Steal My Heart

Chapter 1

                         Chapter 1 

I hummed to myself as I drifted down the hallway. I was holding onto the edges of my skirt trying to look dignified enough for my mother, as well as trying not to trip. It was a lot harder than it would have normally been in these shoes. They were thin heels that made me wobble with every step I took. This was why I preferred going barefoot. It wasn’t like anyone would see my feet under my dress.

I breathed in deeply as I approached my mother’s room. It always smelled like oranges and apples, her favorite fruits. Personally, I thought that grapes (only the green ones) and pomegranates were ambrosia, food of the gods, but life wouldn’t be fun if we didn’t all have different tastes.

I sang softly to myself as I approached my mother’s chambers. Today was my sixteenth birthday, and she’d finally decided I was ready to know the same thing Joanne had learned when she had turned sixteen. This had been my dream for so long!

My older sister had had this experience a while ago, nearly five years. I hated being younger. It meant you were treated like a child because you weren’t as old as everyone else even though you’d technically come of age.

            Knocking politely, I waited some time before speaking. “Madaire? Are you there?” the door opened just as I was about to knock again. My mother, the queen of all of Gelbra opened the door, looking sort of flustered. Her grin widened when she looked at me.

            “Hello Adele.” She said in her elegant voice. She looked me over quickly and then nodded, pulling me out of the doorway and back out into the hallway. “You’re wearing exactly as I told you! Princesses should look dignified in any situation.”

Her warm hand gripped my own tightly and I let myself get lost in the moment. There weren’t many moments I spent with my mother. She was busy taking care of duties with my father or going out to attend to the people of our kingdom. I spent most of my time studying with my tutors, or was outside trying to see more than what I was led to in front of me.

Soon enough, we were outside approaching the garden that bordered the castle grounds. It was a wild garden, full of gnarled trees and twisted undergrowth in some parts. But in the others, it was meadows of forget-me-nots and tulips and roses. My mother often gardened here, but I failed to see how that had anything to do with what she was going to tell me.

“Before we go in, you must know that what I’m telling you here isn’t something you just mention all the time.” She paused and then sighed. “You should also know that I’m sorry. I don’t really want you to have to go through this.”

She turned to look at me, her long red hair getting tossed over her shoulder. I took after my dad, with the black hair and green eyes while Joanne was the spitting image of our mother. Her eyes searched my face as she went on; looking for something I was sure I didn’t have. She’d always expected more of my older sibling than me.

“And since this is the place I feel most comfortable, and it’s where I told your sister, I thought it’d be best to you here to. And Adele?” the queen turned to look at me, pleading her eyes. “Please don’t be upset with me. I don’t think I could bear it if a child of mine was upset on her birthday. And because I want you to be happy.” Her eyes looked beseechingly at me and I nodded.

“I promise that I will keep a level head when you speak to me. You told Joanne the same thing right?” Laughing slightly, I walked into the garden, uneasy about my mother’s demeanor.                  

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            The pale green dress I wore snagged a little as I sat down on the rough carpet of the grass. My mother sat in front of me, her forehead pinched and her mouth tightened. It was beautiful outside though, with the sun high in the blue sky and the flowers all around us at full bloom.