It was a dream, a distant memory. Seven-year-old Skyelar stood behind her father as they walked up the front steps to the HapsburgCastle in Austria. It was a calm day and Skyelar was looking forward to seeing her best friend.
They made their way to the courtyard. Huge tapestries lined the walls so high that Skyelar had to strain her neck to see them. A man came out of one of the rooms.
"Good day, your Highness, and you Princess." Wildcount Volger said in a low voice, bowing.
"Good day, Count." Her father replied returning the bow and continued down the hall.
When they got out there, Skyelar noticed Princess Sophie sitting at a small lawn table sipping tea and Archduke Franz out in the field giving his son, Alek, a lesson with his riffle.
"Good day, Princess Sophie." Skye's father bowed low.
"Welcome, Prince Albert. I hope your trip was pleasant?" she held out her hand.
"If you will excuse me, your Highness." Skyelar said, curtsying. Princess Sophie nodded and smile as Skyelar ran off to watch Alek practice shooting.
"Oh, nearly got him!" the Archduke said after Alek attempted to shoot a plate that one of the servants had flung for practice. Alek frowned in disappointment.
"Looked like a good shot to me!" Skyelar complemented making him turn around with a start. The archduke smiled down and excused himself, walking up to where the other adults were. Alek smiled at her and bowed like her father had with Princess Sophie.
"It's nice to see you again." Alek said stiffly, making sure the pronunciation was correct. Skyelar smiled and reached her hand out for Alek to grab. When he did, she started dragging him into a clump of trees; straight to their hideout their fathers had built for them a couple of years back.
"It hasn't changed! " Skyelar exclaimed amazed.
"I only play here when you come to visit." Alek replied matter-of-factly. She smiled back at him.
"What would you like to do?" she asked, he smiled, went over to a leather bag hanging on one side of the tree house. He pulled out two wooden fencing swords.
"How about we practice so Volger doesn't bug us when it's time for our lesson later?" taking one of the swords, she assumed the position, taking great care in her stance. Alek did the same and they started practicing their parries and attacks.
"Hey," Alek said during their break, "I want to show you something, but you can't tell anyone where you saw it alright? " Skyelar nodded and they descended from the tree house and went inside the large castle.
They reached a room that was clearly off-limits to most. A four-poster bed stood by a large window. A desk and dresser stood on the opposite side.
"Are we even allowed here?" Skye questioned, worried they'd be found out.
"Well," the prince began but stopped when he reached the dresser.
Reaching up, he brought a box down that had a keyhole. He muttered under his breath and put the box on the chair in front of them. He scurried around to the bed, and pulled a key out from under one of the pillows.
"You're not going to open it are you?" Skye's eyes grew wider.
"Don't worry." he pulled out a necklace lined with diamonds. One single teardrop Diamond lay in the centre. He handed to Skyelar. "What do you think?" she stared at it in awe.
"It's magnificent!"
"Want to try it on?"
"I can't, I'll get in trouble, and you know what trouble means to me! My mother will get the nurses to lash me once every day for a week! "
"I won't let that happen." Alek brought the necklace round Skye's neck. He stepped back to have a better look. "You look amazing!" he said, his eyes glistening with admiration. Just then, the door burst open. The two of them froze instantly.
"What is the meaning of this?" Princess Sophie hollered at the two of them. "Did you give that to her?" she turned on Alek. He started stuttering, trying to explain his reasoning for being in her room.
"It was me." Skyelar piped up, trying to sound confident. "I wanted to see your jewellery because⦠Becauseā¦"
"Because I told her how amazing you looked with them on." He covered.
"He told me not to come in here but I insisted. I figured under the pillow was the best place to keep the key to your jewellery box. " She started sobbing, knowing she wouldn't be welcome anymore. Her father, Prince Albert, looked at her with disappointment.
For the next four hours, Prince Albert apologized for Skyelar's actions she'd confessed. Skye and Alek sat in silence the whole time. Finally, it was time for her to leave for the last time. He looked at her, tears spilling over as he bowed. Instead of curtsying again, she ran up to Alek and hugged him. She cried on his shoulder until her father picked her up and carried her away.
Skyelar awoke to shaking. She looked up to see Dylan looking down, concern in his eyes.
"You alright?" he asked as she sat up.
"Yeah, fine." Skye answered whipping away stray tears that had fell as she slept.
"Must of been one heck of a dream, aye?"
"Just an old memory."
"We're ready to leave, you coming?"
"I'll be there in a minute." Dylan left the room. Skyelar took one last look around the room. I'm sorry Father, Alek. I didn't mean to disappoint you.
