Ouch! I pricked my finger again. I hate embroidery. I don't understand why girls in Frell have to learn to sew so young! Day after day I have to practice to become as well mannered as my mother, who is Ella, Queen of Frell. When she was younger she never had to take lessons on manners. But as princess I have to. I wish I could do whatever I wanted to, but I can't. I love my parents, but I hate living in the castle. There are so many rules! There is: don't slurp, don't slouch, don't run, don't go outside without shoes(I think that one is the strangest one.) and always respect your elders, just to name a few.
Ouch! I pricked my finger again! "Mistress Helen" I said "I am done with embroidery today, so you may be dismissed""But Adelina" she said "The queen told me to make sure you work on your embroidery until 3:00, and it is only 2:30." "Fine" I snapped "I will stop at 2:45 or else you will be dismissed forever!""Yes your highness" Helen said head hanging as if she was already dismissed. I felt terrible and said "Well I guess it won't hurt if I work untill three.""Thank you princess Adelina" she said and I felt much better. Finally at 3:00 I was able to go for a walk in the castle garden with Mistress Lilly, but I could not run on the paths when Lilly was there. I wished so bad that she was not there so that I could take off my tight corset and climb the tall, beautiful trees and look out over the huge gate surrounding the castle.
"Addie" mistress Lilly yelled,"stop day dreaming. You need to go get ready for dinner!""What? What time is it?""5:45, you have fifteen minuets." I was so afraid I was going to miss dinner that I started to run and I fell and smarted my hands and knees. When I looked up Lilly was running over to see if I was ok. I looked at my knees which stung and my dress was ripped and blood was pouring out of my knees.
I started crying because I was afraid Lilly would yell at me for running when she told me not to run on the path. I hated when Lilly yelled at me because she said my parents would not aprove of what I did because they were so well mannered and never did anything wrong, but once every week when no one is around they slide down the banister in the front hall. Imagine if she saw that! When Lilly got to me I was still crying and my dress was covered in blood. The cuts were the deepest cuts I had ever seen. Lilly asked "Addie are you alright?""I guess" I choked out through the tears. "Here, lean on me" she said and helped me up. It hurt when I walked, so I cried even more. One of the manservants heard me crying and hurried over.
He and Lilly helped me into the castle and when my nurse, Betsy, saw the cuts she said "Oh my goodness! What happened!" When she asked the question I started crying because I knew scince Lilly didn't scold me, Betsy would. Lilly answerd for me "She fell in the garden.""How did you fall!" This time I answerd for myself " I was running so I wouldn't be late for dinner" I said, still crying. Tears were pouring down my cheeks and Betsy said "Here" and gave me a hankercheif. I blew my nose into and she put some disinfectent on my cuts and stung so bad I almost screamed.
Lilly had left to tell mother and father that I had been hurt and would'nt make it to dinner. I knew my parents could not come and see me because we had very important guests tonight and that is why I did'nt want to be late to dinner.
I bit back another scream as Betsy added more disinfectent on my knees and she said "Addie, your knees will get infected if you do not let me put this cream on your legs.""I know, but why does it have to sting so much?" I whinned. "Adelina, if you are going to whine, I am not going to treat you like a young lady." she said "But, but""but what? You had better act your age or you will have to be treated like the age you act." After that I was silent. I sat there for an hour before my knees stopped bleeding and my legs were wrapped up.
I was limping so Lilly had to help me down to dinner.It was 8:30 till I could go down to the main hall to have dinner. The king, queen, and prince of Pegania were there and they had just started dessert when I got there. Mother rushed over to me and helped me into my seat opposite of hers. I was seated next to the prince and I was nervous that my parents invited them to hope that I might wed him and become queen of the two biggest kingdoms that are on our side of the ocean. I did NOT want to get married to the prince of Pegania because we spoke different languages and I could not understand him at all. I was starving because the last time I ate was at tea time which was at 1:15 in the afternoon. I could eat right away, but I thought it would be rude since we have guests over.
Finally at 9:30 I could eat my dinner, I was so thankful because I had almost passed out from hunger. After I was done with dinner my mother and father came over and I started crying because I thought they would be mad that I was not at dinner, but they were worried about me the whole time. Mother said "Lilly said you were fine, but I could not beleive it until I saw you with my own eyes.""I'm- sorry that- I was- running- in the garden." I cried. After that my mother embraced me and let me cry into her shoulder even though I had stopped crying there when I was nine.
After I stopped crying father and mother helped me to my bedchambe where Betsy was waiting to change my bandages which were now covered in blood. My knees were still sore when I woke up this morning but not as much. I still limped, but I could walk by myself.
I was allowed to go down to breakfast, but Lilly said I could not go outside until I was able to walk steadily. At breakfast I was not hungry because I had eaten so late last night, that I still was full. Mistress Helen made me eat some toast with jam, but I was so full I could barley swallow.
After breakfast I had to stay in my bedchamber until tea time because Betsy said I neede to rest so my legs would heal. I had to work on my embroidery because that was one of the things I could do in my room.
I was old enough that I did not need someone to stay with me, so I was able to read when I was alone. Lilly said that princesses did not need to know how to read because it was the kings job to read and write. My mother taught me how to read when I was five, and I had been reading ever since. Mother loved that I loved to read and she showed me a book that she had gotten from her fairy-godmother when she was young. I loved the book so much that she gave it to me for my thirteenth birthday. My fifteenth birthday is tommorrow and I have to have a ball and everyone must come because my parents are King and Queen. "Addie" Helen called "It's time for tea."
Down in the parlor where we always have tea, mother and father were sitting there waiting for me. I was surprised because father never has tea with us unless he has to discuss something important with us. When I sat down mother and father looked at me. We sat there for a few moments and then I asked "What is father doing here?" It was sort of sudden so my parents were suprised. "What is wrong with your father being here?" my mother said. I replied "Nothing, it's just when he is here he usally has something important to tell us." "Well, me and your mother have something to tell you" said father "Since tommorrow is your fifteenth birthday," my mother said "you will need to choose a husband within two weeks or we will choose one for you." "What?" I yelled "A husband?" "Yes," my father replied "a husband". "Only two weeks" I yelled. "Yes two weeks".
I fainted right then and there on the floor. When I woke it was already dark and I was in my bedchamber. Mother and father were standing there when I opened my eyes. I closed my eyes and wished that what they had said was just a dream. But it wasn't. It was real.
