Disclaimer: The Infernal Devices characters belong to the one and only Cassie Clare! ^-^
"Hey, Will, what do you think this princess will be like?" the young silver-haired boy asked his best friend.
The raven-haired male answered, "Ugh, I really don't know, Jem. I bet she's just a snobby little royal. After all, they are all like that!"
From the shadows, out stepped a young girl who Jem and Will could only guess was around their age. She was dressed in a plain gray tunic with dark blue trousers. Her wavy brown hair was tugged into a simple bun. She addressed them, "Well, Jem," she looked at the pale boy, "and Will," she glanced at the tanned boy, "if you would like to further discuss this 'snobby' princess, you should make sure to not be heard by others. As they say, the walls have ears." She smirked lightly.
"What is a commoner like you doing in the palace?" Will asked.
Jem tried to cover for his arrogant friend and explained, "He meant to ask if you worked here or what business you could be doing in the palace! We are here to grow up as personal guards of the princess of Idris."
"I know," the girl answered. With that, she giggled and walked off down the hallway, taking the first left.
Still puzzled by the mysterious girl's behavior, Will and Jem continued down the palace's hallways, slowly approaching the throne room.
Tessa's POV
"Tessa! You can't be serious!" my maid/best friend, Sophie Collins, exclaimed. "You're about to meet the personal guards who you will grow up with and who will protect you for the rest of your life! You can't wear that!" Sophie was referring to my training outfit, tunic and trousers.
I inwardly groaned, knowing I would eventually be stuffed into a suffocating dress. "But, Sophie–!"
"No 'but's, Tessa. I may just be your maid but you will listen to me! Now, follow me! We must find your outfit at once!"
In the end, I was unwillingly dragged into my huge walk-in closet and was forced to look through a multitude of frills and lace.
In the back of my mind, I smiled about the thought of having Will and Jem as my personal guards and, as I'd like to call them, best friends for the rest of my life. With that thought, I conceded to putting on the garments Sophie threw at me until I looked "presentable".
Will's POV
Jem and I finally reached the doors of the throne room. We were told to wait inside. Apparently, the princess was still changing. I rolled my eyes. This fact seemed to support my idea that the princess was just a snobby, little royal.
I took in the princess's throne room. Yes, the princess had her own throne room! Jem and I were standing on a vibrant red carpet that led to a magnificent throne. It was a deep purple outlined in gold with velvet armrests. The rest of the huge ballroom-sized room was empty except for two rows of guards, one on each side of the room. The tile floor looked like it was polished every day and the walls were a faded blue with an intricate gold design that weaved its way throughout the entire room.
I turned to Jem and said, "Imagine living here for the rest of our life!"
"I know! It's simply amazing that we are allowed to be here!" he replied.
"I know how we got here. We are after all, the most talented at fighting," I boasted. That comment earned me a whack on the head from my silver-haired friend.
"Don't be such a braggart!"
At that moment, a young, brown-haired girl about our age, dressed in a white blouse under an apron-like, green dress, stepped out from behind the throne, presumably where a servant's passageway stood. She could be considered pretty, if not for the long scar going down the right side of her face. Her hazel eyes were calculating as she took a step closer to them. She finally stopped to the left of the throne and stated, "Welcome, William Herondale and James Carstairs. Princess Theresa will be here soo–"
"Hey, Sophie! Why did you introduce me as Theresa!" a voice came from behind the throne. Out stepped a familiar brown-haired girl with blue-gray eyes. She was dressed in a beautiful gray gown and her wavy hair was adorned with delicate braids and put in a bun. A bright gold tiara, with a deep blue jewel in the center, was worn amongst her brown locks. Her face held a look of friendly annoyance and she went up to the slightly older girl and stood by her side. She then, looked at Jem and I and said with a smile, "Call me Tessa, please."
Jem instantly kneeled and bowed his head whilst asking, "Princess Tessa, have we met before?"
I turned to him and said, "Of course, we have! She's the girl we saw while on our way here!"
"Hey, Jem! You don't need to bow. I'm only a princess. It's not like I'm the king!" Tessa exclaimed. At that, Jem slowly stood up with a smile that I, as his best friend, could read as "This is going to be interesting".
So, do you like it! R&R, please!
-WCH