Status: update is in progress.

Birdie

birdie

My life has come to the point where nearly everything bad has vanished and nothing but good and happiness seem to consistently exist in my future. More than three months ago my parents had perished in a tragic accident and my life had changed forever. I suddenly lost a home and a family and had been forced to leave the only place I've ever known behind. I then had tried to exist in a world I knew nothing of- in a house full of secrets and faeries, in a large city with wealthy aristocrats and kind shopkeepers, and in a love-hate relationship with an aggravating faery. And yet, all of this has turned around in some way or another. I feel very at home here in the Silversmythe manor and I feel as if I am Uncle Edwin's own daughter. The city no longer seems so large and filled with doom and evil but rather a landscape of beautiful buildings and magnificent palace. And of course, my relationship with Pierre is evening out, more or less.

Perhaps that is why our short journey from the schoolhouse to the palace feels so great inside. It is just one more thing in my life heading in a positive direction. It will not only help Anastas's business but my Uncle's as well- and if not, there is no harm in trying. Tai and I sit close with anticipating expressions as Pierre watches intently through the carriage window. Each of us with thoughts of our own, but at least I know that Tai and I are on the same page. This will be our first time in a royal setting seeing as Pierre had been raised as the young duke's son of the Fey Kingdom.

We finally arrive at the palace wall and Anastas lets our party out of the carriage a moment later. He is courteous enough to allow us time for marveling at the tranquility and beauty of the structure. The castle is surrounded on the outside by a rather large wall to preserve privacy and to defend from opponents. The wall is constructed of pale gray stone, a color that matches the clouds on a dreary day. At each of the four corners of the wall, as well as placed in between the length of each side, is a watchtower. Along the top of the wall the king's men walk back and forth, eyes scanning the earth below. Before us stands a large wrought iron gate with the royal insignia, the antlered lion.

A guard in light armor jogs to the gate, his face as solemn and serious as can be. Anastas steps forward and shows him the invitation. The guard narrows his eyes. "You are late, florist."

"My humble apologies," murmurs Anastas, "But my assistants were at the schoolhouse, and I cannot conduct any work without them."

Anastas had been kind enough to wait for Pierre and I to finish with our school day before going to the castle, and had been even more kind to allow Tai to tag along. The guard does not see this, however, for he looks us up and down with a absurd scrutiny.

"Assistants? These are just children."

My mentor lifts his shoulders in a shrug. Our trio comes closer to the older faery, eager to get into the castle already. "I have taught them well. Now, will you let us pass? I'd hate to tell His Majesty, King Avedin, why I am further late than I should be."

The guard narrows his brow in anger but he knew the faery speaks true. With a hefty sigh he leaves off toward the side, pulling a lever. The iron creaks and slowly spreads outward, opening just wide enough for the four of us and our carriage to enter the castle grounds. The courtyard is much different than I had ever expected- mazes of brilliant green hedges surround the castle leading to center points of exquisite fountains and glorious gardens filled with golden flowers. The castle itself is a wonder and looks as though it had grown right from the ground below it, as if it had been a large ivory tree and a skilled craftsman had carved away the wood, leaving a castle of white stone and pale gray towers. Connecting the towers on the east and west sides of the castle is a rather long arch with a stained glass window in the center, the sunlight illuminating the figure of the stag-lion.

Lost in aprreaciation of the castle, I'd been left behind by the group, save for Pierre who tugs softly at my hand. My eyes wander down from the arch and back to the earth I stand on, scanning his pale, impassive face. He tilts his head and signals for us to go on and I let him lead me to the grand doors of the palace where we rejoin the others. The guard opens the doors and ushers us inside. He closes them quickly and with great force as they stretch a great number of feet above us.

"Ah, there he is!" shouts a stout man from the bottom of a large stairwell that starts wide only to grow narrow and then break off in two directions. The man is older, but younger than my Uncle I presume. He's a potbellied man with a balding head and a thin, wispy brown beard. His eyes are as green as the robes he wears- emerald. "The florist we've been so excited to see! I trust your journey to the palace was all but well? You are a bit late-"

"I had to gather my apprentices. I mean no disrespect, sir." Anastas's voice is cool and smooth. The fat man nods slowly and a smile plays at his lips.

"Oh, none of that. All is quite well. The feast isn't until tomorrow evening and you still have plenty of time today to fill these old walls with your beauteous floral arrangements," the man says as he steps off the stairwell and comes to greet us. He eyes the guard cautiously before flicking his head in one direction. The guard hurriedly opens the large double doors and returns to his post. "I am Anom, royal advisor and decorator extraordinar. I hope you will enjoy your brief time working for the castle, and you will be paid handsomely, I assure you."

"I am Anastas, and these are my apprentices, Tai, Pierre, and Skye," he tells the man, pointing at each of us as he says our names. Anom nods and turns on his heels and starts walking immediately, headed toward a long corridor to our left.

"Right, right, follow me," he calls behind him though he'd already began moving. Our group falls instep behind him right as he starts babbling away about color schemes and what flowers the royal family despises. I had already tuned him out when Anastas grabs my shoulder and leans in close to whisper in my ear.

"You have a goal here. Go find the king. Find us when you're done," he smiles and looks me over. "Do you have it?" I grin and put the knapsack hanging at my side, nodding eagerly. "Then go."

I wait a moment and fall to the wayside, letting the voices of Anom and my companions fall away before turning back toward the stairwell. I stay close to the wall in fear of being seen by guards. However, the main entrance is empty, a flaw which I'm sure the king would not be thrilled about. I think for a moment but knowing that I have no time to lose if and when I guard were to come back and see me, I make a split second decision to take off down the west corridor, trying hard to make my footfalls light and quiet.

I am near the end of the hall and ready to take the bend into a new hallway when I hear voices approaching form the direction. In a panic I sprint back down the hall and duck inside one of the many rooms that line the walls, doors encrusted with gold trimming. I press against the door, listening until the voices disappear from hearing range. When I'm convinced they're gone, I open the door slowly and step back into the hall. I start down my original direction, turning down the new hall, and then again. This new hall stretches out far out to the east until a another pair of grand double doors sprouts up and signals the end of the corridor.

I walk slowly to the double doors, terrified of where it might lead me- right into a room of guards who would seize me in a second for wandering the castle without permission, or perhaps right into the lap of the king who could very well do the same thing. Either way, I have to try. For me, for Edwin. I promised myself, hadn't I? I gulp back all my fears and open the doors wide enough to slip through and close them behind me.

To my pleasant surprise I stand in an empty ball room. Green tile flooring lays beneath me and a golden chandelier hangs from the high ceiling, matching the colors of the royal family. The room is utterly deserted, nothing on the floor but myself. I glance around, the walls white except for the northern wall. Upon this wall is a large mural of the royal crest, the stag-lion. However, this depiction is different. The stag-lion is a shimmering golden beast with emerald eyes, reared on its back legs, ready to dig its claws into the creature below him- a cowering fox as white as the winter. I find myself only a few feet from the mural, getting lost in the picture of this fierce battle. Blood surrounds the two creatures. It's in the grass and on the trees, though neither animal has a scratch on them. I'm so entangled the picture that I hadn't even noticed the tall figure that had come to stand beside me.

"The Nallice stag-lion," says the figure, spooking me out of my concentration. "A symbol of power and nobility."

Shivers run through my body and my knees start to shake, even as I spin around to meet the newcomer. It's a rather tall man with fair hair and green eyes. His quite handsome with board shoulders, high cheekbones, and hollow eyes. He's dressed in a fanciful emerald suit and a long flowing green cape is attached to his shoulders. This man is none other than the king himself, King Avedin of the Human Kingdom.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be here. I strayed too far from my mentor, I'm so sorry."

The king shakes his head and ignores my pleas. He puts his arm around me, resting his hand on my shoulder as he looks over his mural. "The Nallice family has ruled this Kingdom for nearly four hundred years, you know? This insignia is the most known in all of this palace's history. Have you figured out what this mural is yet, girl?" He asks, his voice as terribly sweet as whiskey.

I tremble under his fingers but he does not remove his hands, his smooth fingers rather warm on my skin. "No, Your Majesty."

"It's a palace tradition, one secret to the public. Would you care to hear it?" King Avedin asks, eyes never leaving those of the lion.

"I'm not worthy, I assure you," I tell my king, trying to be as humble as possible.

"Oh, nonsense. No one has had the courage to roam my castle the way you have. I leave it unguarded for that reason. If one is brave enough to wander around and not care about the consequences, they are a good friend of mine. However, the guard outside insures that only the invited enter the castle. So, only the invited have this chance, the one that you have now. So, would you like to hear the secret?"

I smile to myself, feeling a bit of the weight on my shoulders fly free. Now, feeling more relieved, I feel no shame for wandering where I am not wanted. "Well, if you insist, my liege."

"I do," he laughs and returns his focus to the lion. "This mural has been in the castle for centuries, even before my family. It depicts the battles between the royal family and those who challenge the throne. The last conflict was between my great grandfather and a man named Vicher Trot. When Vicher Trot and his army had been defeated by my great grandfather's soldiers, they brought Trot to the castle for the king to execute. After that had been done, they'd repainted the mural to this- our crest defeating the crest of our enemies. "

"That's a neat secret," I say in wonderstruck tone. The king laughs and takes his hand away from my shoulder.

"Do you wish to know another?" I smile up at him, his green eyes impassive but kind. I nod. "Each member of the royal family has to learn things that other children don't. Rather than math and other things, we are forced to learn the art of military strategy, weaponry, history, magic and magical creatures, and one of the most interesting- the crests of all human families."

"Why the crests?"

"When the borders were put in place and the war between humans and the creatures began, everything was destroyed- vehicles, technology, and even the simple things, like surnames. After the fighting stopped, surnames had no meaning and no one know truly remembered the names of their fathers and therefore, we began anew. We created new names, and crests along with them, so that we may never forget them. Tell me your name, child, and I will tell you your crest."

"Skye Deerly," I volunteer coolly. The king smiles and it makes me doubt what I'd always heard about the man. So many people have told me of his wickedness, his sarcasm and violent ways. But here he was before me, so kind, especially to a girl who went where she shouldn't have. He is misunderstood, I think, that's all.

"Ah, the spring buck, flowers and peach blossoms decorating its antlers. Typically, the buck is depicted as standing tall, elegant, and proud. You're a smaller family but you have big family values. At least, that's what it said in my learning books."

"You're correct," I smile. The king nods as if he'd expected nothing less. He then tilts his head to the side and narrows his eyes in slight curiosity.

"What is it that you want? Why were you wandering through the palace? Don't tell me you just wander aimlessly. I will not believe it."

I hang my head in shame, suddenly unsure of what to tell him. He was welcoming but where did the welcomeness end? How would he react if he found that the only reason I came here was to badger him into seeing my Uncle's inventions. "I came to find you."

"What for, child?" He asks, his jaw tightens but his voice stays warm and as happy as it'd been during our encounter.

I am already this deep, I might as well just tell the truth. My hand fumbles with the knapsack hanging against my side, clutching the small metal figure through the fabric. "I have an invention to present to you. It's my Uncle's work, but he hadn't even thought of coming to see you. I came here to advertise his product to you without his knowledge..."

He sighs not in irritation or boredom but of thought as he ponders my words for a few moments. "For your gain or his?"

"His, sir."

A grin spreads across his face and yet it makes me feel even more nervous. It is the sort of grin that warps one's face and conveys the wickedness within them. I gulp and tremble as I watch him, his calculating stare poking holes through my calm facade.

"Let's see it," he says in one quick breath, mild intrigue flavoring his breath. I nod slowly and pull the drawstring of my knapsack and take from it the small metal bird Uncle Edwin had given to me. The paint has long since chipped and faded. Brought into light, the slumber function is disabled and the bird springs into pseudolife. It flaps its wings and blinks its beady, painted eyes but stays in my palm. The king gasps as he watches the mechimal and he covers his mouth with a ringed hand. He watches intently as the bird opens its beak as if it were to chirp, the only sound leaving its body is the quiet ticking of gears. "What is it?"

"My Uncle calls them mechimals- mechanical animals. They're creatures who function as if they were the real thing, but are made up entirely of gears and the like. They lack a beating heart and other organs- they do not eat, nor do they ever truly die." I smile down at my bird and run my fingers across its metallic scalp with fondness.

"May I?" King Avedin inquires as he stretches out a hand to the metal bird, fingers quivering as he draws near. I simply nod my consent and pass the bird into his hand, its little feet crossing from my palms over into his. The king holds it for awhile and says nothing, just staring at it in complete awe. His fingers move across the wings and the head, excitement lighting his eyes the entire time. "Amazing. Truly."

"This is only the first prototype. My Uncle has created newer models, and of bigger and better creatures- dogs, horses, and oxen."

"And they work? How?"

"I couldn't exactly tell you, that would be a question for the inventor himself. All I can tell you is that they require no food and operate on a programmable voice-command system. They should only require a bit of maintenance once a year, or even less, if you take good care of them."

The king looks wonderstruck. "You're telling me that these creatures -these mechimals- can sustain life with a heart, and without food? I could supply my cavalry with these creatures as horses! I'd save loads of gold on food and grooming- how fast can they go? How resilient and strong?"

"Again, I couldn't even begin to know. I'm sorry, Your Majesty." He opens his mouth to respond but closes it a second later and begins to fondle the bird. Footsteps are heard from outside the door and suddenly it flies open and a man walks inside, bringing with him an overwhelming sense of fear.

He is a tall man, surpassing the king. He is much younger as well with no worry lines or wrinkles plaguing his face. However, amber colored eyes hold more than his visage- he is an older being, an entity that is closely related with the suffering and fear of people. His skin is golden from time under the sun and his hair is dark blond. His pinks lips form a smile when he comes to stand beside the king and puts a hand on his shoulder.

I grit my teeth and shudder, shaking away any bad though I have of the man. I'd thought the same of King Avedin at first and yet he had been kind and even is dazzled by the mechimals. I'm misjudging him, that's all, I reassure myself. Looking him over while pushing away the odd sensation of terror it was plain to see that the young-old man is undeniable handsome. But then again, what had my grandmother said about the beauty in things you're unsure of?

If those who worry you are attractive to the eyes, and their voice can break your heart, it is best to be wary of them, the words came flood back.

"What do we have here?" asks the man, his voice the very description of a lovely symphony. I decide it best to keep a watchful eye on him for the time being. The king turns to the man with his wonderstruck smile place on his face, bird twitching between his rough fingers. The bird suddenly breaks free from his hands and takes flight, its metal wings glinting with the light of the chandelier as it circles the ball room. "And what is that?"

"A wondrous invention by this girl's uncle! Animals made of metal. They don't require food or water for sustenance, and they lack hearts. They're programable through voice-commands, I understand," he tells the man excitedly. The man's amber eyes lit up as if ignited with wildfire.

"Interesting," is the only word that leaves his mouth.

"Oh, yes! Miss Deerly, this is one of my friends -and delegates- from the Warlock Kingdom. He's come early to discuss some pressing matters. I would do best by him, and his kingdom, if we talked now. I'm afraid I must leave you," the king admits remorsefully. I nod sadly and whistle at the bird, something my Uncle had programmed into its system, the ability to return on command. The bird descends from the air above us and into my open palm. I place it carefully into my knapsack and close it, the darkness forcing it into sleep mode.

I curtsey to the king and his friend. "Sorry for taking so much of you time, I will leave you now."

"No, wait," the kings barks. "You have shown me a quality invention and I would indeed like to endorse it. However, I haven't the time to discuss in detail how to go about this. Who is your uncle? Where might I find him? I shall send someone in the next few days to discuss this all with him."

"I live in the Silversmythe manor, just outside of-"

"No need, I have people who will find it. I must go now, child, but take pride in knowing that you may have provided our nation with the greatest invention to date- even greater than the Sky Train had been intended to be."

He leaves me then, the blond man with intense golden eyes following like a dedicated hound. All thoughts of his intimidation leave me, replaced by a swelling pride. I had done it. I had accomplished what I had set out to- to at least present the mechimal to the king and he'd taken it one step farther by actually wanting to endorse it. So many good things will come of it. I know it. Uncle Edwin will be pleased with the new business, if and when it takes off, and that will bring him a little more sanity and happiness. He will also make more money and therefore will be able to mass produce his creations and fund new ones. Along with his gains, society might improve along with him- his creations will make work easier and save everyone a bit more money. More cash leads to more food, and that in turn leads to healthier, happy civilians. Life can only improve from here, for everyone, I think eagerly, and all it had taken was one dedicated girl and a little birdie.
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This update is coming too late, and I do apologize to anyone who still cares enough about this story to even make it this far. November is a hectic, hectic month for me and the fact that I updated this much (what? once at the beginning and now one at the end?) is very surprising. Hopefully, I will be able to write more of this sooner, and bring you more updates. God knows this is where my plot ideas pick up and the true main conflict starts. So, please, comment. I need encouragement.