Princesses Don't Perspire - Ch. 1, The Enchanted Forest
Hey here's my new story. Hope you enjoy. Please review. (This is over 1,600 words!)
Enjoy - Jenn
"Princesses do not perspire, Rosalynn." My mother, the queen chides me.
The sun beats down on top of my sweaty head as I stand in a sweltering, heavy, long dress. I don't understand how it's my fault that the shine of sweat glistens on my brow but I know better than to argue with the queen.
There is always something a princess shouldn't do that I did or had done. The queen tells me that "Princesses don't prance Rosalynn." Princesses don't point and giggle, paint, pull on things, or pet muddy dogs, and princesses certainly do not pounce in puddles.
The list could go on forever. The queen is very proper and she always wants everything her way. According to the queen, 'her way' would mean that everything was perfect.
"Darling, surely she cannot control if she's perspiring. Why don't we let her return inside and change? Rosie's been standing out here long enough." I shoot my dad a grateful glance as the queen glares at me.
"Fine. Please go freshen up Rosalynn, we will see you at the feast." I nod at the queen and steadily walk off to my room.
My parents, King Raymond and Queen Elizabeth rule over our good sized kingdom by the sea, Brockshore. Brockshore is beautiful and always smelled of the salty sea breeze that I loved so much. In the summer it could get quite hot, like today, but the queen still insists on wearing 'proper dresses' which were made for the cooler fall and spring air of Brockshore.
Today the queen was even more strict about my attire because of the visitors who were arriving today. My parents were expected to stand and greet our visitors and the queen had wanted me to join them. The reason all the visitors are coming is because of the large ball that would be held in two weeks in our ballroom. Princes were coming from all over because at the ball I am supposed to find a husband. Many Princes are arriving early so they and their families can suck up to me and my parents.
My father had practically forced the queen to agree to letting me marry whomever I wanted to and not someone she chose for me. "Let her marry for love." My father had told the queen. She had agreed but was becoming tired of waiting for me to chose someone so she had arranged the whole ball saying that I was searching for a husband. I'm not though. All I want to do is live my life and if I fall in love, then I fall in love.
I sigh when my ladies in waiting enter my room and help run my bath. Afterwards they force me into a large, poofy, pink dress that the queen had picked out for me. The dress is pretty, yes but it seems way overdone. It has a cinched waist with a long multi layered skirt and long flowy sleeves. The top has a rose pattern on it like many of my dresses. My ladies in waiting begin to pull my hair into a flawless bun with a few golden strands of hair left purposely hanging out around my face.
After they finish prettying me up I'm ushered down to the dining hall. I glide swiftly into the room and take the seat at my normal spot at the table; on the left side of my father and the queen, who sit at the head of the table. The seat to my right remains empty as I perch on my chair but the one across from me is taken by Prince Andrew of Sinan.
I know that everyone has a seating chart and that my mother had arranged it, I also know that she would try and put the Princes she most approves of nearest me. Prince Andrew has to be pretty impressive and important to be seated this close to me. As Andrew talks I realize why mother sat him across from me.
"And so of course I was victorious and..." Prince Andrew drones on and on about how amazing and rich he is, his brown eyes alight with the stories he weaves. Prince Andrew is from the Kingdom of Sinan which is the richest kingdom out of them all and he loves to remind me of it. If I married him riches would flood into Brockshore and I would probably end up never getting to speak for the rest of my life. He talks about his kingdom, the intricate trade system he'd come up with, and all of his accomplishments. I nod along politely and hum in response.
I almost hug the Prince who takes the seat beside me and interrupts Prince Andrew.
"Sorry I'm late, we only just arrived a bit ago." I glance up at the Prince. He is tall with dark brown wavy hair and deep blue eyes. "Prince Nathaniel Of Minwire." He introduces himself imperiously.
I smile kindly towards him. "Nice to meet you. I'm Rosalynn."
"I know." He responds as he takes a seat, I frown slightly at his rudeness but quickly wipe the unhappiness from my face and reveal my practised civil smile.
"Prince Nathaniel, I'm so glad you could make it! I do hope everything's going well with you?" The queen seems excited and smug. I discover why a few moments later as she and Nathaniel's parents discuss all of his accomplishments.
I add up all the things that cause the queen to like Nathaniel the most. Point one: Prince Nathaniel is fairly rich, more rich than us, less rich than Prince Andrew. The queen is always telling me "A healthy sum of money means a healthy sum of happiness." To which I always respond.
"Money cannot buy happiness."
Point two: Nathaniel is good looking. "A pretty princess should have herself a handsome prince." The queen liked to express, honestly I could care less how a person appeared. Looks are only skin deep.
Point three: Prince Nathaniel is good at nearly everything he does. Whether it is saving damsels in distress, killing dragons or ogres, or hunting. He easily masters anything he is taught. I remember a conversation I had once with the queen. "Talent and brilliance is important especially if it comes naturally."
However along with all the good things that I discover about Prince Nathaniel, I also discover that he is a rather unpleasant person. He looks down on everyone as if he's superior, he sighs dramatically and rolls his eyes in the middle of conversations and he interrupts whenever he feels like it. I begin wishing that I was seated next to Prince Andrew and being forced to talk with him part way through dinner.
Finally dinner ends and I practically jump out of my seat. The queen narrows her eyes at my eagerness to leave dinner but I ignore her as I walk, a bit too quickly, but still regally out of the dining hall. I am not looking forward to the following days when I will be forced to spend time doing pointless activities with all of the visiting princes as to 'become better acquainted with them.'
I leap into my bed not bothering to take my dress off or my hair out. I fall asleep immediately.
The next few days are spent with all of the many princes and pretending to be interested in every word they say. Although a few of the conversations I have are interesting especially when they actually allow me to participate in more than nodding and agreeing with them.
Today I am to follow the Princes as they hunt for our dinner tonight. Each Prince will try to shoot birds out of the sky as the pages scare them from their trees. I find the 'sport' perfectly awful. Killing the poor birds for entertainment and we always have more birds than needed for eating.
I am expected to spread my time as equally as I could to each prince. I walk from prince to prince, chatting and complementing their skills in archery. However when I reach Prince Andrew he compliments himself enough for the both of us.
Prince Andrew stands closer into the edge of the forest we are in, the Enchanted Forest as it is called. He stands further from the rest of the group and only two other princes are close to us. I am slightly worried about being in the Enchanted Forest because as the name suggests the forest is enchanted. Weird things live and can happen in the Enchanted Forest. I pray that nothing will happen while we are here.
I make small chat with Prince Andrew and then say goodbye and begin to walk over to Prince Gregory who is the closest, beside Nathaniel, to me and Andrew. I purposely choose to visit Gregory next and not the unpleasant Prince Nathaniel. As I step towards Gregory the ground begins to shake. I fall down and let out a small gasp while the ground trembles harder. I feel confused and the sense of foreboding from before returns to me. The trees spin around me and begin to reshape.
The ground stops shaking and I glance around me, the scene has changed completely. I have no clue where I am at all. I hate the stupid, moving, changing Enchanted Forest.
What do you think? It's a slightly different writing style then I'm used to. I did it in present tense and I usually do past so if you see any mistakes or prefer how I wrote in the Ash series let me know! Second chapter will be up later this weekend. (I have a four day weekend this week, anyone else?)
PeaceLoveDunks
Jenn
