The Moorian's Princess

The Rose Room

Aila stormed into her chambers and slammed the doors with a yell of frustration. "The great brute thinks he be so clever!"

"What troubles you, Miss Aila?" Aila turned around to see ZebraAnna stoking the fire in the stone fireplace.

"Where have ye been?" Aila asked offhandedly, changing the subject.

The Moorian looked at Aila, her strange silver eyes shining. "I found work in the kitchens, keeping an eye on you doesn't take up enough of my time." She nodded to a side table next to the soft, pillowed mat that held a wooden tray. "There is your dinner your highness."

Aila sighed. "I told ye not te call me that." And she sat down and began to eat her dinner, which was a hearty stew with bread, cheese and fruit on the side.

"You are the princess, my lady," ZebraAnna said. "And heir to the Saren throne. To let others assume you are less than what you are-"

"Is te keep me alive." Aila snapped. "If me identity be found I will be killed, ZebraAnna, ye know this as well as I do. Then Saren will lose its bloomin' heir and me people will become prisoners of war. War that the Great Brute will no doubt begin."

A smirk found its way to ZebraAnna's lips. "So, what did the Morn do to anger you this time?"

Aila's green eyes blazed. "The brute made me the nanny of his sister's children. I tell ye, that wuman be colder than snow, and harder than ice."

ZebraAnna raised her brows. "Looking after children? That can't be too great a task?"

Aila chuckled. "These children have driven their current nanny half mad." Her face fell. "And I know why." She sighed. "Their ma dinae care for them as a mother should. A cold wuman...the wee ones have ne'er been loved, ne'er been disciplined, what with their da being adviser te the Morn and their mother distant. Not a soul here can handle 'em."

"Except for you, miss Aila." ZebraAnna smirked.

Aila sighed again and surveyed the room. The Rose room, Callahan had called it. The room was actually a set of four chambers. A sitting room, which Aila now sat in, a bedroom, a large bathroom, and an extra room with adjoining bathroom for a maidservant. Each room was beautiful, cream walls that were mostly covered by crawling vines that bloomed with Summer roses. No chairs or lounges but instead there were large floor pillows in varying shades of cream, pink and red.

The bathroom was a marvel, a stone room with high windows, a large round basin made of stone was in the middle, part of a natural hot spring that flowed throughout the castle walls, so the water was always hot.

The bedroom walls were hung with tapestries that featured roses and other flowers. A large, iron frame, canopy bed, built for a Moorian, covered in cream silk sheets and a quilted comforter depicted with white roses.

Aila had not seen the spare room but ZebraAnna had said it would suit her needs.

The rooms made her feel a bit more at home, and by home she meant outside, in the wilderness.

Aila had just barely finished her dinner when a knock came at her door.

ZebraAnna stood up but Aila waved her back. "I got it."

Going to the wooden doors carved with roses, Aila opened them a bit to see Mistress Luk standing there.

"Ye've been summoned." The woman said curtly.

Aila scowled, "By who?"

"Master Callahan, who else? Now come on."

Aila groaned but followed Mistress Luk. Behind her ZebraAnna followed. Aila gave her a look but ZebraAnna just stared back, unrelenting.