Hey! This is chappie 4! SilverMouth, why didn't you reply my PM? Was it about the...uh...'thing'? PLEASE reply!

Chapter Four

King Louise, Queen Emily, Adeline, Lady Violet and Farris woke up at the crack of dawn. Adeline was wearing a violet coloured tunic and a flowing white hooded cloak. Lady Violet was wearing her usual maid-in-waiting uniform.

Adeline hugged her mother and father. "Goodbye, mother, father. I'll miss you!"

"Take good care of her, Violet." said Queen Emily.

It was Farris's turn. Adeline had to face him. "Goodbye, your highness. I hope you have a safe trip." said Farris cheerfully.

Adeline just nodded. She was still angry with him about the advice. He could've at least said "Don't worry, princess. Everything will be alright. Just have hope and faith."

'That would've been better than 'be brave''

A silver carriage arrived. Adeline gave her parents one last hug and stepped in the carriage, followed by Lady Violet. The carriage disappeared behind the closing gates of the palace.

The ride was a bit bumpy. Adeline tried to take a small nap but couldn't. "Could you please slow down?" Adeline called out to the coachman.

"This is the slowest that I can go yer' highness." the coachman replied.

Adeline looked to her left to see Lady Violet napping soundly. How can she sleep on this bumpy ride? She thought.

Sundown was approaching and the coachman suddenly stopped in front of a gloomy, dirty tavern. There was a sign that said:

The Prancing Pony Inn and Tavern

The sign was broken in half and when Adeline stepped out, she accidentally stepped on an animal's droppings. She gasped. "Sir," she said the coachman "What d-did I just step on?"

The coachman bent down and smelled the droppings. He stood back up. "Horse's droppings, yer' highness."

Adeline blinked her eyes. "Lovely…Just wonderful…" She frowned and shivered. She stood in front of the door of the 'inn' and examined it. Termites were eating their way across the door. She turned around to see Lady Violet handing the coachman a small bag of coins. The coachman bowed his head and left.

"Lovely place isn't it?" said Lady Violet as she opened the door "Wait here," Lady Violet went to an old man with an eye patch. They whispered something to each other. Lady Violet told Adeline to follow her up the stairs to the second floor.

"Where are we going and why are we here?" asked Adeline.

Lady Violet just ignored her. She stopped in front of a door. "This is your room. My room is next to you. Enjoy."

Adeline watched as Lady Violet went into the second room and closed it. A strange man walked passed her, eyeing her with his sharp eyes. Adeline immediately went into her room and locked it. She looked around her room. The bed was wet and the floor creaked. The windows were all covered in thick black dust. No ray of sunlight could be found. She could smell decay in the air.

Adeline felt as if she wanted to cry out loud. But she didn't. She remembered her lessons in etiquette and manners. The first rule was: Princesses never cry out loud. But she couldn't stand the position she was in.

Lady Violet came in after a few seconds. "Dinner time!"

'Oh god! The food here must be horrible!'

Adeline followed Lady Violet downstairs to the dining room. There was no sunlight there either. They sat on a stool in front of a wobbly table. The eye patched man came with a plate of rotten eggs. He placed it in front of them and left.

The smell of the eggs was horrible but it didn't seem to bother Lady Violet. "Well, I don't seem to be very hungry. You better dig in, princess. I need to have a word with…someone."

Lady Violet stood up and left Adeline all alone in the dining room where strange people were eyeing her every move. The hairs on her back stood up.

'Who is this 'someone'?' Adeline closed her eyes 'Please come back, Lady Violet.'

She didn't feel scared about Lady Violet anymore. In fact, she was more scared about the position she was in.

Imagine yourself being left alone in a scary, dark, strange 'inn' where strange people keep watching everything you do and you're just sitting there in front of your 'dinner' waiting for the person who is supposed to be watching and taking good care of you to come back. And when that person does come back, you have to go back to a room that has a wet bed and the smell of decay filling the air. That was how Adeline felt. Lonely, scared, worried and lost.

'Where are you, Lady Violet?'

She waited for five minutes which felt like forever in that nightmare inn. Lady Violet finally came back. Adeline followed her back to the second floor and went in her room. Dust was falling from the ceiling.

'No! Not termites in the ceiling!'

She placed her cloak on the wet bed and lied down on it. She felt cold and scared. She looked up at the ceiling and groaned. Dust fell straight into her mouth. Adeline sat up and coughed. She spat the dust out of her mouth. She couldn't take it anymore. She had finally broken her shell.

Adeline stood up and went outside. She banged on Lady Violet's door. "Open the door!" she yelled.

Lady Violet opened the door and looked at the angry princess. She was holding a book that Adeline assumed she was reading before her presence. "Is there anything wrong, princess?" she asked calmly.

"Yes! Everything is wrong!" Adeline pushed Lady Violet aside and went into her room. Lady Violet's room was better than hers. It was cleaner. How could Lady Violet get this room instead of Adeline?

Adeline touched the bed; It was warm and comfortable and there was even a soft woolen blanket ready for her. She stomped her foot on the floor and it didn't creak. She looked up at her ceiling and there was no dust falling and no termites. She saw a study desk with a cup of tea on it. "This isn't fair!"

"What isn't fair, your highness?"

"I can't stand to stay in this rat hole!"

"Is your room not to your liking?"

"No, it isn't!"

"Well…I don't see what the problem is. Your room is just like mine."

"No, it isn't! Father promised me that we would stay in homes of dukes and earls! Not this! This was the place that my father said that I wouldn't have to be staying in!" Adeline cried out.

"I assure you that we will only be staying here for one night, princess."

"For one night only?" asked Adeline "Do you promise?"

Lady Violet nodded. "Now, you should get some rest. You can take a blanket from that cupboard over there. Goodnight."

Adeline took three thick blankets. With one last look of Lady Violet who took a sip of her tea and continue reading her book, Adeline stormed off to her room.

She locked the door behind her. She removed her cloak from the bed and placed a blanket on it as a bed spread. She rolled up the other one to make a pillow and used the last one as a blanket.

She looked around the room and saw a dirty cloth. She took it. "This will have to do." she murmured.

She used the cloth to wipe the windows. Slowly, the windows became crystal clear. She could actually see the full moon. That was a good sign other than dust.

'Well, goodnight father…Goodnight, mother…'

She went to bed and covered her head with the blanket so that dust wouldn't fall into her mouth again.

'I hope sunrise will come soon'

That's it! REVIEW!!