Zamora Part 1: Lunar Mission

I yawned deeply and turned to my side. I spotted my giant calendar hanging on two pins. My clothes from yesterday were lying on the floor looking rather forlorn. My markers were scattered on my study desk and I little piece of paper with my name written in different fonts. That must be from the day before yesterday when I was bored so I wrote my name to see which fonts it looked best in. I slowly got up and cuddled my silk pillow – It’s the one I got for my birthday. Another day in Zamora I grabbed the paper and stared at it for a couple of moments – specifically at my name

𝒥𝓊𝒹𝒾𝓉𝒽

𝕁𝕦𝕕𝕚𝕥𝕙

🅹🆄🅳🅸🆃🅷

Ⓙⓤⓓⓘⓣⓗ

𝙹𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚑

𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐡

𝐣𝔲ĎƗ𝐓н

I never really liked my name. Judith. It was so incredibly weird. I was told it’s so nice and unique, but I never liked it. I took one of the markers and marked a big X on today’s date. Now it was time to start cleaning my room. Which was a big task. “Good morning sweety!” My mum called as she saw me woken up.

“Hey, Mum!”

“Goodness me Judith. Why on earth are you cleaning your room? Mother Teresa will clean it up for you, that’s what she’s for after all.”

“Mum, she does a lot for me, I’m fine doing one little task”

“My, my, what has gotten into you, dear. And secondly do not call me Mum and don’t use the greeting Hey. Say ‘Good morning mother” Mum replied, saying the last part in a pure British accent.

I rolled my eyes exasperated and continued cleaning my room. Mum or “Mother” always taught what to do and what to say. I even had to wear fancy dresses whenever I went outside. Not to mention my giant bed. The only thing I liked about it was the amount of silk on it, and I loved silk it’s just so soft and smooth. I’m not saying I don’t love how much I have, it’s just that it makes me feel like a spoiled brat. Am I a spoiled brat? I’d want to say no, so I think I’m not.

 You see if you already haven’t figured, I’m part of a royal family and the only princess in it. So, it’s obvious I’ll get all the attention, but I don’t want it. I just want to go to school like any other student, not be home-schooled. I just wanted to wear a pair of baggy pants and maybe a tank top like other girls my age, not fancy little dresses and long coats all day long. I finally finished with my room cleaning and I headed off to change. I could get out of this tight pajama set. I wish I could sleep in an onesie or a t-shirt and shorts, but no, even at night I have to look sleek and ready for anything… Great!... Ugh! Why me!? How could I forget, this was all part of tradition anyway. I’ve always hated traditions. They're always so… I don’t know how to explain it, I just hate them. And the royal family has even more family traditions than usual people might have. Like, you can’t eat a single grain of rice after the king (My dad) finished his supper or dinner. I sometimes have to beg my parents to eat slower so that I can finish my food – I'm a slow eater! I’ve already like broken so many traditions already. I don’t even remember how many I follow. Maybe like… 0? Even though I live such a good life, I still have many restrictions. Like I can’t go out of the castle or the garden patches around it. So, no one had seen me or even heard me. I don’t like not talking to my villagers. It makes me really annoyed. Like if I want to be a good ruler, I need to know how to talk to my villagers!

On top of all these awful traditions, I hate one a lot. And I hate this one a lot because it includes me in it. In fact, it’s all about me. It’s exactly going to be on the day of the lunar eclipse. It has to be done by every princess or ‘future to be queen/king’ and at the age of 15 which I'm going to turn this year. It’s only done in Zamora which is the realm we live in. It’s a lot like earth but more… fantasy? I can’t say I haven’t gone to earth, not even outside my castle… I guess it’s a fantasy for you but for us, it’s nature. It’s what we have lived in since we were born. The only difference is, we have way more animal species like dragons and unicorns and many more. So, what I have to do on the lunar eclipse is fly to another realm (By the help of my alicorn) which is like our realm but doesn’t have civilization. It’s a place made for the royals and especially me in this context. So back to the topic, I have to go there and complete three tasks, which we call the ‘Lunar mission’ If I pass them, I’m allowed to be the future queen, if not then I cannot be the queen instead Marissa, who is the sole queen of ANOTHER realm will take over. I don’t like her. No one does. She has been trying to take over our kingdom for years. And since my dad has protected us from her curse so well, she can’t curse us physically, but her powers are so strong, that she created these tasks and we have to complete them if we want to keep ruling the kingdom. Who knows what she will do if she takes over…? So now all the focus is on me. Everyone expects me to complete those three tasks and keep our kingdom safe.

***

I came down the hall to have my breakfast. It was different from usual; everyone was eyeing me. Oh yeah probably because of what happened earlier with Mum. Oops, sorry ‘Mother’. But that’s happened loads of time, they always forget it, what happened this time?

“Umm, Hey…” I tried starting a conversation

Silence.

Okay.

Fine.

Let’s take a different approach, shall we!

“Hey! Ooo, I love pancakes! My favourite aren’t they!? I bet yours too”

Silence again.

Okay, something is up. They are never like this. Maybe I should just ask them straight up what going on.

“So, umm... everything fine?” I tried

“Mhm” Dad mumbled

“Okay… you know what, imma just gonna ask you straight up what’s goin on. So, why are you staring at me?” I asked

“Honey, I told you Judith would realize, why do we have to keep it from her? Let’s tell her” Mum started talking to Dad.

“Okay hold up, I think I asked the question here so please answer me.” I infuriated

Dad stopped ‘faking to be interested in a picture’ and mum stopped looking at the roof. Oh no. I knew from that moment they were going to break something bad to me. “darling, look” Dad started

“Yes… I'm listening” I continued

“So, we just got the dates for when the lunar eclipse is.”

WHAT! NO! OKAY MAKES A LOT OF SENSE WHY THEY WERE BEHAVING LIKE THAT! OH NO, I'M IT’S NEARLY TIME!

I looked back at him astonished, surprised, scared, nervous, … everything! I couldn’t believe it was nearly time for the… Lunar mission!

“What? It’s time? How! I’m not ready! I told you! I told you we had to practice! Why don’t you listen to me? whyyyy?”

“Judith! Calm down, Hun. Look, we have no idea what Marissa has planned. It could be anything from a sword fight to solving riddles. We. Have. No. Idea.

I let out loud groan. My life was officially over…

“Wait, I forgot to tell you what even the date is”

“Please don’t I’d rather not know”

“Darling, you have to get mentally prepared we have to tell you. Umm, so it’s kind of tomorrow”

I shot my face up and it was no longer slouching sadly. Now I KNEW I was dead.

“What?! No!”

“I know it’s a lot for you to take in, but you have to do this, it’s important”

“I know it’s important. But dad. Mum. Will I be able to do this?” I considered

“Yes. We know you’ll be fine. You’re a great leader.”

I smiled at them and then hugged them both tightly. Now that’s what I call an amazing family. Anyway, I better get passed this day and tomorrow get passed this tradition. And this time, it’s a tradition I really cannot break.