his head, as if shaking off a stupor. "Nothing. Just one weird hallucination. I think," Orlando responded, launching into the entire story. "I believe you are hungry. You were out here past supper. Come, let's get some food in you." Matt and Orlando left the garden, Orlando glancing back, searching for some sign that he wasn't going mad.
All week, Orlando contemplated the weird woman. He did some research in the palace records room. He confirmed the existence of the Onadi, and that they were loyal to the royal family of Minelia. Orlando walked down to the garden, manuscripts in hand, trying to find any sign the sorceress had really appeared to him that night.
This episode worried Matt and Orlando's oldest sister Diana. "Maybe you should go to the Royal Physician. He might be able to help you," Diana told her brother. "Di, it's nothing. He had missed supper. It was hunger related," Matt argued back, causing Diana to leave in a huff. When she left, Matt turned to Orlando. "Maybe she really does exist, and if she is a sorceress, maybe she used her craft to transport you into her world." Orlando accepted Matt's explanation, relieved his friend was starting to consider the possibility the woman was real. He just needed to know for sure: was Cryta real or just a hunger hallucination?