Her eyes fluttered open, and Emmeline's memory was distorted. It wasn't until she closed her eyes, that she remembered she had a job to go to. She rubbed her eyelids with the back of her hand and kicked her feet over the bed, sitting at the edge. Taking a breath, she stood from the comfort and began dawdling to the small wardrobe full of Esmeralda's clothes, hers, at the end. She had washed her last dress and only had one left, her hand reached for her last dress before closing the wardrobe door.
It wasn't that Esmeralda was spoiled, having so many dresses, Emmeline just prioritised her and her mother more than herself. Emmeline wanted her sister to have as normal a life as possible. When Emmeline was asked by Esmeralda for clothes, shoes or jewellery, Emmeline was taken back to the day that her sister came home crying because people at school made a laughing stock of her. After all, she wore the same dress the whole week. They told her that she smelt bad and was too poor to afford new clothes. Emmeline rectified this by going into town frequently and buying her a dress or two with matching cloaks, new shoes and jewellery anytime she had some money to waste and Esmeralda always showed gratitude to her sister. The tears of her sister, caused by someone else, hurt Emmeline too much for her to do anything about the situation.
Emmeline got into her dress before checking the cupboards, making sure food was filled to the brim. She made a note of the items that ran out and that she needed to go by the city centre for them. Rushing into the front room, she kissed her mother's forehead and put on her cloak before picking up her basket, putting the note inside. Leaving.
Immediately, the winds hit her and her hair flew with the wind's current. Her hands went straight to the hood and pulled it over her head. She began to walk through the small village she lived in to get to the city.
After going over the bridge, it took her twenty minutes to walk from the bridge to the city centre, which was not bustling. The sun had barely risen when she was making her way through the city. Emmeline had finally made it to the stone staircase and began her climb.
Granted entrance at the gates, she entered and made her way to the kitchen where Marissa was there to greet her. "Hello Emmeline, dear, how are you?"
"I am good thank you, and how are you?"
"I am good also. I hope you don't mind helping me in the kitchen today." Marissa smiled.
Emmeline shook her head, "Of course not. I am happy to help in any way possible."
Marissa put her hands on either side of Emmeline's face and gave her a loving smile. "You remind me so much of my daughter."
"What happened? If I may ask." Emmeline inquired, cautiously.
"Oh, nothing. She got married and had to move away, that's all." Marissa chuckled.
She lifted her hands off of Emmeline's face and said, "Now go and put your things down quickly. Go on."
Emmeline walked hurriedly through the corridor, under the grand arch and put her things away. Making her way back, she remembered something and needed to ask permission from Marissa.
"Marissa?" Emmeline said when she reentered the kitchen. Marissa turned to her silently telling her to continue. "Is it okay if I have a break to go into the city centre? My mother isn't-"
Marissa intercepted, "Of course. So long as you come back within two hours and do not tell the other maids. You can leave at ten o'clock."
Emmeline smiled widely, "Thank you so much and I promise I will be back and I promise not to tell the maids." She said fast.
"Come on, dear, let's get to work."
It was now midday. Emmeline had already gone into the city centre, bought her shopping, went home and came back. She checked her mother's condition and if Esmeralda had gone into school, which she had. Emmeline made sure to eat something before leaving the home.
She was now decorating plates with refreshments. Marissa had been called away by the Queen and had hurried off, telling Emmeline to continue working.
The refreshments were an arrangement of many fruits and some vanilla cookies. Emmeline was given a huge silver platter. At the top of the platter, she arranged kiwis, pineapple, papaya, blueberries, strawberries, apples and watermelon; at the bottom, the vanilla cookies were being decorated and laid upon it.
Focused, Emmeline was decorating a vanilla cookie with icing, trying to replicate the design that Marissa showed her. She had been successful so far and wanted to continue her triumphant attempt.
King Silas had entered the kitchen to see the beauty in deep concentration. He smiled and leaned on the door, hoping she would notice but didn't. Her chocolate brown hair was now in a bun that sat on top of her head. How he wished he could take it out and watch her hair unravel. The skin had a small tint to it but was still pale, this made her pink lips stand out and they were in a pout. Eyes squinting, hoping to make the right design on the cookie. Her dark dress accentuated her skin and flattered her.
Silas made his way, slowly, to the full table she was working at. His eyes steady on her as her gaze lifted, she found Silas there. Emmeline thought it was Marissa, who was yet to come back. Silas looked the same to Emmeline but she could help but glance over his features all over again as if they had never met. His dark hair was slightly wet from his bath, and the clothes he wore fit his character so effortlessly. His broad shoulders and silver-blue eyes made him intimidating but Emmeline was not frightened. 'Em! Em! Your gaze lingered a little too long!'
"Your Highness." She bowed and said, quickly. "Please forgive me. I did not mean to stare." She made her way in front of the table to bow before him.
"Emmeline," He lifted her head with his forefinger and middle finger, "I do not mind your stares." Their gazes met yet again and Emmeline slowly stood up from her bow.
As soon as Emmeline heard her name slip through his lip, a million butterflies swarmed her stomach and the eye contact made her knees feel as though they were about to give away. She attempted to control her breathing so that it wasn't so harsh. Her eyes were steady on his and they continued their deep stare for a moment. Silas' fingers remained under her chin, his eyes flickered to her lips and back to her eyes. Before Emmeline knew it, his head was moving closer to hers and she gravitated toward him. However, Emmeline's hand that was on the table knocked over a cup and the hideous sound made Emmeline break eye contact to pick it up to place it back on the table.
"Would you like a cookie?" Emmeline offered, quietly. "Marissa made more than she needed in case some came out of the oven, um, 'not to her standards' she said." Emmeline smiled at the thought as she made her way back around the table.
"Yes, I would like one and that sounds like Marissa. She always wants everything to be perfect."
Emmeline stretched over the table and handed Silas a napkin with a decorated cookie on it. "Sometimes I can't keep up," Emmeline spoke, unconsciously, but then realised that this was her job, the job that Silas could easily take away from her.
"I do not believe such things. Marissa would not have hired you if she didn't believe you couldn't keep up." Silas took a bite of his cookie and his sweet tooth thanked him.
Emmeline smiled, "Well then your faith has no bounds if you believe that I don't find difficulty in some tasks."
"Let my faith be boundless so that you can have faith in yourself. One thing I have learnt is never to doubt yourself, doubting yourself means that others will see you as unsure and will want to give you ideas that you may regret doing." He took his last bite of the cookie, thinking about the times he was led to believe other ideas and decisions were better than his own. He broke out of the trance when Emmeline started to talk.
"Wise words from a wise King," Emmeline said then laughed and Silas joined.
"Don't say that it makes me sound ancient."
"Wise doesn't mean old. It just means experienced." Emmeline shrugged. Silas thought about what she said and looked at her with an amazed gaze. "Also, as a King don't regret decisions you have made, you made them for a reason and it is in the past there is nothing you can do to change that, unfortunately."
"Thank you for your kind words," Silas spoke in disbelief. 'All this advice, has she gone through something?'
Emmeline smiled at him and then got back to work but the proximity was distracting her. She stopped work and placed her hands on the table, standing up straight. Silas walked around to the particular spot she was decorating her cookies on and purposely made his way closely behind her to get past, allowing sparks to fly between them.
When he got to the door to make his way out, he requested, "Tell Marissa that the cookies are delicious. Goodbye Emmeline."
"Goodbye, Sire."