I hook up the carriage to the horse. I have to do this almost every day. Why must Martha and her daughters go to the market every day? When we get back I will still be expected to do all the chores before dinner. Though that will probably only give me about an hour to get the cleaning and dinner done. I make sure the horse is clean and brushed off. God help me should Martha find a single speck of dirt on Ginger.
"Why aren't you ready yet?" Martha asks. I look over at her. Her long blonde hair is shining in the early morning sun. It is piled on top of her head in a stylish sort of way. She is wearing a deep purple dress today that clashes with her pale coloring. She is beautiful but I would never tell her that. She has a big enough ego as it is.
"I was just brushing down Ginger. I figured that it might take the girls a bit of time to get ready," I tell her politely.
"They do take a very long time don't they?" she says to herself. I just keep brushing Ginger. She whinnies softly at my attention. Sometimes I think she is the only one here that would miss me if I disappeared. After all, I all I am the only person that takes care of her. I should like to see Martha or one of the girls saddle up Ginger and get her ready to go to the market. I smile at the thought.
"What is so funny?" Martha asks me sharply. I look up to see that she is only a few feet away from me. I blink a few times before looking away.
"Nothing Martha," I tell her easily.
"Well something made you smile. And you never smile anymore," she says thoughtfully. I look up at her in surprise. "Don't get your hopes up, you are no where's near as pretty as my girls," she says dismissively. I let my bangs hide my eyes. I hear the girls coming, so I hop up into the driver's seat.
"Sorry mother," Bridget says a little breathlessly.
"Yeah, Bridget here needed help getting her hair untangled," Vivian explains.
"Just get into the carriage; there is a sale at the hat place you two like so much. If you want to get something from there then we need to hurry," Martha tells them.
Once they are inside the carriage, and comfortable I give the reins a small shake. Ginger heads down the road. I ask her to speed up a little, and she settles into a steady and even trot. She makes this trip just as much as I do. Most of the time I don't even need to tell her what to do. How sad is it when a horse remembers the path that we take every morning and even what stores they like and in what order they want to go to them? I think about what Martha said to me.
Could she be right about me? My father used to tell me that I was the brightest star in the sky. That when I smile I can put the sun to shame with how bright it makes a room. I never used to doubt myself. I believed that even after he died the things he used to tell me were still true. Though over the years, Martha has worked away my self-esteem. I watch the clouds for a bit. They always calm me down.
Ginger slows down and I look back at the road. There are some uniformed guards in the road. I sit up a little straighter. Wish I had a mirror so I could see how I look, but Martha took all my mirrors away. "HALT!" one of the guards yells. I give Ginger the sign to stop. She halts just before the guard. I put on my calmest expression, and wait for him to come over to me.
"Sorry miss. This is going to take a bit of time, a caravan was attacked and we were sent to escort them the rest of the way to town. A few people were injured, so we are taking it nice and slow," he says before heading back up to his group.
"Raven what is going on up there?" Martha yells.
"A caravan was attacked so the king and queen sent guards to escort them to the city. People were hurt so they are not rushing the move," I tell her.
"Turn around I don't want to be sitting here waiting for some slow pokes," Martha says. I sigh, but turn Ginger around. I feel someone watching me, so I turn around. There at the back of the line is a very handsome looking man. I feel drawn towards him, but I turn my attention back to Ginger. We get back home, and I open the door for the others.
I watch as they head inside. With a sigh I place a gentle hand on Ginger's neck. She looks back at me. "Good news sweetie, you get to spend most of the day relaxing," I tell her. I can see a sort of smile in her eyes. "Come on let me get this monstrous thing off of you," I tell her sweetly. She whinnies softly and follows me to the stables.
I let her run around in the fields. She is so happy that she races around for a solid four minutes. She never gets to be out for more than a few minutes at a time anymore. I head back inside, and start on the chores.
"Raven," I here Vivian yell from upstairs. I put down the broom and head up to see what she wants. I knock on her door before I enter.
"You called?" I ask her. She is sitting in her window seat with a book in her hands. Her long strawberry blonde hair is loose and flowing in loose curls. She switched her dress to a simpler one that is more suited to wearing around the house. It is a lovely shade of violet. Not as dark as her mother's was this morning, but close.
"Can you bring me up something to eat?" she asks me imperiously.
"Is there anything in particular you want?" I ask her.
"I think I would like some kind of pasta," she says airily. I see her cat stand up and stretch. "Do you want something to eat as well fantasia?" I ask the cat. She mewls at me and races out the door. Or rather she waddles out the door. I wouldn't feed her if she was mine, but Vivian has yelled at me for not asking her cat if it was hungry. The poor thing looks like it is about to explode or something. I close the door softly behind me as I leave.
Half way down the stairs, Bridget calls me. I sigh and hurry up to her room. "Yes?" I ask her.
"I want something sweet to eat, can you head into the market and pick up some sweets?" she asks. I think that over quickly and nod before heading out. I hurry over to Martha's room and knock on the door.
"What is it?" she snaps.
"Bridget has asked me to head into town to pick up some sweets, is there anything you need or want?" I ask her. She thinks about it for a few moments.
"A nice dress, Since I do not want to go right now I leave it up to you to get something nice. Do not disappoint me," she says. She tosses a coin purse at me. "Remember we only get the best of anything," she says before waving a dismissive hand. I nod and hurry out. I knock on Vivian's door again.
"Are you done already?" she asks in an annoyed voice.
I open the door slightly and peek in. "Martha and Bridget want things from the market. Is there anything you want?" I ask her.
"No, but are you going to cook my pasta before or after?" she asks.
"Well it's not a good idea to make Martha wait for anything she wants. She asked me to pick up a dress for her," I tell Vivian. She nods.
"Then can you get me something to eat from the market?" she asks. I nod and hurry out. I whistle for Ginger and get the saddle and harness from the stable. She nuzzles my hair as I wipe her down quickly and get her saddled. I glance at the harness and carriage. I shrug and hop up onto her back. She sets off happily towards the market.
I always love riding her. It doesn't take us long to reach the market place. I see the people from the caravan. They are setting up their tents and things. I tie Ginger to a post outside one of the shops. She flicks her tail as I hurry around to get things for everybody.
First I go to the dress shop. The owner knows Martha well. "How can I help you today?" he asks.
"I'm looking for a dress for Martha," I tell him.
"Well she got a few things in, but you want a new one?" he asks. I nod my head.
"What types of materials do you have?" I ask him.
"I forgot that you don't get any dresses," he says off hand. I look down at my baggy pants, and my stained shirt. I feel a little self conscious. Damn that really needs to stop happening.
"Can you just please pick out a material that she will like a lot. You know more about her tastes than I do," I tell him. He nods and I hurry out. The things for Vivian and Bridget are food. I can cut a few deals to save some money and Martha would never know if I got something for myself. After all she is expecting me to spend a lot of money on her and her daughters.
I locate a vendor that is selling really good sweets. I ask him his normal prices, and ask if I could try a sample. They are really sweet, but Bridget likes sweet things. I tell him they are not to my liking, and I head into the less open areas of the city. I find a smaller market place down a few alleys and look around.
"Would you like to try one?" a little girl asks me. She is holding up a platter of delicate looking pastries. I pick one up and try it. It is really good not overly sweet but sweet enough for Bridget.
"Can you show me where I can buy some?" I ask her kindly. She smiles happily and leads me to her mother's stand. I purchase a decent sized bag of the delicacies, and at a very low price. I look around the small market a bit more and get some pasta and cheese and a few veggies. Altogether the food for Vivian and Bridget is half the price of one pastry from the other market place. I purchase some new clothes for me, and something small to eat and it totals the price of a pastry. What a rip off that man was.
I head back to the dress shop. He has all of Martha's dresses laid out for me, as well as ones for Vivian and Bridget. I take them out and bump into someone. Everything goes flying and I land on my butt. A string of curses slip from my lips. I look up to see who I ran into. It is the man that was looking at me earlier.
"Sorry miss," he says. I blush a little, as he offers me his hand. I take it and let him help me up.
"No it's partly my fault as well," I tell him.
"Where's your carriage this time?" he asks with a teasing note to his voice.
"I left it at home with my step mother," I tell him. He helps me gather up all the things I dropped.
"How are you going to get all of this back home?" he asks.
"Well I thought I was only picking up one dress, but apparently not," I tell him with a shrug.
"Would you let me help you? After all I knocked you over," he says with a sweet smile.
"I don't see why you can't," I tell him. I give him my own smile, and this time it is genuine. I see something shift slightly in his features and he smiles bigger.
"Has anyone ever told you, you have the most amazing smile?" he asks. I frown a little. I start walking to Ginger and he follows.
"My dad used to," I tell him.
"Used to? He doesn't anymore?" he asks.
"No he passed away a few years ago, and my step mother is not exactly as loving as my father was," I tell him.
"Is that why you are dressed in those clothes?" he asks. I nod. I spot Ginger up ahead, and speed up a little. He keeps pace easily. I put the things I am carrying into the saddle bags. We end up dividing the dresses between the two of us. I make sure my clothes are hidden.
"What is your name?" he asks me. I take the lead so he doesn't get lost.
"Raven, how about you?" I ask.
"Gryphon," he tells me. "Did they name you raven because of your skin tone?" he asks. I look at him over my shoulder.
"What are you talking about?" I ask him.
"Your skin tone is as dark as a raven's wing. I was asking if that was why they named you Raven?" he asks again. I look down at my hands and see that my skin is indeed very dark. Damn Martha for forbidding me to use the tub. I will have to sneak out tonight and take a dip in the river.
"No my stepmother does not let me use the tub to bath and I do not have either the time or energy to go to the river," I tell him. He is silent for a while.
"Your step mother sounds like a terrible person," he says. I flash a smile at him.
"Yes I agree with you on that," the trees clear a little and my home comes into view.
"Are you a servant here?" he asks.
"You could say that. It's sort of true," I say with a little shame. He brings his horse up even with mine.
"Sorry if I hurt your feelings," he says politely.
"Don't be silly, I'm made of tougher stuff than that," I tell him.
"RAVEN! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" Martha yells. I slide off of Ginger to talk to her and she slaps me across the face. "I sent you to get a dress and some things for my daughters and you take so long that we are getting hungry or dinner. And if that was not bad enough, you come back with a boy!" she yells. I keep my eyes on the ground even though my fists are clenched and I'm shaking all over. Don't get the wrong idea though. I'm not scared, I am so pissed off I am having a hard time controlling my anger.
"Sorry ma'am, I was simply helping your daughter with a few things," Gryphon says sweetly.
"Step daughter," Martha and I say at the same time. I do not look up at him.
"What things did this little hussy need help with?" she asks.
"At least two dozen dresses," Gryphon tells Martha.
"The shipment came in?" she asks me. I nod my head, but do not look up yet. "Get everything off that flea bag of a horse and get your butt in the house to cook dinner," she tells me before heading back inside. I keep my eyes downcast as I unload the horses. Gryphon catches my hand and lightly tips my head back.
"You will have a bruise, but that should be all," he says. I feel my blush, but he probably can't see it.
"Thank you for your help," I tell him softly.
"Perhaps I will see you again some time," he says before leaving me. I feel the tears running down my cheeks. I wipe at them angrily, and see all the grime that comes off on my sleeve. I weep harder. My life used to be so great. Why did dad have to marry that hag? I thought we were happy. I get everything inside and start dinner. After wards I wash all the dishes and grab my clean clothes. The ones I got in the market today.
I look around to make sure nobody is close by, and strip down. It might be warm still. I jump into the river and scrub until it hurts. I scrub everything from the tips of my toes to the roots of my hair. I scrub until I feel as fresh as a breeze on a stuffy day. Only then do I climb out and put on my clean clothes. I hurry back inside, and change the sheets on my bed. With clean sheets, clean clothes, and more importantly a clean body, I feel a little like my old self, At least the part of me that existed before my father died. I curl up in my bed and fall asleep.
I stare up at my ceiling. Who was that girl? I feel so bad for what her step mother did to her. A servant knocks on my door. "Your majesty, your parents would like to see you," Heather tells me from outside the door.
"I'll be right there," I tell her. I get up and stretch my arms over my head. I see her face in my mind. It was covered in dirt so thick I had thought it her skin tone, but she was beautiful none the less. And when she smiled it felt like the whole market place had held it's breathe. I hope she didn't get punished further because of me. I head downstairs to the drawing room. "You wanted to see me?" I ask them.
"Yes son, we want grandchildren," my mother says sweetly.
"Now dear I thought we were going to be subtle," my dad says.
"Dad you know she doesn't understand the meaning of that word," I tell him. He just smiles at me.
"One of the many things I fell in love with her for," dad says with affection.
"So what's the point of this conversation?" I ask them.
"We are throwing you a party this weekend for your birthday, and we are hoping that you will marry one of the girls that we invite," my mother says simply. I think it over carefully. If raven could attend I would be thrilled.
"I'll go along with this under one Condition," I tell them seriously.
"What condition?" my mother asks.
"All eligible girls are to attend. I want every girl there, no matter what," I tell them.
"Why?" my father asks.
"I might have met the girl already, and I would like for you to meet her. By inviting every girl in the kingdom you are sure to get her here no matter what," I tell them. They nod and wave a hand to dismiss me. I leave and head out to the stables. My stallion pokes his head out so he can greet me. I give him a quick hug, before crawling up to the hay loft. Up here I know I will not be disturbed. I see her in my mind still, her and that beautiful smile of hers. I can't put my finger on what makes her so special to me.
I only met her today and I want to know more about her. I remember the string of curses she said when I knocked her down accidentally. The way her deep blue eyes twinkled in the light as she smiled. The way she treated her horse and the look in her eyes after her step mother slapped her. The look of pain and agony that was so easy to see. I close my eyes but that doesn't change anything. She is still there.
I answer the door because everyone else is still sleeping. "This is a notice from the royal family," he tells me. I take the envelope and thank him kindly. I want to open it, but Martha would get angry at me if I did that. I set it at her spot on the table, and start preparing breakfast. I hear a sharp intake of breathe from behind me. I turn around and see Bridget there just staring at me. I hurry over to her. "Are you alright?" I ask her.
"What happened to you?" she asks.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"You look clean," she says simply.
"I went swimming in the river," I tell her.
"Does mother know?" she asks.
"I didn't think I was banned from swimming," I tell her simply. She looks so shocked to see me. Why? Do I look terrible? Or do I look worse than I did before? That can't be it, she said I looked clean. I shrug and go back to cooking breakfast. She takes a seat and I put her food in front of her. I pick up my broom and head into the foyer. I glance at my reflection and everything freezes.
The person staring back at me has fair skin, lush full rosy lips, deep blue eyes, and long shiny black hair. I blink a few times. Do I really look like that? I lightly touch my cheek. It has been a very long time since I last looked at myself in a mirror. I hear footsteps from upstairs and I start sweeping. Out of the corner of my eye I see that it is Martha. She doesn't say anything, but I hurry into the kitchen and get her breakfast.
It takes her a few minutes before I feel her scrutinizing me. "Did you bath?" she asks me.
"No I went for a swim in the river," I tell her simply.
"When did you do this?" she asks.
"I went after I was done with all of my chores last night. You were all asleep by then," I tell her. She makes a noise at the back of her throat and says nothing else. "A letter came from the palace. I left on the table," I tell her. I sweep up a little more when I hear her start screaming. I hurry back into the kitchen so I can see what is wrong. She is so excited that she is jumping up and down. "What happened?" I ask her.
"There is going to be a ball at the palace. And my baby girls can have a chance to marry the prince himself!" she says happily.
"Can I go?" I ask. My answer is a couple of ice cold looks from everyone.
"What a stupid question, of course you cannot go," Martha tells me strictly.
"Why?" I ask.
"Because you are not important enough," Martha tells me. I hurry out to the stables. I trip on a stick, and I do a face plant into the mud. I sit up and I cannot stop the tears from running down my face. I curl up and hug my knees to my chest. Why must everything she says hurt me so?
I watch as countless girls flood the ballroom. Of course my parents insist that I dance with every girl here. I just hope that a particular one shows up. Otherwise I will have to disappoint my parents. I don't know what it is about her but we connected in a way no one else has ever. We understand each other in ways no one could have imagined. I see the girls start a line for who is to dance with me. I sigh, put on a smile, and start to dance.
I start to shiver in the cold air. I haven't moved since I fell. What does it matter if I get cold? No one would miss me. I shiver again, but this time it is not because I am cold, but because there is someone watching me. I look up at a beautiful woman. She reaches out her hand to me, and I take it. There is a bright flash and I look around to find myself at the palace. "What happened?" I ask her.
"We are at the one place that will make you happy. Because it is here that your heart's desire is located. The magic will wear off at the stroke of twelve. Enjoy yourself and ignore the people who mock you," she tells me before walking away. I blink at her in surprise. I glance down at my clothes and see a beautiful sky blue gown that twinkles with jewels. I smile happily.
I hurry inside and follow the sound of music. I pause only a moment at the top of the stairs. The room is full of activity. For some odd reason everyone near me stops to stare at me. I blush a little and give each of them a smile. Suddenly a hand touches my arm and I turn to see the man that helped me with the dresses.
"Do I know you?" he asks. I can see the awe in his eyes. I smile at him sweetly and he recognizes me in an instant. "I see that you got a bath," he says teasingly.
"Well when I heard there was to be a ball naturally I had to look decent if I was to attend. Besides I must look my best if I want to dance with the prince," I tell him.
"You mean you don't know?" he asks.
"Know what?" I ask him back.
"Why I am the prince," he tells. I feel my face heat unbearably.
"Oh my, I made you help me carry dresses," I tell him. I know my entire face is red.