Regent Witch

Chapter Seven

"Princess, do you plan on seeing him again?" Rosemary asked, as she brushed Sasha's hair.

"What are you talking about, Rosemary?" Sasha replied.

The lantern's flame quietly flickered in the glass. Despite being a meager flame, it was strong enough to provide the illumination needed to recognize the surrounding furniture and larger objects. Sasha's bed room was large and spacious. It wasn't too different from a small lobby. A velvet carpet lay before the silent fireplace, while a scenic painting hung over the giant bed. The furniture was made from the finest wood and carved by the finest of carpenters.

Sasha glanced at herself in the mirror. Her hair flowed down her shoulders like a stream of gold. She was dressed in a fuchsia nightgown. Despite the plain design, it was much easier to move in, when compared to the dresses she often wore.

"Don't pretend like you don't know, my lady," Rosemary giggled. "That strapping lad from this morning: the one who sparred with Sir Lucas? I haven't seen you gawk at anyone like that before."

"I wasn't gawking," Sasha snapped. "I was merely impressed by his skill."

Rosemary chortled. "Are you sure his skill wasn't the only thing that impressed you?" she asked. "Weren't you smitten by his dazzling looks? Did you not feel your heart race when he kissed your hand?"

Sasha thought for a moment. "It was merely a gesture of respect," she said. "Many people do it. Also, just because he's handsome doesn't mean I'm going to fall head over heels for him."

"Oh, so you do find him handsome!" Rosemary giggled with glee. "It looks like my little girl has found her shining knight."

Sasha grimaced. "I think I am ready to retire," she said.

"Oh, trying to avoid the subject now, are we?" Rosemary laughed.

Sasha glared at her lady-in-waiting. "Good night, Rosemary," she said with annoyance.

Rosemary gave one last chuckle, before sinking into a curtsy. "Good night, princess," she eventually said, before skipping out the door.

Sasha rolled her eyes, blew out the lantern and dipped herself in bed. The mattress was as soft as a cloud and large enough to fit three people of her stature. A mahogany frame held up the mattress, while curtains of silk surrounded it. Laying her head down, Sasha closed her eyes and went to sleep. Unfortunately, doing so was much harder than she predicted.

Minutes quickly passed into hours, as the princess twisted and turned on the bed, searching for the most comfortable position to lie. It has been a long time since this last happened. The heat of the night swarmed over her skin, making it much harder for her to doze off. This was Rosemary's fault. Sasha couldn't stop thinking about what her lady-in-waiting had asked her.

It felt ridiculous. Of all the troubles and problems to keep her awake at night, something as mundane and as fleeting as romance was keeping her up. Why was this happening? Gilbert wasn't the first handsome man she had met. In fact, Sasha had met a number of fine young men before, so why is this one any different from the others? Sasha turned over and planted her face on the pillow and grumbled.

Unable to take it any longer, Sasha finally got up. Lighting a candle, Sasha approached the nearby shelf and searched for a book to put her to sleep. There was a wire array of literature on the shelves, but those were often so interesting that Sasha was more likely to be kept awake. Soon, she found a decent book to drowse her mind: The Economic History of Midland Volume II.

Just as Sasha was about to pull the book out, a loud thud was heard. Sasha turned her head to the door. It was loud and clear. She couldn't have been hearing things. The princess waited for a second. Another thud was suddenly heard, but it was accompanied with a bang on the door. Sasha stepped back with a pounding heart. She held her breath and tightly clung to the candle.