The Silver Crown

21.

It was silent for a moment while everyone processed what I had just done. I smiled to myself.

"Maurice," Brinian broke the silence, "Leave the room. Take everyone with you. I have some matters I need to discuss with Princess Alyssandra."

Maurice glanced at me.

I frowned, "Well, I was under the idea that they are 'possed to answer to me."

Brinian kept his composure well even though he must have been frustrated with me. "Princess, could you please excuse your attendants?"

I tapped my chin thoughtfully, teasing Brinian. "I don't think I can spare 'em, Captain. I need them to attend to me."

Brinian took a deep breath, annoyed, and I held in my laughter.

"Anything you say to me can be said before them," I said nonchalantly.

"Of course, Princess."

"I do have a name!" I snapped.

"But you are the princess," Brinian said, figuring out his own small ways to annoy me.

"Fine, keep talking. I am not going to hang around all day," I said impatiently.

"Milady?" Maurice interrupted.

"Yeah?" I glanced at her.

"Can we get you ready for your day?" Maurice wondered.

"Actually-"

Brinian made a noise in the back of his throat. I glanced over at him and raised my eyebrows, asking him what he wanted.

"I thought you needed them to attend to you," Brinian said, turning my earlier words against me.

"Right, I do need you to...help...me." I said reluctantly, refusing to let the captain win.

Maurice grinned and I gave her a glare, warning her to not push her luck.

"Captain, if you would follow Princess Alyssandra over here," Maurice said leading the way to the dressing room.

I followed very reluctantly. Looking back I saw Brinian following with a smug grin on his face.

"Can you get us a replacement for Eliza, please," Maurice asked Niva. Niva nodded her dark head and disappeared out the door.

Maurice settled me on a chair facing Brinian. "Milady, invite him to sit down," Maurice instructed.

I rolled my eyes. "Do ye want to sit down?"

Brinian inclined his head in my direction, the image of decorum. "Thank you, Princess."

I rolled my eyes again, tired with this already.

Maurice began to untangle my braid of the day before. Her deft fingers did it quickly and almost painlessly.

"She is to see the king and queen this morning for breakfast, Maurice. Make her presentable." Brinian said.

"I will do my best, Captain." Maurice said.

"Alright, you came here to talk, so talk," I demanded.

"Right," Brinian began, his tone suddenly changing and his face becoming angry. "What were you thinking yesterday? Fighting Gannon was stupid. You were recovering from a healing and he could have hurt you. I discharged him from the guard but you provoked him. It is my job to ensure your protection but I cannot spend all of my time keeping you from making idiotic choices. What were you thinking?" He demanded again.

"I was bored and he wouldn't shut up," I said indignantly. "The priestess is a lot better than the one I went to for my arm and my leg so I was fine. My shoulder didn't even bother me yesterday."

Maurice began to brush out my long hair, my one vanity.

"Still, why would you fight Gannon?" Brinian asked, exasperated.

"We were sparring and I beat him." I admitted.

"I cannot believe you...gods above! It was idiotic and stupid. Do not do it again." Brinian snarled.

"I will do whatever I want," I snapped.

Brinian, deciding to come back to this argument later, brought up a new topic. "Was escaping the palace your idea?"

"No," I said, my voice quieter.

"Who was your friend? How did she get in the castle? Did she have a plan to get you out? What went wrong?" Brinian fired off.

"Miri was my best friend. I'm not sure how she got in but she was wearin' a messenger boy's hat. I noticed her in the kitchen and she gave me her uniform. She planned that we were just going to walk out. I never had a chance to ask how she knew where I was but I would guess that she was just looking for the dungeon." I decided to leave out the fact that I hadn't planned on leaving.

"What went wrong with your escape?" Brinian wondered.

"A guard grabbed Miri's shoulder and she reacted by pulling out her knife." I stopped and no one said anything. The only sound was of Maurice steadily brushing my hair. "I cannot believe you shot her," I said quietly.

"I am sorry for your loss." He truly sounded remorseful. I was surprised by the depth of emotion he had for a girl he hadn't known.

Maurice put the brush down and took a small chunk of hair by my left ear and began to braid around the top of my head.

"Another thing, why were your attendants locked out of your room this morning?" Brinian wondered.

"Is this another interrogation, captain," I finally snapped. "Shouldn't you have dragged me down into the dark recesses of the castle and strapped into that chair again so you could beat answers out of me?"

"I already apologized for that. Just answer the questions," Brinian begged, sounding exhausted.

"I'm uncomfortable with people waiting on me hand and foot," I admitted. "And they're annoying."

"You need to keep them with you and you need to keep the door unlocked so they can get in," Brinian instructed. "Also, your guards can't get in to protect you if you lock them out."

I laughed at that. "I think I can protect myself."

Brinian glared. "Just do not lock your door or I will take away your key."

"Fine," I snapped.

"Good."

Maurice finished braiding the rest of my hair and coiled it around the top of my head. She took several black pins and shoved them into my hair to keep it in place. "Ow...ouch!" I whined.

Maurice tutted, "Oh, miss, I think you can handle it." She pulled loose two small pieces of hair to frame my face and I grimaced in distaste.

"My skull hurts from those awful pins, Maurice. My head feels so heavy," I complained.

Maurice ignored my complaints and led me over to a water basin. She took a cloth and wet it and then brought it up to my face. I flinched back. "I can wash my own face," I retorted and took the cloth from Maurice.

Suddenly the reality of this new life I had somehow gotten myself into dawned on me and I asked, worried, "Do I have to go through this every morning?"

"Yes, milady. We have to prepare you for the day and make you look like a princess," Niva said, coming back into the room with a gown over her arm. She draped it over a chair and left again.

I had realized that I would have to deal with a lot while pretending to be the princess but somehow the day-to-day tribulations had not occurred to me.

I rolled my eyes and made a face at Brinian, but accepted that to get my brother and to make things right, I would have to sacrifice the life I knew and adjust to this one. Some things are worth relinquishing.