FINDING PRINCE CHARMING
Chapter 4
On the last day they passed through a dark tunnel that seemed to go on forever. Eventually it came to an end. Still further and further they went through meadows full of wildflowers with the odd cluster of shrubs and here and there a solitary tree. At last they saw in the distance a dark, gloomy castle. It was surrounded by the sharp peaks of mountains, like the teeth of an animal that was ready to devour anybody who came too close.
"That," said king Henryk, "will be your home."
Esmeralda was too shocked to speak. She had been terrified of falling during the whole wild ride before they had reached the tunnel. Now, when she finally felt she could relax, the look of the castle frightened her. When they came near she saw just how huge it was. It stood on a hill, was carved out of the rock and surrounded by a deep ravine. A gigantic, heavy bridge came down. Behind it a massive gate opened. It was made of the same stone as the castle and no battering ram was strong enough to break it down. The entrance was twice as high as a man on horseback and wide enough for four knights in full armour to pass through side by side. Beyond was a large courtyard shaped like a crescent moon. On the far side of the courtyard was another wall of rock as tall as the outside wall. High up in this wall was an outcrop, like a balcony carved in the stone. It looked as if there might be an opening, but that was hard to see because the shadow of the outer wall made everything look strange.
Henryk rode to the left, towards the point of the crescent. There, hidden by the darkness was the entrance to the rest of the castle. This too was closed off by a gate similar to the main entrance. Someone on the inside opened it and they went through into a short tunnel. On the right was a wooden door to the interior of the castle, at the end the tunnel opened up to a bright garden. They dismounted. Henryk untied the rope that held them together. A groom came from the garden and led the horse away.
"Come," Henryk said and entered the building.
Esmeralda, too scared to disobey, followed him inside, up a massive wooden staircase and into a room with huge windows looking out onto the garden. Inside was a large dining table and chairs and three sideboards with big bunches of flowers on them. Henryk grabbed the apron that was lying on a chair, gave it to Esmeralda and pointed to the broom that was standing against the wall.
"The apron is to protect your clothes. The broom is to sweep the floor of this room. If you do this, you can eat here with my people. If you don't then you won't get anything. "
Esmeralda stared at him in disbelief. When he turned to go she exploded.
"How dare you! You've kidnapped me; you've dragged me through the wilderness for days; I can recall every word you said to me all that time: "eat", "drink", "sit", "sleep", "come" and now you order me to start cleaning."
Surely this man, no, this ugly … thing couldn't mean that.
"I am a princess and every man adores me. I am not a maid and never will be. If you want this floor sweeping then you can do it yourself," she shouted and threw the apron on the ground.
"Fine, you don't feel hungry then," Henryk said and he left the room.
"Wait till my father finds you, he'll kill you for this," she shouted, but he didn't even turn back
Esmeralda sat down on one of the chairs, put her feet on a second chair, folded her arms and waited … and waited … and waited.
Eventually, in the middle of the afternoon a woman came into the room.
"Good afternoon," she said. "I'm Margaret, King Henryk's housekeeper."
She saw the apron was lying on the floor, the broom hadn't been touched and the young girl was sitting down.
"You have not done your work yet. You won't get any food if you don't do your work."
Esmeralda answered again: "I am a princess and not a maid. I'll never do a maid's work and you can tell that to your master."
Margaret shook her head.
"You really think you are something special, don't you. Well, it is up to you, but don't think you will get anything to eat, if you don't do your job."
Then she left the room.
ooOOoo
Esmeralda didn't stir for a while. When she got rather bored just sitting there, she got up from the chair, walked around the room and looked in the cupboards. They just contained plates and cups, bowls and beakers; serving dishes and cutlery, glasses, tablecloths and napkins, and anything else anybody might need to set the table. Then she went to the window and looked out in the garden. She saw nice manicured lawns, neatly trimmed shrubs, rows and rows of pruned rosebushes, masses of flowering spring bulbs, a fountain spouting water as high as the castle and in the distance, a stream and behind that a wood. Far in the distance whichever way she looked, she could see the high sharp mountain peaks that had frightened her. In fact the little country was a large valley, protected by the mountains that kept the worst of the weather and invading armies out.
Esmeralda wished she could walk in the garden.
"What a pity that so much beauty is hidden behind that horrible castle. What a pity that such a hideous, horrifying, ghastly man has such a nice place. I would like to live here, with a wonderful and kind man, who would worship me and with servants to do everything I want," she thought.
She stamped her foot.
"My Prince Charming will come and kill that monster for me, and I will laugh and dance when he is captured, and I will live here as queen. And maybe I will lock him up and punish him for the rest of his life for what he has done to me."
But nobody heard her and she felt very lonely in the room.
Just as the sun started to set, Margaret came back with a young girl. She quickly glanced at Esmeralda and the floor that still was not swept.
"Quickly, Jane, do the floor first and then start setting the table. I'm sure somebody will come and help you soon," she said to the girl.
The girl took the apron, put it on and started sweeping the floor.
Then Margaret went to Esmeralda and said: "Follow me, I will show you your room."
Esmeralda followed her and thought: "Finally they realise who I am. I was right not to do anything. I am a princess, not a maid. Now they'll treat me as I should be treated."
They went up a flight of stairs to the next floor and Esmeralda saw incredible richness everywhere. Thick lavishly coloured carpets, furniture with intricate carving, chandeliers and candleholders in gold and crystal, paintings and vases with flowers – she did not know where to look first. This made her father's place look a bit ordinary.
Margaret led her up a further two flights of stairs and always there were magnificent furnishings. The fourth flight led to a corridor with plain carpets on the floor and unadorned doors. The light fittings were basic but gave a bright light. There were no flowers, no pictures, no furniture or anything else in this hallway. Margaret opened one of the doors and there was a wooden staircase that led to an attic. Across the width of the attic was a wooden partition with two doors.
She opened one of the doors and said to Esmeralda: "Here is your room. I will call you tomorrow morning at seven." And then she left.
Esmeralda went inside, but instead of rich furnishings and soft pillows, there was a simple narrow bed with cotton sheets and just one blanket. A bowl and a jug of cold water were standing on a washstand. Apart from the bed and the washstand there was a stool that served as bedside table and a narrow wardrobe. It had just one door and when she opened it she found a simple cotton night-dress without frills or lace and a similar dressing gown, two plain dresses, two aprons and two pairs of sensible shoes. Esmeralda slammed the door of the wardrobe shut and lay on the bed fully dressed. She crossed her arms.
"Who does he think he is? I am not going to give in. HE will come, my prince charming, my brave knight, and he will free me."
She thought somebody would bring her some food, but as it became later and later she realised that she would get nothing to eat. At first she could not sleep, because she felt so hungry, but the emotions of the past days and the tiring journey to the castle eventually sent her to sleep.
She felt she had barely slept a couple of hours, when a pounding on the door of her room woke her up. Eventually Margaret entered the room.
"Come on, get up. The day has already started and there is work to be done before breakfast. "
"Oh, go away," Esmeralda said. "I am not going to work, so just bring me my breakfast."
"Well, if you won't come, you will not get any breakfast," Margaret answered, and left the room.
Esmeralda did not get out of bed, but fell asleep again. She woke up feeling very hungry and wondered what the time was. She noticed the sun was blazing through the skylight so it was not early. Immediately she decided she was going to find somebody who would give her something to eat.
She found the dining room again and saw the broom standing against the wall and the apron lying folded on top of the nearest sideboard. Obviously people had been eating there; the table had not been cleaned yet. Then the young girl, Jane, came in and started to wipe the table.
Esmeralda shouted: "You there, what time is it? When are we having our midday meal here?"
"It is half past two, and we all had our lunch already, Ma'am," was Jane's answer.
"Get me something to eat then. I haven't had anything yet."
"You'll have to go to the kitchen, Ma'am; it is on the ground floor. Follow me, Ma'am, I'll show you."
The girl took her to the kitchen and left her with the cook. No sooner had Esmeralda seen the cook or she started to order her about.
"I'm a princess and I haven't had anything to eat since yesterday, so give me some fresh bread and meat and tea with lemon and sugar, and some fruit and desserts. And be quick about it because I am not used to waiting."
The cook had a good look at the girl ordering her about in her kitchen.
"Princess, ha, you don't look much like a princess. You're just a little chit of a girl that should know better than to order people about. If you wanted to eat, you should have been up and ready at mealtimes, just like the rest of us."
At that moment Margaret arrived.
"So, you finally decided to come out of your bed. Are you going to work today?"
To the cook she said: "This girl is not to have anything to eat until she starts working for it, Mary. She is a spoilt brat and needs to be taught some manners."
"Is she really a princess, Margaret?" Mary, the cook asked. "She doesn't look like a princess to me. She looks like an unwashed and unkempt little beggar girl."
"I am a princess, I am, and my father is a king and will punish you all."
Like the spoilt child she was Esmeralda stamped her foot. Margaret took her by the arm and led her to a mirror.
"Take a look and then tell me you look like a princess."
Esmeralda stared at her image in the mirror. She saw a girl in a wrinkled, grubby dress with bits of the lace ripped off, her face streaked with dirt and her hair in a mess. That certainly was not a princess, and she did not know what to do about it as there had always been somebody to help her get dressed in the morning and somebody else to do her hair, and …
She started to cry because she felt miserable and alone and hungry. Margaret felt sorry for the girl. Although she had eventually agreed with King Henryk's abduction of the princess, had helped organise it, and had promised him to show the girl some 'tough love', seeing her tears touched Margaret's motherly heart.
"I'll help you get dressed and get washed and combed, and if you sweep the floor in the dining room, you can eat as much as you want tonight."
"But I don't know how to sweep," Esmeralda cried.
Margaret laughed. "Come on, we'll fix you up and then I'll show you how to sweep."
She took Esmeralda to the little room and showed her how to wash her face and comb her hair. She helped her to put on one of the cotton dresses. And in the dining room she showed Esmeralda how to hold a broom and sweep the floor and then she went and left her to it.
And that evening Esmeralda ate with everyone else and the food was delicious, infinitely better than she had expected. After all, it was just fodder for servants, she thought.
ooOOoo