The Once and Future Princess

Chapter 1

I was awoken to a voice speaking to me. "Princess Catherine, your mother requests your presence in the Hall." As I opened my eyes, I saw my lady's maid Claire laying a dress out for me.

"What does she want with me today? I can only imagine it has something to do with the upcoming trip to Camelot. I imagine that she is requesting my presents to go over the rules of my visit" I rolled my eyes as I stood up to get ready.

"I do not know milady; I just know she wanted you to be in the Hall as soon as possible." My maid said as she started getting me ready for the day. My dress was a nice blue silk dress with a soft neckline, a dress my mother would approve of. After I was dressed my maid left me to my devices to pick out dresses for my trip. I had just picked out my last dress as my maid came back. "Are you ready for me to take you to your mother now?" She asked as she looked over my choices.

"Yes, I am. Oh Claire, please make sure you pack my training clothes. Lady Morgana will be there, and I am hoping she will help me convince my mother to let me train with her." I smiled at her.

"Your mother has specifically forbidden me from packing those Milady." She sheepishly stated.

"It would do you well to remember you are my maid and not my mothers. I would like them packed even if I cannot wear them out, I can wear them to sleep in a foreign kingdom." I tried to reason with her. "It would bring me some comfort to have the option of wearing pants to sleep in a new place, just in case." As I said those words, I could see the understanding look on my maid's face.

"Yes milady. They will be packed. I will personally pack them. They will be hidden amongst your nightclothes, as your mother does not check those. Let's get you to your meeting." My maid walked me to the chamber in silence. As we reached the door my maid opened the door and let me in then left.

"Good morning mother. How are you this morning?" I asked slightly bowing to my mother.

"I am well, daughter. Now enough pleasantries. We will be leaving at mid-day. Your maid has instructions on what to allow you to pack and what to leave behind. Remember when you are asked about your father, what do you say?" My mother was never one for emotions, or small talk, or any talk that did not have to do with formalities.

On instinct, the words slip out of my mouth. "I miss my father, but we are doing well. The kingdom is thriving. My brother is training to be king as we speak, and he will be ready on the day he comes of age. For now, my mother is ruling well." These words came with no feeling, no emotion.

"Good, now remember, while we are there, you will be a well-behaved lady. No inappropriate training of any kind. You will only ride your horse for the short distance there. You will not ride inappropriately. You will not cause any issues while we are there. Do you understand?" My mother sternly advised with a glare in her eyes.

"Yes, mother. I understand. I will not have any fun or do anything that could be considered fun." I smiled and stood up. "May I please be dismissed? I must go finish packing my dresses to take with me."

"Catherine, lose the tone and speak to me with respect. I am your queen and your mother." Of course, that was the only thing my mother picked up on.

"Yes, mother. I apologize. I will follow your rules with pleasure. May I please be dismissed? I must finish with my maid." I say trying to appease her. She seemed to accept this.

"Yes, you may go. Your maid did say she would lay out an assortment of dresses for you to pick. Go, finish up. We leave in 2 hours' time." She dismissed me with a wave of her hand.

"Thank you, mother. I will see you in 2 hours' time." I bowed again and walked out. On the walk to my chambers, the only thing I could think of was why my mother was being so strict about this trip. I know Camelot is the biggest kingdom in the area and they have very strict rules, but most of those rules are about magic. While it is accepted in my kingdom, I do not practice it, so I have not the faintest idea as to why my mother has so many rules for this trip. I reached my chambers in good time, we still had nearly an hour and a half to finish packing and get down to the front.

"How was your meeting milady?" Claire asked as she was packing my bag.

"It was fine, Claire. I was right, my mother just wanted to speak of the rules again. I am concerned with the number of rules for this trip." I sighed and confessed to my maid.

"I am sure she just wants to make a good impression on the King as he has not seen any of you since you were a child milady." I pondered this thought as we packed. It was quick work and soon a guard had arrived to take me to my mother. I bid my maid farewell and the guard took my bags with us. As we neared the grounds, I could see my mother waiting for me.

"Mother. Are we ready to go?" I said as I saw the stable hands rounding the corner with our horses.

"Yes, let us get going." My mother formally said and motioned for the guards to get us ready to ride. One guard helped me into my saddle and then we were off. The ride was long and quiet. The ride consisted of mostly guards. The only ones not a guard were me, my mother and my mother's maid. I realized that this was a small group for a big trip. It only made me question the trip even more.

I wish my mother told me the purpose of this trip. Elmet and Camelot do not have the best relations especially since most kingdoms do not travel to us. Our borders are riddled with land that is uninhabitable, but once you get past it the center is lush and very livable. The outer edges are called "the perilous lands". As we reached these lands I understood why. There is barely any green and all the buildings are in ruins. The paths are walkable but everything else is worn down and broken. I knew the second we passed into Camelot as the borders were no long dry and dark-colored. We entered into a lush green forest and I knew we were no longer home, and it would not be long before we reached the city.