When I awoke no one is there. I got up to get dressed and noticed that the door was shut. Once I had finished dressing I opened the door carefully so I wouldn't almost nock Islwyn down the stairs again, but when I exited the attic room there was no one there.
I head down stairs and look around the pub. The next think I know I am grabbed from behind and pulled into the back room. I start to panic and fight back and the person that grabbed me lets go.
"Thana it's just me. I think some people are after you," I can't see his face, but I recognize the prince by his voice,
"Where are the others?"
"Islwyn is trying to get us some supplies so we can start the journey to my kingdom, and the others went ahead of us."
We sneak out the back door of the pub after the prince decided that the coast was clear.
It is so dark out that I can hardly see the prince right in front of me.
He holds my wrist as we dash through the sleeping village, so that I don't fall behind and get lost. Suddenly he stops and I realize that there is a stable in front of us.
If it weren't for the smell of horses I don't think I would even know that this building was here. He wasn't lying about living here, he knows this place so well. Why would a prince have grown up in a village?
"Islwyn," the prince shouted at a whisper.
"Over hear you majesty," Islwyn returns the shout like whisper.
Islwyn has prepared their horses and gathered some pervasions. We walk the horses past all of the houses as quietly as possible. Once we exit the village we mount and begin our journey.
* * *
After traveling the country side for a few days we meet a white carriage, trimmed with silver, and embellished with sapphires. On the inside the cushioned seats, curtains, and even walls are lined with royal blue velvet. The handles, curtain rods, and embellishments are all made of silver. The foot man hands the guards our two cases. The cases are full of our court clothes.
After enlisting the help of two of a noble woman's lady's maids and a room in an inn we get dressed.
At last I can take a bath.
It was a lot of work to try to erase crawling around in ash and debris, riding horse back for a week, lying in the dirt, and sleeping just about every were for two weeks. After all that has happened the last two weeks I had almost forgotten what a clean shift felt like.
Everything in this case seems to be new.
I didn't miss breaking in a new corset though. On top of that there are the layers and layers of under skirts. Each ruffle is trimmed with lace and everything is whiter than freshly fallen snow.
I knew that the kingdom to the north of us was wealthy, but they make my kingdom look like a fishing village.
My court dress is made of royal blue satin with tiny silver butterflies and silver crystals. The top makes a heart. The sleeves are off the shoulder and ripple down my arms. Then, the shoes; they are made of royal blue satin like the dress and the heals are a large silver butterfly.
The maids do my hair in the latest court fashion and then they finish with the jewels. Sapphire drop earrings embedded in silver. A necklace with the largest Sapphire I have ever seen also embedded in silver. To top it all of there is a tiara that looks like a bunch of butterflies; made of a hundred tiny sapphires again embedded in silver.
I look at myself for the first time since it happened my eyes are different and somehow I look older.
The Prince has already finished getting ready. He also wears royal blue trimmed with silver. His military jacket is blue, his trousers are white, his shoes are white, the trimmings are all silver, his cape is blue with silver embellishments, he wears a silver ring with a sapphire that has their royal crest carved into it then filled with silver, and his crown is silver with hundreds of tiny sapphires.
Before we leave I am given a pure white fur cloak and muff. Then we are hurried into the carriage and six pure white horses carry us off to the prince's palace.
* * *
Out of the carriage window I can see the place. It is very regal made of a white stone, the shingle roofs are painted royal blue and everything is trimmed with silver. As we pass through the silver gates and white stone walls the grounds become more elaborate.
Every window is made of stained glass depicting different scenes. The road is now made of tiny white stones rather than dirt. In front of the palace there is a large lake full of swans. When the sun hits the lake just right it looks like liquid silver.
There are all kinds of flowers, but they are all the same shade of royal blue just like everything else. The leaves and stems are all silver. Even the bark on the trees is pure white. The only bugs I can see are silver butterflies. As we arrive at the gates what looks to be the entire staff is waiting for us.
The women have royal blue dresses, large white aprons, white stalkings, royal blue shoes, a white cap, and their buttons and pins are silver. The men have white shirts and jackets, their pants and shoes are royal blue, they have white gloves and bow ties, and silver buttons. They roll a royal blue carpet down from the door to where our carriage has stopped.
Following the carpet is the Queen who stands on the top stair softly smiling. The Prince gets out of the carriage as the Queen walks down the front steps.
She is taller than me and looks young to have a son as old as the prince.
The Queen wears a royal blue dress with a skirt even bigger than mine. Her dress is the same style as mine but with longer sleeves, more silver crystals, and no butterflies. Her jewels make mine look dainty. You can hardly see her neck because necklace is massive with six sapphires twice the size of the one on my necklace. She has three sapphires on each earring apposed to my one. Her necklace and earrings are also covered in those silver crystals. Not to mention her crown is at least ten times the size of the prince's and covered in sapphires and silver crystals.
"Drazhan, my son your home," the Queen calls to the prince; her voice is just as silvery as her palace.
I can't believe that I never asked for his name. We were traveling together for days and I never even thought to ask for his name.
As the Queen walked forward to meet her son she notices me.
"Drazhan is this the princess you sent word about," the Queen asks her son whilst trying to get a better look at me.
I realize that I should probably get out of the carriage. With a little assistance I manage to get out of the carriage without falling.
"Mother this is Thana, Crown Queen of Sylvain," the prince introduces me to his mother as I curtsy.
I didn't even realize that I would be the crown queen, that is if it was possible for me to even be crowned queen of a dead kingdom.
"Thana this is my mother, Queen Xylia of Lisha," the prince introduces his mother to me and she curtsies to me.
"My apologies I was not born a noble and forgot that you would be a crown queen now. Please forgive me for calling you a princess, your majesty," the Queen says while curtsying again.
"I forgot myself and you may still call me a princess, for I have not yet nor will I ever be crowned Queen of Sylvain," I manage to say with only one disobedient tear escaping.
"Oh, you poor dear," the Queen says as she breaks formation to comfort me. Still holding me the Queen takes us upstairs and we enter the palace.
I don't know what I imagined the prince's palace to look like but it wasn't this.
The ceiling of the great hall was like a cathedral. All of the walls were the same snowy white stone. The drapery was royal blue velvet embroidered with silver thread in elaborate patterns. There were white and blue vases everywhere full of different flowers from the grounds.
The wood furniture was as white as the stone walls. The floors were white stone with rugs. The rugs were large mostly blue with some white and silver embellishments.
In front of us is a set of massive stairs that curl in towards then away from each other without touching. The stairs and railings are made of the same stone as the walls. It is as if the castle was carved from a mountain in the mountain range it sits in.
I start to get ready to meet the King of Lisha when the Queen tells me, "His Majesty never leaves his room now a days. I will just escort you to your room."
Instead of continuing up the stairs we stop.
"Drazhan, I will look after The Queen of Sylvain from now on. Your man servant will be waiting for you in your room," the Queen tells Drazhan and she turns to continue up stairs.
"Mother Islwyn is my cousin, you must stop looking down on him like this," Drazhan protests. The Queen turns back to him trying to hide it but I can see her embarrassment and anger.
"Drazhan she doesn't know how low born I was and don't lower yourself buy proudly shouting that your man servant is your cousin," the Queen whisper yells at her son, again trying to hide it from me.
I manage to give Drazhan a look of apology behind the Queen's back before we are out of sight.
The hallways are similar to that of the great hall with just shorter ceilings and many more doors. We eventually reach my door. Instead of opening it the Queen just stops. Before I can open it it seemingly opens on its own. When we enter the room I notice that there are four maids already here. Three are standing in front of us and one that opened the door.
How they got up here so quickly baffles me. Surely they were not downstairs in the welcoming party the must have waited for me here. They all hold a curtsy.
"Well I shall put you in their capable hands," the Queen says to me before leaving.
The girl at the door shuts it behind the Queen and they relax from their curtsy.