“Well then, there must have been some sort of mistake.” I swung my legs off the bed and they dangled down the side, not touching the floor due to the height of the bed and the two mattresses. “There was a girl in here last night. She took my clothes to dry and was going to return them. Have you seen her?” I peered around as I spoke, hoping to see my dress and cloak laid out somewhere for me.
“Oh yes. We sent her away because you weren’t awake yet,” said the girl on the left. That got my attention.
“Did she leave my clothes?”
“No, we told her to take them away. They weren’t very nice,” said the girl on the left again. Now I felt angry. I might be a youngest child, and there was the possibility these girls might be princesses, but I knew how to deal with difficult children.
“Well, you'll have to go and find her then and retrieve my clothes yourself. They may not be to your taste but they’re the only clothes I have with me. I can hardly walk around in this nightgown.” I spoke briskly and with authority and kept my eye trained sternly on the twins.
“Oh no, we have a much nicer dress for you to wear,” said the one on the right who I now noticed had slightly paler eyes but slightly brighter hair than her sister.
“One more fit for a princess,” agreed her darker-eyed sister, “you just need to come with us to our rooms. It’s not far.”
These girls might live in a castle but they were still children and my patience had run out. I slid off the bed and stood towering above them to give me added authority.
“That is enough of this talk of princesses. I’ve already told you I’m not a princess and I will not be going anywhere until you go and fetch my clothes.” I crossed my arms and glared down at them.
The darker-eyed one stood up and stepped towards me, smiling sweetly. “I’m sorry if we’ve made a mistake,” she said, “are you really not a princess?”
I relaxed my pose and smiled back at her. She was just a little child after all, not more than twelve years old. “No I’m really not a princess”, I replied, “but no harm done, if you could just –”
But before I could finish the girl’s expression changed to triumph and she cut me off.
“Well we are princesses. And if you’re not, that means you have to do what we say!” she announced with satisfaction in her tone. “And we say you have to come with us to our rooms – now!”
I stared at her in astonishment but before I could think of anything to say, her sister leapt to her feet and they each took one of my hands and started tugging me towards the door.
I could have stopped them, of course, but I was now feeling a little unsure. I was probably in enough trouble already without the princesses complaining of me to their butler, or worse, their parents. So I let myself be dragged out of the room and down the corridor. Maybe I wasn’t quite as good at dealing with difficult children as I thought.
The twins pulled me further along the left hand gallery and then across to a door coming off the left hand side.
“My name is Lily,” said the darker-eyed one so I knew the other must be Princess Sophie. I counted up in my head and realised they must be eleven.
“This whole side of the gallery is for us and Max,” said Sophie proudly. “You were on the guest side.”
“And their majesties?” I asked anxiously, dropping my eyes to the ground so I wouldn’t be in danger of seeing one of my sovereigns emerging from their bedchamber.
“Oh no,” laughed Sophie, “they have the whole East Wing to themselves. You know, the right-hand gallery.” When she saw how relieved I looked she laughed again. Neither girl seemed angry with me for speaking to them so sternly before.
The door that Lily now pulled open led into a bright and spacious room that seemed to be half schoolroom, half playroom. The opposite wall was lined with high windows and to the left was a large fireplace with a small fire and several armchairs in front of it. To the right were several desks grouped together and behind them was the largest dollhouse I had ever seen. There was a door in both the left and right hand walls and the left door was open showing a large bedroom with two four-poster beds. Both rooms were as elegantly and expensively decorated as my guestroom had been, although the colour scheme here was pink and green and the rooms had a lived in look that the guestroom lacked.
I could see a slipper poking from beneath one of the armchairs, the desks were covered in several layers of paper and four abandoned dolls lay in strange positions around the dollhouse. It looked like the kind of room I dreamt of for myself while I lay in my tiny bed in my family’s cottage. Reluctantly I felt myself softening towards Lily and Sophie. They had a beautiful room but they were still eleven-year-old girls and must be bored in this great drafty castle buried in the woods. Perhaps they were simply curious and had no malicious intent. Curious I could handle.
While I was examining the room, both girls had run off into the bedroom and they now returned carrying a dress. Lily was holding the shoulders and Sophie was supporting the long skirt so it didn’t brush against the ground.
“This,” said Lily reverently, “is our Princess Dress.” This made me laugh which earned me two identically reproachful looks.
“Since you’re princesses, isn’t every one of your dresses a princess dress?” I asked.
Sophie looked surprised but Lily appeared to give this comment some serious thought. “I suppose you could say that,” she said, “but this is a grown-up princess dress. So it’s different. We thought you could wear it.”
“Even though it turns out I’m not a princess?” I asked, struggling to keep a straight face.
“Well, you look like a princess, so we think it’s alright,” Lily replied.
My amusement changed to shock. “Look like a princess? Me?” Now, I don’t normally consider myself to have any kind of false modesty. I know that I’m quite pretty, I’ve even been called very lovely. But I definitely don’t have the classical beauty of the twins.
“You have golden hair and blue eyes. Like a princess,” explained Sophie.
Now I felt like laughing again. My hair is blonde but not the pure gold of the twins, in fact the streaks in it are closer to red than blonde. And my hair would be more accurately described as wavy rather than curly. I certainly don’t have the twins’ perfect ringlets. And my eyes do have a little blue in them but were always described by my mother as green.
“I don’t think all princesses have blonde hair and blue eyes. Although many princesses certainly do,” I added quickly.
“Well it’s the only grown-up-sized dress we have,” said Lily, in a practical vein. “So you’ll have to wear it.”
I considered my situation for a silent moment. If I was right and the princesses were bored, it might be possible to bribe them.
“How about a story?” I suggested. “If you like it, you promise to go and get my own clothes for me.” I tried to look calm and unconcerned, like the adult they seemed to think me.
“What sort of story?” asked Lily suspiciously.
“Oh, one about princesses, of course,” I said. “Two princesses, in fact. Twin princesses.” Both girls’ eyes got large.
“Just like us! We’ve never heard a story about two princesses,” Sophie cried enthusiastically and I knew I had them.
Chapter 3
“And they lived happily ever after,” I finished, snuggling a little deeper into the comfortable armchair.
“That was the best story I’ve ever heard,” announced Sophie.
I smiled in satisfaction. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. And that means you have to go get my own clothes for me. That was the deal.”
“We never agreed to the deal,” said Lily. “And anyway, we can’t get your clothes, we told Mathilde to burn them.”
I stared at her smug look in shock. It seemed princesses were a great deal more devious in person than they were in stories. Even half-sized princesses.
I could feel the anger inside, a tight pressure in my chest, straining to spread and engulf me.
How dare these children burn my clothes! What had I ever done to them? I leapt to my feet and began pacing up and down in front of the fire, glaring at the girls.
I opened my mouth to give the two pampered, spoiled little…. princesses the harshest scolding they’d ever received in their short lives. Luckily, before I could say something that I would regret, the door opened and a young man came into the room.
The first thing I noticed was that he was looking at me and he looked angry. This was so unexpected that my own anger faded away. The second thing I noticed was that he was clearly the twin’s older brother – crown prince Maximilian – and he was extremely good-looking. His features were heavier than theirs, more masculine, but he had the same straight nose and bright blue eyes. His hair was much darker, a brown closer to black than golden, but the family resemblance was still striking. I had heard that our prince was the most handsome in three generations (princes being less exclusively good-looking than princesses) but I wasn’t prepared for the effect of seeing so much attractive masculinity with my own eyes. For once in my life I couldn’t think what to say but stared at him in silence. Then he spoke and his words snapped me out of my confusion.
“Who’s she? You girls shouldn’t have a stranger in your room – she could be anyone.” My mouth almost fell open I was so surprised at his aggressive words and rude tone. This was not at all how I had imagined a prince would behave. The twins were children and so had some small excuse for their lack of courtesy. The prince, if I remembered rightly, was nineteen and therefore had none at all.
“Excuse me!” I said quickly. “I’m standing right here and can speak for myself, your Highness. Just because I was raised in a woodcutter’s cottage doesn’t mean I don’t deserve some basic courtesy. And someone raised in a palace should know that!”
His eyes moved from his sisters to my face and stayed there for several moments. I returned his look challengingly.
“My apologies, woodcutter’s daughter,” he said formally. “May I know your name and what you’re doing in my sisters’ room?”
“My name is Alyssa and I’m here under sufferance, your highness,” I replied. “Your sisters have basically kidnapped me.”
“Kidnapped you! Good gracious!” Although I hadn’t meant my words humorously, I seemed to have surprised a smile onto his face. “And how did two eleven-year-olds manage to do that?”
“Very simply,” I replied. “They took away my clothes and had them destroyed.” I felt my cheeks flushing as my previous anger returned.
At my words, Prince Maximilian’s eyes dropped down to the nightgown I was wearing and suddenly I wasn’t the only one flushing. But whatever he was feeling, he mastered it quickly, his look of reserve returning.
“I apologise for their behaviour,” he said stiffly. “I will speak to the servants and have some replacement clothes found for you so you can be on your way again.”
The subtext was clear – the sooner I was on my way the better. Well that was fine by me.
“I would appreciate it, your highness,” I said and swept into as deep a curtsy as I could manage with the nightgown. Unfortunately, the nightgown didn’t allow for very graceful movement and I heard one of the twins let out a giggle behind me.
For a second a sparkle in the prince’s eye made me think he would join them in their laughter but if he felt any amusement it was swiftly quashed. Instead, he gave me a small bow, turned and strode out of the room.
I let out a big breath and collapsed back into the armchair. What an insufferable boy! Even as I thought it, I could feel a smile creeping across my face. Mmmm, he was good-looking, though. My body began to shake with an internal laugh at my own foolishness.
“He’s not normally like that,” said Lily, frowning at the now closed door. “He’s normally pretty nice. For a brother,” she added quickly.
I looked at her skeptically and figured maybe he was nice – to his sisters. Apparently just not to strange girls who wandered in from the forest. Actually, when put like that perhaps it wasn’t so surprising. Before I could follow this thought any further, I was interrupted by the sound of a bell being rung from somewhere outside the room.
“Quick!” and “Breakfast!” shouted the twins over the top of one another. And before I realised what was happening they had picked their dress back up, deposited it in my arms, pushed me into their bedroom and shut the door behind me.
I stared at the door in surprise and then down at the dress in my hands. For a moment I considered refusing to put it on. I could always just stay here in the princesses' bedroom until the prince had some normal clothes delivered.
But I had no reliance on the twins leaving me be. Besides I was longing to be dressed. Then I could get away from the princesses and find some clothes for myself. With this thought in mind, I pulled off the nightgown, laying it on one of the beds, and slid the dress over my head.
It settled around my neck and onto my hips and I saw with relief that it was the right length for me and wouldn’t drag along the floor, tripping me up.
“Girls!” I called and the door popped open, both princesses tumbling into the room. “I need you to fasten the dress for me.”
Lily ran to my back while Sophie just stood and gazed at me. “It’s perfect,” she said, “just how I imagined.”
I smiled, finding their delight infectious. It was certainly a very beautiful dress. White and gold with a scooped neckline and a fitted bodice, the material hugged my sides all the way down to my hips before falling away into a full skirt. A golden ribbon rested along the line of my hips and was tacked at the front to form an off-centre V. The two ends fell almost the length of the dress and fluttered when I moved. The dress was accented with beautiful gold embroidery and the whole thing was very heavy. The weight of the material and the swishing of the skirt made me feel like an actual princess. I lifted my head up and straightened my spine. Surely Dorkins couldn’t exact too heavy a punishment on me while I wore this dress. Maybe he would even be fooled, like Lily and Sophie, into thinking I was a princess. At least long enough for me to find some normal clothes and slip away into the woods.
The daydream lasted only for a moment. If I did slip off I would be no better than before – still lost in the woods with no idea how to get back to the merchants. No, I would have to tell the truth and ask for help. I had no money on me, what little I had was back in Ariana’s wagon. But I was sure my aunt in Arcadie would be willing to pay a fair journey price to anyone who helped me reach the capital. Once I had a job I could pay her back.
While I had been thinking about the best way forward the twins had been herding me out the door and I now found myself back out in the corridor. I was still in bare feet but the length of the dress hid my toes and the carpet was soft under my feet.
"Come on, Alyssa, I'm starving" moaned Sophie pulling on one of my hands.
Lily grabbed my other hand and together they pulled me along the corridor and down the wide staircase I'd come up the night before. I tried to pull away from them towards the door beside the fireplace but they were towing me in the other direction. Now that it was daylight, I could see an open archway leading to a long corridor on the opposite side of the hall to the fireplace. Various doors came off both sides of this corridor but the twins didn't stop until they reached the final door on the left side.
I felt a twinge of misgiving about what might be on the other side of the door but before I could ask them, Sophie had pushed the door open and Lily had walked through it, still clutching tightly to my hand.
My first impression was of light. The opposite wall was lined with windows and the whole room glowed with the morning sun. A large table filled the length of the room and the wall beside me was lined with a long buffet. The smells coming from the dishes lining this bench were so delicious I could feel my stomach grumble. But before I had done more than register my hunger, I felt it transform into nausea. There were three people in the room, sitting around the table and I recognised them immediately.<
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Seated at the head of the table was a middle-aged man whose face was familiar from royal portraits. He had the same dark hair as the prince but his eyes were a piercing grey and his face was lined and more tired-looking in person than in paint. At the foot of the table was an elegant lady wearing a blue robe and a small tiara.
She was easily the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, her age giving her an elegance and gravity that only enhanced her beauty. It was obvious that all three of her children had their blue eyes from her and although her golden hair was piled on her head, I guessed that it would fall in perfect ringlets. The twins’ youthful beauty was startling because they were identical but I suspected that the queen had been more beautiful than her daughters when she was their age.
All of this I took in in the first few seconds and then my eyes fell on Prince Maximilian. He was staring at me with shock and something that looked almost like hunger. His expression was so intense it scared me a little. My unease only grew when his expression changed to the same angry scowl he'd worn earlier.
"That is not the dress I had sent to you," he snapped. "And I thought you were leaving."
The king and queen had been looking at me with expressions of slight surprise but they now turned their surprise towards their son. I felt myself flushing when I realised how his words could be construed.
"Really, Max," said his mother gently. She turned to me, "and who are you? I don't think we've met before."
She stood up and came around the table, holding out her hand to me. "I'm Queen Eleanor and this is King Henry," she gestured at the king.
I took her hand and curtseyed as deeply as I could. "I'm Alyssa, your majesty. I'm so sorry to disturb your breakfast. I think there's been some mistake. I was looking for Dorkins but the princesses brought me here."
The queen smiled and it wasn't until I saw the way her smile lit up her face that I realised how sad she had looked before.
"My daughters certainly know how to impose their will when they want to," she said, her eyes flashing towards the king and then quickly back to me. "A royal trait I suppose. It seems I must apologise for all my children, we are being poor hosts indeed. But I admit, I didn't know we had any guests." Her tone turned the statement into a gentle question.
The Princess Companion: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea (The Four Kingdoms Book 1) Page 3