Chapter Two
However, a month had past and the princess had not thought a single complaint about the baby; she was much too afraid to. So the girl suffered in silence, enduring her stepmother's harsh words and the baby's cruelty.
The princess had awaken one morning by a dream; it was a very strange dream and as she tried more to grasp it to make sense of it, the more it slipped away from her memory until it became nothing more then a nagging thought in the back of her mind.
No matter, the princess thought as she pulled her blankets off her and set herself on the task of getting ready for the day, Dreams are nothing more then your imagination taking hold of you. Only fools ponder on dream's deeper meaning, and I am not a fool.
After she had dressed herself out of her nightgown and into a simple day dress and braided her bright blond hair that trailed along her back, the girl nodded her head in satisfaction at her appearance and left her room swiftly.
Although it was the early hours of the morning and only the sun's first rays were beginning to peek out from their bedcovers of the eastern horizon, the castle was alive with work as servant of all sorts went to and forth, only having time to give the princess a quick nod before they had to rushed off to do their daily chores. Upon entering the kitchen on the lower floors of the castle, the princess stood off to the side, pressed against the walls, in order to not disrupt the chaos of breakfast being cooked. It often amazed her that, with a castle of only five members of the royal family, that there could be so many servants that were waiting on the family hand and foot.
Or, rather, just waiting my stepmother, the girl smirked but then wiped that thought out of her mind, realizing that it wasn't correct for a stepdaughter to think of her stepmother like that. Even if it is true…
"Princess!" The head cook suddenly exclaimed as she turned around from the bread oven to see the young girl trying her best to blend in with the background, "What on earth are you doing here, your highness? And so early? It can't be any more then six!"
"I awoke from a nasty dream this morning," The princess smiled softly at the elder women, "And I found myself eager for some breakfast."
"Oh, I'm afraid we've not finished yet, milady." The cook apologized, "But, if you are very hungry, then we can quickly whip something up for you."
"No need, Head Cook." The princess quickly cut in before the woman could open her mouth to yell out orders, "I can wait another hour or two."
Nodding her head, the cook then said, "Alright then, milady, I'll send someone up to your room with the meal when it's done."
"Again, there's no need. I can just wait here, if I won't be in the way that is." The girl quickly corrected herself.
"You never get in the way, milady." The cook laughed, "But the kitchen is no place for a princess such as yourself."
"Hmm, I would no longer know, since I have been spending so much time here recently." The girl said, her frustration slipping out a bit as she seated herself on a stool.
To her surprise, the cook seemed to share her feelings, "Aye, I've noticed. So much so that, if I were a visitor to this castle, I would believe you more a kitchen maid then a princess." She said with a bitter laugh as she turned back to the oven to check up on her loaves.
"I apologies for the nuisance that I may be."
"You? A nuisance? Such nonsense you speak!" The cook exclaimed, pulling out the golden brown bread from their warm cocoon. "You, as always, are a pleasure to be around, your highness. But you are royalty, you should be doing more lady like things then bloody washing dishes, pardon my language." The princess waved her hand to show she ignored it and the cook continued on her rant, "If your mother was alive, she would be throwing a fit. She probably is, in heaven, mind you. Her only child and daughter and heir to the throne, doing servant's work? And imagine all the talk in the other kingdoms? This is an outrage, they're probably mocking us."
"Or saying she a down to earth young lady." Interjected another voice who's soft and musical tone made the princess smile.
"Good morning Nana." The girl greeted her former mother's handmaid who gave her a small hug.
"Good morning princess" Nana greeted back as they turned their attention back onto the ranting cook.
"Pst, if they would. No offence towards you or your father milady, but most of the royalty don't see working with servants as down to earth, they see it as animal work. Something not worthy of them doing. To hear the heir of this kingdom is working as a servant, I bet her interest level for suitors will go down for sure. And if she ain't wed before the dear King dies and that nasty boy is placed on the throne, mark my words, hell will break loose in this kingdom.
"Yolanda! Hold your tongue and take mind of what comes out of your mouth!" Nana snapped at the cook and then quickly turned to the princess and said, "Pardon her words, milady, she knows not of the meaning of the words of which she speaks."
But the princess just shook her head and said, "No, Nana, she knows very well and I agree. Though he is my stepbrother and I should not be saying this, I know very well that he would not make a good ruler. He has no training for it."
"If you say so." Nana muttered with a small smile.
"Oh! Princess!" Another voice suddenly said causing both Nana and the princess to turn around.
"Hello Nathan, what is it?" The princess asked the footman.
"I heavily suggest you get on back to bed." He advised when his shock at seeing her here in the kitchen had begun to wear off, "The youngest prince had woken up, crying, because of a nightmare, causing both the King and Queen to awaken. And the Queen didn't seem too happy about that…"
"That's alright Nathan." The princess said with a sigh, "Even if I pretend to sleep, my stepmother will still awaken me. It is better to face the bull then to run away and hide for, after all, if you face the bull, then you'll see the attack coming right at you, rather then it sneaking up on you. However, thank you for the warning." She told the man with a small smile.
He nodded his head in understanding and then wandered off to continue his duties.
"Well then, I shall be off." The princess told them with a sigh, gathering herself up off the stool.
"So it must be, I suppose." Nana said with a sigh and gave her another hug before wandering off to continue her duties as well.
The cook quickly cut off a large chuck of bread and handed it to the princess, and when she gave her a questioning look, the cook smiled and said, "Well, you can't go off fighting bulls on an empty stomach, can you?"
Rewarding the cook with a laugh, the princess thanked her and, taking a bite of the warm soft bread, started her way towards the library.
But as she thought would happen, she had not even reached the hallway before the library when a maid came running towards her.
"Princess! I have a message from the Queen!"
"What is it?" The princess sighed as the maid halted in front of her, panting.
"Oh, um, she told me that you gotta help clean the Grand Hall today, milady, and she said you're gotta also be watchin the youngest prince when they go out this evenin."
"Oh, where are they going? The princess asked the young girl.
"Um, I don't know, milady. Sorry." She said, looking deflated and scared
"That's alright. Thank you very much." The princess thanked her with a small smile that lifted the little girl's spirits and she raced off.
When she disappeared, the princess sighed and then headed off towards the well to fetch a bucket of water. Stepping out into the chilly early spring air, the princess grabbed a bucket from the stables and slowly wandered her way over to the castle well. There was a slight breeze through the air, nothing that the princess had to worry about, but it still stung her cheeks and nipped her nose and she shivered, wishing the sun were out to warm her.
"You having fun?" Came a sneer from beside her.
"Oh, much. Care to join me? You can grab the soap." The princess said with false cheer as she turned her head to see her younger stepbrother fall in step beside her.
"Why on earth would I do that? That's servant's work." He sneered
"Yes, but servant's work is important too. How else would we get any food in our stomachs if we had no one to cook it for us? And I highly doubt that we would be seen with much respect if we had such a dirty castle." The princess said stiffly
"But they do that because they're below us. Or, at least me." The boy drawled again, looking up at his stepsister's face in hopes to see hurt in her face.
Now I understand what head cook was talking about, the princess thought, rolling her eyes and stepping off to the side to reach the well.
"Did you hear?" Her stepbrother mocked again.
"What?" The princess asked with very little interested as she placed the bucket on a hook to lower it down to the water.
"Where me, mother, and father are going." He said, with the air that it was someplace she would want to be invited to.
"No." The princess said bluntly, not wanting to be told by him, out of all people.
"We're going to the ball." He hissed grinning with amusement when he saw her eyes widen with surprise.
She had completely forgotten, today was the day of the annual spring ball. The day where all the kingdoms of this land gathered and feasted, where all her friends would be.
Her stepbrother jumped with surprise as a sudden crash sounded from his stepsister dropping the bucket roughly down the well. Shouting out in alarm, all he did was watch as she whipped around and stormed back towards the castle, being too afraid to stop her.
The princess didn't know what she was doing but she suddenly found herself at her stepmother's study and, without even knocking, entered. Her stepmother, sitting at her desk, looked up in alarm to see her stepdaughter fluming at her.
"What is it that you want?" She asked her, looking back down at her papers.
"Let me go to the ball." The princess snapped.
"No." Her stepmother said, looking up at with pleasure sparkling in her eyes, "We need someone to take care of the baby, he is so in need of someone to take care of him at such a young age.
"Let one of the maids do it, he should have a nanny by now anyways."
"You know I don't believe in nannies. A baby should be raised by the family, not a complete stranger."
"Then why do I seem to be the only one taking care of him?" The princess growled.
Suddenly, the stepmother stood up and rounded on her, "Are you saying that I'm not taking care of my own child? That I'm not a good mother."
All the princess dared to do was glare at her, which caused her to slap her.
"How dare you, you little brat! I am your stepmother, you should be treating me with respect. But no, you come barging in here demanding to go to a party instead of taking care of your own brother, you tell me that a social life is more important then family and then you insult my own mothering skills? You spoiled girl! How dare you! You will not go to this ball nor, as punishment, any other party this year and probably not this ball again next year."
The princess opened her mouth to protest but suddenly a maid walked into the room and froze at the sight of them.
"Now, go down to the Grand Hall and help wash it." Her stepmother commanded, excusing her, "Oh, and you'll not be having any supper today too."
"Yes stepmother." The princess muttered stiffly then whipped around excited the room, trying her best to hold back the tears that threaten to burst.