The Queen’s Maze

Meet me at the faerie fountain in the middle of the queen’s maze when the moon is full and pregnant in the evening sky. I have a surprise you won’t want to miss.

-Prince Sol

I clutched the note written with hurried strokes against my chest. I needed to hide it in fear that Princess Salor would see it. It had been two years since I became a handmaid to the princess, and one since I secretly started learning ancient spells and incantations that could supposedly awaken a sleeping magic in my bones.

Prince Sol had taken note of how much quicker I was at learning how to be Princess Salor’s hardest working handmaid in comparison to the other girls that were shoveled in at the sell off; he realized a potential in me. Thus secretly giving me lessons in archaic magic that I’d never heard of. He had a hypothesis that fae born with no gifts of any of the six elements- earth, air, water, fire, mental, and spirit- could be taught the magic of our ancestors. I was his first and only guinea pig. The lives of powerless, magicless fae were gambled every year; their fate hanging on two strings- servitude to the royal court or other important nobles, or serving in this never ending war with our neighbors, the architects. Powerful beings who lived in the clouds atop the highest mountains.

If you couldn’t guess by now, I was unfortunate enough to be born to a family of magic and nobility, yet unexplainably could not produce a magic wielding daughter. A week after I turned 18, I stood at the sell off, wearing my best dress in case I was to present myself to royalty later that day. Within an hour I was purchased to be Princess Salor’s handmade in training. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.

Now, I’m racing through a stoney stairway, each footstep nearly collapsing into the next. Rushing from the servants’ rooms in the west wing all the way to the garden far beyond the palace made my typically neat and calculated gait awkward and clumsy. I didn’t know when I was supposed to receive the note from my magic scholar, the prince, but I feared that it was too late for when I finally arrived in the garden, the moon looked as though it threatened to burst into chunks of pale, ashy dust and debris. How much time had passed since Prince Sol slipped that note under the door to my humble servant’s quarters in the palace? 

The edge and anticipation that was building up in my chest slowly started to dissipate as the scent of rose bushes all around me engulfed my senses. I started to feel grateful that Sol picked a meeting place that was more inviting than our usual hideouts. I had grown accustomed to meeting him in dark, forgotten storage rooms and closets scattered all over the palace. Although, I am bashful to admit that meeting with him in close quarters is never short of exciting.

Still, it was much nicer to race against time, and be met by the beauty of the queen’s gardeners’ pride than dusty, old, and forgotten furniture in a closet as I waited for the prince to continue our lessons. I slowed my steps, and took in the rose bushes lining the entirety of the garden as a hedge, as well as the walls of the maze. I couldn’t help but wonder why Sol would pick such a romantic meeting spot to reveal whatever this surprise was. I began traversing through the maze, not unfamiliar with its twists and turns. During my first year of living at the palace, I picked roaming in the garden to be my pastime. Although I came from wealth, our garden was humble and charming compared to this jungle of earthly beauty. Each petal, leaf, and branch perfectly planned by earth faeries.

“Thank the goddesses you’re here!”, the prince’s eyes widened in surprise, it was safe to assume that I was indeed late for this unplanned meeting. “I’m sorry I’m late, your highness”, I gave him my best curtsy, the same way I always do. Despite our weekly meetings, we were still merely servant and royal. Curtsies and “yes, your highness” were always mandatory, even if I was also his student. “No apologies necessary”, he flashed a quick smile. He seemed more relaxed than usual tonight. It didn’t take long for me to realize how distressing our secret lessons were to the prince. I wasn’t the only one who was taking risks by secretly meeting him to study a magic that no fae of this age had mastered. Me, a powerless fae of all people. Sol told me time and time again that I was starting to harness some power, but I had yet to believe it.

“Now you must be wondering why I wanted to meet you here so suddenly”, he said every word so quickly I almost missed it all. He couldn’t contain his excitement. Yes, the thought definitely occurred to me. The prince was usually so calculated and meticulous with planning our meetings. He always knew when no one would be on the lookout for a missing prince or a missing servant girl. “I have something for you. Consider it a gift. For the celebration of the Moon’s Tidings”, Sol rummaged through his messenger bag for a small box just slightly bigger than his fist. It was carefully wrapped in shimmering, red satin with a thin chiffon bow on the top. I marveled at the beautiful fabric and presentation. No one had given me something so gorgeous in years. I could only imagine what it was concealing.

And then it hit me. Tonight was the eve of the most awaited summer celebration, the Moon’s Tidings. A time where all water fae traveled to the nearest sea, and felt the blessing of their mother elemental permeate their bodies. Which raised three questions: 1) How did I forget about this- was I really that caught up in being the princess’ lapdog that I forgot about one of the biggest holidays of the year? 2) Why in the world was the prince giving me, a lowly handmaid, a gift for said holiday? 3) Why was he still here at the palace instead of in a carriage on the way to the beach?

I slowly grabbed the small box, feeling the smoothness of the satin. It was more expensive than any fabric I’d ever touched back home. My mother would have killed to have a dress made entirely of this glistening material. “Your highness, I couldn’t possibly accept this. Me, a servant girl, receiving a gift from a prince. It’s unheard of”, I internally groaned at the formality as I managed to keep my tone as polite as possible. Of course I wanted whatever this gift was. When was the last time a prince had been thoughtful enough to consider giving a present to a servant girl? My sources say: Never.  “Please. Accept it, Aqua. It will help you in our lessons”, there was an earnestness in his voice. I peered up at him one last time, curious as I pulled at the tail of the ribbon to undo the present. One question was answered. This did have something to do with our lessons, that’s why I was being given a gift. Whatever this was would aide me in the prince’s hopes of his theory being reality.

I opened the box, and pulled out a small hand mirror encrusted with golden curls, small roses, and tiny beads of pearls lining its edges. I gasped at the sight and the weight of the mirror, it was made entirely of pure gold. Now I knew I really couldn’t keep this. My eyes darted to meet the prince’s gaze, he must’ve known I thought he was crazy as he said, “I’ve already glamoured it so only our eyes can see its true beauty. To others it just looks like a plain, old mirror. Nothing special to marvel at” 

“My prince, why such an extravagant gift? Who am I to accept this?”, I flipped the mirror over to trace the back of its engravings. It was like a garden etched in gold, roses just like the ones surrounding us beautifully marked the mirror. “This is a magical mirror”, he stated. He made his way over to a a white, stone bench a few feet away from us, and beckoned for me to follow. There was only one bench. I had grown accustomed to being so close to him that I could feel his body heat radiating through the air, but this was different. The center of this maze was indeed spacious, yet he still wanted me right beside him. 

I found my place beside him on the bench, feeling terribly aware of the mere inches that separated us. “This mirror will not only be able to recite the lessons I’ve done with you, but also act as a gateway to communicate with me. If the surface of the mirror glows, that means I am calling out to you. This well help us arrange our lessons so that we can work around each other’s schedules. I know how busy you are, I needn’t call you out in a hurry like this again. I was starting to feel unsure about you joining me here”, he scratched the back of his neck, he seemed to truly feel sorry for the last minute meeting. Prince Sol always arranged well planned meetings. If I let myself be foolish enough to believe it, I would’ve thought he was giving me this mirror as a means to communicate with me more. I mentally shook my head at myself, the essence of the moon above us was playing tricks on my mind.

“Well, your highness, this is the first gift someone has given me in two years”, I beheld his heavy lidded, violet eyes as I clutched the mirror to my chest, showing how much the kindness meant to me. “Is that so?” he raised a brow. He was softer and more casual than usual tonight, I assumed it was because the spirit of the Moon’s Tidings filled the air. “Perhaps I’ll have to give you another one for the Winter Soltice”, the prince let out a soft chuckle that jingled through the thick, summer air. My heart began to hammer as I took in his beauty. I watched as his eyes turned into small crescents, unlike the roundness of the moon shining upon him like a loving mother’s eyes over her son. 

It almost seemed as though the prince had been eyeing me as well. We held each others gaze for a long moment, time felt like it had stopped. I was sure I was mistaken he was as entranced with me as I was with him until he said, “You look”, Sol hooked a finger onto his shirt’s collar as if it was suddenly too tight as he shyly looked me up and down, “More enchanting than usual tonight”

I felt my face become hot as I blushed deeply at his statement, thanking the sun goddess for kissing my skin brown enough for him not to notice. The moon was known for playing tricks on water fae minds when it was as full as it was tonight. Even the smallest feelings that have been pushed down and forgotten, dwelling deep in one’s subconscious, were pulled forward by the tug of the moon. Perhaps the prince once thought my seafoam green servant’s gown suited my brown, olive skin. Even a passing thought such as this could slowly unravel into deep admiration when a water fae was enchanted by a full moon.

“Th-thank you”, I mentally cursed myself for stuttering. “You do as well”, it wasn’t an untrue statement. Sol had been given the gift of beauty by the goddesses when he was born. Literally. A messenger of the celestial nymphs had carried a feather from the heavens for Sol to ingest after it was turned into a fine powder that would be suitable to mix with his mother’s breast milk. The feather was binded with a spell proclaiming that even a foe wouldn’t be able to resist the beauty of the prince.

I suddenly felt self conscious, he said I looked more enchanting “than usual”. So he had always noticed my appearance. “If you were of noble blood, I would have asked if I could escort you to the beach tonight for the celebration”, Sol blushed madly, his pale cheeks exposed crimson blood just beneath the surface of his porcelain skin. It was the tug of the moon in all its glory forcing out more subconscious truths. I knew it couldn’t be a lie, not on the eve of the Moon’s Tidings. The moon wouldn’t let him lie. The moon would only allow the prince and other water fae alike to speak from the heart.

“Actually I-“, but not even the power of the moon could undo the spell that was placed upon me after I was sold to be a handmaid. Servants were forbidden from revealing their true origins, and royalty were forbidden from knowing. This one rule made me feel imprisoned, sometimes even I forgot that my parents were a lord and a lady. I shook my head, I knew that my mouth would only be forced shut if I tried to speak of my noble background again. “I think that would be lovely, your highness”, I finally said with a sad smile.

Sol took note of the ever present sadness in my face. I couldn’t hide my emotions no matter how hard I tried. “I know that whatever you were going to say, I’m not allowed to know”, his tone became solemn. He spoke to me with that earnest edge again, “If there is ever anything that you can tell me, simply pick up this mirror, and I will listen” He placed a hand over mine. I never realized how large his was in comparison to mine. My body felt as though it had a million heartbeats all because of this simple gesture. I foolishly yanked my hand away, and stood up. 

“If your highness would excuse me, I have to change the princess’ sheets”, I barely managed to get each word out as he bolted up beside me. We both knew it was a ridiculous excuse, but I had to escape before the moon compelled him to do something he’d perhaps regret. Although I’m sure I wouldn’t regret it at all. “Wait!”, he exclaimed. I cringed because I didn’t know how much more of this I could stand. It felt as though we were meant to be there together, and I couldn’t take it. I was never allowed to have him, I shouldn’t have even been considering the thought. 

“Please drop the formalities, and just call me Sol at least once”, he gazed at me through his lashes, looking as demure as a puppy. It was hard to resist such a strange request when he looked at me like that. “It’s the eve of the Moon’s Tidings. There’s no need for formalities right now”, he promised. As though convinced by his own words, he took my hand in his, folding his warm palm over the back of my hand. I felt my knees weaken, and it took all my strength to not collapse onto the stone bench again.

There was a penalty for addressing a royal by their name without their title, but Sol looked at me as though his life depended on me saying his name. I cleared my throat, there was no way I was stupid enough to do this, yet for some reason I had to, “I don’t believe I thanked you for the present yet. Thank you, Sol” The prince frowned as he smiled, as though he was forbidding himself to reveal how truly happy he was to hear me say his name. Within seconds of saying his name I felt something inside me shift. It felt as though a ball of yarn was being undone. An overwhelming warmth of clarity I hadn’t felt in years filled my body. 

I coughed and stumbled. I felt embarrassed to be seen like this. “The spell, it’s broken!”, Sol beamed, “Now you can tell me about your past” I looked at him bewildered. I slowly started to remember that once a royal and a servant address each other by their names, the spell that conceals the servant’s origins slowly slips away. I blinked rapidly as I realized what this meant. We were now equals. 

“I’ll leave you to change the princess’ sheets, Aqua. I will be waiting for my own mirror to glow”, he gave me a slight bow before turning away. I stood there alone amongst the rose bushes, once again feeling their scent calm my heart. The hum of the garden’s life lulled me into a reverie. I began to make my way back to my servant’s quarters, retracing the steps that brought me here to the middle of the maze. The palace’s entrance was a mere yard away now. I slowly stopped, noticing the crunch of grass beneath my feet as I felt a familiar force beckon to me. I looked up at the pale moon arrogantly taking up half of the night sky, and I could’ve sworn it winked at me.