A Dove's Tale

Chapter 8

The next morning was actually routine and uneventful, which was a nice change. I started my day in Prince Chevalier's room. When he awoke, I brought him breakfast, and when I finished in his room, I returned to the library. I loved the peace and quiet of that room, where I could work surrounded by the wisdom and poetry of the ages. Sunlight streamed through the beautiful windows as I read in the alcove through lunch, and I paused from reading to look down at the palace gardens below. Roses in full bloom were everywhere - big blossoms on the bushes lining the many paths, small blossoms adorning the vines wrapping around arches and gazebos and climbing up the surrounding stone walls. Reds, pinks, and whites were all arranged in such a way as to harmonize with each other and draw one into their magic. A large fountain graced the center of the gardens, clear water descending from a small bowl at the top through multiple consecutively wider layers to the large stone pool at the bottom. Open grass and the occasional bench surrounded a pond off in the distance.

This was the setting of fairy tales.

"Enjoying the view, I see," said a familiar and not entirely welcome voice.

"Hello, Prince Clavis," I said, stifling a sigh.

"Have you been to the gardens yet?" he asked with a grin and a gleam in his eyes.

"No, your highness, I haven't."

He was setting me up for something, I knew, but in spite of myself, I was curious to know what he had planned.

"Allow me to give you a tour‌," he said, taking my hand and pulling me along after him.

I'll admit I didn't put up too much of a fight, because I really wanted to see the gardens in person. And as soon as we stepped outside, I could tell that they were all I had imagined and more. The paving stones beneath my feet led to a magical wonderland. Greenery surrounded me, carefully decorated with splashes of bright reds here, completely obscured by the purest of whites there, twisting around barely visible stone and speckled with flashy pinks above my head. The pleasant warmth of the spring sun coaxed the fragrance from the flowers, filling the air and intoxicating me. I could barely hear Prince Clavis chattering on over the symphony flowing from every petal. It was so real; I could almost hear the violins in the soft breeze.

No, wait, someone was actually playing a violin.

"Yves," Prince Clavis called as we rounded a bend in the path.

The honey blonde figure drawing his bow across the strings was every bit as beautiful and refined as the surrounding roses. In fact, he looked like he could have been born from the roses themselves, dressed as he was in shades of maroon, pink, and white. Even the sword at his left hip, shorter than the other princes', accentuated his refined appearance. The bow in his hand paused in midair over the violin's strings, and a cloud passed over his deep blue eyes.

"What is it, Clavis?" he asked with more than a touch of annoyance, dropping the violin to dangle at his side next to his gray pants.

"I'd like you to meet the new maid, Ivetta," Prince Clavis said, pushing me forward.

Now I knew why he'd brought me here. He wanted to arrange a meeting with another prince for his entertainment. It was almost enough to make me regret letting him bring me. Almost.

"And why would I care about a new maid?" Prince Yves snapped, imperiously looking down his nose at me. I was wondering the same thing‌, but his curt dismissal stung.

"My apologies, your highness," I said politely. "I didn't mean to disturb your beautiful music. Prince Clavis, I'm afraid I really need to return to my work."

"Not so fast," Prince Clavis said, catching my arm as I tried to leave. "Your lunch ends at one o'clock, right? There's still plenty of time before Chev can have you back."