To Keep a Promise

.1.

'Your Highness, we are arriving at the kingdom borders soon, you may want to be awake'

My eyes fluttered open, having been lulled to sleep by the carriage's gentle sway. I stifled a yawn with my gloved hand as the young woman across from me awoke with a small smile that looked positively serene. 'I will be so glad to see Mother and Father'. The girl's maid nodded toward the woman sitting beside me, and I almost elbowed her in the stomach before remembering the company we were in. 'Estelle, we are arriving'.

Estelle jumped awake beside me and was alert almost instantly. At this the other ladies in the carriage giggled. I simply smiled at her and pat her arm affectionately, grateful to have someone along with me. The carriage slowed to a halt and I looked out the window. The fields that stretched for miles were covered in a layer of crisp white, causing a shiver to run up my back. I was not made for the cold.

'State your business' the call came from the guard at the gate, who must not have recognised the royal seal on the side of the carriage, or he would not have spoken to the driver like that. The girl opposite me winked with mischief and popped her head out the window, ignoring her maid who desperately tried to pull her back in. 'Oh come now Gus, it hasn't been that long has it?' an audible gasp followed her phrase before the sound of the gates clanging open filled the air. 'Princess Aria, please forgive me'

I didn't have to look out the window to know that the guard, and surely all the other men standing outside in the freezing cold, were bowing with their faces low to the ground. Aria stifled a giggle, instead being gracious. 'Never mind. It would be nice to go home though'

The carriage began to move once again, and Aria sat back down in her seat. 'That was fun' her eyes sparkled and her cheeks were red from the cold. 'Careful, your Highness, or you might catch your death' her maid, Hannah, looked concerned, and I held back the urge to roll my eyes.

'I'm so glad you decided to accept my invitation Eve. I do not know what would have done without you!' the subject changed seamlessly and the maids warning was disregarded. 'Of course Aria! We are friends' the words felt unfamiliar on my tongue, perhaps because I had never really had friends before. It all was foreign to me.

Her gaze had turned to look out the window and I followed suit. The town began to pass by and houses appeared, which would have looked cheerful had they not been covered in a layer of snow, just like the fields. I held back a sigh.

Aria reached forward suddenly and grabbed my hand 'I have to confess that having someone else around while my brother meets every noble woman from the countryside will be a relief' the tone in which she spoke was mocking, causing a sharp laugh from beside me that Estelle quickly disguised as a cough. A smile crossed Aria's face.

'I am sure it won't be that bad'

'You have no idea what it's like Eve, having an 'eligible, handsome' brother' she sat back once again and trained her eyes back to the window. I sighed in something like agreement but kept my thoughts to myself.

I was saved from answering by a delighted whinny from outside. The horses picked up speed and rushed under a large bridge. I watched as we approached large black gates, opening up for us without any hesitation. Of course the royal guards here recognised the seal.

We drew to a halt in front of the Palace, my mouth wide open enough that Estelle had to nudge me in order for me to shut it. I could not help it though. Right before me was the royal palace of Corisan, bigger and more imposing than any artist's rendering of it. My breath caused fog on the glass of the window which I quickly wiped away.

Aria noticed my expression and gave a soft shrug. 'It's not much, but it's home' the mock seriousness on her face caused me to laugh out loud, and not in a very ladylike manner, earning me a shocked look from Hannah and a gleeful one from Aria.