After dinner I went back to the training room and had a few rounds of archery, still unable to fully defeat the hard core mode. I nodded to a few guards who I didn't know but had become familiar with seeing as they were training to.
Some used the punching bag and others were fighting in pairs with swords. The clink of blades and echo of every punch was rhythmic and calming as I focused on my archery.
After a final round, still unsuccessful at completing the last level, I returned the bow and arrows to their place.
Later at dinner Princess Charlotte had a chat to me and we had agreed to spend some time together so she insisted I hang out with her in her room.
I made my way up to the fourth floor and was greeted with the stern faces of 2 guards. One placed out a hand in my path to stop me.
"Excuse me miss, only royals are allowed to access these chambers." The one on the left said, the other stepping in front of me to block my path.
"I'm meeting with the princess." I try to explain but they stop me still, not allowing me to pass.
"The Princess needs to give clearance in advance. Which she hasn't." The one on the right says gruffly, his stubble on his beard giving him a scary demeanour. The both looked extremely intimidating and serious.
I grumble, about to retreat downstairs when I notice another figure coming down the hall.
Queen Kate sees me and smiles, "There you are dear, I was looking for you." She gives me a wink and looks to the guards with a stern gaze, "I hope you weren't giving Miss Isabelle any trouble."
The guards cower, stepping aside to let me through as she puts a hand on my shoulder. Her warm brown eyes and happy smile makes me feel good as she leads me past the guards.
"I'm sorry about those guards, they are just trying to do their job." Queen Kate whispered to me once we were out of earshot.
"It's alright. But thank you all the same, your majesty." I say and look up at the queen with a grateful smile.
Her posture alone gives off the impression she is important, and she really carries herself well.
"Anytime dear, if your looking for the prince he's in his fathers office." She pointed to a room down to the left of where we stood.
"I'm actually here to see the princess." I say and the queen doesn't seemed too surprised.
"Ah, well her room is just down the hall, second one on the left." She says, motioning to the other direction.
I nod and give her a quick curtsey before hurrying down the hall to the room the queen pointed out.
As I pushed it open I was hit with the smell of perfume and nail polish.
"Izzy!"
Princess Charlotte's room was nothing like her brothers. It was really a princess's room.
Pink everything and a massive bed with drapes over the top. Gold accents on all the furniture and every accessory.
The princess herself was curled up on the bed with a small jar of nail polish on the table beside her.
"So, what have you been up to today?" She asks, shuffling over so she is sitting on the side closer to me, away from the spilt polish and puts a cloth over it to soak it up.
"Checking out the training facilities, trying to get my mind off everything." I say, and Charlotte's nods with a friendly smile.
"I can't do much of the training, Thomas says you need to at least be 18 to use some of the equipment, so mostly all I can do is use a punching bag." The Princess says with a frown, rolling her eyes at the rule.
I laugh and she tosses a pillow at me. I take the pillow and get onto the bed opposite the princess, crossing my legs.
"Hey I got this new hair set, can you braid?" Charlotte puts a glass box off the table and onto the bed in between us.
"Yeah, of course." I say and her smile widens, her eyes lighting up with excitement. She gets up and shuffles to sit behind me, putting her arms around me to hold 2 different hair pieces in front of my face.
There were long pieces of silk, one purple and pink and one light and dark blue.
"I'll do your hair first. Which one?" She asks, bopping the silks up and down in front of my face for me to choose.
I tug on the blue one, "This one goes with my outfit."
Charlotte nodded behind me, "It suits you, matches your eyes."
She started by parting my hair and started braiding it, weaving the silk in and out of my brown hair strands.
"So how's things going with my brother and you? Good I assume." Charlotte asks casually, continuing on my hair.
"Yeah, we're fine." I say with a shrug.
"You know, I've never seen my brother so worried about someone, other than me, before. He ran in here after you were taken to the hospital wing and he was really upset. He didn't go on any dates or do anything really while you were unconscious." Charlotte explained and it made my heart swell happily.
"Really?" I ask and Charlotte moves onto the second side of my braid, getting the second silk piece of fabric to twist in.
"Yeah, I tried talking to him, telling him to try and take his mind off it you know. Distract him in case something really bad did end up happening to you." Charlotte went quiet for a minute but then tried to remain positive.
"But you're ok now and that's what matters." Charlotte said and I could hear the smile come back into her voice as she continued on my hair.
"Yeah, thank goodness." I say, trying to play it off cool, trying to seem unaffected by it all.
"Are you alright to be in your room tonight?" Charlotte asks and it makes me stiffen slightly against her.
I hadn't thought about that, I didn't want to even try to go in my room again. It felt like a crime scene at the minute with the mess and security.
"Hey, Izzy, you could stay here, or I could get another room organised for you. There's plenty of spares with some of the other girls gone." Charlotte offers, finishing my hair and moving to sit facing me again.
"No, I don't want to bother you." I say, waving her off.
"It's no trouble, I can get Thomas to sort something out for you." Charlotte says and pulls a phone from the nightstand, quickly texting her brother and putting it back down again.
"Thank you for the help Charlotte, now let me do your hair." I say, wanting to busy myself with other thoughts.
She moves around again to be in front of me and passes me the glass box where I shuffle through all the hair silks.
I use the purple and pink silks for the princess's hair and neatly try and do the first side so it looks decent. The first side comes out ok and I move to the second.
"You know it's safe here, right?" Charlotte's asks in the softest whisper and I hear her voice waver.
I stay silent, unsure how to answer after the scare I've been through. I know no one's physically attacked me, but knowing they've been in my private space and deliberately tried to frighten me is scary.
"Right?" Charlotte turns to face me once my grip on her hair loosens and her eyes widen.
I only then realised I had started crying and try to wipe my face of my tears.
"Izzy, let me get you some water." Charlotte quickly hops up and moves to the bathroom and stand up off the bed, leaning my weight against one of the posts.
Charlotte returns with a glass of water as the door to her room opens.
I don't see who it is but I recognise the voice, melting into him as he reaches me.
"Bells, hey." The prince pulls me into him, allowing me to lean my weight against him as I cry into his chest.
We don't need words and I find comfort in his warm embrace.
I see Charlotte over her brothers shoulder as she puts the water down on the table and looks over at us, her hair only half finished in the braid.
I whimper into Prince Thomas's chest.
"Tom, I'm scared."