I gasped. Adellia was the kingdom of the sea. It was a series of islands off the south coast of Tarahan. I had heard that ambassadors came from all the surrounding kingdoms but I never thought I had the chance to see one personally, especially not an Adellian one. Adellia was possibly the most powerful kingdom in the region for they not only controlled cities on land but also had cities underwater. The sub aquatic cities made their kingdom the largest; I heard they even had cities as far as the western border of Ghant. My stepsisters were about to take on the Duchess of Adellia.
"You think you are so important because you are from some foreign land," Victoria spat.
Her words were closely followed by Giselle's, "You won't get me to back down and I already claimed this gown fairly."
The duchess simply raised one thin eyebrow, "You are nothing more than a spoiled brat who thinks she is entitled to everything. You've probably never been told no in your entire life. This gown is mine and there is nothing you can do about it, so run along or I will have you arrested."
Duchess Ojera was right, Giselle and Victoria had never been told no, but I thought arresting them was a bit drastic for a gown. The sisters were practically fuming now. Giselle's dainty hands were clenched into fists and her face was very red. Victoria took a step toward the duchess and raised a finger, "Why you arrogant little-"
Thankfully, before she could finish her sentence and get into more trouble, the shop girl broke in. "Neither of you can have it," She said. I thought the three women would rip the poor girl apart right then and there, but she quickly continued. "This dress was made especially for the Princess Joslynn to wear at the first ball of the celebration. It is the first in a collection made solely for her. If you like I can direct you to other gowns that are available for purchase."
The duchess simply nodded and turned back to her handmaids. Giselle and Victoria raised their noses in the air and turned to walk in the opposite direction. Both were proclaiming loudly about what a terrible shop this was and how they would never be coming here again. I tried to disappear back into the crowd before they noticed me, but I couldn't. They spotted me and barked that I pick up the pile of boxes they had laid down and follow them out to the carriage. I obeyed and tried to avoid the pitying stares of the other women. Perhaps if I was lucky, I would never run into any of them again. If I did the women would most certainly inquire into my stepsisters and probably think me a poor servant girl. I did not want prying questions from people who simply wanted something else to gossip about.
Giselle was so upset in the carriage after we left the shop that Victoria suggested that we visit a little café that Joslynn had told them about. It was near the shop and seemed to be just as fancy. Victoria told me that it would be best if I waited in the carriage while they went in and treated themselves. I argued the point, but she wouldn't relent. She seemed loathe to even have me along for their outing, but they wanted someone to fetch and carry for them.
"I do not want to wait in the carriage like some servant!" I said when Giselle had climbed out and Victoria had issued her order.
She looked me straight in the eye as she answered. "You are not a servant, Ebony. However I am getting very tired of your attitude on this trip. I am the oldest so you are required to do as I say or else I will send you home before the party even begins. Now you stay here and don't go wandering off because if you are not here when we get back, we will leave you behind to find your own way back to the Gilded Leopard. I don't want to hear any more of your lip the rest of the day."
I crossed my arms defiantly; she was still blocking the entrance and exit to the carriage. "You can't send me home; I am not a child."
She just sneered. "I can send you home at any point I wish and there is nothing you can do about it."
Victoria climbed out of the carriage and slammed the door for emphasis. I considered following them and disobeying her, but I didn't want to risk being sent back before I had gotten to experience anything. I was sure that my mother had said something to Victoria about taking care of us before we had left and that meant I could be sent back. I couldn't even leave the carriage for they might return while I was out and leave me stranded in an unfamiliar part of the city. I crossed my arms and slumped back into the seat. I wish I had gotten them to leave me behind while they went on this little trip of theirs. Staying at the hotel alone would have been better than spending the day with those two. They spent almost half an hour in the café before they returned to the carriage. When they did, they were giggling together and had linked arms. They completely ignored me as they settled themselves into the other carriage seat. Giselle was still holding a delicate cookie in one hand that she was nibbling on between whispered giggles. They seemed to think themselves very grand sitting there as we traveled to the next destination.
The next stop turned out to be a fairy spa. This district was evidently populated by fairy shops and businesses. The sisters allowed me to come in with them at the spa, even though they said that the treatments were too expensive to pay for three so I would have to just watch. It was nicer in the spa than it was in the carriage. I could smell the lotions and soaps that were used and the atmosphere was much more placid and comfortable. Since I was not partaking in what the spa had to offer, I was forced to sit in the spacious waiting area. The walls were lined with plush chairs and couches. In the center of the room was a stone pool with water lilies floating on the surface. I went to the edge to get a better look and I could see the black, orange, and white fish swimming languidly through the water. When I sat down there was a small carved table with thin books spread out across it. I picked up one of them, it was a fairy story. Since it was a fairy book, the pictures moved on the page as I read. I had read almost all of the books on that table and all the others by the time Giselle and Victoria came back. The sun had set already and I was hungry from not eating all day. They looked even more radiant after all the fairy beautification they had gotten. Their skin literally glowed slightly and their hair shone. After they had they had gotten dressed again in their gowns, it was decided that it was time to return to the hotel.
At the hotel we took dinner in the grand hall. Fortunately we had not missed it and arrived only a few minutes into the second course. Giselle and Victoria sat away from me and were instantly popular among the other guests that were also eating dinner. True to themselves, they were nothing but charm and grace. One would have never guessed that it was the same two girls who had assaulted shop girls and argued with a duchess earlier this same day. I for one, was happy to get at least a little respite from them. I got to eat my meal in peace since they were distracted by everyone else. No one paid much attention to me. The guests who were not talking to Victoria and Giselle were talking quietly to the people who sat around them. I sat next to an older couple who were talking about the last Pharyss celebration and what they expected from the upcoming one. I listened to a bit of their conversation. They spoke of the splendid balls and the tournaments that were held, both of which I had already heard of. Then they reminisced of how they had met at the last grand ball of the celebration. It was a romantic story. They had seen each other at various events during the course of their time in Pharyss but neither had the courage to speak to the other until that final night. He recalled how beautiful she looked in her sunflower yellow gown and how nervous he was when he asked her to dance. She recalled that as soon as the dance was over she knew that she loved him and wanted to be his wife. They had been married soon after and had lived happily to this day. I could only hope that someday I could be loved as much as they loved each other. After the dinner they left hand in hand still talking about the happy times they had together since that final celebration ball.
As I passed the front desk on my way back to my room, the woman there stopped me and held out a green envelope that reminded me of the room we were staying in. "This arrived for you today, miss. The messenger said it was important that it was delivered before tomorrow."
I took the message and thanked her. I had no idea why anyone would send a message to me so late at night that was so important it could not wait another day. Perhaps it had been delivered earlier in the afternoon and I was not here to receive it because I was out shopping with Giselle and Victoria. I decided that must be the case. I thought that possibly it could have been a message from mother, but she would sooner send Giselle or Victoria a message. I turned the envelope over. An insignia was pressed into a seal of gold colored wax. It looked prestigious and I thought I knew who had sent it. There was only one person I could think of that would know the color of the room I was staying in and want to send me a message – the Prince. I did my best not to rip the envelope apart in my haste to get to the paper inside. My heart was beating excitedly; the prince had sent me a personal letter. I could scarcely read the words fast enough on the way back to the Crocodile Room. I walked slowly because I was so engrossed in the message. It was written in very neat handwriting that I imagined belonged to Christian. I pictured him sitting at a desk penning his words specifically for me. That meant he was thinking about me; a thought that made me practically skip with joy.
Whoa a new chapter! In almost less than a day! I'm picking up momentum now.
Status update on the story as a whole: Tonight I took the time to organize all the random ideas I have been compiling into an actual timeline instead of random thoughts. This lead to even more ideas and almost half of the story just coming out. Unfortunately, it is the second half of the story so I just have to get there and then no more writer's block until the very end. But do not worry! I have also filled out the beginning as well (just not as much). So the whole planning bit has greatly decreased the chances of me going of on some stupid story line and getting tired of the story. As an added bonus it is also winter break soon and you all know what that means! More time for writing! I'm super super excited about the ending because I think it is perfect and I hope you guys will love it too. When I saved the timeline though it very nearly deleted everything I almost had a heart attack so now I saved everything a couple of times in different places to avoid that ever happening. The end is going to be a long time coming so I hope I can keep you entertained until then cause it's gonna be good!