The only other thing Aunt Luna said was to remember the Kingdom of Winding is strong. That it has survived plenty of hardships in the past.
"You know your birthday a few years past, your fifteenth, was a rather troublesome time," she said slipping into a very old, very familiar story. I should have tried to escape while I could. "Even after we did all we could to prevent it, somehow you still managed to find a spinning wheel and prick your finger on it, didn't you? Gave us all quite the fright. "
"My hair turned a lovely white though. It used to be such a rich dark earthy brown, you know. When I was younger, why I has the longest, luscious hair you'd ever seen, not as bad as that poor girl they locked up in the tower. What was her name? Raputzie? Rappellza? I suppose it doesn't matter what her name was. Everyone has their own troubles. We all deal with them in our own way too. They come side by side, sorrows and joy. Your parents were childless for so many years, barren people said. They'd nearly given up hope. When you were born they were so proud. The whole kingdom celebrated for ten days, maybe it was eleven. Drinking and dancing. No one worked the fields. Nearly lost the crops to the crows. Meddling crows. And all those gifts. I remember the gifts. Everyone brought a gift."
She didn't need to remind me. I knew the story of my birth quite well, everyone does. Why she insists upon telling it over and over I will never understand. There is a reason I left Winding, actually many reasons. One of them was to get away from this place, my godmothers and that old story.
I know that the Kingdom survived those terrible days. After all I'm still alive. I haven't died from the curse. And yet. And yet. Even if we are strong. There are no guarantees in this life. The cursemaker, the one who changed everything so long ago, she is still out there. She is hiding somewhere. I can only hope she is not the cause of the unease I feel around me. How can I help when I don't understand what is going on? What are they keeping from me? Why won't Joli talk to me? Why is Papa locked up in his study all the time? How could they sell the chimes? What kind of person doesn't like the sound of chimes? Is it a curse? Has the cursemaker returned after all these years? The debt collectors are bad enough. There are just so many unanswered questions. My mind reels with them all, like the windmills on the hills above us that never stop spinning.
Aunt Luna spoke for a long time, much longer than what I put down here. Once she gets started there is no stopping her. I'll admit I wasn't really listening to her by the end, only letting her voice and words drift over me, flowing like a soft breeze. The sound was comforting, I'll admit that.
"Well look at that, Princess!"
Her story came to an abrupt stop somewhere after the point where I'd fallen asleep. "Yes, what is it?" I looked at her startled.
"Do you see?" She pointed up the hill. From our spot I could just see the edge of the apple orchard, beyond it the giant windmills. One tree in particular had caught Aunt Luna's eye. It grew at the hill top. Its empty branches swayed back and forth in the wind. I should correct myself, most of the limbs were bare, except for one branch that suddenly appeared to be blooming. How did I not notice it before? "I'll be right back." I told Aunt Luna, and raced up the hill to pick the apple blossoms for Aunt Rosemary. What luck! I'd never thought I'd actually find any for her.
"Take your time dear, I'll wait for you," Aunt Luna called as I ran off. No doubt she wanted to finish her story. I sighed. It's not like I had anything else I could do. No matter how much I wished to do something, to do anything.
to be continued . . .
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