In the beginning...
Bryan knew the slight when he heard it originally. Now looking back he couldn't understand why she had said eleven. She had as good of a chance as anyone that he'd fall in love with her. Then he chuckled to himself, after the start they had, it would be lucky if they ended the year as friends. He also knew that true love didn't exist, even his parents who had been fond of each other admitted it wasn't love. Cringing inwardly, it dawned on him that his best match was indeed Virginia. Maybe if she promised to never speak again, he could live long enough to reproduce with her.
"Bryan," he looked up at Drae. "Why are you still here?"
"I was talking with Kathlyn."
"The very, very blonde woman." Drae paused, "the woman that is absolutely beautiful, the woman that – "
"I never said that. Yes, that woman." Bryan cut him off. "Why?"
"She's unique, and saddening." Drea sighed.
"Why is she sad."
"I don't think money has done her any favors." Drae pulled out a newspaper clipping. "I did some research."
"Millionaire's Daughter Misses Grandmothers' Funeral: Because of School." Read the headline. Bryan began to read out loud. "Protégé Miss Kathlyne Rhodes daughter of Ted Rhodes was forced to stay at her private all girls school while her grandmother Melinda was buried this week under threat that she would not be allowed to return. The school sent its condolences but was still strict about rules for leaving the campus. The school teaches most of the worlds royalty and would not allow us to reveal its name. Details of why Lady Rhodes died have not been released." Bryan handed the paper back to Drae. "Everyone is a protégé at that school. Lady Rhodes?"
"I don't know her."
"Do you think you should find out?"
Drea sniffed putting his nose high into the air. "Yes, your highness." Bryan made a strangled noise, following his friend out asking for forgiveness.
The girls gathered in a large parlor which had been rearranged to accommodate pop-up dressing rooms for meetings with their own individual tailors. Kathlyne stood in the door way watching the theatrics.
"You must be Kathlyn." Lyn jumped, the voice sneaking up behind her. Turning she looked to see who spoke. "The queen warned me about you." The speaker wasn't so much as elderly, as he was wrinkled. Lyn noticed the thick glasses that were working their way down his almost pug nose. The metal of the wire rims were rubbed dull from continual polishing.
"Did she now, I can only hope to live up to such high expectations."
"Michealis. Shall we get started?" He motioned for her to follow as he weaved his way through the commotion, headed for the back of the room.
"That's an odd name." His shoulders rose sharply then dropped, shrugging a noncommittal response to her. He sat down in a comfortable looking recliner tucked away in the back of the room.
"Sit. Lets talk about colors and style." He pulled out a small notepad. "Any ideas?"
Lyn dragged a battered stool over next to the chair. "Don't you need measurements?" Michealis tapped his pen loudly against the paper, even though his expression didn't change, Lyn felt an uncomfortable settling in her stomach. "You are the professional." The air between them relaxed almost instantly. "Don't make me look like any of them." She pointed widely to the other women in the room. "Black, like my soul."
There was an almost smile that crossed his face. "There is the dramatic streak I was told to look for."
"How about I leave the details to you, after all you are the professional." He nodded. There was a glint of something humorous in his eyes as he shooed her out and promised her the perfect dress in the next couple days. She walked out smiling leaving the rest of the girls behind.
"Kathlyne?" Bryan walked up next to her.
She took a deep breath before responding. "Lyn," she corrected.
"You're in a good mood."
"I know I actually enjoyed getting my dresses made today. I suspect that tailor has ulterior motives. " She walked towards the grand hall. "So what do you do for fun around here?" He frowned at her, confused. "Fun. Things you do to pass the time, when you aren't ruling a country."
"The gardens are nice."
"Seen them."
"Stables, library?"
She leaned away from him in mock disgust. "When was the last time you had fun?"
"I understand that you are making fun of me, what I don't understand is why any of those options don't appeal to you."
"Reading is for losers." She smiled, suddenly lost in a thought. Bryan felt a thousand miles away from her at that moment. Smile gone, she said, "they are probably just a bunch of really dull history books anyway."
"Would you like me to show you."
"Nah, I'll go find it myself or I'll find Drae." She waved her hand dismissively. "It'll be an adventure." Lyn wandered away from him as she spoke.
Rooted to his spot by her comment, Bryan watched her disappear down the wrong hall. He was still frowning, when Drae found him minutes later. Bryan stared at his friend. Why? Bryan mouthed looking Drae up and down.
"I lack the royal eyebrows, Sir. Mine are much more welcoming than yours. I found Miss Kathlyn looking for the library on the wrong side of the palace. I showed her to a smaller reading room, instead."
"What side of the castle?"
"The old quarters."
"It wouldn't of happened to have been my father's reading room?"
Drae blinked. He remembered the king fondly, but after his death parts of the castle had been closed off from the pubic. "No, of course not." Drae stepped quickly away from Bryan, who had turned a deep shade of red. "I've never seen that room before in my life. I have no idea where it would be."
Kathlyne hurried along the corridor, her boots clicking as she ran. She was late for her fitting, there were only two days left, and after the fitting all the girls were meeting with the queen to pick out accessories. They were all so spoiled, even Kathlyn found herself secretly enjoying the attention.
She entered the room to eleven staring girls and one angry tailor. She was a little more than late, many of the changing areas were already gone. Lyn cringed comically as she passed Jaclyn, who in return made a funny face back. Michealis glared and motioned for her stand on a small stool. As she climbed up he produced a gown, which he held up comparing to her.
She was barely standing up when he thrust a dress at her and said, "Go put this on Quickly." Up down, up down. Kathlyn hopped down smiling at the black fabric.
Behind the curtain, she hopped around pulling off clothes. Fabric pooled around her feet, as she pulled the dress up." Michealis stepped behind the curtain suddenly. The clicking of the zipper was cold against her skin. He tugged the skirt into place and check the waist on the dress.
"Comfortable?" he asked.
"Very, what is this jersey?" she sighed reluctant to take the beautiful gown off. He scoffed at her guess of fabric. The zipper was suddenly down and there was a breeze from the space where Michealis disappeared.
Isodla meet the girls outside of the grand hall. She stood in front of the big double doors with a huge grin on her face.
"Ladies you need to pick out shoes and jewelry." She turned the doorknob and pushed the doors wide open. Kathlyne rolled her eyes; this was her version of a horror story. There were so many ways this afternoon could make her feel inadequate. The table of tiaras sparkled brightly at her. Jaclyn looked over at her tall friend and squeezed Kathlyne's hand trying to get her to smile. Kathlyne shook her hand free as they entered. Tables lined the wall covered in all shades of the rainbow. Each table had it's own array of goods. Jaclyn darted off spotting the perfect pair of shoes. Lyn was much more reserved and walked by each of the tables just glancing. Instinctively, she looked for a price tag.
"I want those." Virginia irritating squeal echoed through out the room. Lyn and Jaclyn locked eyes, sharing the same thought. Kahtlyn was close enough to see what she was pointing at. Sitting on the table was a pair of "glass slippers" in reality the shoes looked overly ornate.
"But they are tiny, like size six Virginia," Princess Saeran whispered. Lyn recognized Princess Saeran as one of Virginia's groupies, with very little individual personality. Saeran was a class younger than she and Virginia when they had been school together. As the middle child, Saeran would rule over a group of islands known as the Tyn Islands. The once heir apparent, her older brother, was paralyzed in a car accident when they were both children. If Lyn looked closely she swore she could see the scars from the glass windshield removed from Saeran's forehead and arms. The Tyn Islands held some of the world's most precious resources.
"Well I'll make them fit," Virginia snapped. She lifted one of the delicate heels from their pedistal. She removed her own shoe and jammed her foot into the "glass" one. No matter how much she twisted or pushed her foot wouldn't fit. Angry she dropped the shoe back on the table and stomped off. Kathlyn picked the shoe up carefully and inspected the gems that made the shoe glitter. She slide her one of her boots off then slide the crystal slipper on.
"It fits?" She put on the other one on. The shoes fit perfectly. She thought back to her dress then looked down at her feet. "They are a little over the top." She inspected her feet. "Probably to high too." She stepped out of them and stood barefoot on the carpet deciding what to do.
"Do you like them?" The queen walked up beside her.
"I don't think that I would feel comfortable in them." I'll probably never see anything like them again. Lyn shook her head and put the shoes back on the table. Distracted, Isodla bustled off to another table where girls were looking for help.
"Why not go for it?" Saeran was on the opposite side of the table. "It's already kind of a once in a life time. But don't tell Virginia." Saeran's normally large eyes were sharply focused.
Lyn chuckled, having misjudged the princess. "On my honor." Saeran's eyes widened; she blinked doe-like, before floating off to where Virginia stood. Big faker.
Watching from the doorway, Bryan saw her gold curls disappeared through the far doors. He frowned and began to follow her until he noticed a servant, whose face he couldn't place, chase after her.
That very important morning all the girls were woken early and summoned down to breakfast. Everyone to Lyn's surprise ate significantly more than they had on previous mornings. She wished bad things in the direction of Virginia, hoping she'd puff up from all the carbohydrates. The prince enjoyed the silence, but was dreading the coming evening.
"Ladies when you finish please, wait and we will all journey to have our hair and make-up done," the queen smiled at them. Eleven girls began eating faster, Kathlyne sighed and slowed down.
"Hurry up," someone hissed. Kathlyne pushed her plate away.
"We're all done," Virginia chimed, decidedly.
"Well then, follow me, " Isolda swept out of the room tailed by the eager girls. Kathlyne continued after them somewhat sedately.
"Kathlyn," Bryan called. She continued on as if she hadn't heard him.
"So what does your dress look like Miss Kathlyne?" Kathlyne looked at the girl Isolda had introduced as Mia. Lyn felt her eye twitch at the use of miss, and glanced around to see if anyone had heard.
"Um, black, " Mia spun Lyne's chair to face the mirror.
"Well you already have some curl to your hair, lets pull part of your hair up into a messy bun with some tails and leave a layer long. We'll curl it."
"No one touches my hair." Kathlyne held a finger up cutting the girl off.
Unsure what to do, Mia stared, opened mouth. "It needs to be cut."
"I don't do anything to my hair, so its fine the way it is. Anything else, just not my hair." Mia shrugged consenting. For the next two hours Kathlyn sat still as Mia messed around at playing makeup.
Kathlyne suffered through the primping of make-up, and a careful lunch. No one bothered with formality of seating, since neither the prince nor the Queen were present. Lyn turned to Jaclyn who was sipping something fizzy through a straw. "Sucking on a straw will give you wrinkles."
Jaclyn put her drink down quickly. "That's not true is it?" Kathlyn shrugged comically. They departed to change into their gowns. Each woman had her own private room to change in that was closer to the ball room, and to make any last minute adjustments. She had just cracked open book when there was a polite knock at the door, to the room, where Kathlyn was relaxing.
Jaclyn looked around the ballroom for her. She stopped a servant as they passed. "You'e the prince's." She struggled for a polite description. He nodded ending her suffering.
"Princess, call me Drae."
"Drae have you seen Kathlyn?" He looked around scanning the ball room, pausing on every blonde head. "She's not here." Jaclyn got his attention. "That's her escort."
"Princess Jaclyn," he bowed low.
"Your Grace, Damien," she returned his greeting.
"I heard you speaking about Lyn?" Jaclyn's eyes narrowed as she inspected the prince.
"Yes, I didn't realize you two had a close personal relationship." Damien chuckled. It felt like decades since he had seen her at boarding school. "Actually you're just in time to go fetch her. Drae will give you directions to her room."
...There were Reviews! Now listen Arthur, darling closely to this news. You'll never succeed in FanFiction if you don't have any Reviews
That's all I got.
3Jordyn
