5. Bast

I had just opened my wardrobe, and was trying to figure out how I was going to fit my clothes in with the several gowns already squeezed in there when I heard the door open and a voice squeal my name.

"Briden!"

I looked over to see a girl standing in the doorway, a huge excited grin on her face. She had long golden locks that hung in tight spirals reaching her waist, and big hazel eyes ringed with glitter that matched her dress, one of pink sparkly silk and toile.

"Oh, um, hi," I said, trying to balance the gowns I held over one arm so I could shake her hand. "You must be Emily."

"Yes! Oh I am so happy to meet you. You're absolutely going to love it here!"

I nodded, trying not to laugh at the way she bounced up and down on her toes as she spoke. She had to be a few years younger than me. She was very hyper, but at least she was friendly. She was a lot like her mom.

"Oh, let me help you with those," Emily said, finally spotting the pile of dresses on my arm and taking half of them from me. "Mama already put some gowns in here that she thought might fit you—" She hung my clothes on a hook inside the door that I hadn't seen.

"She didn't, buy all of these for me, did she?"

"Oh, no, these are old dresses of my sisters. We have a lot of them, and most have only been worn once or twice...You can wear anything you see here. I'm sure you'll find something you like. "

"Wow, that's very generous. Thank you."

Emily beamed, pleased. "Well, I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. I'll leave you alone now to unpack."

I nodded, hanging my armload of dresses on the other door's hook.

"Unless you want some help..."

"No, I've got it under control. Thanks."

Emily skipped out of the room. I laughed to myself. She was quite a character.

xxx

Meanwhile, a young man with dark hair and blue eyes walked through the halls of a castle with assurance. There was no one around to bother him, no one to tell him what he should be doing. Instead he kept a steady pace, enjoying this rare moment of solitude within the castle of Bast.

Just then, another, taller man in his mid-twenties with similar hair and eyes, rounded a corner and gaped at the young man.

"Prince Aaron!" the older one exclaimed. "There are plans to be made and parades to attend. Whatever are you doing roaming the castle by yourself?"

Aaron rolled his eyes at his brother. "You're the prince Nick. The one in line for the throne. I do not need to be concerned with such things. It is you who shouldn't be wasting your time alone in the castle."

"Oh but I have slipped my guards and come looking for you. I wanted to make sure you arrived back from Draeden in one piece."

Aaron eyed him and began walking away. "Your concern touches me. Now, if you don't mind, I was hoping to be alone at the moment..."

Prince Nickolas clapped a hand on his little brother's back in amusement, dropping his charade. Though Nick was very much looking forward to becoming King some day, he often found himself jealous of all his brother's free time. He ignored Aaron's request for solitude and fell into step beside him.

"So, did your friend make it to her house okay?"

Aaron sighed, realizing his brother wouldn't quit pestering him until he spoke. "Yes, Albert told me she arrived at Dame Carolyn's safely."

"Ah, Albert. Such a good, trusting man. You're lucky you have him to cover for you and to keep your secret escapades well, secret."

"Yes, I know." Albert had been very good at keeping his mouth shut about Aaron's doings in Draeden. Aaron considered him more of a friend than a servant.

"So...What was her name again?"

"Briden."

"Right, right. When am I going to meet the famous Briden?"

Aaron glanced at his brother from the corner of his eye.

"Yes," Nickolas answered. "I want to meet this girl you've told me absolutely nothing about."

"I'd rather you not—"

"Oh come on, Aaron. How am I supposed to give you my opinion on her without ever seeing her?"

"I don't need your opinion, Nick."

"I promise I'll keep it a secret. See how good I've been keeping it lately? Come on, you need someone else to talk to about this besides Albert. Don't you trust your own brother?"

Aaron considered this. His time spent with Briden was the only normal part of his life. She was one of the few people who didn't treat him like royalty. He didn't like keeping secrets, but he cherished the feeling of normality he felt when he was around her. Briden was quiet, but rather interesting. She enjoyed the same books he did, and she was honest with him. He knew he should be the same, and he vowed to tell her his secret soon. But until then, she was too good of a friend to risk losing.

He knew that things were bound to get complicated, now that Briden lived in Gala. He blessed the foresight that made him give her his brother's middle name, James, so that if she ever heard of Prince Nickolas and Prince Aaron of Bast it would be less obvious that it was him. But that was only a small relief. He knew it going to be harder to see her in public, most people in Gala knew what he looked like... Aaron realized unwillingly that he could use another confidant to help him out.

"Alright," he assented, turning to face his brother. "I was going to see her after the parade..."

"Wonderful!" Nick grinned, getting his way as usual. "I'm glad you agree. Well, I must be going." Nick turned around and walked back the way they had come. Aaron shook his head. Nick could be so pushy sometimes, but that's what would make him a good king, he didn't take no for an answer. Aaron enjoyed being a prince, but he enjoyed even more being the one without all of the responsibilities of future Kingship. He had enough on his plate.

xxx

I had just finished unpacking and had collapsed on my bed when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," I called from where I lay.

Emily came in. "Hello," she chimed. "Me and a few friends are going to the parade this afternoon. Would you like to come with us?"

I looked up curiously. "Parade?"

"Yeah, the royal family has a parade every year in the spring."

I sat up. "Sure, sounds like fun."

She sat down next to me. "Oh, it is. And the royal family will be in the parade of course. Oh you should see Prince Nickolas. He is so dreamy..."

Emily's eyes went out of focus. I shifted my weight and she seemed to snap out of it. She looked at me curiously.

"Do you know what you're going to wear?"

"Oh, um..." I realized I was still in my travel clothes.

Emily interpreted my hesitation and headed over to my wardrobe, swinging it open. "Have you looked through these dresses yet?" She started rummaging through it.

I stood up, and was about to tell her I hadn't, when she pulled out a bright yellow gown covered in ruffles. "How about this one?"

"Um..."

Emily gave it a second glance. "You're right. It's a bit much. I see you're more the subtle type. That's fine..." She searched through the mess of dresses. I was surprised she could find anything in there. "What about this one?"

She pulled out a dress that I liked a lot better. It was dark purple with tiny white flowers stitched along the neckline and hemline. She held it out to me and I took it from her, holding it up in front of the full-length mirror by the door.

Emily smiled. "You like it?"

"Yeah," I breathed. "Thanks."

"Oh it's no problem." She skipped to the door. "See? I told you there's be something you like in there." She told me to meet her downstairs in half an hour and then left me to change.

Once I'd washed my face and put on the dress, I combed through my hair and saw that I still had fifteen minutes left. I went to the window that opened to the front of the house and pulled back the curtains. Looking past the well-manicured lawn and finely cut hedges, I could see the tops of several buildings poking through the trees, which had to be the town square. It wasn't far away at all—I would no longer have to calculate travel time into my morning routine.

I went to the other window on the adjacent wall, and when I pulled back the curtains the scene took my breath away. Right there, past several hills and scattered rooftops, was the grandest castle I had ever seen. The towers shone gold against the afternoon sun and a red flag flew above every spire. I hadn't realized I'd be able to see the castle of Bast from my bedroom.

I was in awe.

A/N: Well there it is! Five chapters down. Tell me what you think so far!