"Queen Moon, shall I take it to the scholars to be−"

"No. I will personally over watch the translation process," the queen said. "You may return to your post. Thank you for the hasty delivery."

The two soldiers stationed at the main gate of Butterfly Castle stood stiff. Sharpened swords fastened at their hips were complemented by robust shields strapped to their arms. Eyes forward, concentrated on anything to approach. Despite harsh Mewni sunlight and no clouds to offer protection, a cool breeze made the weather bearable.

The clear air was disrupted by a large bird, nearly half the height of the already large men, flying toward the royal household. The sharp claws surrounded something.

Eyes darted to the disturbance and focus pinpointed. The bird flew closer to the gate, eventually circling overhead. The guards stared up.

"Ya think it's a bad omen or something?"

"Nah. Dumb bird is probably lost."

It continued to circle the men. Not descending on them, but staying high above and out of reach. Squinting at the harsh sunlight, they inspected it, not knowing if they were to become prey. "Do you see that in its claws?"

Before the other guard could respond, the talons released and a scroll fell through the air, falling at the sentry's feet. On the scroll, a pressed wax seal was the only identifier of origin. Cautiously, the first sentinel picked it up.

"Don't recognize the house wax. You?"

"Nothing comes to mind."

"I'll be back. Gonna go give it to the clerk for logging."

"I'll be here."

The guard perambulated through the main gate, noticing how well the grounds were kept. Running here and there for duty didn't leave time to sniff the roses. Finishing the brief, he walked into the building juxtaposed to the castle entrance. Information was painted across the peak of the doorway. A small bell clanged above the door to announce the entry.

"Bird dropped this off. We don't know anything about the house."

"I'll look into it. Give it here."

Striding past papers stacked to the ceiling, the guard handed the paper to the clerk and turned back to the door, returning to his post outside of the gate.

Briefly examining it, the clerk too was caught off guard by the strange seal.

Don't suppose a new noble house just came out of the ground, he thought, unamused at the extra work.

Turning around and grabbing a large binder behind him, the clerk flicked through the pages meticulously, looking for any similarity. Upon reaching the end of the noble houses, the book yielded no help in deciphering the marking.

"Strange," he said aloud. "Guess we're onto others now."

Pausing his search, the clerk looked up at the mountains of papers and books to be sorted. Not much longer could an uncharted imprint take up valuable time. Relations with other kingdoms, agreements with corn farmers, and countless other matters cramped around him, constricting time.

Nearing the end of the extensive binder, a finger pressed next to an image as to not lose it in the extensive scribbles dotting the page. Checking the example, it looked right. All that remained was to copy the name of origin down and sort it alphabetically.

Instead of the usually flawless movement, he was akin to, the pen hand halted when he read the name beneath the intricate example. He panned back, left and right, between the two papers.

The scroll.

The book.

Readjusting his glasses.

Back to the scroll.

Back to the book again.

He sat, dumbfounded. The symbols inscribed in the wax matched to depictions on a worn, yellowing page that hadn't seen the light day in years.

He stood up quickly, taking a final glance over the seal to make sure he wasn't seeing things. No, it was truly the same. He grabbed the scroll and tiptoed around the littered room to the door, opening it and rushing out, into the courtyard, and arriving at the entrance hall. Making a left, he ran.

Racing through the wide walls, his mind set on the throne room. Navigating was another matter. Between not spending much time in the inner corridors and the castle acting like a maze with many offshoots, locating the seats of royalty was daunting. The guards standing at corners stopped him several times, not knowing if he was even allowed here. When inspecting the emblem on his breast, he was allowed to pass once again, continuing the vicious cycle of looking and being stopped.

Giving into the pressure of time, he asked, "Which way to the throne room, please!" he asked a guard. Sweat streaked his brow and hands shaking.

Stopping to examine the spiritic man standing before the burly guard, assuming he was alright. "Take a right, it's at the end of that hall," the guard said, pointing in the direction described.

Again, speeding through the hall and only stopping when arriving at the door, out of place because of its enormous size.

"What business do you have with the queen?"

"A message was delivered by bird. It requires the Queen's immediate attention."

The royal guard pondered the statement, blatantly curious of the contents of such a message. "Very well, go in. Mind the time you're taking up." Signaling to a second guard, the doors were opened just enough for the feeble clerk to slip through.

Speed walking to the base of the steps that led to the two seats, the king missing from the normal position next to his wife.

Stopping to compose himself, the clerk announces himself. "Queen Moon, clerk of the main gate of Butterfly Castle. I bring a message we received."

"If you bring it directly, it's important. Yes?" the queen said rhetorically. Putting her paper and quill down, she continued the conversation. "Bring it here."

With hands still visibly shaking, the clerk climbed the steps and, with an outstretched hand, passed the scroll to the queen."

"Unmarked besides the−" Moon stared at the seal, making sure it was being seen right.

"Yes, your majesty, it was what you think."

Not wasting time, Moon carefully removed the wax, causing no damage, and unraveled the message and laid it on the side table. On the paper was gibberish, scribbles, nonsense. Moon didn't understand a word.

"Phillip, do you know what language this is?"

"I apologize, but no."

"It needs to be translated immediately," the queen said. "Did you get a look at the Mewman that delivered it. They must have tricked them into doing so."

"No, my queen. The guard said it was delivered by bird. I saw it on my way out. Very large talons, it looked like a warbird."

Moon shuttered at the sentence. "That means that one of them is here."

Author's Note

Being the first chapter, this isn't very long, but future chapters will usually be much longer

Updates will be as regular as I can write them. I'm shooting for fairly long.

Comments and criticism are welcomed.