Palace Life

Chapter 6-The Royal Carriage

It was almost 2 months until we heard from the palace. We received a letter with the same palace seal as before. Like with the last letter, I slid my fingers under the join and unfastened the seal. Inside was another letter that had the gold leaf design.
I unfolded the letter and read it in silence. My parents and siblings had gone to work a few minutes prior to the letter arriving but I couldn't wait for them to return for me to read it.
"Dear Audrey Laiden, thank you for your application. You have been accepted into our programme and will be filling in a space in our orchestra. We will provide you with a new violin upon your arrival at the palace that matches our orchestra's colour theme. You may bring with you one small bag with any personal items. Clothes are not necessary as we will also be providing your clothes and formal wear."
The idea of having my clothes provided for me was an alien one. I had never had many clothes because they are quite expensive to buy. My wardrobe consisted of two simple cream vests, three white tops, two pairs of work trousers, two bras, three pairs of dirty white socks, a cream skirt, a canvas jacket, a woven cardigan, five pairs of pants and a pair of tattered black boots. Washing was once a week at the communal wash place and if you missed it you would have to wear your dirty clothes for the next week.
I was also scared about the sizes. On the application form they asked for my measurements. I knew some of them but we didn't have a tape measure. My mother did her best to guess but I feared they could be inaccurate. I wondered if they didn't fit, would I get new ones or would I have to deal with it.
"We will send the Royal Carriage tomorrow. Expect it to arrive at 7:30 am. Your family have been granted special leave for the hour to bid their fair wells. Then another carriage will transport them to their places of work. If you are not ready at that time, you will not be granted access to the palace and will therefore forfeit your place at the palace."
I immediately put the letter down and stared at door. In one day I would have to leave. On my own. Without my family. It would be the first time I had left the town and it would be without my family. A sudden surge of fear crept over my mind and I started to cry.
I took me till seven for my eyes to dry. I picked up the letter again and headed to the bedroom. I searched for a while to see if I could find a bag. Eventually I find a worn leather duffel under my parent's bed. It was covered in dust and had obviously served as a home for many spiders judging by the amount of cobwebs.
The letter included a list of items I could bring including family pictures, memories of home and any other personal items that would help you ease yourself into life at the palace. I put the duffel bag of the big bed while I went into the kitchen. In one of the cupboards, I had created a false wall. Behind it there was a old shoe box in which I kept my personal things that I treasured.
I took off the lid. I hadn't looked in this box for over a year so I couldn't really remember what was in it. There was a few pictures of the top. One of them was of me as a baby. It was grey in colour and it was hard to make out the picture. However it was a treasured picture that I couldn't leave behind. There was also a larger picture taken last year of my whole family. The palace send camera people round every five years when they take the census. They take some pictures and you can by them for one lectite. I knew they were coming so I saved money from work and bought my favourite one. The others were in the file.
It was of my whole family. We were dressed in our best clothes and we were all smiling. I can't really remember the day but I was so glad that I had the memory. The other pictures weren't as special so I left them in the box.
There was a jar with some my saved lectites from when I was payed extra. I poured out the jar and counted the lectites. There were thirty two. I had been saving this jar for close to nine years and had amassed quite a sum. I left 16 lectites on the counter and left the other 16 in the jar. These 16 lectites would give my family a new vest each and would leave spare money for food. I put the jar in the bag along with the photos I put in the pocket.
There were several letters from friends that had gone to the palace in years prior. They had described the living quarters as amazing compared to our houses. But they also said they weren't anything amazing truly. They had a small bad with plain quilts and you would stay with another worker. I wasn't particularly bothered about the dorms though.
I finally added a note to the box for Mary. It read,
"Dear Mary, I have been collecting the items in this box for almost 12 years. I am going away and as something to remember me by, I am going to pass this on to you. I thought you would like it. In my wardrobe, there are all my clothes. You can have them when you fit them. I won't be needing them anymore. I love you so much and I will send you a letter when I can."
I wasn't good at verbal communication so I wrote the letter. I planned to give her the box when I left. Before I knew it, it was 7:55 am so I ran out of the door and headed to work.
When we all returned from work in the evening, I gave the letter to my parents and they cried. Mary and Joseph read it over her shoulder and began to cry too. I had cried enough today and felt I had ran my tear ducts dry. So I consoled them for over an hour.
And sure enough, when I woke up the next morning. I put the bag by the door and went back to my family. Mary and mother had cried themselves to sleep last night and father had hardly slept; I don't even think Joseph slept at all.
I got ready and then my family woke up. We sat round the table in silence and then there was a similar firm knock on the door. Officer Mainstride was at the door along with four other palace guards. They stepped aside and revealed the red carriage covered in golden patterns that awaited me; The Royal Carriage.

Hi reader!
Sorry I missed yesterday but I was at at Animal Kingdom all day and then went to a football match so I was completely lost for time!
However I wrote a long chapter today to make up for it. I can't promise every day but every other day is seeming more likely.

Thanks for reading. Comment, vote and follow for the next chapter.

:)-katesstorybook