Chapter Three
I ate a very quiet supper with Margaret and Erin in the kitchen, for we were all listening very hard through the kitchen door to the dining hall. My stepmother barely gave the king and queen a chance to get a word in edgewise. She talked of the state of our county, the wonderful people she met in the county (which of course she has never actually been to town) and just how beautiful the palace looked in the springtime. She never mentioned me or my father for that matter. Only once, when she was finally at a loss for conversation and the king brought up her own living affairs.
"You have one daughter, have you not?"
"Step-daughter, Your Majesty, but I cannot really call her a relative, she has lived so distantly from me and never has shown any want to be closer with me. I have tried many times to become acquainted with my late husband's family, but she has shown me no interest. She refused to come to supper this night for having to sit near me."
My mouth dropped in anger as my ear pressed harder into the door without swinging it open. The prince spoke for the first time.
"Surely not. If she is born from Sir Frederick, she must be of better status than that."
The baroness was silent.
"She has a fair countenance, has she not?" the queen asked.
"Fair, yes, but like her mother I dare say she will lose her bloom early. It will become harder to get her married off," my stepmother replied coldly.
"I hardly see that as possible," the prince answered.
"Well, already she isn't all that good-looking. She keeps to herself and spends most of her time running under the sun and climbing trees and ruining her skin. It isn't good for her, but she won't listen to me."
"Her father used to speak of her often, calling her the 'the fairest in the land'," the queen spoke, "Her father was a good man."
"A relationship of fatherly adoration for his daughter of course. Any parent sees their child perfect in their eyes."
I could bear it no longer. The swinging kitchen door burst open and I stormed out, face red and eyes flashing.
"How dare you!" I cried, "All of you! How dare you talk of me behind my back as if I was something to be bought in a store window!"
My stepmother gave me the look of deepest loathing, "How dare you eavesdrop and interrupt our meal!"
"How could I help it when you were yelling out such lies!"
My stepmother stood up, walked briskly over to me and slapped me smartly across the face. I heard a gasp from our guests.
"You will go back to the kitchen and stay away from here," she hissed at me, "You have utterly humiliated me and your father!"
"Oh, don't bring my father up!" I interrupted, not bothering to keep my voice down, "You never loved him and show no capacity or will to love me either!"
I spun around and marched back through the kitchen door. I was so seething with anger that I gave no notice to Erin and Margaret as they stood up when I burst in. I opened the other door to the outside and ran to the Grand Stable, where I burst into tears in Nichols' stall.
It wasn't fair. Just then, I didn't care if no one came after me. I didn't want to be talked about behind my back, especially by the baroness to the king and queen! And prince, for that matter! Oh, if Father were still alive, I wouldn't have to deal with this. He would've stood up for me, even against my stepmother. Erin's line floated through my head. 'Things would've been much different, if he were.' God, it wasn't fair!
"Why did you have to die?" I sobbed into Nichols' blanket. I felt Nichols nuzzle my head. It felt strange, but through my tears, I didn't notice nor did I lift my head.
"It's all right," a voice soothed. For a split second, I thought Nichols could speak. I lifted my head in amazement to find the prince kneeling beside me with his hand on my head. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but was unsuccessful and proceeded to cough.
"I'm very sorry," he said, dropping his hand. I wiped my eyes and my nose and stood up.
"You didn't need to follow me," I squeaked, looking at my feet, my face tear-stained and still red.
"Is she always like that?"
I needed to lie. I didn't want to come under any more trouble than I already was and my stepmother would surely kill me if I told the truth. It was truth though, she had never hit me before. But I had seen it in her eyes sometimes. Too bad for her, her temper finally got the better of her. and in front of important company.
"No," I struggled to answer, "No, my stepmother has a bad temper. It was my fault. I should not have burst in on your meal like that. I should not have made her temper rise. It isn't good for her health."
"But she still had no reason to slap you," Teddy insisted, sounding quite surprised. I refused to look up at him.
"I have strayed away too long," I answered, "My stepmother may need me."
I hurried out of the stable, leaving Teddy behind. I scrambled through the kitchen entrance and found that the king and queen were getting into their carriage.
"Where is my stepmother?" I asked Erin.
"She disappeared after giving a hurried fake apology to the king and queen. She said you had some sort of mental disability, controlling what you said and that was one reason she wanted you away from the dining hall in case you went out of control. I don't know whether the king and queen were satisfied with that explanation. The prince left immediately after you did. I don't know where he went and the king and queen left as well. Oh, what a horrible mess this has turned out to be!"
I went to go find my stepmother. Why, I wasn't sure, but I just knew she wasn't up to any good. Up the stairs and down the hall to her room I fled, full of anger and rage. I burst through the door, only to find that she wasn't there. Cautiously, I crept in, glancing around. Everything was very neat, too neat. There was not a speck of dust and the bed was made. The only thing that wasn't in order was the picture frame, holding a picture of a landscape. It was hanging on an angle. I went to straighten it, but when I did, there was something strange behind it. The wall wasn't painted here, it was plain cold stone.
Confused, I ran my hand over the stone. All of a sudden, the stone began to move. Gasping, I ripped my hand away and watched with horror. The stone seemed to melt and move apart, slowly creating a hole in the wall. When it finished, there was a complete doorway to a set of stone stairs leading downwards. I covered my mouth with my hand as questions popped into my head about my sanity. I pinched myself, winced, then sighed and glanced behind me, making sure no one was watching me and descended the dark staircase.
I ate a very quiet supper with Margaret and Erin in the kitchen, for we were all listening very hard through the kitchen door to the dining hall. My stepmother barely gave the king and queen a chance to get a word in edgewise. She talked of the state of our county, the wonderful people she met in the county (which of course she has never actually been to town) and just how beautiful the palace looked in the springtime. She never mentioned me or my father for that matter. Only once, when she was finally at a loss for conversation and the king brought up her own living affairs.
"You have one daughter, have you not?"
"Step-daughter, Your Majesty, but I cannot really call her a relative, she has lived so distantly from me and never has shown any want to be closer with me. I have tried many times to become acquainted with my late husband's family, but she has shown me no interest. She refused to come to supper this night for having to sit near me."
My mouth dropped in anger as my ear pressed harder into the door without swinging it open. The prince spoke for the first time.
"Surely not. If she is born from Sir Frederick, she must be of better status than that."
The baroness was silent.
"She has a fair countenance, has she not?" the queen asked.
"Fair, yes, but like her mother I dare say she will lose her bloom early. It will become harder to get her married off," my stepmother replied coldly.
"I hardly see that as possible," the prince answered.
"Well, already she isn't all that good-looking. She keeps to herself and spends most of her time running under the sun and climbing trees and ruining her skin. It isn't good for her, but she won't listen to me."
"Her father used to speak of her often, calling her the 'the fairest in the land'," the queen spoke, "Her father was a good man."
"A relationship of fatherly adoration for his daughter of course. Any parent sees their child perfect in their eyes."
I could bear it no longer. The swinging kitchen door burst open and I stormed out, face red and eyes flashing.
"How dare you!" I cried, "All of you! How dare you talk of me behind my back as if I was something to be bought in a store window!"
My stepmother gave me the look of deepest loathing, "How dare you eavesdrop and interrupt our meal!"
"How could I help it when you were yelling out such lies!"
My stepmother stood up, walked briskly over to me and slapped me smartly across the face. I heard a gasp from our guests.
"You will go back to the kitchen and stay away from here," she hissed at me, "You have utterly humiliated me and your father!"
"Oh, don't bring my father up!" I interrupted, not bothering to keep my voice down, "You never loved him and show no capacity or will to love me either!"
I spun around and marched back through the kitchen door. I was so seething with anger that I gave no notice to Erin and Margaret as they stood up when I burst in. I opened the other door to the outside and ran to the Grand Stable, where I burst into tears in Nichols' stall.
It wasn't fair. Just then, I didn't care if no one came after me. I didn't want to be talked about behind my back, especially by the baroness to the king and queen! And prince, for that matter! Oh, if Father were still alive, I wouldn't have to deal with this. He would've stood up for me, even against my stepmother. Erin's line floated through my head. 'Things would've been much different, if he were.' God, it wasn't fair!
"Why did you have to die?" I sobbed into Nichols' blanket. I felt Nichols nuzzle my head. It felt strange, but through my tears, I didn't notice nor did I lift my head.
"It's all right," a voice soothed. For a split second, I thought Nichols could speak. I lifted my head in amazement to find the prince kneeling beside me with his hand on my head. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but was unsuccessful and proceeded to cough.
"I'm very sorry," he said, dropping his hand. I wiped my eyes and my nose and stood up.
"You didn't need to follow me," I squeaked, looking at my feet, my face tear-stained and still red.
"Is she always like that?"
I needed to lie. I didn't want to come under any more trouble than I already was and my stepmother would surely kill me if I told the truth. It was truth though, she had never hit me before. But I had seen it in her eyes sometimes. Too bad for her, her temper finally got the better of her. and in front of important company.
"No," I struggled to answer, "No, my stepmother has a bad temper. It was my fault. I should not have burst in on your meal like that. I should not have made her temper rise. It isn't good for her health."
"But she still had no reason to slap you," Teddy insisted, sounding quite surprised. I refused to look up at him.
"I have strayed away too long," I answered, "My stepmother may need me."
I hurried out of the stable, leaving Teddy behind. I scrambled through the kitchen entrance and found that the king and queen were getting into their carriage.
"Where is my stepmother?" I asked Erin.
"She disappeared after giving a hurried fake apology to the king and queen. She said you had some sort of mental disability, controlling what you said and that was one reason she wanted you away from the dining hall in case you went out of control. I don't know whether the king and queen were satisfied with that explanation. The prince left immediately after you did. I don't know where he went and the king and queen left as well. Oh, what a horrible mess this has turned out to be!"
I went to go find my stepmother. Why, I wasn't sure, but I just knew she wasn't up to any good. Up the stairs and down the hall to her room I fled, full of anger and rage. I burst through the door, only to find that she wasn't there. Cautiously, I crept in, glancing around. Everything was very neat, too neat. There was not a speck of dust and the bed was made. The only thing that wasn't in order was the picture frame, holding a picture of a landscape. It was hanging on an angle. I went to straighten it, but when I did, there was something strange behind it. The wall wasn't painted here, it was plain cold stone.
Confused, I ran my hand over the stone. All of a sudden, the stone began to move. Gasping, I ripped my hand away and watched with horror. The stone seemed to melt and move apart, slowly creating a hole in the wall. When it finished, there was a complete doorway to a set of stone stairs leading downwards. I covered my mouth with my hand as questions popped into my head about my sanity. I pinched myself, winced, then sighed and glanced behind me, making sure no one was watching me and descended the dark staircase.