The Royal Secret

~The New Doll~

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Caitlyn decided to brush off the thought of her parents' problems and focused on her learning. So far, she had been doing quite well for her age according to her tutor.

It was around noon when Mr. Talis walked in during her lesson with a serious expression, "Could I have a word with the princess?" He asked, "It is rather urgent."

"Yes, sir," Ms. Elora said, "How ever long you need."

"Miss, care to follow me to the hallway?"

Caitlyn got out of her chair and walked over to the butler. He lead her to the hallway maintains the serious expression on her face, "What is it, sir?" The little girl asked him.

"Miss, I apologize for interrupting your lesson," Mr. Talis began, "Your mother has passed away."

"Passed away?"

"Yes, child. She has gone to the angels, I'm afraid."

"But father said she would be well..." Caitlyn looked down at her feet feeling the stinging her eyes.

"Would you like for me to request a hold on your lessons?"

She didn't respond. She continued to look at her feet as Mr. Talis' voice became slightly muffled. The muffling broke as Mrs. Talis' heels clicked coming down the hallway, "His majesty would like to see his daughter."

"Father?" Caitlyn called out. Mrs. Talis took her hand and guided her down the hall. The princess had no idea where she was really going, for she was looking at her feet the entire time. She was guided into one of the dressing rooms where her father had a tailor designing an outfit for him. For someone who had just lost his wife he surely had a big smile on his face.

"What happened?" His daughter asked, "What happened to mother?"

"She was ill," His majesty said to his daughter in the mirror, "Sometimes when we become stricken, it becomes difficult to hold on."

"But she was supposed to get better! You told me she would! What happened?!"

Tobias stepped off the platform and walked to his daughter. The strange thing was that he did not hug her, "She was worse than I thought."

Caitlyn turned to Mrs. Talis and hugged her leg. Her sobs were muffled in the woman's dress, "Perhaps the princess should rest," she said, "She's had an eventual few moments."

"Whatever you can do to calm her down."

The King walked back up on the platform allowing the tailor to adjust his outfit once again. Mrs. Talis led Caitlyn to her bedroom. On the way back, the princess saw her friend looking at her with pity as he walked out of his own room, "Go back to your room," his mother said.

As Ximena picked Caitlyn up and placed her on her bed and cupped the little girl's face and wiped her tears away. She smiled at her, "It's okay, miss," she said, "All will be well. You should rest for now. I'll retrieve your night gown."

Caitlyn hugged her knees and continued to sob as Ximena retrieved her night gown from the closet. She had pulled it out of a laundry basket filled with fresh clean clothes. She placed the gown on the bed next to the sobbing little girl and left the room allowing her to be alone.

Caitlyn never put the gown on though. She cried for hours simply crying herself to sleep.

~~~The Following Morning~~~

"Caitlyn, aren't you hungry?" The King asked his daughter as she walked right past the dining room table, "Caitlyn."

The princess stopped and slightly turned her head to look at her father. She turned her head away then continued to walk. Something just wasn't right. Her mother was ill, that was all, but why on earth was her father not effected? He seemed as if he were normal, as if his first and hopefully only wife didn't just die.

Caitlyn walked in her room to see Jayce sitting on the sofa with a box sitting next to him. He looked at her and they stared at each other for a moment as Caitlyn made her way to her mother's chair, "What is the meaning of this?" She asked.

"I went into town and got you a doll," Jayce said opening the box and giving it to Caitlyn, "I thought it would cheer you up."

It was the princess's signature color of purple on the doll's gown. The gloves, shoes and threads of the outfit were a light blue along with the doll's eyes. The hair was brown and the doll had a glow to it's skin. Caitlyn much liked porcelain dolls rather than cloth. They were more beautiful and realistic in her eyes.

"Do you like it?" Jayce asked, "Mother and I had it customized."

Caitlyn smiled and nodded as she cradled the doll in her arms. The princess had been silent since she found out about the news of her mother. The doll brought her much comfort, although her mix of emotions weighed down the ability to express it.

"Be careful with it, I beg you," Jayce added, "I used every bit of my allowance on that. Don't play too aggressively or take it out in the garden. Please, do not throw it."

Caitlyn smiled and nodded again holding the doll up in her lap. She curled up her mother's chair with her new gift and kept to herself. Eventually, Mrs. Talis called for Jayce which left the princess alone in the living area. There was an echo through the main hall of the front doors opening and multiple footsteps walking inside. The princess ignored it and continued to silently admire her doll.

"There she is." A familiar voice said. Caitlyn sat up and turned around to see her uncle Marston, older brother of the Queen. He had been dressed in his signature dark green and navy blue, "Good day," he added with a smile.

Caitlyn nodded and waited for him to walk off before walking back upstairs towards her room. She found a nice and quiet spot in the hallway and sat down with her doll. She played with the limbs to see how weak or well they moved and then felt the texture of the hair.

"Miss, is there a reason why you are sitting in the hallway?" A woman asked. Caitlyn looked up to see her tutor, Ms. Elora with a book in her hand, "That is quite a lovely doll you've got there."

Caitlyn looked at the doll then back at her mentor, "Perhaps you should play in your room?" The woman asked picking the little girl up. You would think most people wouldn't pick up five year olds, but Caitlyn was a rather small young girl. She had been born far too early to be average sized as the other children.

"You sleep well last night?" If only Elora would leave the girl be, "You appear to be tired."

Caitlyn nodded and continued admiring her gift. She found herself in the King's room where he had been trimming his beard a bit. Or someone had been doing it for him.

"Miss?" The barber asked, "Is there something you need?"

The princess shook her head and noticed how her father didn't even look at her in the mirror. He continued to pay attention to the barber's every move. She was afraid to admit to herself that she didn't feel a hint of sadness just from that refusal to acknowledge her.

"Is that a new doll?" The barber asked with a smile. Caitlyn nodded and smiled, "It is quite beautiful, miss. Have you named it?"

She shook her head and noticed her father roll his eyes, "I believe it looks alright," he said coldly.

"Sir, I haven't yet finished-"

"I said it looks fine."

The barber packed up his things and didn't look back at the princess. Caitlyn watched him place his scissors and other supplies into the case so precisely until she felt a force pull her out of the room.

"New rule," The King's voice spoke, "You stay in your own areas of the home."

Tobias pushed his daughter into her room and shut the door in her face. The little girl hugged her doll and cried until the hair of it was soaked. She had cried herself to sleep once again, sad to say.

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