Chronicles of a Royal Pet: A Princess and an Ooze (Royal Ooze Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  “Sure, Julius! Here!” My owner passed me over to her brother, and his eyes gleamed with interest as he took my body in his hands.

  “So soft and squishy,” He said with awe. I rumbled a bit at the praise, and he giggled in a way a lot like my owner.

  “Should you really be bringing such a monster to the dining table?” the mother asked at last. King Tiberius shrugged.

  “As long as it does not make a mess all over the place, I see no reason why it cannot join us every once in a while.” At that, my owner let out a breath of relief. Julius passed me back over, and I settled into my owner’s lap.

  “How did you choose such a unique choice for your pet?” the father asked after a few minutes of some more small talk and dinner.

  “Well, I was looking around all the various animals, when I saw a small glass tank in the corner. I was drawn to it, and was instantly entranced by this little guy. He looked so small and sad inside his glass case, and when I picked him up, it just felt right.”

  “Hmm.” A noncommittal hum was her father’s response to the story of our meeting. Still, I felt his eyes focus on me several times throughout the meal. That continued up until the end, as if he was judging me.

  When supper ended, I was carried back to the room. I’d been fed small little samples and tidbits throughout the evening by both my owner and Julius. It had been a pleasant time in spite of feeling that the mother was not thrilled with my presence, or with her father’s constant scrutiny of me.

  My owner placed me on a fluffy cushion next to her bed. As I snuggled down into my impromptu bedding and she prepared for the evening I thought to myself (Still a novel action!) and reflected on my first day of life. I was still learning about myself and the world, but I couldn’t shake that something important had happened because of me. Change was coming. And somehow I knew I was going to be right in the middle of it all.

  The next few days were filled with learning, both about myself and my new owner and home. There was a lot.

  Liliana was beautiful to me, and I gathered that the same was true for her fellow humans. Her hair was extremely straight, as if it were perpetually being ironed out, and was a soft, light brown color. Her eyes were glittering green, gem-like in a way. Her nose was like a button, and a smile graced her face almost constantly, giving her a doll-like appearance. Body-wise she was slender with the body of an adolescent just starting to become an adult.

  My owner was quite enamored with knitting and embroidery, and had worked on making my bedding all on her own. Whenever she had free time she spent it playing with me, practicing her handicraft skills, or reading books in the impressive castle library. One of them at least.

  Called the “Little Library,” it was where the royal children had been tutored for countless generations in the castle. It could have desks moved around, and the shelves all contained easy to read materials for all manners of subjects. The room had massive bay windows that let in plentiful light, alongside mountains of candles for nightly sessions.

  At one point during a regular trip to the small private library Liliana found me trying to reach for a book. It was not unusual for her to let me pick out something to read. I would gesture to a tome at random and she would then recite it to me, pointing at pictures and words I could not see. But it was the interaction that I craved.

  Yet something about this particular book seemed to draw me in. I felt no magic other than the standard preservation and fireproofing charms, and none of the tomes in here contained magical secrets or enchantments. I was pulled towards it none the less.

  “What is it Jelly? You want me to read this to you?” I bobbed up and down and she smiled. She pulled out the thick leather clad book and set it down on a nearby table.

  “Let me see… Oh, this is a genealogy book of sorts. That is, it records information about my ancestors,” Liliana explained. “You know, I don’t think you know about the family, do you? Let’s start at the beginning then!”

  Eagerly flipping through the pages, she stopped at an early one.

  “The House of Roan is directly descended from the old Imperial dynasty of Val’Narash, the big continent to the south. Sadly there was an event known as the Great Catastrophe which turned the whole of Erafore on its head. Our ancestors fled to Orria and built a new life here, founding the line of Ar-Varia, or The Victorious in the Elder Tongue.” Liliana spoke slowly as she recited the words on the page, only altering them in a few places for me to understand them with context. “Much of that early time has been forgotten and lost. In fact, the earliest and best recorded figures of Varia’s history belongs to Cyan Ar-Varia, the Savior-King, and his sister, my namesake, Liliana Ar-Varia.”

  When she spoke the name of her female ancestor, a tremor went through me. I had a connection to that name, somehow. One that was deeper than just my relation with my owner who had the same given name.

  “Liliana Ar-Varia is well-known today, but unfortunately the reason for that is a sad tale. About two thousand years ago much of Orria was invaded and conquered by the forces of the Second Elfish Domain. Cyan and Liliana’s father was slain in battle and Varia became subjugated. Worship of our gods was restricted. For a dozen years mankind languished under the whips of the elves,” my owner lamented, stroking my head comfortingly. “For Liliana this was a hard time for she was a priestess of Cynthia, Goddess of Light. The exact reason for what happened next is subject to much debate, but the gist of it is that she angered the occupying force’s leader and was ordered to be executed for some religious matter. Her pet, a loyal Lily-lynx, escaped the capture and brought word to Cyan who had been forbidden from seeing his sister for years and exiled to serve the defenses against the monsters and bandits along the borders.”

  “Long story short, Cyan was unable to reach his dear sister in time,” Liliana said sorrowfully. “He arrived only to find her already dead. He then swore vengeance and waged war for five years to drive the elves from Varia and then from Orria! He was hailed a hero, but he never forgot why he had done so.”

  “The Church of the Divine Family named Liliana Ar-Varia the Martyred Saintess, Lady of the Lilies, and many other titles. But for King Cyan he gave her the greatest honor he could. He named his eldest daughter Liliana to honor her legacy, and so the tradition has been passed on. The eldest daughter of the royal family has been named ‘Liliana’ for countless generations.”

  “And you know what else? There was one other thing that my namesake gave me,” Liliana whispered conspiratorially to me. “You see, there exist things known as Bloodline Traits in this world. Potent magical abilities that can allow a person to wield strange and unique powers obtained from birth and handed down to one’s children. I have one. As do Julius and father. Passed down in the royal family from the first of the Ar-Varians, I possess the ability known as Miraculous Mystery.”

  “No one really understands it, hence the name,” Liliana explained, leaning on the open book as she looked down at me with a pensive frown. “In moments of great danger or life changing events it is said to activate to save its owners, or to allow us to bless others with the grace of divinity. It is also supposed to nudge me along, giving me hints about what my fate is, and what I need to do.”

  “Truthfully, I believe when that the day I found you I had been drawn to the pet store. I think I was meant to find you.”

  I nuzzled her arm. I am thankfully to her ancestors if this was the case. Thanks to her magic, I was able to find a home and a family.

  On the topic of relatives, my interactions with Queen Amdora were limited. We saw each other rarely, and only when I was with Liliana. She kept her distance from me and I guessed she hoped my owner would grow bored and discard me eventually. I had no fears on that end. The princess utterly doted on me.

  I ended up spending an afternoon with her at one point. My owner had joined her mother for a small tea party with a few other noble ladies when the queen cornered Liliana in the library one day. It was held in one of the rooms of the palace as
a sudden squall had made the usual spot in the gardens unavailable.

  For the event Liliana was in a sensible powder blue dress with a red ribbon wrapped around her waist like a sash. For accessories she only wore her necklace and the enchanted ring.

  Queen Amdora wore much more jewelry and fancier clothes, but did not look overdone. The overly ruffled and laced silver and red dress along with the rings and brooches all emphasized her royal bearing.

  In the sitting room hosting the tea party I sat in my owner’s lap with the queen on her right. With us were three other noblewomen. Two around the queen’s age while the third was probably only a few years older than Liliana. They all gave me strange looks when they spotted me but quickly ignored my presence as they chatted with the royal pair.

  “It’s a shame Countess Darpel could not attend,” the oldest of the three claimed.

  “Indeed, Lady Tamira. But my sister-in-law runs Geldstein as much as her husband, if not more so,” Queen Amdora stated.

  “I suppose operating the richest fief in Varia takes more than a little time and effort,” the noble woman conceded. Her companions nodded.

  “Doesn’t hurt that they are so close to the Crawling Coast. All that maritime trade is only going to grow now that the colonies in Drakon are becoming successful,” the youngest guest pointed out. A round of agreements came out that at.

  “Speaking of growing, is your son still as excitable as always?” Lady Tamira inquired of the queen. Amdora sighed dramatically at that, making her daughter and I snicker quietly.

  “Dear Julius is a little too fond of the outdoors and the stories of adventurers. He tracks in mud and grit even when he steps out for a minute,” the queen lamented. “At least my daughter has a level head, if a bit full of those same far-off tales.”

  “You know I cannot help but notice the critter you have with you, Princess Liliana,” the young noblewoman said, bringing attention to me at last. The queen took a sip from her tea to cover her frown.

  “Jelly has been nothing but an excellent companion so far,” Liliana praised. “He’s clean and makes no messes and is hardly a picky eater, Viscountess Silvia. I could not ask for a better pet.”

  I preened at her words and sat up a little straighter in her lap.

  “Still, do you not worry that it might harm someone? Tamed or not it is still a monster,” the third woman pointed out.

  “I fully trust him. The only incident he’s had so far was when he broke a vase practicing his jumping.” To demonstrate she placed me on the ground. I was fully on board with showing off and I scrunched up slightly before leaping a foot into the air.

  I held back as at full height my bouncing could reach four feet. Aside from squirming along the floor or rolling like a pillow full of gelatin jumping was my only other method of locomotion. By tightly compressing myself I essentially turned into a living bouncing ball.

  I moved by inching my body along sort of like a snake crossed with an inchworm, although the speed was quick for such a seemingly inefficient method of movement. I could keep up with a brisk walking pace with no trouble. And hurling myself like a tiny missile was also a decent way to get about.

  “And that is not all he can do. Jelly, shake!”

  Upon my princess’ command I created a stubby little pseudopod limb that reached out to Liliana and slipped into her hand. She then enthusiastically pumped it up and down. I lifted off the floor with each movement of her arm, to the amusement of the guests.

  This was another neat trick I had figured out. It was harder than it looked. They were barely useful for gripping anything and I could also only produce three at a time, though from any part of my body. But at least I had the option of limbs with which to grab and interact with. My world was steadily opening up the more I understood myself.

  Polite applause greeted me when I ceased performing and Liliana gave me a finger sandwich for my troubles. I took it eagerly, letting my gelatinous body envelop the piece of food. In seconds the snack dissolved inside me and I hummed in thanks. I lacked a sense of taste so I couldn’t say if it had been an exceptional sandwich or not. Part of being an Ooze, as well as the fact that my entire body was essential a stomach that could digest anything. From dirt to meat to pieces of the vase I accidentally broke, I had yet to encounter something inedible for me.

  “Yes, Liliana’s slime has been an easy one to care for. It certainly saves us from buying any specialty foods. And with the price of fodder on the rise that is a good aspect in my books,” Queen Amdora said. Her praise was hollow however.

  “Brune’s ranches would probably pay a premium for feed. My husband has been looking for new business now that some additional fields have been cleared. I should see if he’d be interested,” the viscountess mused, and I saw a glimmer of victory in Queen Amdora’s eyes.

  “I should introduce you to the Linwell Company. They’ve started doing business in the south recently and I think they’d be glad to help.” A thankful nod was the queen’s reply, and I saw the queen’s game.

  Gossip and business were her duties after all. As the wife of one of the most influential men in the world she had her own ways to manage the kingdom and its prominent figures.

  “I have to say I am surprised that the little slime has not gotten into more trouble. No offense but seeing a monster roaming around would give me a bit of a scare. And of course our queen is known to have a ‘blast first, ask later’ attitude in regards to being startled.”

  “Countess Cleren, please! I’ll have you know I have not done such a thing in a long time,” Queen Amdora protested. Liliana just smiled and the other ladies smirked.

  “I remember when I was at the Royal Varian Mage’s Academy with you, your majesty, and I seem to recall more than a few ‘mishaps’ with your spells when someone bothered you,” Lady Tamira chuckled as she teased the queen. “Did they ever repair that scorch mark in the southern gardens?”

  “Yes they did. I helped.”

  “Better watch out there, Princess Liliana. I don’t know how well a slime can endure fireballs at close range.”

  “Thank you for your warnings, Lady Tamira. But I’m sure mother would never try to hurt my precious Jelly.”

  What looked suspiciously like guilt danced across her features but were gone before anyone save myself could notice. I made mental notes to stay alert around Queen Amdora in the future.

  “Don’t worry. If you are anything like your mother your magic should be more than plenty to heal any damage she does to your pet,” Countess Cleren assured my owner. “Her talent as a mage is renowned for a reason, after all.”

  A bright smile lit up my owner’s face at the compliment. She really looked up to her parents, after all.

  On the matter of parents there was only one person I had spent little time with getting to know him. But what I did told me that the king of Varia was an interesting man. When not doing paperwork in his office, King Tiberius met with officers and officials from other nations as well as his own. Much like what his wife did, but in less social settings. The busy king nonetheless tried to spend dinner time with his family. I could tell he was a doting father, and my owner and her brother both loved him dearly.

  Each time he looked at me it seemed that he suspected that his daughter had done something to me. I was not a typical example of my species. We both knew it, even he couldn’t say what it was exactly, and I felt he was expecting big things to come from my existence. What truly made him a person of interest to me was that he possessed an even greater magical ability than his children. I worried often in those early days that he might take away my newly acquired ability to think and perceive the world around me. Perhaps this was an overreaction on my part, but was a fear that persisted regardless of any logic.

  But it was while I studied the family I had been brought into that I learned about myself as well.

  My ability to observe my surroundings was constantly working. Even when I slept, if something I deemed to be a danger got too close I’d b
e forcefully awakened. I learned about that when a cat thought I’d make a nice bed, and I reacted by scaring it off with angry jiggling. Those claws really hurt.

  To breathe I took in air through my skin. Even if submerged in water, I could still absorb oxygen to survive, like the gills of a fish only all over me.

  But learning about myself and my family took a back seat at times. I was content to spend time with my dear owner, playing with her and her brother, and being fed morsels of food. No one dared to openly speak ill of me, at least around my owner. They assumed I was just a mindless animal, and spoke openly in my presence. Gossip and scandals quickly became as common to my ‘ears’ as the praise Liliana gave to me. And I liked it. If the loose lips of the servants could potentially give me information to help my owner, then I would take it all. Of course, I had no way to convey any of it. But that was an issue for another time to resolve.

  Chapter 3: Lunch in the garden

  “Be sure not to go too far, Jelly! Try to stay within the garden!” Liliana called out to me, and I acknowledged her with a jiggle of my body.

  I was outside in the royal gardens, a large, semi-enclosed region of the castle that acted as both a greenhouse for fruits and vegetables the kitchens used, and a headily scented spot for tea parties and entertaining guests. It was a fabulous place, filled with healthy plant life of all sorts.

  It was late summer, and the normally blistering heat was somewhat muted. Partly because the castle was built along the side of the Starblind Mountains, keeping it cool due to altitude and wind, but also thanks to a handful of runes carved into the walls that regulated the temperature and kept things from boiling over. Runes were common throughout Varia. From simple ones to boil water and create light, to complex ones like those here in the castle that keep summers cool and winters warm. While most peasants couldn’t afford something that complex or advanced, magical items were wide-spread enough that even poorer families could have one or two runic or enchanted items with basic effects.