Chapter 4:
Adeline
I walked into the banquet room of the castle after everyone had been seated. I stopped at the entrance of the room. Everyone turned to look at me and I smiled slightly, being in the center of attention was my specialty.
I picked up the ruffled skirt of my ruby red satin short sleeved dress and walked to my seat at the right of my father. I sat down across from Prince Joshua who was seated at the left of my father and fingered the sapphire pendent that was once my mother’s which I wore every day. I scratched the scales that rose from the dragons claw that clasped the jewel.
“Anyway,” my father continued as he stood up from the head of the long oak table, “I would like to make a toast.” He lifted his wine glass in the air.
He waited until everyone stood up and raised their glasses. I raised mine half-heartedly, feeling the silver bangles I wore slide towards my elbows. My father glared at me. It was probably because I wore my third-best everyday tiara, a silver one with one small diamond in the center. Also, my hair was stuffed inside a net that was studded with diamonds. It attached to the back of my tiara. I smiled at my father innocently.
Then he continued, “To Prince Joshua and Princess Adeline, may you live in happiness together.”
“To Prince Joshua and Princess Adeline,” everyone echoed.
I sat down first, narrowing my eyes and Prince Joshua sat down just as quickly. I lifted the wine glass and drank the blood-red liquid. I felt the liquid burn down my throat. Over the top of the glass I saw the prince staring at me. I put the glass down and looked at him too. He crossed his eyes and made a goofy face. I felt a laugh start at my throat which I quickly swallowed the rest of my drink.
I glanced at my other two sisters they were looking upon me in disdain. Angelica mouthed to me, why you? I shrugged in response even though it was obvious. They were as boring as an unembellished sword hilt.
I tried listening to my father’s conversation, “This alliance will help strengthen the ties between the kingdoms. As you all know we are already in peace with the other two kingdoms: Water and Earth now we reconnect with our last kingdom, Fire.” He gestured to King Felix.
“Felix has something to add,” my father said.
“Yes I do,” King Felix said. I sighed playing with the silver ring on my middle finger. I looked down at my uneaten chicken salad.
“This is the first time in 100 years that an alliance was formed between two kingdoms in Collaner through matrimony,” King Felix said, “Therefore; this ceremony is going to be big, huge even. There will be dragon entertainment, the Elves of Galla, and other amazing magical entertainment.” He paused waiting for the applause to start and die down.
“Also,” he said, “this is the first time that the leaders of a kingdom will be leaders of two kingdoms at the same time.” Everyone listened in silent awe.
“So,” he continued, “this is very exciting!” I rolled my eyes, that was something people said when they had nothing else to say.
“Prince Joshua and Princess Adeline,” King Felix said gesturing to each of us in turn, “will be married in a month, the day before the Council of the Risen, so the new members of the council can come to their first meeting.” Everyone started clapping at once.
My head snapped up, I looked at King Felix in utter disbelief, my father with a loathsome glare which he returned equally as fierce. Then I looked across from me at Prince Joshua, his face reflected the same amount of shock and anger as mine did.
So, I thought, he doesn’t want to marry me either at least we have that in common.
“A month,” I thought out loud.
“Yes Adeline,” my father responded, “a month.”
His expression made me shut my mouth. I looked down at my chicken salad and picked up the fork. Then put it down, I couldn’t eat with my stomach churning from the news.
“Yes, yes,” King Felix said making everyone stop clapping at once, “back to the banquet.”
Everyone dug in again. I pushed my plate away from me and my father gave me a death glare. I looked at him with the same expression and crossed my arms.
“If you will excuse me, I would like to congratulate my daughter in private,” my father said suddenly and everyone got up.
I was dragged out of the banquet room with my father pulling me on my arm. Everyone bowed at our exit.
“A month, Father,” I said once we were in the room across from the banquet, “a month!”
“Yes,” my father said, “we want to make the alliance as soon as possible.”
“I don’t see why you and King Felix couldn’t sign some kind of contract unify our kingdoms,” I said.
“Because,” my father, “it wouldn’t be permanent.”
I sighed heavily. “What?” my father asked incredulously.
“I just want a normal courtship,” I said, “You know dating; romantic rides in the forest and actual love.”
“Fine,” my father said.
“You mean the wedding is off,” I said excitedly.
“No,” my father said, “you will have a normal arranged courtship.” He smiled at me like he knew he found a loophole in my statement.
“Huh?” I said calling after him as he strode out of the room into the banquet hall. I quickly followed my father into the banquet hall. My face must have been pretty confused because everyone looked at each other in the same uncertainty.
I sat down and my father began speaking, “I have a last announcement before we end the banquet.”
Everyone looked at him expectantly. “In order to ‘sell’ the experience to make Prince Joshua and my daughter more comfortable with each other there will be a courtship. They will see each other twice a week until the wedding starts.”
I looked at him half angry half surprised that he took my words to heart. King Felix started clapping loudly and patting King Thomas on the shoulder so that everyone began clapping tentatively this time. I was sick: sick of all the clapping, the cheeriness and the surprise relating to this wedding.
I sat there, still as a statue. I looked across from me at Prince Joshua who looked at me. Instead of happiness or a congratulate expression, it was a familiar expression. It was familiar because it was the same as mine: a mix of shock and anger.
I stood up and everyone stood up with me. I looked around and ran out of the room for the second time with everyone bowing as I left the banquet hall.
I cried as I ran up to my chambers, I’m usually not one to cry but this was different. Everything was crumbling down, my entire world was changing. I went to the royal staircase and sat down on the cold stone steps. I rested head on the wall just sitting there and cried until my body was drained of its tears.
I got up and walked downstairs into the royal kitchen. Whenever I was sad, I baked or hunted. I couldn’t hunt because the risk of my secret being exposed was too great. I opened the long oak doors and instantly smelled the aroma of fresh baked bread.
“Ah hello Princess,” the royal chef greeted me.
“Hi Chef Paul,” I responded with a smile.
“Is anything wrong with the royal banquet,” Chef Paul stuttered nervously.
“No, that’s not why I came,” I said and Chef Paul looked relieved. I sighed quietly, that was the power of the crown, and it made everyone nervous.
“Ah,” Chef Paul said knowingly, “you came to test the fresh bread.”
I laughed, “No, but that sounds great anyway.”
Chef Paul sliced me a generous piece of bread. Once he pierced the bread with his knife it omitted a swirl of steam suggesting the bread was just taken out of the oven. He put some freshly churned butter on it. “What is your problem,” he said.
“I’m getting married to a total stranger,” I said eating the bread. The crust was crispy and the inside was soft, the butter was creamy yet solid enough not to drip of the side of a hot piece of bread.
“Yes, I heard, Prince Joshua of Fire Kingdom,” the chef said.
“How long have you know?” I asked.
“Just this morning,” the chef said nonchalantly.
I sighed, “I’m going to go now Chef, the bread is delicious. Can I have some tomorrow morning for breakfast?”
“Of course Princess,” Chef Paul said, turning away to start cleaning the pots and pans left over from cooking the royal banquet.
“Thanks,” I said skipping out of the room. It was amazing that a piece of fresh bread and butter could lift someone’s mood.
Instead of going to my chambers, I went to a secret room in the warrior chambers. I walked in and pushed a stone bust backward revealing a trap door to another room adjoining this one. In the olden days, before they built the training ground this was where the royal knights and hunters trained. There were straw targets and some kind of machine with gears that made fake knights fight automatically. This was the first place I started training when I discovered it at eleven years old.
I came across it a year after my mother died. I was going through a rather rebellious streak. My father punished me after finding out that I sneaked out of the castle by making me clean the entire warrior room.
When I dusted the bust it pushed backwards on itself. At first I thought I had broken it, and then the secret room revealed itself.
It was the perfect place to let out my anger without hurting anyone. I grabbed one of the swords and started up a fake knight. I started jabbing and spearing the fake knight.
The knight’s sword grated past my arms leaving a small cut on the bicep.
I swore under my breathe smacking the sword out of the fake knight’s mechanical hand in rage. Through the reflection of the metal breastplate I saw that my eyes were sparked with rage. I blinked a couple of times straightening my back waiting for the knight to back down.
By the time the automatic knight stopped I was sweating.
It would have been a lot easier to beat the knight if I wasn’t wearing a floor-length satin dress.
I went back to my chambers and Irene helped me get ready for bed.
My father walked in and dismissed Irene like the night before.
“Tomorrow, you are to show Prince Joshua to the warrior chambers,” he ordered me.
“Why?” I asked.
“This is what you wanted isn’t it?” he said, “a normal courtship. He‘s a warrior, it’s to make him feel at home.”
“I have to see him twice a week now,” I said, stating it instead of a question.
“Yes,” he said.
“I don’t have a choice in this do I,” I said sadly. I hung my head as I cradled it in my hands.
“No,” he said, “I’m going to tell the prince.”
“You do that,” I sighed.
For some reason I felt a little relieved. At least now I’ll know how terrible he is and have good arguing material. But more importantly, I wasn’t going.
Joshua
“Hello, hello, hello,” King Thomas said entering our room.
“Ah, hello Thomas,” my father said.
“I have good new,” King Thomas said, “it’s for Prince Joshua.”
“Yes, Sire,” I said entering the room from the bathroom.
“The princess wants to show you the warrior’s chambers,” he told me looking at me like I was the luckiest man in the Realm.
I rolled my eyes mentally, but I wouldn't dare do that in person. A day with Princess Adeline was like a day with a poisonous snake. Honestly, she was my last choice. I knew that looked bad on my part, but honestly the girl was made of stone. At least I knew that when we were married she would leave me to my own devices.
“She does?” I said incredulously. When I saw her at the banquet, she looked like the last person who wanted to show me anywhere around the castle.
“Yes,” he said, “she knows how good the warriors are from Fire and she wanted to see you fight.”
“Really?” I said skeptically.
“Yes,” he said nodding, “Have a nice night.”
“Thank you Your Majesty,” I said bowing as he exited our chambers.
“That was nice of the princess,” my father told me looking for something in the room.
“I don’t think it was the princess’s idea, Father,” I said watching him look around the room. From the brief time I had met the princess, she didn’t seem like the one who would jump to the chance of being queen of the welcoming kingdom. Pretty much the opposite, she was the first one to jump away from the chance.
“Do not say that,” my father said looking up from his search.
“Why not, it’s the truth,” I said. Sometimes people just didn’t want the truth all they wanted was synthetic feelings.
“I do not want you to hurt her feelings,” he said returning to his search.
“I don’t think my opinion would hurt her feelings,” I said half to me, half to him.
“Joshua,” he said calling for me, “can you go down to the kitchen and ask them for bread and milk?”
“Yes father,” I said while exiting the chamber.
I walked down the halls and realized I had no idea where the kitchen was. I looked around for some kind of guidance and saw a figure in a linen nightgown and emerald robe, holding a candle looking at the wall apparently deep in thought. I went up to her.
“Hello,” I said waiting for her to bow at me when she didn’t even look at me I continued, “Do you know where the kitchens are?”
“Of course,” she said looking at me with her sapphire blue eyes, it was the princess.
“Oh I am sorry Princess,” I said bowing.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said shrugging it off, “Follow me the kitchens are this way.”
I walked behind her watching the brown curls that cascaded down her back bounce around between her shoulder blades. Without her crown, elaborate clothing, pinned up hair and permanent scowl she looked like a girl I could actually make laugh. I had tried at the banquet but she just looked at me, expressionless.
“So are you excited for tomorrow?” I asked trying to make small talk.
“No,” she said stopping suddenly and turning the candle at my face. Through this candle light I could see her own fire burning in her eyes.
I looked at her confused, “Your father said it was your idea for this courtship.”
She laughed without emotion and continued to walk. I noticed that she walked with a purpose and everyone who passed us bowed. I knew that they were bowing at both of us, but it seemed like they were bowing only to her.
“It was not my idea,” she said looking to her left, “you picked me. I told my father that I wanted a normal courtship not an arranged one.”
“Oh,” I said, “well for the record, this alliance wasn’t my idea.”
“But were you the one who picked me?” she said stopping and staring at me with a chilly blue glare.
“Yes,” I said.
“At least you had a choice,” she said staring at me with such emotion I assumed it was anger. But perhaps it was something greater than that, maybe it was sadness.
“Oh,” I said again, with nothing else to say. At least I had a week’s time to collect myself. Get it into my head that I was going to be a married man.
She looked at me for a moment then turned around, “Here is the royal kitchen.”
“Thank you,” I said, holding the door handle.
“Do you need help finding your way back,” she said sarcastically.
“No,” I said seriously.
“Fine,” she said turning on her heel, “see you tomorrow but don’t be shocked if I don’t arrive.”
I stared at her while she walked back to her chambers. My father was right, she did have an opinion about everything. She was going to be unreasonable and judgmental. I liked her; I chose her because she was strong. Stronger than anyone else I’ve met.
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