Page 6

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We stepped inside the palace. The round entrance hall had a sky-high ceiling that came to a steep point. A diamond chandelier hung overhead, suspended from a long gold chain. All the walls and the floor were made of quartz, vaguely translucent and almost glittery, but there were also blooming vines that seemed to grow straight out of where the floor and walls met. White sampaguita flowers climbed the walls on all sides. Then I noticed an interior doorway—at least two stories tall, arched, with double doors and huge curvy handles, like twisted branches. The handles had perfect sticklike trunks, with puffy round green tops and tiny white and pale-pink flowers.

“Welcome to the Palace of the Sirena Court, Your Highness.” A butler in a barong Tagalog—a sheer formal shirt made from the linen of pineapple husks—appeared by my side. He barely came up to my elbow. “My name is Ayo.” He was one of the dwendes, mischievous sprites. He held his hand out to show me the way.

I looked to Elias, unsure whether I should trust this stranger. He nodded his approval.

Still unable to find words, I followed Ayo through the big doors. They opened like magic in front of us, revealing another foyer with a wide curving staircase. It went straight, then split to the right and left. We headed up. Elias and some guards marched dutifully behind us, along with a few maids in matching gray uniforms. Like the door handles, the banister was made from varnished tree branches. It seemed to be one continuous piece of wood.

We went to the right. At the top of the stairs there was a gorgeous landing, the same quartz floor. “Your rooms are this way,” Ayo told me.

We went through another amazing door, and another, until we reached a deeper interior of the palace. A sitting room with large chairs made of woven rattan, with high, curved backs, preceded yet another room, this one with a large desk and a gold chair with a white seat.

“This is your office, where you will receive your correspondences, conduct official business—that sort of thing,” Ayo told me.

My heart skipped a beat. I had no idea how to do any of that. I hardly knew how to manage myself. Mere hours ago, I couldn’t even pay attention to an economics lesson. Let alone manage a kingdom. I felt like an impostor.

I wished my mother was here with me and that I had been able to see my father before his death. But I pushed down my fear and sadness. No matter how intimidated I was, I had to honor both my parents by taking the throne and living up to the position. And to my ancestors. All the encantos in my family tree. The last diwata of the Paulanan Mountains had been my great-great-great-grandmother. There had not been a female heir, a mountain spirit, in the family until my birth. I had to take up the mantle of my legacy. Later there would be time to grieve my father and the separation from my mother.

“On to your private chambers,” Ayo said as he kept on walking, past some more sitting spaces set up around the area and tall bay windows with seats built in, and through yet another door. That one led to another high-ceilinged chamber that not only accommodated a massive canopy bed but also multiple wardrobes, a dressing table, and a walk-in closet that could easily have been another bedroom—in fact, it was bigger than mine at home. There was a gleaming, airy bathroom attached, with another separate space just for the ornate marble claw-foot tub, as well as a private lanai with tall French doors opening onto a golden-railed balcony. It was larger than our entire apartment back home.

Even better, it was all in my favorite color: shades of purple, from lilac to deep, rich plums, coupled with lots of white—the floors, a crescent sofa, the furniture—and gold accents. Handles, doorknobs, a huge gold-and-crystal chandelier.

After a brief walk-through of the rooms, we returned to the bedchamber. A timid young girl who looked not much older than me stood near the door to the walk-in closet. Her hands were clasped in front of her white-and-silver gown. She looked down at the ground.

“This is Jinky, your lady-in-waiting,” Ayo told me. “Her family has worked in the Sirena Palace for centuries.”

Jinky curtsied. She was pretty, with long black hair and a gentle smile. Her skin was a pale moss green, which marked her as a mountain spirit. She seemed nice, so that was a relief, at least. “Hi,” I said to her. “My name’s MJ.”

That caused a flurry of uncomfortable throat-clearing around the room. Jinky looked up, as if she was alarmed, and Ayo rushed forward and started making excuses for my apparent gaffe. “Ahem. Yes.” He cleared his throat again. “May I present Her Highness, princess of the Court of Sirena, diwata of Paulanan, one true heir to King Vivencio of Biringan,” he announced.

After that everyone seemed more at ease. I guess I’d been too casual with Jinky. Not sure how I was going to keep up with all this protocol.

“It is good to see you returned to us,” he said. “We were worried the insurgents...”

“They came close,” I said. Just thinking about it brought back the fear, as if a winged enemy would appear from the shadows.

“You have no fear of that here, Princess,” Ayo assured me. “They cannot breach the magic that protects you in this palace.” To Jinky, he said, “Our soon-to-be queen is as yet unfamiliar with court etiquette.” Then he turned to me. “However, all will be remedied. You have been apprised of your start date with the Biringan Academy of Noble Arts?”

Even as the one true heir, I couldn’t escape school, it seemed. “Afraid not,” I said.

He took out a tiny leather pocket book and flipped a couple pages. “Ah, then allow me to deliver the wonderful news!” he said, as if I’d won the lottery or something. “Your coronation training will commence immediately. You are set to begin bright and early tomorrow morning.”

Tomorrow morning? “But I just got here. I don’t get to, like, settle in first?” I had just escaped from an insurgent faction of winged assassins, lost all contact with my mother, and said goodbye to the only world I had lived in for almost all of my life.

“Afraid not, Your Highness. We want our leaders to be wise, learned people. And if I may be quite honest, you are a few years behind in your formal training. There’s no time to spare. The coronation is scheduled for your eighteenth birthday.”

I balked. “That’s in a month.”

“Technically speaking, less than a month,” he said. “Therefore, as I said, no time to lose.”

“I can’t be ready in a month,” I insisted. Panic rose in my throat.

Elias stepped up. “If I may, Princess, the reality is, you must. Biringan’s magic will only continue to fade until then. The disorder we just endured is nothing compared to what will happen should we lose control entirely.”

Ayo agreed. “Thank you, Don Elias, for underlining the gravity of the situation.” He turned to me. “If you’ll excuse me, there is much to be done. I’ll return later this evening.” At that he nodded curtly, bowed, then turned abruptly and left the room. The other maids and guards followed him.

Once they were gone, Elias asked me, “Before I go, since we have a moment of privacy, is there anything I should tell the academy about your talent?”

I had no idea how to answer that. “Like, can I sing?”

“No, Princess.” He looked perturbed. “What I mean is, what is your ability? Your magic?”

“Oh! Um...” I tried to think. Did I have one? At any time in my life, had anything magical ever happened to me? As the mightiest warrior in Sirena, my father could command the oceans to do his bidding, and it was said he possessed many magical gifts, so great was his power. But I couldn’t even make a ripple. In his letters, he had told me my talent would manifest when it was time. So far, it had not been time.

Encanto magic was rooted in the earth and in the elements, the ability to command water and fire, to communicate with animals and plant life, or to transform into different creatures. But so far, I was as ordinary as any other mortal.

“Think, Princess,” Elias said. “Surely it’s revealed itself by now. Perhaps you simply didn’t recognize it. Think of a time you were under duress. Did anything strange happen? Something otherwise unexplainable?”

I racked my brain, trying to think of something, anything, I’d ever done that could be interpreted as magic. Nothing came to mind. Not a single thing. And the most stress I’d ever been under had just happened to me. Still, nada.

“Hmmm,” Elias said, tapping his chin. “In order to be crowned queen, you must display your powers as part of the coronation. While I understand you did not grow up here, we were led to believe that your father guided you from afar. You were supposed to be taught about these things, so you’d—”

“Well, actually, yes. I have magic,” I said quickly. I wasn’t going to let him think my mother somehow failed. In fact, it made me mad. For good measure, I added, “I do remember something. My mother always told me to keep it a secret. I’m not super comfortable talking about it right now.” I attempted an air of confidence. In my father’s letters, he assured me that I would eventually discover my talent, that it would manifest at the right time. Since it had yet to reveal itself, though, I couldn’t help but begin to panic. But I couldn’t show Elias that.

The old man was visibly relieved, his tone brightening. “Of course. I understand. Rest assured, the staff here at the palace has been thoroughly vetted, by me, personally. We’re all invested in your ascendancy. You should feel safe to share your talent when you’re ready.”

“Right. Good to know. So, how, exactly, do I display it? At the coronation.” I needed to figure out how I was going to make this work.

“After a display of their powers, the one true heir must remove the royal scepter from a solid wooden chest. Only the rightful ruler can do so; all others will fail. Pass this test, and you are crowned.”

I swallowed. “Sure. No problem.” Also a lie.

It was a huge problem.