Princess of Dragons

Chapter 42

"Is this all you wish brought over, princess?" one of the servants asked.

"Yes. I will not require anything else." she nodded despite the quite skeptical look she was given.

Everything of hers was being moved from her chambers to the king's as they spoke. Luckily, she didn't have a lot of things, so she wouldn't impose on him too much. Hopefully.

The servant finally slid away with a nod and continued to help the others. Meanwhile, Chanti popped up to take his spot.

"Please follow me, princess. I will take you straight to your new chambers." Her smile was just a little broader than usual.

Ciara looked back at the servants again, watching them move her possessions out of the room in a steady stream. She gave them all a thankful smile and then followed Chanti out of the room she'd called her own for quite some time now.

"Is it far away?" She realized she had absolutely no clue where in this castle his chambers resided.

Chanti turned and gave her a bright smile. "Not to worry, Ciara, they are on this wing. Just upstairs," She turned around and continued. "We like to keep his and his guest-chambers close by each other for convenience."

Ciara smiled and nodded, internally rejoicing the fact that the young maid had taken to using her name without any honorifics, even if it was only when it was the two of them.

Mathilda wasn't quite there and would likely take some convincing still. But Ciara was pretty sure she'd convince even her, given the time.

Ciara silently followed the maid up the, as always, grand staircase and just a little down the hall. Just ahead stood Alex and Elias, waiting for her in front of a door. Through which maids and servants almost ran in and out, their arms piled up with all manners of different things.

Suddenly, she felt nervousness rising in her, recognizing those things to be her own. Just what would all this mean for her life here?

That is when Elias spotted the two approaching. "Oh, Ciara. Perfect timing, they are almost done, they say." He gave her a faint smile.

Alex whirled around and gave her one of his grand grins. "Ciara! Just in time!"

"That was awfully quick of them." Her eyes followed the servants. She'd just left her room moments ago, after all.

"Well, we servants have a few secrets of our own, I will have you know," Chanti said, smiling mysteriously.

When Ciara looked utterly confused, Elias took it upon himself to explain what the maid meant.

"There are special paths built between the castle walls, which allow for the servants to move about quickly and without disturbing any guests we may have by filling up the halls."

She nodded slowly, following the path the servants were coming and leaving from. It was indeed no normal door or staircase - it was a door hidden behind one of the occasional, long banners hanging on the stone walls, decorated with an emblem of the sun. The symbol for this kingdom and its people.

"You did not decide to bring a lot of stuff." Alex pointed out.

She shrugged. "Maybe so, but I did not want to impose on him."

Alex smiled back at her. "Well, the room is made for two people, you know."

Before they could take the conversation any further, one of the servants lightly stepped up to them.

"The chambers are prepared for you, princess," he told them, then quickly stepped away again.

Chanti turned to Ciara with a smile. "Let us go in and take a look!" she said, already on her way into the room. Alex also nodded, which was enough for Ciara to follow the maid.

Only for her jaw to drop all the way to the floor just as she stepped through the door.

The room in front of her was so much grander than anything she could've ever imagined. Really, it could probably easily fit an entire family - and they were just two!

A bed bigger than she'd ever seen stood against the far wall, dark mahogany coloring its frames, and she was pretty sure all the carvings and details were made of gold.

The bed she'd spent the last many nights in was certainly positively dreamy, but she could see with her bare eyes that the silky, crimson covers of this one would feel exactly as one would imagine a cloud did. She doubted she'd ever be able to pull herself together to get up and out of it.

Tall floor-to-ceiling shelves lined the long wall towards the hall, nestling what she had no doubt was a work-desk between them. All of it had the same design as the bed with dark mahogany and gold curling around each other in intricate patterns.

The shelves were filled with all manners of finery, the likes of which she'd only heard of in stories told by both the maids here and back home. A few of them had even been cleared and were now filled with her own things.

Along that same wall was a door she had no doubt led to a bathroom she wasn't sure she even dared enter at his point.

In the corner stood a pair of armchairs in what looked to be of crimson velvet and a long sofa in the same colors.

Along the opposite wall stood the most beautiful, grand wardrobe she could imagine. Again, in the same swirly gold and mahogany patterns that lined the entire room.

And right next to that, a grand set of doors leading outside. Which - she realized - would be the same view as the one she'd gotten used to in her own room. Which was so wonderfully convenient with Kaisog and Sunrose, since especially Kaisog had taken a shine to that willow. He'd even convinced Sunrose of its greatness as they were found under it, curled up together every night lately.

Chanti giggled lightly under her breath when she saw Ciara's mental tour of the room had come to an end.

"Quite a lot bigger than you are used to, no?"

Ciara nodded, not minding the maid's amusement. "Very much so. It is so extravagant," she muttered, utterly in awe of what stood before her.

"Not to worry, Ciara. Mathilda and I will still be here to make sure you will be taken care of as usual," Chanti reassured her easily, her voice light as she chuckled. "I doubt much will change for you, though."

Ciara frowned. "Still." Seeing her own things in here next to his was really what made it all suddenly seem so real.

She was really going to be living and sleeping in the same room as the king.