The Forbidden Princess [Paused]

Chapter 3: An Invitation

I woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. My beautiful dream about my mother had turned into a horrible nightmare about my father. What scared me most was that it seemed so real. I could feel my feet on the cold wooden floor, my hand pushing open the door. I could hear the wonderful tune of my mother's violin drifting through the corridor just as it did when I was little. I could feel my mother's soft, inviting hug that I had missed. But I could also hear my father's harsh words in my ear, yelling at me to leave. It seemed so real, how could it have been a dream?

I must have screamed because Nina came in my room, throwing open the door. Her hair was up, but it was a mess. (Not saying mine looked much better.) She had a silk gown on that looked like it was from the palace. Father must have given it to her. Thanks for giving me nice things, Father. I thought sarcastically.

"Are you alright, Miss?" Nina rushed to my bedside and stood over top of me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied. "Just a dream."

Nina smiled at me, patted my head, and headed out the door. "Good night, Miss."

"Wait, Nina."

She turned around, her facial expression still comforting. "Yes, Miss?"

"Don't call me 'Miss'. Please just call me, Charlotte." I smiled at her but I doubt she could really see it.

"I will, Mi- I mean, Charlotte. Good night now." She closed the door quietly behind her and I could hear her walking back to her room.

I attempted to sleep again, but I knew I couldn't. I somehow dozed off anyways.

~~~

When I woke up, I was burning up and sweating. I tossed the cover off of me and stepped out of my room into the open living room and kitchen. Nina was already cooking, but didn't hear me over the sound of the sizzling food. Father must have been gracious enough to give us plenty of things to eat.

I decided to not bother her and take a bath. I went outside to find a stream to fill up buckets the tub. Luckily, I found one running behind my house. However, it was pretty far away for me to walk since I usually never have to walk anywhere.

I lugged the two buckets I had over to the creek and filled each one up, carrying them back to the bathtub. (Which was just a big round metal bowl.)

I sighed and dumped each bucket into the tub. I realized this would take a while, so I scurried back and forth, from the creek to the tub until the tub was full.

The water was cold when I got in, but felt good anyways because I knew I could get clean. I didn't feel super clean, but it was as clean as I could get in this Village. I couldn't wait to get home.

Once I was finished, I dried off and headed to my room to find another beautiful dress laid out for me on the bed. It was a simple dress, but it was a vibrant shade of red. The collar was curved, and the sleeves were tight around my forearms. My mother's locket seemed to look perfect with his dress. I put it on (I took it off only for the bath) and glanced in the mirror. I didn't see me anymore. I didn't look like a princess. I guess I'm not suppose to though, so I was hoping that I was doing good. I brushed out my hair and headed to the kitchen to talk Nina into braiding my it.

"Of course, sweetheart. Sit down and I'll get you some food and then we can braid your hair," Nina said after I asked her.

I sat down and Nina carried over a plate full of food that looked delicious. There was crispy bacon, a warm biscuit, and fluffy eggs on the plate. Immediately I dug into the wonderful meal.

~~~

Nina had just about finished my hair once I cleaned my plate. She told me to go look in the mirror so I did.