It was spring, and the clouds pressed against the green grass without pressure. Sunlight was in abundance, as was rain, and that morning the latter was present to beat against Daphne's window and ease her awake. Light fell upon her pillow and her luxurious covers, her young face aglow in the gray light. She sat up and placed her feet on the plush rug, her nightdress billowing behind her as she picked up her hairbrush. She knew that it she did not do this herself, in a split second someone else would.
And, as if on cue, Brienne, one of her servants, came into her room. "Good morning, Princess. Let me do that for you." Thin, blonde Brienne took the brush from her hand, insisted she sit down, and began to run it through Daphne's dark hair. "Your mother wanted me to tell you that as soon as you get dressed you are to go and see her at once."
Daphne nodded, but didn't say anything. Often her mother wanted her for trivial matters, things that she could care less about personally.
Brienne helped her dress in a violet gown with flickers of green in the skirt and a few more of her servants came and used heat to put her hair in ringlets as big around as her thumb. Daphne never minded any of these things, although some of it seemed a bit much. She had been doing this long enough not to care any longer.
Once she was finally finished, she made her way through the already-busy palace to the queen's chamber, which was ironically nowhere close to hers and her brothers' rooms. Her velvet slippers slid across the soft stairs as her hand glided down the rail without a thought. The castle was bright and lighthearted. Light shined in through large windows on both sides of the rooms and through panels in the ceiling. She passed the main foyer with the impossibly large door that was manned by guards who bowed to her seeing her passing. And each time, she smiled and kept walking. Daphne passed the kitchen, which in its own right was sophisticated and charming, yet there was always a plate of cookies resting on a table near its entrance. Automatically, she took one and bit into it, immediately recognizing its flavor as solid chocolate, her favorite. Everything seemed right that day, as if all would be wonderful. She smiled and, noticing an open space, spun gracefully, leaping slightly at the end. Hoping no one had seen her, she carried on as usual.
When she came to the last few hallways before the queen's chamber, her main servant and best friend Roz came up beside her, whispering, "Just warning you, you aren't going to like what your mother has to say."
"Why not? What is she going to tell me?"
"I should let her tell you. Just be warned."
"Thanks, Roz."
So for the next few steps, Daphne restlessly thought of what her mother might want to talk to her about. Something she had done, some upcoming event perhaps…
Placing her hand on the golden doorknob, Daphne entered the large room carefully. In it was a large, elaborate bed, a tall window, and a sitting area where she and Daphne had their talks, among other things.
"Good morning, Daphne. I thought you'd never get up."
"Good morning, Mother."
"Come here. Sit with me." Gertrude was seated on a ruby couch, and Daphne sat on a couch of the same fashion across from hers. "I know we have our talks quite a lot, but I really need to discuss something important with you today."
"All right, Mother."
"Daphne, as the youngest and only girl in our family, there are certain sacrifices you're going to have to make. I've told you this before, I hope you were listening."
"I was, Mother."
"Good. I'm afraid this is one of those instances where you're going to have to do something, something for your country. The nation of Ardny can be a powerful ally for us, but we've got to strengthen our relationship with them. That's why you, Daphne, must marry their youngest prince."
She was speechless at her mother's command, her lips forming unspoken words, not even knowing where to begin. "Marry him?" Daphne whispered.
"Yes."
"But I've never even met him!"
"Oh, piffle! The same thing happened to me when I was your age, and your father and I got along all right."
"You fight all the time!"
"But we do it in love!"
"Mother, I'll stand with everything else that comes with being a princess, but this—"
"It's something we have to deal with, but it's happened more times than you can count. Be mature about this, Daphne. I know you've got it in you." She paused and took a breath. "You leave for Ardny in a month. The wedding date hasn't been set yet."
She sighed. "I can't do this, Mother!"
"You can."
Daphne decided to stop fighting. There was no point in it. "What's his name?" She asked.
"Prince Niles."