Unmasked

Chapter 28

-unedited-

Chapter 28:

He leads me down I path I've never been through before, his hand on mine as he does.

My attention keeps going from our hands to the path he was taking me. I was just about to say something before we turn and we're faced with massive set a stairs, ones I've never seen before.

Remember the staircase, I think to myself as he leads me up.

"It's just up ahead," he looks back at me with a smile on his face.

"I've never been here before," I let him know.

"No one has, this area is restricted to anyone outside my family," he looks back forward as we make it to the top.

"W-what?" I begin to panic.

We walk a bit more before he stops in front of an old-style wooden door.

"It's fine, you're with me."

"Where-?"

"This place only exists to the family but I wanted to show this to you anyway," he looks down, "I just felt like I should."

Before I can respond he gently turns the nob and opens the door slowly. I shouldn't be as curious as I am but I can't help it, as soon as the door is open I turn to look inside.

I've explored many of the rooms of this palace and they've all this sort of consistency to them, but this room was entirely different.

This room felt much more spacious compared to all the others. The room was all in gold and brown, the colors of wealth and nobility.

The floors were carpeted and the walls were draped, I could tell that there were windows in the far back wall but they were boarded, but in the center right wall stood a lone, tall mirror.

"For the past couple of generations, the Queen was only giving birth to boys, no matter how much they tried," I hadn't realized I had wandered into the room without him, I turn back to look at him leaning on the door frame.

"This room was meant for the princess that might be birthed every generation." His eyes wondered all around the room until they finally landed on me.

For some unknown reason I quickly looked away, something is different in his eyes today and I can't tell what.

"Why does the family want to birth a princess?" I asked, still looking away.

"They say a queen is better suited to protect her own kingdom rather than to marry into another one," I can't still feel his eyes on me, "and the last one we had brought us a lot of peace and fortune, you can tell that we need that more than ever right now."

At that I look at him but his eyes are to the ground.

"Why did you show me this room?" When he looks back up at me, I don't turn away.

He doesn't answer. Instead, he walks straight past me and to the end of the room and turns.

Before I can ask what he's doing he pulls aside a drap from the wall and opens what seems to be a hidden door and disappears.

I rush to follow him, there I meet him in a room full of dresses.

"Oh my," I breathe out.

"Of different sizes and different fabrics, whatever the princess may like," he stands in the center of it all, "choose whichever one you like."

My eyes wonder to the variety of dresses that hung before me. Some ranges to a child to a grown woman, from soft to brighy colors, there were so many along with slippers that matched along the bottom, it made me wonder how long they planned for a princess rather than for a prince and how hard they worked for every single dress.