Once, a very long time ago, in a wealthy kingdom, there lived a
princess. Her mother and father (the king and queen, obviously) spent most
of their time traveling, and rarely had time for their daughter. It wasn't
that they were bad people; they just loved their kingdom so much that they
often forgot about their responsibilities as parents. The neglect from her
parents made the princess think that there was something wrong with her,
which really wasn't the case. But she had no one to talk to—the servants
didn't really care enough to notice, and she had no friends, so the girl's
heart became hardened. She figured the world had turned on her, so she
decided to turn on the world.
When the girl was in her teens, she pretty much had rule of the castle, as her parents now spent most of their time visiting acquaintances in the kingdom, or going to parties and balls. She didn't really rule well, but what could you expect of a girl who had no role model, no friends, no real life? The kingdom hated being under her rule, and really hated the girl herself. The poor suffered from the girl's rule, but the kingdom wasn't damaged much overall. They continued on living okay, but they all suffered abuse from their future queen. She was irresponsible and hadn't the slightest clue as to what to do, so there were problems. She had access to all her family's riches, and spent it on whatever she wanted, and became spoiled. People began to fear her. If she became too irresponsible, it would destroy them.
~*~*~*~
"Summer! Come in here this instant!" Summer had been casually avoiding the princess and all authority figures the entire morning, hoping to be able to evade doing chores for a day (so she could sneak off to the market, where several acquaintances were expecting her presence). Unfortunately for her, Princess Annabelle had just caught her off guard, as she happened to be passing the royal chambers. She groaned and entered to the room.
"Yes, my lady?" she said innocently.
"Don't use your innocent tone with me right now. I know you've been sneaking off again. Where have you been and what have you been doing?"
"Well, Your Grace, I've been here in the palace the entire time. I was just down in the kitchens helping the scullery maids and Scarlett clean dishes."
Oh yeah, she'd been helping them alright. She'd meant well, but had ended up spilling water all over the floor, causing nearly everyone in the room to slip and fall. Eventually Scarlett (her friend the cook) had had to shoo her away.
"Yes, I bet you have," Annabelle said under her breath.
"I apologize for not being here," Summer said.
Annabelle was irritated with this girl. Summer had been known to do things, or rather, not do things, that displeased others. Plus, her day was hectic enough already, with other servants to deal with, and a party to be held that evening.
"The apology is accepted, but that does not mean you will go without punishment. I want you to go check all the guest rooms and make sure they are perfect, and tonight after the party you're going to clean the entire palace—by yourself."
~*~*~*~
Summer stormed down to the kitchen, where she knew Scarlett and Mirra (a fellow maid) would be. The minute she came in, kicking the door behind her, the two young women that Summer had come to visit knew Annabelle had done something.
"What now, Summer?" Scarlett asked casually, not bothering to look up from the potatoes she was peeling over the sink.
"Well, do you two remember when I told you that I'd promised some folks that I'd come to town today?"
"Let me guess. Princess Annabelle spoiled those plans," Mirra said nonchalantly while taking a bite off the carrot she'd been eating at the table.
"She made me clean all the guest rooms by myself and is also making me clean the entire palace after the party. All that just for avoiding her, a person I thought would be glad to be rid of me."
"Aye, but think about it. If you're not on her hands, you're on someone else's—possibly one of the party guests', and you know how worked up she is over this ball," Scarlett explained.
"True…but do you think there's any way I could still sneak out?" Summer asked mischievously.
~*~*~*~
Several hours later the princess emerged from her chambers, finally prepared for the big extravaganza. Her lemon-blonde hair was delicately swept up into a knot on top of her head, with some curls dangling down. Her beautiful white lace dress—and some very fine perfume—trailed behind her. She looked quite funny walking through the silent marble corridors in her own dainty way, wearing a grim look upon her face.
After checking that all was perfect in the palace, Annabelle went to the main hall. There she greeted all the guests whose carriages were just pulling up, pleasant and charming, unaware that a mysterious stranger in the shadows outside was observing her quite closely.
~*~*~*~
Summer had been in the kitchen, getting a mop and bucket of water, and came to the hall just as the last guest was leaving. Annabelle called out a final farewell, and then turned to her.
"It's getting late, and I'm tired right now. You're going to mop this hall tonight, within an hour. If you're not finished by then you'll have a whipping tomorrow, before you clean the rest of the palace. Now—"
Annabelle was suddenly interrupted by a loud knock from the door. She sighed crossly, thinking it was one of her guests who had left something behind.
"Go answer the door, and be quick about it," she ordered Summer, following her. Summer dashed to the door, and slowly opened it. There, on the steps, stood an old woman, a thin cloak covering her and a small, but beautiful, bouquet of wildflowers. A cold November wind blew in through the door. When the woman saw the princess observing in the background, she curtsied.
"M'lady, I am a humbled old woman with no home. 'Tis chilly outside. I need a place t' stay for the night, in exchange for this bouquet. I wouldn't be a bit o' trouble t' all. I could sleep on the floor. Please help me."
Summer turned around to see the princess's reaction. Her facial expression looked like that of a person who had rotten eggs under his/her nose.
"Why would I allow a beggar to sleep in my palace? Old hags like you aren't welcome in places of such splendor. Be gone," said Princess Annabelle disgustedly. Summer was angered by the arrogance of Annabelle, and pitied the old woman. She had once been in the same spot.
"Why not? All the servants in the palace were once just like this woman, and yet you allow us to sleep here. Why should you not allow this woman to stay here, just for a night? She said she'd sleep on the cold floor, you heard her yourself," she cried out.
"You wench! You should be grateful for all that I've given you! If you're going to be so unthankful, you can leave with that beggar!"
Summer apologized quietly, and turned to close the door. As she did so she took some coins from the pocket of her apron and handed them to the old woman.
"That's enough money to allow you a night at a nice inn, and some food. I'm sorry that I can't do any more for you."
Just as Summer was turning from the door to return to the hall, a strong wind blew it open again. The noise this created caused several servants who had been elsewhere in the palace to come rushing to the commotion to see what had happened.
There, at the door, instead of the old beggar woman, stood a beautiful enchantress. The princess took one look at her and went deathly pale. The graceful lady walked into the palace, right up to Princess Annabelle.
"My lady," she began, pronouncing the word lady as if it were a curse word, "I do believe now that what I've been told by the villagers is true. The people of your kingdom tell me that you are an irresponsible, spoiled princess, and that you care nothing about them or the land upon which you live. I decided that I would come here in disguise, and test you. If you were so cruel as to leave a poor beggar outside in the cold to die, then I would enact justice, but if you allowed the woman to sleep inside your palace, I would give you a second chance. Apparently, your people were correct, and now the damage has been done. You even threatened to send this woman out in the cold to die too. Your acts will not go unpunished.
Your beautiful palace will be covered with ivy and roses. I will place an enchantment on your land so that it shall always be summer. Your gates will be closed, and no occupant of this palace will be able to flee. Your people will desert you for a better, stronger, more responsible ruler, and you will have nothing but what is in your palace or on your grounds.
Your punishment will be this… All of the enchantments I have just mentioned shall remain on this land until a stranger comes here. In order to be relieved of your punishments, you must learn to love this stranger, to prove that there is some love in your cruel heart. Along the way, I may help you, if you acknowledge your past mistakes and try to learn from them."
Here, the enchantress ended her speech, and turned to face the rest of the people in the palace. Her eyes gazed at all of them apologetically, and she asked them to one day forgive her. Then she saw Summer, and grinned. She walked up to her, hugged her, and handed back the coins she'd given her.
"What is thy name, sister?"
"Summer," she replied.
"Thank you, Summer. I shan't forget you." With those final words she smiled at everyone, and a breeze blew into the palace, swirling all around. Then she walked out the door, leaving an anxious silence behind her. Everyone had zombie-like looks on their faces, except the women and children who were crying.
Chapter 1: Thirty Years Later
A/N: thanx for any possible reviews. im still hoping for more (hint, hint)—even negative ones.
Thirty years after that event, everything was still much the same. The same servants—who hadn't aged a bit, thanks to one of the extra enchantments the enchantress had taken the liberty of adding—did the same chores, and lived in the same rooms. The same food was cooked in the same kitchens and eaten in the same dining hall. The same horses pulled the same plows through the same fields, and the same gardeners weeded and watered the same gardens.
Several things were different though. The palace, for one, was now covered in bright, luminous, green ivy, and beautiful roses in all shades. Secondly, the kingdom was completely abandoned. Everyone had fled, as the enchantress had said they would, and gone to neighboring kingdoms. Nearly all of them had forgotten, or tried to forget, about their forsaken monarchy and the life they'd left behind, until it was a legend, a mere story told to children. And lastly, many things had changed in the palace.
Princess Annabelle had changed a lot after the enchantment. She got a little nicer. She no longer beheaded or whipped her servants, but her temper was still just as bad. None of the servants really saw her often anymore. She spent most of her time up in her chambers, doing who-knows- what. It often seemed as if the only time she left her chambers was to go to the dining hall to eat. Everyone was okay with this, because it meant they had more freedom and more time to themselves.
~*~*~*~
(POV of Summer)
The thirtieth anniversary of that wretched curse… and here I was, in the kitchens helping Scarlet and Mirra scrub dirty pans. The silence was unbearable, just as it had been on all the other anniversaries. Every year we celebrated the anniversary of the day the enchantress had cast her spell upon the palace. Scarlett and Mirra were content not talking, but it was driving me insane. Finally I couldn't take it anymore.
I slammed the pan I'd been washing down against the counter, and exclaimed, "I can't take the silence! Why doesn't anyone talk? Am I the only person who's having trouble with this?" Scarlett and Mirra stared at me, startled at my sudden outburst. "I'm sorry," I apologized, "but I need a break right now. I'll be back in a couple of hours, alright?"
I tossed my apron aside, and went outside to the stables. It was bright outside, with a slight breeze. "Thank you, sun," I said sarcastically to myself. "You finally decide to shine—on the dullest day of the year."
Entering the stables, I brushed and saddled Bliss, a rebellious tan mare. She was my favorite horse there, and I took pleasure in the fact that I was the only person she obeyed. With the click of my tongue we were off, trotting into the breeze with the sun shining down on us.
We rode off to my favorite garden. It lay right beside the fields, and was made up mostly of daisies, sunflowers, and black-eyed susans, and several willow trees. I tied Bliss to a tree surrounded by tall grass, and then went to my favorite thinking spot. Right in the middle of the garden was a stone bench. It was surrounded and given shade by several willows, and the smell of the flowers seemed to be the strongest in that spot. There I lie down, and stared up at the clear blue sky, thinking, while the breeze and warmth relaxed me.
This whole spell was completely unjust in my opinion. True, Annabelle needed some help, but it was unfair that we, the servants, were stuck there with her. I felt especially bad for the younger children who worked here. They were stuck here without their families, who had long ago left for another kingdom. It had been really hard for them the first year, adjusting to the fact that their families were gone. I was mad at the enchantress for not considering them, and for making all the good people in the palace remain there for, possibly, all eternity.
After a while, it started to rain. I hated to have to leave my sanctuary to go back to the unbearable silence of the palace, but I didn't exactly have much choice, so I untied Bliss and started walking back.
Walking along, not really doing anything, I suddenly noticed something. Lying, looking unconscious, next to the edge of the woods on the palace territory, was a cloaked figure. Not only that, but this was a richly clothed figure. Obviously it was nobility.
Closer up, you could see the wound across his forehead. He was still breathing (quite shallowly though), so—with much difficulty—I heaved him onto Bliss, and rushed to the palace.
~*~*~*~
"The poor soul…"
"I hear that maid, Summer, found him outside and was the one who brought him here…"
I cleared my throat, and waited to be noticed. The two old maids in the room quickly looked up, and, realizing who I was, went pink. (They knew I'd heard the conversation.)
"It's, uh, time to switch shifts," I announced.
The two ladies rose from the wooden chairs they'd been sitting on and left. I walked into the dark room, lit only by the fire directly across from me, and shut the door behind me.
A cot was beside the fire; close to the chairs the two ladies had been sitting on. On it lie the stranger that I'd saved, asleep. The royal physician had dressed the unknown noble's head wound, and checked him to see if he'd received any other bruises or dents. He had a gash in his left arm, but that and the concussion were the extent of his injuries. Still, the physician and Princess Annabelle had insisted the man be under constant watch until he improved.
After refilling the empty pitcher that sat upon a table beside some bandages, I sat down next to the warm fire, and studied the man. Earlier, I'd not had the time to see him, but now that I was in charge of him—for 8 hours—I did. He was younger than I'd originally thought he was, no older than 20, and quite handsome too. Looks could be very deceiving though—one had just to take a look at Annabelle to see that--, so I ignored it.
My thoughts drifted elsewhere, and within half an hour I'd fallen asleep. Not long after, I was rudely awakened by a noise very similar to that of a creaky rocking chair. It was much louder than that though, and I didn't know what the source of it might be. Until I looked at the person on the cot. It was coming from him!
"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered. "How can someone like you be capable of making so much noise?" The terrible sound continued, for at least 10 more minutes. After that, I couldn't take it. "Will you please stop that racket?!?" I exclaimed.
It slowly quieted after that, but I didn't manage to get back to sleep. So I wrapped myself up in a blanket and leaned my back up against the wall by the fire, and studied the man's face again. I wondered what his personality was like. He looked angelic, sleeping peacefully there, but I wasn't sure that a man "talented" enough to snore as loudly as he did was nice. I saw the traces of a smile around the corners of his mouth, and suddenly realized that he was aware of me watching him.
"How long have you been awake?" I asked, annoyed. He responded without opening his eyes.
"Ever since you yelled at me to quiet down," he said, and grinned. I sighed angrily, and glared at him. He opened his eyes, and glanced over at me.
"Was the whole snoring thing an act?" I asked.
"It very well might have been…by the way, while you're down there, would you mind fetching me some water?"
~*~*~*~
Edgily, I walked into the kitchen, and plopped onto a stool. Scarlett cheerily placed a fresh muffin in front of me, and smiled. I raised my eyebrows suspiciously at her.
"Why are you so happy?" I asked.
"Well, why shouldn't I be? Everyone is. Thanks to you, the curse will be defeated! A handsome stranger suddenly appears out of nowhere, and on the anniversary of the curse! It's an omen! He's going to be the one!"
"Scarlett, trust me. This guy isn't 'the one'. He's downright cruel. He purposely snored louder than the devil himself and kept me up all night. It'll be a miracle once he recovers and is able to leave this place."
"He cannot be that bad, Summer."
"Oh, you just wait and watch." I finished my muffin and left the kitchen, unable to take all the joy.
Just after that experience, I bumped into Betty, the laundress. She looked pretty giddy too. Oh goody. With a wide grin and much enthusiasm, she greeted me.
"You'll never guess what happened, Summer! Annabelle put you in charge of taking care of the man in the palace! Isn't that wonderful? All the maids are madly jealous of you. Oh! I was told to give this to you. It's some clothes for the guest. Annabelle told me personally to give it to you, and to tell you she's expecting to have luncheon with him today, so make sure he's notified."
"Thank you," I said, and ran upstairs, wondering when this nightmare would end.
~*~*~*~
Just as I stepped into the room, "the one" stepped out of the bathroom—which was connected to the bedroom--, in a bathrobe. I set the clothes I'd been given on his bed and told him that he was expected at the luncheon with Annabelle.
"Who is Annabelle?" he asked.
"You met her yesterday. She is the princess who was standing next to the physician. The clothes on the bed are what you'll wear, and I'm going to leave now to let you change. I'll be back in 10 minutes with your breakfast." With that I left.
True to my word, I returned to his room exactly 10 minutes later, with eggs, sausages, milk, bread, jam, and butter on a tray. I knocked twice on the door and entered. I set the tray down on the table, and turned to see where the man was. He was standing in front of a mirror, smoothing his shirt.
"Hello," he said as he finished straightening his outfit out. I was startled when he turned around. He was even more handsome than he'd appeared in the firelight just 8 hours ago. He still had the bandage wrapped around his forehead, but he'd managed to smooth out his golden hair. He had beaming blue-gray eyes, and the perfect nose and mouth. He was clean-shaven now, and looked magnificent in his apparel; he had combed his hair while I was gone. His clothing somehow fit him perfectly. I wondered how Annabelle had managed to find clothes like that in such short time.
He, apparently, seemed just as startled, to see me startled. "What? Is there something wrong?" he asked.
"No, not at all. I'm fine. What about you?"
"I'm fine, thank you, except for the concussion and cut arm…" There was an awkward silence, as we both looked at the ground, each other, and then back to the ground.
"I, uh, wanted to apologize about what I did last night. It was quite rude of me to do what I did, and I'm sorry… Maybe we could start new?" he said slowly.
"We could do that, as long you promise to never snore as loudly as you did last night," I said. We shook on it, with a grin.
"So, what is your name? We may as well get on good speaking terms, since you're attending me until I'm deemed fit enough to leave."
"I'm Summer, the irritating chambermaid. And you are…"
"My formal name is Prince Cynric Alden Hartford, but if you address me that way, I can guarantee that we won't get along very well."
"My, you're a pleasant person today. I'll call you Cynric, all right?…So, how exactly did you get here?"
"Long story. I'll tell it to you someday, but not right now. Right now you have to tell me what kind of luncheon this is going to be, so I'll know how to act."
"To be honest, I don't know what kind of luncheon it is. All I know is that you're expected there and I'm expected to introduce you."
"Well, then tell me what the purpose of this luncheon is. Is it merely her way introducing herself?"
"I imagine your guess is correct. But I think it's a bit early in the morning to be worrying about luncheon; you haven't even begun eating breakfast yet. Eat first, and then you can think about the luncheon."
"Maybe you could give me a tour of this place after I'm done?"
~*~*~*~
Somewhere around noon a messenger came to escort Prince Cynric to the luncheon.
"I'll go back upstairs and straighten out your rooms," I said to him, turning to the marble staircase.
"No, you won't. I'd like it greatly if you would join me too," he replied.
"It must be very different where you come from, because here the servants don't dine with the masters and mistresses of the palace. Now, I must leave," I said firmly.
"You can serve us then. I won't argue anymore. You're coming, whether you like it or not."
"Why exactly are you so intent on making me go? You're there to eat luncheon and be introduced to Annabelle, not me."
"I don't know what to expect from Annabelle, and you've apparently been a servant here for some time. I need you to tell me what to do and expect. Besides, you're the only person here that I've known for more than two hours."
I had no argument prepared for that remark, so when Cynric grabbed my sleeve and pulled me along after him I had no choice but to surrender.
"Describe Annabelle briefly for me, would you? I need a basic outline of her personality, so I'll know what I can and cannot say."
"Give me a moment… Well, Annabelle had a tough childhood, I guess you could say…" I replied, floundering.
"What member of a royal family hasn't?" he muttered.
"Yes, but you've most likely always had someone there to listen to you. Annabelle never did. The former king and queen were never around long enough to get to know her, and really didn't seem all that interested in her. She grew up without a single person to love her. You can imagine what the effects of that were… But don't get me wrong; she really isn't mean or unkind. She's just…Annabelle."
"That kind of information isn't going to be of any help. Tell me—is she temperamental? Energetic? Dull? Shy? We're almost to the dining room—I need to know what to do!"
"Calm down! She's somewhat shy, not easily enraged [anymore]--but try not to get her upset--, and polite and gentle. You don't need to worry about it, you'll be fine."
A second later we were at the doors to the dining room. Cynric stopped short and smoothed his clothing. After checking in a looking glass he walked up to the door, ready to be announced. He cleared his throat a little, and looked at me.
"Oh!" I said, as I realized that he meant for me to introduce him. So, walking awkwardly into the dining room, I introduced him as "the Prince Cynric Alden Hartford". He bowed gallantly, with a pleasant grin at Annabelle, and a somewhat annoyed look at me. Apparently he really despised his name.
"Please, my lady, call me Cyn."
"Sin? Surely, you can't be that terrible, to be called sin…" Annabelle had completely misunderstood, and now stood staring at Cynric in confusion.
"No, no, no, I mean Cyn." Cynric tried to explain. The edges of his mouth were twitching in amusement.
"Sir, your given name is not Sin, so I will not call you that. In any case, why would you want to be called that?"
"Your Grace," I interrupted. "The prince's name is Cynric. He prefers to be called Cyn for short."
"Then I'll call him that. Now, shall we eat?"
~*~*~*~
An hour and a half later Cynric entered his rooms. I was placing fresh clothing in his dresser and didn't notice he'd entered until he plopped down on the bed heavily with a sigh.
"How did it go?" I asked, continuing with my work. I'd left about 10 minutes after Annabelle and Cynric had sat down and started talking.
"Quite well."
I was desperately curious to know what had happened, but (1) it wasn't my place to nag him, and (2) Scarlett had warned me to be polite with the prince [or else!], so I left it at that. Somehow that seemed to surprise the prince.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked.
"No," I replied.
"I was wondering, because if I'm not mistaken about your personality, right now you'd be begging me to tell you the details."
"I would be, except for the fact that that would be improper, and I'm supposed to pretend that I'm very polite and proper, since you're a prince."
"Here we go again," he murmured under his breath.
"Hmm?"
"Nevermind."
"All right," I said calmly. He seemed annoyed at my accepting that.
"I'm fed up with being treated the way I am, even here! People see me as the future king, and that's it. I'm not a person to them. I'm fed up with people censoring their opinions around me. And here, a place far from my kingdom I'm still treated so dreadfully. It's so…frustrating!"
I stopped folding clothes now, and sat down on the floor. "Well, tell me something. Would you rather be how I was—a poor girl who begged for money on the streets and didn't have time to spend with her family, and obviously wasn't respected—or would you rather have been in your position?"
"Neither," he answered. "But at least you had the opportunity to make friends you could trust. I never knew which people I could and couldn't trust, and whether or not they were using me. We both got the sour end of the deal, didn't we?"
"Well, it got a little better for both of us. I was hired here, and I made money to help my family, and you ended up in a new place, with a fresh start. So I guess it's not really fair to complain."
"All right. So now what?"
"What do you mean? I have chores to do. You can do whatever you want. Good-bye," I replied, walking out of the room with the empty laundry basket, leaving him to his own devices.
~*~*~*~
The next morning, when I was walking to Cynric's room I was given a message from one of the maids that Cynric was to have luncheon with Annabelle again.
When I walked in, the first thing that came out of my mouth was, "What happened yesterday during the luncheon?"
Cynric jumped, suddenly awake.
"Curiosity got the best of you, or have you just given up your 'politeness' plan?"
"Both. And Annabelle wants you to dine with her again. That doesn't happen often. She gets bored easily, and there's never been a person with the capability to keep her entertained for more than an hour, let alone come again for luncheon the next day."
"I'm very talented. Now leave me alone and let me sleep."
"Your Grace, it's already noontime. The princess will be expecting you shortly, so get up, or else I will have to explain to Annabelle why you aren't there, and then you will be kicked out of the palace. By the way, I'm not going to be with you today. I decided not to work today, and do some things I've been meaning to get to. Another maid will be arriving soon to attend to you, so good day." I left before he could protest.
~*~*~*~
A/N: So what do you think so far? I'd like some feedback. Do you think I should continue, make changes, or what?
When the girl was in her teens, she pretty much had rule of the castle, as her parents now spent most of their time visiting acquaintances in the kingdom, or going to parties and balls. She didn't really rule well, but what could you expect of a girl who had no role model, no friends, no real life? The kingdom hated being under her rule, and really hated the girl herself. The poor suffered from the girl's rule, but the kingdom wasn't damaged much overall. They continued on living okay, but they all suffered abuse from their future queen. She was irresponsible and hadn't the slightest clue as to what to do, so there were problems. She had access to all her family's riches, and spent it on whatever she wanted, and became spoiled. People began to fear her. If she became too irresponsible, it would destroy them.
~*~*~*~
"Summer! Come in here this instant!" Summer had been casually avoiding the princess and all authority figures the entire morning, hoping to be able to evade doing chores for a day (so she could sneak off to the market, where several acquaintances were expecting her presence). Unfortunately for her, Princess Annabelle had just caught her off guard, as she happened to be passing the royal chambers. She groaned and entered to the room.
"Yes, my lady?" she said innocently.
"Don't use your innocent tone with me right now. I know you've been sneaking off again. Where have you been and what have you been doing?"
"Well, Your Grace, I've been here in the palace the entire time. I was just down in the kitchens helping the scullery maids and Scarlett clean dishes."
Oh yeah, she'd been helping them alright. She'd meant well, but had ended up spilling water all over the floor, causing nearly everyone in the room to slip and fall. Eventually Scarlett (her friend the cook) had had to shoo her away.
"Yes, I bet you have," Annabelle said under her breath.
"I apologize for not being here," Summer said.
Annabelle was irritated with this girl. Summer had been known to do things, or rather, not do things, that displeased others. Plus, her day was hectic enough already, with other servants to deal with, and a party to be held that evening.
"The apology is accepted, but that does not mean you will go without punishment. I want you to go check all the guest rooms and make sure they are perfect, and tonight after the party you're going to clean the entire palace—by yourself."
~*~*~*~
Summer stormed down to the kitchen, where she knew Scarlett and Mirra (a fellow maid) would be. The minute she came in, kicking the door behind her, the two young women that Summer had come to visit knew Annabelle had done something.
"What now, Summer?" Scarlett asked casually, not bothering to look up from the potatoes she was peeling over the sink.
"Well, do you two remember when I told you that I'd promised some folks that I'd come to town today?"
"Let me guess. Princess Annabelle spoiled those plans," Mirra said nonchalantly while taking a bite off the carrot she'd been eating at the table.
"She made me clean all the guest rooms by myself and is also making me clean the entire palace after the party. All that just for avoiding her, a person I thought would be glad to be rid of me."
"Aye, but think about it. If you're not on her hands, you're on someone else's—possibly one of the party guests', and you know how worked up she is over this ball," Scarlett explained.
"True…but do you think there's any way I could still sneak out?" Summer asked mischievously.
~*~*~*~
Several hours later the princess emerged from her chambers, finally prepared for the big extravaganza. Her lemon-blonde hair was delicately swept up into a knot on top of her head, with some curls dangling down. Her beautiful white lace dress—and some very fine perfume—trailed behind her. She looked quite funny walking through the silent marble corridors in her own dainty way, wearing a grim look upon her face.
After checking that all was perfect in the palace, Annabelle went to the main hall. There she greeted all the guests whose carriages were just pulling up, pleasant and charming, unaware that a mysterious stranger in the shadows outside was observing her quite closely.
~*~*~*~
Summer had been in the kitchen, getting a mop and bucket of water, and came to the hall just as the last guest was leaving. Annabelle called out a final farewell, and then turned to her.
"It's getting late, and I'm tired right now. You're going to mop this hall tonight, within an hour. If you're not finished by then you'll have a whipping tomorrow, before you clean the rest of the palace. Now—"
Annabelle was suddenly interrupted by a loud knock from the door. She sighed crossly, thinking it was one of her guests who had left something behind.
"Go answer the door, and be quick about it," she ordered Summer, following her. Summer dashed to the door, and slowly opened it. There, on the steps, stood an old woman, a thin cloak covering her and a small, but beautiful, bouquet of wildflowers. A cold November wind blew in through the door. When the woman saw the princess observing in the background, she curtsied.
"M'lady, I am a humbled old woman with no home. 'Tis chilly outside. I need a place t' stay for the night, in exchange for this bouquet. I wouldn't be a bit o' trouble t' all. I could sleep on the floor. Please help me."
Summer turned around to see the princess's reaction. Her facial expression looked like that of a person who had rotten eggs under his/her nose.
"Why would I allow a beggar to sleep in my palace? Old hags like you aren't welcome in places of such splendor. Be gone," said Princess Annabelle disgustedly. Summer was angered by the arrogance of Annabelle, and pitied the old woman. She had once been in the same spot.
"Why not? All the servants in the palace were once just like this woman, and yet you allow us to sleep here. Why should you not allow this woman to stay here, just for a night? She said she'd sleep on the cold floor, you heard her yourself," she cried out.
"You wench! You should be grateful for all that I've given you! If you're going to be so unthankful, you can leave with that beggar!"
Summer apologized quietly, and turned to close the door. As she did so she took some coins from the pocket of her apron and handed them to the old woman.
"That's enough money to allow you a night at a nice inn, and some food. I'm sorry that I can't do any more for you."
Just as Summer was turning from the door to return to the hall, a strong wind blew it open again. The noise this created caused several servants who had been elsewhere in the palace to come rushing to the commotion to see what had happened.
There, at the door, instead of the old beggar woman, stood a beautiful enchantress. The princess took one look at her and went deathly pale. The graceful lady walked into the palace, right up to Princess Annabelle.
"My lady," she began, pronouncing the word lady as if it were a curse word, "I do believe now that what I've been told by the villagers is true. The people of your kingdom tell me that you are an irresponsible, spoiled princess, and that you care nothing about them or the land upon which you live. I decided that I would come here in disguise, and test you. If you were so cruel as to leave a poor beggar outside in the cold to die, then I would enact justice, but if you allowed the woman to sleep inside your palace, I would give you a second chance. Apparently, your people were correct, and now the damage has been done. You even threatened to send this woman out in the cold to die too. Your acts will not go unpunished.
Your beautiful palace will be covered with ivy and roses. I will place an enchantment on your land so that it shall always be summer. Your gates will be closed, and no occupant of this palace will be able to flee. Your people will desert you for a better, stronger, more responsible ruler, and you will have nothing but what is in your palace or on your grounds.
Your punishment will be this… All of the enchantments I have just mentioned shall remain on this land until a stranger comes here. In order to be relieved of your punishments, you must learn to love this stranger, to prove that there is some love in your cruel heart. Along the way, I may help you, if you acknowledge your past mistakes and try to learn from them."
Here, the enchantress ended her speech, and turned to face the rest of the people in the palace. Her eyes gazed at all of them apologetically, and she asked them to one day forgive her. Then she saw Summer, and grinned. She walked up to her, hugged her, and handed back the coins she'd given her.
"What is thy name, sister?"
"Summer," she replied.
"Thank you, Summer. I shan't forget you." With those final words she smiled at everyone, and a breeze blew into the palace, swirling all around. Then she walked out the door, leaving an anxious silence behind her. Everyone had zombie-like looks on their faces, except the women and children who were crying.
Chapter 1: Thirty Years Later
A/N: thanx for any possible reviews. im still hoping for more (hint, hint)—even negative ones.
Thirty years after that event, everything was still much the same. The same servants—who hadn't aged a bit, thanks to one of the extra enchantments the enchantress had taken the liberty of adding—did the same chores, and lived in the same rooms. The same food was cooked in the same kitchens and eaten in the same dining hall. The same horses pulled the same plows through the same fields, and the same gardeners weeded and watered the same gardens.
Several things were different though. The palace, for one, was now covered in bright, luminous, green ivy, and beautiful roses in all shades. Secondly, the kingdom was completely abandoned. Everyone had fled, as the enchantress had said they would, and gone to neighboring kingdoms. Nearly all of them had forgotten, or tried to forget, about their forsaken monarchy and the life they'd left behind, until it was a legend, a mere story told to children. And lastly, many things had changed in the palace.
Princess Annabelle had changed a lot after the enchantment. She got a little nicer. She no longer beheaded or whipped her servants, but her temper was still just as bad. None of the servants really saw her often anymore. She spent most of her time up in her chambers, doing who-knows- what. It often seemed as if the only time she left her chambers was to go to the dining hall to eat. Everyone was okay with this, because it meant they had more freedom and more time to themselves.
~*~*~*~
(POV of Summer)
The thirtieth anniversary of that wretched curse… and here I was, in the kitchens helping Scarlet and Mirra scrub dirty pans. The silence was unbearable, just as it had been on all the other anniversaries. Every year we celebrated the anniversary of the day the enchantress had cast her spell upon the palace. Scarlett and Mirra were content not talking, but it was driving me insane. Finally I couldn't take it anymore.
I slammed the pan I'd been washing down against the counter, and exclaimed, "I can't take the silence! Why doesn't anyone talk? Am I the only person who's having trouble with this?" Scarlett and Mirra stared at me, startled at my sudden outburst. "I'm sorry," I apologized, "but I need a break right now. I'll be back in a couple of hours, alright?"
I tossed my apron aside, and went outside to the stables. It was bright outside, with a slight breeze. "Thank you, sun," I said sarcastically to myself. "You finally decide to shine—on the dullest day of the year."
Entering the stables, I brushed and saddled Bliss, a rebellious tan mare. She was my favorite horse there, and I took pleasure in the fact that I was the only person she obeyed. With the click of my tongue we were off, trotting into the breeze with the sun shining down on us.
We rode off to my favorite garden. It lay right beside the fields, and was made up mostly of daisies, sunflowers, and black-eyed susans, and several willow trees. I tied Bliss to a tree surrounded by tall grass, and then went to my favorite thinking spot. Right in the middle of the garden was a stone bench. It was surrounded and given shade by several willows, and the smell of the flowers seemed to be the strongest in that spot. There I lie down, and stared up at the clear blue sky, thinking, while the breeze and warmth relaxed me.
This whole spell was completely unjust in my opinion. True, Annabelle needed some help, but it was unfair that we, the servants, were stuck there with her. I felt especially bad for the younger children who worked here. They were stuck here without their families, who had long ago left for another kingdom. It had been really hard for them the first year, adjusting to the fact that their families were gone. I was mad at the enchantress for not considering them, and for making all the good people in the palace remain there for, possibly, all eternity.
After a while, it started to rain. I hated to have to leave my sanctuary to go back to the unbearable silence of the palace, but I didn't exactly have much choice, so I untied Bliss and started walking back.
Walking along, not really doing anything, I suddenly noticed something. Lying, looking unconscious, next to the edge of the woods on the palace territory, was a cloaked figure. Not only that, but this was a richly clothed figure. Obviously it was nobility.
Closer up, you could see the wound across his forehead. He was still breathing (quite shallowly though), so—with much difficulty—I heaved him onto Bliss, and rushed to the palace.
~*~*~*~
"The poor soul…"
"I hear that maid, Summer, found him outside and was the one who brought him here…"
I cleared my throat, and waited to be noticed. The two old maids in the room quickly looked up, and, realizing who I was, went pink. (They knew I'd heard the conversation.)
"It's, uh, time to switch shifts," I announced.
The two ladies rose from the wooden chairs they'd been sitting on and left. I walked into the dark room, lit only by the fire directly across from me, and shut the door behind me.
A cot was beside the fire; close to the chairs the two ladies had been sitting on. On it lie the stranger that I'd saved, asleep. The royal physician had dressed the unknown noble's head wound, and checked him to see if he'd received any other bruises or dents. He had a gash in his left arm, but that and the concussion were the extent of his injuries. Still, the physician and Princess Annabelle had insisted the man be under constant watch until he improved.
After refilling the empty pitcher that sat upon a table beside some bandages, I sat down next to the warm fire, and studied the man. Earlier, I'd not had the time to see him, but now that I was in charge of him—for 8 hours—I did. He was younger than I'd originally thought he was, no older than 20, and quite handsome too. Looks could be very deceiving though—one had just to take a look at Annabelle to see that--, so I ignored it.
My thoughts drifted elsewhere, and within half an hour I'd fallen asleep. Not long after, I was rudely awakened by a noise very similar to that of a creaky rocking chair. It was much louder than that though, and I didn't know what the source of it might be. Until I looked at the person on the cot. It was coming from him!
"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered. "How can someone like you be capable of making so much noise?" The terrible sound continued, for at least 10 more minutes. After that, I couldn't take it. "Will you please stop that racket?!?" I exclaimed.
It slowly quieted after that, but I didn't manage to get back to sleep. So I wrapped myself up in a blanket and leaned my back up against the wall by the fire, and studied the man's face again. I wondered what his personality was like. He looked angelic, sleeping peacefully there, but I wasn't sure that a man "talented" enough to snore as loudly as he did was nice. I saw the traces of a smile around the corners of his mouth, and suddenly realized that he was aware of me watching him.
"How long have you been awake?" I asked, annoyed. He responded without opening his eyes.
"Ever since you yelled at me to quiet down," he said, and grinned. I sighed angrily, and glared at him. He opened his eyes, and glanced over at me.
"Was the whole snoring thing an act?" I asked.
"It very well might have been…by the way, while you're down there, would you mind fetching me some water?"
~*~*~*~
Edgily, I walked into the kitchen, and plopped onto a stool. Scarlett cheerily placed a fresh muffin in front of me, and smiled. I raised my eyebrows suspiciously at her.
"Why are you so happy?" I asked.
"Well, why shouldn't I be? Everyone is. Thanks to you, the curse will be defeated! A handsome stranger suddenly appears out of nowhere, and on the anniversary of the curse! It's an omen! He's going to be the one!"
"Scarlett, trust me. This guy isn't 'the one'. He's downright cruel. He purposely snored louder than the devil himself and kept me up all night. It'll be a miracle once he recovers and is able to leave this place."
"He cannot be that bad, Summer."
"Oh, you just wait and watch." I finished my muffin and left the kitchen, unable to take all the joy.
Just after that experience, I bumped into Betty, the laundress. She looked pretty giddy too. Oh goody. With a wide grin and much enthusiasm, she greeted me.
"You'll never guess what happened, Summer! Annabelle put you in charge of taking care of the man in the palace! Isn't that wonderful? All the maids are madly jealous of you. Oh! I was told to give this to you. It's some clothes for the guest. Annabelle told me personally to give it to you, and to tell you she's expecting to have luncheon with him today, so make sure he's notified."
"Thank you," I said, and ran upstairs, wondering when this nightmare would end.
~*~*~*~
Just as I stepped into the room, "the one" stepped out of the bathroom—which was connected to the bedroom--, in a bathrobe. I set the clothes I'd been given on his bed and told him that he was expected at the luncheon with Annabelle.
"Who is Annabelle?" he asked.
"You met her yesterday. She is the princess who was standing next to the physician. The clothes on the bed are what you'll wear, and I'm going to leave now to let you change. I'll be back in 10 minutes with your breakfast." With that I left.
True to my word, I returned to his room exactly 10 minutes later, with eggs, sausages, milk, bread, jam, and butter on a tray. I knocked twice on the door and entered. I set the tray down on the table, and turned to see where the man was. He was standing in front of a mirror, smoothing his shirt.
"Hello," he said as he finished straightening his outfit out. I was startled when he turned around. He was even more handsome than he'd appeared in the firelight just 8 hours ago. He still had the bandage wrapped around his forehead, but he'd managed to smooth out his golden hair. He had beaming blue-gray eyes, and the perfect nose and mouth. He was clean-shaven now, and looked magnificent in his apparel; he had combed his hair while I was gone. His clothing somehow fit him perfectly. I wondered how Annabelle had managed to find clothes like that in such short time.
He, apparently, seemed just as startled, to see me startled. "What? Is there something wrong?" he asked.
"No, not at all. I'm fine. What about you?"
"I'm fine, thank you, except for the concussion and cut arm…" There was an awkward silence, as we both looked at the ground, each other, and then back to the ground.
"I, uh, wanted to apologize about what I did last night. It was quite rude of me to do what I did, and I'm sorry… Maybe we could start new?" he said slowly.
"We could do that, as long you promise to never snore as loudly as you did last night," I said. We shook on it, with a grin.
"So, what is your name? We may as well get on good speaking terms, since you're attending me until I'm deemed fit enough to leave."
"I'm Summer, the irritating chambermaid. And you are…"
"My formal name is Prince Cynric Alden Hartford, but if you address me that way, I can guarantee that we won't get along very well."
"My, you're a pleasant person today. I'll call you Cynric, all right?…So, how exactly did you get here?"
"Long story. I'll tell it to you someday, but not right now. Right now you have to tell me what kind of luncheon this is going to be, so I'll know how to act."
"To be honest, I don't know what kind of luncheon it is. All I know is that you're expected there and I'm expected to introduce you."
"Well, then tell me what the purpose of this luncheon is. Is it merely her way introducing herself?"
"I imagine your guess is correct. But I think it's a bit early in the morning to be worrying about luncheon; you haven't even begun eating breakfast yet. Eat first, and then you can think about the luncheon."
"Maybe you could give me a tour of this place after I'm done?"
~*~*~*~
Somewhere around noon a messenger came to escort Prince Cynric to the luncheon.
"I'll go back upstairs and straighten out your rooms," I said to him, turning to the marble staircase.
"No, you won't. I'd like it greatly if you would join me too," he replied.
"It must be very different where you come from, because here the servants don't dine with the masters and mistresses of the palace. Now, I must leave," I said firmly.
"You can serve us then. I won't argue anymore. You're coming, whether you like it or not."
"Why exactly are you so intent on making me go? You're there to eat luncheon and be introduced to Annabelle, not me."
"I don't know what to expect from Annabelle, and you've apparently been a servant here for some time. I need you to tell me what to do and expect. Besides, you're the only person here that I've known for more than two hours."
I had no argument prepared for that remark, so when Cynric grabbed my sleeve and pulled me along after him I had no choice but to surrender.
"Describe Annabelle briefly for me, would you? I need a basic outline of her personality, so I'll know what I can and cannot say."
"Give me a moment… Well, Annabelle had a tough childhood, I guess you could say…" I replied, floundering.
"What member of a royal family hasn't?" he muttered.
"Yes, but you've most likely always had someone there to listen to you. Annabelle never did. The former king and queen were never around long enough to get to know her, and really didn't seem all that interested in her. She grew up without a single person to love her. You can imagine what the effects of that were… But don't get me wrong; she really isn't mean or unkind. She's just…Annabelle."
"That kind of information isn't going to be of any help. Tell me—is she temperamental? Energetic? Dull? Shy? We're almost to the dining room—I need to know what to do!"
"Calm down! She's somewhat shy, not easily enraged [anymore]--but try not to get her upset--, and polite and gentle. You don't need to worry about it, you'll be fine."
A second later we were at the doors to the dining room. Cynric stopped short and smoothed his clothing. After checking in a looking glass he walked up to the door, ready to be announced. He cleared his throat a little, and looked at me.
"Oh!" I said, as I realized that he meant for me to introduce him. So, walking awkwardly into the dining room, I introduced him as "the Prince Cynric Alden Hartford". He bowed gallantly, with a pleasant grin at Annabelle, and a somewhat annoyed look at me. Apparently he really despised his name.
"Please, my lady, call me Cyn."
"Sin? Surely, you can't be that terrible, to be called sin…" Annabelle had completely misunderstood, and now stood staring at Cynric in confusion.
"No, no, no, I mean Cyn." Cynric tried to explain. The edges of his mouth were twitching in amusement.
"Sir, your given name is not Sin, so I will not call you that. In any case, why would you want to be called that?"
"Your Grace," I interrupted. "The prince's name is Cynric. He prefers to be called Cyn for short."
"Then I'll call him that. Now, shall we eat?"
~*~*~*~
An hour and a half later Cynric entered his rooms. I was placing fresh clothing in his dresser and didn't notice he'd entered until he plopped down on the bed heavily with a sigh.
"How did it go?" I asked, continuing with my work. I'd left about 10 minutes after Annabelle and Cynric had sat down and started talking.
"Quite well."
I was desperately curious to know what had happened, but (1) it wasn't my place to nag him, and (2) Scarlett had warned me to be polite with the prince [or else!], so I left it at that. Somehow that seemed to surprise the prince.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked.
"No," I replied.
"I was wondering, because if I'm not mistaken about your personality, right now you'd be begging me to tell you the details."
"I would be, except for the fact that that would be improper, and I'm supposed to pretend that I'm very polite and proper, since you're a prince."
"Here we go again," he murmured under his breath.
"Hmm?"
"Nevermind."
"All right," I said calmly. He seemed annoyed at my accepting that.
"I'm fed up with being treated the way I am, even here! People see me as the future king, and that's it. I'm not a person to them. I'm fed up with people censoring their opinions around me. And here, a place far from my kingdom I'm still treated so dreadfully. It's so…frustrating!"
I stopped folding clothes now, and sat down on the floor. "Well, tell me something. Would you rather be how I was—a poor girl who begged for money on the streets and didn't have time to spend with her family, and obviously wasn't respected—or would you rather have been in your position?"
"Neither," he answered. "But at least you had the opportunity to make friends you could trust. I never knew which people I could and couldn't trust, and whether or not they were using me. We both got the sour end of the deal, didn't we?"
"Well, it got a little better for both of us. I was hired here, and I made money to help my family, and you ended up in a new place, with a fresh start. So I guess it's not really fair to complain."
"All right. So now what?"
"What do you mean? I have chores to do. You can do whatever you want. Good-bye," I replied, walking out of the room with the empty laundry basket, leaving him to his own devices.
~*~*~*~
The next morning, when I was walking to Cynric's room I was given a message from one of the maids that Cynric was to have luncheon with Annabelle again.
When I walked in, the first thing that came out of my mouth was, "What happened yesterday during the luncheon?"
Cynric jumped, suddenly awake.
"Curiosity got the best of you, or have you just given up your 'politeness' plan?"
"Both. And Annabelle wants you to dine with her again. That doesn't happen often. She gets bored easily, and there's never been a person with the capability to keep her entertained for more than an hour, let alone come again for luncheon the next day."
"I'm very talented. Now leave me alone and let me sleep."
"Your Grace, it's already noontime. The princess will be expecting you shortly, so get up, or else I will have to explain to Annabelle why you aren't there, and then you will be kicked out of the palace. By the way, I'm not going to be with you today. I decided not to work today, and do some things I've been meaning to get to. Another maid will be arriving soon to attend to you, so good day." I left before he could protest.
~*~*~*~
A/N: So what do you think so far? I'd like some feedback. Do you think I should continue, make changes, or what?