Arabella awoke to the sun shining through her window. The carriage rocked gently over the cobblestone path, making Veronica stir. Out the window, the gleaming castle could be seen in the distance through the thick of the trees. Veronica sat up.
"Was it all a dr-dr-dream?" she asked as she yawned, sleepily.
"I wish." Arabella said as she rested her chin in her fist. Trees whirled by in a mix of green and gold. Before too long, Arabella was stepping onto the stone grounds of the castle. She looked up, noticing the other girls looking just as tired as she felt, also weary from the night before. She wondered silently if they had experienced the same horrors she had. As if on cue, Madame Maxine was there in all her glamor to welcome them back.
"Now I'm sure many of you had a difficult night last night, so for the next week, despite what I said earlier, there will not be an event. I encourage each of you to explore, make friends, and reflect. Or the opposite," she said in her usual marvelous tone. "Please make yourselves comfortable." The girls made there way silently inside the large castle doors. She Arabella had reached her room, she nodded at Veronica and laid back on her comfortable bed. However, her moment was disrupted by a price of paper beneath. She sat up and removed it, realizing it was and envelope. She turned it over and read:
To: Arabella Wood
From: The Wood Family
Intrigued, she opened the letter and read:
Arabella,
This is Sabrina.
Sabrina! Writing to her?
I am at home with the rest of the family. And James. We are planning on getting married in two weeks!
Arabella realized she would not be home for Sabrina's and James' wedding. A pang of sadness hit her.
Ivy will be the flower girl. If you're not home by then, I don't mind. I trust that you will do the right thing. After all, being queen is a huge responsibility. And I admire you for taking on the challenge. Mother and Father have been well, and last night tried out a recipe from your cookbook! It was quite good. I caught Ivy sneaking the rest of the pudding last night.
Arabella had made a small binder book of a few recipes she had created herself. From what she had gathered, they had made her apple pudding. She smiled.
I hope you're having a marvelous time at the palace! I know you're not allowed to write back, but have you met the prince? I can only imagine.
...And so can I, Arabella thought.
We all miss you very much. I hope to find you well, in whatever room in the castle you might be in. Best wishes,
Sabrina
P.S. Varity says hello
Arabella held the letter to her chest. She missed them so much. She slid the note back into it's envelope and set it gingerly on her desk. She took a much neated shower, and put on some clothes for the afternoon. After she had wasted away a substantial amount of time reading books of manners and etiquette and princess tales, she joined the others for a royal dinner. Fed and watered, she fell into a deep sleep. Thoughts of "Always do the right thing" and "I trust that you will do the right thing" swam through her head. But even sleeping beauty was awake in the early hours of the morning.
...
Short chapter! I decided to split this one into two, instead of having one long one.❤️💕
YOU ARE READING
The Princess Test
FantasyArabella Wood has everything she could ever want. At least, that's what people say. But all that changes when she is picked to compete with fifty maidens for the prince's hand. But the test was nothing like what she expected...
