Chapter 3
We walked back to the palace, talking. That is to say, they were talking, I was thinking. We entered the palace by means of the back, and I found myself in a small hall with two staircases, one on each side. I realized I must have been in the living quarters of the royal family. I wondered how many people actually got to see this; not that there was much to look at, it was the experience that was rare. Osian reminded his sister of Nancy wanting to see her, so she grumbled and walked up the left staircase and disappeared from view. Osian mentioned something about telling his parents about me, and he vanished up the other staircase. I was left standing in a hall in a palace I had never been in, wondering what in the world to do.
I thought of what had happened earlier that day, even though I did not want to. I knew that I had to adjust to it, and I had to remember it. How long I stood there I know not, but I was so involved with my thoughts (which is one of my faults, I confess), that I did not hear the prince and his parents until they were quite close to me.
"Hello Ophelia," someone said next to me. I nearly jumped.
I turned to the voice and saw none other then King Charmont and Queen Ella.
He was the one that spoke. I addressed him first, as was customary.
"Your Highness." I curtsied. I knew I looked awful, but I had already humiliated myself so much that day, and I wouldn't have been surprised if I were banned from Kyrria for my disgrace.
"It is a pleasure to meet you," she told me. I turned to her and swept yet another curtsey.
"Osian has told us of you," he continued. "It would be our pleasure to welcome you into our palace as long as you wish."
"Thank you Your Highness," I managed to say.
He showed me some guest rooms and one of the maids, Nancy, brought me dresses that Adriana had outgrown a number of years ago. I thanked her kindly, and she made some comment as to my being as bad as she was when it came to tearing dresses. I thought it best to remain silent at this point, though I had no idea what she was referring to. After a bath and a change of clothing I set off through the palace. Through my reading I remembered the layout of the palace well enough: my teacher had been right after all when he said knowing the layouts of famous buildings came in handy.
My teacher. The thought of him still hurt. I could not bring myself to think of him. But he had been the best, of that I had no doubt. He taught me fighting, healing, cooking, language. he taught me how to survive. Well, thanks to him I had all the knowledge and more that it took to become I knight, if that was what I fancied. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to roam around aimlessly, but I did not fancy to make a job of it. I suppose the reason I wanted to go somewhere and do something was because I had been so long at the same place. It was tiring. My teacher would have known what to do, but.
I pushed all thoughts of my teacher out of my head and continued to walk through the palace. I looked in on rooms that I knew had not been used for years, and I examined the pictures on the walls. Walking through one hallway, I heard voices. It sounds so silly when one thinks of it, it happens in all books, the main character is walking aimlessly in a dark forest or old castle and just happens to hear voices, and on closer inspection, they hear a dastardly plot to rob a bank or overthrow a king. The thought amused me very much, but I knew that it would not be so in my case. Against all my morals (which I only use when they are in my favor anyway), I edged closer to the door.
The first thing I heard was the King. He was apparently perturbed about something, and it had to do with his son.
"Osian, you must! That is all there is to it! You must!" he stated in a rather stern voice.
"Well, what if I don't want to? I haven't found anyone up till now that I want to spend the rest of my life with, and I absolutely refuse to get married until I find someone that I think is worthy enough to marry!" Osian retorted, his anger flaring up.
"Look, Osian, I'm not asking you to go out onto the street and pick up a woman at random and propose to her!" King Charmont told him, his anger rising almost as high as his son's.
"Then what precisely are you saying? You didn't get married until you found someone you considered worthy, and between the time she tricked you and the time she told you about the curse you resolved never to marry! You told me so yourself!" Osian nearly shouted.
"Yes. And its true. Every word of it. But I was 18 at the time! You, my son, are 23! When I was your age I was raising a family! Even your sister has been engaged! It's time for you to settle down!"
"But if you force marriage on me I will never be happy! Is that what you want, and unhappy but married son?"
"No! But you have not yet fallen in love, and you yourself have told me you are not likely to. Besides the fact you know most every eligible woman in the bloody kingdom! If you haven't fallen in love yet, and you are not likely to, then for goodness' sake find a friendly woman and propose! At the very least she is a friend!" his father told him.
"But what if later I meet someone I fall in love with? I'll be even more miserable then!" Osian shouted the last sentence at the top of his lungs. I was sure the whole household heard.
His father seemed to calm down, and he repented to his son.
"Look, Osian, I do want you to be happy. Believe me, I do. It's just that you can't go on waiting forever. You need to think about settling down and starting a family. You are a man now." The king told his son in a quiet soothing voice.
"I know father. I'm sorry I lost my temper. It's just that, all the eligible women in this kingdom are. well, weak. If I could find another woman with a spark of life in her, I'd most likely fall in love with her. But there doesn't seem to be any such women in all of Kyrria, and I don't want to marry if it's not for love."
"I know son. I understand. I apologize for trying to force you to marry. It was wrong of me. It's just that having a wife gives you a whole new happiness. You can't possibly understand it until you experience it. But you are right, you can't be really happy with a wife unless you love her deeply and she loves you deeply. But as to women with a spark. well from what you've told us, Ophelia seems to be a lively character, when she is not in shock, I suppose."
I blushed deeply.
"Thank you for understanding father. And as to Ophelia. well she seems to be a kind person, but I doubt I will fall in love with her. Besides, we don't even know what she will be like until she recovers from shock. But don't expect her to be your daughter-in-law, she will be more of a sister then anything."
I turned to go: I had heard enough. I walked through a bit more of the castle, and as I was walking through the hall I had first entered into, I saw the queen slide down the banister rail and fly off of it. I said nothing, though I was very surprised indeed. She turned to me and smiled.
"Ah, yes. Nothing like sliding down a banister to put a person in the right frame of mind. Do you like to slide?"
"I have never done so before, Your Highness. I lived in a house only until I was five, when I was orphaned. I have spent the rest of my life in the woods."
She said nothing as to my personal revelation, but suggested I try it. I did. It was very exciting, and we spent a good hour and a half sliding down various banister rails throughout the house. As I slid down a particularly long one in the front of the house, where dignitaries were entertained, the king and his son appeared, and had stepped right in front of where I was to fly off.
"Watch out!" I warned. I flew off the banister and, much to my surprise, into the arms of Osian. As he caught me he spun me around and gently placed me on my feet. I looked over to see the king had done the same to his wife, and both were smiling at each other. No doubt it brought back memories, for she had told me stories during our sliding.
"You like to slide down banisters?" Osian asked, rather struck with disbelief.
"I'm learning to," I replied as Adriana appeared.
"To the top!" the queen shouted. "Everyone slides!" And with that she bounded up the stairs.
Laughing, we all fallowed her up. The men went first; no doubt they wanted to catch the ladies. I smiled, for I refused to be known as a damsel in distress.
Adriana went and was caught by her father. The queen, being the gracious soul she was, allowed me to go first. I saw Osian waiting at the bottom, assuming he was to catch me.
I took off down the stairs with a smile, and as I approached the end, I Osian moved in my path to catch me. With a smile I flipped as I flew off the banister and over Osian, and landed on the other side of him. As I turned to face him, I saw he, his father and his sister all had a look of sheer shock upon their faces. The queen landed just short of Osian, who had not moved, and stated with a grin:
"That was amazing! How did you do that?"
I smiled and told her "I have been working for nearly 15 years on fighting of all sorts. It was merely a jump that can also be used to dodge a knife."
This revelation got an "Oh!" from Adriana and a smile from the king, who said something on the usefulness of knowing how to fight. Osian had still not moved. His mother also noticed this and tapped him lightly on the shoulder.
"Osian?" she said. "Osian?"
"What? Oh, uh, very nice," he recovered.
"Thank you," I replied with a nod. After an odd silence, the king announced.
"Well," said the king as he rubbed his hands, "Does anyone know what's for dinner? I'm starving!"
We all moved to the dining room, discussing fighting techniques. All through dinner Osian would not stop staring at me; I supposed it to be his shock that I was recovered more quickly then he expected. I was glad he no longer took me for a damsel in distress, but I was unnerved none- the- less.
*Author's Note(s): Hey! Thanks for reading! Please review! Tell me if u like 1st person and what u think will (or would like to have) happen. Sorry this chapter wasn't very good. And I hope I didn't leave you with too much of a cliffhanger, I don't want to do that in the early chapters, maybe later (haha!). 13 pages: yay! Thanks again!*
We walked back to the palace, talking. That is to say, they were talking, I was thinking. We entered the palace by means of the back, and I found myself in a small hall with two staircases, one on each side. I realized I must have been in the living quarters of the royal family. I wondered how many people actually got to see this; not that there was much to look at, it was the experience that was rare. Osian reminded his sister of Nancy wanting to see her, so she grumbled and walked up the left staircase and disappeared from view. Osian mentioned something about telling his parents about me, and he vanished up the other staircase. I was left standing in a hall in a palace I had never been in, wondering what in the world to do.
I thought of what had happened earlier that day, even though I did not want to. I knew that I had to adjust to it, and I had to remember it. How long I stood there I know not, but I was so involved with my thoughts (which is one of my faults, I confess), that I did not hear the prince and his parents until they were quite close to me.
"Hello Ophelia," someone said next to me. I nearly jumped.
I turned to the voice and saw none other then King Charmont and Queen Ella.
He was the one that spoke. I addressed him first, as was customary.
"Your Highness." I curtsied. I knew I looked awful, but I had already humiliated myself so much that day, and I wouldn't have been surprised if I were banned from Kyrria for my disgrace.
"It is a pleasure to meet you," she told me. I turned to her and swept yet another curtsey.
"Osian has told us of you," he continued. "It would be our pleasure to welcome you into our palace as long as you wish."
"Thank you Your Highness," I managed to say.
He showed me some guest rooms and one of the maids, Nancy, brought me dresses that Adriana had outgrown a number of years ago. I thanked her kindly, and she made some comment as to my being as bad as she was when it came to tearing dresses. I thought it best to remain silent at this point, though I had no idea what she was referring to. After a bath and a change of clothing I set off through the palace. Through my reading I remembered the layout of the palace well enough: my teacher had been right after all when he said knowing the layouts of famous buildings came in handy.
My teacher. The thought of him still hurt. I could not bring myself to think of him. But he had been the best, of that I had no doubt. He taught me fighting, healing, cooking, language. he taught me how to survive. Well, thanks to him I had all the knowledge and more that it took to become I knight, if that was what I fancied. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to roam around aimlessly, but I did not fancy to make a job of it. I suppose the reason I wanted to go somewhere and do something was because I had been so long at the same place. It was tiring. My teacher would have known what to do, but.
I pushed all thoughts of my teacher out of my head and continued to walk through the palace. I looked in on rooms that I knew had not been used for years, and I examined the pictures on the walls. Walking through one hallway, I heard voices. It sounds so silly when one thinks of it, it happens in all books, the main character is walking aimlessly in a dark forest or old castle and just happens to hear voices, and on closer inspection, they hear a dastardly plot to rob a bank or overthrow a king. The thought amused me very much, but I knew that it would not be so in my case. Against all my morals (which I only use when they are in my favor anyway), I edged closer to the door.
The first thing I heard was the King. He was apparently perturbed about something, and it had to do with his son.
"Osian, you must! That is all there is to it! You must!" he stated in a rather stern voice.
"Well, what if I don't want to? I haven't found anyone up till now that I want to spend the rest of my life with, and I absolutely refuse to get married until I find someone that I think is worthy enough to marry!" Osian retorted, his anger flaring up.
"Look, Osian, I'm not asking you to go out onto the street and pick up a woman at random and propose to her!" King Charmont told him, his anger rising almost as high as his son's.
"Then what precisely are you saying? You didn't get married until you found someone you considered worthy, and between the time she tricked you and the time she told you about the curse you resolved never to marry! You told me so yourself!" Osian nearly shouted.
"Yes. And its true. Every word of it. But I was 18 at the time! You, my son, are 23! When I was your age I was raising a family! Even your sister has been engaged! It's time for you to settle down!"
"But if you force marriage on me I will never be happy! Is that what you want, and unhappy but married son?"
"No! But you have not yet fallen in love, and you yourself have told me you are not likely to. Besides the fact you know most every eligible woman in the bloody kingdom! If you haven't fallen in love yet, and you are not likely to, then for goodness' sake find a friendly woman and propose! At the very least she is a friend!" his father told him.
"But what if later I meet someone I fall in love with? I'll be even more miserable then!" Osian shouted the last sentence at the top of his lungs. I was sure the whole household heard.
His father seemed to calm down, and he repented to his son.
"Look, Osian, I do want you to be happy. Believe me, I do. It's just that you can't go on waiting forever. You need to think about settling down and starting a family. You are a man now." The king told his son in a quiet soothing voice.
"I know father. I'm sorry I lost my temper. It's just that, all the eligible women in this kingdom are. well, weak. If I could find another woman with a spark of life in her, I'd most likely fall in love with her. But there doesn't seem to be any such women in all of Kyrria, and I don't want to marry if it's not for love."
"I know son. I understand. I apologize for trying to force you to marry. It was wrong of me. It's just that having a wife gives you a whole new happiness. You can't possibly understand it until you experience it. But you are right, you can't be really happy with a wife unless you love her deeply and she loves you deeply. But as to women with a spark. well from what you've told us, Ophelia seems to be a lively character, when she is not in shock, I suppose."
I blushed deeply.
"Thank you for understanding father. And as to Ophelia. well she seems to be a kind person, but I doubt I will fall in love with her. Besides, we don't even know what she will be like until she recovers from shock. But don't expect her to be your daughter-in-law, she will be more of a sister then anything."
I turned to go: I had heard enough. I walked through a bit more of the castle, and as I was walking through the hall I had first entered into, I saw the queen slide down the banister rail and fly off of it. I said nothing, though I was very surprised indeed. She turned to me and smiled.
"Ah, yes. Nothing like sliding down a banister to put a person in the right frame of mind. Do you like to slide?"
"I have never done so before, Your Highness. I lived in a house only until I was five, when I was orphaned. I have spent the rest of my life in the woods."
She said nothing as to my personal revelation, but suggested I try it. I did. It was very exciting, and we spent a good hour and a half sliding down various banister rails throughout the house. As I slid down a particularly long one in the front of the house, where dignitaries were entertained, the king and his son appeared, and had stepped right in front of where I was to fly off.
"Watch out!" I warned. I flew off the banister and, much to my surprise, into the arms of Osian. As he caught me he spun me around and gently placed me on my feet. I looked over to see the king had done the same to his wife, and both were smiling at each other. No doubt it brought back memories, for she had told me stories during our sliding.
"You like to slide down banisters?" Osian asked, rather struck with disbelief.
"I'm learning to," I replied as Adriana appeared.
"To the top!" the queen shouted. "Everyone slides!" And with that she bounded up the stairs.
Laughing, we all fallowed her up. The men went first; no doubt they wanted to catch the ladies. I smiled, for I refused to be known as a damsel in distress.
Adriana went and was caught by her father. The queen, being the gracious soul she was, allowed me to go first. I saw Osian waiting at the bottom, assuming he was to catch me.
I took off down the stairs with a smile, and as I approached the end, I Osian moved in my path to catch me. With a smile I flipped as I flew off the banister and over Osian, and landed on the other side of him. As I turned to face him, I saw he, his father and his sister all had a look of sheer shock upon their faces. The queen landed just short of Osian, who had not moved, and stated with a grin:
"That was amazing! How did you do that?"
I smiled and told her "I have been working for nearly 15 years on fighting of all sorts. It was merely a jump that can also be used to dodge a knife."
This revelation got an "Oh!" from Adriana and a smile from the king, who said something on the usefulness of knowing how to fight. Osian had still not moved. His mother also noticed this and tapped him lightly on the shoulder.
"Osian?" she said. "Osian?"
"What? Oh, uh, very nice," he recovered.
"Thank you," I replied with a nod. After an odd silence, the king announced.
"Well," said the king as he rubbed his hands, "Does anyone know what's for dinner? I'm starving!"
We all moved to the dining room, discussing fighting techniques. All through dinner Osian would not stop staring at me; I supposed it to be his shock that I was recovered more quickly then he expected. I was glad he no longer took me for a damsel in distress, but I was unnerved none- the- less.
*Author's Note(s): Hey! Thanks for reading! Please review! Tell me if u like 1st person and what u think will (or would like to have) happen. Sorry this chapter wasn't very good. And I hope I didn't leave you with too much of a cliffhanger, I don't want to do that in the early chapters, maybe later (haha!). 13 pages: yay! Thanks again!*