Disclaimer: At this point, the only thing that I own is this interpretation of the king and queen that I am using. Anything else that you recognize is not mine.
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Chapter Two
Eleanor had not left her room all day. She had felt there was no reason for her to do so. All that she would face once she walked through her bedroom doors would be prattling ladies maids and boring nobles who would try their hardest to attempt to ease her sadness. In the end, they wouldn't be able to. No one truly was able to, and it was starting to grate on Eleanor's nerves. Soon their attempts at making her laugh would only begin to make her angry. The fact that her father had simply made attempting to get her to come out of her despair into some sort of contest, only angered her further.
Stepping away from the window where she had been standing, Eleanor made her way to the doors of her bedroom and silently debated whether or not she should bother leaving. If anything, it would be very relaxing for her to go out into the royal gardens. It was the only place where she truly felt welcome anymore after all this time. At least there, no one could judge her too much for the fact that she still missed her mother so very much. That thought decided it.
Turning to her wardrobe, Eleanor pulled on a simpler dress than the one she was currently wearing and made her way to the gardens. Once there, she was truly able to relax, and this showed in her posture. Her shoulders instantly became less tight and stiff as she settled in her own private section of the garden.
From the time she was old enough to walk, Princess Eleanor had always had a fascination with the gardens and those who worked there. The gardeners were always kind to her, and often encouraged her to visit them when she did not have lessons. So in the difficult times of her life, Eleanor had always known that in the gardens she would be safe. In the time since her mother's death, she had been spending so many hours among the gardens that her father had finally had a specific section set aside for her, where she could plant and tend whatever she wished to. Currently, the only things that were growing in her little plot of land were daffodils and petunias, her mother's favorite flowers.
Kneeling down besides her small plot of dirt, the Princess began to work at weeding around the flowers, which were only just starting to grow. The menial task, which most people of her class would find degrading, provided Eleanor with exactly the peace and soothing that she needed. In the simple actions, she found solace in ways that doing needlework with her ladies-in-waiting or attending classes could not begin to provide. She became so engrossed in tending to the plants that she did not notice a new face among the army of gardeners.
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William had planned everything perfectly. He did not want to come bounding into the city with trumpets blaring and criers announcing his coming and his intentions. That would simply be…embarrassing. The last thing that William wanted was to make a big show of his coming to the kingdom of King Tristan, as that would simply put him in the middle of a spotlight that he did not want. So, instead, he arrived without any pomp or celebrations, escorted by only a few soldiers and his valet. This seemed to surprise old King Tristan, but he still greeted Prince William with all the courtesy that was due the Prince of such a wealthy kingdom as Corona.
It was only when William mentioned that he would rather the Princess not be alerted to his presence that King Tristan became wary.
"But…why would you wish such a thing? You've come to seek her hand, haven't you?" the old man asked, his large green eyes filled with confusion.
"I have, sire," William replied, perfectly calm and polite. "But I would rather not make a show out of this. Instead…I wish to attempt to fulfill the condition that you yourself have created for any man who is seeking the hand of your daughter. Then will I make myself known in a more…proper fashion."
This seemed to further confuse the old king for some time, but after King Tristan had puzzled through this for a moment or two, he finally consented. Though he insisted that Prince William still be an honored guest within the palace, allowed to roam wherever he so chose. William did not argue with this, though he did ask where the Princess Eleanor was most often to be found.
"Oh, in the gardens," King Tristan explained. "She spends every moment she can there…poor child."
William stored this information away and retired to the chambers given to him, hoping to come up with a plan of action before the night was done. Thankfully, he had not yet seen the Princess, as he did not wish to have her prejudiced against him for being another suitor who sought her hand, no doubt for the wealth that such a mach would bring to the groom. No…William had heard much of the young Princess Eleanor, and he was here solely to see if the woman lived up to her reputation. Also…there was the small matter of her father's condition; making the Princess smile again.
William could understand, and even empathize with, the pain that came from losing a parent. Perhaps, with such empathy, he could win the Princess' affections. Though he would not get his hopes up just yet. There was much to be done before he would allow himself such a hope.
That was when he remembered what the king had said about Princess Eleanor spending a great deal of her time in the gardens. A sudden idea struck William as he watched his valet unpack his belongings, as their stay promised to be a long one.
"I think I've finally come up with a plan, Cedric," William announced.
The valet was a young man that William had grown up with, and the son of the old king of Corona's steward. As such, Cedric and William had always had a bond of friendship. They were quite similar in temperament, which made them well-suited to one another as friends, though Cedric was much smaller and thinner than the Prince was. With pale blonde hair and almost watery blue eyes, Cedric looked far too delicate to be a valet, though he performed his duties well.
Looking up from his current task, Cedric arched a pale eyebrow at the Prince. "Have you now, Your Highness?" he asked, drawling as though uninterested, though he was really quite the opposite.
"Yes," William replied, smiling in mild satisfaction. "I shall become a gardener for a time, to learn more of the Princess Eleanor, before attempting to win her hand."
The pale eyebrow climbed higher as Cedric calmly met William's gaze. "If you think it best, Your Highness," he said noncommittally. "Though won't the king find this a most…unorthodox method of wooing the Princess?"
"Well, it is a tad unorthodox," William admitted. "But I think it just might work."
Cedric actually snorted slightly at this. Any other servant would have been punished for voicing such disbelief to the Prince, but William simply gave his friend a questioning look, silently urging his valet to voice his concerns. "If I may say, sire, you won't pass for a gardener. Those hands have never touched soil before, and if the Princess is as passionate for gardening as the king has implied, then she will see through your charade in a moment."
William laughed loudly at this, patting the smaller man on the shoulder. "But that is where you will help me, Cedric," he said. "You are going to turn me into a rough gardener by the morning, and then the plan will go perfectly."
"As you wish, Your Highness."
And so, William now stood in the gardens, watching the Princess Eleanor as she began digging in the dirt surrounding some flowers that, according to the head gardener, she had planted herself. It had not been easy to convince the head gardener to allow William to go through with this, but when William swore to do all that he needed to in order to make this act work, the older man had been willing enough. Perhaps it was because he found the whole thing amusing, but William did not really care at this point.
For one thing, the Princess Eleanor was far lovelier than her reputation had suggested. Even with the look of melancholy that seemed to hang around her, she was a beautiful young woman with her dark brown hair that fell past her shoulder blades, large green eyes, and delicate features. Her eyes, while inherited from her father, held far more intelligence and curiosity in their depths than the king's, and that added a sort of elegance to her beauty. And then there was how sad she was. Even here, in a place that her father had said was where she was most comfortable, the Princess didn't smile even slightly. All she did was nod to the gardeners that she recognized before turning her attention back to her flowers. Other men would no doubt see this sadness and say that it detracted from her beauty, but William was of a different mind. If anything, he felt very strongly that, while Princess Eleanor would no doubt be far lovelier when she smiled, her sadness was still beautiful in a rather heartbreaking way.
William would have stayed there, simply staring at the Princess, for the rest of the day, but the head gardener wasn't about to allow that.
"Quit your gawkin', boy!" the old man snapped, winking conspiratorially with William as he hobbled past. "Don't pay ye ta stand around starin' at people."
As the old man spoke, William could feel his ears turning a deep shade of scarlet. This did not improve at all when he saw that the Princess had heard this, and was staring right back at him. Her large green eyes seemed to bore into him as he tried to look as though he knew what he was meant to be doing. Clearing his throat nervously, he shifted uncomfortably and looked around for a moment before finally meeting the Princess' gaze. A slight arch of her eyebrow was her only expression. There was no welcoming smile or anything even close to a smile, but William could not hold that against her. He knew about her past from all the many attempts by her father to get her to show some happiness. Nodding politely, he smiled at her.
The Princess gave him a curious look, but still no smile. She nodded back before turning her attention to the plants in front of her.
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It wasn't until after the strange new young man had left that Eleanor turned to the head gardener to find out who he was. The old man had been Eleanor's mentor within the gardens since she was still very small, and so they were very fond of one another. The old man smiled quietly at her and rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Just a new lad," he said with a dismissive shrug. "He'll not trouble you, I don't think."
Eleanor nodded and idly ran her fingers through the dirt in front of her. Well…she thought to herself. This new lad was rather handsome. Certainly not in the flashy way that most of the princes who came to visit and seek her hand in marriage, but that was not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, Eleanor found that she preferred this young man's brand of handsome to that of all the peacocks who tried to win her over. Sighing softly, she rose to her feet and made her way towards her rooms, glancing over her shoulder to see if she could spot the young man in question again. She could not, and simply continued towards her room. Perhaps things would not be so bad…
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Author's Note: Yes, yes, I am being such a fairy tale dork and using the typical "Prince disguises himself as a commoner to win the Princess" plot, but can you honestly blame me? It works so well for this! Oh, and I think that young!William is the darned cutest thing, really. I can just see him now, trying to figure out what the heck you use a trowel for. Don't worry, while this is primarily a fluffy story for the sake of writing fluff, there will be some mild action and conflict. I intend to be very cruel to Eleanor and William.
Enjoy, and don't forget to review!