"Which dress should I wear?" Abby called at Shelby from inside her closet. It was Friday night; the day of Shelby's feast.
"It doesn't matter," Shelby said. "You look gorgeous in everything."
Abigail poked her head around the corner, as if trying to tell if Shelby was being sarcastic or not.
Shelby shrugged.
Abigail disappeared back into her closet and let out a squeak of approval.
"This is perfect!" she cried, and reappeared holding a rosy pink floral dress. Abigail beamed at Shelby.
"It's beautiful," Shelby admitted.
Abigail swung around and looked at herself in the mirror.
"I love dresses," she said with a sigh.
"I don't," Shelby said.
Abigail crossed her arms.
"Well, that's too bad isn't it? You have to look nice tonight." She paused for a second.
"What?" Shelby asked suspiciously.
"Nothing," Abigail said innocently. "It's just that I had a dress made for you."
Shelby choked.
"Abigail!" she said.
Abigail through her hands in the air.
"Well, I knew you weren't going to do it. Besides, it's my birthday present to you."
Shelby glared at the princess.
"Where is it?" she asked.
Abigail disappeared into the closet again, and then came back holding a garment wrap.
"Here," she said. She laid the dress on the bed, and unwrapped the packaging. She folded the dress and held it up for Shelby to see.
The dress was shimmering gold. The corseted bodice was beaded and a lighter gold than the skirt., and the full skirt would just barely brush the floor. The wrist length sleeves were made out of lace, but dyed the same color as the skirt.
"It looks heavy," Shelby said. Abigail lowered the dress so she could see over the neckline.
"You're hopeless," she decided.
"It's pretty," Shelby admitted, reaching out to grab the fabric. It was lighter than she had assumed.
"Well, put it on," Abigail said. "We have a feast to go to."
The feast, in Shelby's opinion, was overkill. And that was putting it lightly.
Abigail had hailed the most decorated of all organizers to make sure that everything went smoothly and as planned. Flowers, ribbons and banners were strung all across the massive dining hall that usually only contained the dining table and chairs. Instead, their usual seating place had been pushed to the back of the room, facing other long table that had been set up on the sides of the room. The center of the room had been turned into a dancing square, where the most talented musicians around had been hired out to play music. Seeing them made Shelby long for her violin.
Nobles from all over the kingdom had come to stay for the feast. All the barons and baronesses from the fiefs had come, along with the battle masters and their wives. People Shelby hadn't even met before came to support their new princess.
Shelby, taking after her father, was ready to shrink back and be unnoticed. She knew she could pull it off if she had wanted to, but she resisted every urge and forced herself to stand tall with her chin up.
By the time the girls arrived in the dining hall, the other royals were already there. The Queen and King were dressed formally and smiled warmly at Shelby when she walked in the room. Gavin and Mason were talking at their places. Gavin's feet were propped up on the edge of the table.
Abigail went over and slapped his ankles.
"Get your feet off the table," she snapped.
"Good heavens, woman!" Gavin said. "Don't scare the life out of me like that."
Abigail crossed her arms.
"Then don't put your filthy feet on the table."
Mason and Shelby exchanged amused glances. The prince stood up and kissed Shelby's forehead.
"You look beautiful," he said.
"Doesn't she?" Abigail said, looking quite proud of herself.
"Thank you," Shelby said. The Queen motioned for them to sit down, so Shelby and Abigail took their seats.
Cassandra stood, and clanged her knife against a glass. Everyone in the room went silent.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for being here," Cassandra said, her voice echoing through the wide hall. "Today is a special day; celebrating the 21st birthday of my daughter in law. She's had a hard time as of late with some business here in the kingdom and in her personal life, but she's been strong throughout it all, and I would like her to know she is an inspiration to us all. I just know she'll be a perfect queen someday. So, today, we forget all the troubles we're facing and celebrate the young life of a beautiful young woman." The queen raised her glass. "To Shelby."
Everyone in the room raised their glasses and repeated the sentiment.
Shelby felt goose bumps on her arms. She always hated attention, but knowing she had the support of the kingdom gave her courage.
Cassandra took her seat and the servants started serving dinner. Everything smelled amazing; Shelby and Abigail had spent a considerable amount of time choosing the right foods for the night, and Jenny didn't leave anything to desire.
Just as Shelby was getting ready to take a bite, she saw a flicker of movement to her left near one of the doors. There, in the shadow of the room, stood Will.
Shelby stood up abruptly.
"Shelby," Mason started to say. He followed her eyes and saw where she was standing. "Ranger Will!" he called out heartily, and the other royals turned to see. "Just in time to join us."
Will stepped into the light, and his expression surprised Shelby. He was as grim and serious as Shelby had ever seen him. The usual hint of humor in his eyes was replaced with a vacant stare.
"Sorry I'm late," Will said simply.
Horace grinned at his old friend.
"You know there's a front door," he said, not at all surprised that the Ranger had simply appeared.
Will shrugged.
"I prefer not to cause a stir."
"We all know that by now," Cassandra said, and hugged her old friend. "Come, won't you join us?" She motioned for Will to take a seat next to her and Horace. Will sat, but said nothing further.
Shelby watched her father, hoping he'd say something to her. He did nothing for longest time aside from thank the occasional servant for giving him food or drink, or give a simple yes or no answer to Cassandra or Horace's questions. He didn't say a word to Shelby, but once, he caught her stare.
The hurt behind his eyes was so obvious, it broke Shelby's heart. He looked away quickly, but Shelby continued to stare. She wondered if she should say something, try to cheer him up. But the more she watched him, she realized there would be no cheering up. A Ranger is a very committed man; he is married once and for life. They're used to silence and solitude, but once they give their heart to someone, there's no taking back. And if that person is ripped from their grasp before their prepared, the shock of being alone can be more than they can take.
"Shelby, are you alright?" Mason asked under his breath. Shelby hadn't realized her eyes were pooling with tears.
"Yes," she lied.
I finally got some writing done! Boy, am I tired of headaches. Hopefully I'll be good as new soon. You guys sure have been quiet lately!