The Princess and the Peasant

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I actually didn't know that it was Marcus in the oak tree, but his reaction was enough to let me know that I was right. The one question I had now was why he was in the tree in the first place? He wasn't even supposed to be at the castle today. He had a pack meeting this morning and was going to stay the night at his pack house. There had to be a reason why he came back early, and I was going to find out.

I slowly sat myself up in the infirmary bed. My head was still pounding, but sitting up no longer made me dizzy. I took slow deep breaths to clear my vision before swinging my legs off the side of the bed. I stood up while looking to see if any guards were around. Luckily, there weren't.

I had no idea how long I had been asleep. I looked down to see that I was still in my dress I had worn when I went to the Healer's. I was surprised that the Royal Healer hadn't told Martha to put me in a nightgown. Oh well, I would have to change once I reached my room. I wasn't supposed to leave the infirmary, but I couldn't stay there any longer.

I walked slowly, painfully, through the hallways leading to the main hall. My head pounded with each step. I had just stepped on the bottom stair when my mother walked around the corner.

"Annalise!" my mother exclaimed. "What are you doing out of the infirmary? You should be resting!" She quickly walked up to me and grabbed my arm. She gave me a concerned look.

"I'm fine, mother. I didn't want to stay in the infirmary so I'm walking up to my room," I told my mother before trying to pull my arm away. It didn't work though, and her grip became tighter.

"You need to stay in the infirmary until you are completely healed. Allen told me to make sure you stayed in the bed. He needs to check on you every 2 hours until your head injury is gone." My mother started to pull me toward the hallway I had just come down. I held my ground and firmly planted my feet on the stair as best I could with my weakness.

"No, mother. I want to go lay in my bed. Just tell Allen that I'm in my room. He can come check on me there." With that, I ripped my arms away from my mother and trudged up the stairs as fast as I could while latching onto the hand rail. I heard my mother sigh before catching up to me. I wasn't going very fast, so she was easily beside me in a few moments.

"Fine then. But you can't get up there on your own," she said with kindness in her voice. She held her arm out, which I gladly grabbed with my free hand. My mother wasn't usually like this. She was very much a 'tough love' kind of person, but I loved it when she wasn't. It showed a very compassionate side of her that not many people knew she had.

My mother helped me up the stairs and into my bedroom. "Do you want to change into a nightgown?" she asked me. I nodded my head as an answer and reached around to unzip my dress. My mother helped me undress and redress before leading me to my bed. She helped me lie down, pulled up my covers, and kissed my forehead.

"I know you don't like some of the things that I do, but please know that what I do now will benefit you in the future. You know that I will always love you, right?" she asked me. I nodded my head and smiled at her. "Good," she said. "Now get some sleep. I'll tell Allen where you are." With that, she turned and walked out of my room.

********

After a few days had passed, I was feeling completely better. All of my injuries had gone away, including the bump on my head. I was sitting in the library reading a fairy tale book when Martha came to get me. She was in her servant dress, consisting of a black floor-length dress and a white apron.

"Your mother wants to see you in the parlor, miss," she told me. I swiftly stood up and set my book down. When my mother wanted to see me in the parlor, she usually meant business.

As I followed Martha out of the room, I asked, "Do you know what she wants to see me for?"

"I don't know, miss. She didn't seem too urgent, but still wanted to see you immediately, " Martha told me. I nodded once and kept walking toward the parlor.

Once we reached the parlor, Martha stopped. "Aren't you coming?" I asked.

"The queen wants to see you alone," she told me. I was surprised at that. My mother usually wanted Martha in the room when we talked about important business that included me so she would know what was going on. This must be secret Royal business.

I opened the door to the parlor and walked into the spacious room. The walls were cream and so were all of the seats in the room. There was a single window on the back wall which was covered with a curtain now. My mother was seated on a love seat by the window and wearing a light blue gown. Her was down, a rarity no one saw but my father and I, and on top of her head sat her crown. I was about to walk over and sit in the chair in front of her when I saw him. Marcus. He was seated to the left of my mother and was laughing at something. He was dressed in black pants and a green shirt. His black hair was combed back making his usual playful demeanor seem more professional. He quieted down when he heard the door open.

Marcus and my mother both turned to look at me when I entered. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of my slight heel on my shoes clicking on the floor as I walked over to them. I sat down in front of my mother and took a deep breath before asking, "What is it you wanted to see me about, Mother?"

"Well your father and I think that now that you have recovered, it is time for a ball. An engagement ball," my mother told me.

I was quiet for a moment. I glanced over at Marcus to see he was staring at me. "Excuse me?" I asked quietly.

"The kingdom doesn't know that you and Marcus are engaged, so what better way of telling them than a ball. The whole kingdom will be invited, we won't turn anyone away. The ball will be held a week from today. Now I know that that doesn't give us much time to prepare, but we have been thinking about this ball for a long time, your father and I. You and Marcus will both attend, and you, Annalise, will enjoy it." My mother stared at me once she had finished.

"I don't really have a choice, now do I?" I said curtly. I hated the idea of having the spend the entire night pretending to be in love with Marcus. I still hated the idea of marrying him, let alone having the entire kingdom congratulate me for hours upon hours. I had no choice though. It was what my mother wanted. I couldn't fight her on it.

"No you don't. But remember what I said, everything I do will benefit you in the future."

Marcus hadn't said a word and I wondered why. He was always very talkative. I didn't really care what he thought anyway, but I still needed to know why he was in the castle when he was supposed to be at his home. Now wasn't the time or place to ask though.He spoke up then.

"Your mother is right, Annalise," he said. "You will grow to love me, and this will just be a push in the right direction."

I looked between the two. I could say no. I could refuse to go to the ball, but my mother would just force Martha to dress me up and take me downstairs whether I wanted to or not. There's no use trying to refuse this marriage. I gave up trying months ago. I would go to the ball, but I wouldn't enjoy it.

"Fine, I'll go," I told them. Then I stood up from my seat and walked out of the parlor and back to the library.

Short filler chapter, but at least I got one up. So sorry it took so long. The next chapter will be better. I'm thinking about doing the next chapter through someone else's POV, but I haven't decided yet. Comment if you want me to or not. I would love to know your guy's opinions. You are the ones reading this story! Anyway, if you liked this comment, vote, and/or follow me!!

Dance like no one is watching!

-Abigail :)

As of February 16, 2014 Chapter 5 has been edited and updated.