Chaos

  ( Mordy )

  Mordy took up his favourite unicorn banner and tied two of the corners around his neck, creating a makeshift cape. His face creased as he pressed against his bedroom door, as if wincing might encourage the hinges to remain silent. Being discovered before he'd even managed to sneak out of the orphanage would be embarrassing.

  It wasn't that he had anything against the treehouse. The matrons had always taken good care of him, and cooling weather had rushed white blooms to form tasty tart berries. But all was not well in Titan. Two Fairy Princesses had died, and another was imprisoned.

  More and more kids had arrived recently too. Most had come from the Enchanted Forest, but today a whole bunch had turned up from Rainbow City. He'd even had to start sharing his room. Silver symbols which had previously lined every wall now had a single corner to call home. Without the space to display them all, most had ended up folded and stacked.

  He didn't blame the other children. It wasn't like they had a choice where they ended up. He didn't even mind the constant crying. Back when he'd lost his ma' and pa' it had felt like the world was ending. Even now, years later, it still hurt. He'd just had to accept it always would, and there was nothing he could do about it.

  As he tiptoed through the hollowed, winding trunk, he heard one sobbing voice unlike the rest. It wasn't coming from one of the orphans' bedrooms, but rather the staff quarters. He quietened his breathing and sneaked over to earwig.

  "There's no way so many accidents happened in one day," wept the voice. "Dropping a lantern is one thing, but two parents drowning in the same bath? One man suffocated in cupboard while his wife tripped and fell on a fork! It's not right! Something's going on!"

  So that's why so many new kids arrived today. Maybe Rainbow City is cursed.

  To his relief, it seemed the upset matron was not alone.

  "I know, I know," whispered a second voice. "But we can't just abandon these children. They've lost enough already. Besides, it's getting rowdy out there. This is the best place for us."

  "They say Cutiehorn and Bubblebun stormed the Tearoom today," sniffed the upset matron. "At this rate, nowhere will be safe!"

  Things are worse than I thought. I have to hurry!

  Mordy might not know the reasons for it all, but it was clear that things were going very wrong. If no one would pass his message on to Queen Titania, then he'd go to her and offer his service directly.

  He slipped out of the treehouse and rushed across the moonlit lawn to scale the fence.

  There were two ways he could reach the royal palace. The easiest would be the Sky Spire at the centre of the green band. He wasn't entirely sure how he'd get in yet, but he figured he'd start by knocking. It was worth a try, considering the alternative was a balloon ride followed by a long trek through the dark, frosty forest below.

  He kept his head low as he hurried down quartz streets. It seemed things had gotten worse over the past few hours. Royal emblems had been torn, neighbours yelled in one another's faces and thieves rummaged through unattended market stalls.

  Are they all dumb? Why are they ruining their own city?

  Mordy soon realised that knocking wouldn't be as simple as he first thought. Despite it being the middle of the night, a huge amount of people had gathered. Hundreds stood between him and the Sky Spire. He'd never seen so many so tightly packed before.

  Not wanting to squeeze through the crowd, he instead looked to a flowery trellis. If nothing else, life at the treehouse had taught him how to climb.

  Just a few moments later he reached a verdite veranda and looked out over the sea of heads and shoulders. In the distance he could make out the palace entrance. Things looked rowdy, but it seemed peacekeepers were at least keeping the doors clear. He just had to make it there.

  Mimicking his heroes, Mordy took running leaps to traverse the rooftops of narrow streets, though with far less grace.

  This'll be a lot easier after my metamorphosis!

  The closer he got, the louder voices became. It seemed there was another group of people just as packed together on the other side of the Sky Spire. The two gatherings were screaming at each other. Some amongst them even hurled things in high arcs, such as bottles of citrine-coloured liquid.

  Finally he arrived upon a peridot penthouse, a stone's throw from the peacekeepers' barricades. He was looking for the safest spot to drop down when someone yanked him back.

  "Where do you think you're going, idiot?"

  Mordy was just about to struggle, when he realised just who it was that had him by the shoulders. A trusted friend of Queen Titania herself. "Lady Dollymop?"

  This is perfect! She can talk to -

  Fabric fingers pinched and twisted his ear.

  "Ouch!"

  "What's a kid like you doing here?" asked Lady Dollymop. "You're going to get yourself killed."

  Mordy tried to explain. "I've come to help! I've come to -"

  "No," said Lady Dollymop. "Sit down and shut up until I can get a peacekeeper to take you back home."

  "But -"

  This time, it was not Lady Dollymop who interrupted Mordy, but a rolling wave of gasps from the masses below. The pair peered over the railings to see the Sky Spire's door mechanisms rotating and flicking.

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  Crunk.

  The crowds fell silent. Peacekeepers shuffled back a step. Neon hues swept away the tower's shade and out stepped a trident-wielding fairy.

  For a moment, Princess Splishsplash just looked this way and that, her flat expression unmoving. "What is the meaning of this?" she called, loud yet monotonous. "There is nothing to be gained by standing here. Return home and resume your regular lives."

  The questions came somewhat clearly at first. Voices shouted, "Why is Princess Sunshine imprisoned?" and "Where is Queen Titania?", but it didn't take long for the words to become an indistinguishable barrage of noise.

  So many started howling that it was impossible for Princess Splishsplash to address any single concern. She surveyed the noisy mass whilst tapping a finger on her trident. Finally, she lifted it then slamming it back down. The reverberating sound was harsh enough to pierce through the chorus and quieten most, though it also made those closest flinch.

  "If you insist on asking questions, you must do so in an orderly fashion," called Princess Splishsplash. "I will address you one at a time. Keep your enquiries brief, so that all may speak."

  "That seems fair," whispered Mordy. "...Right?"

  Lady Dollymop's button eyes remained fixed on the royal, her stitched lips curved with concern.

  The merprincess scanned the surrounding faces, before focusing on a young woman. She was pale, trembling, and rocked a small, midnight bundle in her arms.

  "It was reckless of you to bring a baby." Princess Splishsplash beckoned her. "Come, and speak quickly. You must return home with haste."

  The young woman cradled the cloth wrap all the tighter on her shaky approach. "Th-that's the thing, Princess Splishsplash... Queen Titania burned down my village, and now these monsters," she gestured to the opposite crowd, "are trying to run me out of town. W-where am I supposed to go?"

  The accused broke into roars. A second later, so did their counterparts. The calm, it seemed, had only lasted for mere seconds. Projectiles flew anew, and peacekeepers rushed forward to hold the line once more.

  Mordy had never seen so many people break the rules before, and it terrified him. Adults weren't supposed to act like this. Adults were supposed to know better.

  It was during that ruckus, while Princess Splishsplash was distracted, that the young woman cast away the midnight sheet to reveal not a babe, but a blade.

  A second later, it sank into fairy flesh.

  Crammed bodies lurched, as if a shockwave had hit the crowds. Some stumbled. Others screamed.

  Princess Splishsplash looked to the dagger planted in her sizzling shoulder, then swung. The back of her hand hit the young woman's face, causing her head to spin backward with a crack. "The Queen's will is absolute." She thrust trident prongs right through the attacker's chest, before hoisting her limp body high for all to see. "Defiance will not be tolerated." Red rained, painting coral and muscle alike. She pulled the blade from her shoulder and tossed it aside.

  Mordy's head tingled. The edges of his vision throbbed black. He thought he saw the young woman's backward face make one final, tearful gulp for air, but he couldn't be sure.

  "Shit," said Lady Dollymop.

  Chaos erupted.

  Most turned and started trying to claw their way out from the crowds, but some charged at the peacekeepers. A few even dared to attack Princess Splishsplash, maybe thinking they stood a chance while she was injured and her weapon occupied. They were wrong.

  Legs split into rubbery limbs and lashed out. Tentacles snared and constricted until bones broke. Suction cups sealed noses and mouths, quietening cries until there were none to be heard. Soon enough it was clear to all that resistance equalled death, and that was when the tide truly turned.

  Thousands attempted to flee at once, though in no single co-ordinated direction. They stampeded in the streets below, pushing, falling, climbing and trampling. Dozens tried to squeeze through narrow alleyways, trapping one another in living walls.

  "Cease!" called Splishsplash. "You are harming yourselves and others."

  When she approached to try and help, people only panicked more. Those they'd considered allies just moments ago were now treated like obstacles to be crushed if they were to survive. Hands reached out, desperately seeking aid, only to be swatted and stomped. Windows smashed and crystal shards sliced.

  Faces discoloured and lips choked. Ribs snapped. Lungs collapsed.

  "Stop!" Mordy screamed. "Everyone stop!"

  But it was too late. They weren't listening to peacekeepers nor royalty. They weren't even listening to the pleading wheezes of the dying. They certainly weren't going to hear a child out. Fortunately, Mordy wasn't the only one begging for reason.

  Lady Dollymop loosened the threads of her arms, before dangling them over the railings to help pull victims to safety. "Dammit, Splishsplash!" she shouted. "We need Titania or Sunshine! They're the only two these morons will listen to now!"

  At first, the merprincess seemed hesitant to abandon the crisis. She took a moment to pry pushers away from crushes, just for them to scarper into fresh trouble elsewhere like senseless beasts. Only when it was clear that her presence was causing more problems than it was solving did she retreat to the Sky Spire.

  With his heart racing and limbs tingling, Mordy looked towards the next jewel structure.

  Move. Move. I have to move!

  He refused to allow horror to trump determination. Fingers twitched. Toes curled. Each desperate quiver invited action to spread, until he'd recovered enough freedom to escape Lady Dollymop's watch. With eyes streaming, lips screaming, and unicorn cape fluttering, he ran. Feet kicked off from the peridot penthouse, sending him soaring over the deadly channels below.

  Don't look. Don't listen. Just keep moving!

  If the rainbow's surface wasn't an option, then he'd stick to the rooftops and make for the balloon docks. It seemed he'd have to brave the Enchanted Forest if he were to save the queendom.