I turned the handle and it opened with ease. I was amazed. I didn't think the music room to be open so early. But then I remembered King Roland telling Baileywick to keep the music room open at all times for me.
I walked inside, my book under my arm and looked around, completely aghast. The room was filled with the most beautiful instruments I had ever seen. Violins and cellos, piccolos and flutes made of ebony and gold sparkled in the light from the window at the far end of the room. But the one instrument that took my breath away was the gold and ivory harp at the end of the room in front of the windows. The sun glanced off it in the most beautiful arcs and the strings shimmered.
I walked up to it swiftly, running my fingers down the pillar and up the soundbox and I smiled as I drew my fingers across the strings. The harp was in perfect tune.
I pulled a music stand over and opened my book to the song and sat down. I pulled the harp towards me, resting it on my shoulder and plucked a few of the strings to make sure all of the strings were tuned. Once I was content, I plucked each string, each note, and smiled. I hadn't played since before my parents became ill last year, so I was slightly rusty. But as I played, I grew more and more accustomed to the feel of the strings and the movement of the pedals.
Soon, I had become lost in the melody, only stopping to turn the page.
"You play so beautifully," a voice said from the open door. I jumped and disturbed the harp, plucked a wrong note and panicked when it clunked back down. I grabbed it in time before it fell over, but James had come sprinting over to me to help steady the instrument.
"Thank you," I smiled. He grinned at me and I just realized his hand was on top of mine.
"For helping me right the harp, I mean. That could've ended badly," I said, making a face. "Yeesh."
"It was my grandmother's grandmother's harp. It is a precious heirloom," James said, not taking his eyes away from mine. My face grew warm and I turned away.
"It's beautiful. Thank you for letting me use it," I smiled, blushing even more.
"We should get ready for our day in the country," James said, moving aside. I nodded and he took me by the arm, leading me out of the music room.
The country was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Rolling green hills were framed by tall, snow-capped blue mountains tickling the underside of bright white clouds floating high in the cerulean sky. Trees blew gently along the dirt road and every now and then, we would pass a farmer's cottage. I craned my neck back and forth, trying to look at everything. But there was just so much to take in.
I rode in the carriage with Sofia and James, whilst Amber rode with the king and Queen. Sofia was reading a book, not paying us any attention, and James I noticed every now and then, was lounging and staring at me. He was smiling the entire time, and it gave me an uneasy feeling as though he was laughing at me.
"Are you laughing at me?" I grinned. James shook his head, shrugged, then nodded.
"You look so wide-eyed. Have you ever been to the country?"
"No. Never."
"Then you're in for a treat," he smiled. I blushed and turned away.
We reached our picnic area. It was a small copse of trees cleared of any fallen branches and set with a magnificent tent and gold and marble tables and chairs. A large cart filled with a picnic array was waiting for us as we walked over, the women picking their way through the grass. But unlike them, I just kicked through the grasses, not caring if I got mud on my hem.
"Do take care, Jade," Amber said cautiously, finally making it to the picnic area. I took a seat next to Sofia and much to my surprise, James sat next to me, his jacket removed and his sleeves rolled up. I smiled at James but was soon addressed by King Roland.
"What do you think of the country so far, Jade?" King Roland asked as a manservant poured him wine.
"I believe it to be absolutely lovely, your majesty," I smiled. He grinned at me, about to reply, but I quickly interrupted him with a thought of economy.
"But your majesty, may I inquire after the compensation these farmers are given for their crops?" The king looked taken aback. I guessed he was never interrupted by such a personal question before. I understood it not to be my place, but I was on a bender.
"I uh..not much I believe. Why do you ask?"
"A point I'd like to make later. Where does the majority of Enchancia's food supply come from?"
"The...the farmers, obviously."
"I believe, your highness, if I may say so, you are incorrect."
"Oh am I?" He was greatly surprised. I supposed that he had also never been so bluntly contradicted in his life. Especially by a common village girl.
"Yes. You see, as part of my rudimentary education, I did take up economics and trading, and saw that a majority of our farmers do not participate in the local farmer's markets, due to lack of high yield. They are only farming what they can to feed their families as a priority, and selling the surplus they have at the markets..."
"...The majority of our farmers at our so called 'local' farmer's markets are from neighboring kingdoms where they have already sold their yields and move to the next kingdom to sell more. Here, our farmers barely make a living. I believe that it is a lax in the compensation on the royal bank's behalf that they are paid a fraction of what is truly written in the books. If our farmers are compensated at the rate they should be, we would not rely so highly on foreign crop yield, and our Enchancian farmers would have more than enough to eat before selling the surplus they have left over. We spend our money on frivoulous things such as lavish balls and unnecessarily extravagant ceremonies and festivals. If we take away a fraction of what is spent on these, meaning cut back on gold flatwear and imported flowers, as the flowers here in the Enchancian gardens are far more beautiful, we would have more money to pay our farmers.
"This leads me to my second point that if farmers are paid more, thus yielding a higher crop, then Enchancia will fall into a great surplus. This would and will be beneficial, if the plans are enacted, and our kingdom would not fall prey to famine or drought, which inevitably attacks primarily farmland and cattle, from which we get our fresh creams products and beef. Enchancia has the capability of becoming once again self reliant. We only need to redirect our funds to the proper places."
I took a seat and the hall was silent. King Roland though, grinned widely at me and mouthed "Well done". Grinning inwardly at my successful speech, I felt my heart rise. But the noblemen gathered today all stared at me, but I, to my great surprise, barely bat an eyelash. I folded my hands in my lap and looked to the end of the hall where James sat. He grinned at me and gave a thumb's up peeking out from above the table. I smiled briefly and took a deep breath.
"Well, I believe that concludes today's meeting. Thank you gentlemen for hearing out our new ideas. We shall meet once more next month," King Roland said after a few minutes' stunned silence.
The noblemen stood and filed out of the room, still in silence.
I looked down the table as Jade took a seat, her face glowing with pride. I felt a heat bubbling in my stomach and a flush rose to my cheeks, my eyes opening for the first time in my life. I saw her with a new light now. She knew how to speak her mind in adverse conditions and she knew how to keep her head under the pressure of a multitude of eyes upon her. I had started to see her in a new light gradually over the past few days, ever since she had recited this very speech to Father and Mother and Amber and Sofia that one day in the country last week.
The way she acted, how she did things made me feel for her like I never had for anyone before. I didn't know what to call it though. I was still blind to what true love was, even though I saw it every day of my life since my father married my stepmother. But once I saw Jade that first day she was here, granted she was crying, I wanted to always be the one to comfort her, to be by her side no matter what. And the way she spoke was the way a true queen would. With confidence in her heart and her mind in her hands.
After everyone had left, I watched as she glided towards me in a teal gown, her ebony hair knotted at the base of her head. "How did I do?" she asked. I grinned at her.
"You were wonderful. I could hear the gears in their minds grinding like crazy," I said, beaming. She blushed and turned away. She had such a gorgeous habit of doing this. And whenever she did, that same heat would rise in the pit of my stomach.
"Was I really? I felt so nervous," she laughed as we walked to the gardens. I had invited her to have lunch with me in the gardens today after the meeting, just the two of us.
"James?" she chuckled. I blinked hard and shook my head.
"What?" I grinned.
"You were staring off into space," she smiled. God I loved it when she smiled. She was even more beautiful, if that was even possible.
"Was I? I didn't notice."
We reached the gardens, but I took her to a different area, off through a gate in a wall entirely covered in ivy. I took her hand gently and she giggled, jogging along behind me, her other hand lifting the hem of her skirts.
"James, where are you taking me?" Jade smiled. I looked back at her as I opened the gate and led her inside. This grotto was where my father had proposed to my mother. My birth mother.
It was an island in the center of a large pond, and on the island was a gazebo and the largest Blue Willow in the entire kingdom. Sparkling fish jumped out of the water, glinting in the sunlight filtering through the tree branches as we crossed over the small white bridge.
"Oh James this is beautiful!" Jade exclaimed, letting go of my hand and walking to the gazebo. The light caught her dark eyes and hair and glanced off, making my heart skip a beat.
The gazebo was set with a full lunch and dessert, something I was never used to. I looked at James as he crossed over the bridge towards me and I smiled.
"This is so amazing, James," I smiled, my voice lowering, as though we were being watched. James closed the distance between us, and gazed down at me. I felt rather uncomfortable, with him standing so close, and I cleared my throat nervously.
"Why don't we have some lunch? It looks so delicious," I grinned, stepping away from him and moving towards the table. I took a seat and he sat opposite me, still grinning.
We ate in moderate silence, finding nothing of common interest to really talk about. The silence was rather awkward though, and both of us were shifting uncomfortably every now and then.
"About Sofia's birthday party tomorrow night," James finally spoke up, breaking the silence. I started slightly and looked up at him. I finished my bite of sandwich delicately before replying.
"Yes, what about it?" I asked plainly. A slight colour came over his cheeks and he bit his lip.
"I was wondering..." He cleared his throat in what I assumed to be a nervous manner. "Would you be so kind as to accompany me?"
I stared at him dumbly. He laughed and I shook my head, smiling.
"I'd love to," I grinned.
I paced the staircase impatiently, sweat beading at my hairline, the room suddenly becoming extremely hot. But there she was. I flushed and bit my lip as she glided towards me, accompanied by Amber in a midnight blue ballgown. Her hair was swept up into a bun atop her head and about her neck was a strand of shimmery silver pearls. Her red lips were parted delicately, and her eyes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly. Amber smirked at me as Prince Zandar scooted up the stairs to escort her to the party, leaving us alone.
"How do I look?" she asked, smiling sweetly at me. I didn't know how to respond. My feelings for her were so strong, but I could never let her know in fear that she did not feel the same. I extended my hand to her and smiled.
"You look lovely," I said coolly, trying to keep my emotions under control. She grinned at me and we walked down the staircase together. She carried herself so well that the guests at the party would've never known she was a village girl. I glanced to the side and she grinned at me, her cheeks a lovely pink.
We met with my mother and sister, waiting for Sofia and my father to appear. A fanfare sounded and all the guests turned to see King Roland and a vision in brilliant blue at the head of the stairs. She looked like Sofia, but it couldn't be. She was so elegant, so regal, so beautiful. But I grinned as my father and stepsister descended the stairs to the party where almost immediately, Sofia was flooded with a multitude of guests.
The party that night was the most beautiful party I had ever attended. The crystal chandeliers in the ballroom sparkled like diamonds and the guests were in an array of spectacular colours.
Almost as soon as the ball started, I was ambushed by Prince Zandar who was smirking darkly.
"Lady Jade," he said, swooping low in a bow.
"Prince Zandar," I smiled.
"If I recall properly, I believe you still owe me a pirate battle," Zandar grinned darkly. I chuckled. I remembered that one day Sofia had invited me to the palace and the five of us, Ruby included, had played a rousing game of pirates in James' treehouse. Now, we were a little too big for the treehouse, but we could still play in the courtyards.
"I believe I do," I grinned. I turned to James.
"Shall we play pirates tomorrow? With Sofia?" I smirked. He laughed.
"I believe another round of pirates is in order," he said, grinning.
Sofia had joined the three of us, as Amber had met with Hildegard, Clio and Vivian. I noticed though, that Hildegard could not keep her eyes off of James. She fluttered her fan about her nose delicately, and smiled at him whenever her looked anywhere in that direction where she was.
I watched her through narrowed eyes as she waved him over, and he, obliging as he was, complied. I felt a heated anger rising in my stomach, which was not quelled even as Prince Hugo came over to me.
"Jade? I barely recognized you. You look so different now," he grinned, bowing low and kissing my hand. I chuckled and turned my mind away from James and Hildegard.
"Well I think time would do that, don't you, Prince Hugo?" I smirked. Hugo straightened, but held my hand in his still.
"May I have this dance?" he asked abruptly. I looked around at my other friends who all shrugged, unsure of what to make of the situation. The last thing anyone had heard of Prince Hugo was that he was engaged to a princess from a far off kingdom, and was never to be heard from again. But here he was, asking me to dance, seemingly free of all other...ahem...attachments.
"If you insist," I laughed. To be honest, Prince Hugo was insufferably egotistical and self centered. What girl that would possibly want to marry him must be out of her mind. He pulled me to the dance floor where Amber was waltzing with some other prince and Sofia was dancing with Zandar.
I smiled at her and she back at me. She and I believed that Prince Zandar fancied her, but she did not return the feelings. She, in fact, fancied another.
But she made me promise not to tell. But oh what the hey. She had confessed to me earlier this week that she had terrible feelings for the royal sorcerer, Cedric. But she could never tell anyone, otherwise he would be in great trouble. I had smiled and laughed, completely understanding her situation. For I too loved someone who I could never be with. And I feared he would soon be engaged to a girl who is of the most insufferable type, even worse than Hugo.
"You look lost for words, my darling. Does seeing me again bring back such longings?" Hugo smirked, his voice dripping with self admiration. I snorted politely and, seeing the offended look on his face, quickly feigned a cough and cleared my throat.
"Oh I was simply lost in thought is all," I smiled.
Hugo smirked a self absorbed smile and looked clear over my head. "Ah yes, my presence will do that," he said coolly. I groaned to myself and tried to find a decent time to excuse myself from his presence, but I couldn't escape.
Finally, it was James who came to my rescue.
"If I may be so bold as to cut in," James smiled, stopping us mid waltz.
"I believe the lady is with me," Hugo countered. James' face darkened.
"I said beat it, Hugo," he snarled. I smirked out of sheer disbelief at this display of aggression and the look of utter offense on Hugo's face and he scoffed and strutted away. James took me in his arms and started to waltz with me.
"I'm sorry you saw that," he said. His tone was apologetic but his eyes gleamed with pride. I smirked.
"No you aren't. Not in the slightest," I chuckled. James shrugged and chuckled.
"Maybe not. But someone had to save you from him and his insufferable conceit," James said. Every so often, I caught glimpses of Hildegard talking in secret with Clio and Amber, clearly irked by something.
"What is Hildegard so upset by?" I asked, glancing towards her.
James smiled. "She thinks I plan to marry you," he chuckled. My face grew hot and my heart sank. So he didn't love me after all.
"Is that so?" I said, feigning a laugh. James nodded.
"But I told her she was most certainly wrong. You're a dear friend, Jade," James said. I felt my knees go weak and I needed to leave the party for a while.
I stopped moving and he looked at me with concern. "Are you alright, Jade?" he asked. He gave me a queer look, but I ignored him.
"Ah...sudden headache. I need some fresh air is all," I lied. I curtsied and left him, but he trailed after me.
"Let me escort you if you are not well," he said. I waved him away, walking to Sofia who was chatting animatedly with Vivian.
"I need to speak with you," I whispered, touching her arm. Vivian looked at me with concern.
"Are you alright, Jade?" she asked. She was always so nice to me, that I couldn't not tell her.
"Join us, will you?" I asked. I felt my eyes still hotly and needed to be alone with Sofia and Vivian, away from the multitude of people.
Once outside on a veranda, Sofia pulled me into a tight hug. "What's wrong, Jade?" she asked, extremely concerned.
I pulled out of her arms and confessed everything that I felt for James to her, and she listened politely. Vivian was her second best friend, so she had already heard everything about Cedric, and now I trusted her with my secrets as well.
"I see your dilemma. Hildegard is extremely interested in the prince and insists she be the new queen of Enchancia," Vivian said, but received a sharp nudge from Sofia.
"Not helping, Vivian," she scolded. I sighed and walked to the railing and braced myself against it, looking out across the countryside of Enchancia. Tonight was such a special night, and I didn't want to ruin it for Sofia, as I still had my gift for her.
Presents were distributed after dinner, and I was the last to give her my gift.
"My gift isn't tangible, though, your highness," I smiled, curtsying. She looked at me oddly and gasped when the harp was brought into the ballroom. I took a seat at the harp and pulled it towards me.
I plucked the first few notes before playing through the entire song. As I played, James' offense, Hildegard's obvious dislike, Hugo's egotistical conversation all melted away and all that I felt was the music.
Once my piece was over, the entire party erupted into monstrous applause. I beamed and looked to Sofia who immediately ambushed me, almost crying.
"Jade that was beautiful! Thank you so much!" she exclaimed, sniffling. I smiled and hugged her tightly.
"Happy birthday, Sofia," I grinned.