The Secret of the Seven Princesses

Sanctum Chapter 5

For the first time in many years, silence filled the bedchamber of the seven princesses of Kyoria. The only sounds as they prepared for bed were those of whispering fabrics being pulled off or on. Thaleia adjusted her nightshirt, settling the soft grey material over her hips, before sitting on the edge of her bed to slide her feet out of her customary riding boots. Though most of her sisters preferred the soft satin of walking slippers, Thaleia found that leather shoes were more practical for the activities that she enjoyed—like horseback riding.

She rose from where she sat and went over to join her sisters, who were queuing up single-file at the washbasin. There would be no toothbrush duels that night, as each princess was allotted five minutes at the basin to brush, floss and wash before bed. Thaleia could not help but feel at a loss with the newly organized schedule—a first for all of them. Under the circumstances, however, she felt that the sacrifice was minimal compared to what they would gain if Callia's plan panned out.

Shelving her toothbrush after her turn, Thaleia returned to her bed and began to dismantle her hairstyle. No matter how tight her ponytail was to begin with, the sheer amount of activity and exercise that filled her day never failed to loosen the band holding her dark auburn hair together. She winced as she pulled the brush through the unruly strands, painfully forcing them straight. After several minutes of futile brushing, Thaleia finally admitted defeat and simply pulled her hair back once more into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck.

Settling back against the pillows, Thaleia glanced around the room to check the progress of her sisters. Many of them seemed very close to being finished as well, and only Eurielle still stood at the washbasin. Callia sat on the edge of her bed re-plaiting her hair. Petra was kneeling on the floor, pushing something further under her bed. Both Eralie and Cliodne were leaning against their pillows with the covers pulled up around them. Raia stood at the foot of her bed, looking uncertainly between the princesses. She opened her mouth, breaking the silence for the first time: "When should we—"

"Shhh!" six voices admonished her.

Thaleia glanced at the entrance before lowering her voice to a whisper, "Not here. Not yet. Wait."

As if on cue, Valeria's customary knock sounded on the door. Eurielle shrieked slightly before leaping into bed. The other princesses scrambled into place as well, pulling up the covers just as the door opened.

Thaleia held her breath as Valeria visited each of their beds, tucking them in and wishing them goodnight. She tuned out the housekeeper's babble by running over their plan in her mind. Within minutes, the door had closed and locked behind Valeria once again and the room was plunged into darkness. Still, no one moved. Thaleia took a deep breath and slowly counted to one hundred before silently sitting up in bed. A light flickered on at the other end of the room, casting an eerie glare on everyone's faces. Petra's features were particularly distorted from the glare of her lantern.

Thaleia leaned over and reached under her bed, pulling out a basket. The wicker container was filled with a jumble of items, everything from her spare hairbrush to one of her father's fencing swords (which Petra had happily filched at her request). Thaleia dug to the very bottom and pulled out her own lantern. In the work of a moment, another light had joined Petra's.

The princesses gathered in a circle around the rug which hid the trapdoor. All of them were carrying at least one basket filled with items that they felt were necessary to bring with them. Petra had no less than three bundles, one of which Thaleia knew was filled with torches to light the passageway leading to the secret chamber. Many of the items filling the packages were familiar, as they had been used countless nights as props for the bedtime stories.