The Switch

Panic

*Raina's P.O.V*

The queen did eventually sit me in my own seat and moved around some of the utensils out of the way. I stared at her in confusion and realized that she had taken away all the utensils I wouldn't need to use which I was thankful for since Anastasia had described the utensils but I still was not sure what ones I would need to do.

"I am sure Anastasia knows what utensils she is to use," Tristan said, making me give him a dirty look. "What? Do you still need mom to help you choose the right utensils?" he teased me. I stuck my tongue out at him, making him throw his napkin at me. 

"Stop it now," the king said as he glared at Tristan. He turned to me and I smiled innocently. "You stop it too. Your brother and sister copy your actions because they have the brain of a child so you have to be the mature one," he stated.

"No thank you," I said with a small grin on my lips. "I like being the immature one," I said with a giggle.

"Great," the king muttered as he rolled his eyes. "I blame your mother," he said, making the queen lean over and smack the back of his head. While the queen was busy doing that, I slipped out of my seat, under her arm and quickly left the room. I knew that others probably saw me leave but I did not really care at the moment.

I headed back to my room, my steps light as I glanced behind me occasionally. I opened the door to my room carefully and entered, shutting it behind me. I turned and flicked the little latch on the door to lock it. I sighed as I went to the bed and flopped down onto it. The sheets were cool, so cool that it sent a chill down my spine. My mind started to wander as I thought of what would happen if I was caught, making my heart beat start to speed up. It felt hard to breathe all of a sudden and I lay there, trying to catch my breath. I felt the world suddenly fade away and everything seemed to stop as my eyelids closed.

My eyes opened slowly and there was a heavy pounding in my head. I turned my head from left to right as I tried to remember where I was. I heard heavy knocks on my door, making me try to get up quickly. I regretted it quickly as I felt suddenly fatigued, making me sit down on the floor. "Come in," I called softly, my voice barely audible, as I leaned my head back against the bed.

I watched as something slid through the small crack in the door and flicked the latch up before my door was opened. "See I told you it would work," Tristan said as he entered the room with a smile before he saw me. "Anastasia are you alright?" he asked as he hurried over to me and helped me onto the bed.

"I fainted....I think. The room went black all of a sudden and I just woke up a moment ago," I said as I frowned while leaning back against my pillows.

"And mother thought you were just ignoring her," he said. "I will go get her. She will probably know what to do," he stated as he turned and left the room, making me sigh in relief. I felt tired and was finding it hard to fake Anastasia's voice at the moment. I closed my eyes as I listened to the sound of guards and maids moving around the hallways. I heard the soft sounds of fabric rustling as someone entered the room, making my eyes open slowly.

"Princess Anastasia," a woman's voice said, making me turn my head slowly. I smiled when I saw that it was Jane, a girl both mine and Anastasia's age. "Raina?" she whispered questioningly, making me nod. Jane was Anastasia's maid and her lady in waiting so she had to be clued in on the switch. Jane laid a cool cloth across my head with a small smile as she hummed. She sat on the edge of my bed and smoothed my hair back.

I heard the soft click of heels heading towards the room and angled my head to look at the door. "Jane," I whispered, making her adjust the cloth to cover my forehead better. I noticed the queen enter the room and she cleared her throat, making Jane tense up for a moment before she glanced over.

"Your majesty," she said as she got up quickly and curtsied to the queen. "I did not see you come in," she stated as she looked down at the ground before shuffling to stand off to the side, against the wall. The queen walked past her without a word, her hand gently cupping my cheek.

"And you are?" the queen asked as she glanced at Jane who flushed under the attention.

"I am Jane, Princess Anastasia's lady in waiting and her personal maid," Jane said as she kept her eyes on the ground. She stumbled over her words so I decided to distract the queen by putting my hand over hers. It seemed to work since the queen looked down and smiled at me.

"I will speak to you in a moment darling. I want to talk with Jane right now," she said as she sat down on the edge of my bed. I frowned realizing that my plan had completely failed. "So Jane, do either of your parents work at the castle?" the queen asked, making Jane shake her head.

"About that, my parent's....um well they are deceased madam," Jane said as she frowned. 

"I am sorry for your loss," the queen said. "And dear, I do not bite. You need not to fear me. My daughter seems to like you very much seeing as she spoke of you in her letters although she never said you were her lady in waiting. She spoke of you as a very beloved friend," the queen stated. Jane smiled softly as she kept her eyes trained on the ground. The queen looked down at me and leaned down, kissing my cheek. 

"You are so embarrassing," I whined dramatically, making her chuckle. "I bet you left a lipstick mark on my cheek," I said, making her look at my cheek. She took the edge of the washcloth and gently wiped my cheek off, making me frown with a huff. "I knew it. Jane save yourself," I said as I closed my eyes and put my hand to my forehead.