Evalie closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of the flowers in the garden of the Fisher King. Whomever had chosen the flowers certainly had good taste. The scent of the gardenias, lillies, and lilacs were soothing to her. And they were strangely familiar and comforting. She knew he would greet her soon, somehow he always knew when she’d arrived. However, she noted to herself as she glanced around, that today, he seemed to be running late.
She sighed and decided she would explore the castle, as she had never seen anything save for the gardens and the arched corridors that enclosed the grounds. Unsure of where to go, she settled on a hallway, brighter than the others, illuminated by the sunlight that filtered through the stained glass windows. She paused before each one, admiring the artistry on display before her. Her particular favorite was one of a midnight colored draft horse with morning glories woven in its mane, a royal coat of arms beneath it. She continued on her way before coming to a stop in front a regal looking mahogany door.
Carved in the center was a morning glory bloom on a vine, the vine trailed and fell into a graceful “E”. She curiously wondered who “E” was, and with a strenuous push, swung the door open and gasped in awe at the room before her. It was decked out in various shades of blue, from the light, almost white blue window drapes to the royal blue of the upholstery on the sitting chairs situated in front of the fireplace. Even the stone had a slight bluish tint to it. To the right of the fireplace was an open door giving Evalie a view into the bathroom. A large white enameled bathtub sat regally in the back of the bathroom, and a large navy brocade curtain hung from a silver rod mounted crossways in front of the bathtub to provide any bather some privacy.
Across from the fireplace was wooden door with stained glass panes leading into what was obviously a bedroom, as there was a majestic four post bed on the far side of the room. The four dark posts were also carved with morning glory vines snaking up to the top, where a sheer navy netting was draped elegantly across the top. The bed also had navy brocade curtains, similar to the privacy drapes in the bathroom.
Evalie turned and walked over to the large window that gazed out upon a view of the kingdom sprawling out beneath it. She smiled at the beauty of the expanse of green lands dotted with towns and fields before turning around and gaping in wonder at the enormous bookshelf chiseled into the wall across from the window. She walked over to it and began scanning the books housed upon it, her eyes coming to rest on a dark blue tome with silver lettering. She pulled it off the shelf and glanced at the title.
“The Daily Life of the Crown Princess”
She opened the book where, on the front page, was a note written in elegant, flowing script. “E,” she read out loud as she strolled slowly over to the window, settling herself on the window seat. “Happy 15th birthday to our cherished daughter, now you have a place to write all your beloved thoughts without using all of our finest vellum. Love always to our dear girl, Mama & Papa.” Evalie stopped for a moment, waiting for a sense that she shouldn’t read the private thoughts of the Crown Princess. It never came, and she turned the page.
“Mama and Papa gave me this to write all my thoughts on, and today is my 15th birthday! This means in a year I will be of age to marry my prince. Today we are to travel to his kingdom, and tonight I will ride my first hunt! I am excited, but I don’t think I shall kill anything I find…I rather hate the notion of taking the life of another living thing. Evanni is helping me plan a surprise for my prince tonight. He is having a feast in my honor, and it is to be a masquerade! I am going to go as Sheherezade, and Evanni just finished my disguise!”
Evanni. The name sounded vaguely familiar to Evalie, and she glanced out the window for a moment before brushing the feeling aside and turning the page.
YOU ARE READING
The Sleeper Queen - Editing/Rewrite
FantasyEvery day at noon, Alaric finds his wife in their garden. Every evening, as the sun slips below the horizon, Alaric loses his wife to a curse laid upon them, an old woman's revenge for being wronged by Alaric's father. Every day at noon, Evalie su...
