• ɕhapter 4



    Ι was suddenly swept away, as if by the strong current of a river. Nothing else seemed to matter as the princess's soft, sweet lips pressed against mine. I had never thought the day would come when I, a lowly peasant, would get a kiss from the princess. I certainly hadn't thought it would be so sudden. It felt as though she had been holding back all this time, her lips pressing against mine with what felt like longing. But sadly, all sweet things must come to an end.

    The princess pulled away, her cheeks flushed and her eyes wide. She looked almost as surprised as I felt. Then, without saying another word, she turned on her heel and started walking away. My feet felt as if they were frozen in place and I watched her go, her silky blonde hair flowing down her back.

    "Come on, Felix. Stop acting like a simpleton and come along," she says, snapping me out of my thoughts. I run after her, my quick steps seeming incredibly loud in the narrow hallways.

    After a little while, the princess stops at a set of large wooden doors and she looks back at me, smiling brightly. I can't help but smile as she turns back to the doors and pushes them open. I follow her in, looking around the room with wide eyes. It was a massive bedchamber with plush rugs laying over the cool stone floor. A fourposter bed with silk sheets stood near the middle of the room, a dressing table and a privacy screen occupied the space to the left wall and a stone fireplace lined the right. There was a large window on the far wall that overlooked the queen's rose garden, and what a beautiful sight that was. As I looked around the room, my breath caught in my throat. I was awestruck. It was, after all, the princess's room, right?

    "Well Felix, this is your room. Just come and get me if you need anything, although, there are servants for that. I am right across the hallway, here." And before I could say a word, she pressed her sweet lips to mine once more, "I will come get you for supper. Bathe and dress, be ready, alright?" I nodded and opened my mouth to speak, but she was already gone so I closed it again, feeling like a simpleton. I was going to eat supper with the princess and the queen. Whoa. What a day so far.

    I look around the room one last time and think about how lucky I've been today. Then I notice steam rising from behind the privacy screen and sudden longing tugs at my heart. I have only had six-teen warm baths in my entire life. One for each of my birthdays. You see, before the raid that signaled the end of my happy family, I had been the oldest child of six. My five younger sisters had always gotten to bathe first so by the time it was my turn, the water was always dirty and cold. Only on my birthday was I allowed to bathe first. Oh how I missed my family.

    I shook my head, bidding my thoughts away then walked across the plush rugs to the tub that was waiting behind the privacy screen. The tub was a large, wooden thing and it was filled almost to the rim with clear, steaming water. I tested it with my hand, and the warmth spread throughout my body. Then, as fast as I could, I peeled the dirty clothes away from my body and climbed into the tub. The warmth seeped through my bones and my muscles relaxed for the first time in a long time. Oh the bliss of warm water! It felt fantastic as the sweet warmth soaked into my bruises and cuts left over from the raid, the pain fading away. I put my head under the water and scrubbed out all the dirt that had built up then came up for air, sighing happily at the feeling of being clean.

    I scrubbed myself clean then stepped out of the tub and one of the servants handed me a soft towel. I dried my hair as best as I could, then another servant handed me some clothes. They were beautiful, fit for a king, really. Crimson red and jet black. A black pair of trousers that were just a little bit too short- not something that I minded though. I was used to that, being the tall fellow that I am- and a bright red tunic. I slid them on then looked over at the full length mirror that I hadn't noticed before. I see someone I've never seen before, a tall young man wearing fancy clothes that almost fit him but were just a tad bit too short. His dark hair hanging in his pale, white face and emerald green eyes looking back at me. There is pain hidden deep in his eyes, that you can see if you look really hard, but obvious happiness laying over that, like a fresh layer of soil over dry, cracked ground. Just to make sure it really is me and not some illusion, I reach up and touch my face, and sure enough, my reflection follows suit.

    Suddenly, a knock comes at the door and I spin around. I must have been staring at myself for longer then I thought I had been. "Y-Yes, come i-in," I say, the surprise causing me to stutter. Then the princess walks in, wearing a new dress with her hair tied back in a simple braid.

    "Shall we, Felix? My mother will be waiting," she says, not even the slightest smile on her face. I wonder why she stays here if she dislikes her mother so much. I'm sure she could escape this horrible place if she wanted to. Okay... well I can't really say the castle is all that bad. I mean, a warm bath and a luxurious room... for a servant.

    "Yes, let's go. I just hope your mother doesn't try to sentence me to death again..." I laugh lightly then hook my arm around hers, like I'm going to lead her to supper, but then I realize I don't know the way and I blush for the millionth time today. She notices my blush and laughs then starts walking, leading me away.


    ♛ ♛ ♛



    Meanwhile, while the princess and I were walking down the corridors at a leisurely pace, the queen was pacing back and forth in the throne room. She was panicking, what if the princess had found love? She couldn't take the throne from her because he was a commoner, right? There was no way that commoner and her own daughter would take the throne from her. She'd kill them both before she let that happen. "I need to do something..." she mutters under her breath, "They will not take my throne! I am queen!" A scream rips through her body and a powerful burst of magic shoots throughout the room, breaking the windows.

    The guard that had been in the room bows lower and stutters, "I-I'll help your cause, Y-your Majesty. You w-will always b-be queen." The queen smiled her wicked smile when she heard this and walks over to him. This man will always be loyal, more because of fear then actual trust, but that was okay. She wanted people to fear her forever. If they were scared enough, they would never rebel. Ever.


    [End of Chapter 4]