The Hidden Princess (Book One of the Whispered Tales)

Chapter 8

'But, Your Majesty—' said the Queen, trying to sweet talk him.

'Not another word!' he said. 'Now, in the time we have left until the engagement, please have her ready to look and act like a princess. The way she came down those stairs alone says a great deal about her manners.' And the King stormed out of the room.

Eliza cried, heavily accompanied by hiccups and sighs. Her feet didn't listen to her anymore, and she fell down, her face buried in her dress.

'I'm sorry, Your Majesty,' she managed to say in between sobs.

And then she felt the Queen's hand caressing her hair. She looked up at her and saw her smiling. And, for a moment, all the clouds seemed to have vanished. That's how her mother would have looked like if she had known her. Ready to wipe out an entire storm with a single smile.

'Come, child,' said the Queen, taking her hand and sitting her alongside on the bed. 'I know what you did was wrong and you have every reason in the world to be worried. But I also know that you are very brave and you won't let anything stand in the way of your dream, however impossible it might seem. And, trust me, that's very admirable.'

Then suddenly the Queen's eyes were filled with tears, 'But it's so hard to live a lie... Believe me; I know this better than anyone. It's a burden that slowly eats away at you...'

Eliza didn't understand the Queen's words. And she was careful to wipe off the tear that was about to fall.

'Let's see how skilled Nanny Ana was,' she said with a sad smile. 'I assume she knows the whole story, too, and helped you to mingle so far.'

And the Queen asked her random questions which Eliza tried to answer as best as she could—how to eat fish, what is her place at the table, how to drink from a goblet of wine, how to walk in the Throne Hall, how to dance, and what to wear for a festive dinner.

It appeared Nanny Ana was thorough in the girl's education. The lessons started when they set foot in the castle might not have turned Eliza into a princess, but at least she was acting like a noble lady. Eliza got most of the habits of a princess. Walking and dancing still needed practice, though. And the Queen promised her she would learn so much during those next days, that no one will ever doubt she wasn't a real princess.

Then the Queen asked her to do something that took Eliza by surprise. She asked her to sing.

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Eliza was bound to sing for the second time. How bad could that have been? She was to gain another wrinkle. Plus, at the engagement ball, she was to sing for the last time; then she would bury the bracelet and forget about it.

Just as it happened when she sang to the Prince, the song she was now singing was unknown to her. But she sang it like she has done it ten times before. It was a song about a mother longing for her long-lost child. When she finished, the Queen approached to kiss her on the forehead, with tears in her eyes.

Eliza asked permission to retire, for she couldn't bear the Queen asking her to sing another one and then another. She felt like she could do anything for this strange being, only to feel her warm caress one more time. The Queen consented to her request with a smile, but before Eliza could leave the room, she stopped her.