A Princess Overlooked

A day in my life

Leaning on the windowstill I'm once again completely in aww of the early morning light. The song of the first birds and the soft blanket of mist hanging over the gardens. For a moment it's just me, the world around me still asleep. A quick glance at the clock tells me it's 04:35, in 25 minutes the palace will wake. Grabbing my cloak I start to make my way to the gardens. At 04;37 the guards will change shifts making it the perfect time to sneak out.

I move across my room towards my shelf filled with books. Carefully rotating the shelf, cringing around the creaking of the wood I make my way down the hidden stairway. Since finding the hidden passage at age 11, I've used it almost daily. I practically know it by heart. In just a few minutes I'll be standing between 2 ladders: 1 going up to a trapdoor hidden in the statue garden and 1 going down to wards the catacombs. Once in the garden I head over to the fountain near the western gate. Sitting in the fountain is a statue of a weeping woman. Quietly rambling of the the chant for passage , the jasmine hedge parts to make an arch. Stepping through the arch I'm transported from the gardens to the Wayward Forest. 

And just like that I'm transported into a world of wonder. The sound of the waking forest embraces me like a grandmother's hug. I make my way through the forest to a big Oak Tree, it has an essence of magic that seems to cling to it. With a trunk so thick, I imagine you could fit a small hut in side, like the squirrels in  children's books. Between the roots of the tree, if you look carefully, you'll see the small trapdoor I installed to keep all sorts of small treasures, one being a bow and quiver full of arrows. I slip of my cloak to reveal the leathers I got in exchange for a cluster of Pitter-pattershrooms (a type of mushroom that make you shrink to the size of a beetle. Next I strap on a small sword, dagger and a few throwing knives for good measure.

I use my walk to the waterfall as a time to practice my stealth, once I reach the waterfall I pick up one of the flat rocks, making sure there's pinkmoss on the bottom. I throw it onto the water and whatches as it bounces once, twice, up to five untill it sinks to the bottom of the body of water. Then the waterfall stops and I have exactly 1 minute to slip inside the cavern it hides. Once inside I walk past all my belongings, straight to the back for some target practice. First some archery, then the throwing knives. It amazing how good 8 years of practice can make you. My personal guard, Henry, tought me the art of archery, sward fighting as well as hand to hand combat. And they say being overlooked is no fun, but realy it means no expectations. Though if my father were to find out he'll have me married of to some old goon.

After an hour of playing around I make my way back to the palace, before my maid comes and finds me gone. Once I'm back in my room I quickly discard of my cloak and leathers making sure to hide them. Slipping into my nightgown and climbing back in bed, I ruffle my hair too make it seem as thou I've been sleeping the whole time. 5 minutes later my door opens and in comes Daphne, my ladies maid. She's about 50 and the closest I've had to a mother.

"Good morning, my little firecracker, no need pretending to be asleep." Daphne says in a sing song voice. "Morning Daphne, no gossip today?". "Astrid! You know I'm not one for gossip"  she says as she places a te breakfast tray on the bed and starts putting an outfit together ..... "the Spring Crowning Ball is in less than a week and rumor has it not only the royals of the 5 Southern kingdoms are invited, but also the King of  the North." I nearly spit out the tea in my mouth. "The king of the North?!Why?" "Your father has decided that it's time to expand his power and what better way to do that than through marriage." "Come now, get dressed, your Brother has requested you have breakfast in the gardens with him."