The Sapphire Pendant

Chapter 5

I pounded my fist into the dough in anger.  My eyes sparked with tears but I quickly blinked them away.  I wasn’t going to cry over this like a girl, I was going to fight against it like a man.

I heard a knock on my door.  Oh no I thought as I tied my hair up in a bun with a handerchief and powered some flour on my face so no one would recognize me.

“Come in,” I said nervously kneading my bread.

 Joshua

I walked around the castle looking for the warrior’s chambers.  After a while, I saw a servant who was willing to drop what he was doing to show me.

We walked quietly once we reached the room; he opened the doors for me.  I thanked him as he bowed low then rushed to get out and continue with his chores.

I walked in and saw no one there.  I waited outside the door for Princess Adeline to show up.  After what seemed to be hours I gave up and realized she wasn’t coming.  She stood me up.  It was outraging yet I kind of admired that.  I’ve always wanted to be treated the same as others.  Even in the training ground they always looked or treated me as royalty. 

The princess was the first person to go against what I wanted or needed.

As I walked through the halls of the palace I saw the king, I bowed politely.

“Hello Joshua,” he greeted me.

“Hello Your Majesty,” I replied stiffly.

“Where is Princess Adeline?”

“I don’t know, I have been waiting in the warrior’s chambers for hours.”

“What?” the king asked madly.  I noticed that when the king was angry his scowl matched the princess’ exactly.  If the king didn’t scare me so much I would have laughed out loud.

“Yes it’s not a problem really,” I continued awkwardly.

What I said didn’t matter he walked away with such a determined focus he looked like he was about to take on armies from three Realms single handedly.

I looked at him nervously, he gave me the creeps.

I continued to walk around the castle, finally able to explore it.  I walked into a pair of grand mahogany doors with ‘A’ carved into each one.  They seemed out of place with the narrow oak doors for all the other chambers.  I pushed open the doors and saw books: rows upon rows of books.

I took a closer look as I walked in.  I looked at the fireplace in front of me, in full blaze.  I looked at the mantle above it and saw paintings.  There were five of the princesses, painted individually and one group portrait with them and Princess Adeline. 

There was a larger frame with King Thomas and a woman with sapphire blue eyes like Adeline, who I assumed to be her mother, standing arm in arm. I studied it closely and saw that the woman had the sapphire blue pendant that the princess was wearing the other day at dinner.

I saw dozens of frames some with her mom, dad and herself as a baby and some with just her looking at the painter smiling a wide toothy, smile.  I wondered to what extent I would have to go to, to get her to smile at me like that.

                I turned to the bookcases that doubled as walls with books shoved half-hazard into the long shelves.  There were three of them; I couldn’t believe that someone could have so many books.

                I picked one of them off of the shelf and looked at its leather binding.  I opened it and looked at the title; it was called Quest for Love.  I read the first chapter and it was about two people who were in love and no one thought they should be together.