My eyes snapped open.
At first, I noticed the usual mobile of glass stars hanging above. The dozen crystal stars gently whirled round and round in an endless loop, winking sparkles at me. They clanked together, tossing soft sounds of baby bells easily lost in the background of all the noise.
Like that loud banging.
Was I still in the nightmare?
I sprung up and found myself in my bed, my heart still hammering away. When I wiped my face with my hand, I was covered in sweat.
The bed covers were moist when I rolled them off, and then I slid out of my sticky sheets while trembling. The remnants of my nightmare lingered in my bones, a feeling of chill and fright, and I couldn't get rid of it.
Another loud bang, and then a voice, "Princess Camille! Wakey wakey! This is your alarm!" a familiar voice chirped. A breeze of relief took over. So it was only a dream, how silly of me. I formed a foolish smile, feeling childish to have gotten so worked up. Another bang was my wake-up call to straighten myself up, brush my hair back with my fingers, slip on my pink robe, and shuffled my way across the thick white carpet. With a shaky hand, I took one golden knob and latched it open to let her in.
"Finally! I thought you would never wake up," pouted my best friend, Bonbon, with a small tray in her hands. She took one look at me with her honeyed eyes and gawked.
"You okay? You look like you've seen a goblin," she stated over her shoulder as she set the tray down on the usual small glass table. I closed the door, rubbed at my eyes, faked a yawn, and then stretched my arms up, wide sleeves crashing into my shoulders.
"I just woke up a bit frazzled, that's all," I said through the fake yawn.
Bonbon poured tea into a small gold tea cup and handed it to me with its little saucer; her thin eyebrows curled up.
"You look pale. Perhaps get some sun today," she commented, but then she was up and already at work. I sipped my favorite morning tea, Earl Grey with rose, and felt a little more relaxed from the routine.
"Time to start the day!" Bonbon cheered, straight to the curtains, and opened them around the room. Light poured in an almost menacing way, and I shielded my eyes with my free hand while releasing a growl.
Bonbon put her hands on her hips, legs wide apart and long with white high heels. She wore striped green stockings and a bright ruffled pink tutu. Her hair was a sorbet green, and it flowed down loose and wavy as the wind off the balcony blew strands over her slender shoulders. With skin tanned like hot cocoa and lips painted a candy pink, I thought she always looked stunning, even in such servant attire she had to wear. She reminded me of one of those dazzling acrobats at the circus.
"Don't give me that! It's a beautiful day, and you're going to love it," she smirked.
Another beautiful day. Like the day before that. And the day before that. And before that….
I set my tea down and grumbled, "It's always a beautiful day."
Bonbon ignored my dry comment as she got to making my bed, her heels clattering away loudly even over my fur rugs like she wanted to be noticed. Her wide hips swayed back and forth, and then she went on, "And your father wants to see you in the Throne Hall this morning."
"How lovely," I replied with sarcasm. This day was getting better and better…
I fiddled with my hands, fingers intertwined whenever I felt uncomfortable talking about my father. I then noticed the dirt under my nails, grimy and dry. I grit my teeth together at the site and turned into ice. Bonbon gasped when she saw and leaped towards me, her brown hands around my wrists delicately.
"Oh, Princess, look at your nails! It's hideous!" she gasped. "What happened?"
When I was too frozen to say anything, she continued, "have you been out on the Royal Guard grounds again? I hate how it gets you all dirty, with those swords and fighting in the mud and all that… Eek!" I watched her cringe as she marched to my clawfoot tub on the other side of the room and started to run water. Bonbon has been my trusted servant and best friend since I was a child, and believe it or not, my age. But she was…. How could I put it?
"Let's get you in a bath quickly now, then eat some chocolate croissants. We don't got all day. Your father is not a patient man," she fussed while checking herself in my vanity's reflection.
She was more elegant than I was, let's put it that way.
The claw foot tub was running water while Bonbon was busy collecting tall-neck glass bottles off the vanity shelves. She went on, her lips moving a hundred miles an hour.
"Why do you still hang out with the Royal Guard anyway? Aren't you not allowed to go over there anymore? It's because of Vince, isn't it? Do you still see him? Oh, King Morpheus is gonna find out sooner or later, and when he does, don't come crawling to me in tears." She grumbled all of this, all while pouring potions into it the tub carelessly. Half a dozen bottles of colorful soaps and glittery stars all slopped into the clear water while she rattled on about how much she didn't like the Royal Guard for the thousandth time, but I wasn't listening. I was too deep in troubling thoughts about the odd dream and the dirt under my nails. I couldn't stop looking at them as they trembled.
It was a dream, wasn't it? Then how did I get the mud under my nails? It didn't make sense, and that was frightening.
Pretty soon, the room was intoxicated with floral and candy smell, and I pulled my attention away from my worries, only to find the tub overflowing with pink bubbles while Bonbon tried to control it poorly.
"Oh no! I overdid it!" she screeched and swatted at the bubbles to squish them down lamely with her manicured hands. These bubbles were unpoppable, made to last hours, if not more, based on the magical elixirs. This only aggravated her as the bubbles took over the room, like a dishwashing lady gone crazy with the magic soaps.
I decided to make for my escape through the flowing white curtains, a mountain of pink bubbles following behind as I rushed onto the balcony. Desperate, my hands gripped the stone railing, head sticking out, and then took gulps of fresh air. Pink bubbles drifted by me to fly away like herds of little pink birds spilling over the ledge through the stone columns. The wind whooshed at my hair and gown, pushing the bubbles in all directions as they fluttered away into the hazy sky.
Slumberland greeted me with morning fog, the kind that still loitered around till noon time. It settled loosely beyond the tall stone walls of the palace grounds, past the gardens, the flower fields, and hiding the Lake of Dreams. Beyond that, the city was well hidden, the fog only leaving the tips of towers visible, like a forest of tall, vibrant colors, polka dots, and Pompoms distantly. The palace grounds seemed laid out in its own domain, hidden away while the outside world was still waking up. A faint blue haze atop the fog hinted at another beautiful blue sky day ahead.
I glanced down to the fountain in the courtyard, its flowing water musical as it spilled into a large pool where swans and ducks bathed. A couple of pink bubbles piled into the yard below, past the fountain and mixing into the blossoms of the cherry trees until I couldn't tell them apart.
A breeze picked up, lifting my ginger hair as though beckoning me to raise my gaze to the East. When I did, my eyes grew, and I leaned farther over the railing, eyes squinting to get a better look.
Three large vessels hovered through the fog until I recognized them as Father's military ships.
The Royal Guard.
The airships held massive white sails, taking into the wind to steer them towards where the sun disappears, their bows pointed West. I held my breath, watching them sink into the fog. The last I saw was of the blue flags waving, wrinkling up our kingdom's sigil of a glowing sun before the ships plunged into the thicker clouds upon ascending.
"It looks like they're leaving," I whispered to myself, a hand over my eyes to shield out the brightness of the hazy morning to get a better look, but the ships had gone.
A herd of swans flew into view, cutting into my vision, and I pulled my eyes away, breathing again.
I wanted to go with those ships.
I used to be able to, until… I swallowed, not wanting to go into dark thoughts, but with good reason; the shadows had seemed to lurk closer to me lately.
My hands clutched tightly around the smooth stone railing, my knuckles turning bony white, and I frowned.
"I couldn't believe I was covered in diamonds!" Bonbon exclaimed excitedly as she went about every detail of her most recent dream. We walked through the palace towards the Throne Hall, the windows all open to let fresh air in. Birds chirped, and the cherry blossoms and jasmine smell flowed inside easily from the courtyard.
Bonbon had to help me dress in a delicate long silk gown in bright pink; its train dragged behind me rather clumsily. My hair was in a loose red bun, gold hooped earrings clipped into place, and both wrists were covered in bracelets. The crown sat atop my head, squeezing at my temples until I began to sense a sharp headache. I fidgeted with the heavy royal attire, a small, annoying piece I had to wear during the day. I wanted nothing more than to slip off the bracelets, throw away the crown, and pull up my too-long skirt to stop it from catching under my feet. The necklace around my neck appeared tacky and heavy, more gold with matching pink diamonds to conceal the top of my breasts in such a way I feared light could bounce off it and blind someone.
I lifted my skirt and struggled to catch up with Bonbon, her legs taking her in long strides. She went on and on about her dream as we turned a corner into the East Corridor, but my heart began to thump into my ears, and then I felt the need to pause. The same pillars as in my dream, pale pink marble. Every glass lantern was out, but a late morning sun seeped through all the windows, the hallway well lit. I looked over my shoulder and from side to side to catch any potential shadows lurking behind pillars or above, but there were none. When I looked up, my hand went to my sternum, ready to rub away at the worry building up in my chest.
The long painting of Slumberland was what it should be, with the castle at its center in all its white stone walls and golden round rooftops. Pink cherry trees and rainbows were painted behind the palace, and happy children, animals, and clowns danced in the blue sky in flower fields, balloons, and airships. The moon on one end of the painting was smiling with its giant grin, the sky dark with stars twinkling in their sleep hats. And on the other side of the image, it was day, with the sun smiling widely down at the land below.
"Camille, what is it?" I could sense the worry in Bonbon's voice when she finally noticed and stopped to look back at me.
I dropped my head from the painting and closed my eyes to see the dark, nightmarish version still burning behind my eyelids.
"What's worrying you?" She asked again, seeing me rub at my chest as anxiety rose.
I bit my lower lip and looked at her for the first time today.
"I had a strange dream of Mother," I said quietly.
Bonbon's eyes grew, and then she came in closer, a hand on my shoulder. Thanks to her high heels, she was just as tall as I was, and her long pointed pink clown hat with white polka dots only elongated her height. When she came in closer, my nose reached to her neck.
"Really? Was it…" she dropped her gaze, eyebrows furrowed up for a second. I knew what she was thinking.
The bad word.
But then her face changed, smiling at me again and asking, "Was it a fantastic dream? What did you two do?"
Maybe Bonbon was seeking reassurance, and I hated disappointing her, but I felt it would be better not to lie to her.
Sweat collected where my gaudy necklace lay as I replied in a low whisper, "No. It was…." I closed my eyes, the next set of words almost too toxic to say.
"Almost like a…." I swallowed. "A nightmare." I said it, the bad word.
Bonbon gasped, lovely fingers to her lips.
"No…" she breathed. "Camille, are you certain?"
It was as if I could feel hidden shadows closing in on me, slithering across the walls and pillars until they were at my feet, slowly cloaking me in a state of worry. I thought I could hear my heart pound in one strong beat. I shouldn't have said anything.
"I'm positive," I confirmed, though shaken to admit it. The heartbeat vanished, and the shadows disappeared, leaving Bonbon alone in the hall again. She cocked her head at me, shaking it slowly as her thoughts simmered. Her fingers squeezed my shoulder, and then she said severely, "You need to tell your father."
Bonbon was always chirpy, her head held high, and she was rarely put off guard. So, seeing her this somber escalated my anxieties, for I was starting to rub my knuckles harder under the gaudy necklace. I could only imagine my neck and collarbones all red from rubbing at it too much. Just the mention of my Father made it feel worst. I would hate for him to know that I experienced a nightmare. Instantly, I shook my head.
"No!"
Bonbon pressed her lips together.
"Camille, please. There could be agents on our land, maybe even in the castle. This is important," she pushed.
"But then…" I passed as I eyed Bonbon carefully. "Wouldn't you be having nightmares too?"
She thought for a moment, her free hand scrunched up under her chin and nose curved.
"Maybe. Though, I would know. Oh! Maybe King Morpheus already knows. This is why it's important to talk to him about these things. Maybe there's already a plan in motion?" Bonbon questioned.
The image of those ships I saw. I wondered if they had anything to do with my terrible dream.
Mother. Nightmares. The Royal Guard. Father never enjoyed it when I would trigger him with one of these three topics. But all three at once? I wanted to sink my face into my hands and hide. I was already hiding a few things from him. Should I keep piling them up or share a little here, a little there?
"Princess!" A guard in light armor with a navy-padded cloak charged up to us, a spear in his hand. "You are late! The king has been waiting! If you follow me, please," he announced with a wide smile.
Bonbon and I exchanged worried looks, and then I muttered, "I don't want to, but I will talk to him."
I knew I had to do it, the signs leading to trouble for Slumberland. Bonbon's hand slipped from my shoulder as she tossed an irritable look at the guard, displeased with his interruption.
"You better go before the whole army comes looking for you," she grumbled, a sharp nail almost to my throat. And then her smile returned, her "work" face put on display, and she suddenly began to sing to herself, as though to push aside all that seriousness away, gone.
"It's a beautiful day!" Bonbon sang, and she twirled around and skipped away, pretending that everything was fine and there were no nightmares and possible threats in the palace. She was putting on a face. That's what I felt Slumberland is really all about.
Putting on a face.
The Antechamber held six guards as I shuffled towards the tall double doors glistering in jewels and curved gold knobs. After being my chaperone, the guard with the spear stepped aside, gesturing me to pass.
I took one of the knobs and clicked the door open. Such a tall door, three times my height when I noticed it. The strange large door in my dream flashed inside my head, its size incomparable. It made this glistering door look soft and tiny. I pushed it open and stepped into the Throne Hall, our ballroom.
It was empty and too quiet. My feet tapped across the white marble rather loudly, echoing across the massive, empty room and into the rounded dome ceiling. I glanced up, seeing blue sky under the curved glass, naturally brightening the room in soft white light. At night, the massive chandelier at the center of the dome would light up by candlelight, but as of now, it was out, just a piece of shimmering art above my head.
"Camille, come here, child," I heard Father's croaky voice command.
I dropped my gaze from the too-perfect sky and found Father sitting on his throne, his chin sinking into his hand. His once bright eyes were lately dim and droopy, and his skin had become paler. A tall and powerful man once, Father had seemed to shrink into his throne for the last few months. His massive shoulders had sunken, his long white Santa Claus beard recently made him appear older, and lines were starting to stick to his forehead.
It saddened me to see him this way when I did nothing but stare at him silently. Was he broken for good? Would he ever get better?
Once upon a time, King Morpheus led his royal army into battle against the Nightmare King. He pushed away the darkness, thanks to his mighty Scepter at his side and to his sorceress, Mother, at his other. Together, they battled, leading an army of thousands.
And claimed victory.
Supposedly.
I imagined the powerful image of Father withering away into this tired, older man sitting on this throne, an imposter.
Where is my real Father?
I cleared my throat and curtsied to him, a constant reminder that he was still King after all.
I didn't mean my voice to sound flat when I asked, "Father, you wish to see me?"
Father straightened in his throne, his royal cape slumped over its gold exterior, and he took a deep breath.
"Yes, please, come closer," he demanded. Even his voice had softened. It used to boom through the halls, filled with laughter and enthusiasm.
I stepped forward until I was at the bottom of the steps and waited. No seat to slip into across from the King, even if I was his only child. No one is to relax in his presence when there are serious matters. I prayed this wouldn't take long, or else I would secretly take off my heels under my dress. My bracelets jingled with every movement when I fiddled with my crown before it had a chance to topple over.
"Good, good," Father commented on my close-up, his hand under his bearded chin. His other hand had his fingers tap lazily along the gold arm of his throne, lost in thought for a moment before proceeding. The room was so quiet that I thought his fingers tapping intensified into a one-beat song.
"I wanted to talk to you about your Coronation," he began, and his fingers stopped.
This alerted me. This was the first mention of the coronation, and I wasn't expecting it for a long time, not with Father, ruler of Slumberland. A nervous lump came to my throat, making me swallow it, but it was still there. I looked at him carefully, trying to read his expression, but he remained seriously neutral.
"What do you mean?" I asked, almost afraid to find out.
Father rose from his chair and appeared seven feet tall, with tree trunk arms across his chest. He stared up into the glass dome, eying the sun barely edged into view, too early to hover over us.
"I know you think it's too early to talk about this. You will be eighteen pretty soon. But…" he dropped his dead eyes, half of him constantly lost somewhere, while the other part of him tried to focus on what was happening in front of him.
"Camille, I think it's time I'd leave for a while," he finally admitted, regret in his voice. He finally looked at me, eyes trying to sparkle, his slight smile barely able to stay hold.
I gasped, wanting to fall to my knees to stop the room from spinning.
"What? Wait, Father..." I was at a loss for words, not believing my ears. It was quiet for a while, and Father put his hands behind him, watching the sky again like he could see all the answers he wanted from up there.
"I've been thinking about it for a while. Since..."
When he couldn't say it, I finished for him, "Since Mother?"
I tensed, afraid of how he would react. At first, Father said nothing, his form frozen. Even his eyes stopped moving, his chest still as though he was holding his breath.
Finally, he exhaled, his mighty chest shrinking to it, and then he shook his head.
"It's more than that, Camille. Yes, losing your mother was a considerable part of it. But also the war. It can wear any man down. Now that it's over, I feel it is safe to say I need to take some time away. And before I do, I need to pass the crown to you."
He looked back to me when he finished with "you," a bit of light in his eyes. My throat dried, so when I spoke, I sounded raspy when I replied, "I'm not ready."
Father didn't react to that, not in the way I would expect. He remained quiet, thinking, and then asked, "Why don't we take a walk?"
Together, we strolled along the gardens at the rear of the palace grounds. Down the steps and onto the white stone courtyard, we ventured through the rows of rose bushes and across the tulip field. It was a sea of rainbow across the greenery, with weeping willows for us to crouch underneath their tunnels of vines and crystal clear ponds to watch ducklings. The canaries chirped and fluttered past us to fall away into the clear sky.
Father took a whiff of the fresh air and exhaled extensively.
"Slumberland is beautiful, isn't it?"
I tried to smile at all the beauty the land had to offer. It was always beautiful. Not a misstep to be seen, a hair improper nor wrinkle. It was always perfect…
"Yes, it is," I replied bleakly, anticipating continuing our discussion. Knots began collecting behind my navel like I'd eaten something too hot, and it was slowly burning away at my insides.
Farther in the distance, while wrapping my arms around my sick stomach, I noticed a giant grey elephant drinking from a faraway pond with its trunk. A little one came trotting to it, and it nuzzled its little grey head against a leg; a mother and her baby. The mother must have felt our presence because she lifted her head from the water and snapped her eyes at us.
"Camille," Father's serious voice caught my attention, and I peeled my eyes away from the elephants. He, too, had his gaze set out on the peaceful creatures, and he forced a smile down at me from behind his elegant long beard.
"Soon, your duty will be to protect all of this." He gestured his large handout and let it roll away to show me all the beauty of the land within view.
I couldn't help but step into my thoughts: Father being absent and me just sitting there on his worn throne, twiddling my thumbs nervously.
Back in the present, I asked, "Where will you be?" My voice sounded to be shrinking. Father looked up to the sky, and there was a hint of a genuine smile there on his face.
"To Middle Land. I want to see all the places that Captain Leroy has mentioned in all their stories and more, of course," he answered.
So, even Father was done with Slumberland and its perfection. He couldn't keep up with his too jolly of a kingdom of pleasant dreams. A cheerless King in a pleasant place. It just didn't mix well.
I sighed, distracted by bird calls and a lonesome reindeer munching on grass in the tulip field.
"I know nothing of ruling this place," I admitted and feared for all the preparations it would take to get to Father's level of regalia. I was still homeschooled, but not to be a leader. It was simpler things: Literature. Etiquette. Dancing. Fencing. Sewing. None of those things would do me any good being king.
Father chuckled a little at my blunt words and put a massive hand on my shoulder, his fingers fighting away the loose strands of my red hair.
"No one is ever truly ready. I wasn't ready. But you have Professor Genius, the Trinity Council, and your friends. But even so, the council and I still forbid you from-"
"From joining the Royal Guard now, I know," I mumbled.
Father narrowed his thick white brows at me.
"With no more tension with Nightmare Land, there's no need to join," he added, trying to sound hopeful. Little did Father know, I enjoyed sweating under armor and joining on those goblin hunts. Something was uncomfortable about it all, the fighting, the adventure, the scratches, and bruises, but I liked it.
Something in my heart fluttered, and then I remembered watching the ships fly away this morning.
"Father, if nothing is wrong, then why did you send ships out today?"
I observed him as he lifted an eyebrow, and then he groaned as though he wanted to avoid explaining himself. He pulled his hand back, staying silent, and distracted himself with the tulip munching reindeer. His silence lingered so long, hoping I would get the queue to keep quiet, but inside, I was furious. Impatient, I made fists at my sides and asked firmly, "Why couldn't I go with them? Father, I'm…." I froze, unable to finish, when I felt the tension rise from Father, like an electric heat sizzling from his chest.
I'm bored.
I preferred not to say that, but I've been unhappy since I was pulled away from goblin hunts, sword fighting, and scout trips.
"You know why," he put it darkly, restraining himself.
Of course, I knew why.
I put my hand to my heart, only to touch the damn necklace, and almost ripped it off then and there.
"Father, I only want to be like you. I want to defend Slumberland like you did when you made the Nightmare King cower away last Winter. How must I do this when I will just sit on your throne?" I pleaded, trying not to sound like I was whining but afraid I was doing a poor job of it.
A flicker of King Morpheus flashed across his eyes when Father turned his whole body just to stare back at me, and I knew this was rocky territory. But I was tired of avoiding discussions to help him avoid his pain. I was sick of him turning into a depressing older man, lost and distant since he lost the love of his life. And it sounded like he wanted to give up his throne without even considering what I wanted.
He's running away.
"There is no need to worry about defending Slumberland. Not in a long time. I made sure of that when I defeated the Nightmare King. He's weak, barely a threat. You won't need to fight anymore," he explained. I only grew more agitated because he was avoiding my question. So, I asked again, "Then why did you send three ships?"
Father took a long deep breath to calm himself, and his eyes held onto me.
"Just small stuff. It's not your business anymore. The Royal Guard has their captain. It's his problem," he muttered and turned his back to me. Done.
I let out an irritable growl, ready to implode, but Father opened his cape, revealing his navy silk tunic underneath its thick white fur, and there hanging at his hip was the Royal Scepter.
I paused, terrified eyes at his treasured possession, and suddenly didn't want to argue anymore. That must have been what he wanted because he turned back to me, ready to engage in conversation again, and took the Scepter into his hands.
"With this, you won't need to fight. As long as you have this Scepter, the Nightmare King won't interfere," he mentioned in a grave voice.
I rarely saw the magnificent weapon. The scepter has always been glued to Father, more like an accessory than a weapon of destruction with great magnitude. I could see my reflection upon its crystal orb, large as my head, and as always, it dimmed in a shadowy blue presence, held together by four golden leaves and a long thick gold staff.
It then dawned on me what he was saying, and I shook my head to rattle my thoughts back in order.
I gawked up at him, "Wait. Are you giving this to me?!"
Father wagged a thick finger at me. "Oh no, not yet. When you become Queen of Slumberland, then you will hold the Scepter."
My throat still felt dry, and I thought about everything discussed thus far. I knew Father used the powerful weapon to distract me from arguing with him, to stray away from the talk of the Royal Guard, so I decided to let that drop for now. But a question has been nagging at me since his mention of departing.
"When are you thinking of leaving?" I asked nervously.
"Right after your eighteenth birthday," Father piped like he's had his mind made up for a while.
I almost jumped.
"What?!" I snapped. "That's only fourteen days away!"
"I know," Father signed. The wind tossed his long, clean white hair to one side, and I could've sworn I saw a few of those morning pink bubbles flurry past him.
"It's not much time, but I've given this much thought, and I want to take time away for a while. I like the idea of your birthday being the day of your Coronation. You will be of age, giving the Kingdom something to look forward to. We've won the war, yes, but we've also lost Queen Meredith."
It was rare for Father to mention my mother's name, like a crystal word that rang through his lips and into my ears. I stifled a small gasp at hearing it. The burning sensation in my belly grew, heating my chest until I felt too hot in my dress.
I fanned myself with my hand.
Fourteen days.
I've already lost Mother. What was I supposed to do without Father around? Was I going to lose him too? It wasn't so much the fear of being unable to reach his expectations. It was the fear of…
Being alone.
More heat pumped into my chest until I began to sweat under the sun.
"I don't want to be queen yet," I muttered through my teeth. I couldn't look at him when I said it; my hands balled into tight fists.
Father eyed me with a raised brow, half amused and half irritated.
"You don't have a choice, my dear. It's been decided already. The council and I have already discussed this and-!"
I flared at him, breaking him mid-sentence, "what?! You've all already decided?! What about me?! What about what I want?!"
Father seemed to grow one foot taller as he glared at me.
"You don't get to decide when to be Queen, Camille. It was going to happen eventually, anyway," he scolded.
"But not this soon!" I argued.
Stay here. Don't leave.
I wanted to withdraw and admit this to Father, but I was too stubborn. Instead, I said, "then, as Queen, let me join the Royal Guard!"
Father fumed silently as neither of us even noticed the Scepter's crystal began to darken into a crimson red.
He growled, "I already told you. There's no point! And a true ruler stays in the palace, protected and safe, to lead the people!"
And then I regretted it as soon as I shouted, "I'm not Mother. I won't die as she did!"
If anything could flare up Father into a raging storm, those words did, and I covered my lips as soon as I let them spill out, but it was too late.
"Camille!" He roared.
The sky darkened for a moment, like a flash of black and red lightning broke across the sky with an awful crack sound, and then the Scepter emitted a glow that blinded me. I've never seen anything like it before. I covered my eyes with the back of my hands, fighting a strong gust of wind as a pulse of power spread through the air as a warning.
It lasted only a second when I thought Slumberland could almost look like Nightmare Land, with the sky black and fear spreading through the air as quickly as a trembling breath.
A second later, everything went back to normal. Under the blue sky again, Father grabbed my shoulder with a free hand and squeezed firmly until it ached, and he bent down to have his forehead rubbed against mine.
I thought he would have shouted, but the Scepter alone was enough to terrify me in a frozen state as he uttered under his breath in a rare tone of voice, "That is enough."
We were frozen for too long; not even a hair shifted. A herd of cranes cackled in the distance as they ascended into the sky from a nearby pond. Their presence was the only thing of comfort at this moment when I thought it was just me and Father in the whole world. My eyes steam up as they froze before Father's glare; a dark presence in them displayed King Morpheus, the mighty ruler of Slumberland, still in there.
But then he blinked, and that King vanished. The melancholy and broken man was back, his eyes showing signs of pain when he realized what he had done, but instead of apologizing, he stood his ground and took a deep breath.
He closed his eyes, his grip tight around the Scepter when its orb faded back to matte blue.
"It's time for you to study with Professor Genius," he spoke calmly, ignoring what just happened. But before he could add anything else, I lifted my skirt and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I felt the tears spill down my cheeks as soon as my face turned away.
Father called my name, but I didn't look back. He didn't go after me when I left for the garden and straight up to my room through countless hallways and spiral staircases.
Bonbon wasn't around when I decided to shut the door and be alone. I took one good look at myself in my vanity mirror.
My pink silk dress has wrinkled. My hair bun has been tossed into a fluff ball, and my crown was crooked.
I saw a terrified and whimpering princess stare right back at me. She almost looked delicate in her current state, with her pale skin, the long cinnamon hair, and scattered freckles across her nose. But her blue eyes told a different story, first wide with fear, but then they heated with rage. I watched the princess in the mirror angle her red eyebrows downward.
Without another thought, I rolled off all my gold bracelets and let them scatter across the floor with their loud tinkering. Tossed across my bed was the painful crown, and then I pulled off my earrings to let them smack on the vanity, diamonds scattered. As quickly as possible, I slithered out of my dress and threw it across the room to watch it only land in the middle of the floor. Bonbon will just pick it all up and ask about the details later.
I huffed and puffed with frustration, angry at Father. I then marched out onto the balcony in a long underdress and smashed my hands on the railing with pent-up force.
I craned my head to get a good look East along the castle grounds. Beyond the walls, past the library, royal apartments, and quarters for the castle guards, stood the tower to the Royal Guard, surrounded by its stone wall with flags.
There was only one thing I wanted to do to help me release my anger.
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