I eventually drifted off to sleep. It felt as though I had just shut my eyes when I heard voices. Sitting up, I looked around the room. It was empty.
I grabbed the heavy, red blanket from the bed and hurried into the hallway. Mother, Father, and Charlene stood there with Edward Norfolk and James.
"You're safe!" Charlene cried, running to me.
"I am." I wrapped my arms around her as she hugged me tightly.
"What happened last night?" I asked my parents.
Mother and father looked at each other before looking back at me.
"We were right about the Guild. They are coming after you. The three that encroached on the castle were Guild members. From how they fought they aren't very advanced. I would think only fifth or sixth-year defenders."
"Only?"
"I was a fourteenth-year defender when I went to be your father's."
"I don't think they're defenders anymore, my love," father said, holding mother's hand.
She shook her head. "No, they're more assassins now."
"We shall let you all continue on with this talk. Princess Evelyn, let's get you dressed. You cannot be amongst refined society in nothing more than a dressing shirt and blanket."
"Hold on, Charlene." I turned to look at my parents again. "So this Guild that you were in, they've turned into assassins?"
"It would seem that they are."
"How deadly are they?"
"It's not often that they lose."
"Should I be afraid, mother?"
She approached me and hugged me. "No, my precious darling. We will do everything that we can to keep you safe. This is why I have been so hard on you to train."
I hugged her back, for the first time in quite a long time. "I understand that now, mother. I love you."
"Go get dressed."
I nodded and followed Charlene.
She already poured the hot water into the tub. She dug through a small box filled with various bottles.
"I think today is a wonderful day to smell of roses."
"Whatever you say, Char."
I let the dressing shirt fall to the floor and climbed into the metal tub once again.
"Oh my, what happened to your hair?" she gasped, scrubbing furiously.
"Nothing? I mean I rode a horse through the entire English countryside and had their servant girl draw me a bath last night."
"Someone else washed your hair?"
"No, Charlene. I did it."
"You are terrible at it," she muttered.
"That's why I have you."
She muttered under her breath about my dreadful hair washing skills while combing through the roughness and adding various floral scents.
"I'll bet you didn't have goat's milk added to your bath either."
"I didn't think to ask for goat's milk in the middle of the night."
"I swear, Ellie, you would be a disaster without me."
"Yes, I would, Ellie."
"They worry for your safety," she said, massaging my head.
"I'll be fine."
"There is a group of people trying to kill you, Evelyn.
She dumped a bucket of warm goat's milk into the bath. I sat in the cooling water staring at the cloudy water. The voices in the hallway had long grown quiet. I hated not knowing what was going on.
"Okay, stand."
I stood as she began to towel off my hair. I took it from her and walked across the room. The roses were in full bloom.
Charlene handed me a pink gown with green embellishments on it. The squared neckline trimmed in pearls. I tossed the bodice she tried to put on me on the bed.
"No. Those things are torture."
"Sit so I may do your hair."
I nodded and plopped onto the bay seat.
"Not there, Evelyn." Charlene motioned toward the chair in front of the stand and mirror.
I stood and sat before her as she finished drying my hair and began the tedious curling and twisting. I watched as my hair transformed into a beautiful work of art before my eyes.
"Princess Evelyn?" Captain Blackstone asked, entering my room.
"Captain!. I shouted, jumping up.
"Evelyne! Really now."
I ran across the room and wrapped my arms around the aging man's neck. "You're alive."
"Yes, I was one of the few lucky ones. I do hope your grace will forgive me for failing you last evening."
"You did not fail me. Are you okay?" I questioned, looking at the blood-stained shirt.
"Fine, princess. It's simply a flesh wound. I am just happy you are alive. I shall be outside your door."
"Thank you."
He nodded and left with the two other guards. They must have been new. I had never seen them before.
"Sit, please," Charlene commanded.
I sighed heavily and plopped back onto the chair as she continued twisting and pinning.
"Are you finished? I want to sit with James and discuss a few things."
"Yes. I'm finished. The mess will have to do."
I rolled my eyes at the girl before standing and leaving the room. I walked down the stairs to his uncle's study. James sat at a small table in front of the fireplace. A silver tray with various fruits, bread, cheese, and hard eggs sat before him. I watched, my head cocked to the side, as he plucked a purple grape from a vine and popped it into his mouth. Taking a deep breath, I crossed the room and sat in the wing-backed chair opposite him. Mother and father stood nearby sipping on an amber-colored liquid. His uncle sat in a chair behind the desk.
"What do we do now?" I asked.
"That's what we discussed while you finished getting ready. It would be best to continue with the wedding as planned so as to not alarm the people of either of our countries."
"Did anyone even know? I thought this was all secret planning?" I asked.
"It was; however, it has been assumed for many years that upon your eighteenth year you would marry James. "
"Is it safe though?" I questioned again.
"It will be. With the combined English and Scottish armies, we'll be more prepared."
I took one of the hard eggs that sat on the table and tapped it with a spoon, staring as the top of the shell splintered into many lines.
"What's it like?" I asked.
"What?" James retorted.
"Scotland?"
"It's green. There are many cliffs overlooking the ocean. We host many tournaments and have many feasts with delicious foods."
"It sounds lovely."
"I assume that will be where the wedding will happen?"
Father nodded.
"What happened to the three from last night," James asked.
"They are dead."
"All of them?" I questioned.
"Yes. We had no choice. They simply would not relent with their pursuit."
"Okay." I stood and curtsied to my parents. "I shall take my leave. I need fresh air."
I exited the room and shouted for Charlene.
"Yes?" she asked, peering from around a corner.
"I wish to go for a walkabout. Are you dressed for a walk?"
"Yes."
"Good. Let's take advantage of this beautiful weather."
I laced my arm through hers and left the estate.
"Where are you going?" Captain Blackstone asked.
"For a stroll before we return to Hampton Court."
"Men." the captain motioned for the two guards from earlier to follow us.
We walked down the long drive to the rose gardens in front of the maze.
"Why are we strolling through the rose gardens?"
"I need the fresh air without the threat of being assassinated."
"What do they intend to do?"
"I'm to marry, James. We're going to Scotland for the wedding."
"What will you do in Scotland?"
"Don't you mean what will we do in Scotland?"
"We? I don't want to go there."
"You are my lady-in-waiting, of course, you want to go," I said.
"No. I really don't. I prefer staying in England."
"Oh, Charlene."
"No, Evelyn. This is a bad idea. I have a bad feeling about this."
"You worry too much that's why."
"Evelyn!" mother bellowed from the doorway. "We're leaving."
"Let's go," I said.
"Ellie, I really don't want to go to Scotland."
"Why, Charlene?"
"I enjoy living in England."
"Yes, as do I. But this is what happens when princesses marry foreign kings. We move. Our ladies move with us."
She sighed heavily.
"Do you wish to be discharged from my household?" I questioned.
"Of course not! You could not survive a day without me."
"Then what shall I do?"
"We go to Scotland."
The ride back to Hampton Court was much quieter than the ride to Norfolk's estate. As we arrived, I saw another carriage in front of the castle.
"Elizabeth has arrived!"
Elizabeth! One of the only girls in court I was genuinely friends with. She was Angeline's daughter and one of my best friends, besides Charlene.
"Let's ask her to join us for lunch," I said, hurrying from our carriage.
Charlene nodded as she slowly followed close behind me. She stood in the doorway, wearing a yellow visiting dress that complimented her beautiful olive skin. She was the complete opposite of her pale mother. Obviously, she took after her father, Charles Featherstone. He was a handsome man that my father had given a dukeship to after their great adventures.
She smiled and waved to us as we approached.
"Princess Evelyn!"
"Lady Elizabeth. How wonderful for you to come."
"It has been quite some time since I have seen you. And you, Charlene." She embraced us before we walked to the great hall. "Evelyn, I do not mean to point out the obvious but it appears as though your father's entire army is following you."
I glanced over my shoulder. "I know. There was a bit of an incident last night. Apparently, some people called the Guild are trying to kill me."
"The Guild? My mother told me of them."
"Yes. They sent a poisoned tiara and black-clad individuals to eliminate me. I had to ride bareback with the King of Scotland to the Duke of Norfolk's estates in the middle of the night!"
"Oh dear me!" Elizabeth put her hand to her chest and gasped in horror. "That does sound quite exciting though."
"It was quite the gruesome sight. I do feel bad for my guards. They were a very good guard regiment."
"I'm sorry about your guards. I don't know what our country would do without their princess though."
"I'm sure they would make do." I plucked a white and pink rose from a vase and continued walking. "Prince James from Scotland is here somewhere."
"What is he doing here?"
"Apparently he is going to ask for my hand in marriage."
"Marriage?" She arched her brows at me.
"Yeah. Marriage. My parents feel as though I am old enough to marry and they have chosen Prince James."
"Oh my." I bopped her on the head with the rose and nodded my head. "To a king."
"Oh my indeed."
"I have heard he is terribly handsome."
I sighed heavily, smiled, and nodded. "He is so very handsome."
"How do you feel about this arrangement?" Elizabeth asked.
"She's not happy," Charlene piped up.
"I admit that I'm wary of it. I barely know the man. I do feel as though I could grow to love him though. He seems genuine about wanting to make it work, even if it is for the sake of our kingdoms."
"So why are you going to Scotland?" Elizabeth asked.
"Safety. Plus to unite our countries. It will be a great thing"
"You are the princess. Princesses tend to be used as political chess pieces."
"I suppose. I would like to marry for love. I could love James. He was so very brave last night."
"Having a brave husband is an important thing to have." Elizabeth nodded her head as one of the kitchen maids placed a platter of food in front of us.
"When will the wedding take place?" Elizabeth questioned.
"I'm not sure. Soon I suppose."
"When you go to Scotland, I will go as well," Elizabeth told me.
"Good!"
A crash of thunder and a streak of lightning lit up the sky. We stared out the windows as the dark clouds released the rain upon us.