Dazed

by Katie Hauenstein

  Arm-in-arm, Ella and I made our way down the long hall to the Core, guards trailing behind us for protection. The room was thus named because it was the center of and entrance to Evergreen Palace. From it, hallways and stairways branched out to different rooms and areas. I would imagine coming to Evergreen Palace without knowing how to get around would be rather daunting, but, being raised here, I knew every little nook and cranny.

  Trying to sound nonchalant as we exited the Core to make our way to the field behind Evergreen Palace, I asked, “Has Count Peter arrived yet?”

  Ella gave me a quirked brow and side grin as she said, “No. I heard he won’t be arriving until late this evening.”

  I grunted in disappointment before I could stop myself and Ella laughed. “Honestly, Rose. Do you think you can hide your secret romance from me?”

  Stopping her on the steps down to the first floor, my eyes widened and I hushed her. “I thought I had! But if you know, keep it down,” I whispered with a tinge of fear of being found out.

  Ella just laughed more as if I wasn’t doing something expressly forbidden by my parents by being in a relationship with Peter. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

  “Rose, don’t worry so much! You know I would never tell!” Ella assured me. “Besides, Uncle admitted he and Auntie were in love before their Queen’s Test. I’m sure he would understand.”

  “All the same, please keep it to yourself.” I looked back at her with a slight smile. “So is he really arriving late tonight or were you simply yanking my roots?”

  “Oh, he really is coming in late. I overheard Aunt Amoura discussing it with the palace Steward.”

  “Oh.” I was disappointed.

  How can I greet him if I don’t know when he’ll arrive? Would it look suspect if I waited up? Yes. Probably.

  “I heard Count Stephan will be late as well,” I sighed. Ella sighed, too. The four of us had friends for a very long time, even though we ladies rarely got to see the gentlemen and the gentlemen only saw each other when they were with us. “But he’ll be late by a week.”

  “A week?!” Ella asked with the question of “why” implied thickly.

  “Yes. Apparently, his parents want him to be home for a little while longer before he’s gone for this time plus three months of the King’s Test – and possibly forever.”

  “Well, they’re rather confident of him.”

  I shrugged. “They have no reason not to be. He’s more qualified than the other participants.” I bit the corner of my bottom lip.

  “More qualified than Count Peter?” Ella asked, knowingly.

  I nodded as I thought about it. Everyone in the kingdom knew that Stephan was the most likely to make it to the end; he was a favorite already.

  “Have you and Count Peter talked about what will happen if – you know?”

  “No,” I responded sadly. “I think we already know what will happen if he doesn’t make it to the end.”

  The King’s Test was the traditional method of selecting the next King of Arboria, also commonly referred to as my husband. If I had been a boy, it would have been the Queen’s Test to determine the next Queen. Throughout the Test, eligible noblemen take part in the mysterious trials known only to the King and Queen, and in some circumstances the Council, before it begins. As time progresses, men are eliminated from the Test until two are left. At that point, Father will choose the one he deems most fit to be my husband and King. If Peter wasn’t in the final two – well, that was not something I wanted to think too long about.

  We stayed quiet as we walked in the field of purple and yellow wildflowers. Things had always been that way with Ella, my best girl-friend and cousin. For as long as I could remember, we could just be together without saying anything at all. Because our fathers were brothers, we were practically raised together.

  Ella was the Countess for the Maple Province, which was just outside our capital city of Petrichoria. Lucky for us, her family’s estate was just on the border, making visits easier. If she ever needed to, she could always send for something to be brought for her and it would arrive within a couple hours.

  After a good half hour, Ella and I lowered ourselves to the ground, laying back and watching the light grey clouds roll by. I was glad for her easy company. Father and Mother had been stressing me out over the last week with the preparations for the three big events coming up. On August 31, I would be turning twenty-one, what our culture saw as the age of wisdom and maturation. There would be a magnificent ball with dancing, conversing, sampling foods, and just overall frivolity.

  On September 1, my Crowning Coronation ceremony would take place. Being the Princess, I would already inherit the Crown should anything happen to my parents, but this was our kingdom’s way of acknowledging the people had faith in my ability to become Queen one day. If we had been dependent on a Regent, it would also be the time he or she would relinquish the Crown.

  The following day, September 2, would be the beginning of the King’s Test. Because my parents were the only ones who knew anything about it, I honestly had no idea what to expect. I would find out each part as the gentlemen did.

  “Ella?” I broke the silence after a good while and apparently woke her up because she snorted herself awake. I laughed and she wrinkled her nose at me. “I’m sorry, Ella,” I said through my giggles even though we both knew I really wasn’t.

  She turned and looked at me with her sparkling blue eyes. “I was having a perfectly good nap, so you better have something good to say, oh glorious Rose of Petrichoria.”

  It was my turn to wrinkle my nose at her. “Thanks for that, Ella. You’re a real gem.” She knew my opinion on the title and took every opportunity she could to make fun. As her laughing died down, I asked her what was on my mind. “When do you think your parents will start nagging you about marriage?”

  She furrowed her brow and made a grunty sound of disgust. “Blossoms, Rose. I have no idea. They haven’t yet, but I’m guessing after you’re married in four months, it will soon begin.”

  I smiled. “I’ll do my best to be there for you when it begins. It’s horrid. Father and Mother have been talking nonstop lately about the King’s Test, which leads to discussions about the Royal Wedding, which lead to discussions about the Crowning Coronation for the future Prince. It’s enough to drive me crazy!”

  “I can see how that would be annoying and nerve-wracking. I guess I hadn’t really thought about anything past the King’s Test for you. You know I’ll stay here as long as you want me to, right? Even past my duties as Crown Princess’ Maiden.”

  I took the hand of my cousin and gave it a little squeeze. “That’s good to know. Thanks, Ella.”

  Pretty soon, we had fallen silent again. I closed my eyes and listened to the gentle breeze blow over the wildflowers. They smelled so beautiful – not nearly as beautiful as my rose maze – but lovely all the same. Focusing on my breathing, I let the stress I had release from my body to make way for the new stress about to hit hard.

  “Princess Miriam! Countess Ella!” We heard our names being yelled. Ella snorted herself awake again and we both giggled.

  Both sitting up, we turned around to see the palace Steward looking over the tall field trying to find us. “Over here!” I yelled and waved in a most unladylike fashion.

  The Steward shook his head, but said nothing of my lack of manners. “It is time for supper, miladies!” He yelled only because he was so far away from us.

  “We will be right in!” I yelled back for the same reason. Ella and I stood up and brushed the grass and dirt from our rears. We had been having a dry spell lately, so it easily slid off our clothing. Unfortunately, I had decided on ivory pants that morning and didn’t consider it before lying in the grass.

  Marie is not going to be happy about these stains.

  When we made it to the Dining Hall on the second floor, Father and Mother were already waiting at the ridiculously large dining table. I was never sure why we had one so big; we n
ever had so many guests at Evergreen Palace.

  Perhaps for the Crowning Coronation we’ll have enough to fill it. No. That’s unlikely since tickets are drawn from a lottery. The Royal Wedding?

  “Princess Miriam, must you dawdle when you are summoned? Your father and I have been waiting for quite some time! Hello, Countess Elleouise.”

  I grimaced at the use of my real name and Ella waved politely as we took our seats near my parents.

  “Now, Amoura. Rose has been under quite a bit of stress lately. I don’t blame her for taking a well-earned rest.” Father said as he leaned over and gave Mother a kiss. “Also, there is no reason to be so formal when it’s only us.”

  Mother blushed. She always had been putty in Father’s hands and I appreciated him using this to my advantage. The love they had for each other also gave me hope for my own future. Mother, after all, had to participate in the Queen’s Test to become Father’s bride.

  “I suppose you’re right, Aaron,” she said to him. Looking back to me and taking my hand, she apologized. “I’m sorry, Rose. I suppose I’m a little overwhelmed as well, though I’m sure your stress dwarfs mine. I tend to become a little green-berried when I am.”

  “A little?” Father joked. Mother lovingly nudged him with her elbow. “How did your conversation with Prince George go last night, Rose?”

  Ella shot me a look. I hadn’t told her about it. “It was – fine.” I had blissfully put the conversation out of my mind and did not really want to go through it. I sighed. “He wanted you to make a special exception and have him included in the King’s Test. I told him, congenially, that it wasn’t in your power to make a unilateral decision like that and that the participants had already been announced, so it was too late.”

  “Hmm. What did he say?”

  “Well, he wasn’t happy. At one point in the conversation, he threatened future conflict over it. By the end, I think he had finally resigned himself to the fact he won’t be joining us.”

  “What is with that kingdom? Ever since boundaries were redrawn centuries ago, they have been trying to lay claim to different parts of the continent.”

  “They’re probably still bitter over losing it in the first place.”

  Ella snorted at that.

  I smiled at her, then turned by attention back to Father. “I also received several other calls of well-wishing from other world leaders and whining from three other Princes who got excluded from the King’s Test. All those conversations went about the same as Prince George’s.”

  “Who else complained?”

  “Let’s see,” I had to think about it because of the numerous calls I had received. “Prince Jean of Swiss-France, Prince Xi Roger of the Chinese Empire, and Prince Harold of Scandinavia.”

  “I should have never even let them know about the possibility.”

  I nodded. When he decided to call around to the ten selected kingdoms, I told him that, but he hadn’t listened to me.

  The rest of dinner was uneventful, but nice. We talked about how the Maple Province was faring, how Ella’s little brother, Thomas, was doing with his geography lessons, and how her parents’ recent anniversary ball went – we weren’t able to attend because we were having another meeting with the Province Delegates about the upcoming King’s Test.

  As uncomfortable as it was for Ella, it was a relief to have Mother asking about her suitors and her plans for the future rather than focusing on me. Ella was gracious and answered all her questions. When she told Mother she didn’t currently have any suitors because of her duties in the upcoming King’s Test, Mother tried to pry out information about who she would be interested in when it was all over.

  After several times dodging the question, which was asked in numerous different ways, Ella finally relented while we were sipping at some after dinner wine. “Oh. I don’t know. I suppose of the seven eligible noblemen, I would have to say Stephan Oak.”

  “Well,” Mother began in a gossipy tone, “You know he’s a favorite among the people for the King’s Test.”

  “Amoura…” Father said in a slight warning.

  “What? It’s not like she doesn’t know.”

  “Oh, yes. I’m well aware that Stephan will probably be one of the final two,” Ella interrupted.

  Mother turned her attention to me and I flicked Ella hard on her outer thigh for purposefully making that happen. Ella just smiled, proud of herself.

  “Rose, dear. If Stephan Oak was one of the final two, would you want him? After all, you have been friends for most of your lives.”

  I twirled the last sip of wine in my glass and stared at it. “I suppose it would depend on how the King’s Test goes. Perhaps one of the other gentlemen would be better suited after all.”

  Mother scoffed. “Like who?”

  Pretending to really think hard about it, I stopped twirling my glass and looked to the ceiling. “Well, what about Peter?”

  “Peter Juniper? Certainly you can’t be serious! I mean, I know you have been friends for years, but the young man takes nothing seriously. He would probably be a good husband, but a King –”

  “I think Peter is a fine young man,” Father intruded with a knowing grin. He always was perceptive. “It takes more than book-smarts to be King, Amoura. You know that.”

  Mother sighed. “You’re right, of course, Aaron.” She reached over and held my hand. “Peter Juniper is a good man and knows you well. Let’s hope at least one of the two end up in the final two. It would be nice for you to not have to start practically from the seed with someone. Though, I will tell you I prefer Stephan to Peter. He’s smarter, more charming, more –”

  “We’re going to bed now, ladies,” Father interrupted again with a smile. Mother frowned. “Goodnight.” He and Mother gave us kisses on the cheeks, then made their way out.

  It had become late and the wine had prepared us for a good night’s sleep. Ella and I went to the stairway in the Core to go to our rooms. While I had to go all the way to the fifth floor, Ella’s guest suite was on the third floor, so I walked her there before going the rest of the way up.

  Giving me a hug, Ella said, “Good night, Rose. Things will work out. Aunt Amoura will love you no matter who you marry.”

  “I’m not sure why it matters so much to her what I think. It’s not like it’s my choice anyway.” I sighed. “Oh well. Good night.”

  I gave her a squeeze, then released her to enter her room. As I made my way up two more floors to my room, I thought about how lucky I was with the life I had. My family led a kingdom and the people loved us because we did our best to be good to them. My parents loved me and each other. I had dear friends who knew me well. And Peter. I had Peter; even if it was only for another month.

  When I entered my room, my assistant, Marie, was patiently waiting on my chocolate brown sofa reading a magazine about current fashion to keep me on trend. As was our custom, she stood and curtsied gracefully. “Good evening, Princess Miriam. I have prepared your bath just the way you like it.”

  “Thank you, Marie.” The door slid closed behind me and I walked into the bathroom, Marie following a few steps behind. After I had pulled off my grass-stained ivory trousers, which she did frown at, and removed my forest green sleeveless top, Marie helped unlace my corset.

  Letting out a large breath, I told her, “I was born in the wrong era, Marie. Did you know back in the twenty-first century, women did not need to wear corsets?”

  “Technically, we do not need to wear them now, either. It has just been in style for decades.”

  Arching my back after it was removed, I replied, “Well, maybe it is time for the style to change. Perhaps I will start a trend by no longer wearing corsets.”

  Marie quirked an eyebrow at me knowing I wouldn’t stop wearing them, but politely didn’t say anything past her smug grin. Maybe some other Royals or Nobles would have a problem with their assistants doing such a thing, but Marie had been with me for quite some time and I allowed her certain liberties others
didn’t have.

  “I have laid out your night gown and undergarments on the bed, Your Highness. Have a good night,” she said as she turned on her heel and pushed the frame button to slide the door shut.

  Dipping a toe in first, I tested the heat of the rose-scented water. Pleased with how wonderfully hot it was, I submerged the rest of my body into the large tub. Allowing the heat to seep into my muscles, I rolled my neck, wrists, and ankles. After simply soaking for a while, I used my rose-scented shampoo, conditioner, and soap.

  When I had yawned for the tenth time, I decided it was time to get out and go to bed. I towel-dried with my bath sheet and wrapped it around my body as I left the bathroom and padded over to my bed across the room.

  Marie left me a short emerald green night gown with thin sleeves because the summer heat was nearing its peak at around 98°F. I slipped it on, then lay on top of the blankets. Taking a cleansing breath for the night, I reached and swiped my hand over the light panel on the wall next to my bed.