We're up on the carpet, gliding speedily nearer to the castle, with an amazing view of its vast, green, palisaded landscape.

I'll admit that the castle looks much more regal than I'd anticipated it to be. Along with its many towers that stand majestically into the sky, it is coloured a fascinating shade of ivory which has tiny twinkling patterns engraved into the walls. Its roofs coloured a nice taupe. And it all rests enthralling under clear blue and flossy white clouds.

After landing lightly, I follow Zeeta and Brynon's lead to the tall, golden gates which have a pair of argus-eyed guards standing at either side of it. We stop in front of the guard on our right-hand side who has a scroll in hand.

"Good day! We're here for," Zeeta says before coming down to a whisper and leaning closer to him, "the selection."

He gives her a weird look at first - maybe thinking how her actions probably made us appear a little suspicious to the handful of passers around - before straightening up his countenance and asking, "Names?"

"Zeeta Rosebud."

"Brynon Amberson."

"Blessing...the human?" that's generally what they call me, right?

He rolls open the scroll and schemes through it before nodding his confirmation for us to go in.

We walk through the gates and onto a flower-edged and stone-paved road that goes down a few feet before branching into three separate paths. One goes round the left side of the castle, one leads unbent to the large and guarded, taupe-coloured double front doors, and the last goes round the right side. Two smaller replicas of the fountain I'd seen in the town square stands in the middle of clean-cut lawns at either side of the road.

We take no more than six steps in when a guard comes up the right path in a rushed march and motions for us to follow her back down where she came from.

The path goes on for a while with us admiring the intricate landscaping. We turn a corner and are met with a crowd of teenage Moondrops apparently from every phrat.

"Look, it's Lyeme!" Zeeta says to us excitedly as we bridge the gap to the crowd.

"You see, I told you you'd get your powers soon," she beams at him. "When did it happen?"

Lyeme doesn't look at her. He seems to have no intention of interacting with anyone.

"Don't know why she still hangs around this numbskull," Brynon mutters, his gaze set on Lyeme and his face showing dislike.

I look back at the two. Zeeta, realising she's probably not going to get an answer, now stares at anything but Lyeme.

I suppose Brynon's right. A person who's always in a bad mood with everyone, even the ones that are too nice to him, should be left alone until they come to their senses. But from the little time I've known Zeeta, I guess she's bright to a fault she can't let someone else be gloomy under her watch.

"It didn't. But I got a letter anyway, and I'm here only cause I've been convinced to. I'm not here to talk," Lyeme finally answers Zeeta, ending with a tone that suggests the conversation - which barely started - has come to a finish.

"You're a dolt, you know that? Speaking to people however you feel is not gonna change the fact that your powers are a bit late," says Brynon calmly, though it's blatant to me how much Lyeme irks him.

Lyeme gives a short, derisive, close-mouthed laugh, then says, "My powers are late, but not your mother. And thinking yourself to be the best moondrop is not going to make her come back for you."

Brynon's annoyance instantly rises to anger as he purposefully moves closer to Lyeme, his hands in fists by his sides.

"No please, no fights, not again! Brynon, please don't let what he said upset you," Zeeta takes hold of one of his arms, holding him back. "Calm down, you two shouldn't be like this. Besides, this is the wrong place and time for an argument."

Brynon visibly relaxes whilst retreating to where he stood before.

"Just tell him to never say something like that to me again," Brynon states through gritted teeth, still staring daggers at Lyeme.

I frown at the situation. Brynon's mother left him?

Till now, I never really wondered what happened to Zeeta's dad and Brynon's mum. I think it's best to not get too close since I might be leaving soon.

But it makes sense why he would react the way he did. I bet, just like me, it hurts for him to wonder why he's without a parent, coming up with the worst, yet still longing for when you'll see them again. And Lyeme most definitely crossed a line by bringing Brynon's mother into their argument.

"Attention here! Your attention here, please!" bellows a man donning formal-looking attire, and seizing our focus straightaway. "I present to you, dearest striplings, the royals. King Therwin, Queen Emulli, and Prince Xanthous Lightbound!"

The man stands at the landing above the few steps that lead to the double doors behind him. And when he's done speaking, said double doors are opened. Then, with elegance and gracility, the royals stroll onto the landing before us, all smiling warmly. And each wearing clothing of white and gold colours, mostly.

The King, a tall, moderate-bodied man, with skin of olive tone and short, black hair. To his left, the Queen, a curvy, deep brown-skinned woman with a mass of frizzy hair, whose height is nearly close to the King's. And to his right, Prince Xanthous.

Now I see he gets his charming smile from his father and, if I'm accurate from this distance, his beautiful eyes from his mother.

Those eyes now scanning the crowd before it, presumably, searching for something. Or better yet, someone. For those starlit-eyes soon land comfortably on me. And I, not wanting to be caught staring again, swiftly shift my gaze to King Therwin as he clears his throat.

"Good day striplings of our realm. It is with great pride and honour that I welcome you all to the castle," he starts heartily. "And it gladdens us all to know that every single stripling who had been invited, is here. It gives us high hopes for the future of our people, for our expectations of you, I believe, shall be met.

"As you know already, for the past ten years now, our people have been constantly attacked by Gobgres and Oglins sent by the Unknown Evil. We've tried many times to pinpoint it's location but, sadly, we still haven't. And that, is where you all come in.

"I know it may sound a bit too much. You must be wondering how you'd have a better chance, when our highly trained guards and I couldn't locate the Unknown Evil, not to talk of defeating it. But, you must also have wondered why your powers seem to be more advanced than ours - we, the generations before you," whispered chatter rises within the crowd as he gives a knowing smile before continuing.

"The royal apothecaries, during the reign of the late King Ribak and Queen Shorret Greythal, had discovered that the Mainder flower had more to it than merely curing illnesses and healing wounds. No, they found it could help our powers evolve when welded into the crystals in a specific way. But they never got to test it, not until the castle was intruded on and the crystals stolen.

"Thence that, that is why you're all here today. You are the ones the modified crystals had chosen. And with the proper training you'll be receiving during your stay here, you are the ones who have the abilities we hope are powerful enough to carry out this task."

I feel panicky now. Remind me, why was I curious about being invited for this again? Because in actual fact, I should have been scared and with out the thought of even stepping a foot out of the Amberson residence. Surely they don't think stabbing a short creature is enough to be added to the list of candidates they're going to train and select from to defeat some unknown evil. For all I know, it could end up being a collection of Gobgres and Oglins combined to make some big old undetectable monster.

I'll have to find a chance to speak to the royals after this, I think, still listening to the King.

"Prince Xanthous here, will be joining you during your training sessions which starts tomorrow. And in the meantime, Queen Emulli has volunteered to show you around the castle and see you to your sleeping quarters, after which your meals shall be brought up to you."

After returning Therwin's smile, Emulli beckons us to follow her. "Let's go now dears, so we can finish before supper. Oh, how I enjoy giving tours.... My mother used to say..." she goes on exuberantly, but I can't hear anymore of it. Not with the serious gazes Therwin and Xanthous give me as the latter calls me over to where they stand, aside the threshold.

I guess the chance to speak to them found me...

A/N ~ And so, we meet the King and Queen... Do tell your thoughts on this chapter in the comments. What do you think of Lyeme's little pick on Brynon? Do you think Zeeta should avoid him? And finally, any guesses on why King Therwin and Xanthous called Blessing over so seriously?

Thanks for reading! And please click on the star button if you enjoyed this chapter!
<3 M