Switched ~ a Fractured Fairytale

Chapter Four ~ The Prince of Pembleton

The next morning dawned bright and clear. I slid down the slide for the last time and closed the door to my tower room, feeling like I was closing a door on my childhood. I knew I would come back someday, but I had no way of knowing whether it would be in a month, a year or even ten. I made my way slowly down through the castle. Breakfast with my family seemed a daunting prospect, so instead, I slipped into the carriage and settled down with my hunting knife and the little piece of wood I was carving into a dragon for Cassy.

Soon, Theo and Bash joined me in the carriage as we prepared to set off. Theo smiled as he sat down beside me and squeezed my hand comfortingly.

'You ready, El?' he asked.

The journey to Pembleton took nearly a week, travelling in slow, bumpy carriages. It had been a long time since we had all travelled together and by the end of the journey, tempers had begun to flair. Bash and Theo amused themselves by taking it in turns to steal cushions from the carriage Mother and Father were sharing with Marianne and Cassy. Isabelle snuggled on my lap and together, the two of us watched the scenery change from the steep, rocky mountains of Santiana to the lush, green rolling hills and little villages of Pembleton.

It was early evening on the sixth day when we finally arrived at a little village, five miles away from Hartfield Palace. I was laced into a tight blue dress and my hair was braided and pinned up, leaving a few curls down my back. The lack of fun colours made me feel a little subdued.

Theo helped me back into the carriage and sat down opposite me. Both he and Bash were both wearing uniforms in deep scarlet, with all their medals and gold braid polished and on display. Theo was even wearing his ceremonial sword, but Bash had chosen to accessorise his outfit with two tasselled cushions, which he threw at Theo's head as he entered the carriage, then settled back against the large pile of stolen cushions in the corner.

'That's the last of them,' he said. 'I left one for Mother.'

Just as we were about to set off, the carriage door was yanked open and Cassy climbed in.

'Uh, I can't stand Mary any longer,' she said, slouching onto a seat. She glanced over at Bash lounging against the cushions. 'So, this is where all ours have gone!'

'To the victor, the spoils!' Bash laughed as the carriage jerked into motion.

The closer we got to the palace, the more nervous and fidgety I got. Due to the tight corset, I was feeling rather lightheaded and, as passing out in front of my possible future husband was not something I wanted to do, I tried to focus on my breathing and the book Father had given me, hoping to memorise something of Pembleton's history so I wouldn't look a complete fool, but it was no use. My mind kept drifting off topic, to the war, to what Grand Duke Victor was planning, to the dragons Cassy kept talking about but mostly it kept drifting onto Pembleton and the Prince.

What if he didn't like me? What if this didn't work out and war broke out?

As we rounded a corner, Isabelle let out a squeal of excitement that broke through my thoughts.

'Look!' she cried. 'It looks like a fairy story!'

I looked up and caught my breath. Hartfield Palace towered above me, perched the edge of a sheer cliff. Made of the same smooth, golden stone as the cliffs, it seemed to rise out of the ground, the highest point for miles around. The evening sun sparkling of the many windows and turrets was almost blinding. Behind the palace, there was a small village, and, in the distance, I could see thick, green forests covering the rolling hills.

We swung around the cliff and ascended the hill behind the palace, winding through forests, towards the palace. The carriage passed through large wrought iron gates into the grounds. There was a lake with an island and a little gazebo, mile after mile of perfectly manicured hedges and several live peacocks strutting around. As we drove across a wide stone bridge, Cassy opened the carriage window and peered out.