There was less fear in the air now that preparations for my fathers arrival were going on. The most decorated rooms were aired out, a large menu was organised with cook, and all the Kings advisers spent hours pouring over the history books in order to do things in the way that would not bring offence to the kingdom of Nadora. I waited to see if they would notice certain things, like needing to have fruit upon arrival to greet royalty, but they quickly had a handle on it all.
I still had not received a letter from anyone, and while I felt uneasy, I reasoned that I would continue with my current orders until I heard otherwise. Now that I knew that father was responsible for the attack on Mason, I felt guilty by association. Even more worrying was that my father had not written to warn me of his plans.
This morning lying in bed I realised that I had let myself forget who I was for too long, and unfortunately the Nadimi had reminded me. Aria and Mason had drawn me into their family and yes I had felt connected, but they were not my family, and I needed to remember that.
On top of that, the feelings I had for Mason were impractical and potentially dangerous to Nadora's future, so I had neglected our training sessions for the past two nights. His note reminding me to come last night sat on the dresser beside my bed, torturing me even as I couldn't bring myself to throw it away.
With him bring so busy I had managed to keep out of his way, and I was sure that with Fathers arrival today, Mason would be too busy to approach me.
Since it was the day they expected Father to arrive, I dressed for the day a little more carefully than usual. Due to the weather picking up today, the dress I wore the first evening here was appropriate and had sleeves to cover my arms.
A ladies maid arrived at mid morning with my breakfast. I had taken to eating in my room after the run in with Mason where I was dressed as Anthony. It was a safety strategy so that I would not run into him in the corridor. Then I would wait until I was sure he was occupied before I would find Aria and we would amuse ourselves in places I knew he would not venture.
The breakfast was Nadoran fruit in honour of the visiting guests, which I enjoyed immensely after barely having it since I had been away at school. The maids chattered freely as they cleaned my room, after I had assured them I did not care if they made noise. They rarely asked me questions but I now had to keep an ear out for any information about the prisoner.
'Did you hear about Lydia?' The taller one, Quinn, asked the shorter one, Maria. While I ate I listened closely, since I knew that Lydia was the queens maid. 'No, what did she do?' Maria was intrigued.
'She came out of the Queens rooms with torn up dresses! And Gerald heard someone yell to bring back better clothes more suited for visiting dignitaries!' Maria was the perfect audience and gasped in all the right places.
I reached for a book that was on the table in front of me, pretending not to listen. 'What did she do?' At Quinn's hesitation I flipped to the next page, skimming the lines and moving my lips but barely taking in what was written.
'What could she do? She's worked for the past two nights straight to have something ready for the queen. I was sure she'd drop from exhaustion but I helped her with the last dress and now she's in bed recovering from a fever!'
Again, Maria gasped. I abandoned any pretence of reading and turned to Quinn 'Is the Queen alright'
She looked a little nervous and her reply was stilted, still not the most comfortable talking to me 'No, ma'am, that is to say, I don't think so, ma'am. She seemed mighty unhappy by Lydias account' I nodded in thanks and told them they could leave now, I would finish the rest of the room.
They gave me strange looks but followed my instruction and left the room. I did not need them to tidy my room, I had never had maids do anything for me when I was living with Estelle and Master Lewin and I wanted some time to myself.
When everything was straightened up I sat back on my bed and rested. It was still early in the day but I was dreading what was to come. Quinn's story of the queen reminded me of something. When my sisters were trying to look good for a male caller, nothing they had was good enough and they would demand something new be made. I could not understand why the Queen was acting that way.
Of course having never had suitors I had neither dressed to impress, nor really cared about what I was wearing in the presence of men. Before now I have had little use for them. Being a princess meant I had to marry royalty, but being ignored by my parents and unclaimed made that increasingly hard.
When I began training with the army, none of the men came near me because they didn't want to hurt a girl, and after training together I saw most of them as my brothers, and they saw me as an odd sister who they liked to fight.
The queens reported attitude made me think there was more to be discovered about her family's relationship with Nadora.
A knock on the door startled me but I didn't have time to react before Aria came flying through and onto my bed in one quick motion. 'They've been sighted at the gates! Can you believe it? The horrible Nadoran King coming here?' She lay down beside me and I laughed, but my heart was in my throat.
'It is a wonder'
'Father sent me up to gather you and Mason, since neither of you have left your rooms yet this morning' she jumped off the bed and pulled me off before I could stop her. 'This is what you're wearing?' Her crinkled nose let me know exactly how she felt about the dress, but I knew it was something my mother, and therefore by extension my father, would approve of. 'It is the only thing that isn't too hot but still has sleeves' I countered, swatting at her jokingly.
Aria laughed and grabbed my hand to lead me out the door, followed closely by the guard stationed outside my door who I had become increasingly friendly with. 'Come on, I sent Caleb to get Mason, and we will go stand with Mother and Father at the greeting circle'
It felt odd to me that a guest of the palace would greet the King of another Kingdom with the Royal family, and I planned to fade into the background as soon as Aria let go of me, but when we got down to the courtyard and I bowed to the King, the Queen urged me forward and gave me a quick hug.
'Be strong'
The words were so quiet I almost missed them and when I stepped back from her there was no indication that she had spoken. I was mystified but kept my composure, even as I felt a chill of uncertainty come over me. The Queen brought me to stand beside Caleb, who was beside Aria and Mason, in the proper order of royalty first, then the nobles.
Caleb nodded to me but began speaking to Aria, and with the two of them between us I was able to pretend Mason wasn't even there.
A trumpet blared to announce guests arriving, and the thunder of hooves echoed in the yard as a large, black carriage came into view. The familiar emblem of a red and gold rose meant that this was the royal carriage, in which the King and Queen would usually travel. All the following coaches would be full of servants and luggage . The driver pulled the reins to a stop right at the front of the circle, and a stepping box was brought to the door that swung open.
A single call of a trumpet sounded again and the footman's voice rang out.
'His royal Highness, Anthony Fitzcharles the third, King of Nadora'
He stepped out of the carriage and the King William stepped forward to greet him. I kept my head down as they spoke quietly to one another, straining my ears to hear but not being able to make it out.
Before I knew it they were walking toward the group of us, and The King began to introduce us all to my father.
'This is Queen Grace' he gestured to his wife and she bowed gracefully. I could see her from the corner of my eye and she did not wobble a millimetre. When she rose her face was pleasant, with no sign of the turmoil from the past few days. 'A pleasure to see you, your Majesty'
I heard them step closer and Mason was introduced, again My father did not speak, and I had to assume he only nodded. He passed through Aria, then Caleb. I lifted my head at the last possible moment and there he was in front of me.
'And this is Lady Eve Davenport, a visitor and family friend from Luridia' King Williams words were warm, a stark contrast to the cold indifference I saw in the eyes of the man standing before me. A quick once over showed that he was still tall as ever, his dark hair and eyes both traits I was grateful not to have inherited. I searched his face for any clues to his plan in being here, but he was stoic.
He gave a quick nod and then turned away, stepping back toward the Queen and allowing me to let out the small breath I had been holding.
The King suggested we all return to the castle, and the two of them walked ahead, with The Queen trailing behind. She kept glancing back at me subtly but I saw her head turn at least twice. I had thought I needn't be worried because I do not look that similar to my father but the way she was acting made me unsure.
She had whispered those words to me before he even arrived. "Be strong"? I didn't know what she meant by that. There was no way she knew who I was because I would be in the dungeon with the Nadimi or I would have possibly been executed a long time ago, it could have gone either way.
So distracted by my own thoughts, I didn't notice that Aria and Caleb had fallen behind, and I was walking alongside Mason. 'A penny for your thoughts' he teased, surely picking up on my odd mood. I attempted to smile at him but I was sure it came out as a grimace 'I'm afraid my thoughts are not that interesting your Highness'
'Mason' he corrected
'Mason'
It was a small concession but it made him smile, and it was like the whole courtyard suddenly lit up. I looked away, hiding my feelings that I was sure were clear on my face.
We were quiet for a few moments as we walked, our hands swinging past each other with every other step. I could feel his heat but told myself it was simply from the warmth of the day, not the man standing beside me.
'What did you think of the King?'
The sudden question from silence surprised me but I didn't falter 'I am not sure,' I answered honestly 'What do you think?'
'I think that I'm glad my father is the one dealing with him and making negotiations and not me, because something about him makes me uncomfortable' he admitted, looking around to make sure no one was listening.
His candid response was refreshing, allowing me to see the more vulnerable side of him that I had not been privy to before. 'I am sure you would do well' my words meant well but he was shaking his head before I could finish, 'I do not understand why Father has brought him here, Nadora is a threat to Corisan, and having him here is playing a dangerous game'
The words and harshness of his tone hit me in the chest and made it hard for me to swallow. I was a Nadoran here in Corisan, and slowly it felt like my time here was getting more and more dangerous, not only with my heart but with my life.
I didn't have time to respond before we came to the palace doors and I was grateful for a chance to slip away when Mason was distracted by Caleb. I made sure Aria was not watching when I hurried away in the bustle of the maids. When I was out of sight I broke into a run and rushed down the halls, only coming to a halt when I made it to the library that I had come to love so much.
The room was dark and I closed the door behind me, bringing stillness and silence. My steps were heavy in the walk to my favourite chair and I sank down into it, grateful for the comfort. I pulled my legs up, wrapped my arms around, and rested my chin on my dress covered knees. The fire was out and the room felt chilly, but sitting there I felt the panic of the day fading away into the stillness, and all too quickly I fell asleep.
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There's those chapters you write that make you anxious, this is one of those.
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