The Princess Games

Welcome

Clarissa

***

"Name, please?" the guard on the left asked.

There were two. They were big and tall and dressed in armor. It was quite intimidating, but she'd made it this far. She straightened her shoulders.

"Clarissa Reina."

The two guards shared a knowing look, eyebrows raised, and stood down, uncrossing their swords.

"So you're the pretty little peasant who stole our dear prince's heart," the one on the right said with a grin.

She flushed. "Well-"

"We approve," he said quickly. "I'm just giving you a hard time. Come in, and there will be a maid waiting to take you to the King and Queen...unless you'd like to clean up first?"

She smiled, liking them already. "Please."

"All right," the one on the left said, answering her smile with one of his own. "Just let Elizabeth know."

"Thank you very much."

She did a little curtsy and walked through the palace doors.

Everything was bright, open, and beautiful. There was an ornate chandellier above Clarissa's head, and white flowers dominated every surface. Clarissa was in love with just the foyer. She couldn't even imagine the rest of the castle.

As promised, a middle-aged maid stood by the place where the foyer winged off in two different directions. She immediately rushed to Clarissa's side and curtsied.

"Miss Reina, allow me to show you to your room."

"Thank you. I left my horse by the doors-"

"Charles- he was the guard on the right- will have the stable boy attend to him. Do not fret. We all hope you will be very comfortable here."

"Thank you."

"My name is Elizabeth, and I will be your personal maid for your whole stay. Please excuse me, but I sincerely hope you win these Games."

She was the third person to be rooting for Clarissa.

She wondered why everyone here seemed to want her to win so badly. What had Xavier said?

Either way, it brought a smile to her face and gave her hope that maybe this whole thing wasn't completely fruitless.

Elizabeth led Clarissa through the left wing from the foyer. "The guest wing, where the princesses will be staying" she explained. "You will be given the nicest room available."

They climbed a beautiful winding staircase and turned right. Then left. Then right again. Finally, they came to a beautiful oak door. There was a golden plate on the door that had 'Princess Clarissa Reina' engraved in a pretty curling script. 

"But I'm not a princess," Clarissa protested.

"You are an honorary princess in this kingdom. And you are standing in for Towoba. For now, you are their princess."

Elizabeth smiled her sweet little smile and pushed the door open, revealing a room that had Clarissa in awe.

The window overlooked the pond and the forest. There a lovely little nook, complete with a plush window seat and a bookcase stocked with ettiquite and royal history books, personalized for her. The furniture was all oak. The floors were stone, decked in white plush carpet and rugs. Clarissa longed to slip her shoes off and bury her feet in them. There was a fireplace, a huge, towering wardrobe, a ginormous bed full of white fluffy pillows and blankets, and an open door that led to a bathing chamber with a comfortable looking wooden tub and a white fluffy robe.