Spellbound: COMPLETE

Chapter Twenty-Three: Ariadne

Ariadne's POV

"What am I supposed to do," I said exasperated as I yanked a needle through a thick piece of fabric.

Harriet had found the dirty nightgowns and gave us a hard lecture on not slipping out of the room past curfew. It was dangerous and we could have been hurt. We just all hoped she wouldn't tell father or restrict our privileges further.

I was sitting in my room, practicing sewing and watching Iris's chest slowly rise and fall as she slept through the day again, it had been a long night of dancing, which made Iris sleep even longer than she normally did. Then I looked over at the wooden chest that sat at the end of my bed and gasped to see a gorgeous gown.

How had I missed that earlier?

The deep midnight blue, entwined with a delicate silver thread blended so perfectly and the soft fabric glistens in the early morning light. Starting at the bodice of the gown and traveling down the skirt was an intricate flower pattern that gradually diminished until it disappeared completely just inches before the hem. It had butterfly sleeves that would vanish once the gorgeous spring-green colored cape hid them from human eyes.

I carefully lifted the fragile dress off the chest and held it against me, it looked like it fit perfectly; not that I had any doubts. I almost squealed with delight when a loud moan escaped Iris's lips, so I began to quietly spin with the dress instead. I spun around once and loved the feeling so much I started to waltz. I slowly moved my right foot back and closed my eyes; imagining a grand ball, waltzing with princes, lords, and gentlemen from many different realms. A certain gentleman popped into my head and I felt myself grinning at his rugged, and quite a handsome appearance. He extended a hand towards me, and I tried to take it when I stumbled and started falling. My fantasy faded away quicker than it had come, and this time my fall was not stopped by the strong arms of a friend. Instead, I found myself face first on the floor to my bedroom, with a pounding heart, worrying that I had awakened Iris. It turned out that she could not hear my rapid heartbeat and after it finally calmed down, I slowly stood up, wincing as my foot pressed against a loose floorboard, and I examined my gown.

I picked it up and carefully laid it back on the chest where I had found it as if doing so would erase any damage that might have come upon the beautiful masterpiece.
I looked it over and thought I must have looked over a spot. Looked it over again, and came up with the same conclusion: the dress wasn't damaged in any way, not one thread was out of place! And just to be sure, I checked it again. I stood there, marveling at the beauty that lay before me and wondered how it did not have so much as a snag in it. Maybe this dress was tougher than it looked I though with a chuckle.

I didn't want to risk damaging the dress again before the plans Harriet had for me tonight. Instead, I opened my chest and pulled out a simple gown that I could put on without the assistance of my maids- I didn't want to wake them. It was a light pink dress with small blue flowers covering every inch of the light, but durable. Perfect.

I slowly opened my door, which squeaked no matter how many times I told it not to.
Quickly glancing back at Iris's sleeping form, I reassured myself she was still asleep, then closed the door. I then did the same procedure to exit our common room, and once I was free from waking my sisters, I ran down the hallway on my toes, a trick I learned to quiet my footsteps without slowing me too much. I reached the banister, remembering the time Bell convinced me to slide down when we were only half our height now. She made it down safely, but I was not so lucky. I hadn't attempted it since and didn't feel like doing so now either. Besides, it was not something the future Queen should do.

I passed two guards that stood at the entrance, who opened the door for me. I walked out to the back courtyard where I sat down on one of the benches, with my eyes closed, and enjoyed the feel of the wind on my face, and morning dew clinging to my bare feet.