Chipped Tea Cup

The Princess

I looked down at my dress, it was cream with blue and red flowers. We had only been on the boat a day, but I was in disarray. I tried to smooth out the wrinkles as best I could. I walked to my mother.
"How do I look?"
She tucked the pieces of my brown hair that has fallen out of my bun behind my ears. "Beautiful," she said.
She was exaggerating. I am no beauty.
We linked arms and walked off the boat. There was a carriage waiting for us. I gazed up at the towering cliffs that bordered the port. They made me feel small and dizzy. We reached the carriage.
"Do you just follow this road to the castle?" I asked the horseman.
"Yes your highness,"
"I think I'll walk then. Good bye mother," and I walked off before she could say anything.

I started up the road looking at everything around me. The road had a gradual incline but eventually it was enough to make me sweat. My governesses words rung in my ears "ladies never sweat". Ladies don't traipse through a town they've never been in before either.
It smelled like fresh rolls and manure. Each time I took a deep breath to smell the bread the smell of manure burned my nose, but it was worth it. The townsfolk were bustling this way and that, paying me no mind. I suppose I don't look very different at all from them right now. Sure my dress is a little more expensive, and my hands clean and soft. I probably smell a whole lot better too. But here I was walking in the dirty streets just like any of them.

I saw a street peddler advertising some pastries and felt my stomach growl. I walked up to the stand.
"How much?" I said taking out my coin pouch.
"No cost for a pretty dame like you," he said with a smile as he handed me an apple crisp. I smiled, gave him many thanks, and left.
As I was walking I noticed someone following me. When I stopped they stopped. When I turned they turned. Eventually I spotted them. It was a little girl no older than six. She had wild orange hair that you tell no matter how much you brushed it or how tightly you tied it would never lay right. She was pale and freckled. Her head was disproportionately large compared to her scrawny body. Her eyes were large and brown. She was wearing a faded yellow dress.
"Hello!" I said. She did not respond; she just looked shyly at her feet. "What's your name?" Nothing. "I'm Kate, but you can call me Katy if you want," I got down on my knees. I could tell she was eyeing my pastry. "Are you hungry?" She nodded. "Here," and I handed her my pastry. She started nibbling on it.
When she was almost done she looked up at me and said, "he stole your coin purse you know"
"What?"
"Your coin purse, he stole it. While he was handing you your pastry he had his pickpocket come and steal it."
I reached for where my purse should hang. It was gone. "You're right!"
"Are you a princess?" She asked.
"Are you?"
She seemed surprised that I asked. Her eyes went wide as she sprung forward and took my hand. She led me down an alleyway. I would be concerned I was about to get robbed if I hadn't already lost everything of value that I had. "No ones supposed to know!" She hissed.
"Know what?" I whispered back.
"It's a secret! I'm not supposed to let anyone know that I'm really a princess,"
"Why?" I said hiding my smile.
"Because then they'll come!"
"Who?"
"The bad guys who took over my kingdom! They killed my mother and father. But I ran away and hid. They think I'm dead, but if you know maybe they do too!"
She looked so afraid, "Don't worry I won't tell them! No one knows, it was just a lucky guess."
The little princess seemed comforted. "Ok..."
"What's your name, your highness?"
"Macey!"
Here I curtseyed, "nice to meet you Macey,"