At first I thought I was dreaming again. Even though my eyes were still closed, I knew I was in a bed, covered with quilts, and propped up slightly by pillows. It felt familiar and welcoming. Then I heard two voices, speaking soft and low beside me.

"She still hasn't come close to waking."

"What did the doctor say?"

"He can't quite figure out what it is. Possibly scarlet fever."

"Scarlet fever? Oh, I hope not… It's so hard to come back from that."

I felt a hand on my forehead. One of the voices spoke in a shocked and excited tone. "Her fever is gone!"

Someone took my hand and squeezed it. "Oh, Eloise!" It felt strangely nice, and I smiled.

"Eloise! Are you awake?"

I gave a weak moan in reply. It was all I could do. I couldn't seem to speak or make any other noise.

"She's awake! You're awake!"

The voices became clearer and I realized it was Cynthia and my mother speaking. I slowly opened my eyes. I was at home in my bed with my mother and Cynthia, who held my hand, by my side. I still couldn't find the strength to speak just yet, so I gave them a questioning look.

"Do you want water?" Mother asked.

I nodded and Cynthia stood. "I'll go get a glass, Mrs. Taylor. You stay here."

"Thank you, Miss Warner."

As Cynthia rushed out of the room, Mother grasped the hand that Cynthia had been holding. "Oh, I was so worried."

I tilted my head in a question.

"You want to know what happened, I assume?" I nodded in reply. "Well, Cynthia said you fell asleep in the carriage on your way home from Cliffside, but when you arrived at Cynthia's home, you wouldn't wake. She insisted that she would stay with you while they brought you back here. She's been such a help, Eloise. I'm so glad you made such a close friend. She has hardly left your side. It's been four days! I finally told her to stay with her own family yesterday. She came back after lunch and insisted that her family would be fine without her. She spent last night in here, keeping watch over you."

I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I knew I had made a friend, but I had no idea that she felt so strongly about me. I was amazed. I never thought that anyone other than family could be so caring towards me.

Cynthia came back with a glass of water and handed it to Mother.

"Here, try to drink." She lifted the glass to my lips and helped me drink. The cool water soothed my throat and I immediately felt relief. I drank as much as I could in small sips until I couldn't any longer.

"Thank you," I managed to whisper.

Cynthia smiled. "Should I heat up that broth?" she asked.

"Oh, yes, my dear. That would be so helpful."

She nodded and rushed out again.

To me, Mother said, "You need to get something in you to build up your strength. We managed to give you spoonfuls here and there when you seemed able, but not nearly enough."

I nodded. My stomach rolled with hunger.

"The doctor isn't sure what illness you have- or had. It seems similar to scarlet fever, but there's no rash or redness. It's so strange. I'm not sure what to make of it, either. You had a terrible fever, you tossed and turned as if you were having nightmares, and you sometimes fought against the doctor. He should be coming by in a couple hours to check in again."

"What time...?" I asked.

"What time is it?" she finished for me. I nodded. "It's just after lunch- and it's Wednesday." She brushed some stray strands of hair away from my face. "Oh, my sweet girl, I was so worried about you." I gave her a smile.

Cynthia poked her head in. "The broth should only be a couple more minutes."

"Thank you, Miss Warner."

"Mrs. Taylor, I wish you would call me Cynthia."

I gave my mother a lopsided smile. My mother had always preferred more polite terms. If it had been anyone else, I knew my mother would never waver from her principles. Cynthia, however, would eventually wear her down. I just knew it.

"Thank you, Miss Warner," was all she said, and Cynthia retreated back to the kitchen.

The room felt stuffy and warm. "Water?" I croaked. Mother obliged and helped me to drink again. When I was finished I asked, "Open a window?"

"Of course, my dear." She stood and opened the window closest to my bed. A soft breeze floated into the room, carrying the smells of spring. I took a deep breath and smiled.

It took me two days to regain enough strength to walk without assistance. It felt like it took forever to be able to accomplish anything, but the doctor assured me that I was making remarkable progress for having been so ill. Cynthia continued to visit, walking over in the morning after breakfast and leaving after dinner. She brought food each day and helped mother prepare both lunch and dinner, much to my surprise. When I admitted as much, she told me she had enjoyed spending time in the kitchen at home and learned many things from their long-time cook.

We usually sat outside or in the parlor and just talked. Sometimes we even went out by the clothesline while she helped mother hang laundry. My friend never ceased to amaze and surprise me. Despite her constant presence, she never seemed to overstep or overshadow my mother. She always seemed to know exactly what and how much to do, but never made my mother feel useless. She proved to be a very hard worker and eager to help with all things.

Friday night after Cynthia had left, Mother and I sat in the kitchen drinking tea.

"We haven't really talked about your stay in Cliffside," she commented. "What did you think of it? Are you glad you went after all?"

I laughed and joked, "I wouldn't have met Cynthia otherwise, so I certainly am glad I went." She laughed with me. "It was hard, but overall I don't regret it."

"How was your interview? Do you think…" She let her question trail off, unsure of whether to finish.

I frowned. "I never thought it would go well. When I arrived in Cliffside, I thought I would be seen as a poor farm girl and come home knowing I would stay home forever."

"And now?"

"I guess I… I think there might actually be a chance that I could be chosen."

She didn't say anything at first. She stared down at her tea, and I realized that maybe I had been wrong. I had always assumed she wanted me to be a Lady of Opportunity. She sighed and looked up at me. "I am so proud of you, Eloise. No matter what happens, I will be happy."

"If I am chosen…" I stopped, nervous. I took a sip of tea and tried again. "If I am chosen, I don't know what I would do. I don't know if I should accept it."

She gave me a smile. "I won't make you stay."

I was about to argue and tell her that's not what I was worried about, when I realized that I did want to go to the palace. I wanted to be chosen and given the opportunity to learn and grow. I was terrified of the thought, but I wanted it nonetheless.

"I know you won't, Mother."

Cynthia came back the next day to find me doing chores like usual.

"Eloise! What are you doing?" she cried as she walked into the kitchen.

"I'm putting firewood away, Cynthia," I told her nonchalantly as I carried a log from outside into the kitchen.

"You should be resting!"

I dropped the log onto the pile and gave her a shrug. "I woke up feeling like the old me! I wasn't sore anymore and I didn't run out of breath walking from my bedroom to the kitchen. I've been awake since dawn and haven't gotten tired yet."

She stared at me as I went out to grab another log and carried it through the door. She ran up and grabbed it from me. She grunted at the weight of it and carried it over to the pile, dropping it with a huff. She turned and glared at me."I don't care how well you feel! You need to rest! I don't want you to get ill again!"

I shrugged again. "Really, I feel great! I feel better than before I got sick, actually."

"It's only been a week since you got sick!" she protested. "A week! And it's only been three days since you woke. Sit down!"

I obeyed, humoring her. "Cynthia, I am fine. Even Mother is letting me work."

She glared at me. "Does she know you're lifting firewood?"

I blushed. "No…"

"Exactly. Now, what are you supposed to be doing? What did she allow you to do?"

"She said I could wash the dishes. But I got that done already!"

"Then let's take a break," she insisted. "Come on, let's go sit outside."

We went out and sat in the shade of a tree by the barn. Mother was putting sheets out on the line and waved at us.

"She really likes you," I told Cynthia.

She smiled. "I wish my mother were more like her," she confessed. "My mother is fairly… absent. That's why I'm more than happy to come here. I don't have anything to do at home other than embroider."

"I'm sorry."

She sighed. "It's fine. I didn't have a bad childhood. My parents are good people. They're just not very nurturing is all. I don't blame them for it."

"Do you know when we'll hear from the committee?" I asked, sensing her discomfort.

She shook her head. "I thought we'd hear by now. I believe Mrs. Downey said within a week after our interviews."

"Huh."

We sat silent for a bit and listened to the birds chirp away in the tree limbs above us.

"I was thinking about what Carina said."

I looked over. "What do you mean? What did Carina say?"

She leaned against the tree trunk. "When we were traveling to the mayor's house. Do you remember? She said nobody asks questions. Nobody knows what the prince is like."

"I remember now. What about it?"

"I don't know. I guess it is a little strange that we don't know anything about Prince Daniel."

I thought about it for a moment. "I don't see why we would know anything about him. I mean, we don't really know much about the king or queen either, do we?"

"At least we know what they look like, more or less. Their portrait is hung in every school and city hall, right?" I nodded. "But we don't know anything about the prince. What if…"

I waited for her to continue, but she didn't. "What if… what?"

"What if he's awful? What if he isn't handsome or kind or even smart? Maybe that's why he isn't marrying a foreign princess. Maybe none of them will marry him! It was never explained why they're doing this instead of arranging his marriage."

I stared at her, shocked. For the two weeks we had known each other, I had never heard Cynthia be so pessimistic. "Cynthia, this isn't like you. What's going on?"

She fidgeted. "I don't know. I'm so nervous. I get anxious easily- and not hearing about the committee's decision is driving me mad."

"Everything will be fine. I'm sure we'll hear back from them soon! Besides, I'm sure the prince is fantastic." I felt odd saying it, so I backtracked. "Even if he isn't fantastic, he's probably agreeable enough. You never know! You might fall in love with him. You might complement each other perfectly!" I gave her a big smile and hoped it would lift her spirits.

She nodded and sighed. "You know what? You're right. I'm sure it will be fine! I'm worrying for nothing. I'm being silly."

"You aren't being silly. You're just letting your emotions get the best of you." I stood up and held out my hand. "Let's do something to get this off our minds. Sitting around idly won't do us any good. Maybe we could walk to town."

She took my hand and stood with me. "I'm not sure going to town is a good idea with your recovery…"

"I promise I'll be fine, Cynthia. Let me grab some pocket money and we can get something delicious."

"Fine. The moment you feel the least bit poorly, though, we're coming straight back."

"Agreed. Go tell my mother our plans and I'll be right back."

Our walk to town was at a leisurely pace to keep Cynthia's worries about my health at bay. When we arrived in town, we poked our heads into the various stores to see if anything caught our fancy. I kept the conversation as light and simple as possible. We spoke of our childhoods and our favorite foods. It felt strange to know that we both grew up in the same town, yet our perceptions of it were completely different.

As we exited the bakery with our goodies, a tall, elegant woman approached us.

"Cynthia," she said evenly, her face passive and drawn at the same time.

My friend straightened her posture.

"Mother."

Cynthia's mother looked me up and down. "And you are…?"

"This is Miss Eloise Taylor, Mother. Eloise, this is my mother, Mrs. Warner."

"So this is who you've been spending your time with," Mrs. Warner said, still not expressing any emotion or reaction to us.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Warner," I said, dipping my head to her with respect.

Her lips twitched. "Yes, a pleasure." She turned to Cynthia. "Have you heard back yet?"

"No, I have not."

Mrs. Warner stared at us for a moment before saying, "I see. Perhaps you should stay home tomorrow just in case, hm? It appears Miss Taylor is doing well now. I think she can spare you for a couple days."

"Yes, Mother."

"Good. Enjoy the rest of your day, girls."

Y'all! I have fantastic news! Three words: I. Have. Wifi! Do you know what that means? I can finally return to writing new chapters (I use Google docs which normally can be used offline, but my dumb laptop was making it act up) and UPDATING REGULARLY.

Please review! Let me know what you thought, what you think might happen. Have any guesses or critique for me? Let me know! I always try to send everyone who's a registered user a reply to their review. I seriously appreciate any and all feedback.

Also, as a reward for your patience, I'll be uploading chapter 15 sooner than I would normally. Keep an eye out!