Fairytale inspired - chapter 1

On a hill stands a curious little village full of curious little people. If you stood from a distance, aside from the bright red housing, it would appear almost ordinary. You would see a single clock tower rising out of the village and on the hour hear it chime, a deep pealing chime that could be heard for miles. Then if you began to walk the thin cobbled path you would feel a strange tingle race up and down your spine. The people of Rambert said this was you crossing into a new world, everyone else said it was just a story and no such place could exist, for this is the fabled town that few ever enter.

This is how our story begins; on the morning that Lottie finds the village of Rambert. Lottie was blessed with fair hair and blue eyes that shone. She was the kind of person people gravitate towards and she found a joy in life that made those around her smile. Her mother was kindly and made preserves and jams to sell at the market each week, her father made a modest living as the town carpenter. The day that our story starts Lottie, not unusually, had been sent into the town with a sixpence in hand to buy some fresh bread for dinner, and, not unusually, she had been distracted by the singular cobbled, forgotten path that veered from the straight road ploughing its way through her own little town. This day however, was unusual. This day Lottie did something she’d never done before. As she ambled into the centre of town she found herself staring at the path in the distance. The next thing she knew she had walked straight past the bustling shops of the town and was stood at the fork in the road where the strange path began. Contemplating the mystery of the odd little village she could just make out on the horizon, she eventually made up her mind. She had a whole afternoon to spare and she had been fascinated by the path for as long as she could remember. What harm could a simple walk have? With her decision made, she inhaled deeply, set her shoulders and stepped onto the mysterious path.

As she made her way up the stony trail, strange things happened; she felt the fabled tingle race up her spine and began to feel uncontrollably happy, she also got the sensation that she was getting lower and lower down, and above the clouds seemed to be shrinking into the sky. She found no longer stood on a path, but in a landscape of rocks and boulders, that spread out in every direction for as far as she could see. Yet the village of Rambert was infinitely closer and seemed to rush at her with every step she took. At last she found herself at a massive rustic gate that swung open before her and seeing no other option, she swallowed her nerves and stepped forward into the unknown, the gates creaking their way shut behind her.

Walking through the streets Lottie could see that Rambert was not really the village it appeared to be from outside, but a large city, alive and bustling with many strange people. She began to notice everyone had pointy ears and hats of all colours perched atop their heads, each person had large eyes and such a quick manner she could barely tell where they would dart next. Suddenly, a large, evidently important man materialised in the middle of the throng of people, his enormous violet eyes were covered with bushy eyebrows and they focused solely on the mystified Lottie. His ruddy face wore such an expression that it made her look down, straighten her dress and pull up her socks. He began a well rehearsed speech like her arrival had long since been prepared for. “Welcome dear, my name is Abraxas and I am the mayor of this great city of Rambert. We would like to extend the warmest of welcomes to you and hope you will be happy here.” As he spoke Lottie looked around distractedly at the lively strangers obviously visiting the market, some flashed her quick smiles as they hurried past, others hardly seemed to see her except as an obstacle to dodge. Clearing his throat Abraxas announced that he was certain she must be hungry and should follow him to the manor, where she would dine and also stay for the time she was there. And with that said he turned around leaving Lottie to hurry after him for fear of being left behind.

As they approached the manor Lottie’s eyes grew wide, it was the grandest building she had yet seen, and it dwarfed everything around it. She could not help feeling out of place in her simple dress and plainly plaited hair. There was a round driveway where carriages could drop people off, there were butlers at the door, servants and maids scurrying past windows and as she paused to gasp at the sheer audacity of such a place Abraxas walked straight up the stairs and disappeared from sight.

After asking a serving girl for directions Lottie eventually found her way to the dining hall, and entering she saw it was filled with many finely dressed people all seated around an ornate wooden table, piled high with richly scented food, that made Lottie’s empty tummy rumble loudly. Abraxas was seated at the head of the table and waved Lottie to the empty chair next to him, introducing her in a booming voice that rumbled through the hall, everyone turned in interest and Lottie found herself blushing furiously in embarrassment, yet she was also a little baffled as to how Abraxas seemed to know so much about her when she didn’t recall telling him anything. Seated on the other side of her was a boy who to be appeared around her own age, he had warm brown eyes and sun bleached hair that tumbled out from beneath the customary hat, he smiled at her, his nose wrinkling and she grinned back, glad that she seemed to have at least one potential friend in this strange place.

“Hello, I’m Leon,” the boy told her in a deep, musical voice.
“Charlotte, but I prefer Lottie.” she responded politely shaking his hand and blushing, whilst filling her plate from the delectable dishes in front of her.
“So you found your way to Rambert,” Leon mused, and then more directly, “Is England still out there? I forget what it looks like, I do remember the awful rain though and the remote villages, and then you get into London and there were those peculiar little motor cars and people everywhere...”
Surprised at his description of the world she knew Lottie could only sit and gape for a moment, and then, putting her tongue back in order managed to say, “Are you from outside Rambert then?”
Leon chuckled at her reaction, “No, I’m not English, I grew up here with my family, but I had the privilege to visit once, there is very little crossing between worlds these days, which is why Abraxas has brought you here, you’re somewhat of a phenomenon it would seem. We’ve managed to stop anyone wondering into Rambert for decades.” Digesting this information slowly Lottie remembered the tales she had thought outlandish at home, but it seemed they contained far more truth that she’d ever realised. ‘Crossing between worlds?’ Lottie thought disbelievingly, she was coming to realise that her simple stroll up the curious lane was a far greater adventure than she had ever anticipated.

Leon continued seemingly unaware of his companion’s distraction, “My father is seated at the other end of the table, with my mother,” Lottie’s gaze drifted down the table to where a happy, richly dressed couple sat, the woman’s eyes identical to those she could feel looking intently at her own face. Leon continued, “I also have two brothers and a sister around the table, all younger than me, I will introduce you all after dinner. But first, tell me about your family.”
“Oh,” she felt very conscious of her quiet upbringing seated here amongst such obvious wealth, “My father’s a carpenter in the next town,” she frowned at the thought of her family missing her from dinner, they would be worried, “and I have one elder sister, Mabel”
Leon smiled at the thought of the country he’d only once seen and yet admired as much as his own, “How lovely, I would love to meet them one day. Firstly though, there’s a dance after dinner, would you mind me asking for the first dance from you?”
Lottie felt her cheeks redden, ‘A dance? What if I fall over?’  she thought panicking, but not wanting to be rude to her kind and rather handsome new friend, she replied, “Of course not... but I may not know the dances, and I’m not really dressed for dancing either,” She said looking down at her plain frock worried.

At that moment Abraxas turned in his chair, he had clearly been listening and said, “Do not worry about that my dear, I shall take you to your room before the dance where you will be fitted with a suitable gown so that you may dance with our young Prince Leon,”
Lottie turned in surprise and looked with shock at Leon, “Prince?” She asked incredulously, wondering if it was too late to curtsey.
He smiled sheepishly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t wish to overwhelm you, if I tell people that they become incredibly difficult to converse with and I didn’t wish to put you at unease.” Lottie accepted his apology gracefully but found she no longer felt quite so calm in his presence knowing he was who he was. She was just relieved she hadn’t said anything untoward.
Abraxas turned back around to strike up a conversation with the lady next to him satisfied he had caused some waves. He couldn’t have those two getting along too well, he had plans for the prince’s future and they definitely did not include Lottie.