The 2009 Children's Fiction Writing Award WINNERS
‘The Phantom of the Moonlight Mist’ by Stephanie
Chapter 1: The Announcement
"Miss? It is time to wake up, miss. It is breakfast!" As I, Christine Falls, opened my eyes, I once again saw my blue velvet canopy bed above me. I heard, as usual, the hustle and bustle of servants in the Royal Palace. I slowly and carefully sat up and asked my personal maid, Rosy, what I was to wear. Rosy handed me a light pink blouse, with a skirt that more or less matched.
"Where are my shoes?" I asked Rosy.
"Here you go," she said, and shoved them at me. "Now get dressed, little miss perfect," Rosy mumbled under her breath so I could not hear. But apparently, I did.
"What did you say?!" I asked, angry and outraged.
"N-Nothing, Miss. Your father w-wants to see you," Rosy stammered, holding back tears of frustration. She edged toward the door.
"Please tell him I will be there in a minute," I replied. Oh, how I wish someone around here would love me for who I am, I thought longingly. I sighed. Oh what a dream come true that would be.
"CHRISTINE!" My father, King Frederick, cried. Here we go again, I thought to myself. King Frederick (as most kings do) always had something to whine about. Today’s whine was about the "perfect man." In other words, a suitable prince for me to wed.
When I was about six or seven, I told my father I wanted to be a queen. Unfortunately, he took me seriously. Well, ever since I was twelve he has been trying to find me a prince. So today, as you can see, was much like any other. "Sweetheart, I have a splendid surprise for you! Just wonderful! Oh, we have to celebrate with some champagne. PETER! Come boy, you must warn the cooks of the splendid feast ahead! Oh good, good, good..."
Oh, God above me! My father must be planning something big, because I have never seen him so joyous before. This has something to do with me. I feel it in my gut. "So, Father, what is the surprise?" I asked him cautiously. "The surprise, my dear girl, is that this Saturday a young suitor has decided to come to the Royal Palace, seeking a true love. That, Miss Christine, might just be you!" my father answered, in a rather smug tone of voice. (Oh, and by the way, Peter is my father’s servant.)
I started trembling with anger, but I remained smiling at my father. "Oh Father. You really shouldn’t have," I said, my voice trembling slightly. When I said those horrible words, I felt like my voice was many miles away from my body. I had dreaded this day since I do not know when. I wish I was a normal girl, not just some princess who got everything done for her.
My father, on the other hand, was practically dancing with joy. While I was fretting about the dreaded Saturday, he went down the white marble staircase and ordered the musicians to play, "joyous music for the soon-to-be bride." I felt sick at the thought of this, this snotty, thinks-he’s-number-oneprince. Anyway, back in the palace poor Peter was rushing about trying to maintain order. I figured it was a good thing because everyone was crazy mad about the sudden preparations for the "royal princess’s" wedding cake and dress and who knows what else.
I certainly wasn’t enjoying this one bit because it reminded me even more of the unfair marriage that my father was planning for me, and the stupid, proper little frog I was going to marry. As I was wandering the halls to get the marriage off my mind, I found myself in the Great Hall. I had been here many times to "help" my father with trials and such, but every time I saw it, I marvelled at its beauty. Today was no different. The Great Hall was, by many, considered the key part of the palace. It had tall, arched ceilings and stained glass windows. The windows were also arched and extremely tall. At this time of day, it was flooded with sunlight. On the ceiling there were many paintings of angels, cupids, and saints — mostly saints. I was so entranced by the ceiling, I did not hear my mother, Queen Laura, come in. "Christine. Christine? Christine, look at me, sweetheart," she said to me.
"I-I’m sorry mother. I’ll go to my chambers right away. I got entranced by the ceiling..." I answered.
"Ah, yes. That happens to me frequently," she answered, with a soft smile. "Come. This was not the reason I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to talk to you about Jacob." The smile that I loved so much had faded into something... well, serious.
"Who, um, is Jacob, exactly?" I asked her.
"Who is Jacob? What kind of question is that? Your father hasn’t told you, has he? Well, Jacob is your soon-to-be husband!" cried my mother joyfully.
I was about to burst out crying and beg her to make my father change his mind, beg her to set me free. But I knew it would be no use. When my father says something, my mother has to agree. And so do I. Well, unfortunately, I could not hold back the tears of anger I had been hiding for so long.
"Oh, sweetheart! What’s wrong? Do you not want to marry Jacob? Is that it?" my mother asked me, worried.
"Yes, that’s exactly it! I don’t even know this, this prince, and my father is forcing me to marry him! I don’t have any say in all of this! It’s just so unfair!" I said in-between tears of pure rage.
"Well, sweetheart, it just so happens that I have a very easy solution to all of this. Why don’t you tell your father to tell Jacob that you want Jacob to come early, so you can get used to your soon-to-be husband and spend some time with him?"
I cut my mother off right there. "Yes, please never say the H word again." I said.
"I’ll go talk to you father," my mother said. She lifted her skirts and went to find him, while I remained on my knees, weeping. After my tears had dried, I went to breakfast. It was delicious to everyone but me.
Chapter 2: Jacob Arrives
I had woken up with the sound of horse hooves ringing in my ears. Jacob! I remembered, thank goodness. I would have to get dressed quickly if I wanted to meet him at the door. The hooves slowed, and finally stopped. I heard the familiar creak of the door and two voices. My father’s voice and an unfamiliar gentleman’s voice, which I assumed was Prince Jacob’s. I took off my pink nightgown and put on a green gown. Finally, I put on a gold crown, studded with emeralds. I slipped on some green slippers, and down the staircase I went, my gown flowing behind me. I was practically sprinting down the stairs, and when I got to the bottom, I heard voices from the Great Hall. I assumed my father and Jacob were in there, so I adjusted my crown, lifted my skirts, as I had seen my mother do, and put on my best smile. I pushed the door leading to the Great Hall, but it wouldn’t budge. I pushed harder, and it didn’t move a millimetre. I pushed the door with all the strength I could muster, and with a soft click, the door gave way. I, on the other hand, did not walk in daintily or ladylike. I rather tumbled, almost tripped, and stood up. Great. Just like I imagined. Jacob was blonde, and was wearing a blue suit that looked like a suit to ride horses in. Well, I mean, I couldn’t blame him for coming dressed like this. He was riding a horse, after all. I adjusted my crown and curtsied to Jacob. Jacob kneeled on one knee and held out a small blue velvet box.
I already knew what was inside, but I acted surprised when Jacob opened the box. "Christine, I know I have only known you for a minute, but I think you are beautiful, and I love you. So, will you marry me?" Jacob said. Inside the rather plain box was a gold ring with a diamond shaped emerald in the middle. I gasped at the plain but beautiful ring.
"Well, I mean, isn’t it too soon?" I asked Jacob. My father mouthed, "Say yes," in a rather irritated way. "Yes, dear, sweet Jacob," I said in a lovey-dovey voice. He put the spectacular ring on the ring finger of my left hand and kissed my hand. This guy was getting annoying. Kissing my hand and everything. Arghhh! Oh, and why did he have to have a huge speech before the "will you marry me" part? Sheesh! Anyway, I was so shaken about Jacob, I could barely eat my oatmeal when we all went to breakfast.
"Christine? What’s wrong?" asked Jacob worriedly. On the inside I was like, man, this guy sounds like my mother. On the outside I was like, calm. "Oh, nothing," I replied, "just not hungry." Then I turned to my father and said, "May I be excused?"
"Of course. Where are you going?" my father asked me between mouthfuls of oatmeal. "To my room. I was planning to dance with Jacob after breakfast," I said to my proud father.
"Of course, Christine. I told you that you would like Jacob!" he said in a told-you-so tone of voice. I smiled a phony smile at him. I went upstairs to my room and thought of what to wear. Eventually, I went with a turquoise dress and slippers. I decided I did not want my crown. I put it on my bedside table and hurried downstairs. Jacob was already waiting in the ballroom. He had changed into a normal suit. He was looking at the paintings on the walls when I came in. My father was nowhere in sight. Well, at least I got him out of the way. "You didn’t want to dance with me, did you?" Jacob said.
"No, I did," I said to him. We danced the day away. But inside, I was screaming.
Chapter 3: Friendship Blooms
The next day, I was prepared to stand up to my father. I wanted to tell him how I felt about the unfair marriage and the prince he decided I was to wed. So, as soon as I got out of bed, I went to my father’s chambers and knocked on his door three times. I heard the creak of his bed and his footsteps coming towards the door. He opened the door. His eyes were still half closed. "What is it, Christine?" he asked in a sleepy voice.
"I wanted to talk about Jacob. I do not want to marry him," I said in a clear, strong voice.
"What did you say? You will marry Jacob, under my command! After breakfast, you will go to the stables to help the stable boy as a punishment," my father said, in a dangerously low voice. My strong heart became much weaker. And so did my voice.
"Yes, Father. I will get dressed and go to the stables right away." My father stormed back into his room and closed the door behind him.
I, meanwhile, asked a maid for some jeans and a T-shirt. I did not know what those were, or even if they were pieces of clothing, but I had heard those words many times before in the Royal Palace. A maid handed me some blue pants and a white shirt. She had a strange look on her face. She must have been wondering why a princess was asking her for jeans and a T-shirt. So I told her.
"I was sent to work in the stables as a punishment," I said with a reassuring smile.
"Oh. Well, go to the back door and there will be a maid named Meg in the gardens. She will lead you to the horse stables," the maid said knowingly. She must have had to tell a lot of people how to get to the gardens. I was about to discover why.
I opened the back door, and saw a maze of red, yellow and pink roses in bright green hedges. I gasped so loudly, a maid said, "Are you all right, Princess?" I looked at her and smiled. "What wonderful gardens," I said.
"Oh, yes. You probably didn’t even know they were here. Members of the royal family don’t usually come down to this part of the palace," said the maid, and hurried away to the business she had been sent to do. I hurried down the steps, barefoot. Oh, how good the cool grass felt on my bare feet! I wandered around and finally found a blonde maid tending some flowers.
"Hello," I said shyly.
"Oh, hello there. And you must be..?" said the maid.
"Oh, my name is Christine," I said smiling at the witty maid.
"Oh! Your highness! Where would you like to go?" she asked, curtsying.
"There is no need to curtsy. I want to know where the stables are," I said quickly.
"Oh. Well, follow me." Then she started to walk towards some bushes. She waited for me to catch up, then parted the bushes.
As we started walking towards the stables, the maid said, "My name is Megan. You can call me Meg if you want." I smiled, very grateful to get to know someone in the palace who wasn’t a prince. Meg seemed very caring.
Suddenly, we stopped in front of a door that led to the stables. I saw a boy in the stables and said to Meg, "Well, I guess this is my stop. I will come back tomorrow to see you. Can we be friends?"
"Of course we can!" said Meg, giving me a big hug. She smiled and left the way we had come. Finally, I had made a friend. Afterwards, I helped the stable boy and learned his name was Raoul. I became very fond of him, as he became fond of me.
Chapter 4: The Discovery and the Robbery
"Everyone up! Everyone up! A robbery!" I heard the Captain of the Guard say. I got out of bed like a thunder bolt. I ran down the stairs and said to the first maid I saw, "Who has robbed what?"
The pale faced maid replied, "The Phantom has robbed the Crystal Ball of Spirits!" I thanked her and ran to my father’s bedroom. I opened the door and said, "I am going to help the stable boy again, Father." He was surprised at my decision, but did not say I could not go. I went straight to the stables and found Raoul. "Raoul, have you heard the news? The Phantom has robbed the Crystal Ball of Spirits! We have to find him!" He stared at me.
"Okay," he said, "But, number one, why do you still have your nightgown on? And number two, who is the Phantom?"
"I don’t know, but I know what the Crystal Ball of Spirits is! It is the most famous treasure in the world. It controls the beauty and spirits of the world. If the Phantom has it, he can make spirits haunt us, and he can make everyone ugly!" After saying that, I fainted.
"Christine? Oh, thank goodness you are alright!" Raoul said in a joking tone of voice. "Raoul, I want to sleep in the stables tonight."
Raoul chuckled softly and said, "Look up." I obeyed him. To my surprise, through the big hole in the roof, the stars were looking down on us. We made a hay bed and lay in it. With so much weight on top of it, the bed started sinking. We laughed out loud. Raoul said we would go in search of the Phantom tomorrow morning. I smiled at him, and we both saw a shooting star. We closed our eyes, and wished for the same thing: To be together forever.
Chapter 5: The Journey
he next day, the day of the Journey, Raoul was already up by dawn. He had packed one bag with food and a variety of drinks, and another with clothes. He told me that he had packed some dresses, slippers and hiking boots for me. I quickly stood up and told Raoul I wanted Meg to come with us. He said she could, but only if she swore she would not tell anyone about the journey.
I went to find Meg; she was in the garden, where she had been yesterday. "Meg, come to the stables! I have something to tell you. Hurry!" I whispered to her. She giggled, and followed me.
"Hi Meg. I’m Raoul." Raoul smiled at Meg.
"So, what’s the big surprise?" Meg asked quietly.
"We are going on a journey to find the Phantom. He has stolen the Crystal Ball of Spirits." I replied. We let Meg go to get some supplies for herself and told her that we would be waiting in the stables when she was ready.
Five minutes later, she returned. "Okay, let’s go!" she said. "I stole a map from the palace. I think the Phantom would be headed for the Enchanted Forest. That’s not very far from here so we only have to walk until the afternoon." "Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!" I said. "Oh, and I also heard he had built a castle that was called Moonlight Mist," said Meg.
So off I went with the maid and the stable-boy in search of The Phantom of the Moonlight Mist.
Chapter 6: Arriving to the Enchanted Forest
Thank goodness we made it! I thought my feet were going to fall off!" I said. I sat on a rock and massaged my poor feet. "Hey, guys! Don’t you see that little light? It’s too big to be a firefly. When it got closer, we realized it was little person.
"Hello, and welcome to the Enchanted Forest. My name is Pixy, and I am a pixie," said the unknown but polite pixie. We all gasped.
"Where is the Phantom?" asked Meg.
"Oh, he passed by here yesterday. He was carrying a sort of crystal ball in his hand, and it was glowing with a blue light. It had scary faces inside!"
Those must have been the spirits, I thought to myself.
"Can we sleep here for the night?" I asked the little pixie.
"Of course." With a wave of his arm, the little pixie turned a big rock into a blue velvet canopy bed, just like the one I had at home. Next, it was Meg’s turn. Pixy turned a medium sized rock into a decent bed with orange sheets. Last but not least it was Raoul’s turn. Pixy turned a pebble into a stable with nice soft hay for Raoul to sleep on. We were so exhausted, we went right to sleep. We did not hear Pixy say, "I have done as you told me to do, Master."
The next morning, there was a steaming bowl of hot oatmeal at a table with three chairs. There were also three glasses of cold orange juice. Very nice room service, I thought to myself. I woke up Meg and Raoul, and we all had a very nice breakfast. After I got changed into some jeans and a T-shirt (I was finding it quite comfortable travelling in these clothes) Pixy came to check on us. "You must be full by now, so I think you should be ready to travel to your next destination," he said.
As soon as Pixy left we packed our bags. "I think there is really something odd about that pixie. Sometimes I think he is spying on us," Meg told us.
"Ah, well. At least we are getting close to the Phantom’s castle," I told the other two. So we set off again.
Chapter 7: The Key of the Moonlight Mist
We approached the Phantom’s castle at about midnight. It was a longer walk than we expected it to be, so we had a thirty-minute nap. I was the first one to wake up. I had heard a scary creak from the tall gates of the Castle of the Moonlight Mist. I woke up the other two as quick as lightning, and we charged towards the castle’s gates. Lucky for us, the trick to opening the gates was that it had to be a misty night, and the moonlight had to be shining directly at the castle’s gates for them to open. The mist and the moon worked their magic.
As soon as the three of us got inside the castle’s courtyard, the doors automatically closed. The castle had that weird feeling that many eyes were on you when you took a step closer to the main door. The courtyard was bare. It looked as if it had been magnificent once upon a time, but now there were no bushes, no trees, no grass. Nothing. Everything looked haunted in the moonlight.
I opened the front door, and we all heard someone say, "I have been expecting you."
We all held on to each other in fright. Raoul grabbed a torch that was hanging on the wall and said fearlessly, "Who are you? Who is that out there?"
Suddenly, a deformed face peered at us from a hood as black as night itself. "I am the Phantom of the Moonlight Mist. Welcome, honoured guests," he said in a low, dangerous voice.
I was not going to let Raoul face this monster all alone. "Do what you will, Phantom. We will accept whatever you have in store for us if you will give us the Crystal Ball of Spirits," I said to the monster. Suddenly, it was right there in front of us. I reached and grabbed for it, but it just turned into smoke and disappeared. The Phantom smirked at me as if to say, ha ha, I know magic and you don’t. Now what are you going to do? The Phantom also disappeared into smoke, but he reappeared at the top of a black staircase that had many cobwebs on it.
"The Ball of Spirits is right here," said The Phantom. "I will make you a deal. If you can reach it, you will destroy me. If you don’t reach it, I will destroy you. Do we have a deal?" I was the first to answer. "Yes. We have a deal. Let the battle begin!"
Chapter 8: The Battle
I went to the right of the staircase, and Meg went to the left, so we would trap the Phantom. "I want to add something to the deal, Phantom. No magic," I said with a smirk.
"Very well, Christine," he said, rolling his eyes. I had no idea how he knew my name, but now was not the time to think about that. Now was the time to think about getting the Crystal Ball of Spirits. The Phantom jumped down to the balcony and gave Raoul a sword. Raoul’s sword was a normal one. The Phantom’s sword had a skull handle. While Raoul and the Phantom were sword fighting, I crawled up the stairs to where the Crystal Ball of Spirits was. The Phantom, without looking, threw his sword over his shoulder to where I was crawling; the sword missed me by a millimetre.
"Did you use magic?" I asked him.
"No. Years of practising," he told me. When he turned his attention back to Raoul, I felt around for the Crystal Ball. Within seconds, I found it. "We win!" I yelled. "Nooooo...." the Phantom cried as he turned into dust. I saw that Raoul was hurt, but when I put the Crystal Ball beside the wound, it healed quickly. Raoul thanked me and smiled. I knew I had fallen in love with Raoul over the short time we had spent together.
"I think we should go to the palace now that we got the Phantom over with," I said to Meg and Raoul. As soon as I said those very words, we were back at the palace stables. "Wow!" We all said at the same time. We went to the palace, and everyone was asking us where we had been. One maid reminded me that today I was to marry Jacob.
"Excuse me, but has anyone seen Jacob?" I asked the crowd of servants.
"He’s in the dining room, miss," answered a girl.
"Thank you," I said to the girl, and I sprinted through the crowd. I opened the door to the dining room and gave Jacob his ring back. "I don’t love you," I simply told him. Then Raoul came in the dining room.
"Hey. You wanna get married?" Raoul asked me. "Oh, yeah! I’ll go get dressed," I said happily as I headed for the stairs. I put on the green dress and the crown with emeralds. We acted all royal, and he proposed properly, saying, "Will you marry me?" I, of course, answered, "I will." And there we were. Meg ended up marrying Jacob. And we all lived happily ever after.
Well, so far at least.
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