Chapter 6
Sophia sat in kitchen and sighed putting down her sketches and placed a hand on her ever growing belly. Marcus entered their house. "Hello dearest."Marcus said greeting his wife with a kiss. They had been searching for her siblings for years and finally given up. Now Sophia was pregnant with their second child. They already had a son, Peter, named after Sophia's oldest brother who had died. Peter was now eight.
James and Henry got up that Monday morning and headed to the stables. It was almost winter. Today was the first day of October. James tacked up a horse for the Princess Nicole and gave it to her. She rode off. He sighed and thought of his little sister back at home with Kian. Home. That was where Kian and Ana were. James smiled. His little baby sister was now fifteen. She was beautiful and had sparkling green eyes and dark brown hair. She had a pale complexion and was always smiling. She was a happy child. James couldn't believe ten years had gone by. Monsieur Phean had apparently been running the stables for a few centuries and had just retired. He still lived in the castle since he was an old friend of the king's. James and Henry were now in charge of the stables and everything related. They knew the king and were well off. They gave the money to Kian who would put it aside for Ana if anything happened to them. The rest the men spent on Kian's shop, food, and such. They were quite a happy family. He got back to work.
Vilreth slammed his fist down on his desk in his library. For ten years he had searched for the royal children of the Crystal Kingdom, but with no luck. They hadn't turned up or turned themselves in as royal children. He had finally had it. "Ricarth!"Vilreth yelled. A man came running in. "Yes my lord?"Ricarth asked. "I want the search to stop for the children, but leave the spies alone."Vilreth instructed. "Yes my lord."Ricarth said bowing. Then he left his king alone.
Ana sat down at the dinner table with James, Henry, and Kian. "Tell me about the royal family again James!"Ana asked curiously. "Well there is the kind king and queen, King Navel and Queen Gretchen. They have many children. They have nine children in all. Three are adults. First there is the twins Princess Nicole and Prince Erik. Then there is Prince Gregory. None of them are married. Next there is Prince John, Prince Jacob, Princess Tish, Princess Sylvia, Prince George, and Prince Thomas. There is a ball being held in two nights. The king and queen are hoping that Prince John, Prince Jacob, Princess Tish, and Princess Sylvia, who are all just at the right age to marry will find mates."James said. "Can I go?"Ana asked Kian. "I suppose. But we will be going with you."Kian said. Ana agreed happily and went to bed.
The next morning, Ana danced around her bedroom above the shop. "Ana! Breakfast!"Kian called. "Coming Kian!"Ana said. She put on her petticoats and such and then her green dress. She was smart and knew everything her brothers had taught her by heart. She knew as much as they had learned long ago. She slid her amulet inside her dress. Kian didn't even know they were royalty. As she ate breakfast, James and Henry burst into the kitchen. "Kian!"James yelled. Kian ran upstairs from the shop below. "What is it James?"Kian asked wiping his hands with his apron. "We are going to war. Henry and I just got out of a meeting with the King and other people. Henry and I won't be made to go though because we must start training horses for the war. But we are fighting against the Shadow Kingdoms. The ones that killed our parents."James said. Kian ran his hand through his hair. "Oh dear."Kian said worried. "I know."James sighed. Ana finished her breakfast and washed the dishes. (Yes the Underground keeps up to date with above ground. And yes they have running water.) Finally James and Henry left to get back to the stables at the castle. Ana followed Kian downstairs and they made clothes that were ordered until the market opened. They opened the door and flipped the sign to open. Kian went into the back to work on orders while Ana managed the customers.
A group of boys came in with their mothers. "Can I help you madame?"Ana asked politely. The boys turned and took one look at Ana and they thought she was gorgeous. In truth, she was as pretty if not more than the most of the young girls in the entire kingdom. The mothers turned. "Yes. We are here to pick up our suit orders for our sons. The ball is tomorrow night."one woman said snobbily. "I will check right away madams."Ana said. She went into the back and grabbed the five boxes. Each one was for one of the boys in the shop. Ana walked out carrying the boxes. "Here they are. If you want your sons to try them on, the dressing rooms are over there."Ana said pointing. The women dragged their sons over to the dressing rooms and had them try the suits on. Satisfied the group left.
After a extremely busy day, it was finally time to close up. Kian and Ana while waiting for James and Henry to arrive home, continued to work on her dress for the ball. It was a deep emerald forest green with gold trimming and glitter weaved into the fabric somehow. It was a magical fabric. Finally they finished. It was a simple gown but beautiful in its own way. Ana went to go try it on once more to make sure everything fit properly. Meanwhile, Kian set dinner on the table and went downstairs into the shop to wait for the boys. Just then James and Henry walked in. Under their arms were suits. "We were given clothes by the king. He had a tailor come and make them for us."James explained. "Wait till you see your sister. She may be fifteen but she is going to knock the boys off their feet. Ana come on down!"Kian called upstairs. "Coming!"Ana replied. She slipped on her matching slippers and slowly glided down the staircase.
To be continued...