Every Present Comes with Strings

by FlowerOwl

Throughout her childhood, Anneliese had felt how the strings of her duties had slowly wrapped around her, keeping her in place.

She was five the first time she could remember noticing the strings tightening around her.

Anneliese had known that she was supposed to stay inside and wait for her mother to return from her meeting. And she had done well for a couple of minutes, but by then, the pull of the open doors that provided her with the most wonderful view of the gardens was too strong for her to resist, and before Anneliese had had time to as much as stop to think about what her mother would say about her disappearance, she had pushed herself off the chair and run out into the garden.

That was how her mother found her, sitting in between two flowerbeds, using her hands to dig into the ground.

Just the day before, Anneliese had overheard two of the maids discuss how their children had begun to look for gold in the ground, and she knew that if there was really gold there, she wanted to be the one to discover it. Maybe then she would earn a spot for her name in the large book they kept in the library with the names of the rulers that had governed the kingdom before her mother. If she would get the chance to wish for something, Anneliese knew without a doubt that that would be her wish, to be able to open the book and see her name written next to that of her great-great-grandmother who had been regarded as one of the wisest women of her time, or at least that was what the chef would say when she convinced him to read the chapter for her before telling her that he was sure that it was only a matter of time before Anneliese would have earned the same title, perhaps even the title of being the wisest ruler the kingdom had ever known. That was why it was so important to find that gold. Although her mother had told her time and time again not to lean against the doors when she and the council were busy to listen to their conversation, Anneliese would still do it, for she knew that although they tried their best not to let it show, the royal treasury was slowly but surely emptying and that the same was happening in the mines. If she found a new gold vein, then Anneliese would not only have ensured that her name would be written into the book, she would have saved the kingdom as well.

But as her mother turned around the corner, almost walking past the little path that meandered between the two flowerbeds before she looked back and saw her sitting on the ground, she did not seem to think the same, or at least Anneliese glanced up to see her mother looking down at her, a startled look on her face.

"What are you doing, Anneliese?" her mother asked. "We have been looking for you everywhere and what is that on your dress?"

Anneliese looked down to find out what the answer was. Until then, she had barely given the fact that she was sitting on the ground a thought, but now, she saw what had made her mother's eyebrows rise. The front of her dress was covered in damp dirt from where the soil she had pulled out of her hole in her quest to find gold had hit, and although she did not move to stand up, Anneliese was certain that the same would be the case for the back of her dress where she had sat down on her skirt.

A quick glance back at her mother told her that she was still waiting for an answer, so although Anneliese knew that her mother was already aware of just what had ruined the dress, she still tilted her head slightly before answering. "Mud, I think."

For a second, Anneliese could see how her mother silently debated what to do, whether it would be better to simply tell her to get back to the lesson she had no doubt wanted her to attend or if this would require for her to sit down to explain to her just why this was not proper behaviour for a princess.

Anneliese hoped for the former. As boring as she found the endless lessons, instead preferring to run to the library to continue from the spot in her latest book where she had found herself with no other choice than to leave her bookmark the day before when her mother had come to tell her that her etiquette teacher was waiting for her, she would still prefer it to having to look up at her mother and know that she had disappointed her. It happened far too often, and sometimes, it felt like she could barely do anything before her mother or a maid was telling her to stop. Whether it was climbing one of the tall trees that surrounded the castle to better be able to observe the sunset with her favourite book clutched against her chest, trying to figure out how the explanation about how the rays of the sun and the atmosphere made the sky seem orange as the sun disappeared behind the horizon could be seen with her own eyes, taking some of the supplies from the kitchen to see if there was a better way to let the yeast make the dough rise, or even if she was only trying to catch a tadpole so that she could keep it in her room and follow its development, someone would always come to find her to let her know that they had been looking for her and that she was not allowed to be out here alone, not even answering her when she asked if she would then be allowed to continue the experiments that could be completed inside the castle. Although Anneliese had tried her best to figure out some kind of pattern to let herself know in advance when she was doing something her mother would classify as 'behaviour that was not appropriate for a princess', she never seemed to be aware of how she had broken the rules until after it had happened and her mother had arrived to accompany her back to the lesson she had forgotten about as her zeal to find answers had been all that had mattered.

She could see the moment her mother reached a decision from the way the muscles around her mouth tightened slightly as she stood up a little straighter, gesturing for her to follow her back to the castle. Already, Anneliese could tell that she had not been lucky this time. With the way her mother was walking, tiny controlled steps, not unlike what her dance teacher tried to teach her, there was no doubt in Anneliese's mind that her mother had reached the conclusion that she needed to talk with her, and although Anneliese did not like it, she knew that the act of standing up to walk over and take the hand her mother had extended towards her would only feel more and more impossible the longer she waited.

So although she wanted to tell the maid that her daughter had been wrong and that there was no gold to be found under the castle, Anneliese instead pushed herself off the ground and walked over to her mother while discretely trying to brush off some of the dirt that clung to the fabric of her skirt.

"Anneliese," her mother said as they walked through the garden, past the beautiful flowers that Anneliese knew the bees loves so much, and Anneliese could hear how her mother had seen her attempt to clean herself up a bit, "I do not want to be forced to come out here to look for you again. Do you understand?"

Anneliese bowed her head. "Yes."

She understood, both what her mother had said and the way she had said it, the worry seeping into her voice and dissolving the edge her mother had no doubt tried to force into her voice. It was the same thing Anneliese would sometimes hear when she was allowed into the throne room, how her mother tried her best to remind herself of the nearly empty treasury each time one of her subjects came to her to explain how the harvest had been bad that year, that there was no more gold left. In a way, Anneliese supposed she pitied her mother a bit. When she would become queen, Anneliese would make sure that she found a new gold vein, invented a way to better be able to protect the crops from the frost that attacked at night, and figured out a way to ensure that her name would be written next to her great-great-grandmother's.

It seemed, however, that her mother interpreted her short answer as a sign that she would have to explain what she had meant, for she continued, only hesitating for a moment to glance over at her, tightening her grip on her hand a little as an almost apologetic look filled her eyes. "From now on, you will have to ask one of your teachers for permission if you want to leave the castle," she said, and Anneliese only barely managed to stay silent instead of turning around to look back up at her mother. Whether it would be to demand an explanation or to try to make her mother realise that she was only trying to help and that if Anneliese was not allowed to continue with her attempts to find a way to save the kingdom, then she would not be able to do anything for several years until she was old enough so that the chef would not simply ruffle her hair when she came to him to ask for the ingredients for her experiments, letting out a hearty laugh when she told him that she was not just pretending to find a way for the kingdom to regain its riches, she was about to find the answer, she did not know, and her mother did not give her the chance to find out as she immediately added, "I wish that it did not have to be like this, but you are the princess, and you will have to remember that every single second of your life."

And Anneliese had nodded for she could still remember how she had overheard the council tell her mother that they were sure, there really was barely any gold left in the mines, but inwardly, Princess Anneliese could feel how a string reached out from the darkness around her and wrapped itself around her wrist, forming a complicated knot that she could never hope to undo. Already, she could feel how it pulled at her, the string cutting into her skin. It was not much, barely enough to hurt, but just enough pressure for her to not be able to ignore it.

Anneliese grew used to the string around her wrist. Granted, it took her years before she had managed to ignore the way the courtyard almost begged for her to forget about the promise she had made to her mother, but slowly, she reached a point where she was able to walk past the doors with her shoulders back, her stomach in, and her head held high, not once letting go of her perfect posture although the last thing she wanted to do was to enter her mother's study.

They had found a tutor for her. She should have been happy, ecstatic even. After all, Anneliese was not blind to how her life was so much different from the stories about children being left with no choice but to work and how there was never quite enough food for everyone she sometimes heard the servants whisper about.

But although she knew she was lucky, as Anneliese walked along the hallway, making sure that each step was perfectly even, maintaining her balance through it all, she would have given everything to be able to tear the string around her wrist apart and to throw it as far away from her as she possibly could. Her mother often told her that once she was the queen, she would find that she needed all of the things she was being taught now, and although Anneliese had wanted to ask why she would have to wait to become queen to be able to help, why she could not go back to the library and the book on international trade she had been forced to let wait when a servant had come to deliver the message from her mother for Anneliese to come to her study immediately, she had not been able to. Not when she could see how the past couple of years had made her mother look much older than her real age, the never-ending questions about what measures they should take to make sure that the kingdom would not crumble and how they would make it through the next winter having led to the faint crease between her mother's eyebrows being something Anneliese would now notice more often than not when she looked at her mother.

Her being another burden was the last thing her mother needed, so Anneliese made sure to knock at the door, keeping her hand relaxed, the sound not loud enough to interrupt any possible conversation that might have taken place on the other side and yet not so weak that it would not be heard, and waited for her mother to answer before opening the door and stepping into the room.

The first thing she noticed was that the tutor her mother had hired was young. He could barely be more than a year older than herself, and from the way he was fiddling with his clothing, Anneliese could tell that all of it, the heavy fabrics of the coat he was wearing, the row of buttons that reached up to his chin, heavy and covered with the thinnest layer of gold that could possibly have been used without the less valuable metal still being visible underneath, was unfamiliar to him. He was not used to it, and from the way his gaze flickered through the room, landing first on the ornate chair her mother sat in while reading the reports, before moving over to the vase in the corner, and then up to the painting of her great-great-great-grandfather that hung on the end wall, Anneliese was almost entirely certain that the reason for all of that was that he had grown up in the town, far away from the rules and splendour of the castle and court.

And then he looked up at her, meeting her gaze, and Anneliese saw why her mother had decided that he would be the best. Although he had not been able to hide his feelings when she had first stepped into the room, the moment she looked at him, Anneliese could tell how he carefully, deliberately, made sure that everything was perfect, from the way he stood up perfectly straight, keeping his shoulders back and his head raised slightly, just enough to let her know that he was there and had acknowledged her presence, but not enough to make it seem like he was being disrespectful to the princess. His eyes shone when she looked at him, and when Anneliese focused, she could almost have made herself believe that she could see herself look back at her, or at least the little girl she had been many years ago, always running through the flowerbeds to get to where she had planted her own little garden.

"Julian," her mother said, but her voice seemed distant, unimportant to Anneliese in that moment, "this is my daughter. Anneliese, this is the young man I have hired to be your tutor."

At that, Julian bowed his head slightly. "You Royal Highness, it is a pleasure to meet you."

Although Anneliese only seconds before would have struggled to answer with anything other than a dismissive 'I wish I could have said the same for myself', she found herself returning the slight smile, nodding back at him almost without realising it. "The pleasure is all mine."

She could tell her mother was beaming at her without even looking at her, and that made the feeling of having just made a grand mistake a little less insistent. But it did not disappear. For although Anneliese looked at Julian and saw a person like herself, someone she could already tell she would come to regard as a friend, he had still been hired to be her tutor, someone who would do his best to make sure that she would be able to follow all the written and unwritten rules of the court, able to contribute to the discussions and conversations she would find herself at the centre of in the years that were to come no matter what the topic would be.

Although it was almost winter and the window next to them was ajar, the air around her felt suffocating, the warmth making a few drops of sweat run down her back, staining the intricate needlework that covered the insides of her dress. Already, Princess Anneliese could feel how another string was added, this time around her other wrist, and where she had before been able to at least move around, using one arm, now, she could only stand still and hope that she might one day find the strength to tear them both apart.

"Is there no chance of me being able to convince you to let the etiquette lesson wait?" Anneliese asked, looking up from her book. She already knew what the answer would be, but even then, she tried her best. "I was in the middle of the most amazing chapter—it is about how the strength of the wind can be used to help with the task of transporting the gold out of the mines."

Julian smiled at her. It was a tiny, unsure smile, but Anneliese still knew what the answer was going to be. Although she had been able to convince him to let the lessons wait for the first couple of days after he had first arrived at the castle, he had soon come to learn that if Anneliese was able to decide for herself, she would never have left the library, instead surrounding herself with stacks of books, the stacks becoming as tall as mountains, reaching into the sky, until she knew that she would never be able to make it to the end of them. Then, Anneliese knew that she would have been content.

And maybe Julian would as well, for Anneliese could tell how he hesitated before answering her question. It barely lasted more than a couple of seconds, not something anyone who was not already paying close attention to his facial expressions and gesticulation would have noticed, but it was there, and that alone was enough for her to feel a bit more confident, even as Julian cleared his throat.

"I am sorry, princess, but I fear that it is expected of me that I will teach you everything about proper etiquette and manners." even as he spoke, his gaze lingered on the book in her hand for a moment longer then what was strictly necessary and perhaps that was what made her able to for a moment ignore the way her duty pulled at her, now helped by the strings that had formed around her wrists.

"And what do you think?" she placed the book down on the table next to her to be able to lean in towards him. "What do you think we should do?"

"My opinion about your education is not important," he answered, and more than anything, Anneliese wanted to ask him how he could do that, how he could willingly reach out towards the strings and help them bind him. Was he not aware of the fact that he, although Anneliese was aware of the fact that he did not hold the same societal position as her, was at the very least able to make decisions for himself that she did not have the right to make? She assumed that he somehow was not. If he was, then Anneliese could not understand what could possibly make him act like this, voluntarily giving up his control over his own life and his rights to decide for himself.

Anneliese tried again, this time trying to pour every bit of what she had learnt about proper technique and articulation into her voice as she spoke. "You are my tutor now. I would say that your opinion about my education is of the utmost importance. At least it is to me." seeing the way he did not quite agree with her but also did not disagree, Anneliese added the last part, hoping for the best as she leant back into the chair as far as she could. Even when she tried to relax, she was still not able to reach the back of the chair, instead continuing to sit up straight. Years of lessons with the intent of making her able to sit on the throne and look like the perfect queen had made her unable to do anything other than that. Her former etiquette teacher would have been proud.

"If that is how you see it, Your Royal Highness," Julian finally said, and the look her sent her, the tuck at his lips being unlike the perfect mask he usually wore during their lessons, not quite a smile, but also far from his usual resigned expression, was almost enough to make her able to ignore the way the strings pulled at her hands, "then I suppose it would only be right for me to tell you my opinion."

He moved, walking over to sit in the chair next to hers, and Anneliese tried her best not to let her surprise show, instead making sure to smile and nod at him when he looked back over at her once more. In all of the months that had passed since she had first stepped into her mother's study and been introduced to him, she could not remember having seen him sit down even once while in her presence. Instead, he was always standing, extending his hands towards her to help her through the more difficult waltz steps, standing right next to her desk when she sat down to tell him what she had learnt from the lesson of the day, and even stood next to her chair when explaining the order of the numerous forks, knives, and spoons, and how it would differ when she travelled through the world.

So when he looked up, sending her a little smile, and nodded towards the book in her hand, Anneliese had to fight to maintain a neutral expression when what she really wanted to do was to ask him about what his life had been like, how he knew so much when he was barely older than her and had never left the kingdom. But she stayed silent, not willing to risk missing even a word as he began to speak.

"I believe that the most important thing that you can expect a queen to master is how to listen and to think critically about what she is told." Julian gestured towards the book. "For example: have you ever questioned what the books have told you? If you see something around you that you know contradicts what you have read in the books, would you simply pretend to have never seen it, or would you instead try to figure out what the reason for it is and attempt to figure out if there is more to the theories that we have yet to discover?"

She was silent. It would have been so easy to let her tone become cold and tell him that the books were in the library for a reason and that her ancestors, people who knew far more than both of them combined, had picked each and every one of them and ordered them to be placed in the royal library.

But Anneliese did not do any of that, for the truth was that Julian was right. In her mind, the books were correct. When she had been five and had wondered if the flower seeds she had buried in a remote corner of the courtyard had really been meant to be planted in spring like the book she had gone to to search for answers had suggested, she had entertained the idea of her having found a fault in the book for a moment before dismissing it, deciding that she had spent hours leant over that book, absorbing every little detail about the world it could share with her, and that she had simply not been careful enough enough, the soil had been too dry, placed next to one of the castle walls which would then have kept the sun from being able to shine on the sprout.

"No," Anneliese finally admitted, "I suppose I wouldn't."

Julian responded with a tiny wave in her general direction. "In that case, I suggest that we discuss this topic tomorrow. Right now, the queen is expecting for us to be in the middle of a discussion about manners."

Anneliese was not sure if it was the fact that he had been right, she really did not pause to question the books, or if it was the way he held her hand, the gesture almost friendly, feeling a little less like the cold, impersonal gesture of someone who was merely a tutor, solely there to teach her about her duties, when he led her to the middle of the floor to sway back and forth as he helped her through the imagined conversation with the king of the neighbouring kingdom that made her heart beat a little bit faster.

But even then, Anneliese knew that, friend or not, this was all to prepare her for what was to come, the day where she would no longer be able to hide behind her mother and the fact that her title was princess and not queen, and even though she was not able to keep back a slight giggle as Julian finally let go of some of the perfection that surrounded him, making a subtle joke, Princess Anneliese could still feel the moment another string was added, this time wrapped around her waist, doing its best to pull her backwards into the darkness.

The day that Anneliese had feared for most of her life came, and although she had known that her mother had grown more and more tired those last few months, increasingly likely to ask the maid to bring her dinner to her room rather than to sit in the dining room with Anneliese, leaving her alone with the court instead, she still found that she was not prepared for the moment when her mother sent for her. But Anneliese was the princess, and although her stomach turned at the thought of what she already knew would happen, it was her duty, and she was ready to carry the weight of it. So, rather than escaping into the gardens surrounding the castle, Anneliese forced herself to stand up straight, remembering everything Julian had told her, how she had a tendency to stand with her arms swinging just a little too much when she grew anxious, and how her voice always rose in pitch when she became worried, as she knocked on the door to the study.

The sound of her mother's voice, trembling slightly, immediately let her know that she had cried. It was not much, and Anneliese doubted that anyone but herself and her mother's closest advisors would have noticed it, but it was there, and it broke Anneliese's heart to hear her mother like that.

It was then that she knew that, no matter what, no matter what it would take, she would do anything to not give her mother a reason to sound like that again.

Anneliese stepped into the room, ready to both be the princess her kingdom required her to be as well as the daughter her mother needed, walking over to stand next to her mother who had for once let go of her perfect façade, standing next to the crown that was resting on top of the pillow in the glass case.

As she looked up at her, Anneliese could see how her mother tried her best to hide the grave expression, but even then, she was not able to ignore the way the crease between her mother's brows grew deeper. Anneliese's chest tightened and she wondered, not for the first time, if this was it, if this was the moment where the strings would be enough to force the air out of her lungs completely.

But she made sure not to let it show as she curtseyed. For her mother's sake.

"Mother," Anneliese said, "you asked me to come here."

The question was right there. She had barely even hid it beneath the polite observation, and yet, her mother did not answer, instead continuing to stare at the crown.

It was not until Anneliese was beginning to wonder whether she should ask her again that her mother finally looked up and met her gaze. "I have found a way to save the kingdom," Anneliese's mother told her, and had it not been for the solemn look on her face, the way her voice was completely devoid of the joy that should have accompanied the words, Anneliese might have felt relieved. But she didn't. It was clear that this would mean even more strings, at least for her, and as her mother moved, resting her hand on top of the glass case before turning back around to face her and continue to explain, Anneliese could feel how her stomach sank even more with every word her mother said, "but for it to work, you will have to make a great sacrifice."

Once, she might have tried to ask what the sacrifice was, tried to tell her mother that she would not be able to do it, that there had to be another way for them to save the kingdom. But she had grown up since then, so now, Anneliese only nodded. "I will do that."

For a second, Anneliese almost thought that the slight pull around her mother's lips could have been the beginning of a smile, but as she reached out towards her, almost placing a hand on her shoulder before withdrawing at the last moment, it was gone, replaced with a determined look as her mother looked at her. "Of course," she said, "your duties give you no other choice…." letting the sentence trail off, her mother fell silent.

"Mother?" Anneliese reached out, unsure of whether it would help for her to place her hand on top of her mother's, if that would help her to continue. "You were about to say something, weren't you?"

"What?" blinking, her mother looked at her like she only then noticed that she was still in the study. "Oh, yes, of course. Sorry, dearest, I don't know why I just…" Anneliese's mother cleared her throat. "Yes, I have found a way for the kingdom to be able to make it through the winter. Young King Dominick of Dulcinea."

"I am not sure I understand." but already as Anneliese said it, tilting her head slightly, she knew full well what it would mean. There was only one reason why her mother would call her to her study, apologise to her, and then remind her of her duties while mentioning the neighbouring kingdom.

"He has agreed to marry you," her mother said, a strangely distant tone in her voice, "it will save the kingdom. I am sorry."

Although Anneliese had already known that this would happen, it still felt like it was the first time she had ever thought about it when her mother said it to her like that, all concerned expressions and soft words. For months, she and Julian had discussed the state of the kingdom, the conversations often becoming more than just a way for her to practice articulation and rhetoric as Julian slowly found himself unable to mask his own worry about the dire state of the royal treasury, and more than once, Anneliese had lay down in her bed at night, unable to sleep as she wondered what could really be done to save the kingdom. The only answer she had been able to think of had been exactly what her mother was now telling her would be done, and yet, it had all seemed so unreal, like it would never actually happen. But now it had, and although the strings around her tightened even more with every word, when Anneliese looked at her mother, she knew that she would have to do it.

So as the preparations for the ceremony began, each time she had to step up onto the podium for one of her fittings bringing the wedding just a bit closer to her, Anneliese tried her best not to think of how it was only a matter of a couple of months until she would be married to a complete stranger and how every wedding present that was brought in to join the growing pile next to her meant more strings to tie around her. It was her duty and although a new string was added every time someone mentioned either the wedding or the king, tying themselves around her arms, legs, waist, and neck until she could hardly understand how she was still able to breathe, Princess Anneliese had decided to put on a smile and do it for her mother and all those in the kingdom who were depending on the marriage.

There was something about Erika, something indefinable, that almost seemed to pull Anneliese closer to her without even meaning to, Anneliese often finding herself wandering around the castle only to see that she had paused in front of the doors that led to her lady-in-waiting's room. Not even the massive oak doors were able to contain the sound of Erika singing, and although Anneliese knew that Erika was most likely busy, perhaps dancing around her room, lost in her song, or sitting at her desk, working on a dress she would wear in the evening, she was not able to pull herself away from the door and continue towards her original destination. So she did not even try to make herself feel guilty for deciding that Julian would understand why she would not be anywhere in the garden when he would no doubt go to look for her there later that day, instead walking over to knock on the door.

"Come in," Erika's voice reached her, "the door is open."

Pushing the heavy doors open, Anneliese stepped into the room. It looked the way it usually did, with a mess of fabrics, threads, buttons, and needles scattered on the tables placed throughout the room. The one time Julian had entered the room to look at the piles with a smile and comment that it was quite unlike the rest of the castle, Anneliese had learnt that Erika could cock her head and make her eyes twinkle when she had smiled at him and told him that she was sure that she was also quite different from the rest of the castle, being one of the few ladies-in-waiting who had not been born into a position at the court.

"Anneliese?" Erika's voice brought her back to the present, and when Anneliese glanced back up, she saw how Erika was looking at her, amusement and laughter giving of the impression that she was shining. "You looked like you were about to say something?"

"Yes, I was." Anneliese cleared her throat and hoped that the warm feeling in her cheeks was not a sign that she was blushing. "I was wondering if you would allow me to enjoy your company for a bit and accompany me on a stroll through the garden."

As Erika's smile faltered, Anneliese followed the glance she sent towards the combination of fabric, pieces of lace, and embroidery that looked like a half-finished dress lying on the table in front of her, and although she knew that it was foolish—she was perfectly able to walk through the gardens herself—Anneliese could not ignore the pang of disappointment that passed through her chest as she realised that Erika was already in the middle of something.

"You don't have to," she added, but she could feel how a part of her did not quite mean it, how it already knew that if Erika would not come with her, she would not have any reason to go outside, not if she could not show Erika the beautiful flowers, blue and pink combining to form the most intricate patterns, "I just thought that you would perhaps enjoy it—"

"No, no," Erika said, holding up her hands in front of her, sending her a wide smile as she shook her head. It was in moments like these that Anneliese fully appreciated how they had not met in court, how their first meeting, although she had not been able to hide it for very long, had not only been due to her position as princess. If this had happened in court, Anneliese knew that the lady-in-waiting would already have apologised for interrupting her, but it did not appear that Erika even realised what she had just done as she continued, "I just have to finish this stitch. I will be with you in a moment."

"Then I will wait for you here."

Already appearing to be fully preoccupied with the task that was to be found in the fabric and needle, Erika only nodded at her as Anneliese went to sit down in the chair next to the desk. From there, she was able to observe how Erika with a couple of quick, skilled movements, completely confident in what she was doing, pushed the needle through the fabric, the thread being pulled along with it, and although she tried her best, Anneliese was not able to follow the path the needle traced as Erika finished the stitch by humming a soft melody as she reached out for the pair of scissors lying on the table to her right.

"Is there anything in particular you wanted me to see in the gardens?" Erika asked.

Anneliese shifted in her seat, trying to hide how she knew that she was surely blushing as Erika momentarily looked up to beam at her. "I was thinking that you might enjoy seeing the flowers in the courtyard," she finally managed to mumble, her voice not sounding like that of a princess who had spent more hours than she could count being taught how to speak, walk, stand, and act, "they are always beautiful here in May."

"Not as beautiful as you, I assume," Erika said with a small laugh, and now, Anneliese knew that there was nothing she could to hide the blush that crept onto her face.

"I—uh, I—" she began, but Erika simply reached out, taking her hand and helping her get up from the chair.

"I would love to see these flowers and see whether or not they really are able to compete with you." Erika's eyes shone as she turned around to hold up the needle.

Being weighed down by the dress itself, the string glittered in the sunlight as Erika cut it with one fluid movement, letting the thread follow along with the needle as she made sure that it was placed in its proper spot in the little box for her needles on the table before turning around to follow along with Anneliese as she showed her the way to the gardens.

And as she walked down the corridor, Erika humming along to a melody next to her, Anneliese was not able to ignore the way a warm feeling she could not remember having felt for years bloomed in her chest.