The Princess of Moonlight City

By Willow George

Moonlight City is under peril from the wicked neighbouring country, Reindeer. Princess Holly Rainbow is compelled to save her country from destruction while fighting against the traitors, and living a dangerous life in Mayhem Palace, dodging between the two sides of the conspiracy and fighting to keep alive...Will she be able to save Moonlight City, or will she, and it, perish?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jan 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781716241840

Book preview

Chapter 1: The Palace of Mayhem

My name is Princess Henrietta Rainbow of Moonlight City. Those to whom the title has any significance will never forget it...and those who don’t know the name had better remember it, because it will be something to them in one way or another.

My mother was Princess Georgette Jeffrey of Reindeer before she married King Alfred Rainbow of Moonlight City. I am their eldest child: I am the heiress. One day, the weight of Moonlight City shall fall upon me.

Then I shall bear with the culture, the tradition and the warfare. Although Lady Jennifer says that I must marry, so my husband can take care of such affairs. I shall never marry through mere cowardice. I will bear the weight of Moonlight City on my shoulders as proudly as Deirdre Oak carried it, so many centuries ago.

The king ails ill, and the queen is proudly hosting old friends of hers from Reindeer. The President Lucas is as simple as a baby. The affairs of the country are in tatters. And if the king died, they shall be worse. The respect of Moonlight City does not lie with women, nor does it lie with President Lucas. My mother may be forced to resign and go back to Reindeer. If she does, she will surely take me, Matt and Stella with her. Either President Lucas will become King, or Uncle Michael will be. Uncle Michael is known as a spy, which Moonlight City will not appreciate.

Thus our country is on the brink of ruin. And what, may you ask, can a fourteen-year-old princess do to prevent it?

I do not know where you come from, but I know that Moonlight City gives plenty of power to the children of the king and queen, especially if they are fifteen and over. I will be fifteen in three months, then I shall attend the political meetings and speak my mind, both as a duty to my country, and to myself.

Stella has peered over my shoulder at what I am writing. She has said it is the most foolish nonsense she ever heard, and that she would prefer to go back to Reindeer, because there is not so much civil war there. All I say is: ha, it’s none of her business! And I shall write it here for her to see.

Now she is offended. "Holly, you never consider others! Who cares about Moonlight City and its warfare!" she exclaims.

If Matt and I die, and you become Queen, then it will be a duty that you must consider, I told her.

I will not ever be Queen, because I shall resign, said Stella.

That is selfish, and I hope you never become Queen on that account, I replied.

Stella is nine. She is a worldly, spoilt, whiny little thing. Now that she has gone to tell tales on me to Lady Jennifer (our governess) I shall go. I do not need another lecture by Lady Jennifer on good conduct. Besides, she needn’t look in this notebook and ask me whether I think I could earn the respect of Moonlight City when I have just put that my mother can’t, etc.

I shall simply leave the children’s parlour and go off to the Grand Library. No one ever thinks of looking for me there.

Guess what I found when I got there? Naughty Matt had climbed on top of one of the bookshelves. There he reclined, ripping pages out of a book called The Sacred Mayhem Cathedral’s History!

Matt, come down at once, I exclaimed. Lady Jennifer shall scold you! And you deserve one for breaking that book!

If she comes in here I shall throw the covers of the book at her, decided Matt. He is twelve, but he likes to rebel. The covers of that particular book are pointy and very heavy.

You could kill her with that; you know how frail she is.

Good! I want to kill her! hissed Matt, and then, charming brother that he is, he rolled over out of sight on the bookshelf.

I myself had my own special place right at the back of the library. It was also on top of a bookshelf, but next to a skylight. I wrenched the skylight open and lay with my head outside, gazing across the curving lawns and paths, and the other side of Mayhem Palace, and the servants’ quarters near the Jasmine Courtyard.

Far off I could see the wall, and the soldiers pacing back and forward, like cats about to strike. The sun beamed great rays down, and the luminous face of Moonshine Clock was hardly visible.

Moonlight City is more beautiful than the pictures I have seen of Reindeer. I disliked the square, flat buildings of our neighbouring kingdom. Moonlight City is famous for the curves and sweeps of the luxurious buildings. And Mayhem Palace is the greatest example of all.

I could hear the hawks’ screams as they swept back and forth across the great horizon, and found no prey. Then, a different sort of scream, but still that of an animal searching for their prey: "Princess Henrietta! Where are you?"

To have rolled over, and revealed my hiding place, and my dusty shorts, and my grimy T-shirt, would have been like volunteering to stay a night in prison. I could hear Stella’s cry of, Holly insulted me, Lady Jennifer! She insulted me! and I despised my only sister all the more.

Lady Jennifer never lets herself be informal. She says, ‘The Palace of Mayhem’ rather than ‘Mayhem Palace’ and always calls me Henrietta and Matt, Matthew. Even President Lucas calls me Holly.

The reason of this nickname is morbid. I am allergic to hollies. I once fell into a bucket of holly-wreaths when doing tightrope walking in the cathedral at Christmas time. I had a fever, and I was thought to die. Since then I have always been called Holly.

Matt hadn’t dared to throw the book covers at Lady Jennifer, and he was silent.

Honestly! Fancy a Princess hiding while the King may be on his deathbed! huffed Lady Jennifer.

But she has plans to be a Queen! blurted out Stella, and when questioned, she gave away my ideas!

I almost leapt off the bookshelf and slapped her. She deserved it, the tell-tale! I cannot go to dinner tonight. Now I must wait till the coast is clear and go and dine with the gatekeeper’s wife, otherwise I shall not have any supper at all.

But then I merit a greater lecture from her tomorrow...

I cannot be grounded tomorrow, because there will be a party hosted by the Queen.

Then tonight I shall avoid Lady Jennifer.

Chapter 2: The War of Middling

It was nearly dark when I returned from Mrs Apple’s cottage. The guards were now almost invisible, and only a slight ray of light might pick out their movements. I walked steadily towards the palace, my rubber soles making no noise on the grand cobblestones.

If I had wished, I could have gone in the main entrance, for no one ever looks for me there. But I made my way towards Jasmine Courtyard, where I would no doubt be welcomed by the servants.

I looked cautiously at the windows of the palace. There were many lit up with bright, warm lights. I was looking...and then I threw myself down on the grass back first.

Lady Jennifer was looking out one of the windows! Her eyes glowed as she stared witheringly across the gardens. The moon had risen, if I moved, she would no doubt see me.

So I stayed still. After a minute, she moved away.

I heard the far cry of wolves and I sped up, running till my feet almost forgot to touch the ground. I entered a tall shrubbery, and then heard the snarls of the wolves. They had spotted me!

I tore sideways to a tree and yanked myself up. There I sat, terrified, my hands and knees grazed. I could see the gleam of the wolves’ eyes and hear their bloodthirsty pants.

I clambered up the tree a little more. Here I gazed at the palace, and then suddenly I gasped. A silhouette of someone in the King’s room! They went by the window, moving slowly and stealthily. They raised their hand. They had a gun in it.

Murder! Was I witnessing murder? I froze for a moment, and then I nearly braved the wolves and leapt off the tree. I just managed to cling on, reminding myself of the wolves below.

I broke a branch off the tree and flung it hard to the side. The wolves chased it, their menacing howls loud and eerie in the silent night.

I leapt off the tree and as soon as my feet hit the ground, I made a break for it across the shrubbery. I ran so that my breath came in short gasps. I tore down a small path and just as I heard the wolves behind me, I leapt into the branches of a tree.

There was a line of trees here. The last tree led to a balcony of the palace. Despite the darkness, I threw myself across into the next tree. I almost fell down, but I wrapped my arms around the trunk and just hung on. Kicking wildly with my feet, I sprung to the next one, and so forth.

My knees were cut now, and I had a long gash down my cheek. I leapt to the last tree and here, bathed in silky, silvery moonlight, I hesitated.

To jump to the balcony and go in through the door would be a mistake. Instead I would scale the building till I came to the king’s suite, then I might catch the murderer.

As I thought this, I glanced up at his window. The light went out as I looked. In utter fear and terror, I did the last jump to the balcony. Not allowing myself a minute to catch my breath, I climbed over the railings and began to shimmy up the gutter-pipe.

The wolves, disappointed, let out a series of howls to the moon. I barely took notice of this as I did a daring