Caged Heart

Chapter 2

The days passed by with surprising speed, Serenity's mind barely able to keep up. The wedding preparations, the doting of her mother, the ever-present knowledge of the fact that the line of her feelings towards Godric was beginning to blur; she was slowly spiraling with each passing day. But she never complained. She kept her head up with a smile plastered on her face, one that would stay until she was in her room. There, and only there, would she see the natural frown her lips formed as she looked into a mirror while her servants did her hair and removed the makeup they plastered on her face some hours before.

While they were undoing the braids in her hair one night, the door to her chambers opened. She looked in the mirror, eyebrows knitted in irritation, ready to tell whoever had entered that barging in without knocking was rude. But all forms of aggression left her mind as soon as she saw the chestnut-haired beauty standing close to her door with a smile on her face.

"Miss me?" She chuckled upon seeing Serenity's reaction.

"Nellore Fern," Serenity waved her servants away as she stood and walked to embrace the woman, "the weeks in your hometown have been good to you."

"Seeing my family always brings me joy, and I am thankful that you, my princess, allow me to go see them so freely," Nellore smiled as she returned Serenity's embrace.

"But of course. You are my lady-in-waiting; it would be cruel to keep you cooped up in this palace with my travesty of a family."

The two shared a laugh.

Nellore Fern was a young maiden from the Dahlian village named Nuriam, and she was the daughter of one of the most respected nobles in the kingdom: Urdim Fern; that made her an instant choice in the choosing of Serenity's lady-in-waiting. The two clicked fairly quickly, and soon became the best of friends.

"Your highness," one of the servants—one whose red hair was tied into a neat bun at the top of her head—quietly spoke, "would you like us to finish getting you ready for bed?"

The princess shook her head with a smile, "No, it's quite alright. Nell and I have some catching up to do, so I won't be needing to get ready for bed any time soon. In fact," she shared a glance with Nellore, who nodded, "you both can head to bed."

The second servant—a blue-eyed brunette that had a scar sliding down one eyebrow to her cheek—looked puzzled, "Are you sure, your highness?"

"Quite."

The two servants bowed their heads and thanked Serenity as they walked out. The princess waited for them to shut the door before grabbing Nellore's hand, pulling her over to the bed. With a smile on her face, she inquired about her friend's time with her family. Nellore matched Serenity's excitement as she spoke about the Ferns. Her brother was advancing in his studies, her sister was excelling in her archery practices as well as her studies, her mother was the same beaming woman she had always been, but was, of course, a few years older than the last time Serenity had seen her, and her father was her father. Serenity couldn't help but to laugh at the description of the noble Urdim.

"What about you?" Nellore asked after finishing her stories, "What has been going on around this drab place?"

Sighing, Serenity laid back on her bed, "My parents, and Queen Lilith, decided to move our wedding date forward."

"You're kidding."

"I am not. They believe we've had enough time to get to know one another."

"Do you believe that?"

Serenity tilted her head so that she could look at Nellore better, "I believe we've had enough time to know each other's names and how the other likes their eggs cooked, but not enough time to see one another in the light we need to."