I waited outside out door, holding my breath. My mouth had run dry, and my heart was pounding erratically. I wasn't sure what punishment would await me once that door no longer separated me from the 'ladies' within. My only consolation was that I wouldn't have to worry about a beating as they couldn't have me going to the ball bloodied and covered in bruises.
Finally, I summoned my back bone and pushed the door open without knocking.
"Angela," Madame purred as I entered. They were all sitting around the door as though they'd been waiting for me. "I thought we had given express orders. Did you misunderstand anything?" Annabella and Flora looked up at me over the tray of dainties they were devouring.
"No, milady, but the things were too heavy to lift without help, and when they offered their help, I didn't think it would be considered polite to decline."
I had decided on my way up that mention my accident or the meeting with the prince would be less than prudent. I had devised that I would do my best to leave that part out of the story without telling an outright lie. Perhaps, I had thought with a flutter of hope, they would be less harsh, since there was no way they could know how their finery had been spilled across the royal courtyard.
"You considered?" Madame's nostrils flared. "You were not called upon to consider but to obey. Girl, if we were home, I should have you horsewhipped for your disobedience." She had obviously been speaking to Adella. "As we are not, however," she said in a more subdued manner. "We must come up with some other kind of punishment."
I looked from one to the next of the females that inhabited the room and found no fear in myself for what they might do to me, only exhaustion. Somehow, a year under their petty brutality had killed the part of me that cared for them or when they thought and did. I had been beaten, humiliated, and forced to work like a mule, and I was surprised to discover that I had some remnant of spirit left.
Truly, they weren't capable of taking all of it from me. They didn't possess such talent. For while my body was their's to do as they will with, my soul was as free as long as I had a tiny piece of my father's memory to which I could cling.
As of now, that place was our old home and the places he had taught me to love. The menagerie and the forest, the little brook that twisted among the hills on the outskirts of Lund, and the wild flowers in the fields and the animals that made their home on our lands. These things were all parts of him that no one, no matter how hard they tried, could take from me. They were treasures, and only I knew how to unlock the padlocks that would set free the memories that were so like the songbirds I so often envied.
"Adella," Madame said. "What do you think would befit such disobedience?"
Well, perhaps not all of that was true after all. I still harbored a great fear for Adella. She was unpredictable, and her means of torture usually had nothing to do with my body being harmed. She found ways to dig into the deepest depths of my heart and thereby conjure up such punishments that made me tremble from head to toe.
"Hmm." Adella rose from her couch lazily, looking at me with her sharp eyes. I bore her gaze with all the courage I could muster but wilted slightly when a. Look of triumph cross her features. "Mama," she said smoothly, turning to look at her mother. "It is as you say: she deserves to be beaten, but polite society forbids such a thing. However, these filthy rags would also be frowned upon in our current company. We cannot allow our own relation to walk about in such things."
With these words, she reached up and yanked the sleeve of my gown so that it tore at the shoulder seam. That dress was one of the few things I possessed, and it had been a gift from my dearest friends. She had seen all of this, how much it mattered to me, and with her usual cruelty, she had decided to take it from me.
I screamed out in sorrow and rage as the fabric to from my arm, and I did the one thing that I could to retaliate. I swung my hand about and hit her so hard in the face that she staggered backwards. Madame shrieked, and the girls gaped open-mouthed at me, their half-chewed form spilling from their mouths.
I had never dared do such a thing before, and that I should do so now so astounded them all that for a moment, the was threaded with silent disbelief. Then, Madame leapt at me with a scream, the others in hot pursuit. There was nothing I could do to stop the sudden onslaught.
They pummeled me with all their strength. There was a flurrying of tearing fabric and scratches and slaps that overwhelmed me entirely. I ended up on the floor, curled into a ball to protect my face as best I could.
When they were done, my beautiful dress—the one thing that I had that was decent and the last thing I had to remind me of the friends I wouldn't be seeing for some time—was in tatters. My hair had been torn from its neat braid, and my face had been so scratched and mauled that I could hardly distinguish one place of hurt from another. Adella looked at me smugly, hatred in her eyes, as I got to my feet.
"Do clean yourself up." Madame said harshly. "The ball is to be in a few hours." I gasped for breath at their cruelty, trying in vain to hide my tears and keep what little dignity I had left.
I opened my mouth to speak, but there were no words to express what I felt toward them. There was nothing I could say that would change anything. Snapping my mouth shut, I turned and fled the room.
Racing down the long halls, I somehow managed to find my way into the castle garden. There, flopping down onto the rich, green grass, I shed the tears of a year's abuse and mistreatment. I had never allowed myself to cry about the things they did to me: it would've only made it worse, but now, now, I couldn't help it.
They had taken every decent I ever had and made it as ugly and dirty as they themselves. I was sure, as I lay there sobbing, that they hated me more than anything or anyone else in the world. I don't believe I was much mistaken, either.
When most of my tears had been shed, I felt a gentle hand touch my shoulder, and I leapt to my feet, wiping at my eyes and sniffing back my tears. However, it was not the face of my sisters or even my mother that met my gaze. A young woman, who looked to be around my age, stared at me with such pitiful sympathy that I almost began to cry again.
"Is there anything I can do to help you?" She said softly, and her voice was the most beautiful thing I had heard in all my life.
She was like an angel. Her gorgeous hazel eyes took in the state of my attire in one glance, and she seemed to understand what I had been through without having to hear any sort of explanation.
"I don't believe so." I said, trying to check my sobs with a sniff.
"There, there, you have no need to hide your tears from me." She said gently, moving toward me with such grace that I felt a fool. "Someone has been cruel to you, and I am sure your tears are justified."
"You are too kind." I managed. "But I fear your kindness could be used in a better way. There is nothing on earth that can be done for me."
"Nonsense," she said with a sort of half smile. "It cannot be as bad as all that." She touched my arm with her soft hand. "You have suffered som injustice, perhaps?"
She had hair the color fo the noonday sun, and her features surely had no equal in all of Falea. In short, she was beyond beautiful. She was like a goddess, and her beauty and grace reminded me of what I wished I could be. I could never have her poise and beauty, but I had once something of a lady, and her presence reminded me of things that I had missed all these years.
"I can see that this subject gives you pain." She interrupted my lamenting thoughts. "That is quite all right; I do not mean to pry into your business. I only wish to help." I was sorry that I had caused her offense and opened my mouth to say as much when she continued. "I'm Una." The name suited her. "Una Forthren." She gave me a quizzical glance as though to ask for my name.
"Bree Angarden." I indicated myself with a sniff. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." I gave a slight curtsy. Una had mentioned to rank, but I wasn't about to take any chances.
Una laughed. "Here I was thinking you were some servant who had received some sort of slight—probably a scullery maid from the looks of your clothing—and I find you a to be a lady, a visitor here just like me. I think I might have met your mother a while ago." She looked at me with bright eyes. "You are nothing like her." She commented sweetly.
"Thank you." I meant it with all my heart, and she laughed.
"You have none of her borrowed airs of supremacy, Bree."
She couldn't have given me a greater compliment. I had often worried that I had become more like my mother over the course of my fought year, and here was the reassurance I needed.
"If you don't mind my asking, what happened to you?" Una's brow furrowed slightly. "I saw you earlier, now that I think about it, and you looked quite well, but now—" she motioned to my tattered dress.
I, too, took a moment to look over my appearance. To my intense sorrow, the dress, that had been so beautiful in my eyes, was ruined beyond repair. Both sleeves had been torn—one ripped from the bodice entirely. The beautifully shaped neckline had been ripped horribly, and the skirt was a tattered remnant of the once full, colorful material.
There was nothing to be done about it, but I couldn't help feeling upset over the matter. I might have given in to despair after I'd cried myself out of tears had Una not appeared.
"Never mind," she said, seeing my distress. "Here, allow me to help you."
She took her handkerchief out of her pocket and dabbed at the still wet blood and tears on my face. Her hands were cool and gentle, and I felt more than a little in awe of her as she worked.
"It is a pity. You dress was so pretty." She added after a moment.
"Thank you, milady." I said, my voice a little lower than usual as I didn't trust myself to speak normally without bursting into a fit of new tears.
Una laughed at this. "You mustn't call me that!" She exclaimed. "You must call me 'Una', and you must all me to call you 'Bree'. I am no fancy lady that needs to be addressed in such a way, and I don't believe friends refer to each other like that, anyway." She smiled. "And I fully intend to be your friend."
This brought a small smile to my face. I had never had a friend of my own age, though I had violently wished for one all my years of growing. I suddenly determined in that moment that I was going to make the most of this undesired trip to town. I was going to enjoy myself despite my family's desire to make me miserable. I would find a way.
"Come, take my cloak." Una said when she had finished wiping my face. "The ball will be beginning very soon, and you must get back to your room and change."
I gratefully took the fine garb she offered. My clothing was not fit to be seen, and I had been wondering how I could get back through the castle without being noticed.
"Thank you ever so much." I said, pulling the material close.
"Not at all," Una waved off my thanks with a gorgeous smile. "I am just glad I found you. I never expected to find a friend there. Usually, it's overrun by the most appalling snobs who only think of finery and impressing the royal family."
I looked at her quickly to see if she might be joking or toying with me, but her face was nothing but firm sincerity. I hadn't had someone call me 'friend' in more years than I cared to count. Even to the servants, I was the young miss, and while I loved them dearly and wouldn't trade them for the world, there was something priceless in being able to consider someone else in my inner circle.
"I didn't expect I would have any fun, either." I attempted to smile as brightly as she around the lump in my throat, knowing full well I could never match her beauty. "I didn't really know what to expect. I've never been here before." I explained and instantly regretted it.
If I spoke too much, would she quickly tire of my company and abandon me to the wolves here? It had been so comforting to have someone on my side, but would it really last? She was such a fine, delicate lady, and I was—well, there wasn't much of anything to me.
"Really? I've only been twice." She shrugged. "Are you to be presented this year?" With only momentary hesitation because of my bruises, she took my arm with the ease of a lifelong companion and led me back toward the castle.
"I don't think so." I frowned. The thought hadn't occurred to me. "I was supposed to be presented last year, but a tragedy prevented us from attending." I swallowed. "What about you?" I added hastily.
"Oh, yes, I remember. The king mentioned something about a faithful friend dying on a dangerous mission. I think his name was Liam Angarden, but I make it a point not to keep up with court matters." Una's brow wrinkled in sympathy, but she completely ignored my question, almost as though she were hasty to take the focus off herself—as though there were something there she'd much rather forget.
"Yes, that—he—was my father." I found it hard not to say 'is'. "He would have been honored to know that the king remembered him." I smiled softly.
"I'm so sorry." Una halted, her brow creasing. "This must all be very painful for you then."
"In a way, but I do like to hear that he's remembered by someone other than me." I said. The girls hadn't stopped even once to observe our father's death day.
"King Erik gave quite the speech about him. He spoke of him as the best man he ever set eyes on, and he had nothing but respect for him—which is saying a lot considering it's His majesty. Apparently, your father turned down a great position in court some years ago, because he didn't want the fame or the flash and dash of a court life." Una said as we continued our walk. "There was no better man, His majesty proclaimed, in all his realm." I stared at her silently for a long moment, confusion swimming around in my brain.
"My father was offered a position in court?" I frowned slightly.
For as long as I could remember, I'd thought that was the thing he desired most and yet was never granted. Mother was always nagging at him to find some way to please the king and get a hight position, and here, I discovered that that coveted position had been offered, but Father had turned it down. I had never heard even the whisper of such a thing.
"Yes," she frowned. "I thought you would've known. King Erik spoke of it as though it were common knowledge."
"No," I said softly. "I didn't. Did the king give me father's reason for turning it down?"
She merely shook her head, her brow creased as she tried to remember the details for my sake. "He merely said that your father turned it down and would hear no more on the matter, despite his own coaxing." She stopped me again as we were about to turn down a hall. "Where are you and your family situated?"
"Down there." I indicated another hallway.
"Then this is where we must part," she said, releasing my arm. "I shall look forward to seeing you again, Bree." She smiled a bright smile that revealed to rows of even, white teeth. "But as we only have a little more than an hour to prepare, I suggest we move quickly."
Nodding, I made as if to return her cloak. The fine material slid from my shoulders like water. For a brief moment, the desire to wear such things just once flashed through my mind.
"I have far too many of those things." She stopped me with a wave of her hand. "You keep it for now. If I ever want it back, I'll come find you." She flashed another smile before turning down the hall.
Drawing a shaky breath and then exhaling through my nose, I made my way toward the rooms where I was staying with Madame and the girls, my brow still creased as I tried to process what I'd just heard. I couldn't for the life of me think of any reason Father should turn down the chance to make them happy. They would have stopped complaining so insistently if he had accepted, so what could have been his motive for declining?
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Yes, yes, I know. It took a really long time to get this up here, but as I think I've mentioned before (?), I wrote this story several years ago with a typewriter, so I have to type it up as we go, and when I recently moved, I misplaced the pages :(. I finally dug through all my notebooks and folders and found them, so I could get this chapter up. I hope you enjoyed it!
What do you think of Una? Do you hope to see more of her? What kind of friend do you think she'll be? What do you think Bree will do with this new information? The next chapter will be fun (I hope), so you can look forward to it. . .or not, ya know ;D. Anyway, until next time!!