Beautiful, Beautiful

A Garden of Schemes

The castle grounds were blanketed in a thick layer of fog that spread across the lawn as if to whisk it away. The color of dawn was a cloak of apricot and periwinkle, bright and ever-changing as the day grew. The maids were already about, preparing breakfast and cleaning rooms. The grounds men struggling through the murk to lay new soil in the fields. The king already sat at the head of his lush, dining room table sipping from a goblet while reviewing the letters carried in by the courier. Sun slept peacefully in her oversized bed, the night before forgotten as the tendrils of her dream caressed her mind.

The sound of Sun's curtains being drawn caused her to stir in her sleep. The smell of coffee beans and roasted hazelnuts scented the air, and her stomach began to rumble loudly. But instead of deciding to rise for the day, Sun sank deeper into her bed, ready to dive headfirst into another dream...

"Up, up, up!" Alma, the older maid chimed, pulling the duvet of off the bed, leaving Sun shivering and bare-legged. It was nearly summertime but the morning breeze still brought in an unpleasant chill, unlike her southern cottage. Sun slid the top sheet over her legs to fight the cold draft seeping through the panes. This would apparently be her morning ritual.

The bed indented as Velda pounced onto it. "What's got you, this morning?"

Sun opened her eyes to shoot daggers at Velda. "I've barely slept. Perhaps only four hours. Why are you here so early?" Sun groaned. She watched Alma frown and head straight for the large wardrobe.

"It's time for breakfast!" Velda sang, jumping up and down on the bed, causing Sun's headache to worsen.

"Stop." Sun pleaded, as she squinted at Velda. "Could you close the blinds, please? I can't see a thing."

"Oh, you've been drinking, have ya'?" Alma asked, pulling a bright blue dress from the wardrobe to examine. "Maybe you should wear bright colors to draw the attention away from your clammy face. You look almost awful."

"And yet still beautiful," Velda added. "I don't think it's even possible for you to look horrible...unless someone bashed your face in."

Images flashed before Sun's eyes of Cale's maddened expression as he chased after her in the woods. She shook the thought out of her mind before it could cause anxieties.

"What happened last night?" Velda asked, frowning for the first time since she entered. "Did you go to the party under the castle?"

"How did you know?"

Velda squealed. "How was it? I heard it's absolutely insane down there. I want to go but Alma won't allow it."

"Good," was all Sun said as she thought back to her night, and her cheeks burned in shame as new images of Prince Crow appeared.

"Ah," Alma said, studying her face. "Looks like some of the color is coming back. You should be okay to join the royal family during breakfast."

Sun fell back into her pillow, letting out a breath of frustration. She was not ready to face Prince Crow. Not after how the night ended. With a defiant frown, she pulled the silk sheets over her head and sank into her bed. Her mind was made up and she refused to move.