Eight

That wasn't so bad. I didn't have anything to worry about. Last night anyway. Tonight and Tomorrow are going to be a different story. I was introduced to the court, and there was a lot of commotion about my dress. At first, I thought it was a bad reaction, but then some of the ladies started gushing about how they wanted their dresses to fit them as well as mine did. They were a bit jealous, I guess? I'm not really that good at reading people's expressions. Especially when they have any sort of training at disguising said expressions. I mingled, discussed some politics, and briefly mentioned the taxes. A few of the lords looked like they wanted to double-check my facts, something that I count as a win. Overall, not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I was worried over nothing.

I get to spend most of my day with the tailor, finalizing the other dresses, the ones for tonight and tomorrow. I gotta say, I am impressed with his skill. If the first dress was impressive, then the next two are true masterpieces. If he's always been here, why were the look-alikes so garishly dressed? Did they not fight with the apprentices and just let them do what they wanted? Or did they actually ask for those horrid creations? Maybe the Queen forced the issue? I don't know, and I don't want to know. Whatever the reason. It happened, and its in the past now. Mercy may have their souls.

-Who knows? I am glad that you had the backbone to fight what they were trying to dress you in. The Gown was a masterpiece. -

Tonight I will wear a pale blue gown with off-the-shoulder sleeves. It looks stunning and fits to perfection. It doesn't highlight my features as well as last night's gown, but nonetheless, its an amazing piece. For tomorrow, I have a ruby red gown. It has a small train with poinsettia flowers in full bloom. It also has a built-in corset. My skin seems to glow against the dress, and my hair provides an excellent contrast. Marvelous craftsmanship. Enough about my gowns. I'm sure you're not that interested. Fashion is not something most people want to hear about.

-You could never bore me. Even if you spent an entire week, nay, a month! discussing your wardrobe choices. You will be stunning. You always look amazing. Even covered in dirt and soot from a day of hard riding.-

I managed to get done with the Master Tailor early. His name is Bernard, by the way, and he told me to call him Bernie. Bernie sent me off to "have fun!" before my big appearance tonight. I guess I can kill some time and explore some of the little-used cellars. Should only be some wine and other non-perishables down there, right? Nothing to get excited over. Maybe I'll drag Kat along. I can interrogate him about his family. What do you think, my dear reader? Have you kept up so far? Do you need any details clarified?

-Don't go into the cellars. You know that's the start to a bad horror movie. The Queen keeps more than wine in her basement. I hope you know that you aren't ready for that. I know its already too late though. Be prepared to face horror, the Queen committed many atrocities in her time.-

I bumped into Kat on my way back to my room, and invited him along on my adventure. He was wary, eyeing me up and down and fidgeting indecisively. He eventually nodded, claiming "If you're going to wander into trouble, then I may as well follow to get you out." Sounds like he's scared of what I'll find down there. What, does he think that Queen Viola keeps her skeletons in the basement? Me thinks that someone is a worrywart. It'll be fine. What could happen? A wine barrel falling on us? A, I don't know, A hidden relic? We'll be fine.

-Famous last words. I hope they are fightin words. You'll need the strength of them.-

So, I was wrong. I was so very wrong. The Queen keeps a lot more than just her wine in the basement. We had taken a lantern with us because we weren't sure what the lighting was like, or how many rooms there were. It's a good thing that we did, most of the lights were burnt out and it was mostly dark. The first few rooms past the stairs were innocuous enough. There was some wine, and some stored goods, both dried and canned. A few of the rooms were empty or were being used as furniture storage. I was nearly scared out of my skin in one of them. A large mirror had been covered with a cloth, and Kat pulled the cloth off the mirror while I was checking out a marble-topped desk. Needless to say that I made a high-pitched keening noise when I unexpectedly encountered my reflection staring at me. Not cool. Nor was his laughter.

-That noise that you made? It was totally a scream, and you know it. Nothing "keening" about it.-

Exploring those rooms was all fun and games, but we soon encountered a disgusting smell. Kat discovered the source of it accidentally. Our lantern had nearly run out of kerosene, so we were going to swap it for one that was mostly full. There just happened to be a mostly full lantern hanging from a hook that was mounted to a section of the wall. When Kat pulled on the lantern to get it off of the hook, a portion of the wall started to move with the hook. As the hidden door swung open, the foul smell got stronger, and we could hear what sounded like a faint whimpering. I don't like admitting it, but I totally made Kat go first.

-The things that Queen Viola is capable of. I had never imagined that her cruelty could go so far. There are things that are just not done, no matter how depraved your mind is. Messing with soul magic is one of them. It is the blackest of the dark arts.-

What we discovered in that room. It horrified and disgusted me. We had found the other Princess Loralina look-alikes. It didn't paint a pretty picture for how I will end up if I stay in the castle after tomorrow. What we found was a relatively well-hidden room, with cages lining the wall. In the middle, there was a pentagram made of skeletons. Young ones. My best guess? The first five or six look-alikes. The bones are too small for them to be anything else. Although, the one at the head of the pentagram does look to be older. And it's wearing partially disintegrated robes. A warlock? A corrupt one if they were working with the Queen. What were the look-alikes sacrificed for? What was the purpose of ritualistically killing innocent little girls?

-Don't be so quick to judge. The warlock may have been blackmailed, or otherwise forced, but you're probably right. Any decent warlock knows not to mess with soul magic. Any rituals involving sacrifice are a part of the dark arts. Most warlocks avoid the stain that is associated with practicing these taboo rituals. A good chunk of the taboo rituals are only referenced in a few books, books that are so rare that they are almost impossible to find. Of these rituals, very few warlocks are insane enough to attempt them without some form of backup. Just in case there is some form of backlash, or something goes wrong with the ritual.-