Yes, I am finally back! I kind of had a writer's block, and there was the
whole ff-site failure thing, but I'm now back! Thanks for the reviews,
although on chapter seven they were rather scarce. Oh well, thanks to
wingednight and girlprince17.
This is great, it's chapter eight!
Isabelle blushed with embarrassment at being discovered by Prince William.
"I am so sorry." She said after an awkward pause, and turned to go.
"Wait." The prince's voice wasn't curious, but it wasn't monotone either. It was rather pleading. Isabelle was surprised by this and turned back around.
"Yes?"
"Will you come sit by me?" he patted an empty seat on the bench next to him and Isabelle sat. "Were you spying on me, Lady Mary?"
Isabelle colored. "No! Of course not!" he looked at her skeptically. "I came out into the garden to get away from the ball, and I got lost. I heard you talking and came to see who it was. Once I saw it was you I didn't want to disturb you, but what you were saying."
"About that. Lady Mary, please do not tell anyone I said those things. If the King and Queen found out, I could be disowned! I kingdom could fall into my younger brother's hands." He paused. "Not that I want to rule, but I don't want my brother to. He is a tyrant, and I would hate to see what he would do to the kingdom."
"No, no." Isabelle didn't want the Prince to think she was a spy out to blackmail him or anything. "What I was going to say was, I agree."
"What?" Prince William was obviously not expecting that.
"I agree completely. You see, where I came from I had many marriage proposals." Or just one awful one, she thought sadly. "But I always wondered, did these suitors really love me?" She shook her head. "Of course not. I was wealthy and, many say, blessed with beauty. They didn't love me, they wanted to marry me because I was beautiful and rich."
"You say those things as if they were bad."
"And they are!" she cried, perhaps too loudly. "Everywhere I go, all anyone sees is my beauty. It is not a blessing, it is a curse and I hate it. I wish someone would try to get to know me for who I am and not be concerned with my looks."
"I know how you feel." William replied. "I sometimes feel so alone, as if I don't have a true friend in the world. And I don't. No one really likes me for who I am, they like me because I am rich and will be King someday."
"Yes! I'd much rather be poor and plain. That way, if someone said they loved me, I would know they loved me for me and not for my looks and status."
"You say it so well." William agreed. "Well, let me tell you, I like you."
Isabelle laughed. "Thank you."
"And not for your looks. I like you because you speak your mind and I feel comfortable around you."
"And I like you because I can talk to you easily and you feel the same pain that I have. And I would still like you if you were poor and had no title at all"
"Let's promise to be friends." William said, his eyes glowing and a bright smile on his face. Isabelle smiled back, for he reminded her of a young child with his eager face.
"And true friends, not fake ones."
"Yes! Do you promise?"
"Yes." Isabelle smiled warmly and shook the Prince's hand. "It's nice to know I have a real friend."
The prince laughed and looked at the castle timepiece.
"Wow! The ball is probably over by now. We should be getting back. Mother will soon send out a search party and think I will have been killed."
"What time is it?" Isabelle asked casually as they got up and headed towards the stone fortress.
"Oh, it's almost half past midnight. Oh! Time for my late supper. Don't worry; you can join me if you like. Mother said you could stay in the castle, didn't she?"
But Isabelle wasn't listening to William. "Did you say half past midnight?"
He stopped and looked quizzically at her. "Yes. Why?"
"Oh, god, I have to go!"
"What? Where?"
"I just have to go!" she gathered up her petticoats, slid past William and ran off, trying to ignore his cries of protest. Her shoes again made a light slapping sound on the stone walkways as she tried her best to find her way back to the castle.
After a few dead ends, she found the exit and ran to the open doors of the castle hall. She quickly ran in, turning the heads of the few guests who were saying their goodbyes to the royals.
"Lady Mary! Lady Mary, where are you going in such a hurry?" the queen cried desperately as Isabelle ran for the entrance.
"Sorry your majesty, but I must leave!" she cried over her shoulder. She heard the Queen cry out once more before she managed to exit. The last words stuck in her head: "But you may stay here.I allowed you to!"
But I already am staying here, Isabelle thought glumly as she ran around to the back of the building to change.
*~~*
Isabelle stood in front of the fire, watching the pot boil and simmer. The Prince's late supper. She wiped the sweat off of her forehead and stirred the pot.
I have no idea what I'm doing, she thought angrily. Eliza gave me no instructions. This soup is probably going to taste terrible.
She walked over to the table and cut several slices of bread. It was soft and warm. At least I didn't mess this up, Isabelle thought. She walked back over to the stew when Angie's loving voice popped up into her head. ".I know it seems kind of silly to a princess like you, but these pieces of jewelry are enchanted so that if ye put them in any dish of food they will make that food taste like the most delicious thing on earth."
Smiling, Isabelle ran back to her meager room and pulled the gold ring out from her belongings.
"This should solve my cooking dilemma." She muttered to herself and ran back to the kitchen. The soup was ready, so she spooned some into a pewter bowl, placed the ring in with it, and let it sit while the ring did its magic and made the soup delicious. "I wonder how long it takes to work." She said as she thought sadly of Angie.
"Is this the Prince's Late supper?" a servant briskly walked in and pointed at the bowl of soup. Isabelle nodded, untying her apron and yawning. She was tired and ready for bed. She watched the servant leave and was about to sleepily leave the room when she abruptly woke up. The ring! She thought with surges of panic. It's still in the bowl!
"Wait!" she cried desperately to the servant and ran up the stairs.
But it was too late.
She watched in utter horror as the bowl of soup was placed in front of the Prince.
Isabelle blushed with embarrassment at being discovered by Prince William.
"I am so sorry." She said after an awkward pause, and turned to go.
"Wait." The prince's voice wasn't curious, but it wasn't monotone either. It was rather pleading. Isabelle was surprised by this and turned back around.
"Yes?"
"Will you come sit by me?" he patted an empty seat on the bench next to him and Isabelle sat. "Were you spying on me, Lady Mary?"
Isabelle colored. "No! Of course not!" he looked at her skeptically. "I came out into the garden to get away from the ball, and I got lost. I heard you talking and came to see who it was. Once I saw it was you I didn't want to disturb you, but what you were saying."
"About that. Lady Mary, please do not tell anyone I said those things. If the King and Queen found out, I could be disowned! I kingdom could fall into my younger brother's hands." He paused. "Not that I want to rule, but I don't want my brother to. He is a tyrant, and I would hate to see what he would do to the kingdom."
"No, no." Isabelle didn't want the Prince to think she was a spy out to blackmail him or anything. "What I was going to say was, I agree."
"What?" Prince William was obviously not expecting that.
"I agree completely. You see, where I came from I had many marriage proposals." Or just one awful one, she thought sadly. "But I always wondered, did these suitors really love me?" She shook her head. "Of course not. I was wealthy and, many say, blessed with beauty. They didn't love me, they wanted to marry me because I was beautiful and rich."
"You say those things as if they were bad."
"And they are!" she cried, perhaps too loudly. "Everywhere I go, all anyone sees is my beauty. It is not a blessing, it is a curse and I hate it. I wish someone would try to get to know me for who I am and not be concerned with my looks."
"I know how you feel." William replied. "I sometimes feel so alone, as if I don't have a true friend in the world. And I don't. No one really likes me for who I am, they like me because I am rich and will be King someday."
"Yes! I'd much rather be poor and plain. That way, if someone said they loved me, I would know they loved me for me and not for my looks and status."
"You say it so well." William agreed. "Well, let me tell you, I like you."
Isabelle laughed. "Thank you."
"And not for your looks. I like you because you speak your mind and I feel comfortable around you."
"And I like you because I can talk to you easily and you feel the same pain that I have. And I would still like you if you were poor and had no title at all"
"Let's promise to be friends." William said, his eyes glowing and a bright smile on his face. Isabelle smiled back, for he reminded her of a young child with his eager face.
"And true friends, not fake ones."
"Yes! Do you promise?"
"Yes." Isabelle smiled warmly and shook the Prince's hand. "It's nice to know I have a real friend."
The prince laughed and looked at the castle timepiece.
"Wow! The ball is probably over by now. We should be getting back. Mother will soon send out a search party and think I will have been killed."
"What time is it?" Isabelle asked casually as they got up and headed towards the stone fortress.
"Oh, it's almost half past midnight. Oh! Time for my late supper. Don't worry; you can join me if you like. Mother said you could stay in the castle, didn't she?"
But Isabelle wasn't listening to William. "Did you say half past midnight?"
He stopped and looked quizzically at her. "Yes. Why?"
"Oh, god, I have to go!"
"What? Where?"
"I just have to go!" she gathered up her petticoats, slid past William and ran off, trying to ignore his cries of protest. Her shoes again made a light slapping sound on the stone walkways as she tried her best to find her way back to the castle.
After a few dead ends, she found the exit and ran to the open doors of the castle hall. She quickly ran in, turning the heads of the few guests who were saying their goodbyes to the royals.
"Lady Mary! Lady Mary, where are you going in such a hurry?" the queen cried desperately as Isabelle ran for the entrance.
"Sorry your majesty, but I must leave!" she cried over her shoulder. She heard the Queen cry out once more before she managed to exit. The last words stuck in her head: "But you may stay here.I allowed you to!"
But I already am staying here, Isabelle thought glumly as she ran around to the back of the building to change.
*~~*
Isabelle stood in front of the fire, watching the pot boil and simmer. The Prince's late supper. She wiped the sweat off of her forehead and stirred the pot.
I have no idea what I'm doing, she thought angrily. Eliza gave me no instructions. This soup is probably going to taste terrible.
She walked over to the table and cut several slices of bread. It was soft and warm. At least I didn't mess this up, Isabelle thought. She walked back over to the stew when Angie's loving voice popped up into her head. ".I know it seems kind of silly to a princess like you, but these pieces of jewelry are enchanted so that if ye put them in any dish of food they will make that food taste like the most delicious thing on earth."
Smiling, Isabelle ran back to her meager room and pulled the gold ring out from her belongings.
"This should solve my cooking dilemma." She muttered to herself and ran back to the kitchen. The soup was ready, so she spooned some into a pewter bowl, placed the ring in with it, and let it sit while the ring did its magic and made the soup delicious. "I wonder how long it takes to work." She said as she thought sadly of Angie.
"Is this the Prince's Late supper?" a servant briskly walked in and pointed at the bowl of soup. Isabelle nodded, untying her apron and yawning. She was tired and ready for bed. She watched the servant leave and was about to sleepily leave the room when she abruptly woke up. The ring! She thought with surges of panic. It's still in the bowl!
"Wait!" she cried desperately to the servant and ran up the stairs.
But it was too late.
She watched in utter horror as the bowl of soup was placed in front of the Prince.