Princesses
Colette
It was the worst night’s sleep I ever had, and I was once stung by a silvertongue on my rear and had to sleep on my stomach with a cabbage leaf over the wound.
Nasty little buggers, those silvertongues, with six long legs and pincers the size of their oval-shaped bodies. Yet, last night was worse than that.
It must have been my nerves. I was in a new place, in a trial for the hand of a handsome prince, and had been very, very late.
The only small benefit had been meeting Julian.
His face was kind, despite the violent scars, and he didn’t seem at all put off by my appearance, that of a drowned creature wrapped in a cloak of mud.
The room they had set up for me was infinitely grander than my rooms at Silver Hill, but not nearly as cozy. I missed my featherbed and silk sheets, the way the mattress molded to fit my body. All the fabrics in this room were varying shades of green, much like the rest of this land.
Unlike Silver Hill, the coastline of Wimberley was so rich in flora and fauna. It had me eager to explore. Especially since we were so near to the sea. I closed my eyes and imagined dipping my toes in the ocean.
The door swung open and a tree nymph, with willowy limbs and evergreen hair, swept in.
“Good morning,” she trilled, her voice like the rustle of leaves, “I’m Maude. Your lady for the trials.”
I pressed a palm to my temple and forced a smile onto my face. “Morning,” I stifled a yawn. “I’m Colette.”
She halted midway through the room, just between the four-poster bed and the colossal armoire. “Did you sleep well?” She looked me over once, and then twice, before I could answer.
“May I be frank?” I whispered, looking at the open door.
She turned on a heel, shutting it, before facing me again. “I am your lady, and everything between us—stays as such.”
I nodded, relief coursing tiredly through my veins. “I don’t think I slept at all. This mattress—it’s much firmer than mine back home. Would it be possible to—” I cut myself off, realizing how spoiled I was about to sound.
The king and queen had welcomed me to their summer palace with the chance to wed their only son. I should be nothing but overwhelmed with gratitude.
“I must be homesick.”
Maude pursed her lips and tapped one long brown nail on the pout she had formed. “What kind of mattress do you have at home?”
I ran a hand along the crushed velvet blanket. “It’s an old, and very lovely, feather mattress.”
Maude’s eyes brightened, and she gripped the poster of my bed. “It sounds lovely. And I’ll see if we can switch your mattress out. The royal family would be distressed to know that one of their guests isn’t comfortable. It’s of paramount importance.”
I grinned, my nose crinkling, as the tired, anxious energy ebbed away. “That would be wonderful.”
“We must get you ready for the day. The first trial isn’t until tomorrow, but today you hear the rules and meet the other contestants.”
The idea of the first trial coming up so soon had my heart fluttering chaotically beneath my rib cage. I clutched at the lace-trimmed neckline of my nightgown. I had yet to hear what the trials would be, and that alone had fear dampening my palms.
“Do you know what the trials are?”
Maude shook her head, and I caught a glimpse of dragonflies dangling from her earlobes, and what appeared to be a ladybug on the pointy tip of her left ear. “They haven’t told us anything either, just who we would be waiting on.”
She tugged on the comforter and gestured for me to get out of bed.
“You mustn’t be late, and I have work to do!” She trilled, waltzing into my bathing chamber and turning on the water. Shock had me springing from the bed. We didn’t have running water in Silver Hill, and I marveled at it, running my fingers under the tap.
“It’s … warm,” I whispered.
“Of course it is,” Maude snickered. “Cold baths are appalling.”
I shared that sentiment, but having had only cold baths except on very special occasions, it was something you got used to.
Maude helped me slip off my nightgown, and I slid into the tub. She scurried off, and I could hear her rifling through the armoire.
“So many beautiful choices,” she hummed, “I think this shade of green would suit your complexion.”
She showed me the dress through the doorway, and I grinned as soon as I laid eyes on it.
Layers of gossamer, with delicate sleeves, and a fitted bodice. But it was the embroidery that took my breath away. A forest scene straight from the rolling foothills of the Dragon Mountain. With wildflowers, grazing fawns, and birds mid-flight. I had never beheld a dress so exquisite before.
“That’s for me?” I asked, lifting my head off the lip of the stone tub to get a better look at the gown.
“Of course! They want everyone to be on an equal footing for the trials.”
Her revelation made my chest ache, but I smiled past the pain so my gratitude would not be mistaken for anything else.
“It’s lovely.”
Maude had a dress, shoes, and jewelry all laid out for me by the time I rose from the bath. The water ran down my bare skin turning cold, and I missed the warmth of its touch as the air nipped at my exposed bits.
Maude wrapped me in the softest robe before sitting me in front of the carved oak vanity.
I stared at her in the large opal mirror as she used her wind magic to dry my sopping wet hair.
It took but a few heartbeats. She rubbed some oil between her fingers and raked them through my curls.
They clumped perfectly and bounced in an effortless way they never had before.
“Do you prefer your hair up or down?”
I blinked slowly, having never been asked before. “What does the Prince like?”
Maude chuckled. “I don’t know, but if I were a prince, I’d want to be able to wrap my fingers around a curl … so, down.”
My cheeks instantly flooded with color, and I covered my mouth to conceal my laughter.
“You’re funny,” I said, still trembling with giggles.
“And you,” she tugged my curl so that it sprung back up perfectly, “are all ready. I’ll escort you to the gallery. They’re assembling all the princesses there.”
I followed Maude through the palace. It wasn’t as colossal as the capital palace, but still just as grand. Picturesque windows allowed views of the navy-blue sea or the slate cliffs overlooking the black sand beach.
“I’ve lived in the summer palace for fifty years,” Maude explained. “I’ve watched over Prince August since he was a wee babe. I’m so thrilled he’s ready to find a wife.”
I wrapped my arms around myself and nodded. It’d take a miracle, or a witch’s spell, to ensure my victory.
“Are you alright?” Maude whispered.
I glanced behind us, ensuring the hall remained empty. “I just don’t think I stand a chance. I don’t know anything about being a princess to a kingdom this grand.”
“Oh, nonsense,” she tutted. “You’ll do fine.”
The weight of my sleeplessness pressed down on me, and I hid my mouth behind my hand as I yawned. “That might be easier said than done.”
Maude outstretched her hand, halting us, and looked both ways down the hall before slipping some sort of cosmetic out of her apron. “Hold still,” she ordered as she tapped it under my eyelids.
“What is that?”
She sucked her full lips into her mouth and squinted her eyes as she worked. When she had finished and slipped it back in her apron, she finally answered. “It’s to help with under eyes. You appeared to have been smacked in the face by a troll.”
I choked out a laugh again and quickly covered my mouth. “Oh, you’re terrible!”
Maude grinned as we began walking again. “You’ll thank me when you’re standing beside someone who actually slept last night.”
I blew out a breath, fluttering the hair around my face. “You’re probably right.”
“I usually am,” she replied with a wide smile.
“What’s the Prince like?” I asked.
“He’s an angel, that man. Utterly kind and gallant. Helped rebuild the orphanage with his own hands. You’d like him very much.”
I had heard much the same from the other servants and commoners I had spoken to. That he was a Prince worth entering the trials for.
“Here we are,” Maude said, gesturing to a towering arched doorway. “You’re welcome to walk around and look at the art, or take a seat with the others. The Governor will be with you all shortly.”
I bit my lip as I took a step towards the doorway before stopping. “Thanks for all your help, Maude. I’ll do my best to make all your trouble worth it.”
Maude tapped a long finger under my chin, raising my face slightly. “Just try to have a good time, dearie.” Then she disappeared down the hall singing a song that sounded like the kiss of waves against the sand.
I plucked at the gossamer fabric of my skirt as I walked into the room.
There were already two other princesses in here, and I recognized neither of them.
The long, narrow room had a single red velvet bench in the center of it, and they were sitting a good distance apart from each other.
I looked hopefully, my hand half raised in a wave, but neither one seemed to care that I was there.
“Um, hello …“ No one met my gaze, and one even turned away. “I’m Princess Colette.” I stepped farther into the room and was still met with silence.
That was to be expected, I supposed. We were competing.
The gorgeous art hung along the wall in golden frames, saving me from further embarrassment, and I walked to the first painting that caught my eye.
Art had always been a joy of mine, from trying to paint, learning the piano, embroidery, and even writing.
I loved the creative process. It was like diving into yourself, and the art you created was coming up for air.