Alonwea and the first floor

Once upon a time there was a castle of towering white, so tall it looked over the clouds. At the top of the tallest tower, a little girl about ten looked out the window at the whirlpool of clouds beneath. This girl with a waterfall of maple locks down her back was Princess Alonwea.

She had a heart shaped face paired with glinting emerald eyes and her pert lips were stained red as if she had eaten a berry
Down below, at the edge of a gully was where the modest kingdom of Aleria resides. The legend of the castle haunts this place, a cruel monster that can turn those who dare enter her abode into decorations for her lagoon, until the chosen one can free her from the castle.

Alonwea watched the clouds drift by like fairy floss each passing day, and the mountains powdered sugar peaks embrace the heavens. She was bored that day, all the books read, all the games played and lunch was a whole hour away. Alonwea paced back and forth the whole length of the room muttering under her breath “I’m so bored!” Then the thought suddenly occurred to her,
“I know,” the child cried “I’ll explore the first floor! I’m never allowed there.” If Alonwea had not been a curious child she would no have gone to the first floor, but then we wouldn’t have a story.

Down the stairs, Alonwea tiptoed as fast as she could without a thud. Alonwea’s room was on the 20th floor of the castle, which meant that she had to travel down 19 flights of stairs. By the time she arrived at the 15th floor Alonwea was puffed out. “There-must-be-a-quicker–way!” she breathed breathlessly. She tried to proceed towards the next step but was so tired that she lent on a knob on he wall to rest when she heard a clack. Her eyes enlarged in her surprise and stepped quickly away, Then there was a background of thuds behind her, she flicked her head back to peek and to her horror the stairs were collapsing, her thoughts of fear stopped abruptly when the step gave out beneath her, and before she was able to comprehend the situation she was shooting down the other 14 flights of stairs.

She reached the 1st floor in no time .Alonwea stood in the mouldy foyer, it was so eerily quiet. Slowly she approached and slid open the cooling slate door.

Inside it was quite dim; the only light came from the stairs. She squinted her eyes in an attempt to scope the room through the obscurity of the light. She was finally able to perceive a disk of light that started to swell and encircle the room with its light .When at long last she could see it was some what amazing to see in a castle. A lagoon of bright, sparkling blue-green water lapped at the foot of the seaweed draped rocks. The water was such an alluring deep blue that she started to dip her foot in. At the last moment the water started to bubble, and foam rose menacingly to the surface and a beautiful sea nymph emerged.

“Welcome to my humble dwelling, princess.” Sounded like a smooth flow of burbling water when the nymph spoke. Alonwea quaked with trepidation as she took a step forward hesitatingly. “My name is Princess Alonwea,” she replied with a quaver in her voice, “please tell me where I am?”
“You are situated in the 1st floor in which only you can enter without fear.” sang the nymph, “Welcome to Radii’s cave chosen one!”

Alonwea was still shaking “what do you mean the chosen one?”
“My dear haven’t you heard?” announced Radii “You are the only one who can free me!”
Alonwea stood stock still; her lips seemed to be glued together. “Well, can you help me then?” the nymph questioned. “I-I don’t know what to do!” was all Alonwea could stammer out.
“Are you or are you not Alonwea daughter of Rain, Queen of clouds?” asked Radii suspiciously with one brow raised. “I d-didn’t know m-my parents, but I know Mama’s name was Rain.”Mummered Alonwea squeaking. How could this nymph know more a bout me than I do!  Burst into Alonwea’s mind.
“Well then you are the chosen one, good then you know how to use this staff.” Alonwea saw what Radii was giving her, a long glassy blue staff with green emeralds embedded into it. “All you have to do is direct the blast to that rock wall and if I am correct the staff will do the rest.”

Alonwea clutched the staff for a moment, and pointed it at the target, this seemed horribly familiar thought Alonwea. “I hope I know what I’m doing!” She cried. A bluish glow emanated from her powering the staff to its full power. Then she struck the hard surface of the wall with the tip of the staff not once, not twice but thrice.  The blast that escaped from the staff blew her and Radii backwards into the lagoon as well as the rock wall.
Alonwea had done it, she had freed the nymph and unbeknownst to herself she had saved the kingdom. Then a thought occurred to her “Oh no I’ve got to get back to the 20th floor!”
“No you are not a prisoner anymore you are the rightful queen that us nymphs of the world have hoped for. And now you can stop those ministers from making a mess of it.”

Alonwea remembered that it was those ministers that had locked her up in that room for 10 years .The old men with their wise beards had told her it was because the world was to dangerous and she had listened.
The coronation would be next week, and then she would be the new Queen of the nymphs.
And so everything ended happily ever after, like every good story should.

By Selafia Lavendel