Mystic Moons

Chapter 3. Kings, Queens, and Vagabonds

Being a songstress for the king is what many would call an honor. I refer to it as the nightmare i am finnally going to wake up from. Who knew that I would go from an abusive aunt. Right into the hands of an abusive king. I was only 10 when I first laid eyes on the palace. My aunt Ceilest who had kept me from an infant after both of my parents died was a cruel and wicked woman. She was short with orange red hair. Her face was a bit crooked. It matched her spirit. She was built more hefty around the waist and broad in the shoulders. She had strong arms that were good for striking She would strike me often. I would bruise but she was never able to leave a scar, which infuriated her all the more leaving me black and blue all over but only for a short while. That gave her more reason to punish me again.

She told me many times how her sister, my mother, and father died with riches and left none to her in a will. She said she would never forgive them. And that I must now pay for the injustice that was done to her. My parents lived in Stelacia from what my aunt knew. She said they came to visit her only once every blue moon. And that they would bring money and precious stones for her. "The very last time I saw them they were at my doorstep with you!" She would say "They asked me to keep you for a day and said that they would come back for you. But they never did! And I got landed with you for the rest of my life!" Only days after my parents left me there a footman from Celestia gave her the news that both of my parents had died in a terrible accident. And that I would remain in her custody.

All my parents left me with was a blanket and a necklace with a black stone on it. They told her never to remove it. Ceilest told me that if I ever took it off she would cut off my fingers for being disobedient. My parents left her 100 pieces of Silver for the inconvenience of coming on such short notice and then they were gone. I was only 1 day old. I will never forget the long nights I spent laying on the cold ground of the small cabin we lived in. No bed. No blanket. Only my hands to cushion my head. I was banned to sleeping in the far corner of the cabin. Farthest away from the fire. And closest to the door. My aunt said that the bitter cold draft during the winter would be my constant reminder of my duty to repay my parents debt to her. I was given little food and was very thin. My only job was to collect wood for the fire and clean the cabin three times daily.

My aunt had as much disdain for my parents as she did for their skin color. "Your mother was a Mulatto and your father was a black man!" She would scream. " Kingsway does not take kindly to those of your color. Why else do you think your parents moved from Kingsway to Stelacia, an entirely new kingdom!" People of you're color do not thrive here. They never have and they never will!"

Although my mother and aunt were sisters I have to assume that they were only half sisters, because my aunt was fully white. It was either my grandmother or my grandfather that connected the two as sisters. But she never told me. She did tell me, "You got lucky living with me. Otherwise you would end up a dung cleaner in the stables at the palace." She would smark. Working at the palace could either be a good thing or a bad thing. And the king often hired mulatos so he could pay out less wages. As he had not lived up to his fathers legacy. He was cheap and greedy so my aunt would say. At the age of 6 my aunt told me that it was time for me to start doing real work to earn her money for my food and board. Otherwise she would throw me out and I would be left to fend for myself. It was around that time she noticed that I had the voice to sing. Singing was all I had. I sang when I was hungry. I sang when I was sad. I sang while I did my house work. It was the only thing that eased the pain of living in fear and torture everyday. The one thing Ceilest had not taken from me. I believe it was the only reason she kept me as long as she did.

"You are going to make me rich child." She told me that day. "I have plans for you. The only thing you are good for is a song. I will send you to work at the palace to be a songstress. And you will bring home your wages to me. You owe me your life for taking you in when you had nothing and no one. But this will just have to do. I had plans for my life before you came along. I was going to be a rich clothing designer. Now all I have is the likes of you. A skinny little nothing who's good for nothing! You will make me rich, plain and simple. It is the very least you can do."

I was so young. And although her intentions were to work the wages right out of me, she instead gave me hope; hope that one day I would go from rags to riches. My time spent cleaning and washing clothes suddenly became a place of happiness for me. I would sing more often and louder. I kept thinking about the palace and what it would be like there. I had to give her a good reason to send me. So I would sing as best as I could as often as I could.

Not long after she began to send me to a rich lonely old widow who was once a songstress for the late King Clyde the ll. I was to spend ten hours of my day there. From sunup to Sundown. I would learn to sing like a true songstress and nothing less. The widow, Misty, had beautiful misty blue eyes. I could tell even at her old age that she was once a beautiful woman. Still quite tall and slender, she was very graceful. She had a peachy complexion and wide smile. Her shoulder length silver curls gave her a soft look. I could only hope that she was as nice as she appeared to be.

"Come in child. Lets get you some breakfast" She said softly. I remember the smell of her beautiful two story home. It smelled just like vanilla. I walked through the massive doors to her house and was surprised when I saw nothing but gold. It was everywhere. The drapes that covered the giant picture window were embroidered in gold flowers. The winding staircase was lined with gold. The walls were royal blue with gold trim. Even the floor had a gold tint to it. And there was a massive Gold grand piano in the middle of the room. Right across from a gold and royal blue trimmed sitting set. It was the biggest room I had ever stepped foot in. And by far the most beautiful. My aunt never came inside. She only walked me to the beginning of the walkway and said "Be out here by 7pm sharp or else!"

My time spent with Misty was heavenly. She fed me three meals everyday faithfully even though Ceilest fed me half a bowl of cold day old milk and wheat every morning before I left. There was no way I could pass up a real breakfast. Hot rolls fresh from the oven. Freshly sliced ham, grits with sugar and honey, eggs, bacon, french toast, fresh fruit, and my choice of grape or orange juice. Never had I seen such mouth watering food. It tasted even better than it smelled. " You are a very beautiful child. You will be even more beautiful once we put some meat on your bones." She said with a smile. I could tell I was going to love this new routine.

Misty taught me everything I needed to know about being a songstress From songstress etiquette right down to the last note of any song I would sing. She taught me how to control my voice and how to use it to control the emotions of everyone in the room until they were hanging from every note. I must have caught on very well, because I quickly learned how to make her cry or make her happy just by singing a song for her. I was becoming a true songstress.

I spent four years with Misty. She in a way saved my life. She gave me a reason to live. Something to fight for. Over the years she managed to thicken me up a bit. My frail thin figure and fragile dry skin and hair soon disappeared. It was replaced with the look of a healthy young child. My midnight black wavy hair had grown down to my waist. And my dark ocean blue eyes had started to come alive. Misty said it was the music. She said it awakened a spark in me that no one could put out. She taught me how to be a lady and how to eat properly. I was in quite a shock when I learned how much silverware was used at the dinner table. She called me everything from table etiquette and proper speech, to doing my own hair and picking out the proper outfit. She's not only turned me into a songstress, but a young lady. "My how you've grown my dear." She said to me one day. "If I didn't know any better I would think you were raised by the Royals themselves." She said with a smile.

Misty and I became very close. She became a mother figure to me. She gave me a feeling I never thought I would be able to experience seeing as how I never knew my mother. She treated me as if I was her own child. She hugged me and kissed me. And everyday when I left she would tell me that she would miss me and that she couldn't wait to see me again the next day. My aunt thought that she was a lonely old woman" but I knew she was just human like me. And that she had a desire to love and be loved just as I did.

Misty explained her Palace life to me. She sang for King Clyde II for 20 years. At the age of 20 she went to the Palace to try and become a song stressed for the king. He took an immediate liking to her and hired her right away. She immediately moved into the palace where she first experienced the finer things in life. She was invited to all the Royal parties, she was dressed in the finest clothes, and she ate the finest Foods. Even better, she was allowed to travel away from the kingdom twice a year. And she did so as she was able to afford it from the large income she made from the King.

One year while she was traveling, she met the man of her dreams where they fell in love. He came back to Kingsway with her and moved as close to the palace as she could. They were deeply in love, but they felt it was impossible to marry because she lived in the palace. So she began to save her money year after year. After 20 years she felt she'd have saved enough to provide for her and her love for the rest of their lives. And she probably told the king that she was going to retire so that she could be married to the love of her life. The king wanted her to be happy, but asked for one more year of her service. He said that after one more year he would allow her to leave with as much money as she needed to sustain her current lifestyle.

She served her last year and was rewarded greatly by the king for providing great and loyal service. He provided her house and 1000 Bars of gold to make sure that she had all she needed to survive without the palace. She was able to marry the love of her life and live happily with him until he died only two years before I came to know her. They never had children" Which saddened Misty. I knew I was the daughter she never had.

When I was 8 she convinced Ceilest that I needed a bed and a proper blanket. "A real songstress needs a full night's sleep and to stay warm in order not to strain her voice " It was the first time I hadn't slept on the floor in my entire life. But the bed wasn't free of course. Ceilest had insisted on paying Misty by having me clean for her, but Misty refused. " I am a lonely old woman. I have a maid that cleans the house. Elizabeth's company is payment enough for me. I do love children. And bedsides. A good songstress must never be overworked. It will strain her voice." So I quickly escaped that payment. But I was not so lucky with the bed. Ceilest was a prideful woman and did not take kindly to Misty's beautiful gift. The Victorian bed frame and heated blanket would be paid for by me if my aunt had anything to say about it. And she refused to take no as an answer.

So for the next 10 months my service was offered overnight by Ceilest. She insisted that I cook meals in between lessons and clean the dishes and tend to the yard after my lessons were over for the day. Misty of course said yes to having me. Although the work Ceilest insisted I do was not on Misty's mind. Instead she taught me how to be a lady. She taught me table etiquette. How to dress and clean properly. How to fix my hair and put on makeup. And she taught me proper manners as she called them. I was 9 and a half when my overnight services were over. Although lI had never slept in my new bed even once. I was afraid to go back to my aunt. Afraid of the beatings I would get at night after my lessons. Although I was still taking lessons from sunup to sun down. Anytime spent in the little old cabin with Ceilest was enough to wash away all of the joy I had gained over that last eight months.

My life was only just beginning i'd hoped. I dreamed that it would be more than what it was. Who was I? Was I an orphan? Was I a future songstress for the king? What if I wasn't good enough to sing in the palace. If I failed this endeavor I was sure my aunt would throw me out into the streets. Maybe I would become a beggar or a wanderer. That could be better than being abused, but what about all that I had already experienced. Being with Misty was a dream come true. It wasn't even so much the luxurious life style she had introduced me too. It was more so the care she showed for me. Knowing that I had at least one person who cared for my well being was enough to cause me to fight for the life I wanted. I couldn't let my fears get the best of me. I would be the best songstress the palace had ever known. I was going to live in the palace. One day I might even be queen.

On my tenth birthday my aunt took me up to Misty's house. We went much earlier than usual, and we left before I was able to do my chores. When we got there my aunt marched right up to the door. It was unusual for her. She never went past the walkway. Misty opened the door surprised to see us there so early. She wasn't expecting me for another hour. " Well good morning my dear.' She said to me with a smile. " Have I lost track of the time?'

"No." My aunt chimed in quickly. " Today is Elizabeth's tenth birthday. I am going to take her to the Palace to become a songstress "

"My goodness! So soon?" asked Misty. " She is still so young and has much more to learn. Could I just teach her for a fee more yea-"

"No!" Ceilest cut her off. "Today is the day that the palace is opened up for those who wish to obtain a palace job and today is the day I am going to take her. We have come to borrow one of the dresses that you had made for Elizabeth. It is inappropriate for her to wear them at home around the house, which is why he was not allowed to take them with her! Today is a special occasion. She must look her best when she goes to sing before the king!" My aunt shouted intolerantly. She disliked Misty for loving me and treating me so kindly.

"Well alright then. Please come in. I will prepare little Elizabeth for her audition for the king " Misty said, obviously defeated. I was sad, yet excited. I knew that going to the Palace would mean I wouldn't be spending any more time with Misty. Although it was a bitter moment, I was eager to see what the palace looked like and to experience all of the things that Misty experienced.

My aunt walked inside Misty's house for the very first time the look on her face said it all. I watched as her mouth opened wide and her eyes opened wider at the luxurious gold and royal blue display that was Misty's haven. "Please, sit anywhere you'd like and help yourself to some tea and croissants. I will take Elizabeth to get ready. We have much to do to get her ready before the palace doors open." Misty said as she led Ceilest to the sitting area. My aunt had no objections as she walked over to the beautiful furniture where the tea and croissants were laid out beautifully on a table.

Misty took me up to the room I had stayed many nights in at her home. "Well my dear. I guess it is time to get you ready for the day we have been preparing for since I first laid eyes on you." She said with tears in her eyes. She ran a hot bath for me and gave me my usual breakfast while I waited for the tub to fill. I wasn't accustomed to eating in my room but I didn't mind. She laid out a towel and expensive body lotion for me when I was done eating. "You get cleaned up and I will pick out your outfit." As I soaked and scrubbed clean in the tub I heard Misty humming softly as she prepared my outfit for my big day. When I was finished I lotioned my body and wrapped my towel around me. I walked back into the bedroom to find Misty laying out a beautiful royal blue ball gown with gems sewn around the high cut bust. There were royal blue elbow high gloves to match sitting next to a royal blue handbag with a gem button on it. On the floor next to the dress lay a pair of silver slippers with gems covering the front of them.